National League forecast: Can anyone stop Dodgers from three-peat?

Just like the Tom Brady era in New England and Golden State with Steph Curry, the Dodgers are now baseball’s entry into the “team everybody loves to hate” category as they enter this season with a great chance to become the first three-peat champs since the 1998-2000 Yankees (another despised dynasty).

What makes this L.A. story even more intriguing, however, is the backdrop of MLB’s thorny labor issues, as the current economic system allows the Dodgers — and every other club, for that matter — to spend as much they want. It’s just that not enough teams take advantage, and none take that advantage to the extreme like the two-time defending champs, who once again have the sport’s highest payroll at $396 million.

The no-salary-cap crowd (mostly composed of players) contends the Dodgers are everything that’s right about baseball, as they’re doing what every super-rich ownership group should do — put the profits back into the payroll. Those who believe the Dodgers are the problem just point to the disparity between the sport’s haves and have-nots, as they’ve shown that buying championships can still be done when combined with a competent front office.

The Dodgers’ response? Just keep spending, and this past winter, they flexed their financial muscle again — to the detriment of baseball’s wealthiest individual owner, the Mets’ Steve Cohen — by swiping two Flushing targets in Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker. Neither should have been a surprise, however.

Acquiring a closer was the Dodgers’ biggest need this offseason, and with Diaz opting out of his Mets’ contract, luring him with a three-year, $69 million deal made too much sense. As for Tucker, the longer the highly-coveted outfielder stayed on the market, the more opportunity L.A. had to devise a short-term, high-AAV package, and that’s what ultimately landed him at $240 million over four years.

The Mets were in on Tucker, too, right down to the final hours. But the Dodgers, even beyond the dollars, are a hard team to turn down these days, as they offer the best chance to win a World Series ring along with a very desirable workplace in sunny SoCal. Everyone else seems to be playing for second place.

“They're formidable, right?” Cohen said. “They have the ability to spend — so do I, by the way. The goal is to meet them somewhere along the way in the playoffs.”

The Dodgers surely will be playing deep into October again. Adding Diaz and Tucker shores up two of their most vulnerable areas. Plus, Shohei Ohtani — coming off a third MVP — will be a full-go from the mound from the start of the season and expect a bounce-back year from Mookie Betts, as the former MVP slipped some in 2025, posting career-worsts in batting average (.258) and OPS (.732). The challenge is keeping their oft-injured rotation functioning, and that means getting more than a combined 29 starts from Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Then again, they were ready to dominate in October, and for the Dodgers, that’s all that really matters.

Elsewhere in the NL West, it could be a scramble for second place. The Padres still have the offensive firepower, along with a nasty bullpen anchored by Mason Miller, but the health of their banged-up rotation is a major question, along with the future of Yu Darvish (not officially retired, but his status sounds sketchy). The Giants' hiring of Tony Vitello, the 47-year-old Tennessee coach, to take over as manager makes for an interesting experiment, but maybe not a serious contender just yet. The Diamondbacks aim to rebound from last year’s fire-sale, and could with MVP-candidate Ketel Marte leading the charge. The Rockies have been under .500 since last making the playoffs in 2018, and they’ll be right there at the bottom again.

NL EAST

The retooled Mets should be the team to beat. After the rotation crumbled last September, it’s looked strong this spring, with a new ace in Freddy Peralta and the resurgence of the old one in Kodai Senga. Beyond that, there’s promising rookie Nolan McLean — who gained some big-stage experience at the WBC — and plenty of depth should the starters get nicked up again. Offensively, Bo Bichette could turn out to be the winter’s best free-agent signing, and don’t expect a slow start from Juan Soto in his second Flushing season.

The Phillies should be right on the Mets’ heels, but Zach Wheeler’s return from thoracic outlet surgery is going to be a lingering question all season long. Bringing back Kyle Schwarber was necessary to keep the slugging core intact, but the lineup as a whole could be starting to show its age. Atlanta had a rough spring, losing starters Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow bone spurs) and Hurston Waldrep (loose bodies in the elbow) until maybe midseason. The Marlins ruined the Mets’ season a year ago, and it’s hard to see them as anything beyond a spoiler role again. The Nationals continue their perpetual rebuilding plan, only this time with 33-year old Blake Butera as manager.

NL CENTRAL

The Cubs are among MLB’s biggest-revenue franchises, but never really act like it, letting Kyle Tucker walk this winter before giving Alex Bregman a five-year, $175 million contract — and then not doing much else in terms of big-money deals. Still, adding Bregman to a solid lineup is enough to make them the favorites with a rotation featuring Matthew Boyd, Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton and Shota Imanaga back on the qualifying offer.

The Brewers’ offseason strategy of shedding their best players (due to cost) seems to work for them — they tend to make the postseason anyway, maybe due to the motivational skills of back-to-back Manager of the Year Pat Murphy. It will be interesting to see former Met Brandon Sproat’s impact. The Pirates seem to be everyone’s favorite underdog for 2026, no doubt helped by having Paul Skenes fronting the rotation and high-ceiling rookie Bubba Chandler right behind. They also added real major-leaguers in Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna, Gregory Soto and Ryan O’Hearn.

Expect a step back for the Reds, who will forever be remembered in these parts for edging the 2025 Mets for a playoff spot on the final day last year. When St. Louis’ baseball-crazy fans start staying away from Busch Stadium, you know the Cardinals are in a bad place, and they’re going to be there for at least another season as new general manager Chaim Bloom continues the rebuild.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.