2 MLB teams the Mets should fear, 1 team that is a fraud

The Dodgers are not as scary as they once were

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the class of the National League for the last decade. They've made the postseason in every season since 2013. They've won three pennants since 2017 and broke through in 2020 to win the World Series.

The Dodgers won 111 games last season, their high water mark in this impressive decade-long run, but suffered the same fate as the Mets, losing in the postseason to the Padres. The Dodgers are still going to be good in 2023, but they shouldn't scare you as much as they have in the past.

The Dodgers still have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith at the top of the lineup, but see a steep drop off after them. Can players like Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez bounce back? The Dodgers will be relying on players like David Peralta, Chris Taylor, and Miguel Rojas to produce every day. They do have some of their young prospects coming up, but is that really enough?

On the pitching side, the Dodgers are still good. Julio Urias is a stud. Clayton Kershaw is still there. Tony Gonsolin is good. The questions are still there after those three pitchers. With Walker Buehler on the shelf, can the Dodgers rely on a pitcher like Noah Syndergaard to be closer to his old self? They do have a history of turning mediocre pitchers into really good ones, so we'll have to see.

The Dodgers seem to be all in on Shohei Ohtani in the 2023 offseason. It's very possible they get him, but they seem to be okay with sacrificing 2023 to do it. Watching Trea Turner, Tyler Anderson, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Andrew Heaney walk and replacing them with cheaper players doesn't smell like the recipe for success.

The Dodgers are always great and will find a way to win 90+ games and make the playoffs. They might even win the division. Top to bottom, this Mets team is flat out better. Better lineup, better rotation, better bullpen.