The Dodgers may have made the biggest splash at the trade deadline, but ESPN’s Buster Olney says three NL clubs could still make life difficult for Los Angeles down the stretch and beyond.
On “SportsCenter,” Olney pointed first to the Chicago Cubs, who just handed the Dodgers their last three losses during Los Angeles’ six-game skid. He highlighted the pitching help Chicago added before the deadline, along with its experienced group of hitters.
“Number one, I'm going to go Chicago Cubs, who made two deals last weekend, leading up to the trade deadline for starting pitchers, Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays, Clay Holmes from the New York Mets, and they have that great veteran group of position players. You have Alex Bregman, you have Dansby Swanson. That is a dangerous team,” Olney said.
His second team was the Milwaukee Brewers, a club he believes can hang with the Dodgers because of the way its rotation stacks up. Olney singled out Jacob Misiorowski, noting his MLB-leading 1.63 ERA and 195 strikeouts, then added more arms the Brewers can throw at opponents.
“Then you have guys like Logan Henderson. The other day they picked up Dustin May; Kyle Harrison has been terrific this year. They could be dangerous to the Dodgers because they can match up with the starting pitching,” Olney said.
The third team on Olney’s list was the San Diego Padres, though he put one condition on that pick: “if they make the playoffs.” He liked their additions of Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, and said a team built around Manny Machado would not blink in a postseason matchup with Los Angeles.
“is not going to be afraid of the Dodgers in a postseason series.”
For now, the question is whether any of those three teams can slow down the Dodgers’ push for a third straight World Series.
What three teams present as the Dodgers' biggest challengers? 👀@Buster_ESPN joins @JayHarrisESPN to break down which teams pose a threat ✍️ pic.twitter.com/hCzhh0xGUk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 7, 2026
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