The Dodgers are a problem.
They’ve won three World Series since 2020, including the last two in a row, and built a roster that keeps pushing the limits of what a superteam looks like. They spend big, develop talent, maintain a deep farm system and just added Tarik Skubal for good measure.
Everyone worries about the Dodgers in October.
The NL West has been dealing with them for much longer.
LA has won 15 division titles since 2000 and 12 of the last 13, with the 107-win Giants of 2021 providing the only
interruption.
Way to go, Giants!
This year, LA is 8.5 games ahead of Arizona and 24.5 games ahead of Colorado.
When you share a division with the Dodgers, you don’t get to wait until October to worry about them. You check the standings all summer and, more often than not, there they are at the top.
So let’s combine forces.
Build the NL West superteam!
Take any players currently on the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Giants or Padres, using the current FanGraphs depth charts, and build a 26-man roster.
The first goal: beat the Dodgers’ current fWAR total.
The rule: spend less than their current 26-man roster.
Spotrac lists the Dodgers’ total 2026 payroll at $312,015,118. For this exercise, we’re only counting the salaries of the 26 players currently listed on the FanGraphs depth chart.
Here’s the target:
Los Angeles Dodgers
I understand the Dodgers’ injured list is basically a superteam of its own — Will Smith, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow aren’t even included here, and Shohei Ohtani can pitch. But we’re taking one exact slice in time: the 26 players on the Dodgers’ roster right now.
Using the Dodgers’ current FanGraphs depth chart for fWAR and Spotrac for 2026 payroll salary:
Starting lineup
Bench
Rotation
Bullpen
Dodgers 26-man fWAR: 31.8
Dodgers 26-man payroll salary: $229,724,327
Build 26 players from the other four NL West teams. Stay below $229.72 million and, as a first measure, get above 31.8 fWAR.
Then comes the more interesting question: Is your roster actually built to beat the Dodgers in October?
fWAR is a good checkpoint, but a short series brings matchups, bullpen leverage, defense, speed, platoon advantages and roster flexibility into the equation. A lower-fWAR player can still make sense if his skill set gives you a better chance against this particular opponent.
Build the 26 you’d want to take down LA.
And yes, more Rockies gets extra credit.
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