Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts enters the 2026 season not just comfortable with being every opponent's top target but also welcoming it, citing the nightly pressure as a core reason the back-to-back World Series champions keep raising their own standard.

The Dodgers' 2026 roster features Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kyle Tucker, and newly signed closer Edwin Diaz, among others — a collection that has made Los Angeles the undisputed axis of baseball heading into the new season.

The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Boston Red Sox lead the American League pursuit, while the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers carry the National League's hopes of dethroning the defending champions.

Roberts said the relentless pursuit from opponents strengthens rather than burdens his club.

"Because it forces you to bring out your best every night," Roberts said. "Whether we face a young team or a veteran-laden team, a young pitcher or a veteran pitcher, they're bringing their best to beat us. And so for us to not get embarrassed, we've got to bring our best. We're used to people coming after us every single night, and it prepares us to sustain this through the whole season. We're the beneficiaries of people coming after us every single night, because it makes us tougher."

Roberts, himself a future Hall of Fame managerial candidate, pointed to sustained excellence as the organization's defining trait.

"What I'm proudest of is the consistency of winning and how we go about it," Roberts said. "There's not a person that's familiar with baseball or successful businesses that says we're not doing things the right way. To do something over a long period of time -- that's stuff that I appreciate. It's what keeps the fire burning to sustain it. Knowing everyone is chasing you, wants to knock you off. How can you be honest with yourself and the organization on what your shortcomings might be to continue to keep that competitive advantage? That's what I'm obsessed with, what our front office and our players are obsessed with."

Los Angeles enters 2026 pursuing a third consecutive championship, a feat not accomplished since the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late 1990s.