Do the Los Angeles Dodgers (or any 2022 MLB team) have the best lineup ever? Here's what it would take

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman this offseason, they sparked a conversation: Do they have the best lineup in recent memory? And maybe… ever?

We decided to dig into what it takes for a lineup to be great. Which 2022 teams — L.A. and perhaps others — fit the description?

As a research tool, we developed a formula that mixes five elements: a superstar one-two punch, depth, versatility, balance and bench strength. The metrics are expressed as three-digit indexes, where 100 is average, 110 is one standard deviation above average, 120 is two standard deviations better than average, and so on.

For each, we enlisted ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield to look at notable teams of the past that excelled there, break down how this year's Dodgers stack up, and look at other teams that might have a case to make.

So how do the Dodgers — and the rest of this season's contenders — truly rate?

Lineups are deeper and more balanced than they tended to be in, say, the 1930s, when most of the players in even a good lineup were just trying to get on base for the big RBI guys. That's why someone like Lou Gehrig could rack up 185 RBIs in a season. Still, while teams strive for top-to-bottom balance, having a couple of elite run producers as the foundation of your attack is still a winning formula in baseball. According to Fangraphs, four times in the past eight seasons the team that led the majors in weighted runs created also featured the majors' top one-two duo by wRC.

The recent standard: Seven teams since 1973 had a one-two punch with an index of 114. The most fascinating of those seven teams was the 1996 Mariners because their one-two punch did NOT include Ken Griffey Jr., who hit