Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller has told kicker that the rest of the Bundesliga will never be able to close the gap to Bayern Munich.
Bayern are currently 11 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and are widely expected to ease to a third successive German title.
Borussia Dortmund were the last team to finish ahead of Bayern, winning the 2011 and 2012 titles, but they have seen key players Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski move to Bayern and are currently struggling in the relegation zone.
Voller said the league beneath Bayern remains open, citing Augsburg's success this season as a sign that small clubs "can make up the difference with a smart, sharp and swift planning of your squad."
He added: "Nevertheless there is a gap which you will never be able to close -- that's the one between FC Bayern Munich and the rest of the league, because that gap has grown so big that you can't scout well enough that you will be anywhere near the same level as them. We are poles apart."
Bayer Leverkusen had come close to winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League in 2002 only to fall at the last in each competition, and they saw key players Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto join Bayern in that summer.
The following year, Leverkusen avoided relegation on the final day of the season.
"When we tried to keep up with Bayern over 10 years ago, we reached our natural limits and needed to scale down," Voller said.
Cologne sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, meanwhile, told kicker that Bayern's dominance is not a problem at this stage but could damage the Bundesliga if it continues.
"Right now, it's OK, but should Bayern win the league in March in the next five, six years, it could become destructive," he said. "Currently it's good for the league because it is exciting for the neutral spectator."
Schmadtke said that, other than those games involving Bayern, it has become difficult to predict a winner in Bundesliga games.
He maintained that Bayern's quality may not be a problem and that it would be "positive for German football" if they are able to translate that success into the Champions League, but he recognised that there is a danger in having one club set apart from the rest.
"In the long run it would not be good for the league if clubs are only playing to finish 2nd to 18th," he said.
"At the least, you should be able to name clubs like Dortmund, Leverkusen or Schalke as candidates for the title in the summer. Should that not be the case, it will get difficult at some point but, like I've said, we are not there yet."