For the last 11 seasons, Dodgers fans have been spoiled by their playoff runs. Since the Guggenheim Baseball Management took control of the team, they have won 9 divisions and have missed the playoffs just once.
The team expects to be playing baseball deep into October.
Guggenheim and company have bolstered the team with stars like Hanley Ramirez, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, and Mookie Betts to better their roster and win a championship.
This past offseason, the experts around the game pointed out they went after Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and Carlos Correa in order to make a splashy signing. Instead, the Dodgers filled in their holes with Miguel Rojas, JD Martinez, Noah Syndergaard, David Peralta, and injured Alex Reyes.
Any producer reading this conclusion will immediately ask for rewrites. No way the Hollywood stars of the LA Dodgers didn’t bring any big names for another push at the World Series.
Meanwhile down the 5 freeway, the new archrivals of the San Diego threw monopoly money at anyone one willing to swing their big bats in PetCo Park.
By adding Xander Bogarts and extending Manny Machado and Yu Darvish this off season, the Padres are now the favorites to win the division.
Cue My Prediction
And I predict they will win it, too. Clearing the path for the Dodgers to win and make a run in October as one of the National League wild card teams. With the chip on their shoulder, the team will make it deeper into October in comparison to their 111-season.
The Dodgers have not played with an urgency since winning the World Series back in the shortened season of 2020. They have become comfortable in winning.
This new season will put a chip on their shoulder with big unanswered questions. Can they win without their beloved captain, Justin Turner? Are the rookies worth hoarding and can they help the team win a World Series? Should they have signed a shortstop after Gavin Lux’s injury?
The Dodgers have not answered questions like these in a long time. This new season will push them out of their area of expertise to uncharted territory where they will have to stop relying on splashy free agents to win 111 games.
Instead, I see this team winning less than 95 wins. They will catch fire when they need to. The rookies will find their form at the right time. They’re deep farm system will help them during their October run. They will use some of their prospects to trade for some extra help in the middle of the season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers of Chavez Ravine will play October baseball as a wild card team. They will be forced to play an extra series for the first time since they won the 2020 World Series. This time, they won’t have to play a Padres team that’s not as strong as their current team. Instead, they will be motivated to show the world they are still the top dawgs of the West.
I predict they will have a deep run in October because of this uncharted territory. Who knows, maybe they’ll repeat a match up against the Houston Astros in the World Series. Finally answering the question of who would have won that match back in 2017 in an even playing field.
But, what does this hopelessly devoted Dodger Homer know?
