Dodgers predicted to target elite NL reliever for bullpen help
Dodgers predicted to pursue elite NL reliever Riley O'Brien for bullpen help.
All 17 MLB executives polled unanimously predict the Los Angeles Dodgers will win the NL West division. The Dodgers have dominated the division for over a decade, only missing the title once in the last 13 seasons.
Sep 13, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers players pose for a team photo as they celebrate clinching the NL West division with their victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
MLB.com polled 17 anonymous MLB executives on the winner of each division, and all 17 voted the Los Angeles Dodgers as the winners of the NL West.
The Dodgers have had control of the NL West for more than a decade, losing out on first in the division just once in the past 13 seasons, and they still won 106 games in the season which they didnât claim the division title. The executives expect the Dodgers will maintain their dominance in the NL West despite some recent close calls with the San Diego Padres.
âDo we really need to ask this question?â said an NL executive.
âIf you can find something new to say about them, youâre better at this than I am,â an AL executive added.
The Dodgersâ performances so far this season certainly warrant the predictions, as they currently lead the division have the best record in MLB at 20-9. They definitely arenât home free, though, as 133 games remain in their season and they sit just 0.5 games ahead of the Padres.
Executives cite the Dodgers' long-standing dominance in the division and their consistent performance, including winning 106 games in a season without claiming the title.
The Dodgers have controlled the NL West for more than a decade, losing the division title only once in the past 13 seasons.
The Dodgers have faced close competition from the San Diego Padres, but executives still expect them to maintain their dominance.
In a poll of 17 anonymous MLB executives, all voted for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the winners of the NL West division.
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Sep 13, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers players pose for a team photo as they celebrate clinching the NL West division with their victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
MLB executives arenât the only ones who think the Dodgers will cruise to first in the NL West, as analysts are also taking LAâs side in the matter.
ESPNâs Alden Gonzalez commented on the matter when discussing the Dodgersâ potential win total this season.
âThe Dodgers have become extra careful with their pitchers during the regular season, oftentimes giving them way more time than needed,â Gonzalez wrote. âThey donât deploy their roster to the max â with starters going every five days, relievers used aggressively and position players playing through nagging ailments â until they absolutely have to. No disrespect to the San Diego Padres and their early surge, but I donât see anyone in the National League West pushing the Dodgers in that way this season.
Itâs only natural manager Dave Roberts believes the Dodgers will take the NL West yet again, and he clearly isnât worried about the rest of the division. The Dodgers briefly fell behind the Padres last week, prompting Roberts to say the following.
âI donât think anyoneâs too concerned about the Padres and what theyâre doing,â he said.
âI just donât think we really concern ourselves with anyone, to be quite honest. And thatâs the way we should think about things. Itâs no disrespect to any team. Itâs just that weâve got to kind of keep our closet clean and play good baseball and it will take care of itself.â
At the moment, FanGraphs has the Dodgers at a 94.6% chance to win the division, as well as a 99.6% chance to make the postseasonâthe highest of any team in MLB.
Additionally, they have a 25.5% chance to win the World Series according to the model, which also ranks first among all MLB teams.
The Dodgers may be without some key players in Blake Snell and Edwin DĂaz, but are still managing a strong start to the season and will look to lock up the division once more and secure the franchiseâs first three-peat. Their next hurdle comes Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, where LA will look to rally behind a Shohei Ohtani start to win the series.
How many games do you think the Dodgers will win the division by this year?