Dodgers: Latest World Series Odds Show Padres Closing in on Los Angeles
Well isn’t this fun? The San Diego Padres are now the best team ever in the history of baseball! At least if you ask some of the fans coming back online for the first time since October 8th. No doubt, the Show Pads are making some serious moves that should ultimately lead to a much more exciting NL West showdown with the Dodgers in 2021.
In case you missed the news, San Diego reportedly acquired Rays ace Blake Snell (not yet official) on Sunday night, sending 4 prospects to Tampa Bay in return.
With that — along with a dreadfully slow winter hot stove — the oddsmakers are going to work in updating the latest World Series odds for next season. Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles is still top of the pops. However, San Diego is closing in.
Here are the updated 2021 World Series odds after the Padres recent moves ? pic.twitter.com/q0rwkGo0tJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 28, 2020
Of course, this comes with the Dodgers having yet to make a real splash of their own this offseason. Justin Turner remains a free agent. As do Enrique Hernandez and Joc Pederson, among others. On the other side, the Padres don’t seem to be done wheeling and dealing yet.
Reports are circulating that San Diego is close to a deal to bringing old friend Yu Darvish to Petco Park. On paper, a front of the rotation featuring Snell, Darvish, and young Padre phenom Dinelson Lamet at the top is undoubtedly formidable. But speculatively speaking, the Friars bringing in not one but two aces this winter could potentially mean that Lamet isn’t responding to a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on his nagging right biceps. And it’s already known that Mike Clevinger will miss 2021 after Tommy John surgery.
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So, with all this said, it’s really too soon to take these updated World Series odds to heart. There are still two months or so before the start of spring training — if that happens on time that is — and there are plenty of stars available on the market heading into January.
Really, the Dodgers don’t need to rush anything. Let the Padres have their moment. As I sarcastically alluded to on Twitter, this feels a lot like that time the Padres beat LA with a much-celebrated Trent Grisham home run off of Clayton Kershaw and were “en route to win it all”…
Remember that time the Padres won the World Series of Trent Grisham home run?
The streets of San Diego went wild!
— Clint Pasillas (@realFRG) December 29, 2020
…but the Dodgers went on to win the next two games in that series and handily sweep San Diego in the NLDS.
Justin Turner is available. Nolan Arenado could be had. Kris Bryant could be dealt. Trevor Bauer is a free agent. LA could move some parts and sign free agent catcher JT Realmuto if they want to. Just let the offseason breathe and let Andrew Friedman do his thing.
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So, if Snell is not cause for “worry,” what about Snell and 2020 Darvish? Probably still just high on the “concern” list. What if the Dodgers decide the price for difference makers is too high and just continue to tinker around the edges of the bullpen for the rest of the off-season? Does that put the division streak in jeopardy? I think it does. Are the Dodgers still the better team? Yes. But only if they play like it. There hasn’t been a repeat WS winner in 20 years because some very good teams couldn’t keep the winning edge. If the Dodgers decide everything is fine and all they need to do is tinker, the streak becomes 21, no matter what the Padres do.
Let’s just hope Dodgers don’t view everything being fine now, and realize that what Padres have done should prompt the needed impact moves Freidman was alluding to earlier this off season.
This is bad news for the Giants, Rockies, and DBacks ? Because Andrew Friedman has a lot of resources and has shown a willingness to add big pieces to an already talent rich club.
What this means is that our “weak” division has been made more competitive, and the Dodgers should respond with impact acquisitions. We saw how thirsty the Padres were last season and now they have strategically put together an even stronger team. Although I believe that our team remains the better team between the two, the Dodgers still need to be as proactive as the Padres and focus on securing contracts where relevant and filling in our gaps e.g., RHBs against LHP….