Dodgers: The Biggest Threat to Dethrone Los Angeles in the West
If the Dodgers get the chance to play in 2020, they’ll likely be in line for their eighth consecutive NL West title. The reality is, there is only one team in their division that could even come close to Los Angeles, but they’ll need to keep their eyes on them.
Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77 record in 2019)
The signing of Madison Bumgarner fills a need in their starting rotation after dealing Zack Greinke to the Astros last year. The move also allows the Diamondbacks to trade from their starting depth given the fact the MadBum signed for a backloaded five years. They also added Kole Calhoun to an already crowded outfield situation, but Ketel Marte could presumably move back to second base. Are they better than last year? Probably, but not by a whole lot. The Dodgers shouldn’t have too many issues with AZ in 2020.
San Francisco Giants (77-85 record in 2019)
The biggest lost for the Bay Area will certainly be the face of their franchise in Madison Bumgarner, especially for a team coming off some pretty bad years. They signed Drew Smyly to a one-year deal, and he has great bounce-back potential. They landed a few decent prospects and Zack Cozart, but also ended up DFA’ing him by January. If the Giants are going to be good, it’s going to be a few years.
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Colorado Rockies (71-91 record in 2019)
The Rockies didn’t really do anything aside from inking Scott Obert to a three-year deal. They added some prospects and a few injury-prone guys they will take fliers on, but they’re basically the same team as last year. If a few of their veterans don’t get things going, they could even look into deals for Nolan Arenado, if the price was right. The Rockies always give the Dodgers a tough time, but this year might be different.
San Diego Padres (70-92 record)
The Padres are young and talented, that much is for sure. They took a flier on a bullpen arm in Pierce Johnson, a very low risk with a potentially very high reward. They also acquired Tommy Pham in a deal that sent Hunter Renfroe to Tampa Bay. They also landed Jurickson Profar from Oakland, as well as added Trent Grisham and right-hander Zach Davies from Milwaukee. The team also signed Drew Pomeranz to a four-year, $34 million deal. The Padres very well could be the best team the Dodgers face in 2020, if they get the chance to.
Dodgers’ Runner-Up Predictions
The final records are always a tossup right now given the fact that not all games will be played as scheduled. But given the improvements made, here are our predictions for how the West would have shaken out this year.
1st- Dodgers
2nd- Padres
3rd- Diamondbacks
4th- Rockies
5th- Giants
Who do you think is the biggest threat to the Dodgers in their division? Are they a lock to take the NL West in 2020?
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