Dodgers favored to win NL pennant once again

It’s become very familiar to baseball fans to see the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, as the club has made it in three of the last four years. They finally finished the job and won the Fall Classic last season over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Not surprisingly, L.A. has been installed as the +220 favorites to capture their fourth NL pennant in five campaigns. Will the Dodgers’ dynasty continue, or will some new blood rise to the occasion in the senior circuit? Here’s our analysis.

Dodgers championship core is mostly intact

Third baseman Justin Turner was the biggest name on the Dodgers’ free agent list this offseason, a list which also included outfielder Joc Pederson, utility man Kiké Hernandez, and pitchers Pedro Baez, Jake McGee, Blake Treinen, and Alex Wood.

So far, only Treinen has re-signed with the club. Turner, 36, may be pricing himself out of L.A. with a four-year ask.

However, many of the key cogs during the Dodgers’ championship run are still on the roster, including outfielders Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger, and shortstop Corey Seager. L.A. has also re-tooled its bullpen by acquiring Corey Knebel and Tommy Kahnle.  

The Dodgers’ roster is still a work in progress, but there was no mass exodus that would preclude L.A. from contending in 2021.

Improving Padres may hurt L.A.’s chances

The busiest team in baseball this winter has been the San Diego Padres (+400), who just so happen to play in the NL West.

In a span of less than 48 hours, the Padres acquired 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and 2020 NL Cy Young runner-up Yu Darvish. Then they added KBO slugger Ha-Seong Kim (career-high .921 OPS in 2020) on a four-year deal.

On Monday, San Diego swung another trade to land Joe Musgrove (career-best 3.86 ERA in 2020), further bolstering their enviable rotation that already included Dinelson Lamet (fourth in NL Cy Young voting last season).

The Padres already have a litany of stars in their lineup, including the phenomenal Fernando Tatis Jr. and reliable Manny Machado on the left side of the infield.

Mets could see meteoric rise in 2021

The Dodgers and Padres can’t both win the NL West, meaning one of the two franchises will have to survive a one-game Wild Card round. The New York Mets (+650), meanwhile, appear poised to win the NL East, making their road to the NL pennant a little easier.

The Mets have been aggressive this offseason, signing catcher James McCann to a four-year, $40.6 million deal and relief pitcher Trevor May to a two-year, $15.5 million pact. They’re very much in the race for center fielder George Springer and even 2020 NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, so the time is now to place a bet on the Mets before their odds drop.

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