A big storyline of the 2020 MLB season was the growing rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the National League West.
While the Padres had a solid year and reached the postseason for the first time since 2006, the Dodgers ultimately proved they are still superior by winning the NL West for an eighth consecutive year. They then went on to sweep the Padres in the Division Series before winning their first World Series since 1988.
Even though the Dodgers were better in 2020, that does not mean that will be the case moving forward as the Padres have a ton of young talent that should help them get better in the future. Additionally, Padres general manager A.J. Preller has been the most aggressive executive in the league to improve his club in recent years.
That has again been the case this offseason with the Padres already acquiring two frontline starters in Blake Snell and Yu Darvish.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, have had a relatively quiet offseason to this point, although there are still plenty of moves to be made. However, during an appearance on MLB Network’s “High Heat,” David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is not going to make any moves solely in response to the Padres:
“That’s not Andrew Friedman style. He doesn’t feel like he needs to counterpunch. He just feels like he has to continue to add to whatever their plan was during the offseason. And what that plan was is solidifying the bullpen, which they’ve done to a certain extent already. Also, Andrew did say at the beginning of the winter that he would like to add a right-handed bat.”
Friedman has already made it clear the plan is to add more bullpen help and a right-handed bat, whether that be re-signing Justin Turner or bringing in someone else to replace him.
MLB scout still has Dodgers ahead of Padres
Despite all of the big moves the Padres have made to try and compete with the Dodgers, one MLB scout still believes that the NL pennant runs through L.A.
The Dodgers have won the division eight straight years and have reached the World Series in three of the last four. So until someone dethrones them, they have to still be considered the rightful kings of the NL.
It is clear that the Padres are coming for them though, so even if Friedman isn’t going to make reactionary moves, it would still be in the Dodgers’ best interest to improve their club even more this offseason.
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