The lack of eye-popping transactions on the West Coast has bettors closely monitoring this situation on the futures market. But sportsbooks aren’t silly. Los Angeles has won nine of the last 10 NL West pennants and it still has one of the most talented rosters in baseball.
Walker Buehler missing the entire 2023 season as he recovers from Tommy John is going to sting. However, don’t expect the Dodgers to fall off the face of the Earth just because Buehler is out and Trea Turner left for Philadelphia. The devastating combination of a high payroll, a plethora of star power and a top-three farm system in baseball will have Los Angeles winning for years to come.
The Dodgers will still be a force to be reckoned with in the National League.
San Diego Padres
Odds to win the NL West: +110
Odds to win the NL: +480
Odds to win the World Series: +1000
The San Diego Padres now have one of the most expensive payrolls in the MLB. They’re going all-in recently after signing or extending the following: Manny Machado (11-year, $350 million), Fernando Tatis Jr. (14-year, $338.25 million), Xander Bogaerts (11-year, $280 million), Yu Darvish (six-year, $108 million) and Joe Musgrove (five-year, $100 million).
Last year’s National League finalists are hoping that the offseason acquisition of Bogaerts from the Boston Red Sox will help elevate them into the 2023 Fall Classic. If this team can stay healthy and play to even half of its potential, San Diego is a lock for the postseason.
While the Padres may not be as consistent throughout the year as their division rivals, the Dodgers, they don’t necessarily need to be. As fans witnessed last year, San Diego is built for the playoffs — and that was without Tatis.
I wouldn’t advise picking the Padres to win the NL West, I also wouldn’t advise against backing ‘Slam Diego’ in a two-horse race. There’s plenty of plus juice waiting to be consumed (+110 to win the NL West, +480 to win the NL, +1000 to win the World Series), it’s just a matter of whether you trust the hype or not.
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