Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers enter spring training as fairly heavy favorites to win the National League pennant and overall favorites to win the World Series. They advanced to the Fall Classic in 2017, losing to Houston in a seven-game gauntlet that has since been tainted by the emergence of a sign-stealing system that the Astros used to figure out what pitches were coming. They made it back in 2018, falling to the Boston Red Sox. In 2019, they advanced to the National League Championship Series, losing to a Washington Nationals team that was never within four games of its own division lead all season long but steamrolled from a wild card slot all the way to the world championship. Clayton Kershaw has been shelled in each of the last three Dodger postseasons, and yet he remains a key part of their plans for 2020. With the addition of Mookie Betts and David Price via trade from Boston, the Dodgers are reloading again. Can they win it all this time? As you consider your MLB futures sports betting, take a look at our thoughts about the team from Chavez Ravine.
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers 2020 Pre-Season Analysis
Offensive Analysis
Betts will bring plenty of offensive energy to Los Angeles. He has the speed to bat leadoff, but he has the power to drop down into the lineup if needed. He also leads the league in fielding among right fielders, making him a real value on both offense and defense. Using the WAR metric, Betts has posted 22.4 over the last three seasons. Throughout MLB, only one other player has posted a number above 20.0, and that is Mike Trout.
Defensive Analysis
Even with the addition of Price, with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill leaving, it will be up to Walker Buehler and Blake Treinen (in spot situations) to fill out the rotation. The Dodgers have an excess of riches in the outfield, so they could make a trade if they need another starter. They have Betts, Cody Bellinger, and Joc Pederson to start in the outfield, and they also have A.J. Pollock, who inked a four-year, $55 million contract a year ago. The Dodgers also have seven of the top 100 prospects in MLB’s farm systems, according to Baseball America. So they are loaded at the big-league level and on the farm.
Key Offseason Moves
The biggest addition was 2018 World Series MVP Mookie Betts, who came west in a trade. In 2019, he hit .295, knocking out 176 hits even though the Red Sox missed the postseason. David Price has a career ERA of 3.31 with 1,981 strikeouts, but his velocity is not the same the past couple of years, which means he has to nibble at the corners to be effective. He pitched well in the 2018 postseason but had been notorious before that for folding at just the wrong time. The bullpen got a boost from the addition of reliever Blake Treinen.
The trade with Boston meant that outfielder Alex Verdugo heads to Boston. His bat will be missed in the Dodger lineup. Prospects Connor Wong and Jeter Downs also went to Boston in the trade. The rotation took a blow with the departures of starters Hyun-jin Ryu and Rich Hill. Ryu has been reliable for the Dodgers, posting a 2.80 career ERA, fanning 1,238 men. Hill had a banner 2018 and has a career ERA of 3.82 with just over 1,000 strikeouts. David Freese, who seems to show up on a different team in each postseason, has retired, which means it is time for new leadership to step up. Spot starter Kenta Maeda has also left via trade, so there are some questions to answer in the rotation.
The Dodgers’ combination of offense and defense has Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projection showing Los Angeles winning 103 games, carrying off the NL West title by 24 games over San Diego. I’m not sure that their rotation can carry them quite that far, but with the rest of the NL West reloading, this division is the Dodgers’ to win. Can they deal with whichever team comes out of the East, though?
