Expectations are once again high for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they enter the 2022 season with a ‘World Series or bust’ mentality.
Although the Dodgers lost Corey Seager, Max Scherzer and longtime closer Kenley Jansen in free agency, they were able to re-sign Clayton Kershaw and Chris Taylor, while making arguably the most surprising signing of the offseason in Freddie Freeman.
L.A. also added to their pitching depth by signing Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Daniel Hudson.
The Dodgers will feature one of the best lineups in baseball that now includes a designated hitter; and on the mound they should once again have a top pitching staff led by Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and Kershaw.
All the talent on the roster keeps lofty expectations in place, and rightfully so, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is ready to meet those head-on, as he predicted a 2022 World Series win during an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show”:
“We will win the World Series in 2022. We’ll win the World Series this year. Put it on record. … We are winning the World Series. That’s our focus, that’s our goal. But to your question, we are winning the World Series if our starting staff stays healthy. I know that’s vague, but that’s my answer.”
The Dodgers were decimated by injuries last season and didn’t have the depth that usually had been in place to protect themselves when players go down.
This season, L.A. has made it an emphasis to not allow that to happen again by signing Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar and Tony Wolters to Minor League contracts and Hanser Alberto to a Major League deal. So far, Roberts already believes the results have been promising.
Despite last year’s injury issues, the Dodgers were still able to tie a franchise record with 106 wins and advance to the NL Championship Series for the fourth time in five seasons. However, they also lost the NL West division title to the San Francisco Giants by one game and ultimately fell short of making it to the Fall Classic.
Of course, a manager always expects his team to win the World Series, but this year, most others also believe the Dodgers will end up winning another championship.
Current betting odds have them as the favorite, roughly +450 to +500 to win, with the Toronto Blue Jays second at around +800 to +1100.
Roberts: Freeman will back second or third in Dodgers lineup
The Dodgers essentially have a full All-Star lineup this season, which gives Roberts a lot of flexibility to organize the batting order in any way he wants.
But despite his many options, Roberts is already set on Freeman batting in the second or third spot in the Dodgers lineup. Freeman has spent the majority of his career batting third, with more than 4,600 plate appearances there.
While Roberts confirmed Freeman will bat second or third, he isn’t set on a particular batting order and estimated to have six different lineups with the 32-year-old in it. Freeman hit third in his Dodgers debut, then second against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
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