The Los Angeles Dodgers’ reign in the National League West has largely gone unchecked since 2013, with the other three teams in the division only occasionally having their moment of breaking through.
The San Francisco Giants snapped the Dodgers’ streak of eight consecutive NL West titles in 2021, only to lose in five games when they met in the Division Series that October. The San Diego Padres took down the Dodgers in the postseason in 2022, and Arizona Diamondbacks made it all the way to the World Series the year they defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS.
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Those moments of victory may end up costing the rest of the division in the long run as they seemed to motivate the Dodgers to spend more over the past two years in effort to avoid more October failures.
It has resulted in the Dodgers owning the best roster in baseball top to bottom, but Randal Grichuk noted the Diamondbacks are not shying away from the difficulty of overcoming that challenge like they did in 2023, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic:
“I see that (Dodgers) team and it could be arguably the best roster I’ve ever seen,” Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk said. “Lineup, starters, bullpen — if anybody could think of a better one, truly better, I’d be interested in seeing an argument.
“They’re super talented, clearly. But I think we are, too, and it’s baseball — so it’s going to be fun.”
The Diamondbacks had an eventful offseason of their own by signing Corbin Burnes in free agency and acquiring Josh Naylor in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians. However, the quantity and quality of the players on the Dodgers roster in comparison makes it hard to ever truly catch up talent-wise, and is a factor that impresses Joe Mantiply:
“Everywhere you look,” Diamondbacks reliever Joe Mantiply said, “their roster is loaded with superstars.”
Corbin Carroll, a cornerstone of the Diamondbacks’ future, also marveled at the Dodgers’ collection of talent:
“It’s felt like each year that I’ve played against those guys, they’ve always added,” right fielder Corbin Carroll said. “It hasn’t just been in the margins. It’s been some incredible players.”
The Diamondbacks’ path back to the postseason is very clear after missing out in 2024 by the thinnest of margins. They boasted the best offense in terms of runs scored in 2024, but a pitching staff that ranked 26th in terms of ERA hindered their cause.
The Diamondbacks addressed that need in a big way with the addition of Burnes, who was the top free-agent starter on the market. They will be in the mix for one of the two wild card spots.
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: 2024 season series
The Dodgers held a slight edge against the Diamondbacks last season, with a 7-6 record despite being outscored in the series 86-73.
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