It isn’t a surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have enjoyed the most success in the National League over recent seasons. Both clubs emphasize a team-first mentality while employing some of the brightest minds in the front office, which has translated to a string of postseason berths.
While Los Angeles didn’t make a splashy acquisition during the offseason, the Cubs revamped their roster by signing a pair of former Dodgers in Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow.
The Dodgers and Cubs have squared off in the previous two NL Championship Series and appear destined to meet up once again in 2018.
Despite both clubs facing each other the past two Octobers, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi doesn’t believe they should be considered rivals, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Personally I don’t think so because it doesn’t give enough appreciation for how hard it is to win your division and get in that position,” Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said. “We had two obviously really good, competitive series with them with a lot at stake. But it’s a little presumptuous to start choosing rivals outside your division. It’s hard enough to get through your division.”
On the contrary to Zaidi’s comments, Cubs owner Todd Ricketts stated earlier in the offseason that he believes the Dodgers are the Cubs’ biggest “nemesis” in capturing another World Series championship.
Though the Dodgers attempted to re-sign Darvish during the offseason, the two sides couldn’t settle on a figure that would allow Los Angeles to stay beneath the luxury tax threshold. Clayton Kershaw was understandably disappointed that Darvish didn’t sign with an American League team, but praised him for being an excellent teammate.
After signing with the Cubs, Darvish informed his former manager Dave Roberts that his main goal this season is to defeat his former team.
