NL West preview: The Dodgers should romp and those pesky Padres might take a step backward
National League West superstars tend to be bunched on the Dodgers and San Diego Padres, which might have compelled two other teams to write a huge check during the offseason to lock in a player of undeniable impact.
A big NL West hello to Corbin Burnes of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Willy Adames of the San Francisco Giants.
Burnes, 30, is a top-rung starting pitcher, a Cy Young Award winner who regularly exceeds 30 starts and 200 strikeouts per season while keeping his earned-run average under 3.00. He signed for six years and $210 million.
Adames, 29, is a top-rung shortstop, a power hitter and clubhouse leader who compiled 32 home runs, 112 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases last season in Milwaukee. He signed for seven years and $182 million.
Mookie Betts happy to be back on the field for the Dodgers
Mookie Betts’ trademark smile is back. As he walked off the field on his way back to the Dodgers clubhouse, he was in good spirits after his pregame warmup, exclaiming, “I feel great. Awesome. Normal.”
For Betts, Tuesday marked a return to normalcy, with the star shortstop back in the lineup against the Angels. Betts was slated to get “three at-bats, play four or five innings of defense,” according to manager Dave Roberts.
Coming back from his stomach ailment, Betts played into the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Angels. He finished 0 for 3 with a couple of groundouts and a foul out to first base.
‘Be the hunter.’ Dodgers focus on dominance, not dynasty, amid renewed title pursuit
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, left, celebrates with manager Dave Roberts after scoring on a grand slam against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS on Oct. 8.
When Dave Roberts addressed his full team for the first time this spring, he didn’t use the word dynasty.
On Feb. 15, during the opening week of Dodgers camp, the 10th-year manager did discuss the team’s World Series title, its expectations to repeat and the long road ahead to get there.
Roberts looked around a room — one that included the reigning National League and World Series most valuable players, two more former MVPs, two Cy Young Award winner who had combined to win the award five times, and a host of other All-Stars, big names and expensive free-agent acquisitions — and told the group they were at “the epicenter of baseball.”
