MLB insider believes Los Angeles Dodgers' humbling playoff defeat to South California rivals might have been wake-up call club needed
The 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers won more games than any MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately for them, that was all they achieved last year.
To quote the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, "It don't mean a thing without a ring."
The Dodgers' 111-win season marked only the second time a team won more than 110 games this century. It was an incredible feat, which may have done more harm than good. A stacked Dodgers lineup may have been overconfident entering the 2022 playoffs, where they were axed in the NLDS 3-1 by the San Diego Padres.
The shock of losing to their in-state rivals, a team they have historically dominated, still stings for Dodgers fans. MLB insider Buster Olney, however, attempted to put a positive spin on the loss.
"I kind of wonder if getting their butts kicked by the Padres in the postseason last year was a good reminder," Olney told Dodgers Nation.
He went on to claim that the humbling defeat might have been the wake-up call this Dodgers lineup needed.
"That fuel, I bet you they’re riding it into this season."
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won just one World Series over a 35-year stretch, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. With the talent on this roster, anything short of the pennant this year will be a disappointment.
The Dodgers are currently first in the National League West with a 23-15 record. They hold a three-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and a four-game lead over the Padres.
The Los Angeles Dodgers-San Diego Padres rivalry is currently one of the most heated in baseball
Record levels of investment by the San Diego Padres over the previous 12 months have made them serious contenders in the NL. Led by Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts, the team boasts one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.
Former AL MVP Mookie Betts was recently asked if he thought the Dodgers-Padres rivalry was bigger than the one between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
"That is hard to choose," replied Betts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will need to be at their best if they hope to defend their division title. They still hold the edge over their Southern California rivals. The Dodgers have finished first in the division in nine of the previous 10 seasons.