The reigning 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2021 season as a current to repeat. Finally, the suitable-case effort for this twelve months’s L.A. squad is downright provoking. But that doesn’t imply the comfort of the league is apt going to lie down and request the Dodgers waltz to lend a hand-to-lend a hand titles.
With that in mind, we requested 5 our ESPN MLB specialists to each clutch one personnel they judge is most bright-suited to retract down the Dodgers — in October, when it counts potentially the most. While none of our specialists basically rely on this personnel to be better than L.A. for the 162-sport lengthy haul, all of them made their strongest circumstances why their choice might perhaps well be the personnel to knock L.A. out of the postseason. Factual how strong had been their circumstances? Neatly, we left that for our resident judge, the honorable Jeff Passan, to judge alongside with his ruling for each case.
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Chicago White Sox
The case for the White Sox: If ever a personnel used to be poised to blow up, it is this twelve months’s White Sox. Final twelve months, Chicago had the AL’s second-most bright offense even if Yoan Moncada had an off twelve months after contracting COVID-19 and the Sox had wide holes in honest field and DH. This twelve months, they’ve stuffed those holes with a former in Adam Eaton and a Rookie of the twelve months entrance-runner in Andrew Vaughn, two upgrades whose skill fashions balance the lineup. And Moncada is a fleshy tear.
There is no longer any request that the loss of Eloy Jimenez takes a bite out of the White Sox’s chances to attain October. But in the occasion that they are in a position to atone for his absence till he returns slack in the season, the White Sox modified into the personnel no one — in conjunction with the Dodgers — desires to face in the playoffs. At that point, the White Sox will in actuality tear one-by procedure of-nine in the lineup with no longer much less than four players — Jose Abreu, Moncada, Jimenez and Luis Robert — in a position to inserting up an MVP-kind season. Then when the White Sox carry out gain into the playoffs, they’ve a terrific former rotation built for October and a bullpen of flamethrowers (Codi Heuer, Michael Kopech, Garrett Crochet) who will bridge the gap to Chicago’s contemporary elite nearer, Liam Hendriks. — Bradford Doolittle
Pick Jeff says: The court docket is no longer going to consume too basic time belaboring your decision to circulate over Tim Anderson from Chicago’s MVP candidates. It does, nonetheless, retract verbalize with your unwillingness to acknowledge what might perhaps well most certainly preclude a assembly with the Dodgers: a rotation that is no longer exactly “built for October.” Lance Lynn hasn’t started a postseason sport since 2014. Lucas Giolito has made one profession postseason open. In Dallas Keuchel‘s previous eight playoff begins, he has lasted extra than 5 innings once. That is built for October esteem I’m built for the ocean amble. Extra, as basic as the White Sox desires to be helped by Moncada’s effectively being, a host of regression candidates exist, starting with Abreu and Anderson.
None of here’s to pronounce the White Sox are a obnoxious desire. The brink of evidence merely desires to be increased. Circulate denied.
San Diego Padres
The case for the Padres: Um, A.J. Preller made the case for me this winter: Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Jurickson Profar, Price Melancon, Ha-Seong Kim, Fernando Tatis Jr. OK, Tatis used to be already on the personnel, but locking him up for 14 years used to be apt one more signal this personnel is mad about a success sizable. As for Tatis’ present shoulder hurt, it indubitably is a verbalize, but I’m no longer bright to leap ship thinking his prognosis is first rate (for now no longer much less than).
I gain that once in a whereas teams that bear the winter are ones which contain a ton of holes to bear, but that wasn’t the case with the Padres. And that is the explanation why they’ll effort the Dodgers. They already had a extraordinarily apt personnel. Now they’ve a wide one, which entails a deeper pitching staff.
The incontrovertible truth that the two teams are in the identical division is de facto a plus. To be the suitable, it is important to beat the suitable. The Padres can contain 19 tries at it once more this twelve months. You might perhaps well most certainly most certainly also’t train me that is no longer going to carry the Padres’ aggressive spirits. If there might perhaps be ever a time to retract down a perennial division winner, it is honest after they’ve obtained a World Series. The Padres will smell blood in the water on the very moment the Dodgers point to indicators of a hangover. And naturally, here’s all contingent on San Diego’s present replace that Tatis will seemingly be lend a hand and taking half in esteem the celeb he is sooner in desire to later. — Jesse Rogers
Pick Jeff says: “To be the man, you contain to beat the man” is how the announcing goes, counselor, and no apt argument begins with a uncomfortable Ric Aptitude imitation. That stated, the Padres carry out display conceal an more cost effective case. Their rotation depth in truth is on par with the Dodgers’, specifically if Darvish replicates his 2020 self, Musgrove takes his anticipated step forward and Dinelson Lamet stays wholesome. The lineup is sexy and deep — though Kim has regarded overmatched since spring coaching — and the bullpen is on par with Los Angeles’.
Circulate granted, with a figure-four leg lock to the attorney who disrespected the Nature Boy.
Atlanta Braves
The case for the Braves: If no longer for the dizzying quantity of performs made by L.A. to beat a 3-1 deficit in final twelve months’s Nationwide League Championship Series — a ramification of them modified into in by Mookie Betts — we wouldn’t even be having this dialogue. The Braves can contain and without doubt can also unruffled contain defeated the Dodgers and developed to final twelve months’s World Series. And since failing to end them out in the penultimate round, the Braves contain added Charlie Morton to the head of their rotation and introduced lend a hand Marcell Ozuna for the heart of their lineup. Earlier than the tip of April, Mike Soroka, who has already developed into regarded as among the game’s most bright young pitchers, can also unruffled return from a torn Achilles tendon.
The high of their lineup (Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Ozuna) and the head of their rotation (Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Morton and Soroka) is as apt as anyone’s in the game, in conjunction with that of the Dodgers. Their bullpen is stacked, their 40-man roster is deep, and Cristian Pache — mostly forgotten on this roster — might perhaps well most certainly most certainly be the Nationwide League Rookie of the twelve months in 2021. In case you gave Dodgers players truth serum and requested which personnel they’d pretty steer distinct of in a most bright-of-seven sequence, I might perhaps well most certainly bet most of them would clutch these Braves over even the Padres. Their flukish unhurried open — the made from in truth end losses — will soon be a blip on the radar. — Alden Gonzalez
Pick Jeff says: That is a damn apt case. And it felt esteem a wide case before the Braves lost their first four of the season. But originate no longer forget their skinny bench. And it felt esteem a wide case before the Braves lost their first four of the season. But originate no longer forget their skinny bench, which is buttressed apparently most bright by Pablo Sandoval. Right here is unruffled the NL, and the Braves must improve on the alternate decrease-off date so that they’ll match up better in the slack innings with the designated hitter no longer in play. That stated, streak granted.
Unique York Yankees
The case for the Yankees: For all of the hype surrounding a ramification of the young, proficient teams in baseball esteem the Padres, Braves and White Sox, the Yankees are unruffled the Yankees. They unruffled contain Aaron Pick, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton one day of the lineup, barring injuries, for certain. They unruffled contain Gerrit Cole on the entrance of their rotation and a bullpen anchored by Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green and Zack Britton. Toss in Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon and likewise you’ve got a neighborhood that might perhaps well most certainly without verbalize aid tempo with the Los Angeles Dodgers as potentially the most proficient personnel in the game. Bringing up that the Yankees contain a shot at a success the championship is esteem announcing LeBron has a likelihood at a success an NBA Finals, but once in a whereas the dull clutch is unruffled the honest clutch. — Joon Lee
Pick Jeff says: While I adore Mr. Lee’s strive to offhandedly brush away the Yankees’ predilection for injuries, there might perhaps be an easy a part of skepticism with them because they’ve no longer stayed wholesome. Or no longer it is advanced to engage the root of the Yankees without taking that soar — a soar that extends beyond Stanton and Pick to Kluber, Taillon and Luis Severino, who’s getting again from Tommy John surgical design. Complicating issues is an AL East that is never any cakewalk. The Blue Jays had been a playoff personnel final twelve months and are better this season. The Rays beat the Yankees in final twelve months’s postseason and are always a threat. Boston is extra healthy. Baltimore, as the Crimson Sox learned opening weekend, is never any cake stroll, either.
Unique York can also very effectively be the AL East current, and it has the skills to dethrone the Dodgers, but this court docket desires to understand a half-season of effectively being from the guidelines before it hitches itself to a wagon that always looks to search out itself missing a wheel. And Gleyber Torres desires to consume the dang ball, too. Circulate denied.
Unique York Mets
The case for the Mets: I was on the initiating going to head with the Nationals here, but how can I clutch them after Max Scherzer gave up four runs on Opening Day!? So I’m selecting the Mets as an different. Yes, getting by procedure of the NL East will seemingly be esteem surviving the Hagler-Leonard-Duran-Hearns slugfests of the 1980s. But when the Mets carry out that, they’ll roll out an October rotation of Jacob deGrom … and, effectively, they’ve different apt starters esteem Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker, and with any luck Carlos Carrasco gets wholesome and Noah Syndergaard returns round midseason. But it absolutely’s all about deGrom. He’s so apt he started his season throwing 24 consecutive fastballs. He’s hitting 100-plus mph with ease. He paints the corners. Right here is the twelve months of deGrom. He’s in a position to a Madison Bumgarner-esteem flee from 2014 and shutting down the Dodgers’ lineup. (The Mets can hit a tiny, too.) — David Schoenfield
Pick Jeff says: Neatly, the final personnel to beat the Dodgers in the postseason used to be the Nationals, so I leer where you had been going with that preliminary thought, but in case you will take cling of one more NL East personnel to beat the Dodgers, the Mets can also very effectively be the easier candidate for this season. (Screams from Philadelphia famed.) There might perhaps be an argument to be made, finally, that the Nationals are likelier to fail to study the playoffs than they are to beat the Dodgers.
They’ve got the suitable pitcher on this planet in deGrom and that rotation potentially in conjunction with Stroman, Walker and — once they return from injuries — Syndergaard and Carrasco is abominable ample to practice what the Nats did in opposition to L.A. in 2019. But it absolutely’s a tiny too early to purchase all of those pitchers will seemingly be on the mound in high gain by October. And if supervisor Luis Rojas can’t flip regarded as one of them correct into a paunchy-reliever and desires to persist with this bullpen? Neatly, which formulation streak denied — for now.
