The Los Angeles Dodgers have added a lot of talent this offseason and arguably have the best roster in baseball. They've added to their offense, rotation, and bullpen. It almost feels like they have unlimited money and the ability to sign whomever they wish.
This has led to a lot of baseball fans feeling jaded and angry. It feels like LA has zero competition when it comes to landing big-name free agents. There is a little something to this notion as they landed Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Teoscar Hernandez, Hyeseong Kim, and Blake Treinen, among others, this offseason.
All this did was expand an already talented roster and make things harder for the National League to compete against. While it's easy to understand why the teams in the NL West might be feeling especially peeved, there's one in the NL East that's truly being tortured by the Dodgers' offseason dominance.
Dodgers incredible offseason has made life harder for the Atlanta Braves
A brief look at both lineups will show where the Braves stack up evenly, but there is a discrepancy once you look at the bullpens and rotations. Below is the breakdown of how each team may line up on Opening Day.
Lineup | Dodgers | Braves |
|---|---|---|
1 | Shohei Ohtani | Michael Harris II |
2 | Mookie Betts | Jurickson Profar |
3 | Freddie Freeman | Austin Riley |
4 | Teoscar Hernandez | Matt Olson |
5 | Max Muncy | Marcell Ozuna |
6 | Will Smith | Ozzie Albies |
7 | Michael Conforto | Jarred Kelenic |
8 | Hyeseong Kim | Sean Murphy |
9 | Tommy Edman | Orlando Arcia |
It's important to remember that Ronald Acuna Jr. won't be available by Opening Day, but once he rejoins the team, Atlanta's lineup only gets deeper. These offenses are quite comparable and will be tough for opposing starters to navigate, even if the Dodgers have more star power on paper.
However, things diverge a bit once we take a closer look at the rest of the roster. The Dodgers have arguably the best rotation and bullpen in baseball.
Their crop of starting pitchers will include Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. However, it's important to point out that Ohtani may not be ready to return to the mound by Opening Day. So, Tony Gonsolin or Dustin May could get an opportunity to start until he is ready. Even without Ohtani, though, they have a loaded rotation.
Bullpen-wise, the Dodgers are well-balanced with Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol, Anthony Banda, Evan Phillips, and Kirby Yates. Opposing teams are going to have a tough time hitting against the Dodgers next year regardless of who toes the rubber on the mound.
Atlanta's rotation will begin the season with Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach at the top of their rotation. Their rotation lost two very important arms this offseason with Max Fried and Charlie Morton joining new teams.
Thus, the final two rotation spots remain a bit unclear. Grant Holmes will likely be given a chance to start since he impressed during his opportunities in the role last season. Braves insider Mark Bowman projected that Atlanta may give Ian Anderson a shot as the fifth starter.
Spencer Strider will return sometime in May and that will help Atlanta deepen their rotation. There's a chance the Braves may add an external option before the season starts too, but as of right now, they lag behind the Dodgers.
The Braves featured the third-best bullpen in baseball last season and it was one of their biggest strengths. However, they will be without a couple of major pieces this year. A.J. Minter signed with the Mets earlier in the offseason, and Joe Jimenez is expected to miss the entire season.
As it stands right now, Atlanta will have Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, Daysbel Hernández, Anderson Pilar, and Angel Perdomo in their bullpen. The Braves need to add another talented arm to ensure they can keep pace with the best relief crews in the sport.
Atlanta's championship window has hardly closed, but the Dodgers becoming a superteam is a huge threat to their chances. Being the best team on paper doesn't equate to an automatic World Series title, but it surely doesn't hurt.
If the Braves can stay healthy and regain their footing offensively, they will be just fine, but, like every National League team, will have to stare down the Dodgers for the right to play for a World Series.