Let’s begin off with this be aware: Not all people picked the Dodgers to win the World Sequence. However most of us picked them to lose it.
Los Angeles misplaced some main gamers from its 106-win workforce from final yr, but it surely added the 2020 NL MVP in Freddie Freeman. The Giants misplaced some main gamers from their 107-win season and added Carlos Rodón.
The A’s, properly, they simply misplaced a variety of items. A minimum of it was by (proprietor’s) alternative.
A month after the homeowners and gamers got here to an settlement to finish the 99-day lockout, we’ve arrived at Opening Day, only one week after it was initially scheduled — whether or not there are nationwide TV video games or not (there aren’t, oddly).
However sufficient in regards to the begin of the season. How will it finish?
Final yr’s season ended within the Bay Space with an exhilarating however finally gutting five-game Giants-Dodgers conflict, whereas the A’s light down the stretch of their final run with the Chapman-Olson-Manaea core.
The Dodgers, supervisor Dave Roberts admitted this spring, had been worn out from their intrastate battle. They misplaced to the Braves within the NLCS and Atlanta went on to defeat the Astros within the World Sequence. So LA responded by signing Atlanta’s Freeman.
This yr’s playoffs will characteristic a brand new format, with the highest two division winners in every league incomes a bye via the wild-card spherical, taking a web page out of the NFL’s mannequin for growing playoff video games and income.
The Dodgers weren’t the one workforce to make a splash: The Rangers, Blue Jays and Mets all made aggressive performs, and the Rockies, regardless of showing to be a non-contender after letting Trevor Story and Jon Grey stroll, signed Kris Bryant to a mega-deal.
Will these strikes repay? Right here’s what our workers thinks:
Shayna Rubin
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards (so as of end): Rays, Tigers, Twins
NL wild playing cards: Giants, Padres, Mets
ALCS: Blue Jays over Astros
NLCS: Braves over Giants
World Sequence: Blue Jays over Braves
Evan Webeck
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Rays, Yankees, Mariners
NL wild playing cards: Mets, Giants, Padres
ALCS: Blue Jays over White Sox
NLCS: Dodgers over Giants
World Sequence: Blue Jays over Dodgers
Dieter Kurtenbach
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Mariners
NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Yankees, Pink Sox, Angels
NL wild playing cards: Cardinals, Giants, Phillies
ALCS: White Sox over Yankees
NLCS: Dodgers over Giants
World Sequence: White Sox over Dodgers
Kerry Crowley
AL division winners: Rays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners
NL wild playing cards: Giants, Padres, Mets
ALCS: White Sox over Astros
NLCS: Dodgers over Giants
World Sequence: White Sox over Dodgers
Jon Becker
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Yankees, Twins, Mariners
NL wild playing cards: Mets, Padres, Cardinals
ALCS: Blue Jays over Yankees
NLCS: Dodgers over Braves
World Sequence: Dodgers over Blue Jays
Laurence Miedema
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Yankees, Mariners, Rays
NL wild playing cards: Phillies, Padres, Giants
ALCS: Blue Jays over Rays
NLCS: Dodgers over Braves
World Sequence: Blue Jays over Dodgers
Alex Simon
AL division winners: Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros
NL division winners: Mets, Cardinals, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Angels, Tigers, Mariners
NL wild playing cards: Padres, Giants, Braves
ALCS: Blue Jays over Angels
NLCS: Mets over Giants
World Sequence: Blue Jays over Mets
Michael Nowels
AL division winners: Blue Jays, Twins, Astros
NL division winners: Mets, Brewers, Dodgers
AL wild playing cards: Yankees, Mariners, White Sox
NL wild playing cards: Braves, Padres, Giants
ALCS: Blue Jays over Yankees
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
World Sequence: Blue Jays over Dodgers