NL Preview: Dodger Dollars Won’t Keep Braves From Recapturing Title
Just a year after major-league teams spent a record $3.7 billion on 140 free agents, according to Front Office Sports, most owners preferred fiscal sanity to foisting eight-figure contracts on uncertain acquisitions
The main exception was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lured two-way stud Shohei Ohtani north from Anaheim and used him to attract another prize from the Japanese majors in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pair cost a cool $1 billion, though most of Ohtani’s dollars were deferred.
Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP, can’t pitch this year after elbow surgery but can concentrate on hitting, which he’ll do as designated hitter for the Dodgers after leading the American League with a career-best 44 home runs. He’ll anchor a devastating lineup already led by former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman
Both the Dodgers and Braves reached triple digits in victories last year before making quick and surprising departures in the Division Series. Chances are it won’t happen again – for either club.
But defending the National League pennant will be a tough task for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a wild-card winner that sneaked into the World Series against the Texas Rangers, also a wild card. This year’s Fall Classic is more likely to match a pair of division champions.
