If you want division drama, you won’t find it in the National League West. It just won’t happen. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the largest division favorite in Major League Baseball and with good reason. After all, they won the NL West by 21 games last season and added the player some think is second to Mike Trout in the person of Mookie Betts.
It would take a serious amount of mental gymnastics to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why anybody other than the Dodgers would win the division. The Dodgers are not top-heavy like some teams in baseball. Sure, Betts and Cody Bellinger are going to carry the WAR torch for the Dodgers this season, but this is a team with depth, experience, flexibility, and a really good pitching staff that runs at least 8-10 starters deep with guys that can get outs.
Here are the odds to win the NL West per 5Dimes Sportsbook as of February 20, 2020:
Los Angeles Dodgers -735
Arizona Diamondbacks +1175
San Francisco Giants +14500
Realistically speaking, the only question in the NL West is whether or not you want to lay the enormous -735 price tag on the Dodgers. To be honest, there is some value in it as far as I’m concerned. This line implies that the Dodgers win the NL West about 88% of the time. I think they win the NL West 100% of the time.
It would take a disbanding of the team or some sort of season-long suspension or something catastrophic for the Dodgers not to win this division. Nothing that happens on the field of play would change the outcome. Even if every young player for the San Diego Padres comes up and sets the world on fire, the Dodgers are still going to win the division. Unless some sort of extremely contagious illness rolls through the clubhouse, the Dodgers are going to win the division.
If you really want to post up a lot of money and have it tied up for seven months time, be my guest. If you really badly want those drink tickets or those comp dollars, be my guest.
It is a bummer when we get a division this lopsided and uncompetitive. That being said, the Diamondbacks and Padres could both be really good teams. The other two teams won’t be.
It is worth noting that the Dodgers were -400 last season. I said it should be at least -500. It turns out that was too low as well. Hell, -735 is too low.
There aren’t really any options here other than to tie up a bunch of money for a while. Enjoy those free domestic beers at the bar if you decide to do it.
