Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen Expects Dodgers To Improve 'Every Year'
12/02/2024 10:20 AM
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reigned atop the National League West Division for over a decade, subjecting the rest of the division under their thumb with a 509-320 record against them since 2013.
The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks made significant strides in recent years, improving their teams and even each knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 2014 and won the division in 2021, but have not found much success outside of that.
The Dodgers’ dominance is so great that the Giants are the only other team to win the division in the past 12 seasons, and even then it was by a single game, requiring them to reach a record-breaking win total.
The Diamondbacks went on to represent the NL in the 2023 World Series, but lost in five games to the Texas Rangers. In 2024, the Diamondbacks missed out on the playoffs due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker against the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.
Despite the strides made by teams like Arizona and San Diego, it has been hard for them to overtake the Dodgers in the standing due to L.A. constantly improving as well, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said via Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
"I mean, I say this every year, my expectation is that the Dodgers are going to be better,'' Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said, "because they have been almost every single year. I can't do anything about that. It is what it is. I will still maintain my stance that playing against them, that they are the best team in the National League — either on paper or officially — that if we can compete with them, (it) puts us in a better situation long-term.''
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks and the rest of the NL West, 2024 might have been their one shot to knock off the Dodgers before LA really kicks it into high gear going forward. Thanks to all the injures they sustained, this past season might have been the weakest the Dodgers will be for a while, and yet, they still won the World Series.
The Dodgers should be significantly better than they were in 2024 with better health and another offseason to acquire top-tier talent, which is not good news for the rest of the division.
The Dodgers have already added Blake Snell to their rotation, and more moves should be on the way as they try to repeat as champions. Most notably, the club has been linked to Juan Soto and Teoscar Hernández.
Dodgers win NL Team Silver Slugger Award over Diamondbacks
The award for the best offensive team in the NL could have gone either way as the Dodgers and Diamondbacks both had excellent years and were two of the best offenses in all of MLB. However, it was the Dodgers that ultimately were chosen by the voters.
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