The San Diego Padres earned the 2015 Hot Stove League championship with an impressive and aggressive offseason of bold moves by new general manager A.J. Preller. Meanwhile, the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants did not keep pace in the offseason and barely even made the playoffs last year. In fact, the Giants look a lot like they did going into 2013 when they finished below .500 after a championship run.
But while Preller has everyone talking Padres, and the Giants are the champs, the fact remains that the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers rate as the top choices for the National League pennant.
St. Louis Cardinals
It’s not an accident that the world’s greatest baseball fans have the benefit of one of the strongest and best run organizations in all of sports. The Cardinals have a winning culture that is based on a tradition of four straight playoff appearances and nine playoff teams since 2000.
Pitcher Adam Wainright, who went 20-9 with a career best 2.38 earned run average leads a staff that is perennially one of the best in the game. Closer Trevor Rosenthal is expected to be improved after an inconsistent 2014 campaign. Rosenthal’s fastball makes him a potentially dominant closer if only he can control it better.
The acquisitions of right fielder Jason Heyward and right hand pitcher Jordan Walden from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for right hand pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins brings improved production in the lineup and a gold glove in Heyward.
Of concern is the wear and tear on veterans Wainwright, Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday, and Johnny Peralta. Those concerns are trumped by the Cardinals proven record of success.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The epitome of a big revenue/big spending team, the Dodgers are coming off a 94-win season and their second consecutive playoff appearance. Still, considering the headlines this team has garnered for all of its big name talent and acquisitions there is a sense that they have underachieved.
Yasiel Puig must mature fast and fully develop his MVP potential. While Clayton Kershaw reminded everyone of past Dodger pitching greats, his post season performances have not matched the regular season numbers.
The Dodgers were very active in the off season led by the trade of Matt Kemp to the Padres. They also backed up the truck to sign right hand pitcher Brandon McCarthy and left hander Brett Anderson as the fourth and fifth starters for a rotation that has been perilously thin and top heavy. Second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Jimmy Rollins have arrived to make the middle infield much better.
There is simply too much here to ignore, not to mention too much payroll for opponents to overcome.
