The Dodgers committed more than a billion dollars to free agents in the month of December, establishing themselves as Major League Baseball’s primary villains among many fans.
They did not establish themselves as the best team in the National League, at least in the eyes of at least one broadcaster.
Speaking on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, ESPN’s Eduardo Pérez professed his love for the Atlanta Braves as the class of the league:
The court of public opinion means little on Jan. 2, with more than a month to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Still, it’s surprising to hear a respected broadcaster rate a Dodgers team that clearly improved its fortunes following a 100-win season in 2023 as being anything less than the best team in the National League, if not all of MLB.
The Braves won 104 games last season, only to be stunned by an earlier-than-expected postseason exit in October. Also like the Dodgers, they still have a pretty good team on paper led by reigning NL Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr.
Dan Szymborski recently projected the Braves to have a surprisingly strong 2024 regular season. In his article for FanGraphs explaining Atlanta’s ZiPS projections, Szymborski writes:
The depth chart suggests a >100 win projection, which is exceedingly rare in ZiPS (or any projection system).
Dan Szymborski via FanGraphs.com
That prognostication was offered before the Braves traded highly regarded shortstop prospect Vaughn Grissom to the Boston Red Sox for veteran pitcher Chris Sale, a move that might have pushed their projected win total even higher. Szymborski’s ZiPS system has yet to spit out the Dodgers’ 2024 individual or team projections.
Perhaps the Dodgers’ front office can use the remainder of the offseason to impress the projection systems — and make Pérez eat his words.
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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