I've already spent the last month worrying about the Dodgers' lineup, given it seemed we lost more than we gained this off-season through trades and free agency (gone: Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, Cody Bellinger; joined: JD Martinez, Noah Syndergaard, Miguel Rojas). And with the Dodgers passing on all four free-agent shortstops available in this year's off-season (Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa), all eyes were on Gavin Lux as our 2023 starting shortstop. We would need Lux to hold down the infield, with prospect Miguel Vargas coming up to start at second base, and only the light-hitting Miguel Rojas on the depth chart for short.
And then came yesterday, with Lux going down in a heap in only the third spring training game this year. Torn ACL and LCL, so he's gone for the season. And probably with it goes the Dodgers' chances to win the NL West.
It was already going to be a close race in the NL West. I heard Buster Olney picking the Padres, who have spent a ton of cash to lock up Boegarts and re-sign Manny Machado this off-season, along with dipping into the coffers for Yu Darvish, on top of already having Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis. I'm not complaining--it's not like the Dodgers haven't spent money to build our own lineup (except for this off-season, though the Trevor Bauer arbritration ruling really f'd our payroll this year as well).
But a 22-game gap (the margin in 2022) in the West seemed a pretty big hill to climb in one season, so I was still picking the Dodgers to win the NL West in 2023. Now, I'm not so sure if this division is ours for the taking.
And of course, Lux's injury came against the new-rival Padres. Though in other news, the Padres lost Joe Musgrove yesterday, when he dropped a kettlebell on his toe.
Maybe this year will be a war of attrition.