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Dodgers Ranked Number 1 Starting Rotation in Baseball Ahead of the Padres

It’s easy to get excited about the team that makes the biggest splashes during the offseason. Unfortunately for the Padres, making the most noise in December doesn’t always translate to October baseball. When San Diego started to land some real talent via trade, Dodger fans were baffled at the rankings that started to come out in the ensuing days, and rightfully so. 

Fresh off of a World Series win, the Dodgers were already being overshadowed by San Diego by MLB media. The team that was on pace to win 116 games in 2020 was suddenly old news compared to the new-look Padres.  But since then, the world has balanced out. 



MLB experts have come to their senses and let the excitement of the blockbuster trades wear off to look realistically at both team’s outlooks. Most recently. The Athletic sat down to rank the best starting rotations in baseball. Their rankings go beyond the projections from the most respected analytics sites and take it a step further. In determining why the Dodgers were number 1, Eno Sarris used injuries and overall depth to figure out what made them the best. 

Related: Diego Cartaya is the Dodgers Most Underrated Prospect

In the end, Sarris concluded that the Dodgers had the best mix of pitch stuff and youth to put them at the top. Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler are still going to lead the way, hopefully with David Price to follow. And in terms of talented youth, it’s tough to beat Los Angeles. They have 3 guys competing for 2  rotation spots in Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Julio Urias.

Yes, the Padres did get significantly better by adding Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. But to call their rotation ‘better’ than the Dodgers is far too premature. They might prove Eno(and myself) wrong in 2021, but my money would be against that.

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15 Comments

  1. The Padres added great pitching and will have an incredible starting rotation. The Dodgers have as the Athletic states the best rotation in baseball. We can project Urias will continue his great pitching of the playoffs. The rotation of Kershaw, Buehler and Urias will prove to be the top three in baseball. If Price pitches and is now recovered from his wrist problems he will be a strong addition. May is the wildcard. I believe with his experience and the coaching from last year and this spring he will emerge was a potential #1 starter in the future. I have rarely seen a young pitcher have such dynamic potential.

    1. Padres +2 pitchers -3 pitcher not so good. Minus Richards, Clevinger, and Daves still 1 short from last year.

  2. The Dodgers are just beginning a period of dynasty even more dramatic than from 55-65. They have Kershaw as the leader followed by a group of number one starters anywhere else. As a team they have a chance to dominate baseball like no other team has done- ever! Even the Yankees have never had this much promise and proper organization. Is 5 or 6 in a row possible?

  3. As a Padres fan it’s hard not to get excited, but even I had a difficult time seeing their rotation as #1. With that said, it’s definitely in the conversation. When it comes to baseball you’ve got to build a complete team and this is something the Padres have done. It should be fun throughout a full season.

  4. click baiting us readers to link to ‘the best starting rotation’ story in ‘the athletic’ would be great. except you gotta sign up for $3.99/month to read it. i’ve enjoyed brook smith articles, but what kind of reporter does that?

  5. Yes, the Padres acquired two good pitchers…but did they not lose a pretty good pitcher in the trade and also had one starter out for 2021 due to injuries? No one seems to mention this…which, in my view, makes the Padres better, but not as much better in 2021 than many are projecting.

  6. One thing is for sure and that is in every series the Dodgers play the Padres in 2021 one can bet Blake Snell WILL be pitching in that series against Dodgers. Certainly the Padres were all watching the first 6 innings of game 6 in the WS.

  7. Its scary what the Padres have done, especially considering they have a lefty starter who is ranked the #3 prospect in all of baseball. If Lamet pitches anything like he did last year, Paddock pitches anything close to how he pitched the year before, and MacKenzie Gore is as good as his scouting report, yikes. Fortunately we don’t have to worry about Clevinger until 2022. The Dodgers have an equally scary potential, but also a whole lot of question marks. Urias, May, and Gonsolin, all mega-talented, have yet to prove themselves in a 162 game season. Who knows what to expect from Price, he could be great or mediocre. And one of these days, father time is going to catch up with Kershaw, he surprised everybody last year by reversing his decline. I think the Dodgers are very slightly ahead of the Padres from todays vantage point, but this is going to be a great rivalry for the years to come. Props to the Pads for the amazing work they’ve done making them highly competitive with the Ds, I feel sorry for the other teams in the NL West, it won’t be much fun for them the next few seasons at least.

  8. Regarding the Padres staff sure looks good on paper but they have not done it on the field yet. As a Dodger fan, not worried or scared. This is the best Dodger team of our generation and really fun to watch.

    Beat L.A.?

    Easy to say, hard to do.

  9. Snell will not be the pitcher you saw in the world series. He was 6-8 2019 4-2 2020 total 10-10 era 3.75.

    1. This writer is being biased, disingenuous, and misleading. Multiple other sports media outlets (mlb.com, cbs sports etc…) Have the Padres ranked number 1.

      1. Brook is simply sharing what was written in a piece by Enos Serris at The Athletic. None of your adjectives apply. Serris actually included stats to back up his conclusion.

  10. As a Padres fan I’ll agree that LA pitching is more projectable than the Padres. You folks have some serious talent on your starting staff. However, the Padres also have the goods to be the top rotation, “depending”. Well, in 2021, the Pads have less “depends” up and down their line up, on defense, in their rotation, and in their bullpen. It’s a projectable, playoff caliber, World Series potential team, with no asterisks or exceptions.

    All that said, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, and proved it last year. For baseball fans, this is “why they play the games”. “On paper” means something, but it doesn’t mean anything compared to what happens on the diamond.

    Good luck to Dodger fans. It’ll be a blast seeing your guys in competition. There should be some truly exciting, great baseball between our teams this year. Go Padres!

  11. If these Padre fans are coming here, you know the Dodgers are in their heads big time. As they should be.

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