One of the biggest storylines this offseason has been the budding rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres in the NL West. After winning the division by a whopping 22 games last year, the Dodgers lost to the Padres in the NLDS in four games. Then, the Padres continued to reload this offseason, spending big on All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts and retaining Manny Machado for the rest of his career.
Many people in the baseball world have applauded the Padres for their spending, and rightfully so. Dodgers longtime ace Clayton Kershaw was even among those to praise their spending this offseason, when he told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that what the Padres are doing is great for the game of baseball.