Dodgers: How the league’s strongest division will impact the NL Champs

5. San Diego Padres:

2017 Record: 71-91  

My Predicted Record for 2018: 75-87

The Padres have potential. In 2017, they played good baseball, but the three teams above them in the standings played better baseball. One thing I did notice this year about the Dodgers’ rival to the south is this; they fought hard. There were games, specifically against LA, that challenged the Dodgers and showed exactly the kind of team the Padres could be. They hit the ball well, and they succeeded on the field.

Wil Myers, the Padres first-baseman, turned 147 double plays last season. He hit 30 home runs and stole 20 bags. In 2017, he was elite.

I’m not convinced that the Padres will have an entirely different season in 2018 than they did in 2017, but they could make an impact.

That potential impact has a name; Eric Hosmer.

According to an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have offered Hosmer a deal worth at least $100 million over 7 years. Reports imply that a deal to sign the Royals first-baseman isn’t close, but they are one of two teams who have been strongly tied to the Kansas City slugger this offseason.

Should San Diego sign Hosmer, which would most-likely move Myers to second, it would bring one of the best home-run hitters in the American League to the NL West. He could impact the Dodgers by strengthening a team already on the rise. Though the Padres probably won’t be contending for another three to five years, the addition of Hosmer could be the reason the Padres make the post-season slightly ahead of schedule.