Padres News: MLB Analyst Thinks the Friars and Dodgers will be Neck and Neck by October

With as many differences as the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers fanbases have, they all pretty much agree on one thing and that is they will both likely be finishing amidst the top of the NL West this season.

The interesting part about this is that both franchises have seemingly reversed roles this time around. Heading into the 2022 season, it was the Dodgers that boasted the big names and the seasoned veterans whereas the Friars were dealing with injuries and had yet to bring in Juan Soto or Xander Bogaerts. However, it's very different now following the free agency period and Spring Training.

Preseason predictions for the NL West standings have all been pretty similar and most have both Southern California powerhouses coming in at 1 and 2. Sporting News even has the Padres improving from finishing 22 games behind LA last year to only one game behind now in 2023.

Eduardo Perez of the MLB Network took a deep dive into exactly why both of these franchises will be fighting for the top spot the entire season.

"You never count out the Dodgers... I think this could be a push in the NL West!"@PerezEd cant wait for the battle between the @Padres and @Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/QEpiQ9Dh9E
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) March 28, 2023

"The big question is, can the Padres go from 89 wins to 102 with the team they have now?," said Perez. "And I think the answer is yes. Then the question is, can the Dodgers go from 111 wins they had last year because they have lost some players to less than 102? That remains to be seen. I don't think they will reach 111, they don't have that kind of team this year. But you never count them out."

(Via MLB Network)

There was already plenty of tension when the teams met up in this year's Cactus League. Fernando Tatis Jr. received boo's per usual and it is only adding more fuel to the very big fire that will be lit whenever they play this season.

I think it would be amazing for baseball if both of these squads have special years. However, the Padres have a prime opportunity to finally stake claim to the division and need to do so before the Dodgers make those surprise moves that they are known for.