Dodgers and Padres preview covers show difference between two teams

The offseason championship belt might just reside in San Diego after the Padres pulled off a flurry of impressive moves around the time the new year began, but the Dodgers did even things up a bit late in the winter when they signed Trevor Bauer to be their fourth (fifth? sixth?) ace.

Of course — oh, what am I talking about? Who cares about who wins the offseason?

The team that won the season calls Los Angeles home.

And though the next several years of the budding Dodgers-Padres rivalry may be more exciting than the last, San Diego certainly isn’t there yet. The second-place squad is only on the precipice of contention until they can prove themselves in a 162-game season.

Need further proof of where the two teams stand entering 2021? Look no further than the season previews from their respective city-wide newspapers.

San Diego’s? It shows building blocks to an as-yet-attained trophy, and includes a question mark next to the headline, “The Steps to a World Series?”.

LA’s? Yeah, the Dodgers have already climbed that mountain.

The Dodgers have conquered the World Series. The Padres still have yet to do so.

That’s it, in a nutshell. The Padres believe they’ve assembled a collection of talent that can compete for a ring, one year after falling flat in the second round against the experienced Dodgers. If all goes right this summer? Yes, we could be in for an exciting race.

But the Dodgers are in “been there, done that, still motivated” mode. It takes a lot of effort to win a World Series, even after establishing yourself as a contender, and Los Angeles should know better than most.

In 2017 and 2018, the well-rounded Dodgers fell short at the horn in the World Series. In 2019? With perhaps an even better team, they clattered to the ground against the Nationals. It’s really hard to get over that final hump, and you can do everything right in Dec. and Jan. and still be unable to finish the job — or even get close.

San Diego’s question mark says it all in so few words. But in case you need further proof of where these franchises stand, take a look at the Dodgers’ 2021 media guide.

When you’re the champions, you can paper your cover with images of triumph. Your trophy? It doesn’t have to be a metaphor. You can actually show your manager holding one without photoshop.

It’s also completely fair to blind the reader with gold.

The Dodgers have earned bragging rights. The Padres have earned the right to question their status.

162 games and counting left to answer them all, though.

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