Ranking NLDS opponents Dodgers should want to face

3. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres currently aren’t in a position to play the Dodgers in the playoffs. As it stands at the time of writing this, the Padres are the No. 6 seed in the National League and would play the St. Louis Cardinals in the three-game playoff series.

That being said, the Padres are only 1.5 games back of moving up to the No. 5 seed, which would give them a harder series against either the Braves or Mets. It would put the Padres on the Dodgers’ side of the bracket, though, which is something the team may want for revenge.

There is a big drop-off from the Mets and Braves. The Dodgers have dominated San Diego dating back to last season and it’s safe to say that LA would have enormous confidence heading into this matchup.

But the Padres are still talented and Dodgers fans can’t overlook that. All it takes is for the Dodger bats to get cold and Juan Soto to heat up, and suddenly the Padres would be a very hard team to beat.

The best team doesn’t always win in the playoffs — it’s often times the hottest team. The Padres are talented enough to get hot and make a run in the postseason. They should not be feared but they definitely should be respected.