4 free agents Dodgers fans better hope don’t land in the NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been at the top of the NL West mountain for a decade now (minus one lucky year for the San Francisco Giants). Being at the top for so long has put a massive target on the team’s back, as every other team in the NL West is gunning to knock the Dodgers off.

Like the Kansas City Chiefs with the AFC West, this could cause the rest of the division to make some bold moves this offseason. The Padres showed the rest of the division some hope when it comes to knocking off the Dodgers in the 2022 playoffs, which could prompt the other teams to get aggressive.

Dodgers fans should expect their NL West foes to get better, but there are still certain names that would be a pain to see come to the division and play the Dodgers 19 times a year.

Here are 4 free agents Dodgers fans better hope don’t land in the NL West:

Aaron Judge – San Francisco Giants

This is the biggest story in the baseball offseason right now. Aaron Judge met with the Giants in San Francisco, and it appears that rivals in the Bay have the best chance of signing Judge away from the Yankees. The Giants have been pitching the homecoming narrative to Judge, and if they pay up, it very well could work.

It does not take that much analysis to understand why Judge coming to the NL West would be a bad thing. While his home run total would probably decrease playing in the Bay instead of playing at Yankee Stadium, he would still make the Giants relevant regardless of who is around him, and would be a pain for the next half-decade-plus.

There is still a chance that the Dodgers can lure Judge to Los Angeles if they really open their pocketbooks, and that would be the perfect way to stick it to the Giants.

Jose Abreu – San Diego Padres

Jose Abreu may not be as big of a name as Aaron Judge, but he would still be a huge addition to the NL West that would be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side. The 2020 AL MVP has been one of the most consistent hitters in the entire sport, and he would fit in nicely in the middle of the Padres’ order.

San Diego has been tied to Abreu this offseason, with a hole at first base for a power-hitting right-handed bat. With Fernando Tatis Jr. returning, having Abreu in the lineup would give the Padres perhaps the best 1-4 in the entire sport with Tatis, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Abreu.

Abreu absolutely torches left-handed pitching and would be a menace in the middle of the order for someone like Clayton Kershaw. It is the perfect kind of signing for the Padres to make without breaking the bank.

What would make it worse would be the fact that Abreu would fit very nicely on the Dodgers as well. While the Dodgers have a first baseman, bringing Abreu in to DH and replace Justin Turner’s presence in the lineup would be fantastic for Los Angeles.

To not only miss out on that, but to see him go to San Diego, would be heartbreaking for the Dodgers.

Kodai Senga – Arizona Diamondbacks

Kodai Senga is the premier international free agent that MLB teams are vying for this offseason. Senga will be 30 before the 2022 season, and has been one of the best pitchers in the Japan Pacific League. In 2022, he posted a 1.94 ERA in 144 IP with 156 strikeouts.

Senga has nasty stuff, with a power fastball that is going to absolutely play in MLB. Whoever ends up adding Senga is going to get an instant boost in someone who can not only pitch at a high level, but can take on a big workload right away as well.

The New York Mets are currently the likely frontrunners to bring in Senga, and definitely have an advantage over a team like the Diamondbacks. While Arizona is never typically in these conversations, they have met with Senga, so there is at least some kind of push there (as have the Padres).

This is the least likely of the four free agents to come to the NL West, so Dodgers fans don’t have to lose sleep about facing Senga’s elite fastball all that often, but you never know. Arizona is on the cusp of being a playoff contender, and a signing like Senga would certainly put them over the top.