3 optimistic predictions for the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2023 season

Opening Day is six weeks away and the Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for what will be a very different 2023 season after all the changes over the last few months. Dating back to the conclusion of the 2020 season, this roster has taken an unimaginable amount of hits.

Some fans might not be overly optimistic about this upcoming campaign because of the apparent downgrades on paper. Gavin Lux is in for Trea Turner. Nobody, at the moment, is filling in for Cody Bellinger. Max Muncy is starting at third with Justin Turner gone. Miguel Vargas is playing second base, apparently? The rotation is objectively worse thanks to injuries and departures.

But perhaps deescalated expectations could help take some pressure off. If we're being honest, the San Diego Padres probably have more of the spotlight on them after an NLCS appearance and the addition of Xander Bogaerts/return of Fernando Tatis Jr.

That could allow the Dodgers to cruise under the radar and still maintain their stranglehold on the NL West, which, as Freddie Freeman said, is still LA's to lose. So, in the spirit of optimism, here are three rosy predictions for the Dodgers heading into 2023.

3 optimistic projections for the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers

Max Muncy Returns to Team MVP Status

Before his untimely elbow injury in Game 162 of the 2021 season, Max Muncy was the Dodgers' Team MVP that year. The All-Star slashed .249/.368/.527 with 95 runs scored, 36 homers and 94 RBI in 144 games. He even cut back on his strikeouts. Those numbers got him a 10th-place finish in the NL MVP voting.

Muncy was essentially the team leader in every major offensive category from a full-time standpoint (only Chris Taylor played in more games, and Trea Turner/Corey Seager bested him in some numbers with a fraction of the amount of games played).

Then that elbow injury knocked him out of the postseason and severely affected his 2022 season, where he witnessed a big downturn because he had to adjust his swing mechanics due to mobility issues. He eventually figured it out and had a very productive August and September.

This offseason, Muncy revealed the mobility is back and he's feeling normal, which could set the stage for a return to form (2018, 2019 and 2021). Assuming the injury is no longer holding him back and he's entrenched at the third base position for 2023, expect big things from one of the most underrated sluggers in the game.

Lesser Expectations Equals World Series Appearance

The last time the Dodgers reached the World Series in a full season of play was 2018, when they were bounced by the Boston Red Sox. Believe it or not, that roster only won 92 games, which seems like an underachieving number for LA from 2017-present day.

That was probably the last time the expectations surrounding the Dodgers didn't feel overwhelming. Since then, they've been the presumptive World Series favorites every year. But not this time, according to PECOTA and other pundits/analysts!

Great, just the way we like it. There's no question the departures of Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, Chris Martin, Tommy Kahnle and others, in addition to the injury to Walker Buehler, will hurt, but this team still has a core of Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Chris Taylor and Muncy. Nearly half the active roster has All-Star potential.

So while the Padres have Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis dancing around in the outfield while inserting themselves into the most salacious trade rumors, the Dodgers will likely chug along and quietly boast a better roster than most. You could argue it's already better than the Phillies, Braves and Cardinals. Only the Pads and Mets might have them on paper in the NL.

Let all those teams grab the headlines while the Dodgers handle their business. After all, the Dodgers don't have to boast or show off their flashy assets. They've been a model of consistency for over a decade. They're expected to make deep playoff runs every year. But lower stakes never hurt, which might've been part of the organization's offseason plan when they conducted a partial teardown.