Rivalry Renewed
Finally, the last storyline to monitor when the Dodgers kick off their season is going to be the Dodgers seeing if they can continue their dominance over the Padres. San Diego missed the playoffs entirely in 2023, and after losing Juan Soto, Blake Snell (presumably), Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Gary Sánchez, and Josh Hader, among others, the Padres' 2024 roster is much worse on paper than it was in 2023 or 2022, although San Diego found a way to remedy that problem slightly with the addition of Dylan Cease.
Even against the better versions of Padres rosters, the Dodgers have not had any trouble dealing with San Diego (at least in regular season matchups). Los Angeles went 14-5 against San Diego in the 2022 regular season, and although the Padres got their revenge with a 3-1 series victory in the NLDS against the Dodgers during the 2022 postseason, Los Angeles responded by going 9-4 against San Diego in the 2023 regular season.
Looking at the head-to-head records, it is clear that the Dodgers have dominated this rivalry recently (and all-time as well). Dodgers fans would love to see that domination continue with an upgraded roster of their own to kick off the 2024 campaign, and, on paper, that is what should happen when the rivalry is renewed in Seoul.