The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2022 MLB All-Star Game with a 60-30 record and the feel of a team with a chance to make their fourth World Series since the 2017 season. Los Angeles' lineup, armed with superstars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner, has been among baseball's most formidable.
The pitching staff has been no less dominant than past years but has taken a different path to such success. With staff ace Walker Buehler sidelined due to elbow surgery, the likes of Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson have stepped up to be the club's two best hurlers to this point.
So, what's next for LA? With a commanding 10.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West, there shouldn't be much of a race for the division title, barring a Dodgers collapse.
While the club won't be celebrating a division title early, their more pressing focus will be on securing the National League's best record, as well as playing up to their full potential ahead of the postseason.
That said, where could the Dodgers end up? That's what we'll discuss here.
Here are some bold Dodgers predictions after the MLB All-Star Game.
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4 Bold Dodgers Predictions After The MLB All-Star Game
4. Tony Gonsolin finishes with an unbeaten record
Yes, yes I know. Win-loss record is a thing of the past, an outdated statistic that pundits have relied on too much to evaluate pitchers.
However, what Tony Gonsolin is doing for the Dodgers shouldn't be ignored. Gonsolin has pitched to a miniscule 2.02 ERA with an impeccable 11-0 record. He set an MLB record earlier this year after going unbeaten through his first 15 starts.
It's real simple. When Gonsolin pitches, the Dodgers win. His ERA may rise, but Gonsolin won't lose another start for the rest of the year, finishing with an unbeaten record.
3. Dodgers trade for Juan Soto
The Dodgers fans were certainly behind this movement (and why wouldn't they be?), starting up a ‘future Dodger' chant at the MLB All-Star Game, to which Soto himself acknowledged. Los Angeles hasn't been afraid to swing for the fences with star players in the last several years, dealing for the likes of Manny Machado, Mookie Betts and Max Scherzer in recent years.
Why not Soto? The Nationals star is one of the best hitters in the game and somehow hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential at just 23 years old. Acquiring Soto would make the Dodgers more than scary.
And they have the pieces to do it. Armed with MLB.com's no. 5 ranked farm system from the preseason, there is no shortage of prospects that LA could throw the Nationals' way to entice them.
As for the whole take-on-Patrick-Corbin-or-no-trade thing? The Dodgers shouldn't be afraid of that at all. They've proven they can take struggling hurlers and turn them into capable pitchers. They can do the same with Corbin.
The Dodgers will swing for the fences ahead of the trade deadline, dealing for Soto and creating one of the best lineups baseball has ever seen.
2. Dodgers get hot, set franchise record for wins
The Dodgers franchise wins record is 106, set by the 2019 and 2021 clubs. On paper, this roster is more talented than those mighty Dodgers teams.
The addition of Freddie Freeman has made this lineup even more of a headache and the pitching staff will look even stronger with the return of Buehler, expected to occur sometime in August or September.
Now, imagine this team with Soto on it. That could legitimately be one of the best and most complete Dodgers teams we've ever seen. Pitchers would call out sick reading an opposing lineup card that had Trea Turner-Freddie Freeman-Juan Soto-Mookie Betts written on it, provided LA would be able to retain all in the potential deal.
If a team like that gets hot, look out. It would be easy to see this team catching fire in August and riding that wave all the way to 106-plus wins in 2022.
1. Dodgers win the World Series
The Dodgers are arguably the best team in baseball. They rank second in the league in runs scored. The club ranks second in the league in team ERA. They're even an excellent defensive team, having compiled the seventh-best fielding percentage in the majors.
More than that, this team just feels like they've been coasting through the season. It feels like they haven't evolved into their final form yet.
If that happens, they'll be a very tough out in October. The Dodgers will get hot at the right time and win the 2022 World Series.
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