Heading into the 2025 MLB season, it looked like the NL West was the Los Angeles Dodgers to lose.

On paper, the theory was sound; the Dodgers were the reigning World Series Champions, and the team only got better in free agency, adding highly sought-after players like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki on the open market.

And yet, through 51 games, the Dodgers have been in a certified battle royal at the top of the division, with the San Francisco Giants 2.5 games back, the San Diego Chargers 3.5 games back, and the Arizona Diamondbacks still in it with a .500 record.

Talking to Ken Rosenthal about the state of the NFL West before the team's Saturday night showdown against the New York Mets, Mookie Betts broke down the challenge of being the top team in a really good division, noting the Dodgers were never going to win 120 games with ease.

“I don't know. I don't think I really had a vision of seeing it play out. I mean, the game's not really played like that, man. Everybody out here is trying to win. It's hard. Playing the game is hard,” Betts explained. “So, just to expect someone to win 120 games because you have a good roster doesn't mean anything. There's a lot of variables that kind of go into it. Like you said, the division is tough, man. There's a lot of really good ball players, a lot of good ball clubs in this division. It'll be a dogfight.”

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Asked how he thinks the Dodgers will fare when they are fully healthy, Betts noted he believes they can do some damage, the only issue? It's darn hard for pitchers to stay healthy anymore, what with how fast they are throwing the ball.

“I think we could be really good. But like you said, it's hard, man. It's hard to stay healthy, especially pitchers nowadays,” Betts noted. “Everybody's throwing 100. I'm not sure your arm is really meant to do that, but it's kind of hard to stick around if you're not. So, we have to just somehow figure out a way to get back healthy, and we'll see what happens. But the main thing is getting the guys on the field, and that's the number one priority.”

Will the Dodgers eventually field a healthy roster? Hopefully so, but how long they can sustain that health could define the season and how long it lasts for LA's finest.