The rivalry between los angeles dodgers and San Diego Padres has been intense throughout history, but juan soto he is not worried about his opposition. He played down the Dodgers before the teams have played a single game against each other this season. Somehow, he and his team have earned this right after knocking them out in the 2022 postseason.
The National League West will be one of the most closely contested divisions in baseball this season. The Padres and Dodgers are ridiculously stacked teams that have World Series aspirations. However, only one team can get there and they both want to go through the other.
Soto was asked about the rivalry, but downplayed its importance to the Padres.
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“We don’t care about them. They should worry about us,” Soto said.
This is exactly the level of confidence that a team leader like Juan Soto should have. He’s far from undeserved, considering his team includes Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and himself. Plus, they’re still waiting for the return of star slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. and have an all-star pitching staff. He may be right to call them favorites, but this quote could incite the wrong team.
Historic teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Yankees don’t take second place in a rivalry lightly. There’s nothing the Yankees hate more than losing to the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers feel the same way about the San Diego Padres and don’t want to be the new “little brother” team in California.
Soto isn’t the only one who thinks this way about the rivalry, as this prediction from NBC sportscaster Todd Strain shows.
“The Padres will pass the Dodgers in the NL West standings today and will never look back. SD will stay ahead of LA all season,” Strain tweeted.
The battle in the National League West will be a highlight of the 2023 MLB season.
Juan Soto’s confidence could lead San Diego Padres to Los Angeles Dodgers
Juan Soto has all the traits and leadership skills a player could ask for. This confidence shown so early in the season is proof of that. It also means he has put the spotlight on himself, especially against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At this point, betting against Soto exceeding expectations seems like an easy way to lose.