Inside The Dodgers

NL West Manager Not Happy With Dave Roberts After Dodgers Signed Roki Sasaki

Maren Angus-Coombs

Oct 27, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts speaks at a press conference prior to game three of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Oct 27, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts speaks at a press conference prior to game three of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are already making it difficult for their competition, and the season hasn’t even begun.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black certainly feels this way after the Dodgers’ recent addition of Roki Sasaki.

Black, who’s part of a group chat with long-time baseball figures including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, sent a straightforward message after hearing about the signing: "Really?"

The Rockies, a team in the midst of a youth movement, are far from a match for the juggernaut the Dodgers have become.

Anyone expecting the Rockies to post a winning record this season is either overly optimistic or out of touch with reality.

While the Rockies do have promising young talent — shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle, and power-hitting first baseman Michael Toglia — there’s simply not enough to compete with the Dodgers.

More news: Dodgers Among Teams Interested in World Series Winning Free Agent Reliever

Lining up against a team that features Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, and an array of other stars, the Rockies are outmatched.

The days of Charlie Blackmon patrolling the outfield at Coors Field are behind them, and it’s clear that the Rockies are entering a long-overdue rebuild.

While this shift has been underway for a while, it hasn’t been officially stated until recently. The team’s win totals over the past three seasons — 68, 59, and 61 — speak volumes about the current state of the roster.

In 2024, the Rockies' chances of beating the Dodgers — or any team in the NL West — appear slim. The upcoming season is about more than just competing; it's about building towards a hopeful 2026.

General manager Bill Schmidt summed it up: "We are looking for growth from the young kids."

On the pitching side, the Rockies will rely on German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela. But the Dodgers have one of the deepest and most talented pitching staffs in the league, including Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May.

The Rockies’ chances are slim to none. They're stuck in a division with three contenders and a reigning World Series champion, all armed with the best talent assembled in decades.

More news: ESPN Insider Reveals Why Dodgers Have to Bring Back Kiké Hernandez

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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