No Zack Greinke? No problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said he still believes Los Angeles is the team to beat in the NL West, according to MLB.com.
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"Last year there was all this talk about the Padres being so good," Gonzalez said. "You're always going to have so-called experts saying this is the team to beat, they improved the most. At the end of the day, we will be right in the middle of the race come the end of September and in the best position to get into the playoffs."
The Diamondbacks, who led the National League in hits and were second in runs and batting average in 2015, plucked Greinke away from the Dodgers and signed Braves free agent Shelby Miller to make their pitching as formidable as their hitting.
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But the deep-pocket Dodgers still have the most depth in the division, their power-hitting first baseman says.
"I think we've got some good players and the team's going to be just as good as in the past, if not better," Gonzalez said.
"We have probably the deepest team in baseball. We'll be able to afford almost any injury, and a lot of teams can't say that. Every team goes through a lot of injuries. If you ever think you won't, you're not looking at baseball from a realistic standpoint. You prepare by adding depth, by having six or seven starters for the rotation instead of just five, by having extra bodies that can fill in to keep the same talent level on the field. If teams aren't prepared for that, they will fall off."
The Dodgers signed pitchers Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda to help ace Clayton Kershaw and the staff compensate for the loss of Greinke.
Gonzalez added that shortstop Corey Seager is due to have a noteworthy career in Los Angeles.
"I could care less about who is No. 1, it's about how you perform in the big leagues," Gonzalez said. "But I told [Rockies first-base coach] Eric Young last year, we were talking about the prospects they had and we had, that this is a special kid. I could see him being a Hall of Famer. He's got the talent, the makeup, the potential. I think he'll be a great Major Leaguer for a long time."
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