Aug 2, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Dodgers' $182 Million All-Star Named Biggest X-Factor in NL West Battle With Padres

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Valentina Martinez | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 11:59 AM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't lost the division since the San Francisco Giants won the NL West in 2021.

But for much of the decade, it's the Dodgers who have won the division year in and year out.

This season is different.

The San Diego Padres have given the defending champions a reason to worry. After a trade deadline that saw Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller orchestrate five trades — including the blockbuster deal of the summer for Athletics closer Mason Miller — the team has been one of the hottest in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a quiet trade deadline and their most notable addition this summer in reliever Brock Stewart is currently on the injured list.

The Dodgers are counting on their current roster to perform, and eventually play the best version of baseeball down the stretch.

"Hopefully if we make it into October, seeing the roster that we submit we feel that it’s going to be a very, very strong roster," said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. "That’s our bet and that’s what we’re going with.”

As the Dodgers navigate unchartered territory — tied with the Padres for first place in the NL West — there a few X-factors in the battle for the division.

MLB.com's Brent Maguire believes left-handed pitcher Blake Snell will play a pivotal part in the Dodgers winning the division this season. LA headlined the offseason by signing Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal less than a month after winning the World Series.

Snell's deal was the Dodgers' biggest of the winter, and thus far, it hasn't paid off this year.

"Of all the potential X-factors on the Dodgers, Snell feels especially important considering he was signed as a frontline starter who could pitch in Game 1 or 2 of a playoff series," Maguire writes. "After missing four months with left shoulder inflammation, Snell returned earlier this month and his presence -- and which pitcher the Dodgers get -- will loom large down the stretch.

"If Snell pitches like the Cy Young pitcher we saw in 2023 or for most of 2024 -- or like he did in his most recent start when he struck out 10 Blue Jays hitters in five scoreless innings -- that could catapult the Dodgers to winning the division and perhaps returning to the World Series."