National League West Division rivals will face off today at 4:10 p.m. ET as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres.
Clayton Kershaw, the reigning NL MVP and Cy Young winner, will take the mound for the Dodgers on Opening Day while James Shields will make his debut for the Padres in today's matchup. Outfielder Matt Kemp will also make his return to Dodger Stadium after being traded to San Diego this offseason.
The Dodgers finished first in the NL West last year with a 94-68 record while the Padres placed third with a 77-85 record. However, both clubs have revamped their rosters and look to improve in 2015. Los Angeles fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS series and San Diego missed the postseason for the eighth straight season.
New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi traded away Kemp, second baseman Dee Gordon as well as starter Dan Haren and let shortstop Hanley Ramirez walk in free agency. Friedman and Zaidi also signed starters Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson and acquired shortstop Jimmy Rollins, second baseman Howie Kendrick and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Additionally, top prospect Joc Pederson will take over in center field for Kemp.
If that sounds like a lot, just wait until you hear what new Padres general manager A.J. Preller did.
The rookie GM acquired Kemp as well as outfielders Wil Myers (Tampa Bay Rays), Justin Upton and Melvin Upton Jr. (both from Atlanta Braves) on top of third baseman Will Middlebrooks (Boston Red Sox), catcher Derek Norris (Oakland Athletics) and relievers Shawn Kelley (New York Yankees), Brandon Maurer (Seattle Mariners) and Craig Kimbrel (Atlanta Braves). He also signed Shields to a four-year, $75 million deal.
As a result, the team's payroll has approached $109 million, which is the highest in franchise history. Their starting rotation is perhaps the best it has been in recent memory, with Shields leading the way and Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Andrew Cashner and Brandon Morrow behind him.
Today fans will probably get to see the best pitching matchup of the day between Kershaw and Shields, both of whom plan to set the tone for their clubs in the National League.
You can check out the live stream of the game here as well as the live radio broadcast here.
