The Dodgers are baseball’s kings. But kings can be dethroned. The Arizona Diamondbacks believe they have the weapons – and the will – to pull off the upset of the season. The Diamondbacks aren’t intimidated by the Los Angeles Dodgers or hate them. At least not when the Los Angeles Dodgers claim themselves as the “epicenter of the baseball universe.” As Spring Training kicks off, Diamondbacks veteran pitcher Merrill Kelly offers a simple reminder.

Are the Dodgers really untouchable?

As Kelly noted, “Obviously, everybody makes a big deal about what the Dodgers are doing.” Kelly’s not wrong. The Dodgers’ enormous resources and willingness to spend make it easy to feel like every National League West team shares the burden of competing against them—equipped with a $389 million payroll, the highest in the league.

Throughout the division, clubs are breaking franchise spending records to strategically plug roster holes with top-tier talent. The D-backs’ team-record $195 million payroll, nearly twice less than the Dodgers’, at least bought the team difference-making talent to stay competitive.

Then, how to tackle them?

That’s the Dodgers’ style, investing cash to keep the best players in the league. “You can’t hate on them for trying,” Merrill Kelly said, pivoting back toward control. It has been a successful formula. But, as Kelly hedged, the D-backs are not playing the same game. “We’ve just got to control what goes on in this clubhouse,” Kelly said. “If you get wrapped up on who’s across the field, or what they’re doing, we’re going to lose sight on trying to do to beat them.”

Kelly’s refrain bounces off other walls of the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse, creating a culture unbothered by outside noise. “The Dodgers deserve everything that comes their way,’’ manager Torey Lovullo said in agreement. “They have an All-Star lineup, an All-Star rotation, and an All-Star bullpen. A credit to them and what they have built. We have to do us. I reminded our players of that.”

Diamondbacks’ Arsenal: Strategic Investments and Pitching Prowess

Can underdogs really compete with giants?

The Diamondbacks have made impressive investments to support their roster, committed to ace Corbin Burnes on a franchise-record contract, and raised player payroll to new franchise heights. “It’s exciting, you got teams going out and spending money like that, the Dodgers, the Mets,’’ Burnes says. “We spent some money this year. It’s good for the game. It’s good for the players.”

The D-backs bullpen, along with starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez replenishing the rotation, is likely the best pitching staff in franchise history.“Absolutely,’’ Lovullo affirms. “I don’t want to sound arrogant or downplay what other organizations have. I couldn’t think of a better-starting standpoint than the five or seven names we have that can go that deep.” Add a starting rotation with credentials like that, and the underdog factor suddenly becomes the competitive weapon of choice. They’re statistically and postseason-proven ready to take on anyone.

The Diamondbacks have a legacy of taking the bull by the horns. And every time they get the chance they never disappoint. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks did what low payroll teams thought impossible – they won the World Series against the then-dominant New York Yankees. The valiant, comeback walk-off win in Game 7 against the Yankees was a classic underdog tale of triumph in the MLB annals. The D-backs did it again, many would claim even more improbably, against the division rival 2023 Dodgers, sweeping them in the division series on their way to the World Series.

The upcoming season looks promising for the Diamondbacks with their focus and talented roster. They do not need to defeat the Dodgers over 162 games-they need to defeat them when it matters. “Every time we play those guys, I feel like they can be beat,” veteran reliever Kevin Ginkel asserts.

Are the Diamondbacks truly contenders, or just talking themselves into it? Let us know in the comments!