It’s no secret. Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored to win the National League pennant. The Boys in Blue are also favored to win this year’s World Series after falling to Atlanta in the National League Championship Series last season.

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The roster will change slightly, but the Dodgers will still put out a lineup full of All-Stars. There are some serious challengers as well. A number of teams made some solid offseason moves to put themselves in position to challenge L.A.

Here’s a look at the 2022 MLB National League pennant odds and picks.

Can Anyone Beat the Dodgers?

The Dodgers were the overall World Series favorite last season and not much has changed. The lineup is ridiculous – Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Will Smith, and Trae Turner. Oh, and the Dodgers just signed another former NL MVP – World Series champion Freddie Freeman.

Then, there’s the pitching rotation. If Trevor Bauer returns and L.A. signs Clayton Kershaw, then you have a starting rotation of Kershaw, Bauer, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and Julio Urias. Outstanding pitching and an All-Star filled batting lineup is why the Dodgers are the NL favorite at +240.

Mets Make Moves

The biggest challenge to the Dodgers NL supremacy may come from the New York Mets (+500). The Mets went out in free agency and added a three-time Cy Young Award winner in Max Scherzer. He finished the 2021 season with the Dodgers and wound up 15-4 with a 0.86 WHIP. Opposing hitters averaged .185 against Scherzer.

Scherzer joins Jacob deGrom to form possibly the best No. 1-No. 2 pitching combo in the majors. Plus, the Mets still have Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt, and Carlos Carrasco. The offense has former NL Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso as well as SS Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, and DH Robinson Cano.

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Other Contenders

You can’t count the defending champion Atlanta Braves out of the mix. The Braves replaced Freddie Freeman with slugger Matt Olson. They return Marcell Ozuna, Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley among others. Don’t forget, Ronald Acuna Jr. will be back as well. He is projected to begin playing sometime in May.

Their pitching rotation is solid too with Max Fried and Charlie Morton leading the way. Atlanta added former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the offseason too. That’s why they are listed at +500 to repeat.

The San Diego Padres are a real threat to the Dodgers as well. They return a lineup with Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis. The pitching staff includes former Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove. If the Padres (+850) can stay healthy, there’s no reason why they can’t contend for the pennant.

The Sleeper

To go deep in the postseason, you have to have the pitching. The Milwaukee Brewers have it. Two of their starters – Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes – finished in the top five of the NL Cy Young voting. Burnes won the award after finishing the season with an NL-best 2.43 ERA. Woodruff’s ERA was 2.56.

Milwaukee also has some bats too, including former NL MVP Christian Yelich, Hunter Renfroe, and Kolten Wong. At +700, they make for a strong sleeper bet to win the pennant.

2022 National League Pennant Prediction

While they were knocked off last year, there just doesn’t seem to be any way the Dodgers can lose this thing. The offense is outstanding. The pitching may have some question marks, but last year L.A. addressed that with the midseason trade for Scherzer. The Mets, Braves, Padres, and maybe even the Giants and Phillies will give the Dodgers a run, but this is the Dodgers’ pennant to lose.

PICK: DODGERS +240

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2022 National League Pennant Betting Lines

Los Angeles Dodgers +240

Atlanta Braves +500

New York Mets +500

Milwaukee Brewers +700

San Diego Padres +850

Philadelphia Phillies +1200

San Francisco Giants +1300

St. Louis Cardinals +1500

Miami Marlins +3500

Chicago Cubs +6000

Cincinnati Reds +7000

Washington Nationals +8000

Colorado Rockies +10000

Arizona Diamondbacks +12000

Pittsburgh Pirates +15000