By Brandon HENSLEY

This was supposed to be the Dodgers’ year.

Okay, fine, it’s been that way for the past seven or eight years, right? No, but really, this year was supposed to be the Dodgers’ year.

They’d be hungry and embarrassed coming off a 2019 first-round playoff loss to the Washington Nationals (who, fair enough, won the World Series); they’d spend $100 million renovating Dodger Stadium, finally giving the 58-year-old structure a true “front door” near the pavilion areas; and, most of all, they’d be showing off their new superstar who could become the face of the franchise alongside an aging Clayton Kershaw and 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger.

That player is Mookie Betts, whom the Dodgers acquired in the winter from the Boston Red Sox. But all “Betts” were off when the novel coronavirus disrupted the entire sports world. Fears mounted that Betts, a free agent after this season, wouldn’t even be able to record a single hit in a Dodger uniform. On Wednesday, though, the Dodgers announced they have reached an extension with Betts. The 27-year-old outfielder signed a 12-year extension that will keep him in blue until 2032. The deal is reportedly worth $365 million.

Is there even a point to this anymore? Does anyone still care? We’re about to find out because the regular season begins today amidst strict COVID-19 testing rules and in front of empty stands.

The Dodgers open tonight at 7 p.m. at home against the San Francisco Giants. The 60-game season won’t take long to offer intrigue because next week the Boys in Blue play a two-game set on the road against the Astros. In case anyone forgot, the Astros are the team many believe unfairly took a World Series title away from the Dodgers in 2017 due to cheating via video cameras and trash cans.

Don’t expect beanballs to fly at Houston players, though. Manager Dave Roberts isn’t one to play in the mud and the specter of health concerns in this strange new world will override any drama on the field until the close of season. The two clubs face off again, this time at Dodger Stadium, on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13, but what’s going to be the bigger story by then? LA usually has the division in the bag by mid-September, but there’s no guarantee of anything in 2020; the Dodgers might be fighting for their playoff lives instead of still worrying about something that happened three years ago.

The regular season ends against the Angels in late September. If most players can stay healthy, Bellinger, Betts and stud pitcher Walker Buehler should guide the team into October. Still, there has to be a sense that this kind of success can’t last forever; key players like Justin Turner will soon be gone, and Bellinger and shortstop Corey Seager still have to prove themselves in the playoffs.

And, of course, the questions of whether Kershaw can overcome his October demons will once again permeate through the media and the minds of fans, even if they can only watch on TV this time instead of crumbling in heartbreak in person.

July 2020 was supposed to be a month of celebration for the Dodgers. You expected to see them on top of the standings and celebrating several of their players at the All-Star Game, which was set to take place at newly renovated Dodger Stadium (MLB said the team will now receive the All-Star Game in 2022. Atlanta will host the game next season).

When fans watch the Dodgers finally begin their new season, they’re still going to expect excellence, even if pitcher David Price, who was brought over along with Betts from Boston, has opted out of the season, as players on other teams have also chosen to do.

So here on opening day, we can speculate how much this season means to the average player and fan. Maybe the season shouldn’t have been played at all. Maybe it should have started much earlier, if not for the distrust between owners and players. If the Dodgers actually do win it all in a few months, how much will it truly mean?

The strangest season our national pastime has undergone is about to give us answers.

  Brandon Hensley