Will the Dodgers-Padres NL West Battle Live Up to the Hype?

There's a heated rivalry brewing in the National League West, and it's not the one you're thinking of. 

Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers (owners of baseball's gaudiest payroll) and San Francisco Giants (owners of three titles in five years) will always despise each other. That's a given.

But the more interesting showdown out West this season might be an all-SoCal affair. That's right, the San Diego Padres are crashing the party.

You know about the Friars' hyperactive offseason, which saw them overhaul the offense, upgrade the starting rotation and bolster an already stout bullpen.

Now, the burning question: Can they hang with L.A., the defending division champs and prohibitive NL West favorites?

One series into the 2015 season, the answer appears to be yes.

Sure, the Dodgers took two out of three from the Padres at Chavez Ravine to open the year. And yes, Los Angeles first baseman Adrian Gonzalez overshadowed everyone by launching five home runs in that initial trio of contests, becoming the first player in major league history to accomplish the feat, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info):

San Diego, though, hung with its big, bad I-5 brother, plating 14 runs in three games, a total last year's Padres would have struggled to match in a month.

That's barely hyperbole. In 2014, the Padres ranked dead last in the majors in runs scored and team batting average. Still, they managed to win 77 games on the strength of their pitching, which finished second in the NL and fourth in all of baseball with a 3.27 ERA.

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General manager A.J. Preller took that disparity to heart and spent the offseason acquiring hitters: Justin Upton (and later his brother, Melvin Upton Jr.) from the Atlanta Braves, Wil Myers from the Tampa Bay Rays, Will Middlebrooks from the Boston Red Sox and Derek Norris from the Oakland A's. 

And, of course, Matthew Ryan Kemp from the Dodgers. 

It's funny. On the one hand, the fact that L.A. was willing to send Kemp to the Padres and eat part of his salary to boot pokes a hole in the rivalry hypothesis. Could you imagine that same deal going down between the Dodgers and Giants?

On the other hand, Kemp's presence in the San Diego lineup adds intrigue to every Padres-Dodgers series. (And remember, these clubs will clash 16 more times in the regular season.)

Kemp, the former franchise cornerstone and current L.A. castaway, tried to play it cool upon his return to Dodger Stadium, with limited success.

"Yeah, I guess I care," Kemp said on Opening Day, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "I left my heart and soul on the field for the Dodgers."

Kemp proceeded to go 5-for-13 with three RBI, a double and a stolen base in the series.

Again, we're just getting started. There will be many rounds in this bout; blows will be traded.

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

We've come this far and haven't even mentioned the pitching the Padres added this winter—and spring.

San Diego inked innings-eating veteran James Shields to headline an emerging young rotation, and on the eve of the season, it engineered a swap with the Braves that netted closer Craig Kimbrel.

As FanGraphs' David Cameron notes, Kimbrel joins setup man Joaquin Benoit to form arguably the deadliest bullpen duo in baseball:

Add a report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale that San Diego is "scouring the shortstop market," and it's clear Preller is playing for keeps.

That doesn't mean he'll win. San Diego still faces questions about its infield bats and outfield defense and whether its offensive cavalry will adjust to the pitchers' paradise that is Petco Park.

Even with the Friars' multitude of machinations, L.A. is the team to beat. And the Giants, for all their flaws and early injuries, are the defending champs for a reason.

Still, as spring sizzles into summer, keep your eyes trained on Southern California, where something hot is cooking.

All statistics current as of April 8 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.