NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
I’ve got the Dodgers winning the NL West, and this is one of the easier division picks on the board. Somehow they found a way to get better again. They may “underperform” in the regular season compared to what their roster says they should be, but we’ve seen this the last couple years and it ended up just fine. They are clearly more interested in having guys healthy when it counts than chasing some stupid regular season win total in May.
Blake Snell is the perfect example. They handled him with kid mittens for good reason, and he was sensational last October. They’ll gladly win 105 games instead of 125 if it means a healthy October roster.
Their one glaring weakness last year was the back end of the bullpen, and that weakness cost them close to 25 regular season wins. So what did they do. They went out and got one of the best closers in baseball in Edwin Diaz. Their other weakness was Teoscar Hernandez’s glove in right field. Signing Kyle Tucker not only adds one of the best outfield bats in baseball, it also shores things up defensively in right, and now Teoscar can slide back to left where he is more comfortable and where you can hide him a little more. This division still runs through LA.
Arizona Diamondbacks
I’ve got Arizona finishing second, and I do think they are the cleanest threat to the Dodgers in this division. Adding Nolan Arenado was a big move, and keeping Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly gives them real veteran stability where it matters.
This team feels serious. Not flashy like LA, but serious. I think they win a lot of games. The problem is the team in front of them is still the Dodgers.
San Diego Padres
The Padres check in third for me. This is one of those teams where the talent is obvious, but so are the problems. I just don’t like their rotation enough to think they can do any real damage. Joe Musgrove opening the year on the IL matters, and the rest of the staff doesn’t move me enough either.
They are also going through future changes at ownership and feel kind of stuck in the mud until that gets ironed out. There’s talent here, sure. I just don’t trust the foundation enough to buy in.
San Francisco Giants
I’ve got the Giants finishing fourth. This feels like one of those sneaky annoying teams that will be tougher than people expect on certain nights, but I just don’t see enough real juice here to take them seriously over a full season.
They added depth, they’ve got a new manager, and I get why some people will talk themselves into them being a sleeper. I’m not there. Deep, maybe. Dangerous, not really.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies round it out in last because they are still the Rockies. After losing 119 games, I’m not really sure what exactly I’m supposed to get excited about here.
They are still searching for relevance, still searching for direction, and still very much a team that feels miles away from mattering. Until proven otherwise, this is just the same mess in a different season.
NL West Prediction
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Padres
Giants
Rockies
