MLB NL West Division Preview: Dodgers Slight Favorites
San Diego Expected to Give Los Angeles a Battle

The MLB NL West Division preview shows the Los Angeles Dodgers as slight favorites over the San Diego Padres. It’s a ways back to San Francisco, which is expected to rebound from last year’s 81-81 season. Arizona and Colorado bring up the rear.
The Dodgers found themselves making some cost-cutting moves over the offseason, something almost unheard of for L.A. The Padres added some key talent, while the Giants missed out on several big names. Arizona made a couple of decent moves, but Colorado had another disappointing winter.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-120)
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the team to beat, which is the result of leading the 2022 baseball standings with a 111-51 record. But the Dodgers are going to be missing some key MLB players from last season. Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger are gone. So are pitchers Tyler Anderson, Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Heaney. But the Dodgers also added some talent, bringing in Noah Syndergaard and relief pitcher Alex Reyes. J.D. Martinez is slowing down a bit but still putting up good numbers and Miguel Reyes is a solid fielder.
But don’t go shedding too many tears for the ‘Boys in Blue.’ The lineup is still solid, with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy at the top of the line-up.
Martinez is a capable hitter, but the Dodgers are going to need more production from David Peralta and Trayce Thompson in the outfield. The Dodgers have high hopes for Miguel Vargas at second base and Reyes is a capable shortstop. The Dodgers’ infield was dealt a blow with Gavin Lux missing the year due to a torn ACL.
Los Angeles will send out a solid starting rotation. But they’re not as deep as in previous seasons and need pitchers to stay healthy. The top three of Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May is solid. Syndergaard was decent last season.
The Dodgers will start the season with Tony Gonsolin on the sidelines. But he shouldn’t miss too much time. The relief staff will consist of Andre Jackson, Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia, Caleb Ferguson, Yency Almonte, Phil Bickford and Shelby Miller.
The Dodgers aren’t likely to lead MLB in runs scored again, but still have an offense good enough to win a title. The team will rely on the pitching staff a bit more this season but have the arms to get it done. Los Angeles is far from a ‘sure thing,’ but they’re still the most-rounded team in the division.
San Diego Padres (+110)
The MLB NL West Division preview looks like a two-horse race, with the Padres joining the Dodgers as the likely division winner. San Diego added Xander Bogaerts to an already dangerous line-up. The Padres also brought in Matt Carpenter, Nelson Cruz and Seth Lugo to bolster the team. San Diego was 13th in runs scores last year and 11th in team ERA. Fernando Tatis will be eligible to return from his suspension on April 20.
San Diego is going to be a little top heavy on the lineup, with Bogaerts, Juan Soto and Manny Machado at the top of the line-up, followed by Jake Cronenworth and Carpenter, at least until Tatis returns. The Padres will score some runs. The big question is how they’ll do preventing them.
Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish are the team’s top three starters, with Michael Wacha, Lugo and Nick Martinez among the likely candidates for the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. The bullpen is led by closer Josh Hader, who is one of the better ones in the game.
San Diego’s hitters are going to get the bulk of the attention. But as is usually the case, the Padres’ fortunes this season will come down to the pitching staff staying healthy.
San Francisco Giants (+1000)
The San Francisco Giants took a massive step backwards last year, going 81-81 after winning 107 games the previous season. San Francisco believes it addressed some of last year’s shortcomings in the offseason, but there’s no denying it was a disappointing winter. The Giants believed they had Aaron Judge and then Carlos Correa. San Francisco also lost Carlos Rodon but did add Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea to chew up some innings.
The Giants’ lineup isn’t going to put fear into many pitchers. San Francisco was 23rd in team batting last season. The Giants do make the most of their hits, ranking No. 11 in runs scored. San Francisco was No. 6 in drawing walks. Free passes can help make up for a low average. The additions of outfielders Mitch Haniger, Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto should help.
The MLB NL West Division preview shows San Francisco has a decent starting rotation with Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Manaea, Stripling and Alex Wood. Anthony DeSclafani is still battling some injuries and Jakob Junis looks to come out of the bullpen. The relief staff should benefit from the addition of closer Trevor Rogers.
Arizona Diamondbacks (+4000)
The Arizona Diamondbacks had a decent offseason, although it may not show for several years. Arizona dealt Daulton Varsho to Toronto for prized catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and veteran outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Varsho hit 27 home runs for Arizona last season, so his loss is a big one. But Gurriel hit .291 for Toronto and Moreno should be a good one. The trade does set Arizona back a little bit this season but should help down the road. It’s a smart move, as the Diamondbacks won’t be contending this season.
Arizona’s starting rotation leaves a bit to be desired. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly aren’t a bad 1-2 punch, but it goes downhill from there. The Diamondbacks are still stuck with Madison Bumgarner, with Zach Davies and Ryne Nelson among those in contention for the other starting spots.
The relief staff includes the likes of Joe Mantiply, Kyle Nelson, Carlos Vargas, Scott McGough, Miguel Castro and Andrew Chafin. Mark Melancon could start the season on the 60-day disabled list. But he wasn’t very good when he was on the mound.
The Diamondbacks have some decent players, but not going to compete with the likes of San Diego or the Dodgers with just decent players.
Colorado Rockies (+10000)
At the beginning of a new MLB schedule, teams are optimistic. By the end of April reality has set in for a number of squads, who see their playoff dreams were a bit ambitious. That won’t be the case for this year’s Colorado squad. Speaking at the Northern Colorado Friends of Baseball breakfast in January, Colorado owner Dick Monfort told the crowd, “I think we can play .500 ball.” Not exactly the most glowing team forecast but even that is likely aiming too high.
The Colorado Rockies are counting on a healthy Kris Bryant this season, along with solid contributions from Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron. Youngster Ezequiel Tovar has looked good this spring and could be a surprise. But there’s not a whole lot after that.
The pitching staff isn’t any better, with German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Jose Urena and Austin Gomber among the most likely starters. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about Colorado’s pitching staff.