MLB 2024 (NL West)

With the Dodgers and Padres starting the season this week in Korea, I had to change the order of my annual MLB preview.  I normally start with the AL East and end with the NL West.  But, since it's two NL West teams playing a week before everybody else, it wouldn't make sense not to start there.  Especially since the NL West is one of the easier divisions in all of baseball to forecast.

The Dodgers certainly flexed their financial muscle over the winter, committing half a billion dollars to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.  They scored both of the two biggest free agents, basically solidifying their status as both a World Series favorite and one of the most hated teams in baseball for the next decade.  Although, being a World Series favorite in March doesn't guarantee you anything in October.  The Dodgers, in fact, have lost in the Division Series to another NL West team in each of the last two years.

Last year, it was the Diamondbacks who knocked them off en route to a surprise World Series appearance.  It would be foolish to think they can finish ahead of the Dodgers over the course of 162 games, but as they proved last year, all you need is get a wild card, then anything can happen.  And Arizona will definitely be in the wild card mix.  I think the Giants will, too, especially now that they've landed Blake Snell.

San Diego lost 60 percent of its starting rotation, so they traded Juan Soto to the Yankees for every young starting pitcher they had (and could use right about now).  They knew that they had no chance of re-signing Soto, so it was a good move for the future.  As for the Rockies, they can't be as bad as they were last season.  Can they?

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: Only one team can boast a 1-2-3 of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.  So, yeah, their lineup is pretty good!  The whole plan to have Betts play second (or is it short?) regularly is interesting, but who am I to question Dave Roberts?  He sure seems to know what he's doing.  And it freed up right field for Jason Heyward, so I can see the thought process behind it.  So, add Betts to the list of Dodgers utility guys (which now again includes Kike Hernandez).  What Hernandez's return gives them more than anything is depth, which they lacked last year.  They're even talking about having Ohtani play the outfield (I'll believe it when I see it).

I haven't even talked about their pitching staff yet.  A staff that doesn't even include Ohtani!  Even without him, the Dodgers have like seven starting pitchers (eight when Kershaw returns).  So, they're actually well-equipped to handle the inevitable pitching injuries for a change.  As much as I love Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen, I can see them adding a closer at the deadline.  Because, who we kidding?  A lot needs to go wrong for this team to not be playing in October!  And even then, they'll still be one of the six best teams in the National League.
Projected Lineup: Mookie Betts-SS, Freddie Freeman-1B, Shohei Ohtani-DH, Will Smith-C, Max Muncy-3B, Jason Heyward-RF, Teoscar Hernandez-LF, Gavin Lux-2B, James Outman-CF
Projected Rotation: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton, Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler
Closer: Blake Treinen
Projected Record: 102-60

2. Arizona Diamondbacks: No one saw the Diamondbacks coming last season.  That certainly won't be the case this year.  And, while it might be a stretch to say another World Series run is in the cards, they return essentially the same team, so a return trip to the playoffs isn't out of the question.  Not by a long shot.  Especially since I'd argue that they might even be a little better with Eugenio Suarez at third and Joc Pederson (who continues making his way through the NL West) DHing.

And they've got one of the best 1-2 combos atop the rotation in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.  Of course, you need more than two starters, which is what ultimately cost them in the World Series.  Eduardo Rodriguez gives them that third starter this year, and they'll also get a full season out of Brandon Pfaadt.  The rotation depth will be a key, and they especially need Gallen and Kelly to stay healthy.  The bullpen, anchored by closer Paul Sewald, is definitely one of their biggest strengths.
Projected Lineup: Corbin Carroll-RF, Ketel Marte-2B, Christian Walker-1B, Eugenio Suarez-3B, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.-LF, Joc Pederson-DH, Alek Thomas-CF, Gabriel Moreno-C, Geraldo Perdomo-SS
Projected Rotation: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Tommy Henry
Closer: Paul Sewald
Projected Record: 88-74 (Wild Card)

3. San Francisco Giants: It took almost the entire winter, but Blake Snell has finally signed!  He'll be a San Francisco Giant for the next two seasons.  So, now they have both last year's Cy Young winner and runner-up atop their rotation.  That'll certainly change their outlook big time!  Especially because their rotation was looking very thin behind Logan Webb.  What they do boast, however, is a first-rate closer in Camilo Doval!

They sure look like a team that'll need to win games 3-2.  Because their offense isn't as strong as their pitching.  Although, it's definitely gotten better.  After striking out on free agent after free agent over the past few years, they finally landed a big fish in Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee.  They've also added Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman, which makes their lineup much deeper than it's been in recent years.  I still think they're missing something.  But getting Snell was huge!  And that could be the difference between the Giants making the playoffs or not.
Projected Lineup: Jung Hoo Lee-CF, Michael Conforto-LF, Matt Chapman-3B, Joey Bart-C, Jorge Soler-DH, Mike Yastrzemski-RF, LaMonte Wade Jr.-1B, Thairo Estrada-2B, Marco Luciano-SS
Projected Rotation: Logan Webb, Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, Alex Cobb
Closer: Camilo Doval
Projected Record: 86-76

4. San Diego Padres: After a few years of going all-in and getting nothing to show for it, the Padres went the other way this offseason.  They knew they wouldn't be able to keep Snell or Soto, so they got younger and reloaded instead.  They still have their superstars, too.  So, even without Soto or Trent Grisham, their lineup still includes Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr.  They also think very highly of Jose Azocar, who takes Soto's place in the outfield.

One of their goals in the Soto trade was to acquire starting pitching.  They sure got it in the form of Michael King (whose inclusion was the holdup), Randy Vasquez and Jhonny Brito.  They also snagged a pitcher that the Yankees wanted in Dylan Cease.  So, their rotation actually isn't that bad.  It's certainly better than most people initially thought it would look.  The window isn't completely closed on the Padres.  Other than their NLCS run in 2022, they haven't really put together a whole season with this group.  If they can do it this year, they could surprise.
Projected Lineup: Ha-Seong Kim-2B, Xander Bogaerts-SS, Fernando Tatis Jr.-RF, Manny Machado-DH, Jake Cronenworth-1B, Jurickson Profar-LF, Jose Azocar-CF, Graham Pauley-3B, Luis Campusano-C
Projected Rotation: Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Randy Vasquez
Closer: Robert Suarez
Projected Record: 73-89

5. Colorado Rockies: Simply put, there isn't a lot of talent in Colorado.  There's really no way to sugarcoat it.  Last season, the Rockies lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they do it again this year.  Not losing 100 is a much more realistic and attainable goal than making the playoffs.  Because this team doesn't have a chance of competing in this division. 

Kris Bryant used to be a star, and he's the closest thing the Rockies have to one.  The Kris Bryant who plays in Colorado is a shadow of the Kris Bryant who played in Chicago, though.  Yes, Elias Diaz was the MVP of the All*Star Game last year.  And Ryan McMahon isn't bad.  But this team is a far cry from the Todd Helton-Larry Walker days.  Kyle Freeland and Cal Quantrill are decent, but that's really all I've got to say about the pitching staff.
Projected Lineup: Brendan Rogers-2B, Ryan McMahon-3B, Kris Bryant-1B, Nolan Jones-LF, Charlie Blackmon-RF, Ezequiel Tovar-SS, Elias Diaz-C, Elehuris Montero-DH, Brenton Doyle-CF
Projected Rotation: Kyle Freeland, Cal Quantrill, Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner
Closer: Justin Lawrence
Projected Record: 61-101