The National League West, fronted by the reigning-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, profiles as one of the strongest divisions in MLB, and it’s not out of the question that this particular circuit could yield three playoff teams in 2025. Last season, the NL West churned out a pair of postseason qualifiers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks narrowly missed making it. With that highly competitive stage set, let’s jump into our NL West season preview with everything you need to know about the five teams.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected starting lineup
- DH Shohei Ohtani
- SS Mookie Betts
- 1B Freddie Freeman
- RF Teoscar Hernández
- 3B Max Muncy
- C Will Smith
- LF Michael Conforto
- 2B Tommy Edman
- CF James Outman/Enrique Hernández (platoon)
Projected rotation
- RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- RHP Roki Sasaki
- LHP Blake Snell
- RHP Tyler Glasnow
- RHP Dustin May
(Note: Ohtani will not be in the rotation at the start of the season as he continues his recovery from elbow surgery.)
Notable relievers
Biggest question: Can they repeat?
No team has won back-to-back World Series since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees, but the Dodgers will enter the 2025 season as heavy favorites to do just that. To be sure, in a sport like baseball you should always take the field over any one team when it comes to winning it all, but the Dodgers are indeed well positioned to pull it off. To a largely intact roster that won 98 games a season ago, lead operator Andrew Friedman has added Snell and Sasaki, two of the best starting pitchers on the market. The Dodgers now boast absurd levels of rotation depth, and that will be especially the case once Ohtani returns to pitching duty. The Dodgers this season also added a pair of lockdown relievers in Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott.
If there’s a soft underbelly in L.A., it’s probably the aging nature of the lineup. No doubt, having Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, and Hernández in the same lineup is hardly a cause for worry. This, however, is a broader matter. Last season, the Dodgers had the oldest crop of hitters in all of MLB with an average age of 30.3. Generally speaking, that offense, which didn’t experience much year-to-year turnover (27-year-old Gavin Lux was traded to the Reds, most notably), is even older now. That means decline potential at various spots, and it’s something to monitor. Another thing to monitor is how Betts fares defensively at shortstop and whether the Dodgers are pressed to find a cleaner fit at the most vital position (non-catcher division) on the field.
Still, this projects as a team that will threaten to win 100 games for the fifth time in the last six full seasons and win yet another division title. The real story, though, is whether they can hoist the trophy again.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Projected starting lineup
- RF Corbin Carroll
- 2B Ketel Marte
- 1B Josh Naylor
- LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
- CF Jake McCarthy
- 3B Eugenio Suárez
- DH Pavin Smith
- C Gabriel Moreno
- SS Geraldo Perdomo
Projected rotation
- RHP Corbin Burnes
- RHP Zac Gallen
- RHP Merrill Kelly
- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
- RHP Brandon Pfaadt
Notable relievers
Biggest question: Will they make the playoffs?
The 2023 Diamondbacks reminded us that if you make the postseason and let the randomness native to baseball do its work, then any team in the field is capable of a deep run. That particular D-backs model won the pennant. Last year’s squad was a better team than the 2023 pennant winners, but they wound up missing the playoffs by the narrowest of margins thanks to a highly competitive fray in the NL. The goal is clear this season – get back to late October/early November baseball.
To that end, the D-backs most notably pulled off the coup of the winter when they inked ace Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million free-agent pact. Burnes reportedly had higher offers on the table, but the fact that he makes his offseason home in the Phoenix area played a major role in his decision to sign with the Diamondbacks. He’ll now front a rotation that also includes Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfadt and has Jordan Montgomery as depth (he’s presently lined up for a long-relief role). Last season, that rotation ranked 27th in MLB with an ERA of 4.79.
Obviously, improvement is needed. Burnes promises a great deal of said improvement, and Gallen, while effective in 2024, was a bit unlucky. That figures to change. As well, Eduardo Rodriguez should get back to something close to career norms now that he’s further removed from his major shoulder problems of 2024. The Snakes also gave 34 starts to Montgomery and Slade Cecconi last season, and the pair combined for a 6.16 ERA over those starts. That’s disastrous, and it’s a leading reason Arizona missed the playoffs. If you like, think of those as being almost entirely replaced by Burnes. That improved rotation outlook means the D-backs should be favorites to claim one of the three wild-card spots up for grabs in the NL, even if it once again figures to be a highly competitive battle for those spots.
Projected starting lineup
- 1B Luis Arraez
- RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
- CF Jackson Merrill
- 3B Manny Machado
- 2B Jake Cronenworth
- SS Xander Bogaerts
- LF Jason Heyward/Connor Joe (platoon)
- DH Jose Iglesias/Joe/Arraez
- C Elias Díaz
Projected rotation
- RHP Dylan Cease
- RHP Michael King
- RHP Nick Pivetta
- RHP Yu Darvish
- RHP Stephen Kolek/RHP Matt Waldron
Notable relievers
Biggest question: Will ownership do its part?
The Padres have been shedding payroll since the death of Peter Seidler, who was truly among the very best owners in the sport. That trend has been furthered by a power struggle and dueling lawsuits between Seidler’s family and heirs. As a consequence, it’s a real question as to whether ownership will keep this team together, let alone add needed pieces at the deadline.
The Padres let Jurickson Profar walk and they replaced him with a dubious, low-cost left-field platoon of Heyward and Joe.
The San Diego Padres faced a tough offseason, losing Ha-Seong Kim to the market and facing uncertainties in their lineup. With issues in left field, catcher, and designated hitter, the Padres are counting on Xander Bogaerts to have a bounce-back season at the plate. Additionally, they need Manny Machado to maintain his late-season form from last year and for Fernando Tatis Jr. to stay healthy.
While the Padres signed Nick Pivetta to bolster their rotation, there are concerns that either Dylan Cease or Grayson King could be traded during their walk years, which would be a significant blow to the team’s chances in a competitive NL wild-card race. It’s crucial for the Padres’ front office, coaching staff, and players to work together to keep their key players and make necessary additions at the trade deadline to stay in contention in 2025.
On the other hand, the San Francisco Giants made some notable moves in the offseason, adding Willy Adames to their lineup and signing Justin Verlander for the upcoming season. However, the Giants’ rotation ranked below average last year, and there are doubts about the effectiveness of certain pitchers. Logan Webb’s performance declined in several key areas, and Verlander struggled with injuries and performance issues. The Giants will need some unexpected contributions from their pitching staff to compete in a tough division.
In contrast, the Colorado Rockies are facing an uphill battle after two consecutive 100-loss seasons. While their rotation shows promise with some key players returning from injuries, the real challenge lies in their offense’s inability to score runs. Despite playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark, the Rockies struggled to produce offensively last season. The signing of Thairo Estrada is unlikely to address their scoring woes, and they are projected to finish at the bottom of the standings once again.
Overall, the Padres, Giants, and Rockies each have their own set of challenges heading into the 2025 season. While the Padres need to address lineup issues, the Giants must rely on their pitching staff to step up, and the Rockies face significant hurdles in improving their offense. It will be interesting to see how each team navigates these obstacles throughout the season. following sentence in a different way:
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