The National League West will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and just about everybody else. The Los Angeles Dodgers have built a juggernaut and have signed almost every good free agent, completely ignoring the luxury tax. The San Diego Padres will also be good, but aside from those two teams, the National League West will be a vast wasteland of nothingness.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies will all miss the playoffs and struggle with the competition at the top of the division. Any game featuring the superstar-laden Los Angeles Dodgers will be a marquee game. How many World Series do you think the Dodgers will win?
National League West Winners: Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers should be the only team in baseball to win 100 games, going 100-62. Here is the list of players they added to Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, World Series Most Valuable Player Freddie Freeman, and last year’s big free agent signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The team also signed Roki Sasaki, Kirby Yates, and Tanner Scott this offseason.
Seemingly the Los Angeles Dodgers have a different, skilled, starting pitcher for each day of the week. The Dodgers are so good they will win the National League West, make life miserable for the rest of the National League, and win the next several World Series.
San Diego Padres: Wild Card Team
The San Diego Padres are an excellent and deep team that will clinch a National League wild card spot, but not be able to compete in the National League West with the Dodgers. The San Diego Padres will finish 90-72, 10 games out of first place. The core of the team will be back with a great number of stars still in their primes and youngster Jackson Merrill only just entering his prime. There should be great hunger after the team came close to beating the Dodgers in the NLDS. They will begin the 2025 season with those Dodgers in Japan in mid-March.
Arizona Diamondbacks: The Best Of the Also-Rans
The Arizona Diamondbacks are an above-average team, but they will suffer from being in the National League West with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They should finish 85-77 and just miss out on the playoffs. The Arizona Diamondbacks are still flying high from their World Series appearance two seasons ago.
The pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks should be strong with starting pitchers Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Jordan Montgomery. The question is whether the Arizona Diamondbacks will hit enough to be competitive. Corbin Carroll should hit well as he is on the upswing.
The San Francisco Giants: A Good Closer Is Not Enough
The San Francisco Giants probably will not hit enough to contend in the National League West. They are predicted to finish 77-85 which should place them fourth in the National League West. A key question for the San Francisco Giants will be how good will Closer Camillo Doval be.
Hapless Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies will be the second-worst team in baseball this season. They will finish 57-105. The Rockies have a roster bereft of talent and are in a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best thing going for the Colorado Rockies is their prospects. They have many. Just some of the prospects are 2023 top pick Chase Dollander. He is the team’s No. 2 prospect and No. 20 overall. Scott Sullivan is 10th in Colorado’s system, and Carson Palmquist, No. 14 in Colorado. They will get a chance to make the team in Spring Training.
Conclusion
The Los Angeles Dodgers will run away with the National League West with a record of 100-62. They will be the only 100-win team in the league. San Diego should finish 90-72. This will be good enough to earn a wild card spot in the National League. The Arizona Diamondbacks will be in contention because of their strong pitching and will finish 85-77. The San Francisco Giants will struggle to a 77-85 record. The Colorado Rockies will bring up the rear in the National League West at 57-105.
