Los Angeles Dodgers
To say the Dodgers are a dynasty is putting it lightly, dominating the NL West year after year, with their 106-win, second place finish in 2021 as the only outlying season since 2013 where Los Angeles didn’t place first. Along with their consistent divisional success, Los Angeles earned four trips to the fall classic, winning in 2020 and finishing as the top team in baseball in 2024.
The addition of Shohei Ohtani proved to be a perfect match, as Ohtani had a career year, setting career highs in hits (197), runs (134), home runs (54), RBIs (130), batting average (.310) and WAR (9.2), en route to his third career MVP nomination, the first without his pitching prowess. If it wasn’t for a midseason hand injury, Mookie Betts would’ve contended with Ohtani for the NL MVP, in a season where the longtime outfielder primarily logged innings at shortstop. Though his power numbers decreased, first baseman Freddie Freeman was still one of the best hitters in the game. Will Smith once more made his case to be the top catcher in the game. Injuries cut the majority of Max Muncy’s season short, though he still proved to be valuable offensively. In a resurgent year, Teoscar Hernández powered his way to a three year extension with Los Angeles. Similarly, postseason hero Tommy Edman earned a commitment from the Dodgers as well. The already devastating lineup added foreign export Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto.
The pitching staff could be better than the lineup, with the depth of two starting rotations. With Ohtani set to return to the mound, he’ll be joining last season’s additions Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, who both had their 2024’s cut short, though still flashed excellence in their time on the mound. The Dodgers added Japanese ace Roki Sasaki and two time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to round out the rotation for the upcoming campaign. That’s without mentioning the likes of Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmet Sheehan expected to make starts at some point for Los Angeles. As long as the starters can get to the fifth inning, handing it off to the bullpen won’t be a problem, with the dominating clique of Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol all expected to silence offenses in the late innings.
When the best team in baseball gets better, it’s hard to deny that they’ll repeat as the leader of the pack.
San Diego Padres
In three of the last five years, the Padres have been eliminated from the postseason by the eventual NL representative in the World Series, including twice to the aforementioned Dodgers. San Diego was the closest team to knocking Los Angeles out of the playoffs, forcing five games in the NLDS.
Longtime shortstop prospect Jackson Merrill made the move to center field, finishing as the NL Rookie of the Year runner up in his debut year. Manny Machado had another great season at the hot corner, having his third season of 100+ RBIs since moving to SoCal. Injuries cut out chunks of Luis Arráez’s and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s seasons, still being polarizing presences for San Diego. After three great seasons to start his professional career, Jake Cronenworth hasn’t produced at the same rate across the last two years. Xander Bogaerts’ second season as a member of the Padres was woeful, producing the worst full season of his 12-year career.
The Padres’ crew of starters look to dominate once again, with Dylan Cease leading the bunch. In his first season with his new team and new role of starter, Michael King thrived, pitching to the tune of a 2.95 ERA, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting. Yu Darvish missed about half of his starts, though in the 16 appearances he made, he dominated. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron and Randy Vásquez serve as the backend starters, with a chance to improve upon their decent 2024s. If the starting staff can hand it off to the bullpen, the game will be in good hands, with Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Adrián Morejón and Jeremiah Estrada all posting sub-three ERAs, while Yuki Matsui was a serviceable lefty late for San Diego.
San Diego has alternated making and missing the playoffs across the last five seasons, but though this season is “supposed” to be the year they miss, I don’t expect the trend to continue.
Arizona Diamondbacks
After the franchise’s second World Series appearance in 2023, Arizona seemed destined to at least return to the postseason after their miraculous run. Unfortunately, tiebreakers between the Diamondbacks, Mets and Braves shut down Arizona’s earlier than expected.
Shouldering the load offensively was Ketel Marte, who finished the year as the third place finisher for the NL MVP and earned his first Silver Slugger award. Following his NL Rookie of the Year 2023, Corbin Carroll had a sophomore slump, though still an above average hitter for the D-Backs. Eugenio Suárez ripped the cover off the ball in his debut season in the desert, clinching the fifth 30+ home run season of his career. Once again, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had a productive season for Arizona, producing slightly worse stats to his prior season. Tasked with replacing Christian Walker is former Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, who enters the middle of the lineup on the heels of his highest home run (31) and RBI (108) totals. MLB’s 11th ranked prospect Jordan Lawlar looks to stay healthy after being unable to follow up his short stint in 2023 with any big league at bats, making just 23 appearances in the minors.
The already electric rotation gained the best free agent arm, as Arizona scored Corbin Burnes, after his fifth straight top 10 Cy Young finish. Burnes will slot alongside Zac Gallen, who has developed into Arizona’s ace. Merrill Kelly enters 2025 healthy, after being shelved for the better part of the season. In his second full season, Ryne Nelson took a sizable step forward, looking to do some once more, while Brandon Pfaadt looks to replicate his 2023 postseason performance. Lefties Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodríguez look to make their second season for Arizona better than their first. The Diamondbacks’ late inning options are hoping for an encore of 2024, with Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martínez, Ryan Thompson and A.J. Puk being set up to slam the door consistently.
This team is ultra talented and very easily could make a return to the postseason and once they get into the dance, Arizona has proven that they can go toe to toe with anyone.
San Francisco Giants
Apart from their outlying 2021 season, which saw them finish with 107 wins, San Francisco has been a team that hovers around the .500 mark. San Francisco is still trying to return to their presence of the early 2010s, where the franchise won three World Series in five years.
Entering his second season at the hot corner for San Fran, Matt Chapman is coming off his best year since his early years across the bay in Oakland, earning his fifth Gold Glove and finishing just outside the top 10 in MVP voting. Accompanying him on the left side of the infield is extra base machine Willy Adames, who joined the Giants on a seven-year pact. Heliot Ramos capitalized on the Giants giving him everyday at bats, earning his first All-Star nod. Though still looking for his footing offensively at the big league level, backstop Patrick Bailey was a defensive whiz behind the plate, accumulating 20 Defensive Runs Saved and earning his first Gold Glove. Japanese native Jung Hoo Lee will look to have a healthy 2025, after a left shoulder injury kept him sidelined from May on. Heading into his age 27 season, Tyler Fitzgerald will look to thrive in an everyday role, after playing just under 100 games last season and being one of the Giants’ best hitters in those games.
The pitching staff is set up for plenty of success, captained by workhorse Logan Webb, who has led the NL in innings each of the last two seasons, while also receiving Cy Young votes across the last three campaigns. San Francisco is looking to milk the last bit of talent out of three time AL Cy Young and 2011 AL MVP Justin Verlander. Slotting in alongside them is Robbie Ray, as he looks to reclaim his pre-injury excellence. Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks are projected to be the last two starters, with Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn waiting for their moment to break into the bunch. The bullpen is one of the most underrated in the game, with Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers and Sean Hjelle being three of the guys shouldering the load. After a demotion from his closing role and from the MLB last season, flamethrower Camilo Doval looks to regain the lights out ability he showcased in his prior two seasons as the Giants closer.
The goal for the Giants has to be returning to relevance. This year is the one that they’ll win the division, but one that can show they’re closer to being a threat than many expect.
Colorado Rockies
Except for two playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018, the last decade hasn’t been favorable for the Rockies. 2025 doesn’t project to deviate from the recent struggles.
For the second straight season, Brenton Doyle earned a Gold Glove, with his offensive output increasing from his first year in the show. A lingering back injury hindered Nolan Jones sophomore season, after breaking onto the scene in 2023. At just 22 years old, Ezequiel Tovar proved to be the next slugger for the Rockies, with similar stats at home and on the road, proving that “The Coors Effect” doesn’t dictate his production. Injuries have soured the first three years of Kris Bryant’s Rockies tenure, as he tries to regain his once great production. Ryan McMahon has been Gold Glove caliber at the hot corner since making the move there full time, with his offense still trying to match his defensive abilities. After two lackluster cups of coffee with the big club, switch hitting first baseman Michael Toglia showed signs of life, popping 25 home runs in just over 450 at bats.
Pitching has never been the best in Colorado, with the heightened altitude making Coors Field a hitter friendly field. None of the projected arms in the rotation this season posted an ERA under four, with Ryan Feltner tossing for a 4.49 clip. Lefties Austin Gomber and Kyle Freeland haven’t seen success on the bump in recent years. Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela round out the starters set to break camp, with Rockies top prospect Chase Dollander having the possibility to debut this season and breathe fresh air into a pitching staff in desperate need.
Colorado needs to develop their young players in another year of their neverending rebuild. The Rockies are a ways away from being a legitimate problem for opposing teams.
All stats are from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs as of Feb. 11.
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