How NL West could shake out after big additions by Padres, Giants

With the additions of starters Dylan Cease (San Diego Padres) and 2023 Cy Young winner Blake Snell (San Francisco Giants), the NL West became more competitive late in spring training. No division team, however, closed the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are a heavy favorites to repeat as division champions, per BetGM. 

The Dodgers — who beat Padres 5-2 in their season opener Wednesday in South Korea — are loaded offensively. Los Angeles' lone weakness is starting pitching depth. 

New Dodgers pitchers Tyler Glasnow, who accumulated a 3.20 ERA in six seasons with Tampa, and James Paxton, sporting a career 3.69 ERA, have histories of poor health, and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese signee, is unproven in the majors. Paxton has pitched in only 25 games since 2020 — he missed the entire 2022 season — and Glasnow hasn't pitched in more than 21 since 2018.

The Giants significantly upgraded their roster in March, not only adding Snell but signing third baseman Matt Chapman recently. 

San Francisco's rotation also features 2023 NL Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb. With Snell, he forms a powerful one-two punch at the top of their rotation. If the Giants make it to the postseason, they could be dangerous in a short series. 

Meanwhile, Chapman deepens the batting order and improves the defense for San Francisco, which still is pegged to finish fourth, per BetGM, but could be much better than that. 

The Padres have top-tier talent on offense, but their rotation is thin and unproven outside of Joe Musgrove and veteran Yu Darvish. Adding Cease, who was 7-9 last season for the White Sox, gives them three solid starters.

Defending NL champion Arizona, meanwhile, bulked up its rotation by signing free-agent starter Eduardo Rodriguez. The Diamondbacks also added punch to their lineup by signing third basemen Eugenio Suarez and retaining outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Budding superstar Corbin Carroll and ace Zac Gallen give the Diamondbacks a foundation on which to build.

One thing is certain about this division: The Colorado Rockies are going to finish last. According to Spotrac, they are paying 3B Kris Bryant $28 million, but no one else on the roster will make more than $15 million in 2024. They don't have enough talent to compete with the other four teams. 

The Dodgers still look like the favorites, and the Rockies will finish fifth, but there is little to separate the Diamondbacks, Padres and Giants in between. The Padres seem due to make a run, and if their top offensive players can continue to produce and Darvish has one more good year left in him, they could emerge as the next-best team. 

The Diamondbacks have a well-rounded roster and should be in the mix all season, and the Giants probably lack the offensive depth to overcome the other teams over a long season but should still be competing for a wild-card spot.