Cody Snavely
The 2024 MLB season is officially here, and with that, the race for the NL West crown has begun. The Dodgers, who have won the NL West every year since 2013 except for 2021 (1.0 GB Giants), look to continue their dominance.
However, after a historic offseason by the Dodgers front office, the NL West also improved. Will the revamped Dodgers have a challenger, or will they cruise to another division title?
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56) **
Many around the league viewed the 2023 season for the Dodgers as a “retool” year, with the Dodgers taking a back seat in free agency and the trade market.
The Dodgers’ moves were one-year commitments with players such as David Peralta, Noah Syndergaard, and Jason Heyward, who the Cubs released.
After back-to-back horrible seasons, the Dodgers also non-tendered fan favorite Cody Bellinger and let all-star shortstop Trea Turner walk as he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on an 11-year $300 million deal.
Despite all that, the Dodgers won 100 games on their way to yet another NL West title, which they lost in embarrassing fashion to the Diamondbacks.
Entering the 2024 season, the Dodgers took a different approach, spending over one billion dollars and bringing in two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and others. This Dodgers team floor is 100 wins.
With the signing of Ohtani, the Dodgers are in historic territory. They are tying the MLB record for most MVPs on a roster with four. They are also only the fifth team in MLB history to begin a season with three players who each finished in the top three in MVP voting.
Prior to the start of the 2024 season in Korea, the Dodgers trio of Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman were batting .420/.494/.739 and a 1.233 OPS collectively.
The rotation is the most significant wild card for the team, as, on paper, it has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. However, there is some concern with health and regression, but LA looks to be in much better shape than last year.
Arizona Diamondbacks (88-74) *
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ underdog story is gone after a 2023 World Series run. While the Dodgers made upgrades across the board and won the division by 16 games last season, Arizona is still expected to compete for a postseason spot.
The Diamondbacks also had a great offseason, adding to their young athletic core, with left-handed speedster Corbin Carroll leading the way.
On the pitching side, the Diamondbacks added veteran left-handed starter Eduardo Rodríguez, who vetoed a trade to the Dodgers at the last deadline. E-Rod, who went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 2023, will be vital in facing a left-handed heavy Dodgers lineup.
He joins an Arizona rotation that includes NL Cy Young Award finalist Zac Gallen, veteran Merrill Kelly, and youngsters like righty Brandon Pfaadt and lefty Tommy Henry.
On the offensive side, the team’s most significant move was trading for Mariners 3B Eugenio Suárez, who struggled to hit in Seattle in 2023, but a change of scenery could perhaps reignite his 2019 self where he blasted 49 home runs.
However, this Dbacks team is poised to take the next step in their rebuild, which is building a perennial postseason contender, but other teams in the division will challenge them. I believe that they will make the 2024 postseason as a Wild Card team.
San Diego Padres (86-76)*
The Padres have been on an up-and-down roller coaster since 2020. The friars have made the postseason twice in the last four seasons, each with mixed results.
After a 2022 NLDS upset, in which they shocked the 111-win Dodgers, they were defeated by the Phillies, who were on their own magical run that postseason. However, a lot has changed in San Diego since last season.
Gone is Juan Soto, who was traded to the New York Yankees this past winter after the sides could not agree on the ownership’s plan to cut payroll. Cy Young award winner Blake Snell is gone after joining the Giants this past week.
The Padres will have to rely on Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado to carry the offense along with highly regarded rookie Jackson Merrill.
The Padres also desire to go all in as they have acquired right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease, who looks to fill in the void left by Blake Snell.
On paper, the Padres still look like one of the better teams in the NL, but the question every year is, while they have the talent, can they live up to it? I see them getting in at the third Wild Card team.
San Francisco Giants (84-78)
After winning 107 games in the 2021 season, the San Francisco Giants have been on a downward spiral. In back-to-back offseasons, they had the money and interest for high-end talent such as Ohtani and Aaron Judge, but they elected to go elsewhere.
However, to say the Giants had a lousy offseason is mute. The Giants brought in plenty of talent to help compete in the talented NL West.
The first change was hiring new manager Bob Melvin, who previously managed the divisional rival Padres. However, Melvin’s pre-existing relationship with Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi should help with communication.
On the players’ side, they took advantage of a slow market and brought in 3B Matt Chapman and 2023 Cy Young award winner Blake Snell while also bringing in Jung Hoo Lee, who signed a six-year $113 million deal in December.
Lee had always had strong plate discipline but took that part of his game to new heights last year, walking in 10.5% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 5.1% of them. He had never hit more than 15 home runs in a season but managed to tally 23 in that season. He finished with a batting line of .349/.421/.575 for a wRC+ of 175.
However, being in such a talented division, I just do not see enough in the Giants to warrant them a postseason spot. However, I felt the same way in 2021, and they sure surprised us all, and it wouldn’t shock me if it happened again.
Colorado Rockies (66-96)
Unfortunately for the Rockies, they happen to play in one of the best divisions in baseball, which has also had the perennial Dodgers dominate them for the past several years.
For the Rockies, there are not many bright spots for 2024, but if you had to pick one, it would be SS Ezequiel Tovar. The club just agreed to a long-term contract extension that will run through at least the 2030 season. The 22-year-old Tovar will earn $63.5MM over the seven guaranteed years of the deal, and the Rockies hold a $20.5MM club option on his services for the 2031 season.
Tovar entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport. The youngster made the club’s Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop last year but got off to a difficult start before heating up towards the end of April. Tovar managed to carry that hot streak into the All-Star break, hitting a solid .283/.314/.479 with nine home runs during that 65-game stretch.
The Rockies also hope to have a healthy Kris Bryant, who has only played a combined 122 games after signing a seven-year $182 million deal during the 2021-2022 offseason.
As the Rockies continue their rebuild expect them at the bottom of the division yet again for 2024.
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