Post by brewersgm on Jun 24, 2021 15:12:12 GMT -5
The NL West has the reigning champions, but they didn't win their division last year. It's a deep division with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies all playoff hopefuls. San Diego has been mired in mediocrity for ages but now has some exciting prospects close to the majors. Arizona has signaled that they are firmly committing to a rebuild and are building up their farm.
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
Who They Were: The Dodgers suffered devastating injuries to two ace pitchers, but their depth came up big in the playoffs and the team was able to knock out other NL powerhouses and capture their 2nd PBA World Series title (screw you Blayne Enlow). Outside of catcher, every regular starter in the Dodgers lineup posted at least 2 WAR and a wRC+ over 100. Before he went down with a shoulder injury SP Eduardo Rodriguez put up a 5 WAR campaign in only 25 starts. SP Joey Wentz came over in the a trade with the Phillies and finally broke out showing that a change of scenery is indeed important and that it is a lot easier to pitch without the threat of batteries being thrown at you. On the bullpen side, CL Penguin Robles had the best season of his career and was ice cold in the playoffs locking down a remarkable 10 saves.
On the Farm: Acquiring Matt Cleveland cost the Dodgers one of their top pitching prospects in Luis Ceja but the team still has a pair of top 100 prospect arms in Arthur Price and Tilmam Corriga. Both of whom could be up this season and provide pitching depth. Steve Stapleton and Kevin Ryan represent a pair of intriguing relief arms who look about a year away from the show. The system is weak on the position player side but one of their better hitting prospects is appropriately named Joey Dodgen. It's ranked the 24th best farm by OSA, but there are definitely a few chips here if the Dodgers need to make moves at the trade deadline.
Worst Case Scenario: The Dodgers aren't the oldest team in the league but they have a few players who are getting up there in age. Corey Kluber and Eduardo Rodriguez may be unable to capture their pre-injury form and the team could fall to 2nd place in the division behind the rival Giants. Still it's very hard to see this team missing the playoffs.
Key Questions:
What are your expectations for Corey Kluber and Eduardo Rodriguez as they return from injury? The team was able to capture a WS title without them but do you believe their contributions might be necessary to overtake the Giants and take the division back?
2) San Francisco Giants
2025: 97-65, 1st place NL West, Defeated the Washington Nationals in the NLDS 4-2, Lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in the NLCS.
Who They Were: The Giants rode one of the leagues best pitching staffs to the best record in the West and their first division title since 2017. SPs Tripod Lias and Justin Marsden had sub 3 ERAs and 6 WAR campaigns, and although some traditional stats didn't show it ,Shane Baz had another quality season. The lineup was led by 2B Jonathan Arrauz and Barry Bond's protege Calvin Mitchell. Kelyn Klattenburger also had a solid rookie season, leading the NL with 55 doubles. The Giants prefer a stopper role in their bullpen and Justin Dunn performed excellently in that role throwing over 100 innings of 2.38 ERA baseball. After defeating the Nationals in the NLDS they ran into a buzz saw, their heated rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marked the 2nd straight year of falling to the Dodgers in the playoffs and will surely have Giants fans restless and the team fired up as a new season begins.
Offseason Review: The Giants follow a consistent pattern each offseason. They like to let rental bats leave in FA to pick up comp picks and they like to trade from their depth to acquire even more picks. 2B Jonathan Arauz was allowed to leave to sign a huge contract with the Angels, netting the Giants a comp pick. DH Blake Rutherford also rejected the qualifying offer but as of press time he is still unsigned. There was even more turnover in the lineup as well. C Oscar Hernandez, CF Jeison Rosario, DH Bryan Martelo, and 2B Isan Diaz also departed. Rosario was traded to Seattle to bring in a new middle IF replacement in 2B Aramis Ademan. SS Enrique Valdez was acquired in a trade with Arizona to fill the other middle IF hole. The team will rely on its tremendous farm to replace the other lost players.
Best Case Scenario: The new middle IF replaces the production of the old one and Willemsen and Campos provide a spark to the lineup. Combined with their outstanding pitching this makes the Giants one of the most balanced teams in the league and a team that wins the World Series.
Worst Case Scenario: Some of the young bats have an adjustment period and Marsden's presence is missed. In a what looks to be a competitive division this could mean a WC berth and the likely threat of playing the Dodgers again in the postseason.
3) Colorado Rockies
2025: 91-71, 3rd place NL West
Offseason Review: Seeking to fix their biggest hole the Rockies spent money on their bullpen this offseason. They hope this will go better than the time Jeff Bridich attempted the same. Zack Burdi, Brandon Finnegan, Jose Ruiz and Aroldis Chapman are all new additions. It's an older group but they all have good track records which the Rockies hope can translate to Coors Field. On the hitting side the major addition was Jake Bauers as DH, with the Orioles retaining a hefty amount of his salary.
On the Farm: OSA has the Rockies ranked as the 20th best system in the PBA. They have two top 100 prospects in SP Jorge Tovar and 3B Tom Gunning. Both of these players are a few years away from contributing and won't be on the Rockies roster this year. Also of note is C Roberto Gomez who is only 19 but looks like he could be one of the leagues better catchers in a few seasons. There is some decent depth in AAA should the Rockies face injuries. If the team wants to make a deal at the deadline they have some pieces that other teams should be interested in.
Best Case Scenario: It's hard to see the Rockies overtaking the California juggernauts but they are still one of the better teams in the NL, regardless of division. If the new bullpen jells and the young players continue to improve the Rockies could grab a wildcard.
Worst Case Scenario: The ghost of Jeff Bridich past rears its head and the bullpen is still an issue for the team. Pacheco's rage finally runs out and Keith Nield isn't able to take that next step. In a tough division and tough NL this could mean slipping into the high 70's/low 80's in wins and missing the playoffs.
Key Questions:
4) San Diego Padres
2025: 78-84, 4th place NL West.
Who They Were: The Good: the Padres won their most games since 2021. The Bad: that was only 78 wins and good enough for 4th in the division. A poor lineup held the team back. They had an under 300 OBP as a team and a team OPS of only 696. SS Royce Lewis was the only hitter who eclipsed 2 WAR and he did that in only 99 games due to being limited by injuries. The pitching staff was very solid as Jeff Henry, Anderson Espinoza, Adrian Morejon and Robert Stephenson all had at least 2.5 WAR. Jake Reed came over from Minnesota and saved over a third of the teams wins out of the pen.
Offseason Review: The Padres made only two major moves this offseason. They signed longtime Yankee 3B Yeison Corredera to a 5 year 30.2 million dollar deal and drafted P Jake Shirey from the Twins in Rule V. Robert Stephenson was allowed to walk in FA, but probably won't net the Padres a comp pick despite rejecting a QO. Much of the same Padres roster remains outside of these changes so the team will have to hope for internal reinforcements and young players improving to win more ballgames.
On the Farm: The Padres have a top 10 farm system headlined by a pair of excellent OF prospects in Greg Kelly and John Yancey. Both could be up this year and give the Padres hitting a much needed boost. As much as it pains me to write, Kelly might have the potential to overtake Greg Jacks as the best Greg playing CF in the NL. The Padres pitching prospects are further away from the majors with left handed Tom McCracken representing the best of them. And although he already has a year of ML experience under his belt Mike Fitzgerald represents a potential huge bat for the Padres. He'll start the season in AAA as he was a negative WAR player in 2025.
Best Case Scenario: Corredera regains some of his Yankee form, Royce Lewis stays healthy, and the Padres OF prospects give the team a ML caliber offense. Combined with a solid pitching staff there is a shot at breaking .500 for the first time in PBA history.
Worst Case Scenario: The lineup is still underwhelming and Corredera shows his age. In a tough division this means another losing year for the Padres.
Key Questions:
5) Arizona Diamondbacks
2025: 66-96, last place NL West
Who They Were: One of the worst teams in baseball. They had only 5.9 WAR total from their hitters and 4 of that came from superstar 3B Juan Gestoso. They gave Bo Bichette over 450 ABs to slash 181/262/295. The pitching staff wasn't much better with a nearly 5 ERA and only 8.6 WAR. The team was a long way away from the 2022 title team and represented a lot of free wins for the rest of their division.
Offseason Review: A lot of the bad contracts handed out by former GM Arlo Zimmerman came off the books. There isn't a single guaranteed contract on the books for 2027, so everyone on the roster is playing for their job. New GM Will Harrison came in, saw that things were a mess and promptly got to work. 2022 WS MVP Juan Gestoso now plays in Atlanta. With only 2 years of team control left and seeing no way to overtake the top of the division in that time, the new Arizona FO felt it was necessary to move him and start the rebuild. In return for Juan the Dbacks received a package of prospects. The deal was headlined by young 2B Tim Barton who has a similar approach at the plate to Juan, as well as a top ten prospect in baseball, CF Tony Sierra. If things go well Sierra will be leading the next great Dbacks team. The Dbacks also traded away long time CF Quentin Holmes. The lineup now largely consists of cheap vets trying to recapture their former skills and a bevy of AAAA players trying to prove they are more than that.
On the Farm: Arizona now has the #4 farm system in the PBA. The Gestoso trade and several other trades of ML players have led to a great system. Tony Sierra is almost ready to be a big league regular, having debuted for the Braves last season. Jim Robinson, acquired via rule V from the Marlins and David Labrador could factor into the Dbacks pitching staff this season. Although he's a few years away, 3B Gary Ford has the power potential to compete with any prospect in the minor leagues.
Best Case Scenario: Some of the more ML ready prospects keep the team at least a little respectable and they avoid 100 losses.
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
2025: 94-68, 2nd place NL West. Defeated Atlanta Braves in the NL Wildcard Game, Defeated Brewers 4-2 in the NLDS 
, Defeated San Francisco Giants 4-1 in the NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-1 in the World Series.
, Defeated San Francisco Giants 4-1 in the NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-1 in the World Series.Offseason Review: The biggest offseason loss for the Dodgers was RF Nomar Mazara who opted out of his contract to return to the Texas Rangers where his career began. But, because they are the Dodgers and have a lot of money the team was quickly able to find a replacement. They signed stud OFer Luis Robert to an 8 year 179.5 million dollar deal. The Dodgers also lost SP Logan Allen to free agency as well as the ageless wonder reliever David Robertson. He didn't play too much of a role on the 2025 team but franchise legend Clayton Kershaw is now a free agent as well. To replace these lost arms the Dodgers traded for SP Matt Cleveland and signed a trio of relievers in Giovanni Gallegos, Nick Burdi and Jonathan Holder. Cleveland is a flyball pitcher who can be homer prone but the Dodgers have had success with these type of pitchers. They hope that Cleveland will improve in their pitcher friendly park like his fellow former NL East pitcher Joey Wentz. Burdi and Gallegos didn't have their best years last year but the hope is again that with the Dodgers coaching and park they will see improvement.
Best Case Scenario: The Dodgers were an unlucky team in the regular season last year, under performing their pythagorean record by 8 games, which cost them the division title. If the replacements for the players they lost can repeat their production from last year, then the Dodgers could take the division. From there, the team has the talent to repeat as champions.
Key Questions:
What are your expectations for Corey Kluber and Eduardo Rodriguez as they return from injury? The team was able to capture a WS title without them but do you believe their contributions might be necessary to overtake the Giants and take the division back?
Luis Robert is a tremendous player but has had trouble staying healthy in his career. However last season under trainer Richard Bancells he played the most games of his career in Baltimore. Did Bancells ability to work with Robert motivate your hiring him in LA? If Robert gets hurt do you believe the team has the depth to replace his production?
What made you target Matt Cleveland as a pitcher who you wanted to add to your rotation?
2) San Francisco Giants
2025: 97-65, 1st place NL West, Defeated the Washington Nationals in the NLDS 4-2, Lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in the NLCS.
Who They Were: The Giants rode one of the leagues best pitching staffs to the best record in the West and their first division title since 2017. SPs Tripod Lias and Justin Marsden had sub 3 ERAs and 6 WAR campaigns, and although some traditional stats didn't show it ,Shane Baz had another quality season. The lineup was led by 2B Jonathan Arrauz and Barry Bond's protege Calvin Mitchell. Kelyn Klattenburger also had a solid rookie season, leading the NL with 55 doubles. The Giants prefer a stopper role in their bullpen and Justin Dunn performed excellently in that role throwing over 100 innings of 2.38 ERA baseball. After defeating the Nationals in the NLDS they ran into a buzz saw, their heated rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marked the 2nd straight year of falling to the Dodgers in the playoffs and will surely have Giants fans restless and the team fired up as a new season begins.
Offseason Review: The Giants follow a consistent pattern each offseason. They like to let rental bats leave in FA to pick up comp picks and they like to trade from their depth to acquire even more picks. 2B Jonathan Arauz was allowed to leave to sign a huge contract with the Angels, netting the Giants a comp pick. DH Blake Rutherford also rejected the qualifying offer but as of press time he is still unsigned. There was even more turnover in the lineup as well. C Oscar Hernandez, CF Jeison Rosario, DH Bryan Martelo, and 2B Isan Diaz also departed. Rosario was traded to Seattle to bring in a new middle IF replacement in 2B Aramis Ademan. SS Enrique Valdez was acquired in a trade with Arizona to fill the other middle IF hole. The team will rely on its tremendous farm to replace the other lost players.
On the Farm: An entire article could be written about the Giants farm. It is the deepest in the PBA and should keep the team relevant for years to come. As a large market team the Giants invest a ton of money in player development and they love to acquire draft picks however they can. Probably the most notable players for this year though are the bats that have reached triple A. Nelle Willemsen and Juan Campos are two dynamic hitters who have the potential to help transform the Giants lineup from above average to one of the better lineups in the league. In AAA the Giants also have almost an entire rotation of pitchers who are close to ready. They will need this depth right away as Justin Marsden will miss the season with a torn flexor tendon and Tripod Lias is on the IL to start the season.
Worst Case Scenario: Some of the young bats have an adjustment period and Marsden's presence is missed. In a what looks to be a competitive division this could mean a WC berth and the likely threat of playing the Dodgers again in the postseason.
Key Questions:
How will you replace the loss of ace Justin Marsden?
What are your expectations for some of your top hitting prospects? Now that they are close to the majors can we expect to see them playing a big role this season?
You usually trade for tons of draft picks, yet this year have only 3 first rounders. How are you holding up?
3) Colorado Rockies
2025: 91-71, 3rd place NL West
Who They Were: The Rockies had their first 90 win season since 2020 but in a stacked NL it wasn't enough to make the playoffs. They were a balanced club with a solid rotation and a very good lineup. The team had breakout performances from several young stars including jorts wearing extraordinaire RF Ralph Porter, LF Brandon Boissiere and C Rogelio Mendizibal. The performance of these young players along with steady production from old stalwarts 3B Nolan Arenado and CF David Dahl, breathed new life into the lineup. Michael Fulmer and the eternally angry Jairo Pacheco gave the staff a pair of 5 WAR pitchers who were effective at Coors Field. CL Ryan Meisinger was excellent before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season. However the rest of the Colorado bullpen wasn't and overall the bullpen was a weak spot on the club.
Offseason Review: Seeking to fix their biggest hole the Rockies spent money on their bullpen this offseason. They hope this will go better than the time Jeff Bridich attempted the same. Zack Burdi, Brandon Finnegan, Jose Ruiz and Aroldis Chapman are all new additions. It's an older group but they all have good track records which the Rockies hope can translate to Coors Field. On the hitting side the major addition was Jake Bauers as DH, with the Orioles retaining a hefty amount of his salary.
On the Farm: OSA has the Rockies ranked as the 20th best system in the PBA. They have two top 100 prospects in SP Jorge Tovar and 3B Tom Gunning. Both of these players are a few years away from contributing and won't be on the Rockies roster this year. Also of note is C Roberto Gomez who is only 19 but looks like he could be one of the leagues better catchers in a few seasons. There is some decent depth in AAA should the Rockies face injuries. If the team wants to make a deal at the deadline they have some pieces that other teams should be interested in.
Best Case Scenario: It's hard to see the Rockies overtaking the California juggernauts but they are still one of the better teams in the NL, regardless of division. If the new bullpen jells and the young players continue to improve the Rockies could grab a wildcard.
Worst Case Scenario: The ghost of Jeff Bridich past rears its head and the bullpen is still an issue for the team. Pacheco's rage finally runs out and Keith Nield isn't able to take that next step. In a tough division and tough NL this could mean slipping into the high 70's/low 80's in wins and missing the playoffs.
Key Questions:
Your new bullpen additions have solid histories but many are getting up there in age. Do you believe they can be effective in Coors?
Will Ralph Porter share his lucky jorts with Keith Nield to help him reach the heights scouts believe he is capable of?
How does Coors Field influence your decision making with the roster? It's a challenge no other GMs have to face.
4) San Diego Padres
2025: 78-84, 4th place NL West.
Who They Were: The Good: the Padres won their most games since 2021. The Bad: that was only 78 wins and good enough for 4th in the division. A poor lineup held the team back. They had an under 300 OBP as a team and a team OPS of only 696. SS Royce Lewis was the only hitter who eclipsed 2 WAR and he did that in only 99 games due to being limited by injuries. The pitching staff was very solid as Jeff Henry, Anderson Espinoza, Adrian Morejon and Robert Stephenson all had at least 2.5 WAR. Jake Reed came over from Minnesota and saved over a third of the teams wins out of the pen.
Offseason Review: The Padres made only two major moves this offseason. They signed longtime Yankee 3B Yeison Corredera to a 5 year 30.2 million dollar deal and drafted P Jake Shirey from the Twins in Rule V. Robert Stephenson was allowed to walk in FA, but probably won't net the Padres a comp pick despite rejecting a QO. Much of the same Padres roster remains outside of these changes so the team will have to hope for internal reinforcements and young players improving to win more ballgames.
On the Farm: The Padres have a top 10 farm system headlined by a pair of excellent OF prospects in Greg Kelly and John Yancey. Both could be up this year and give the Padres hitting a much needed boost. As much as it pains me to write, Kelly might have the potential to overtake Greg Jacks as the best Greg playing CF in the NL. The Padres pitching prospects are further away from the majors with left handed Tom McCracken representing the best of them. And although he already has a year of ML experience under his belt Mike Fitzgerald represents a potential huge bat for the Padres. He'll start the season in AAA as he was a negative WAR player in 2025.
Best Case Scenario: Corredera regains some of his Yankee form, Royce Lewis stays healthy, and the Padres OF prospects give the team a ML caliber offense. Combined with a solid pitching staff there is a shot at breaking .500 for the first time in PBA history.
Worst Case Scenario: The lineup is still underwhelming and Corredera shows his age. In a tough division this means another losing year for the Padres.
Key Questions:
Mike Fitzgerald was a coup to acquire via rule V but then put together an underwhelming season. What does he need to change in his approach to reach the potential that made him such a high pick in both the amateur and rule V drafts?
How will you replace the loss of Robert Stephenson in the rotation?
Yeison Corredera is 32 and coming off his worst season as a pro. Do you believe he can bounce back? What made you target him as the team's major signing this offseason?
5) Arizona Diamondbacks
2025: 66-96, last place NL West
Who They Were: One of the worst teams in baseball. They had only 5.9 WAR total from their hitters and 4 of that came from superstar 3B Juan Gestoso. They gave Bo Bichette over 450 ABs to slash 181/262/295. The pitching staff wasn't much better with a nearly 5 ERA and only 8.6 WAR. The team was a long way away from the 2022 title team and represented a lot of free wins for the rest of their division.
Offseason Review: A lot of the bad contracts handed out by former GM Arlo Zimmerman came off the books. There isn't a single guaranteed contract on the books for 2027, so everyone on the roster is playing for their job. New GM Will Harrison came in, saw that things were a mess and promptly got to work. 2022 WS MVP Juan Gestoso now plays in Atlanta. With only 2 years of team control left and seeing no way to overtake the top of the division in that time, the new Arizona FO felt it was necessary to move him and start the rebuild. In return for Juan the Dbacks received a package of prospects. The deal was headlined by young 2B Tim Barton who has a similar approach at the plate to Juan, as well as a top ten prospect in baseball, CF Tony Sierra. If things go well Sierra will be leading the next great Dbacks team. The Dbacks also traded away long time CF Quentin Holmes. The lineup now largely consists of cheap vets trying to recapture their former skills and a bevy of AAAA players trying to prove they are more than that.
On the Farm: Arizona now has the #4 farm system in the PBA. The Gestoso trade and several other trades of ML players have led to a great system. Tony Sierra is almost ready to be a big league regular, having debuted for the Braves last season. Jim Robinson, acquired via rule V from the Marlins and David Labrador could factor into the Dbacks pitching staff this season. Although he's a few years away, 3B Gary Ford has the power potential to compete with any prospect in the minor leagues.
Best Case Scenario: Some of the more ML ready prospects keep the team at least a little respectable and they avoid 100 losses.
Worst Case Scenario: Thank the baseball gods for Miami.
Key Questions:
Juan Getsoso is still fairly young and you have no money on the books guaranteed going forward. Was he going to be too expensive to re-sign? Did that contribute to your decision to trade him?
You're in a deep division with several stacked teams ahead of you. When can Arizona fans expect to see the next competitive Dbacks team?
Outside of Tony Sierra which of your prospects excites you the most?
