National League West
This is where controversy may stir. The NL West is the “prove it” division. Coming off a season in which the division had three postseason participants, two of the teams will need to prove capable of postseason returns before the NL West gets a promotion.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are of no concern. Like the Nationals and Indians, the Dodgers are just about guaranteed a spot in the postseason. They should find themselves in at least the Championship Series in 2018.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona has some questions to answer: Can Robbie Ray match his 2017 campaign? What is to be made of Zack Greinke’s velocity downturn? Is their lineup able to overcome the void left by J.D. Martinez?
The D’Backs remain talented; however, it’s going to take a lot to even win 2nd place in the NL West. We’ll see what kind of season the team can put forth soon enough.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado made perhaps the most impactful move of the offseason when signing closer Wade Davis to a three-year deal. Also, they brought on reliever Bryan Shaw over from the Cleveland Indians. These two have outstanding track records; it will be interesting to see how they fare at the menacing Coors Field.
Offensively, the Rockies are one player removed from having the same cast as last year. Thus, their offense should be elite. From a starting pitching standpoint, the Rocks will need good years from Jon Gray, Kyle Freeland, and Chad Bettis.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants added some flare this offseason, signing Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria. Each will contribute nicely to an offense that was very lackluster in 2017. But neither presence will lead the Giants back to the playoffs. In the end, they don’t have nearly enough to compete with the upper echelon of NL teams.
San Diego Padres
Eric Hosmer brought some momentum to the Padres. Despite the team having a big name for the first time since Adrian Gonzalez, they are still a ways away from MLB relevance.