The 2025 MLB season is almost upon us! With less than one week to go before the Cubs and Dodgers do battle in Tokyo, each team is gearing up for the long, annual 162-game grind.
Each day this week at Call To The Pen, we looked at every division in an effort to analyze their best and worst-case scenarios for the 2025 season. We've already looked at the AL East, NL East, AL Central, NL Central, and AL West. Let's wrap up the series in baseball's mightiest division: the NL West.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Best-case scenario: With Corbin Burnes leading a revitalized staff and Corbin Carroll pressing for MVP status, the Diamondbacks emerge as the surprise team of the National League for the second time in three years.
Burnes, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly combine for 55 wins and 475 innings, all with ERAs of 3.40 or better. Brandon Pfaadt emerges as a reliable No. 4 starter.
Carroll and Ketel Marte form an imposing one-two offensive punch, both topping a .300 average with an .850 OPS. Josh Naylor comes over from Cleveland to hit 30 homers and drive in 95 runs.
The D-Backs made a hard run at the Dodgers’ claim to the NL West title.
Worst-case scenario: Kelly and Pfaadt fail to improve on their track records, and the back-end of the bullpen struggles sans closer Paul Seawald.
The critical element, though, is Carroll, who struggles through a second consecutive mediocre season. With Carroll in a .250/.330/.400 funk, the Diamondbacks do all they can to battle the Giants for a distant third place in the division.
Most-likely scenario: Carroll bounces back, Burnes leads a strong rotation, Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, Geraldo Perdomo, Pavin Smith and Jake McCarthy all prove to be useful supplementary pieces, and Arizona is in the postseason picture right up to the end of the regular season.