Lincoln Zdunich
Los Angeles Dodgers
Expectation: Los Angeles enters the season as the obvious favorites to repeat as World Series champions and NL West champions. The offense is fantastic, with reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani alongside offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker atop the lineup.
Concern: The pitching will be rough at the beginning of the season, with Blake Snell out due to injury and the bullpen being made up of strung-together pieces aside from closer Edwin Diaz. But as long as they ride their offense to October, they’ll come through when the lights are brightest.
San Diego Padres
Expectation: The Padres have tremendous upside with their starting rotation, but their biggest strength is their elite relief corps. Even if the starters don’t go deep enough, the Friars easily have the ability to put together a bullpen game. San Diego can be excited for their first full season of Mason Miller in the closer role.
Concern: The rotation is worrying, without much depth after injuries have left Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning starting the season on the injured list. The upside is there with Nick Pivetta and Michael King, but behind them there isn’t too much. If they want a shot at the NL West crown, they’ll need their starters to produce.
San Francisco Giants
Expectation: The San Francisco lineup is fantastic. After adding Luis Arraez to the group, the offense looks healthier than ever. Especially with most of their contributors from 2025 returning, as well as a full season of Rafael Devers, the Giants look great.
Concern: The bullpen is awful. With Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers both gone, the relief options left behind are thin. The Giants need relievers to step up or they’ll lose games heartbreakingly every night.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Expectation: The Diamondbacks made a lot of trades this offseason, but they didn’t do a lot to make the group better. The rotation is solid though (with Arizona mostly running it back). After re-signing Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, and bringing on Michael Soroka to the crew, Corbin Burnes will join the starting group later this season as the team regains their ace.
Concern: As with San Francisco, Arizona’s bullpen is abysmal. After blowing 29 saves last year, the Dbacks didn’t do much to fix their relief corps this offseason and will probably continue to struggle this season.
Colorado Rockies
Expectation: It’s only up for Colorado after an historically bad 2025. The Rox made improvements to their starting rotation, adding veterans Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano to join Kyle Freeland. They will contribute to a much more stable rotation than last year’s group.
Concern: Can the lineup consistently produce? Probably not. It’s an offense with a lot of potential upside, with youngsters like Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar anchoring the group. But can the rest step up to contribute? That remains to be seen.
