Who Will Win the NL West Next Season?

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Anthony DeSclafani #26 of the San Francisco Giants. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP.

The NL West is always one of the most intriguing divisions in baseball. Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers were supposed to be the team to beat with the San Diego Padres right behind them.

Instead, the San Francisco Giants ended up winning the division, winning 107 games, which was just one more than the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Padres won just 79 games and had a losing record.

Then the bottom tier teams like Colorado and Arizona finished in 4th and 5th respectively. So what will be different this year? Here is all you need to know before making any MLB picks.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants will no longer have Buster Posey at catcher. He’s retired from baseball after having an incredible comeback season last year. Posey was supposed to be a washed-up, bottom-of-the-order hitter, but he produced for the Giants and was a terrific player for the Giants throughout his career. His leadership will certainly be missed.

Due to the lockout, the Giants haven’t been able to do much in free agency to build this team. Kris Bryant was on the roster last season but he’s now a free agent and likely will wind up elsewhere. The Giants did sign Anthony DeSclafani to a three-year deal along with Alex Wood on a two-year deal. But other than that, the Giants have a lot to do and the lockout is ruining it.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Meanwhile, the Dodgers haven’t really done much either and could look a lot different this year as well. The Dodgers signed Andrew Heaney to a one-year deal and that could mean Clayton Kershaw is on the move. Corey Seager also left the team for the Texas Rangers, so a former World Series MVP is no longer on the roster either.

The Dodgers did sign Chris Taylor to an extension, so that’s at least good for now. Still, the Dodgers are always World Series contenders and that won’t change this season.

San Diego Padres

The Padres are going to be the wildcard of the division. San Diego added Bob Melvin as the head coach but since that, the Padres haven’t been able to make eye-popping news with signings.

We’ll have to wait for the lockout to conclude, but we know the Padres are always looking to make moves to better the team.

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Colorado Rockies

On the other hand, the Rockies probably overachieved last season with a roster full of no-names. Other than Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron, nobody has heard of any player on the roster. But they continued to compete and almost finished at .500, oddly enough. The Rockies got to work early, signing Antonio Senzatela to a five-year deal and C.J. Cron to a two-year deal.

But it still feels like the Rockies dropped the ball by not making any transactions during the trade deadline.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Lastly, the Diamondbacks really haven’t changed much from last season. Arizona brought Mark Melancon on a two-year deal but that’s about it for the team so far.

They’ll still be at the bottom of the league but could absolutely get better before the season begins.

NL West Winner Prediction

So with that, I’m going to suggest that the Giants finish in third place and that the Padres and Dodgers battle it out for the first place, similar to last season’s battle between the Giants and the Dodgers.

A lot can change in a short time once the lockout is over, so for your best bets, watch those free agent moves and make educated decisions based on player movement!