Strap in for the National League West Division's crazy race for second place. In baseball's most lopsided division, it might be the most compelling storyline during this pandemic-shortened season.
The Dodgers, of course, are the heavy favorites to repeat as division champions for the eighth year in a row. Fangraphs projections have them winning the division by five games (the equivalent of almost 15 in a normal season). In Las Vegas sportsbooks, no other MLB club comes close to the Dodgers' division-winning odds.
Most pundits make it sound as if the NL West's other four teams will be driving go-karts while Dave Roberts' squad speeds away in a Maserati. Entering the season, no obvious challenger is visible in the rearview mirror.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, last year's runners-up, are somewhere between a rebuild and a restock, fielding a balanced lineup that has managed winning records in three consecutive seasons, but lacking the firepower that might be necessary to keep pace with L.A.
The San Diego Padres enter the season reenergized, adding outfielder Tommy Pham to a Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado-led lineup that has turned the perennial bottom-dwellers into a dark-horse contender.
The Colorado Rockies are in need of a reset after last season's unforeseen flameout, as the team followed up a promising 2018 campaign (one that included taking the Dodgers to a 163rd game) with a 91-loss dud and discord between star third baseman Nolan Arenado and the front office.
Then there are the San Francisco Giants, who are embarking upon a total renovation without their three-time World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy (who retired after last season), staff ace Madison Bumgarner (who signed with the Diamondbacks in free agency) and fan favorite catcher Buster Posey (who is sitting out this season for safety concerns after he and his wife adopted twins).
While those absences are all but certain to sink the Giants to the bottom of the standings, the division's middle three teams are hoping to take advantage of the unpredictability presented by a 60-game schedule.
The Rockies likely would need the most help to be competitive. Arenado and All-Star teammates Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon create a dangerous spine in the lineup, but there is little proven secondary muscle. That became a point of contention this offseason between Arenado, who is entering the second-year of an eight-year, $260 million contract, and general manager Jeff Bridich, with the five-time All-Star reportedly frustrated at the team's failure to add more depth.
The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, have plenty of veteran contributors, including the offseason signing of former Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun. Infielder Ketel Marte emerged as an All-Star last season and the team added Bumgarner to its rotation after trading Zack Greinke at last year's trade deadline. But they've yet to recapture the highs of 2017, when Paul Goldschmidt (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) led the club to a win in the wild-card game before being swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS.
The Padres, meanwhile, haven't been to the postseason since 2006, the division's longest drought by a decade (the Giants' last appearance was in 2016). But they might have the pieces to push for a playoff spot and make a run at unseating the Dodgers. Tatis Jr. is a tantalizing 21-year-old shortstop who hit .317 with 22 home runs as a rookie last season. Machado, the former Dodger entering season No. 2 of a 10-year deal, has five consecutive 30-home run seasons. Pham, acquired in an offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, hits with power and runs well. The rotation is anchored by fast-rising 24-year-old Chris Paddack and the experienced Garrett Richards, and the bullpen led by closer Kirby Yates is considered one of the strongest in baseball.
Then again, only the Dodgers have won the division since 2013. Few believe this season will be any different.
