2022 NL West Preview: Dodgers the best in baseball?

At this time just over a month ago, it didn’t look like we were going to make it to an early April start to the season. Fresh off the latest round of failed collective bargaining agreement negotiations, commissioner Rob Manfred announced MLB was cancelling the first two series of the season and pushing back Opening Day a week.

The more days that went by without the league and MLB Players Association reaching a deal, the more games that would be cancelled. Over the course of a few long days, it looked like no longer like a question of when we would get baseball in 2022, but if.

Then, somehow, someway, on the 99th day of the lockout, they figured things out. The season – all 162 games no less – was saved. And we couldn’t be happier.

With Opening Day just three days away, here is a team-by-team look at the National League West division, which could be home to the best team in baseball.

Arizona Diamondbacks

2021 Record: 52-110

Key Additions: INF Sergio Alcantara, OF Jordan Luplow, P Zach Davies, P Ian Kennedy, P Mark Melancon

Key Losses: OF Kole Calhoun, P Tyler Clippard

No team has lost more games than the Diamondbacks over the last two seasons. Both Arizona and the Baltimore Orioles are even with the worst cumulative records in 2020 and 2021 at 77-145. Almost comically, the D-Backs finished 55 games back of the first-place San Francisco Giants in 2021. That’s a lot of losing.

But credit needs to be given when it’s due.

The Diamondbacks took steps to improve a pitching staff that had the worst ERA in the NL last season (5.15), bringing in high-leverage bullpen arms Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy in addition to starter Zach Davies, who struggled last season but has previously turned in impressive campaigns for the Milwaukee Brewers in the past.

The case for: Arizona was able to sign star shortstop Ketel Marte to a five-year, $76 million contract extension that will keep him in the desert through his prime years at well below market value. The 28-year-old finished fourth in NL MVP voting in 2019 and slashed .318/.377/.532 but was limited to 90 games last season because of hamstring injuries.

The case against: Even if the pitching improves and Marte stays healthy, this team is likely a long, long way from sniffing the .500 mark, let alone competing in a loaded NL West.

Colorado Rockies

2021 Record: 74-87

Key Additions: INF/OF Kris Bryant, SS Jose Iglesias, OF Randal Grichuk, P Alex Colome, P Chad Kuhl

Key Losses: SS Trevor Story, OF Raimel Tapia, P Jon Gray

If you thought a team that traded Nolan Arenado and let Trevor Story walk as a free agent within nearly a calendar year was in rebuild mode, you’d be right in most cases. Not here, though.

The Rockies spent quite a bit of money in the off-season. Within the span of a few days, the Rockies signed Kris Bryant to a $182 million contract and handed Ryan McMahon a $70 million extension. They also dished out $5 million on Jose Iglesias, just north of $4 million on Alex Colome and took on money by acquiring Randal Grichuk in a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s tough to say if it will give Colorado their first winning season in four years, but in an era where not every team is willing to spend, at least the Rockies are willing to pay up.

The case for: The Rockies can hit, finishing 2021 in the top half in team slugging percentage (.414) and runs scored (739). Bryant is coming off a better offensive season than Story without the Coors Field boost and say what you want about Grichuk’s value as a hitter, but he’s always been able to hit the ball out of the ballpark. That should only increase a mile above sea level.

The case against: The Rockies struggled on the mound once again in 2021. They finished 18th in team pitcher fWAR (13.3) and sixth-worst in team ERA (4.83). They’ve given up more runs than they’ve scored in nine of the past 11 seasons. The pitching woes have been evergreen for this team.

Los Angeles Dodgers

2021 Record: 106-56

Key Additions: 1B Freddie Freeman, 1B/OF Matt Beaty, INF Hanser Alberto, OF Kevin Pillar, P Andrew Heaney, P Tyler Anderson, P Daniel Hudson, P Craig Kimbrel

Key Losses: SS Corey Seager, 1B Albert Pujols, OF A.J. Pollock, P Max Scherzer, P Joe Kelly, P Corey Knebel, P Kenley Jansen

Did the Dodgers need Freddie Freeman? No. They already had one of the best – if not the best – lineups without him. Power, speed, balanced from both sides of the plate, they’ve got it all. The Dodgers even pre-emptively solved the departure of Corey Seager by dealing for Trea Turner last summer. But bringing in Freeman cements their position as what many would call the best team in baseball.

Any sportsbook not in the business of getting taken for a ride has the Dodgers as the 2022 World Series favourites and it’s not hard to tell why. ESPN’s Jeff Passan summed it up nicely last month.

“In nearly 20 years covering baseball, not sure I’ve ever seen a better lineup than the one the Dodgers will use this season,” he tweeted.

The case for: The roster speaks for itself, so let’s let history do the talking. L.A. has made the playoffs in every season since 2013 and reached the 90-win mark in all but one year. That was 2020, where they went 43-17 for their best winning percentage in franchise history. The Dodgers have been dominant and sustained it year over year.

The case against: Injuries, maybe? But that applies to every year out there. And even then, it’s fair to say the Dodgers are as equipped as anyone to handle multiple players going down. Good luck finding anything even remotely wrong with this team.

San Diego Padres

2021 Record: 79-83

Key Additions: C Jorge Alfaro, 1B Luke Voit, 1B/OF Matt Beaty, P Sean Manaea, P Nick Martinez, P Luis Garcia

Key Losses: OF Adam Frazier, OF Tommy Pham, OF Jake Marisnick, P Daniel Hudson, P Mark Melancon, P Keone Kela

A big off-season had the Padres as a popular 2021 World Series pick and they looked the part through the first three months of the season. They closed out June 49-33 and were right in the thick of things in the NL West. They sputtered through an up and down July and August before things got ugly in September, with the Padres losing 20 of their final 27 games.

Things went from bad to worse this spring when it was announced star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. would miss up to half the season while recovering from wrist surgery on an injury that may have been suffered in an off-season motorcycle accident.

With the fifth-highest 26-man roster payroll of $182.5 million in 2022, expectations will be lofty once again.

The case for: Even without Tatis, the lineup is still solid and features a half-dozen players with 30-home-run pop. The starting rotation is also getting a big boost. Sean Manaea was acquired from the Oakland Athletics, who are in full fire-sale mode. Mike Clevinger missed all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery but has looked healthy in spring training. Nick Martinez was also signed to a four-year deal after a highly successful stint in Japan. 

The case against: The lineup may have potential but it was surprisingly average last year. San Diego ranked 14th in offensive fWAR (18.7), 14th in wRC+ (97) and 21st in slugging (.401). Keep in mind, all that was with Tatis’ 42 home runs, which they’d be lucky to get half of in 2022. 

San Francisco Giants

2021 record: 107-55

Key Additions: OF Joc Pederson, P Matthew Boyd, P Carlos Rodon, P Carlos Martinez, P Alex Cobb

Key Losses: C Buster Posey, INF/OF Kris Bryant, INF Donovan Solano, OF Alex Dickerson, P Kevin Gausman, P Tyler Chatwood, P Johnny Cueto, P Tony Watson

The Dodgers finished the 2021 season 50 games over .500, and what did that win them? Home-field advantage in the wild card game. And that’s it. That’s because the Giants were a game better last year, setting their franchise mark for wins in a season with 107.

Without a true superstar on their roster, San Fran was one of two teams to finish top five in both offensive and pitcher fWAR despite no one hitting 30 home runs, driving in more than 90 runs, winning more than 14 games or throwing more than 192.0 innings. Translation: Pretty much the whole team played well pretty much the whole season.

Losing Buster Posey to retirement and Kris Bryant to the Rockies will hurt, but the Giants proved last season they were a sum of their parts, not dependent on two or three guys to carry the load.

The case for: The Giants have had Posey’s successor planned out for years in former top prospect Joey Bart, so that transition shouldn’t be too difficult. Logan Webb’s numbers seemed to get better throughout last season and he saved his best for the playoffs, allowing just one earned run in 14.2 innings over two starts. Still just 25, it should be fun to see what he’s able to do over the course of a full season.

The case against: Many were waiting for the Giants to come back down to earth last season, but they never did. With so many players turning in career-years all at once, regression is always possible. Following up a record-setting season without missing beat is no easy task.