30 IN 30 - NL WEST PREVIEW

Evan Davis

Did the Rich Get Richer?

The Dodgers offseason was definitely an interesting one as they lost key players such as Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Joe Kelly, Corey Knebel, AJ Pollock, and Kenley Jansen. On the flip side, they added arguably the best 1st baseman in baseball in Freddie Freeman, a top closer in Craig Kimbrel, and smaller pieces such as Danny Duffy, Tyler Anderson, Jake Lamb, and Dellin Betances.

Now there is definitely an argument to be made. Did the Dodgers really get better from last year? Corey Seager was Mr. October; Joe Kelly came up huge in key moments but finished the year with a rib injury; Knebel was a solid bullpen pitcher; AJ Pollock has great power; and of course, Kenley Jansen is the all-time saves leader in Dodgers history.

I personally think the Dodgers did get better especially given the fact they replaced a left handed bat in Corey Seager with an arguably better one in Freddie Freeman. Freeman is definitely no stranger to the playoffs, as he played a huge role in the Braves winning the World Series this past season. Craig Kimbrel was throwing absolute heat with the Cubs before being traded to the south side of Chicago and given a completely different role with the White Sox.

In regards to the starting pitching rotation, it won't be as dominant as last year but Danny Duffy and Tyler Anderson are solid #4 and #5. Danny Duffy was acquired by the Dodgers last year from the Royals but didn’t play due to injury. Dustin May is recovering from Tommy John surgery and Tony Gonsolin now has the best chance to insert himself into this starting rotation.

Overall, the Dodgers will be just fine even though they did lose some key pieces. I can still see them finding a way to break the record for most regular season wins in a season, which currently stands at 116.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The San Francisco Giants definitely had one of the more surprising regular seasons last year to say the least. The team smashed their prediction of 75 wins and stole the division title from the Dodgers after six seasons by eclipsing 107 wins.

Now they did lose Kevin Gausman in the offseason to the Blue Jays, but they did sign Carlos Rodon, Alex Wood, and Alex Cobb. They also added a big bat in Joc Pederson, who is no stranger to the bright lights. This team definitely has the potential to make some noise in the regular season, but losing Kris Bryant and Buster Posey were two big blows to the team. Buster Posey was a playoff legend during the Giants three World Series victories and Kris Bryant provided versatility in his short stint with the Giants.

This team is still a force to be reckoned with and Gabe Kaplan has done a phenomenal job shaping this team into a contender. Logan Webb will definitely need to prove himself again, given the fact that the first half of the season was a shaky one for him. He showed unlimited potential in the playoffs and he is gonna be an ace in San Francisco for the years to come.

The depth of this team is real but a lot of their depth pieces had career years that no one was really expecting, so it’s interesting to see which of their pieces continues to step up. Personally, I see this team making the Wild Card and finishing second place in the NL West.

One Last Ride?

The San Diego Padres had a really disappointing offseason until about a couple days ago when they traded for A’s ace, Sean Manaea. Now, why is this titled “One Last Ride?” During the offseason it was revealed that Fernando Tatis Jr. will be sidelined for at least three months after a motorcycle injury in the offseason. Tatis Jr. is arguably the best shortstop in the league and for a stupid injury like this to take place is absolutely inexcusable.

I’m still not a huge fan of this team as they didn’t really do much to bolster a lineup that finished below the .500 mark last year. I don’t believe this team will make the playoffs because having Tatis Jr. out for any extended period of time is hard to come back from and I also view the Dodgers and Giants as exponentially better.

The San Diego Padres didn’t have the best rotation in all of baseball, as each starter had an ERA above 3.00. They acquired Luke Voit from the Yankees to add another bat into the lineup, but overall this team doesn’t have a lot of power to contend with the elite in the MLB and I believe they will continue to underachieve.

Rock Bottom

The Colorado Rockies had one of the more confusing offseasons in the MLB. After trading away Nolan Arenado a little over a year ago, they are back to signing players for long term and a lot of money. Kris Bryant is the new versatile OF/3B of the Colorado Rockies in what was considered a surprising move.

Most people, including myself, had Bryant reuniting with his best friend Bryce Harper in Philadelphia and joining a team that can contend for the World Series. Kris Bryant is signed for seven years but honestly I don’t see him lasting longer than four.

I believe the Rockies will find a way to trade him, similar to Arenado, and get a nice return from a contending team that is just a piece away. It just feels like the Rockies don’t have a plan going forward, which is evident when signing Kris Bryant after just trading away Nolan Arenado along with $50 million.

What is There to Say?

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been a laughing stock of the MLB for quite some time and it has been difficult to acquire free agents during the offseason. They have Ketel Marte and the rest are nobodies.

Madison Bumgarner has been a bum to say the least and is nowhere near the pitcher he used to be in San Francisco. They signed Mark Melancon which was interesting to me because let's be brutally honest here, Mark Melancon wont have many save opportunities with the Dbacks.

With the MLB proposing a draft lottery now for the bottom five teams, the Dbacks can’t tank because now there is no guarantee that they will get the #1 pick in the draft. They have some prospects coming up in the system, but if I’m them, I trade Marte as soon as possible because there are a ton of teams that are in need of a second baseman. Plus the Diamondbacks could get a nice return to bolster their minor league system. Overall, I see this team competing for the #1 pick rather than the division title.