NL West Power Rankings and Preview for 2026

As we creep closer to Opening Day of 2026, the National League West is once again set to be one of baseball’s top powerhouses. While the American League East, armed with what could easily be five contending teams, likely occupies MLB’s top spot, the NL West is right behind.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been baseball’s biggest and baddest organization for years now, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. From top to bottom they’ve got the most deep and talented roster in the league, and it’s going to surprise exactly nobody to see them make another deep playoff run in the coming season.

Then you’ve got the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, who are both clearly not on the same tier as the Dodgers, but they’re still contending teams with legitimate playoff aspirations and chances. The former won 90 games last season while the latter had a busy offseason that consisted of bringing in a ton of new blood.

The Arizona Diamondbacks may not generally be viewed as being on the same level as the aforementioned trio, they’ve got the tools to surprise people in the coming season. Heck, they were just in the World Series a few years back, and nobody expected it that year. This team is always one freakish hot streak away (mixed with some bad luck for their competitors) away from squeaking into the postseason. We’ll touch on them more in a bit, but there’s no reason why 2026 should tell any different story than that.

Down at the bottom, you’ve got the Colorado Rockies, who, respectfully, aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The hitter’s paradise that is Coors Field, the Rockies’ home ballpark, always makes more some offensive massacres, but history has unfortunately shown that the home team is on the wrong side of those more than they’d like to be. They’re working through a multi-year rebuild, but there’s little to no reason to expect much from them in the coming year.

As part of a series of posts we’re doing leading up to Opening Day 2026, we’re going to do a full breakdown of the NL West that consists of starting lineup and pitching staff previews, as well as a full-division power ranking. The hype is high as the new season nears, so let’s get to it!

All depth chart information, including lineup projections, pitching staffs, and injury list placements are provided courtesy of FanGraphs’ RosterResource.

Top 10 Position Players in the NL West

Top 10 Pitchers in the NL West

5. Colorado Rockies

2025 Record: 43-119, Finished 5th in the NL West

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

PROJECTED MOST COMMON LINEUP

1. Jake McCarthy, LF

2. Willi Castro, 3B

3. Hunter Goodman, C

4. Mickey Moniak, DH

5. Ezequiel Tovar, SS

6. Jordan Beck, RF

7. T.J. Rumfield, 1B

8. Brenton Doyle, CF

9. Edouard Julien, 2B

Notable IL: INF Blaine Crim, INF/OF Kris Bryant (60-Day)

The vast majority of this lineup will consist of returning members from last year’s squad. However, the newcomers bring valuable veteran presences and some of their own upside to the table.

McCarthy, who was acquired from the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks via the waiver wire this offseason, has been an obvious change-of-scenery candidate for years. Now 28 years of age, he’s experienced some high highs and low lows in the big leagues, and he should thrive in the low-pressure environment of Coors Field.

Castro is another newcomer, and he should continue to fill a jack-of-all-trades role that he’s taken on for a few teams in the past few years. The switch-hitter is capable of playing all over the infield and outfield and should be a valued veteran presence for the Rockies.

Goodman, 26, hit 31 home runs and drove in 91 while sporting a 118 wRC+ and 3.4 fWAR in what was a major breakout campaign for him last year. He’s projected by most major platforms to hit right around 28-30 home runs again in the coming season.

Moniak hit 24 home runs and sported a 110 wRC+ in 135 games for them a year ago, and now that he found his footing in the big leagues he could be here to stay.

Even though his defensive metrics trailed off a little bit last year, Tovar still posted 22 Defensive Runs Saved and 30 Outs Above Average combined in the past two years before that. He is still an extremely important cog in this lineup, and a bounce back from him in 2026 would go a very long way.

The 2025 season was a tale of two halves for Beck, who didn’t exactly light the world on fire, but was still a decent contributor on a bad team. In the first half, he posted a 97 wRC+, but he started impacting the ball less in the second half which led to an 82 wRC+ and elevated strikeout numbers. He’s got the tools to be a solid piece, but he’ll need to keep it up over the course of a full year.

In a feel-good story, Rumfield rode a strong spring training showing to a gig as the Rockies’ starting first baseman. He hit four home runs while driving in 12 and posting an .899 OPS across 20 spring games, and is now a big leaguer because of it. The Rockies’ first base situation was a hot topic of conversation this winter, and it looks like they’ve got their first man up in the new year.

Doyle, 27, is a frustrating player because he looked to be turning himself into one of baseball’s best center fielders in 2024, but he laid an egg last year. While he still hit 15 home runs and swiped 18 bases, he saw his wRC+ dip from 97 down to 65, and his defensive chops weren’t enough to prop up his fWAR (0.4). He’s fast, he’s got some sneaky pop, and he’s an outstanding defender. He’s just needs to remain consistent.

Moving on to Julien, who’s another change-of-scenery candidate. He excelled in his rookie campaign back in 2023 but has had a hard time replicating that ever since. His 101 wRC+ in spring training this year provides some hope, but the Rockies shouldn’t be holding their breaths in anticipation of stardom from him.

Notable Depth/Bench

C Brett Sullivan, INF Kyle Karros, UTIL Ryan Ritter, UTIL Tyler Freeman

Sullivan, 32, has limited MLB experience dating back to his 2023 debut, but he turned an extremely strong spring into an Opening Day roster spot, beating out last year’s primary backup, Braxton Fulford.

Karros, the son of long-time big leaguer Eric Karros, was told to prove himself entering spring training this year, and he did exactly that. In 14 spring games, he hit two home runs with 10 RBI and a 171 wRC+. He figures to face left-handed pitching as the Rockies’ third baseman while Castro shifts to DH and Moniak rides the bench.

Ritter, who projects to platoon with Julien at second base, hit .333 with a 143 wRC+ across 20 spring contests and will get a shot to improve upon a poor 60-game showing he had in the big leagues last year. He’s got a lengthy track record of hitting minor league pitching well, but he needs that to translate to the big leagues.

Then there’s Freeman, yet another platoon bat. He projects to replace McCarthy as the club’s left fielder against southpaws. This will be his second season on the Rockies, and he’s always been known as a low-walk, low-strikeout, high-contact speedster who doesn’t have a lick of power in his bat, but he can bounce around the diamond and occupy spots in both the infield and outfield.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. LHP Kyle Freeland

2. RHP Michael Lorenzen

3. LHP Jose Quintana

4. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano

5. RHP Ryan Feltner

Notable IL: RHP McCade Brown, RHP Pierson Ohl

Freeland, currently the longest-tenured member of the Rockies, will start on Opening Day for them for the fifth time in his nine-year career. The left-hander is the club’s all-time bWAR leader, and there’s no more deserving arm on the staff than the one that’s remained with the club through some wildly high highs and low lows. He led the majors in losses last year (17) and nearly sported an ERA starting with a 5 for the third straight year, but he’s the team’s top arm to open the year.

That should tell you a lot about the overall state of this pitching staff.

Lorenzen, a journeyman starter who will be pitching for his seventh big league team once he takes the ball for the Rockies, will be a much-needed veteran innings eater this year. The right-hander was 11% below league-average last year by ERA+ standards, but he’s entering his 12th year in the big leagues and is a warm body that can throw a baseball. That’s something the 2026 Rockies need.

That’s also why the next two arms, Quintana and Sugano, are employed by the team. The former, the rotation’s second left-hander, turned in a respectable 3.96 ERA and 105 ERA+ through 24 starts with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. The latter, a 36-year-old soft-tossing righty who allowed an AL-most 33 home runs last season, could be a disaster at Coors this year, but he made one spring training outing and didn’t allow a run through three innings. It’s a start!

Finally, there’s Feltner, who’s earned starts for the Rockies in each season dating back to 2021. By ERA+ he was above-average in both 2024 (30 starts) and 2025 (six starts), but he struggled with injuries last year. It remains to be seen what he’ll realistically be able to contribute in the coming season, but he’s shown glimpses of promise in the recent past.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. RHP Victor Vodnik (CL)

2. RHP Jimmy Herget

3. RHP Juan Mejia

4. RHP Zach Agnos

5. LHP Brennan Bernardino

6. RHP Keegan Thompson

7. RHP Chase Dollander

8. RHP Antonio Senzatela

Notable IL: RHP RJ Petit, RHP Jeff Criswell (60-Day)

Of the eight relief pitchers the Rockies will carry on their season-opening roster, only two of them are new. The entire rest of the bunch will come back after spending time on the 2025 squad.

The Rockies only won 43 games last year, so there weren’t a ton of save opportunities to go around. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Vodnik earned only 10 saves across 52 appearances. Still, he posted a 3.02 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 50.2 innings of work and managed to post a 162 ERA+, putting his overall production at 62% above average. He’ll return to the closer’s role this year with the hope that he can top that 10-save mark.

Herget made 59 appearances for the 2025 Rockies and somehow managed to cross the finish line with a 2.48 ERA and 3.32 FIP. It’s impossible to succeed in the hitter’s haven that’s Coors Field, but the right-hander found a way. He’s an interesting one to watch for, as is Mejia, who throws a high-90s heater and a slider that had a 134 Stuff+ last season.

Brennan Bernardino (trade) and Keegan Thompson (waiver claim) are the new faces here with the former being an oft-used asset by the Red Sox over the past few years, while the latter is a multi-inning arm still looking to find his footing at the MLB level.

The biggest surprise here is Dollander, who is still viewed as a long-term cog in the Rockies’ starting rotation. Rather than allowing him to get an extended look as a starter in the coming year, the team’s decision makers have him starting in the bullpen. That’s an odd way to run things for a team knowing they’re not ready for contention anytime soon.

Outlook

The Rockies know where they’re at heading into 2026. This is going to be a(nother) long year that consists of some hideous losses and not a ton of feel-good moments. At the very least, the hope is going to be that they can find ways to make incremental improvements upon last year’s dud of a season.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Goodman continues to swing the bat, while offensive bounce backs from Tovar and Doyle would go a long way to making this team more watchable in the coming campaign.

Dollander’s role, as well as how the group of uncs in the starting rotation perform will something else to monitor. Going straight for the veteran leadership is admirable, but you have to wonder why the team’s former top prospect is on the outside looking in in the rotation picture.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

2025 Record: 80-82, Finished Fourth in the NL West

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

PROJECTED MOST COMMON LINEUP

1. Ketel Marte, 2B

2. Corbin Carroll, RF

3. Geraldo Perdomo, SS

4. Nolan Arenado, 3B

5. Gabriel Moreno, C

6. Pavin Smith, DH

7. Carlos Santana, 1B

8. Alek Thomas, CF

9. Jordan Lawlar, LF

Notable IL: C Adrian Del Castillo, 1B Tyler Locklear, OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

There is so much talent in this lineup, but the issue for the Dbacks is that it’s carried by just a few players.

Marte and Carroll have established themselves as two of baseball’s top talents. Their continued contributions atop this lineup on a daily basis will keep the Dbacks interesting. The big storyline to watch is how Perdomo does in building off of his incredible 2025 performance.

If he can continue to play both sides of the ball at the level he did last year, we’re looking at one of baseball’s top shortstops who’ll be an annual All-Star for years to come. All eyes are on him as he looks to go back-to-back in big-time seasons.

Arizona entered the offseason looking for some veteran bats to inject into their lineup, and they found a solid pair in Arenado and Santana. The former finally saw his long-time status as a Cardinals trade chip come to an end, while the latter is set to suit up for his ninth team in 16 years.

Both of these aging veterans may be past their primes, but the leadership they bring to a team that could use that boost will be invaluable.

Since he debuted back in 2020, we’ve only seen Smith appear in 100+ games one time, when he posted a 98 wRC+ through 145 games in 2021. Since then, he hasn’t topped 87 games (he did it last year), but his bat has seriously improved. Now he’s coming off of back-to-back above-average seasons on offense and he’s going to be an interesting player to watch.

The Dbacks could use standout years from Moreno (who has struggled with durability) and Thomas (who has never hit much), but it’s Lawlar who needs to prove himself the most. Arizona has given him a few chances now and he’s done absolutely nothing with the runway they’ve given him.

Sure, it’s only been 42 games, but a 34 wRC+ with a 34% strikeout rate isn’t going to cut it. His expanded versatility will have him seeing a ton of time in the outfield this year, so perhaps this mini change-of-scenery will be what he needs to get going at the dish.

Notable Depth/Bench

C James McCann, OF Jorge Barrosa, UTIL Tim Tawa, UTIL Ildemaro Vargas

The four-man bench is set to consist of a cast of familiar faces in the desert.

McCann, a highly respected veteran backstop, hit .260 with a 110 wRC+ in a 42-game showing with the Dbacks last year. While he’s got some thump in his stick, the hope is that he isn’t forced into any more playing time than is necessary, because if he does, it means Moreno’s unavailable once again.

In 41 games at the big league level dating back to 2024, Barrosa has a .148 average and 6 wRC+, which doesn’t instill much confidence in his offensive abilities. Still, he just put together and outstanding 15-game stint in spring training (3 HR, 11 R, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, 186 wRC+) and is a superb defender all over the outfield. He’s a good emergency glove-first player to keep on the bench.

Tawa, a homegrown talent that can play all over the infield and outfield, got his first look at the major leagues last year but failed to capitalize over a 74-game stint. Still, he’s only a few years removed from hitting 31 home runs and driving in 90 runs in 142 minor league games, so it’s entirely possible we just haven’t seen the best of him in the bigs yet.

Don’t fact-check my math here, but Vargas is entering approximately his 16th different stint with the Dbacks and should continue to fill a super-utility role. The switch-hitter hit .378 with a 161 wRC+ across 15 spring games, which is nice to see, but he’s never once been an above-average hitter in a big league career that first started in Arizona back in 2017. He’s a passable defender at a few spots on the diamond, but not much more.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. RHP Zac Gallen

2. RHP Ryne Nelson

3. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez

4. RHP Michael Soroka

5. RHP Brandon Pfaadt

Notable IL: RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Cristian Mena, RHP Corbin Burnes (60-Day), LHP Blake Walston

Gallen sat out on the free-agent market for quite some time, but he ultimately wound up back where he belongs in the desert. The right-hander has led Arizona’s rotation for the past seven years now, and he’s the obvious candidate to start the club’s season-opener once again. While he’s coming off of a bit of a down year, he’s remained available, which is more than most other pitchers can say over the past few years.

Coming off of a career year, Nelson began 2025 as a long-relief arm before making a switch to the rotation, where he stayed. As a starter, the right-hander posted a sparkling 3.16 ERA across 23 starts, so his stock is high entering the new year.

Rodríguez, one of multiple veterans in this rotation, hasn’t posted an ERA below 5.00 in either of his first two years on the Dbacks. However, the fact that he made 29 starts (first time since 2021) last year is a step forward in itself. Arizona needs him to find himself in 2026, but his outstanding World Baseball Classic showing and his lone shutout spring training appearance provide hope.

The last time Soroka was statistically an above-average pitcher was back in the 2020 campaign. Ever since, he’s been injured constantly and looked like a shell of the pitcher he once was. While the Dbacks intend to have him start this year, it’s awfully hard to ignore the career 2.58 ERA and whopping 13.5 K/9 he has across 22 relief appearances. Just something to consider…

With injuries to four starters, Pfaadt, who made 33 starts last year, will start the season with the final spot in the rotation. The right-hander has taken the ball a ton for the Dbacks in the past few years, but the results just haven’t been there. His 0.90 ERA across three spring starts is a step in the right direction, though.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. RHP Paul Sewald (CL)

2. RHP Taylor Clarke

3. RHP Jonathan Loáisiga

4. RHP Ryan Thompson

5. RHP Kevin Ginkel

6. RHP Andrew Hoffmann

7. RHP Juan Morillo

8. RHP Joe Ross

Notable IL: RHP Justin Martínez (60-Day), LHP A.J. Puk (60-Day), LHP Andrew Saalfrank (60-Day)

Last year, Dbacks relievers ranked 26th in FIP and 27th in ERA, so it’s easy to see why they brought in four new arms to help out in the coming season. One of them is Sewald, who closed games for them in 2023 and 2024 and is now back to serve the same role.

One of the other new arms, Clarke, is a familiar asset as well, but he hasn’t played for the Dbacks since 2021. The right-hander spent last year as an oft-used arm for the Kansas City Royals and is expected to see a lot of time for the Dbacks this season. As of right now, he’s looking like one of the top setup men for Torey Lovullo.

The top two returning staff members are Thompson and Ginkel, and they should eat a ton of innings for Arizona once again. The former has made 115 combined appearances over the past two years and has carried a 121 ERA+ through it all.

Then there’s the latter, who has been with the club since 2019 and is coming off of a down year. He’s been uber consistent over the years and his 3.64 FIP from last year provides hope, so there’s a shot he’s back to normal in 2026.

Loáisiga, who will play for a non-Yankees team for the first time in his career once he takes the mound for the Dbacks, and Ross, a long-time journeyman who can fill multiple roles on a pitching staff, are the other two new faces.

Outlook

In the grand scheme of things, this entire Dbacks roster is a little too top-heavy to earn a spot any higher than this in power rankings. The “big three” in their lineup are all MVP candidates, but it’s hard to ignore the drop-off behind them.

Same goes with the starting rotation, which is anchored by Gallen and Nelson. The bullpen is full of question marks, too. When you put all of these factors together, plus the long list of injuries the team is currently dealing with, you get a team that could very well be bound for a fourth-place finish in the standings. Again.

3. San Diego Padres

2025 Record: 90-72, Finished Second in the NL West

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

PROJECTED MOST COMMON LINEUP

1. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF

3. Jackson Merrill, CF

4. Manny Machado, 3B

5. Xander Bogaerts, SS

6. Gavin Sheets, 1B

7. Ramón Laureano, LF

8. Miguel Andujar, DH

9. Freddy Fermin, C

Notable IL: INF Will Wagner, INF Sung Mun Song

The Padres’ lineup combined to rank 13th in wRC+, 18th in runs scored, and 28th in home runs last year. That in mind, they’re planning on basically running back the exact same lineup in hopes of a rebound. The good news for them is that, on paper, their lineup has the potential to be extremely dangerous.

Now it’s just going to be a matter of living up to that potential.

Cronenworth is a low-walk, low-strikeout, high-contact bat that’s a bit overpaid but still good for being an above-average hitter on an annual basis. He’s not a superstar, but he’s consistently average, and that matters.

The concern level with two-through-four in this lineup is next to zero. Tatis and Merrill are MVP candidates on a consistent basis, while Machado is still mashing the baseball as he marches on through his 30s.

Bogaerts, who’s been good-not-great in each of the past two years, needs a rebound season. A strong 12-game showing in spring training is a good sign of things to come, but we’ll see what happens once the meaningful games begin.

In what was in some ways a soft breakout last year, Sheets hit 19 home runs while sporting a .746 OPS and 111 wRC+ through 145 games. This was the first full-season standout performance we’ve seen from him in the big leagues, so he’ll need to go for a repeat if he’s going to be taken more seriously.

Six-through-nine in the lineup is where things start to look a little suspect, but that’s only because we haven’t seen sustained success from any of these hitters. Sheets performed strongly last year in his first on the Padres, but he’s got to repeat. Laureano and Andujar both put together career years, but each have their own warts and aren’t guarantees to do it all again.

Still, the Padres are banking on these bats coming back for another solid go-round in 2026. If that happens, this lineup could surprise people.

Notable Depth/Bench

C Luis Campusano, 1B/OF Nick Castellanos, INF Ty France, OF Bryce Johnson

For as many question marks and unknowns the lineup has, the bench has every bit as many.

Campusano has been given chances in the big leagues in each year dating back to 2020, but he has yet to capitalize. You’d have to think that if he falls flat again to begin 2026, he’s out of chances.

While he was never a fit on the Phillies, the Padres are prepared to give an aging Castellanos a shot at a rebound. He was only an above-average bat two times in his four years in Philadelphia, he hit .282 with a 115 wRC+ against left-handed pitching throughout his tenure there. He should be nothing more than a backup first baseman and corner outfielder on the Padres who occasionally gets spot starts against southpaws. Worth a flier.

Early on in his career, France was all-bat, no-glove. That changed last year when he somehow won a Gold Glove for his performance at first base while hitting .257 with a 92 wRC+. Who knows what he’s realistically going to be able to provide for the Padres, but he’s an infielder with a heartbeat, and that’s what this team needs right now.

Johnson, a 30-year-old who plays strong defense all around the outfield and showed he can hold his own on offense last year as well, will enter the new campaign with a roster spot. He’s quick on his feet and turned in a 135 wRC+ across 55 games last year, filling the exact same role as he’ll have this year.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. RHP Nick Pivetta

2. RHP Michael King

3. RHP Randy Vásquez

4. RHP Germán Márquez

5. RHP Walker Buehler

Notable IL: RHP Griffin Canning, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Matt Waldron

Thanks to injuries and a concerning amount of inactivity on the open market this winter when it comes to impact names, the Padres enter the year with a highly suspect starting rotation. In fact, this rotation played a massive role in them missing out on the second spot in our power rankings.

Pivetta, who will get the Opening Day start, and King are both locks to be reliable and consistent arms atop this rotation. The former is coming off of the best season of his career, while the latter is still relatively new to a full-time starter’s role, but has adjusted nicely.

Vásquez, who’s fresh off of his first full season in the big leagues, turned in a 3.84 ERA and 111 ERA+ across 26 starts (and two relief outings) last year. The right-hander’s 4.85 FIP and even worse 5.43 SIERA leaves a bit to be desired, though, so we could be looking at a rather obvious regression candidate.

Then there are two massive wild-cards to round out the quintet. Márquez, 31, put together one of the worst seasons you’ll ever see from a starter last year, going 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA in 26 outings. In five spring training outings, his 7.16 ERA and 4.88 FIP in 16+ innings doesn’t do much to make him look any better. It’s been years since he’s been an even average pitcher, so his signing has been confusing from the get-go.

When Buehler, also 31, was at his best, he was much, much better than “peak” Márquez ever was. However, we haven’t seen that version of the former since 2022. Injuries and a struggle to regain some consistency have plagued him for years, but a very small 13-inning cameo for the Phillies late last year may have provided just enough hope for him to earn another shot at a turnaround.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. RHP Mason Miller (CL)

2. LHP Adrián Morejón

3. RHP Jeremiah Estrada

4. RHP David Morgan

5. LHP Wandy Peralta

6. RHP Bradgley Rodríguez

7. LHP Kyle Hart

8. RHP Ron Marinaccio

Notable IL: RHP Jason Adam, RHP Bryan Hoeing, RHP Jhony Brito (60-Day), LHP Yuki Matsui

Led by the best bullpen trio in baseball, the Padres’ bullpen should be a major strength this year. Every single arm projected to fill out this ‘pen was part of the team last season, and that’s excellent news for San Diego. In 2025, their relievers turned in an MLB-best 3.06 ERA and their 7.6 fWAR was almost a full win higher than the second-best Red Sox.

Miller, Morejón, and Estrada are just about as unfair as you can get from a back-end trio, so the Padres are going to be sitting very pretty on any given night they’ve got a lead heading into the seventh inning. Few units in the game have as much certainty for high-end production as this one.

Once you get past the top stars, the supporting staff is also great, which is what makes this bullpen as a whole so strong.

The highest ERA from last season between Morgan, Peralta, Rodríguez, and Marinaccio was 3.14, turned in by Peralta, the lone southpaw. Otherwise, we saw some outstanding performances from this bunch. Rodríguez and Marinaccio combined to throw just over 18 innings last year, so take their results with somewhat of a grain of salt, but the former’s a breakout candidate in 2026 and Padres fans should be pumped.

Outlook

The Padres are entering the new year with what feels like an entire roster residing on the injured list. As some of these players return, the active roster is only going to get stronger.

If the stars perform as expected, the standout players from last year who may be regression candidates stay hot, and the bullpen carries the pitching staff, things just might be okay over in San Diego. Of course, those are a lot of ifs.

For now, it’s hard to see them having a team that’s good enough to maintain their hold on a second-place spot in the NL West.

2. San Francisco Giants

2025 Record: 81-81, Finished Third in the NL West

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

PROJECTED MOST COMMON LINEUP

1. Luis Arraez, 2B

2. Matt Chapman, 3B

3. Rafael Devers, 1B

4. Heloit Ramos, LF

5. Jung Hoo Lee, RF

6. Willy Adames, SS

7. Jerar Encarnacion, DH

8. Harrison Bader, CF

9. Patrick Bailey, C

In the past calendar year, the Giants have added Arraez, Devers, and Bader into what was already a promising lineup. Having Arraez, one of baseball’s peskiest (and most confusing) hitters, atop their lineup should pay dividends immediately. It feels like he gets on base by walk or bloop single in every at-bat, so he should be scoring a boatload of runs in the coming year.

Driving him in, of course, will be Chapman and Devers, both of whom were above-average run-producers last year. The former is one of baseball’s premier defenders at third base, and his bat has only gotten stronger as he’s aged. The latter, a fairly recent acquisition, is a prolific slugger who is looking to build off a great half-season he posted for the Giants in 2025.

Ramos made the All-Star Game in 2024 before taking a slight step back in 2025, but he remained an above-average bat. Lee is still working on proving himself in the big leagues, but he possesses an interesting toolset that should make him a 3-4 Win player once he finds his footing.

Then there’s Adames, one of the best slugging shortstops we’ve had in our game over the past half-decade. Still just 30 years of age, Adames has hit 30 or more home runs in three of the past four years and hasn’t driven in less than 80 runs in any of those seasons. Don’t let the 108 wRC+ from last year fool you; he’s an uber important cog in this Giants lineup, and it seems like he’s always coming to the plate in a run-producing situation.

The bottom of the Giants lineup consists of Encarnacion, who desperately need to start 2026 on a strong note before he gets DFA’d; Bader, who just put up the best offensive season of his career while remaining an elite defender; then Bailey, one of the best defensive players in all of baseball regardless of position.

While there isn’t a ton of upside offensively from this trio, each of them brings their own set of skills to the table. Encarnacion in particular is on thin ice right out of the gate, and it’s a little surprising the Giants opted to DFA Luis Matos in favor of this unproven asset.

Notable Depth/Bench

C Daniel Susac, INF Casey Schmitt, OF Jared Oliva, UTIL Christian Koss

There isn’t much that jumps off the page from the Giants’ bench, but it’s serviceable enough, and should at the very least get the job done.

Susac, a Rule 5 pick from this past winter, rode a 138 wRC+ through 17 spring training games to the first MLB roster spot of his professional career. He’s the second Susac to play for the Giants (his big brother, Andrew, did the same in 2014 and 2015) and has lifelong ties to this team. His inclusion on the roster is a feel-good story for now, but he’s well respected amongst his peers and should wind up being well-liked by the fans, too.

A second-round pick by the Giants in 2020, Schmitt has shown flashes of promise across his brief MLB career, but he has yet to firmly take the next step in his development. Last year, he hit 12 home runs while posting a 98 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR across 95 games. He’ll likely see right around that much action this season, but he’s going to need to improve on his overall numbers if he’s going to continue to be handed chances.

After appearing in a total of 26 big league games between 2020 and 2021, Oliva has been absent from the game’s highest level ever since. He’s been down in the high minors stealing a ton of bases and being a pest for minor league pitchers. Last year, he posted a .748 OPS while going 57-for-63 in steal attempts for the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Oliva, now 30, stood out in spring training of this year. He scored 16 runs, drove in nine more of his own, stole 14 bases, and posted a 162 wRC+. The spot Matos used to inhabit on the 40-man roster is now Oliva’s, but we’ll see if he stays there throughout the coming campaign.

An interesting tidbit for the reader: Oliva has not committed an error in the outfield in any regular-season games since 2023.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. RHP Logan Webb

2. LHP Robbie Ray

3. RHP Tyler Mahle

4. RHP Adrian Houser

5. RHP Landen Roupp

Notable IL: RHP Hayden Birdsong (60-Day)

The Giants will be without Birdsong, who just recently underwent Tommy John surgery, for the entire 2026 campaign. Roupp, who put together a solid 22-start showing for the club last year, will slot into the rotation in his place.

Roupp will likely occupy the fifth starter’s role in the Bay Area, and he’ll slot in behind a ton of established veteran arms. These arms have the potential to be one of the nastier rotations in the league, but some of them come with some question marks.

Webb, of course, is the undisputed staff ace of this team. He’s slated to start the season-opening game against the Yankees on Wednesday, and could very well bring home some hardware this year in the form of his first Cy Young Award. He’s going to face some wildly stiff competition, but the 29-year-old has been as consistent as they come over the past few years and has been incredibly underrated all the while, too.

Ray, the old man of the rotation, has struggled with durability over the past few years, but he managed to put together a full 32-start season in 2025. The southpaw went 11-8 with a 3.65 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and 109 ERA+ across 182.1 innings of work. True to typical Robbie Ray form, he made the All-Star Game and was a great pitcher in a season where he was finally healthy. Over the years, he’s only looked like a star when he has health fully on his side.

We’ve only seen Mahle take the mound 24 times since 2023, with 16 of those outings come this past year. He’s had an extremely hard time staying healthy, but he returned last year and sported a 2.18 ERA across 86.2 innings of work for the Rangers. While he’s no longer a high-strikeout arm like he once was when he was a bit younger, Mahle uses his softer “heaters” and breaking pitches to keep hitters off balance.

Another wild-card in this rotation, Houser was randomly great last year in 11 early-season outings on the cellar-dwelling White Sox. The right-hander has always been an average middle-of-the-rotation arm since he debuted all the way back in 2015, but he had a 2.10 ERA and was a run prevention machine before being traded at the deadline. His 4.79 post-trade ERA was a bit more in line with his career norms, but the Giants signed him to a three-year deal in anticipation that they can get him to land somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. RHP Ryan Walker (CL)

2. LHP Erik Miller

3. RHP José Buttó

4. RHP Spencer Bivens

5. LHP Matt Gage

6. RHP Caleb Kilian

7. LHP Ryan Borucki

8. RHP JT Brubaker

Notable IL: RHP Joel Peguero, RHP Jason Foley (60-Day), RHP Randy Rodriguez (60-Day), RHP Rowan Wick (60-Day), LHP Sam Hentges, LHP Reiver Sanmartin

The bullpen is where the Giants could’ve used some more work this winter. They brought in a bunch of new faces, but four of them are on the injured list right now, which doesn’t help anyone.

At the top of the depth chart, Walker is returning to his post as the team’s primary ninth-inning option. The right-hander has earned 27 saves over the past two years, but he had a hard time replicating his otherworldly production in 2024 this past year. The Giants have seen two different versions of him in the past two seasons, but his seven scoreless spring appearances with eight strikeouts and zero walks are the latest samples we’ve got from him. Hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come.

Miller and Buttó, a pair of 28-year-olds, should return to their posts as late-inning arms as well. The former is a southpaw who allowed just five runs across 36 outings and 30 innings (1.50 ERA) last year, while the latter is a former starting-pitching prospect of the Mets that has transitioned to a relief role. In 21 outings for the Giants last year, he had a 4.50 ERA and 4.39 FIP, but those numbers dipped down to 2.25 and 3.40, respectively, in his three spring training outings this year.

Bivens didn’t break into the big leagues until he was 30 years old, so he’s an underdog story by default that fans love. He’s been basically average since debuting, but he’s an arm capable of going multiple innings per outing, which the Giants really need more of.

The rest of the depth chart is filled out by question marks. Gage, Kilian, Borucki, and Brubaker could all easily be DFA candidates at some point in the coming season. However, every single one of them put together strong showings in spring training, so the latest samples we’ve gotten from them have been good ones. There’s a lot of uncertainty in this bunch.

Outlook

The Giants and Padres both had a lot of items on their offseason to-do lists. While neither of them went all-out and checked all of the necessary boxes, the Giants did more, and that gave them the edge here. Heck, FanGraphs’ projected standings has both the Giants and the Dbacks winning more regular-season games than the Padres this year.

On paper, both teams have their fair share of questions, but the Giants should ultimately be the squad that ends up putting it together better in the coming season. It’s not a large gap, but we’re predicting a flip-flop in the standings from where these two teams finished this past year.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2025 Record: 93-69, Finished First in the NL West

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

PROJECTED MOST COMMON LINEUP

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH

2. Kyle Tucker, RF

3. Mookie Betts, SS

4. Freddie Freeman, 1B

5. Will Smith, C

6. Max Muncy, 3B

7. Teoscar Hernández, LF

8. Andy Pages, CF

9. Alex Freeland, 2B

Notable SUSPENDED: UTIL Tommy Edman, UTIL Enrique Hernández (60-Day)

Last year, the Dodgers led the National League in home runs, runs scored, walks, SLG, wRC+, and OPS. With a lineup that looks like the one above, there’s no question how that came to be.

This juggernaut of a unit is led by two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, who’s just about as once-of-a-lifetime a player as some of us will ever see. He just won his third straight MVP Award (fourth in the past five years) after hitting 55 home runs and sporting a 1.014 OPS at the plate while simultaneously posting a 2.87 ERA with just under 12 K/9 in 14 starts on the mound. “Unicorn” is the only appropriate word.

Tucker, one of the only new additions to this Dodgers lineup, will live in Ohtani’s shadow and continue to be a wildly underrated baseball player in the process. Tucker’s been so consistent over the years and is coming off of a year in which he made his fourth straight All-Star Game and won his third straight Silver Slugger Award. Fans everywhere groaned when he signed with the Dodgers, but this is easily his best chance at a sustained run of deep playoff pushes. You can’t blame the guy for going where the rings are.

Betts and Freeman, two Hall of Famers when all is said and done, will round out this top-four. The former picked up shortstop last year and immediately became elite defensively, although that came with a slight regression on offense. The latter on the other hand, continues to defy Father Time and is getting closer to becoming the next member of the 3,000 hit club. While he’s still multiple years away from that, Freeman’s showed no real signs of slowing down. He also continues to pad his legacy even further every time he takes part in a postseason game. The guy has a knack for the clutch.

The further you go down this list, the more thump and star power you encounter. Smith is one of baseball’s best catchers and is coming off of making his third straight All-Star Game.

Muncy started wearing glasses last year and instantly saw his offensive numbers spike. As long as he can stay healthy, we’re looking at a constant 30+ home run threat.

Both Hernández and Pages, who should line up alongside each other in the outfield on a nightly basis, both turned in great offensive years in 2025. Hernández is more of a DH than anything else, but Ohtani’s presence in the lineup pushes him to the outfield. Even still, his bat isn’t going anywhere. While Pages showed some minor growing pains last year, he’s an important piece up the middle for this Dodgers club. 27 home runs and 86 RBI in your second season in the big leagues will earn you a job the following year 10 times out of 10.

Rounding out the starting-nine is the least established of the bunch … for now. Freeland got his first taste of MLB action last year, and while he didn’t impress much, he’s got a lengthy track record of success in the high minors. He was a highly touted prospect on his journey up the Dodgers’ organizational depth chart and should be a mainstay in their big league infield once he starts hitting.

Notable Depth/Bench

C Dalton Rushing, INF Miguel Rojas, OF Alex Call, UTIL Santiago Espinal

This bunch has the potential to piece together one of MLB’s best benches.

Rushing, like Freeland, didn’t hit much in the big leagues last year, but he was a consistent masher in the minor leagues. He’ll get a chance at backing up Smith this year on a full-time basis while getting occasional looks at DH and possibly even first base. The Dodgers loved his bat while he was coming up through the ranks, but they’ve got to give him consistent playing time for him to properly find his footing at the MLB level.

Rojas and Espinal, a few respected infielders around the league, should be oft-used platoon bats that can play multiple positions around the diamond. The former just won a ring with these Dodgers last year and is expected to retire after the coming season, while the latter added outfield to his defensive repertoire over the past few years and should hold down a roster spot until one of Edman or Kiké Hernández comes off of the injured list.

Then there’s Call, a trade deadline acquisition from this past year. The four-year veteran was a mainstay in the Nationals outfield for the past three seasons but will now settle into an oft-used bench role for the Dodgers. He hit .247 with a pair of home runs and a .717 OPS in 38 games post-trade last year, but he went on to hit .364 in seven postseason games. He tore the cover off the ball in 13 spring training games and really turned heads when he drew eight walks against just two strikeouts.

It remains to be seen just how much playing time Call will earn in 2026, but he’s stepped up in the spots the Dodgers have needed him to, so he’ll at least get first dibs at a fourth-outfielder role in the coming campaign.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

2. RHP Emmet Sheehan

3. RHP Tyler Glasnow

4. RHP Roki Sasaki

5. RHP Shohei Ohtani

Notable IL: RHP Gavin Stone, RHP Landon Knack, LHP Blake Snell

When Yamamoto came over from Japan as an established star, the hope was that it wouldn’t take long for him to see some of that success translate in MLB. We got a full season of starts from him in 2025 and it’s safe to say that he’s here to stay.

The right-hander finished third in the NL Cy Young voting, made his first All-Star Game, and led the majors in H/9. He’s still so young and after how thoroughly dominant he was in the postseason this past year, there’s plenty of reasons to believe he’s going to improve on that third-place finish in the Cy Young voting this time around.

Sheehan, 26, made 12 starts (and three relief appearances) in 2025 and he enters the new year as one of the more underrated pieces of this team’s staff. His 2.82 ERA and 2.93 FIP in 73+ innings last season provided a sneak peek of what the Dodgers can expect from him once he’s healthy. For now, it seems he’s gearing up to enter the year with health on his side.

As a whole, the entire Dodgers rotation is one big injury concern, but none of these arms carry as much uncertainty as Glasnow does. The 6-foot-8 veteran debuted back in 2016 but has never made more than 22 starts or thrown more than 134 innings in a single season. Yet, it’s impossible to turn away from how successful he’s been when he’s taken the mound.

Glasnow’s a strikeout machine and has flashed some filthy stuff in recent years. When he’s “on”, he’s dangerous; the Dodgers just need to keep him “on” for longer stretches of time.

Despite the fact that he didn’t look too hot in his first regular-season MLB action last year, the Dodgers had to be salivating when they saw what Sasaki managed to do in a new role once the playoffs rolled around. The electric right-hander dominated as a reliever – and at times, closer – and posted a 0.84 ERA across nine playoff outings.

Then, he turned in a 15.58 ERA across four spring training outings, walking 15 batters, hitting two, and striking out just 12. As of now, it sounds like Sasaki’s going to get another crack at starting games, but the concern level surrounding him is growing.

We’ve made our way back to Ohtani! Last year, the two-way superstar made just 14 starts on the mound, but they were, in typical Ohtani fashion, electric. Now it seems that he’s gearing up to be a member of the Dodgers’ season-opening rotation, with the goal of making a full season’s worth of starts for the first time since 2022.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. RHP Edwin Díaz (CL)

2. LHP Tanner Scott

3. LHP Alex Vesia

4. RHP Will Klein

5. RHP Blake Treinen

6. LHP Jack Dreyer

7. RHP Edgardo Henriquez

8. LHP Justin Wrobleski

9. RHP Ben Casparius

Notable IL: RHP Brusdar Graterol, RHP Jake Cousins, RHP Brock Stewart, RHP Bobby Miller (60-Day), RHP Evan Phillips (60-Day)

It feels unfair to look at how much talent the Dodgers have in their starting lineup before shifting over to the rotation and doing the exact same. So to come over to the bullpen and find it just as lethal is just downright nasty.

The team’s primary ninth-inning option will be Díaz, who’s been one of the best relievers in the league since he debuted a decade ago. The right-hander made his third All-Star Game last year and finished with an ERA starting with a 1 for the fourth time in his career, which is just insane.

Scott and Vesia will also remain late-inning arms, but the two left-handers are coming off of wildly different 2025 showings. The former earned 23 saves in 2025 while serving the role Díaz now fills, but his shakiness led to him being left out of the Dodgers’ playoff plans. Meanwhile, the latter turned in a career year and shined throughout both the regular season and the playoffs.

We only saw Klein 14 times during this past regular season, but he turned in a 2.35 ERA with over 12 K/9 in 15+ innings of work. Then, he managed to sneak his way onto the club’s World Series roster and went on to put up one of the gutsiest relief appearances this game has ever seen. That alone earned him a spot on the 2026 Opening Day roster.

Rounding out the rest of this ‘pen is an aging veteran whose years are starting to catch up to him, and a bunch of unproven yet massively talented assets.

Treinen, the old man of the bunch, turns 38 in June and began to show his age last season. Unfortunately, that has bled into this year as well. After seeing his walk rates (2.12 BB/9 in 2024, 6.41 in 2025) and ERA skyrocket (1.93 in 2024, 5.40 in 2025), he managed to sport an 8.10 ERA in eight spring outings, matched with as many walks (eight) as strikeouts. Who knows how long he’ll last on this team, but the Dodgers’ crazy amount of depth on the big league roster should at least be able to mask any early struggles he shows.

Of the remaining arms, there are two righties and two lefties. Dreyer and Wrobleski are two very different pieces, with the former being a short-stint pitcher that excels at keeping the ball in the ballpark, and the latter being a multi-inning arm that can easily start games if needed.

Casparius is another multi-inning option that can serve as a versatile piece on the Dodgers’ 2026 pitching staff if needed. He may be lower on the depth chart and could see himself shuffle between Triple-A and the majors this year, but he’s impressed early on in his MLB career.

That leaves us with Henriquez, who has also impressed in limited action to this point. He’s been stingy with his walks and has managed to keep his career ERA under 2.50 through his first 25 outings, and he’s another one that turned in a shockingly strong effort in this past year’s World Series. He walked two batters in as many innings, but he only allowed one hit, struck out a pair, and remained unscored upon, which has to count for something.

Outlook

No matter where you look at this Dodgers squad, the talent is just off the charts. There’s a reason why they’ve won back-to-back World Series Championships, and why they’re more than prepared to make a run at a three peat.

The team’s willingness to always be aggressive in their pursuit of the best-available talent is admirable, and them going out to land Tucker and Díaz to quickly address any even minor concerns were just the perfect moves at the perfect times.

Putting this Dodgers team alongside the rest of the division, it’s easy to see why they’re at the top of our power rankings. The thing is, they’re going to top the list regardless of what other squads they’re put up against.