NL West preview: Is it still the Dodgers’ division to lose? Can Giants challenge?

The Dodgers dominated the offseason with a $1.2-billion spending spree that included the acquisitions of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, but the three other division contenders didn’t exactly sit on their hands all winter, and they’re not about to raise a white flag this spring.

Arizona’s rotation, led by Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, should be even better when left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed a four-year, $80-million deal in December, returns from a lat strain, and its lineup should be every bit as explosive as the one that helped the Diamondbacks sweep the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs en route to a World Series berth last October.

When San Francisco bolstered its infield with the signing of third baseman Matt Chapman to a three-year, $54-million deal on March 2, many felt the Giants were one starting pitcher away from playoff contention. Then they snagged that pitcher last week, inking 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a two-year, $62-million deal.

San Diego added another potential ace to a rotation led by Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrave with the March 14 blockbuster acquisition of right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, and as the Padres showed in last Thursday’s 15-11 win over the Dodgers in South Korea, they’re not about to roll over to their division rivals.

2023 | 100-62, 1st in West

Last year in playoffs | 2023

The top-of-the-order trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined for 112 homers, 125 doubles and 304 RBIs last season, and there is plenty of pop in the middle third with Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández, who combined for 81 homers, 67 doubles and 274 RBIs in 2023. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto front a rebuilt rotation that should be bolstered by the return of Walker Buehler (elbow) in May and Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) in August from surgeries. A deep bullpen is loaded with power-armed right-handers. Infield defense might be the only weakness on a club with World-Series-or-bust expectations.

2023 | 84-78, 2nd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2023

This team looks deeper than the one that made a surprising run to the World Series last fall, with free-agent left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez bolstering an already stout rotation once he returns from a lat strain and slugger Joc Pederson adding left-handed punch to the lineup. There are few leadoff men as dynamic as Corbin Carroll, who hit .285 with an .868 OPS, 25 homers, 30 doubles, 10 triples, 54 stolen bases and 116 runs to win NL rookie-of-the-year honors in 2023. It will be interesting to see how ace Zac Gallen, the crafty right-hander who went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA last season, bounces back from throwing a combined 243 â…” innings between the regular season and postseason in 2023.

2023 | 79-83, 4th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2021

The March acquisitions of left-hander Blake Snell (two years, $62 million) and third baseman Matt Chapman (three years, $54 million) should vault the Giants into playoff contention. Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, will team with Logan Webb, a ground-ball specialist who went 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA and led the major leagues with 216 innings pitched, at the top of the rotation that includes rookie Kyle Harrison, baseball’s top left-handed pitching prospect for the last three years. New DH Jorge Soler, who hit 36 homers for Miami in 2023, and Chapman, who has averaged 23 homers over the last three seasons, add much-needed pop from the right side.

2023 | 82-80, 3rd in West

Last year in playoffs | 2022

The December trade of Juan Soto to the Yankees left a gaping hole at the top of the order, one that could be partially filled if slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. rebounds from a subpar 2023 (.257, .770 OPS, 25 homers, 78 RBIs) and hits more like he did in 2021 (.282, .975 OPS, 42 homers, 97 RBIs). The March 14 trade for Dylan Cease, who struck out 214 batters in 177 innings for the White Sox last season, bolstered a rotation headed by Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, but the loss of closer Josh Hader thinned out the bullpen. Rookie Jackson Merrill won the center-field job with a torrid spring and could provide some punch at the bottom of the lineup.

2023 | 59-103, 5th in West

Last year in playoffs | 2018

For the Rockies to avoid another 100-loss season, they need Kris Bryant to stay healthy. Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $182-million deal in 2022, played 40 games in 2022 and 80 games in 2023, hitting a total of 15 homers in the two seasons. Ezequiel Tovar, 22, is one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball, and he showed some pop with 15 homers last season, but he needs to improve his plate discipline after racking up 166 strikeouts and only 25 walks in 2023. An already thin bullpen will be without closer Daniel Bard, who tore cartilage in his left knee while playing catch in February. Bard, who had 34 saves and a 1.79 ERA in 2022, will probably be out until May.