*Photo from NBC News*
We are getting closer and closer to opening day, baseball season is just days away. With that in mind, before all 30 teams take the field for opening day, it's time to preview each division and how they look for the 2022 season. We are wrapping this series up with the NL West. Order is based off 2021 division standings.
San Francisco Giants
2021 record: 107-55
After a really good season that seemingly came out of nowhere, the Giants spent the winter reinforcing team depth. They brought in Alex Cobb, Matthew Boyd, Carlos Rodon, and Jakob Junis for the pitching staff, and re-signed Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood to compensate for the loss of Kevin Gausman and Johnny Cueto. On the hitting side, Brandon Belt took the qualifying offer, and Joc Pederson was signed. The Giants will be good again, but they might not win the NL West again, because the Dodgers and Padres are still around.
Los Angeles Dodgers
2021 record: 106-56
After losing the likes of Corey Seager and Kenley Jansen in free agency, the Dodgers had another busy offseason. Danny Duffy, Chris Taylor, and Clayton Kershaw were re-signed, and Andrew Heaney and Daniel Hudson were brought in, but they got two big names. Freddie Freeman signed in free agency and Craig Kimbrel traded for. The Dodgers are still a force to be reckoned with in the NL West, and the whole league for that matter.
San Diego Padres
2021 record: 79-83
After a complete collapse in the second half of the season, the Padres have made supplementary moves this winter. They traded away Adam Frazier, but they added Jorge Alfaro and Luke Voit in separate trades. A few days ago, they landed A's ace Sean Manaea, making their starting rotation look better than it already did. Barring a repeat of last season, the Padres will be squarely in contention for the Division, and a wild card spot.
Colorado Rockies
2021 record: 74-87
The Rockies were seemingly ready to tear things down after trading Nolan Arenado, but now no one knows the true direction of this team. They lost Jon Gray and Trevor Story in free agency, but then signed Jose Iglesias and a top free agent in Kris Bryant? I don't get it. It's going to take more than two players to compete in this NL West, so this doesn't make any sense to me.
Arizona Diamondbacks
2021 record: 52-110
This team is bad. We saw that last season. They are in rebuild mode now, tethered to Madison Bumgarner's contract. Aside from extending Merrill Kelly and Ketel Marte, they signed Ian Kennedy and Mark Melancon for the bullpen, and that's all they did. Much like Pittsburgh, it's going to be a long season for the D-Backs this year.
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