Each Teams Biggest Offseason Needs: NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers: Start Ramping Up for 2025
Improving the Los Angeles Dodgers almost seems like an impossible task. They are already very good in every aspect of the game. When you have a lineup of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, you are never out of a game. Pair that with a starting rotation of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and possibly Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin if they recover from injury in time for 2025. LA even has a chance at signing Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki, the Japanese phenom that will become a free agent when is contract is posted. This team could become a juggernaut, if they are not already one.
San Diego Padres: A Starting Pitcher and Retain Jurickson Profar
The Padres had a phenomenal year, giving the Dodgers a run for their money for the division, only falling 5 games back of LA. The Padres offense was electric. Their worst hitter was Xander Bogaerts, who will almost certainly bounce back. Fernando Tatis Jr. was excellent for them, Jackson Merrill had an incredible rookie season, posting an .826 OPS and great defense in center field, and Jurickson Profar had a breakout year as he was in MVP talks for parts of the year. I believe that Padres number one priority should be to bring Profar back. He gave an energy to this team that was much needed in the beginning of the year when the Padres were struggling. I believe that the Padres will be able to bring him back. I also would like them to add one more starting pitcher. If San Diego can pair a solid arm behind Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease and Michael King, that rotation would become very good.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Pitching
The Arizona Diamondbacks had a top 5 offense in the MLB. Every starter had an OPS at .718 or higher. Arizona can absolutely mash. Their major issue was the pitching. The Dbacks only had one starter with a sub 4.00 ERA, that being Zac Gallen. Brandon Pfaat had a rough year, Merrill Kelly was rough in his 13 starts, and we all know the nightmare that the Jordan Montgomery situation was. The bullpen was just okay, not great. They got put in a tough spot with the lack of quality starting pitchers. Justin Martinez was a bright spot for that bullpen, using that 100mph+ fastball and devastating splitter. Going after guys like Blake Snell, Max Fried or Nathan Eovaldi would give them much needed starting pitching. And if they do not want to spend money, they can trade some MLB-ready players and prospects for Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.
Colorado Rockies: Trade Quality Players and Start a Rebuild
The Rockies are in need of a rebuild, but they have to run it a little different than other teams. Playing half of your games in Coors Field makes it hard for Colorado to go after pitching due to the high elevation, which creates more offense than every other stadium. The Rockies need to trade their young guys and get good prospects back, and go after a rebuild. The only thing holding them back is their contract with Kris Bryant, so they need to prepare their young talent for the post-Kris Bryant era. Trading Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers would help them in the rebuild process, hoping to build around guys like Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar and Michael Toglia.
San Francisco Giants: Splurge in Free Agency
We know that the Giants have money to spend. They have gone after big free agents each of the last 3 years, but failed to sign them. They need to sign a big free agent bat and a big free agent pitcher. I think bringing Blake Snell back would be huge for them. In the 2nd half, Snell was absolutely disgusting, posting a 1.45 ERA in 12 starts including a no-hitter on August 2nd against the Reds. Along with Snell, I would like them to get a cheaper arm, like Jose Quintana or maybe even Jack Flaherty. For offense, I would like to see San Francisco go after Willy Adames. He will give you at least 25 home runs with elite defense, and has a .321 batting average with an .827 OPS for his career at Oracle Park. Replacing Thairo Estrada with Willy Adames would be a huge upgrade.
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