By Joe Browne

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: 106-56

his team is ridiculously good and everybody knows it. They steamrolled their way to a World Series last season, and added to that core this offseason. The additions of Saski, Snell, Scott, Yates and Conforto will all look to be major contributors on both sides of the ball. The 1-3 in the order of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman is arguably the best we have ever seen in the history of the game. Three future hall of farmers that are all still producing at an elite rate. This lineup is so great that a guy like Tommy Edman who won NLCS MVP a season ago is slotted in the 8-hole. Meanwhile, the pitching staff is just as ridiculously good as the lineup is. The rotation and bullpen are both all around star studded groups. The craziest part of this whole thing is that the Dodgers pretty much have ten guys who could be starters in the big leagues in their organization. They quite literally have two full MLB caliber starting rotations when everyone is healthy. On paper this bullpen is still one of the bets in the game despite the injuries to Phillips, Kopech, and Graterol. Once again, showing how much depth exists in this organization and with this current team. Add all of this up and maybe, just maybe, this Dodger team could give the 116 win 2001 Mariners a run for their money.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks: 93-69

Arizona was left watching the postseason from home last season after getting the short-end of the stick in a three way tie with the Mets and Braves. A disappointing season following a National League pennant in 2023. The best offensive attack in baseball last season resided in Phoenix scoring 886 total runs across 162. The problem was the pitching which was a bottom five unit in the game. So, Arizona went out and got a true ace in the form of Corbin Burnes. He was nails in his lone season in Baltimore and now comes to Arizona on a well deserved big-time contract. That aforementioned best offense in baseball lost stalwart Christian Walker to free agency and responded by adding Josh Naylor. Naylor posted very similar numbers to Walker last season when he was in Cleveland. Also, a full season’s worth of production from young stud Corbin Carroll would be key due to his painful inconsistency last season. I would be remiss to not mention Ketel Marte who finished third in NL MVP balloting a season ago and is right in the thick of his prime. The hope is that the offense will continue to produce at the level it did last season but this time the pitching staff also does their job. On paper, the pitching, especially the rotation should be able to do just that. The National League Wild Card race is surely going to be a jumble all summer long; the D-Backs will be right in the mix.

3. San Diego Padres: 85-77

The Padres posed the greatest challenge to the Dodgers in the postseason last year. They were the only team that ever forced LA into playing in an elimination game last postseason. Of course, San Diego fell short and entered 2025 with a very similar squad to last year. AJ Preller has built the reputation as a very aggressive baseball executive but that was not the case this offseason. The only move of note that San Diego made was the signing of starting pitcher Nick Pivetta late in the offseason. For a team that was not ready to compete with the best of the best in the NL last season you would think they would do more. The top of the order remains star-studded with the likes of Tatis, Machado, Merrill and Arraez. The worry for me comes at the bottom of this order. Guys like Gavin Sheets, 40 year-old Yuli Gurriel and Jason Heyward are not going to be impact bats. Pair that with the fact San Diego probably has the most offensively weak catching duo in the league with the likes of Maldanado and Diaz. The depth in the starting rotation is also alarming. Musgrove is out for the year and Darvish is already on the shelf. Two key injuries already make way for San Diego’s poor rotational depth to rear its head. This team is very solid, but in a steep division and a tough National League a second consecutive postseason berth is going to be an uphill battle.

4. San Francisco Giants: 82-80

This Giant team is not too shabby, but in no world will they be competitive with the upper class in the National League. This roster has talent particularly in the batting order. Matt Chapman was quietly fantastic in his first season with the Giants last year. Newcomer Willy Adames will join him in the meat of this order. Adames was an elite hitter with RISP in Milwaukee last season driving in 112 runs to go with 32 homers a season ago. In fact, the Giants have not had a player hit 30+ homers since Barry Bonds did it way back when. Both Adames and Chapman are capable of snapping that franchise cold spell in 2025. Heliot Ramos, coming off a breakout 2024 campaign and a returning Jung Hoo Lee round out an overall solid group of hitters. Logan Webb once again will headline the rotation in 2025. Webb has been the definition of consistency and availability for the Giants the past four seasons. Behind him will be Justin Verlander who at age 42 is trying to track down 300 career wins. Last year was rough for Verlander missing half of the season and struggling when he did toe the slab. Crossbody thrower Ryan Walker took over the closer role last season following Camilo Doval’s struggles. Those two, if on their game, are going to be one of the best 1-2 reliever punches in the game. To reiterate, this team is not bad but this roster lacks the starpower required to hang with the big dogs. The Giants seemingly have not been able to put together a roster cable of doing so for years.

5. Colorado Rockies: 55-107

It is going to be another year in the cellar of this division for the Rockies in 2025.  However, this season just might be a tad more exciting than ones we have seen in years past. Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar are two rising stars in this game who are super fun to watch. In fact, the only reason you should ever turn a Colorado Rockies game on this year is because of those two studs. Outside of Doyle and Tovar, Toglia is another young guy that you should keep your eye on. Under the radar, he blasted 25 homers last season and could very well be a 30+ homer candidate this season. For the Rockies sake here’s to hoping that Ryan McMahon can put together a respectable season and be dealt for some decent prospects at the deadline. The pitching will once again be terrible. Not only because of the elevation of Coors field but also because on paper this is the worst staff in baseball. The Rockies are going to give up a boatload of runs once again in 2025. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight for this long and treacherous rebuild. We are still a ways away from the return of Roxtober baseball.

Sources:

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant

FanGraphs

MLB.com