Spotrac's MLB Offseason recap series continues with a look at the NL West, led by a near $400M Dodgers roster, playoff hopefuls in Arizona, San Diego, & San Francisco, and a Colorado team that continues to slide backwards.

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Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona 3rd in the NL West in 2024, posting 89 wins against a $223M tax payroll (13th). They've cut back a little bit heading into 2025, currently projecting toward a $211M payroll, 13th in MLB.

2025 Projections

85 wins, 2nd in the NL West

Notable Subtractions

Losses of Walker and Pederson will certainly impact their lineup in 2025, but the Diamondbacks feel like their young core can carry/keep them in playoff contention on an annual basis - even in this behemoth of a division.

(1B) Christian Walker, Josh Bell
(DH) Joc Pederson
(SS) Kevin Newman
(RP) Paul Sewald, Slade Cecconi

Notable Additions

Arizona added one of the big fish this offseason in Corbin Burnes, who now anchors a very impressive top rotation (Burnes, Gallen, Kelly). Naylor joins from Cleveland to take on the everyday 1B role vacated by Walker. The Diamondbacks spent $216.35M in free agency this season, 4th in the league.

Via Free Agency
(SP) Corbin Burnes, $35M
(OF) Randal Grichuk,$2M

Via Trade
(1B) Josh Naylor

Prospects/Farm System

The Diamondbacks' farm system currently ranks 22nd according to Baseball America, led by top prospect Jordan Lawlar (SS/3B), who just needs to get healthy for a long stretch before he'll start impacting the major league roster. This was the #2 rated system in 2024, but a large portion of their talent has now graduated to the big league level.

Top 100 Prospects
(SS/3B) Jordan Lawlar

2025 Storylines

  • Does this lineup have enough firepower to contend in what is sure to be an explosive division from an offensive standpoint?
  • If the rotation or bullpen falter, Arizona will need to spend (dwindling) assets to fix it. Their inability to develop arms on a consistent basis has made for (annual) expensive moves.
  • Is Corbin Carroll a legitimate star? Can Jordan Lawlar take the next step?

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies finished a division-last 61-101 in 2024, despite carrying a 16th-ranked $171M tax payroll. They've dropped that projected price down to $140M for the upcoming season, which brings them outside of the Top 20 financially.

2025 Projections

63 wins, 5th in the NL West

Notable Subtractions

The Rockies saw a significant portion of their core unit leave town this winter, turning over much of the everyday lineup to a youthful, less expensive group. Don't be surprised if Ryan McMahon (3 years, $44M remaining) is on the short list to be moved next.

(DH) Charlie Blackmon
(OF) Jake Cave
(2B) Brendan Rodgers
(SP) Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach
(RP) Peter Lambert

Notable Additions

Colorado brought in a few relatively inexpensive veteran pieces to plug a few offseason holes, but are no longer showing signed of buying/adding with any substance. The Rockies spent $$11M total in free agency, 25th in MLB.

Via Free Agency
(SS) Kyle Farmer, $3.25M
(2B) Tairo Estrada, $3.25M
(C) Jacob Stallings $2.5M

Via Trade
N/A

Prospects/Farm System

The Rockies' farm system currently ranks 13th according to Baseball America, led by top prospect Chase Dollander (RHP). Colorado has a fairly stout starting rotation on the big-league roster, and with Dollander (one of the top young arms in the game) on the way soon, could have a fairly formidable set of starters soon. They may be in position to start flipping some of this arm talent in an effort to bolster the lineup in the coming months.

Top 100 Prospects
(SP) Chase Dollander, (OF) Charlie Condon

2025 Storylines

  • While the division (and subsequently the postseason) are out of reach in 2025, Colorado has a chance to use the upcoming season to develop a pitching staff for the first time in a long time.
  • There are bloated contracts on this DOA roster, most notably Kris Bryant (4 years, $108M remaining). Will this front office aggressively look to get out from under in order to preserve the next few offseasons?

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers won the NL West in 2024 on the heels of a league-high $353M tax payroll. They've kept the gas pedal down this winter, now projecting toward an historic $393M payroll for the upcoming 2025 season.

2025 Projections

97 wins, 1st in the NL West

Notable Subtractions

While this looks like a glaring list of losses, the Dodgers have added in bulk at all of these (and more) positions this past winter to account for each subtraction.

(2B) Gavin Lux
(SP) Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty
(RP) Ryan Brasier

Notable Additions

The Dodgers didn't rest on the laurels of their 2024 World Series, dishing out notable deals for Snell, Hernandez, and Scott while also locking in UTIL Tommy Edman long-term. Oh and by the way, they won the Roki Sasaki bidding war, and secured a new starting 2B via international free agency in Kim. The Dodgers spent $386M in free agency, 2nd in MLB.

Via Free Agency
(SP) Blake Snell, $36.4M
(OF) Teoscar Hernandez, $22M
(RP) Tanner Scott, $18M
(OF) Michael Conforto, $17M
(RP) Kirby Yates, $13M
RP) Blake Treinen, $11M
(2B) Hyeseong Kim, $6.5M (UTL) Enrique Hernandez, $3.5M

Via Foreign Professional
(2B) Hyeseong Kim, $6.5M

Via International
(SP) Roki Sasaki

Via Trade
N/A

Prospects/Farm System

The Dodgers' farm system currently ranks 3rd according to Baseball America, led by top prospect Roki Sasaki (RHP). The balance, substance, and impeccable development record of this franchise as a whole has to be infuriating to other MLB organizations. Though it should be stated that much of LAD's young talent has faced significant injury issues early on in their careers of late.

Top 100 Prospects
(SP) Roki Sasaki, (C) Dalton Rushing, (OF) Josue De Paula, (P) Jackson Ferris, (SS) Alex Freeland, (OF) Zyhir Hope

2025 Storylines

  • If they're even relatively healthy, this has a chance to be one of the best 1-26 lineups baseball has seen in a long time.
  • Does Max Muncy have a long-term future on this roster, or is he an early in-season trade name to watch?
  • How will the team handle the "villain" role that the front office has essentially put them in with their aggressiveness and deferred payment structure?

San Diego Padres

The Padres made a late-season charge to finish just behind the Dodgers in 2024 while staying under the tax threshold at $227M (11th most). The 2025 numbers look heftier at the onset, projecting over $260M for Opening Day ($20M+ over the first threshold).

2025 Projections

83 wins, 3rd in the NL West

Notable Subtractions

San Diego lost more than a few notable pieces to their 2024 puzzle and have been rumored to let a few more go via trade at some point in 2025. That likely depends on how the next few months look, but the Padres front office has been, and will remain, one of the more aggressive in all of MLB.

(OF) Jurickson Profar
(SS) Ha-Seong Kim
(C) Kyle Higashioka
(2B) Donovan Solano
(INF) Nick Ahmed
(SP) Martin Perez
(RP) Tanner Scott, CJ Edwards

Notable Additions

Pivetta becomes one of the better late-winter additions, but San Diego was largely quite this offseason both in terms of improving their roster - or even replacing some of the production they let walk into free agncy. There's certainly belief in some of the youth within the orgazization (starting largely with Jackson Merrill of course), but there's a chance that they're not quite the same unit in 2025. The Padres spent $62M in free agency, 13th in MLB.

Via Free Agency
(SP) Nick Pivetta, $11.5M
(C) Elias Diaz, $3.5M
(P) Kyle Hart, $1M
(OF) Connor Joe, $1M
(OF) Jason Heyward $1M

Via Trade
(RP) Ron Marinaccio

Prospects/Farm System

The Padres' farm system currently ranks 26th according to Baseball America, led by top prospect Leodalis De Vries (SS). This is a group defined by a few notable players at the top, then a very thin list the rest of the way down. San Diego's aggressiveness in the trade market over the past few seasons has all but decimated this group.

Top 100 Prospects
(SS) Leodalis De Vries, (C) Ethan Salas

2025 Storylines

  • With lawsuits hampering the ownership group, it's safe to say that the business side of the organziation could very well be in a bit of a holding pattern until sides are settled.
  • If the wheels start to fall off on the field, look for teams to start to inquire about the big contracts here (Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado). Easier said than done moves however.
  • At some point in time this franchise will need to turn its focus to draft & development, after a solid decade of buying/acquiring a huge majority of their active roster.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants finished 2024 with 80 wins, good for 4th place in the NL West despite the 8th highest tax payroll, and a slight tax bill last season. That was certainly a motivating factor in the organization dialing things back a bit, as they now project toward a $211M tax payroll to start 2025 ($30M below the first threshold).

2025 Projections

80 wins, 4th in the NL West

Notable Subtractions

Snell is the big loss here, to be replaced (hopefully) by 42-year-old Justin Verlander for now, while much of this production at the plate could/should be filled in by the big acquisition of SS Willy Adames this winter. Keeping Matt Chapman in the fold and securing a full, healthy season out of Jung Hoo Lee could make for a nice turnaround offensively.

(OF) Michael Conforto, Mark Canha
(2B) Thairo Estrada
(C) Blake Sabol
(SP) Blake Snell
(RP) Taylor Rogers

Notable Additions

It's just Judge or Ohtani, or Soto - but Adames is very very nice get for this Giants team that has long been trying to secure a significant position player in free agency. The fact that he's also a capable shortstop certainly amplifies this signing. Verlander is a solid stopgap signing if healthy, though it stands to reason that this active roster is still a starter away. The Giants spent $197M in free agency, 5th in MLB.

Via Free Agency
(SS) Willy Adames, $21M
(SP) Justin Verlander, $15M

Via Trade
(SS) Osleivis Basabe

Prospects/Farm System

The Giants farm system currently ranks 24th according to Baseball America, led by top prospect Bryce Eldridge (1B). Unfortuantely outside of Eldridge, things get thin fast inside this Giants' organization. If they're out of contention come July, look for a few deadlines moves to help try to bolster the system as much as possible.

Top 100 Prospects
(1B) Bryce Eldridge

2025 Storylines

  • The Giants overhauled their front office ahead of 2025, which may take a few offseasons to truly get on track. It didn't stop them from being relatively aggressive this winter, but if the team isn't winning ball games soon, will a major pivot be forthcoming?
  • Adding to the farm system might be as important as winning MLB games right now. This is a franchise that isn't winning in free agency, so the draft & development approach has to become the focus.