First Pitch: Grading NL West offseason moves and one big regret each team has

Spring training is rapidly approaching, making this an appropriate time to look back at moves that have been made this offseason. Several impactful players remain in free agency and on the trade block, but for the most part, the big names have come off the board.

The NL West was one of MLB's most potent divisions in 2024, and there's no reason to believe that will be any different in 2025. That division had the World Series champion, the team that came closest to knocking off said champion, and an 89-win team that won the NL Pennant the year before. This isn't even including a San Francisco Giants team that finished just two games under .500.

Not only is this division one of the most competitive in the sport, but it's been one of the most active divisions as well over the offseason. With that in mind, let's take a look at what each team has done so far and go over one regret these teams might have.

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The Diamondbacks are the Dodgers' biggest threat in the NL West

Notable additions: Corbin Burnes, Josh Naylor
Notable subtractions: Christian Walker, Joc Pederson, Josh Bell, Kevin Newman

Sure, the Arizona Diamondbacks might've missed the postseason in 2024, but they won five more games than they did in 2023 - the year they won the NL Pennant. They won 89 games despite having the 27th-best rotation ERA and Corbin Carroll no-showing for a large chunk of the year. It feels as if this offseason has only seen them get better.

Yes, they lost Christian Walker, but they immediately replaced him with Josh Naylor. That's probably a downgrade, but a very slight one. Soon after, they won one of the big prizes of the offseason, inking Corbin Burnes to a six-year deal. Their rotation might've struggled in 2024, but a staff featuring Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt with Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson as depth options is solid and deep.

Their lineup did lose Joc Pederson, and Arizona has not replaced him yet, but the D-Backs led the majors in runs scored last season. Losing Pederson hurts, but their lineup should still be among the sport's best with Naylor hitting behind Carroll and Ketel Marte.

Any 89-win team that adds Corbin Burnes to it is going to get a high offseason grade by itself. Quickly replacing Walker with Naylor only re-inforces that the Diamondbacks deserve an A for their work this winter. I would never pick them to dethrone the Dodgers in the division, but they certainly feel like Los Angeles' biggest threat in the NL West and perhaps the MLB as a whole.

Diamondbacks offseason regret: Letting their DH platoon walk

Diamondbacks designated hitters ranked fourth in the majors with a 142 WRC+ and were tied for fourth with 3.3 fWAR. They trailed just the Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani), Braves (Marcell Ozuna), and Athletics (Brent Rooker) in those categories, despite not using a star-level player at that position regularly. Joc Pederson crushed right-handed pitching out of the DH role, and Randal Grichuk did the same against left-handed pitching. Pederson left for the Texas Rangers as a free agent, and Grichuk is still on the open market. Their lineup should still be good even without those guys, but there's no question it will take a hit production-wise without those big boppers.

The Rockies seem content with being NL West cellar dwellers

Notable additions: N/A
Notable subtractions: Cal Quantrill, Brendan Rodgers, Charlie Blackmon

The Colorado Rockies have finished in last place in the NL West in each of the last three seasons, and have done nothing to suggest they won't be right back in the basement in 2025. They lost 101 games this past season after losing 103 the year before, yet all they've done is add Thairo Estrada, Jacob Stallings, and Kyle Farmer - three players best suited for bench roles. This occurred while the team non-tendered guys like Cal Quantrill and Brendan Rodgers, who they wound up holding onto past this past year's trade deadline.

The Rockies are as confusing of an organization as there is in the game. They've refrained from trading veterans like Ryan McMahon and Ryan Feltner whose returns could help bolster an average farm system, yet, have refused to add anyone of note in recent offseasons to give them a better chance of competing.

The Rockies have the makings of a fun young core with guys like Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Toglia, and Adael Amador leading the way, but Colorado's refusal to try and build around them or trade the few veterans on their roster for prospects is why the team feels as directionless as any.

Rockies offseason regret: Holding onto Ryan McMahon

For years, it has made sense for the Rockies to trade Ryan McMahon, yet they refuse to do it. McMahon might not be elite, but he has hit 20+ home runs in each of the last five full seasons (excluding 2020) while also playing a Gold Glove-caliber third base. Coors Field has undoubtedly helped boost his offensive production, but teams would be interested in acquiring an elite defender who can play multiple positions and is just 30 years old with three cheap years remaining on his contract. McMahon doesn't fit their timeline. The Rockies can trade him for players who do.

The Dodgers have established themselves as MLB's Evil Empire

Notable additions: Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernandez, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Haeseong Kim, Michael Conforto
Notable subtractions: Walker Buehler, Gavin Lux

What else is there to say at this point that hasn't already been said? The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with MLB's best record in 2024 and won the World Series. They then went out and dominated the offseason once again. Winning the World Series and signing Blake Snell is already a win. Adding Teoscar Hernandez to that is an even bigger win. Adding Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott to that feels unfair. Oh yeah, they might add Kirby Yates to this ridiculous list as well.

The Dodgers are a Super Team. There's no sugarcoating this. They would've been favorites to repeat as World Series Champions without these additions, but feel as terrifying as any team out there in recent memory.

Heading into this offseason, it felt as if the one thing that could stop the Dodgers was injuries. Well, they won the World Series despite a slew of pitching injuries in 2024, and added enough depth that almost ensures that they'll have the most talented team on paper regardless of who is healthy.

The Dodgers are sitting pretty in their quest for a 12th NL West title in the last 13 years, and, again, should be considered favorites to win it all once again. Based on what they've done and continue to do, this will likely be the case for years to come.

Dodgers offseason regret: Missing out on Juan Soto

Is it a big deal that the Dodgers missed out on Juan Soto? Of course not, especially when their roster is as loaded as it is. However, Soto is the only major free agent that they pursued even fairly heavily and missed out on. Adding him to a lineup including Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman would've been utterly ridiculous, yet entirely on brand for this organization. Based on how the offseason has unfolded, it's frankly surprising that they missed out on Soto.

No team has been more disappointing this winter than the Padres

Notable additions: N/A
Notable subtractions: Kyle Higashioka, Tanner Scott

An argument can easily be made that the San Diego Padres were the second-best team in the league this past season. They had two chances to eliminate the Dodgers with one more win and fell short. Their response to falling just short has been doing literally nothing.

The Padres appeared to be all-in on signing Roki Sasaki, but, of course, lost out on him to the Dodgers. Other than that, they haven't been linked to many, if any, impactful free agents or trade candidates. In fact, we've seen reports of them dangling guys like Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez just to save some money.

This Padres team is good, but needs work. Their offense, led by the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill is potent, but top-heavy. Their rotation, led by Dylan Cease and Michael King, is, again, good, but top-heavy. Their bullpen, even without Tanner Scott, has the potential to be lethal, but losing Scott to the Dodgers feels like a huge deal.

At the end of the day, you can't lose in the NLDS and add nobody. The Padres weren't good enough to win their division and weren't good enough to get to the NLCS, yet they're unwilling to add anybody. They have not signed a single player to an MLB contract, and with how things have gone, who knows when or if that will change? Until it does, the only fair grade to give them is an F.

Padres offseason regret: The whole Roki Sasaki ordeal

It's abundantly clear that the Padres have major budgetary constraints. With that in mind, Roki Sasaki could not have been more of a perfect fit. The Padres had the opportunity to sell Sasaki on beating the Dodgers, being an ace, and playing alongside his mentor, Yu Darvish. Acquiring an ace who'd be making the league minimum for the next three seasons was San Diego's dream. Of course, not only did it not come to fruition, but he chose the Dodgers. That entire ordeal could not have gone worse for a Padres team searching to make an impactful move.

The Giants have more work to do to be considered serious threats in the NL West

Notable additions: Willy Adames, Justin Verlander
Notable subtractions: Blake Snell, Michael Conforto

The San Francisco Giants finally signed a star player, inking Willy Adames on a seven-year deal. They also lost out on other stars like Sasaki, Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell, all to their division rivals. This team finished in fourth place last season and has done little to convince me that they'll be any better in 2025.

Adames gives them a big bat to place in the middle of their order, but he also happens to be their best hitter. Guys like Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, and Heliot Ramos follow. Is that really good enough? The Giants have a bunch of decent players, but lack the firepower necessary to be perceived as real threats, especially in this gauntlet of a division.

The Justin Verlander addition would've been a great one even a couple of years ago, but he's coming off a lost season and will be 42 years old by Opening Day. He adds to a rotation full of question marks outside of Logan Webb. What can Robbie Ray bring after combining to make eight starts over the last two seasons? Is Jordan Hicks really a starting pitcher? Is Kyle Harrison anything more than a No. 5 starter?

Their bullpen has some upside, especially if Camillo Doval bounces back, but even then, that unit could use another arm or two.

The Giants just look painfully mediocre. Adames was a good addition, but he also isn't more impactful than Snell, who could easily win a Cy Young Award with the team they're chasing. They went 80-82 last season, and it wouldn't be shocking to see them finish with around, or even a worse record in 2025, considering how stacked their division and the entire National League is.

Giants offseason regret: Having Willy Adames as their marquee addition

Again, Willy Adames is a really solid player who should help them win more games for years to come. He also had just a .794 OPS this past season and has one full season out of six (excluding 2020) in which he has posted an OPS above .800. He's a good player, but for a team that just went 80-82 and lost its best pitcher, he cannot be the marquee addition. I understand that they cannot force players to come aboard, but this team that clearly has money to spend needed more than just Adames and what could be the Verlander's final year.