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NL West Power Rankings in the wake of Corbin Burnes, Justin Verlander signings

An already stacked NL West looks even stronger, with Corbin Burnes and Justin Verlander joining the mix.

By Zachary Rotman

Sep 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) motions to the crowd while walking to the dugout after a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Sep 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) motions to the crowd while walking to the dugout after a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The NL West was one of, if not the best division in all of baseball in the 2024 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. The San Diego Padres might've been the second-best team on paper and won 93 games in the regular season. The Arizona Diamondbacks might've just missed the playoffs, but they won 89 games and were in the 2023 World Series. The San Francisco Giants were just two games under .500 as a fourth-place finisher.

All that the NL West has done this offseason is add more talent. The Dodgers re-signed Teoscar Hernandez and signed Blake Snell. The Giants signed Willy Adames and just brought Justin Verlander aboard. The Diamondbacks traded for Josh Naylor and recently signed Corbin Burnes.

There's reason to believe that the NL West will once again be one of the most competitive divisions in the majors in 2025. Here's a look at how the division might shake out when all is said and done after the Burnes and Verlander additions.

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5) The Rockies have done nothing to improve

This one was obvious. The Colorado Rockies won just 61 games this past season and haven't finished with a record above .500 since 2018. It was going to be nearly impossible for Colorado to climb out of the NL West basement, yet all they've done is sign guys like Thairo Estrada and Kyle Farmer. Those players won't move the needle at all.

Having pitchers like German Marquez and Antonio Senzatella back healthy should help the Rockies win a couple more games, but it'd be surprising if they even got to 70 wins in 2025. Another last-place finish in this division is virtually a guarantee for Colorado.

4) The Giants still have work to do in a crowded division

The San Francisco Giants might be a better ball club than the 80-82 team that they were in 2024. Willy Adames is a high-level player they can plug into the middle of their order, and Verlander gives them a veteran with some potential upside who fits nicely into the back end of their rotation. Healthy seasons from guys like Robbie Ray and Jung Hoo Lee should also help, and a full season of Tyler Fitzgerald will give their lineup a boost.

With that being said, though, this team lost Blake Snell and Michael Conforto and still has several question marks. The gap between them and the three best teams in the division was very large last season. They might've narrowed that gap ever so slightly, but they will have to continue to add if they want to seriously compete in this division.

3) The pressure is on for the Padres to make moves

The San Diego Padres were as good as any team in the majors this past season and made their team flat-out scary at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, players like Ha-Seong Kim, Tanner Scott, Jurickson Profar, and Kyle Higashioka all hit free agency, and the Padres have not signed or traded for a single MLB player.

Their roster as currently constructed is one that's good enough to compete for a playoff spot in a really deep National League, but they have work to do if they want to get close to the level that they were at in 2024. Adding an outfielder and a starting pitcher, at the very least, can have the Padres thinking about finishing in the top two of the NL West.

2) An already elite Diamondbacks team got even better

Yes, the Arizona Diamondbacks missed the playoffs, but they won 89 games. They won more games this past season than they did in 2023 when they made their run to the World Series. It felt as if this offseason was going to be a frustrating one for Arizona when the team lost Christian Walker, but the Diamondbacks immediately rebounded by trading for Josh Naylor, and then signed Corbin Burnes seemingly out of nowhere.

Burnes, followed by Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt, has the makings of being one of the best rotations in all of baseball. That, combined with an offense that led the majors in runs scored in 2024, has the makings of a scary team. The bullpen could use some work, but other than that, the Diamondbacks look like the biggest threats to the defending NL West champions.

1) The Dodgers remain the team to beat in the NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West this past season, and have done so in 11 of the last 12 years. There's no reason to expect anything to change on that front in 2025, no matter how good teams like the Diamondbacks and Padres are.

The Dodgers, in typical Dodgers fashion, won the World Series and somehow got better. Blake Snell joins what, when healthy, is the best rotation in baseball. Teoscar Hernandez and Blake Treinen re-signed. Michael Conforto offers a good amount of upside. Oh yeah, Shohei Ohtani is going to pitch as well.

The Dodgers should be seen as favorites to not only win the NL West but also win the World Series until another team gives a reason to change that.

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