Projected Divisional Standings Part III: NL and AL West
I. NL West:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (Divison Champions) - I feel as though this is finally the year that the Dodgers reign of the NL West comes to an end and the Diamondbacks pull off a divisional championship. Arizona has a completely new culture under the leadership of Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen, plenty of talent on their big league roster, and can always add to their roster at the trade deadline like they did last year with the acquisition of outfielder, JD Martinez.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Wild Card I) - While the Dodgers won't win the division, it will still be a tight race, but that doesn't mean that they will miss out completely on the postseason. Los Angeles will still clinch the Wild Card and it is going to come down to the wire in a heated race between LA and the Colorado Rockies. Welcome to the wild, wild NL West!
3. Colorado Rockies (In Contention until the Very End) - The Rockies are in that handful of teams that is going to be battling for a Wild Card spot until the very end. Who knows, they may even surprise us all and finish higher than third which is truly possible given their talented young starting rotation, DEEP bullpen, and the leadership of Bud Black at the top. As stated before, expect the Rockies to be duking it out until the very end with the Dodgers for that Wild Card spot.
4. San Diego Padres - The Padres are no longer the push over that they once were thanks to the addition of Eric Hosmer and the talent they have on the 25-man roster as well as down on the farm. San Diego will be better a lot quicker than many people think and this is the year when they start to make their presence known throughout the league as well as in the NL West.
5. San Francisco Giants - Now that the Giants have lost Jeff Samrdzija and their ace, Madison Bumgarner, for at least a month, probably longer, they just don't have the wherewithal on their roster to pick up for both of those losses. Sometimes when a team gets off to a slow start, it's hard for that team to make up ground and I believe that's going to be the case for San Francisco even after all of the tremendous additions they made to their 25-man roster this past offseason.
II. AL West:
1. Houston Astros (Division Champions) - This is one of those divisions where the division champion is so easy that you don't even need to have a conversation about it. Houston is loaded at the moment and they got even better this past offseason with the acquisition of Gerrit Cole and the signings of relievers, Hector Rondon and Joe Smith. When a team has Charlie Morton, who would be a number 3 starter on a regular team as their number 5 starter, you know they are DEEP in the pitching department!
2. Seattle Mariners (In Contention until the Very End) - Although the Mariners have already been dealt a fair share of injuries in Spring Training, that doesn't mean that they won't be relevant during the regular season or that they're going to be a pushover. With names like Felix Hernandez, James Paxton, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, and Mitch Haniger still on the roster, expect them to stay in contention until the very end and just miss a playoff berth prolonging their drought even more.
3. Los Angeles Angels (In Contention until the Very End) - The Angels sure would benefit from signing closer, Greg Holland, who still remains on the open market, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they stay in contention until the end of September. Ohtani is going to be fun to watch this year and if their starting rotation can stay healthy, which is a big if, they are certainly capable of making their name known throughout the league.
4. Texas Rangers - This is another case where you could flip a coin and put the Rangers 4th with the Athletics 5th or vice versa. Both teams are going to be in rebuild mode this year, trying to find their identity, and figure out exactly who they want to keep on their roster moving forward. Texas still has a lot of question marks in the bullpen and while the offense is there, thanks to guys like Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara, it's just not enough to make them relevant this year.
5. Oakland Athletics - Even with talent at first and third base in Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, this is going to be a season of growing pains for the Oakland A's. They were dealt a couple of big blows in the pitching department during Spring Training, most notably with the loss of Jharel Cotton. Oakland might finish higher than 5th place, but don't be surprised if they finish in the basement again and keep their sights set on the future of the organization.
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