Off-Season To-Do List: National League West

By: Chris Larson 

Last week, we focused heavily on the American League and went division-by-division to showcase the three needs of every team. Now, we will switch over to the National League and move back out west to focus on the National League West.

The National League West is a division that has been ruled by the Los Angeles Dodgers who are coming off a year in which they won the division crown for the seventh consecutive season. Following the Dodgers are the Arizona Diamondbacks who were very competitive last year despite selling off Paul Goldschmidt and losing some key pieces to free agency and then the San Francisco Giants - a team that is attempting to build their identity for the future. Besides those three teams, there's the Colorado Rockies who finished last season at a disappointing (35) games back of first place and then the San Diego Padres. Despite spending a significant amount of money the past two offseasons, the Padres have failed to put it all together and finish either season with a record above 500.

With that being said, here are three things for every National League West team to focus on this offseason.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (106-56 Record in 2019) 

• Frontline Starting Pitcher 
• Eighth Inning Impact Reliever/Backup Closer 
• Rightfield Upgrade 

The Los Angeles Dodgers once again had a very successful season in 2019 finishing the year with 106 wins and again capturing a postseason berth. Despite those efforts, Los Angeles fell short in their pursuit of a World Series Championship once again, but that doesn't mean that the team doesn't have plenty of talent on their roster or throughout the organization. Los Angeles Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, was just rewarded with an extension very quietly and it was well deserved from every regard. Friedman and his entire staff have done a phenomenal job of staying disciplined in regard to their goals, drafting and developing players at all levels of the organization, and utilizing their roster to their advantage with multiple players that can play multiple positions. Last season, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Dodgers had an Opening Day payroll of ($196.2) million dollars and have a projected Opening Day payroll for 2020 of ($166.1) million dollars. That leaves ($45) million dollars for the Dodgers to utilize, if they wish, until they reach the luxury tax threshold and things look really promising looking ahead to the future. Once 2022 rolls around, the Dodgers currently have ($16.1) million dollars committed to the books which means that they could certainly afford to make a long-term investment with a big named free agent this offseason. 

With the success the Dodgers had last year, they could probably go into next season with the same roster and experience similar success, but if there was one upgrade they should make it should be trying to get a frontline starting pitcher. So far this offseason, the Dodgers have been connected to two of the big fish starting pitchers on the free agent market in Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. Both Cole and Strasburg would be excellent fits a top the Dodgers starting rotation and could be the missing piece to the puzzle to help them finally get over the hump. There's always the possibility that they could reunite with left-hander, Hyun-Jin Ryu, as well in free agency, but it all depends on the cost and the desire on the part of Ryu for that to happen. Outside of trying to sign a frontline starting pitcher, the Dodgers should attempt to focus on trying to bolster the back end of their bullpen with an eighth inning guy and someone that can back up closer, Kenley Jansen. Jansen has struggled at times over the past few seasons and any team can testify to the importance of having multiple different options to help them close out games. When you add the first-half struggles of reliever Joe Kelly to the equation as well, you can begin to see the need for an additional option for Dave Roberts and his coaching staff to turn to there in the eighth inning. Unfortunately, there's not many impact relief options left in free agency, but someone like right-hander Will Harris could be an option as could Toronto Blue Jays closer, Ken Giles, should Toronto elect to trade him. Finally, the last item that the Dodgers should focus on this offseason is an upgrade in rightfield. If you haven't heard already, the Dodgers have been heavily connected to Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox to address that need, but it's not known if they would want to add the estimated ($27.5) million dollars that Betts is projected to make in arbitration next year to their payroll and not have the certainty that Betts would stay with the team long-term. Therefore, the Dodgers could decide to turn to free agency and try to sign someone like Nicholas Castellanos potentially or stay with an in-house option like Joc Pederson or Alex Verdugo. 

2. Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77 Record in 2019) 

• At Least Two Impactful Relievers 
• Front of the Starting Rotation Pitcher 
• Outfield Bat 

Heading into the 2020 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks will likely look to be competitive once again and will attempt to continue the process of selling off some major league assets, while building up the prospect pool down in the minor leagues. Arizona Diamondbacks Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mike Hazen, has already done a phenomenal job of staying committed to building for the future, while fielding a competitive team and has brought in pieces that have been able to make some sort of impact at the big league level during his short tenure with the organization. Hazen & Company will need to stay focused on the long-term plan for the organization again this offseason, but there are going to be a couple of needs that they will have to address if they want to get the team back to the postseason. In regard to finances for the 2020 season, the Diamondbacks have a projected Opening Day payroll of ($103) million dollars so there is definitely room to add the right pieces to make the big league team more competitive. Dating back to the 2000 regular season, the highest the Arizona Diamondbacks payroll has gone occurred during the 2018 regular season when the team entered the year with a ($131.5) million dollar payroll. As ownership has shown, when the opportunity to win presents itself, they are willing to commit the dollars and payroll space necessary to help the Diamondbacks capture a postseason berth. 

At the very top of the list of needs for the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason is the need to add at least two impactful relievers to the bullpen. Now, with the lack of impactful options available in free agency, that could be a difficult task, but with the creativity of Mike Hazen and his staff, they should be able to find some under-the-radar names that are easily attainable. The names the Arizona Diamondbacks end up trading for might not have a whole lot of name recognition among casual and diehard baseball fans alike, but they will probably have a lot of high upside and be guys that are controllable for the foreseeable future. For an example of a potential trade for a reliever, think of the trade Arizona made with the Miami Marlins prior to the July 31st Trade Deadline this year when they traded shortstop Jazz Chisholm to the Marlins in exchange of starting pitcher Zac Gallen, a pitcher that had very little name recognition and hadn't quite build up his brand yet which leads us to the next need for the Arizona Diamondbacks. As it stands right now, Arizona has a need to add an established starting pitcher to the front of their rotation to help ease the workload on some of the organization's young crop of arms that are up-and-coming for the future. Some might look at left-hander Robbie Ray as the guy that fulfills that need, but there has been plenty of chatter dating back to last offseason about the possibility of Arizona trading Ray and getting back a package of prospects/players to help them out in the future. Should that happen, this need becomes even greater and if the Diamondbacks want to make the postseason come 2020, then they definitely will need to add impact at the front of their rotation. Beyond both of those needs, another area of focus for the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason should be to obtain an outfield bat. With the versatility of the Diamondbacks roster, Ketel Marte has the ability to play at both second base and in centerfield, but second base is his best position so finding an outfielder that can play centerfield needs to be a focal point. To this point, the Diamondbacks have already been connected to free agent outfielder, Marcell Ozuna, and he would be a tremendous fit for them. Ozuna would give the Diamondbacks an experienced outfielder, additional offense in their lineup, and someone to be an anchor for the next handful of seasons on their roster. 

3. San Francisco Giants (77-85 Record in 2019) 

• Trim as Much Payroll as Possible 
• Continue Focusing on Building Up the Farm System Anyway Possible 
• Add a Veteran Reliever on a One-Year Deal 

Following the success of the San Francisco Giants over the course of the last ten years, it seems that the time has finally come for the organization to enter a full blown rebuild and to start building up the farm system with an eye towards the future instead of an eye towards being competitive now. With three World Series Championships over the course of ten years, it cost the organization a lot in terms of prospect capital to make those championships happen and now it's starting to show in some regard. With a new manager in tow in Gabe Kapler, a new front office regime led by Farhan Zaidi, and new organizational philosophies in hand, the San Francisco Giants are going to enter the next decade in a time of transition. Although the organization has been hesitant to go through with a full blown rebuild to this point, it's simply something that has to happen and this is the offseason where the Giants should get the ball rolling in that direction. When you look at the San Francisco Giants payroll, which is expected to be ($134.6) million dollars come Opening Day according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, it is really top heavy with six players making ($15) million dollars or more. The highest paid player heading into next season is catcher, Buster Posey, who will earn ($22.1) million dollars. 

In regard to payroll, the primary focal point for the San Francisco Giants front office staff this offseason needs to be centered around trimming as much payroll as possible. Looking ahead to the future, the financial picture starts to get better come 2022 when the Giants have ($27.6) million dollars potentially committed to the books. Trimming payroll for the present window of time is definitely going to be a difficult task and the San Francisco Giants might end up having to eat a majority of the money on some of the contracts, but it would be worth it to create payroll flexibility moving forward. Of the six players that are going to make ($15) million dollars or more this coming season, first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford are probably the two most likely players that can be moved. Belt has two-years and ($34.4) million dollars remaining on his deal, while Crawford has ($30.4) million dollars left over the next two years on his, before hitting free agency. Additionally, another potential for the Giants is to see if a team would be willing to engage in trade talks surrounding starting pitcher, Jeff Samardzija. Samardzija will make ($19.8) million dollars in 2020 before hitting free agency and with the lack of starting pitching options on the trade market, a trade certainly is possible with the right team. In return for any trade that the Giants look at making, they should continue focusing on building up their prospect capital in the minor leagues and look to find as many prospects with high end potential as possible. The goal for the Giants should be to find their next great core of players that resembles the likes of Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, and Madison Bumgarner back when the team was competitive. The Giants probably already have their next Buster Posey in catching prospect, Joey Bart, but they need to find a core group of players that can compliment him at the big league level in the future. Outside of those two goals, another thing for the Giants to focus on this offseason is the addition of a veteran reliever on a one-year deal to add some stability to a young group of relief pitchers. Last season, San Francisco had a very good bullpen, but many of those relievers have found new homes over the course of the last six months and that's where a veteran guy comes into play. There should be an affordable option available in free agency for the Giants to sign that could become a potential trade chip come next July. 

4. Colorado Rockies (71-91 Record in 2019) 

• Backup Catcher 
• Trade Starting Pitcher Jon Gray 
• Try to Find a Way to Trim Payroll Somewhere 

Following a disappointing season in 2019, the Colorado Rockies are going to have to perform at a much higher level come 2020 for the franchise to still be viewed as a competitive team. If the franchise fails to perform at a higher level, then they might need to start looking ahead at entering into a rebuild and that would definitely be disappointing news for Rockies fans all over the country. Heading into this offseason, there have already been plenty of reports that have indicated that the Rockies are basically "tapped out" when it comes to payroll flexibility and there's really no more room to add to the current projected 2020 Opening Day payroll of ($151.6) million dollars. What's even more shocking is where that payroll amount ranks amongst the other thirty teams in baseball. If you were to rank all of the teams in baseball based on their projected payroll valuations for the 2020 season, the Rockies would rank eighth. Therefore, Colorado needs to do everything possible to forget about last season, put it in the rear view mirror, and focus on being a much more competitive and compatible team come next year. 

Due to the limitations that Colorado has in regard to their payroll, it's probably going to be a very quiet offseason for the Rockies overall. If there is one glaring need that the Rockies need to address this offseason, it's the need for a backup catcher to compliment starting catcher, Tony Wolters. With the lack of payroll flexibility, that backup option will need to be someone that is affordable and preferably under team control for the next handful of seasons. One potential option that has emerged as a name on the trade market for catchers is Seattle Mariners catcher, Omar Narvaez. Narvaez could potentially come at a cheap acquisition cost and while there are some legitimate concerns about his defense behind the dish, he could fulfill the need for the Rockies. Outside of Narvaez, Colorado could also see if the Toronto Blue Jays would be willing to deal from their depth behind the dish. As mentioned in the American League East Off-Season To-Do List article, the Blue Jays possess three catchers right now and there have been reports that teams have been interested in that depth so the Rockies could be a potential trade partner for one of them. Besides addressing the need for a backup catcher, Colorado should also look to trade starting pitcher, Jon Gray. Gray is going to be entering his second year of arbitration and will make an estimated ($6) million dollars next season and has two years remaining before free agency. Therefore, if the Rockies are going to trade Gray, now is the time to do it to attempt to maximize the potential return coming back as much as possible. With the lack of options available on the trade market, there's likely to be a handful of teams that would be interested in acquiring Gray considering that he is still only 28-years old, finished last season with a strikeouts-per-9 rate of (9.0), and could become a different pitcher away from the harsh elements of Coors Field. Besides Gray, the Colorado Rockies should listen to trade offers on virtually any other player, not named third baseman Nolan Arenado, as a means of trying to trim payroll. Colorado might be able to engage a team or two on centerfielder, Charlie Blackmon, but Blackmon will be 34 next July and has two-years along with ($43) million dollars remaining on his deal. Furthermore, the deal includes two player options for the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons with the 2022 option being valued at ($21) million dollars and the 2023 option being valued at ($10) million dollars. 

5. San Diego Padres (70-92 Record in 2019) 

• Frontline Starting Pitcher 
• Figure Out the Catching Situation 
• Trade an Outfielder and Find a Left-Handed Hitting Outfield Bat 

Dating back to the 2010 regular season, the San Diego Padres have never finished a season with a winning record and have never finished above third place over that period of time. Going into this offseason, the Padres have the most pressure of any team around baseball and San Diego Padres General Manager, A.J. Preller, is going to need to make some major upgrades to the team to make them competitive again. In fact, San Diego Padres owner, Ron Fowler, said a few weeks ago that if the team doesn't take strides in the right direction this coming season and begin to play a more competitive brand of baseball, then "heads will roll." When the owner comes out and says that, you know things are serious and they definitely should be with the money the organization has invested the last two offseasons. Last year, the Padres had an Opening Day payroll of ($97.2) million dollars and will head into next season with a projected Opening Day payroll of (124.6) million dollars, based on information collected by Cot's Baseball Contracts. 

Among the needs for the San Diego Padres this offseason, the chief need is to add a frontline starting pitcher. Over the course of the last two years, San Diego has been heavily connected to Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians and Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets, but both of those guys are likely going to remain with their teams heading into next season. Therefore, the Padres would be best suited to turn to the free agent market and ink one of the top starting pitchers available. Free agent left-handed starting pitchers, Madison Bumgarner or Dallas Keuchel, could be a very good fits a top their starting rotation as could right-hander Zack Wheeler. With all three options, the Padres would be adding some instant credibility and veteran leadership to their young crop of starting pitchers. Additionally, A.J. Preller & Company need to figure out the situation behind the plate this offseason. San Diego has stated that they are willing to trade prospects and even players off their major league roster this offseason to make upgrades and that could involve catcher, Austin Hedges. Over the last year, San Diego has reportedly made Hedges available in trade talks and this could be the offseason where the organization decides to trade him and make Francisco Mejia the team's primary catcher. Furthermore, the organization could always stick with Austin Hedges and see what market there is for Francisco Mejia, but there is bound to be plenty of interest in Austin Hedges since he had the best pitch framing rate among catchers last season despite offensive struggles at the plate. Outside of both of those things, the Padres also have an urgent need to become more balanced especially in the outfield. As it stands right now, every single one of the Padres starting outfielders bats right-handed so there is a definite need for a left-handed outfield bat. A potential option could be to sign someone like free agent outfielder, Corey Dickerson and utilize him over in leftfield. Should that happen, the Padres might look to trade current leftifleder, Wil Myers, as a means of trimming more payroll and getting Myers on a team where he fits the puzzle better overall. Myers has three-years and ($67.5) million dollars guaranteed left on his deal, but the deal also comes with a ($20) million dollar team option or ($1) million dollar buyout for the 2023 regular season.