The National League West is the home of the defending champion Dodgers, who come into the 2021 season arguably better than they were for their World Series run in 2020. The Padres are improved as well, and both of these teams are extremely likely to wind up in the playoffs again this year and may even wind up facing each other in the postseason as well. The rest of the NL West is made up of likely sub-.500 teams, so the elite talent plus the easy schedule should mean very high win totals for both the Dodgers and Padres.
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Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Odds: +350
National League Odds: +175
NL West Odds: -250
Win Total Over/Under: 102.5
MVP Contenders: Mookie Betts +750, Cody Bellinger +800, Corey Seager +1500
CY Young Contenders: Trevor Bauer +700, Walker Buehler +1000, Clayton Kershaw +2000
ROY Contenders: None
The Dodgers 102.5 win total over/under looks rather shocking, but it’s easy to see how it could be that high upon analyzing their roster. The one weakness of last year’s team was starting pitching depth, but that’s no longer a problem with Trevor Bauer joining the club. Bauer actually has the shortest odds of any Dodgers pitcher for NL Cy Young, with Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw being just a bit behind him. The Dodgers offense should be just as potent as it was last season, with roughly the same group of starters who figure to make up one of the best offenses in baseball. There are simply no holes on this team, and a lot would have to go wrong for them to not win the NL West this year.
San Diego Padres
World Series Odds: +800
National League Odds: +390
NL West Odds: +200
Win Total Over/Under: 94.5
MVP Contenders: Fernando Tatis Jr. +850, Manny Machado +2200
CY Young Contenders: Yu Darvish +1200, Blake Snell +1200, Dinelson Lamet +2500
ROY Contenders: Ha-seong Kim +1800, MacKenzie Gore +2000
The Padres are likely the third-best team in the MLB heading into the 2021 season (behind the Dodgers and Yankees) and they’re actually more equipped to make a World Series run than they were last year. This Padres team was extremely good in 2020, but San Diego is even better now after acquiring Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. The rotation now has plenty of top-end talent, maybe their biggest weakness last year, and the offense should be pretty strong as well. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are probably the only great hitters on the team (the Dodgers have a few more) but the rest of the lineup is still decent enough to make this a good hitting team overall. Aside from having to contend with this elite division rival, there’s not much stopping the Padres from pushing for a World Series title in 2021.
San Francisco Giants
World Series Odds: +8000
National League Odds: +6000
NL West Odds: +4000
Win Total Over/Under: 75.5
MVP Contenders: None
CY Young Contenders: None
ROY Contenders: Joey Bart +1500
Despite having a lot of their playing time go toward younger players, the Giants actually managed to compete for a playoff spot in 2020 and almost got in with a 29-31 record. This was largely due to the variance of the shortened season, however, and it’ll be much tougher for them to get into the postseason in 2021, especially with the Dodgers and Padres in front of them. The Giants are pretty much just average across the board, and while Joey Bart is an intriguing prospect and one of the favorites for NL ROY, the team still largely consists of veterans who just aren’t that good. It should be enough to stay around average again, but it’s unlikely the Giants end up having a good season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
World Series Odds: +10000
National League Odds: +8000
NL West Odds: +5000
Win Total Over/Under: 74.5
MVP Contenders: Ketel Marte +3000
CY Young Contenders: None
ROY Contenders: Seth Beer +2200
The Diamondbacks are mostly in the same boat as the Giants, with a lot of average players on their team which should keep them around .500, but it’ll be hard for it to be much better than that. The Diamondbacks’ best player is probably Ketel Marte, who is actually in the conversation for NL MVP to begin the year at +3000, but after him there just isn’t that much to be excited about. This team does have a few intriguing young players like Josh Rojas, Zac Gallen and Daulton Varsho, but those guys probably aren’t good enough to make Arizona into a playoff team.
Colorado Rockies
World Series Odds: +10000
National League Odds: +8000
NL West Odds: +5000
Win Total Over/Under: 63.5
MVP Contenders: Trevor Story +2500
CY Young Contenders: German Marquez +3000
ROY Contenders: None
The Rockies are the clear bottom of the NL West, especially after trading Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals. Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon and German Marquez are all good players, but there’s very little depth behind them, and the three “stars” aren’t nearly good enough to carry a team to the playoffs by themselves. The Rockies have a few prospects who seemingly have upside, but those players have spent time in the MLB already and just haven’t been that productive. It will likely take rapid development from guys like Brendan Rodgers, Sam Hilliard and others for this to be a decent season in Colorado.
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