The National League West is a division of extremes. On one end, we have the back-to-back champion Dodgers, with their payroll that rivals some divisions’ combined spending. On the other hand, we have the Rockies, MLB’s worst team in 2025 and an organization infamous for being way behind the rest of the league. Somewhere in between are the Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks, all dealing with spending constraints while trying to contend in a competitive National League.
How did these five teams do in terms of improving their rosters this winter? Let’s grade ‘em.
Advertisement
Read more: NL East offseason grades | NL Central offseason grades
Los Angeles Dodgers
Significant outgoing free agents: LHP Clayton Kershaw (retired), LHP Andrew Heaney (retired), LF Michael Conforto, RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Kirby Yates, INF Enrique Hernandez
Major moves:
-
Signed OF Kyle Tucker to a 4-year deal
-
Signed RHP Edwin Diaz to a 3-year deal
-
Re-signed 2B Miguel Rojas to a 1-year deal
-
Re-signed RHP Evan Phillips to a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: A+
After the Dodgers became the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back World Series titles, the baseball world waited to see what Los Angeles had in store this offseason. Like any team, the Dodgers came into the winter with some roster holes. But with an already loaded lineup, stacked rotation and overwhelming payroll, the idea of more significant additions seemed far-fetched. No matter. Early in the winter, the Dodgers shocked the industry by landing arguably the best closer in baseball, Edwin Díaz, on a three-year, $69 million deal. Díaz gives L.A. something it hasn’t had even in its recent run of dominance: a shutdown closer.
Advertisement
It would have been an A+ offseason for the reigning World Series champions if they only landed the three-time All-Star closer and brought back the majority of their championship roster. But as the Dodgers are known to do, they went above and beyond. After waiting in the shadows, they pounced and signed the offseason’s top free agent, Kyle Tucker … drawing the ire of rival baseball fans and executives everywhere.
The Dodgers have a superstar-studded roster and have made themselves as close to infallible as any team in recent history. They go into 2026 as the overwhelming favorites to win another title.
Will the Dodgers three-peat in 2026? Will the Rockies rebound from being the worst team in the sport?
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
San Diego Padres
Significant outgoing free agents: RHP Robert Suarez, 1B Luis Arraez, 1B Ryan O’Hearn, LHP Nestor Cortes, RHP Dylan Cease
Advertisement
Major moves:
-
Re-signed RHP Michael King on a 3-year deal
-
Signed LF Miguel Andujar on a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: C
The Padres, like the Dodgers, have an extremely top-heavy roster when it comes to their talent. And with the combination of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatís Jr. and Jackson Merrill, San Diego has the foundational pieces in the lineup. That’s something many teams around baseball would covet.
But unlike with L.A., the money tied up in several of the Padres’ stars — combined with the uncertainty surrounding their ownership situation — has handcuffed the team from making other big moves via free agency. And as great as A.J. Preller is at making trades, even he has had a tough time this winter finding creative ways to add to his roster.
Advertisement
Losing Dylan Cease to the Toronto Blue Jays was huge, as it increases San Diego’s need for starting pitching — which they didn’t address prior to the start of spring training. But the Padres were able to re-sign Michael King, who when healthy is one of the better pitchers in the National League. And they were able to add outfielder Miguel Andújar, giving them another solid bat behind Tatis, Machado and Merrill.
San Francisco Giants
Significant outgoing free agents: RHP Justin Verlander, 1B Wilmer Flores
Major moves:
-
Signed LF Harrison Bader to a 2-year deal
-
Signed INF Luis Arraez to a 1-year deal
-
Signed RHP Adrian Houser to a 2-year deal
-
Signed RHP Tyler Mahle to a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: C-
It has been an interesting offseason in the Bay, as the Giants have tried to find their way out of the doldrums of mediocrity (321-327 the past four seasons). Given that this is one of the teams in baseball with the resources to make a huge splash, there was reason to believe Buster Posey would make the most of this offseason. But that’s not exactly what happened.
Advertisement
The two biggest moves of the Giants’ offseason have come in the past few weeks. The team brought in Harrison Bader to play center fielder, allowing Jung-Hoo Lee to shift to right. The Giants then signed Luis Arraez to a one-year deal to play second base, giving them a table-setter atop the lineup. They also signed right-handers Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, who should provide quality innings and rotation depth.
In totality, none of these are bad moves, and all are likely to help the Giants be a better team in 2026 than they were in 2025. But in a division with as much high-end talent as the Dodgers and Padres have, you have to wonder if it’ll be enough.
Not to be forgotten, the Giants’ biggest acquisition of the winter might be first-year manager Tony Vitello, who is beginning his first season in professional baseball after serving as the head baseball coach at a highly successful Tennessee program from 2018 to 2025.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Significant outgoing free agents: RHP Zac Gallen, C James McCann
Advertisement
Major moves:
-
Acquired 3B Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals in exchange for RHP Jack Martinez
-
Signed RHP Merrill Kelly to a 2-year deal
-
Signed RHP Michael Soroka to a 1-year deal
-
Signed 1B Carlos Santana to a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: D+
For the Arizona Diamondbacks, this offseason can probably be characterized by what they didn’t do, as opposed to what they did do. For months this winter, rumors swirled about the possibility that the team would trade All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte. And while other teams called and made their pitches to GM Mike Hazen, in the end, Marte stayed put.
But with so much energy focused on Marte, the D-backs hardly made any significant improvements to the rest of their roster. The biggest splash was probably their trade to acquire eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, though given Arenado’s decline the past few seasons, it was largely a salary dump for the Cardinals. The D-backs’ other two major moves this winter were bringing back right-hander Merrill Kelly after trading him at last summer’s deadline and signing 39-year-old DH/1B Carlos Santana.
Advertisement
Arizona could still reunite with frontline starter Zac Gallen and will be getting former NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes back after the All-Star break, which will provide a significant boost to the rotation. But in the meantime, will the D-backs be able to score enough runs? That question is especially worrisome with outfielder Corbin Carroll requiring surgery for a broken hamate bone and projected to miss the start of the season.
Colorado Rockies
Significant outgoing free agents: 2B Thairo Estrada, SS Orlando Arcia, RHP German Marquez
Major moves:
-
Signed UTL Willi Castro to a 2-year deal
-
Signed LHP José Quintana to a 1-year deal
-
Signed RHP Michael Lorenzen to a 1-year deal
-
Signed RHP Tomoyuki Sugano to a 1-year deal
-
Acquired 2B Edouard Julien and RHP Pierson Ohl from the Twins in exchange for RHP Jace Kaminska and cash
Offseason grade: D
An “incomplete” might be a better grade to give the Rockies, considering they didn’t do much to improve their major-league roster or their farm system. They did sign utility man Willi Castro to a one-year deal and just this week brought in Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana to be innings-eaters, but that’s about it. Not exactly needle-moving acquisitions, but … it’s something, right?
Advertisement
Perhaps the Rockies‘ biggest move of the offseason was bringing in longtime baseball (and football) executive Paul DePodesta to be the team‘s new president of baseball operations. That marks the organization’s first major front-office shakeup since the team’s inception in 1993, as Colorado finally brought in someone from outside the organization. That in and of itself is a huge win for the Rockies, but only time will tell if it works.
Read the full article here
