Welcome to Episode 149 of Tablesetters, where we continue our division preview series by turning to the National League West heading into the 2026 season.

For most of the past decade, the division has revolved around one simple reality: everyone is chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers. That hasn’t changed. Los Angeles has won 12 of the last 13 division titles and enters 2026 as the two-time defending World Series champion.

And somehow, the roster might be even stronger.

With Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball — including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki — the biggest question in Los Angeles may simply be health. If that rotation stays intact, the Dodgers could once again dominate both the regular season and October.

Behind them, however, the division becomes far more unpredictable.

The Arizona Diamondbacks may have one of the most exciting offenses in the National League behind Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte, but their pitching staff has been battered by injuries. That puts added pressure on young talent like Jordan Lawlar, whose development could quietly reshape Arizona’s lineup.

The San Diego Padres still feature elite star power with Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., and their bullpen remains one of the best in baseball. But with major rotation questions, the team may need a bounce-back year from Jackson Merrill to keep the offense dangerous behind its superstars.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants enter a fascinating new chapter after hiring former Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as manager — one of the most unconventional moves of the offseason. Whether that energy translates to the major league clubhouse could define San Francisco’s season.

And then there are the Colorado Rockies, who are still firmly in rebuild mode after a brutal 2025 season. One bright spot did emerge: catcher Hunter Goodman, whose power breakout may give the organization a foundational player to build around.

The favorite in the division is clear.

But the race behind the Dodgers — particularly for Wild Card positioning — could become one of the most chaotic battles in the National League.

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