A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:
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Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager: Dave Roberts (fifth season).
2019: 106-56, first place, lost to Nationals in Division Series.
Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.
Park: Camelback Ranch.
First Workout: Feb. 14/18.
He’s Here: OF Mookie Betts, LHP David Price, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Blake Treinen, RHP Jimmy Nelson, 2B Clayton Daniel.
He’s Outta Here: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, RHP Kenta Maeda, LHP Rich Hill, OF Joc Pederson, OF Alex Verdugo, 1B David Freese, RHP Yimi Garcia, 3B Jedd Gyorko, C Russell Martin, RHP JT Chargois, 2B Kristopher Negron.
Going campin’: In what’s become a familiar refrain, the Dodgers arrive at camp still looking for their first World Series championship since 1988. After losing in two straight World Series, they were ousted by Washington in five games in the NL Division Series last fall. After coming up short in bids to land 3B Anthony Rendon, RHP Gerrit Cole and RHP Stephen Strasburg this winter, the Dodgers engineered a blockbuster acquisition a week before camp that was set to land them Betts, the 2018 AL MVP, and Price from Boston. As part of a three-team trade that still had not been announced, the Dodgers agreed to send Verdugo to the Red Sox and Maeda to Minnesota. Their biggest area of need is the bullpen, which was second in the NL with 29 blown saves last season. Closer Kenley Jansen is coming off an inconsistent 2019, when home runs and walks were big problems for him. The 32-year-old right-hander is also showing signs of declining velocity. The Dodgers signed Treinen to a $10 million, one-year deal, gambling that he can rebound from shoulder and back problems that bothered him last season and return to the All-Star form he showed in Oakland in 2018. The rotation is anchored by RHP Walker Buehler and LHP Clayton Kershaw. With Maeda on his way out and Ryu off to Toronto, the other three spots are up for grabs. Wood returns to Los Angeles, where he was a starter and an All-Star in 2017. Last year’s starters led the majors with a 3.37 ERA. Offensively, the Dodgers boast a powerful lineup led by Betts and NL MVP Cody Bellinger, who hit .379 through the first two months of the season before tailing off to .262 the rest of the way. The rest of the offense that hit the most home runs (279) in the NL is back, too. The farm system is loaded with its usual blue-chip talent, led by 2B Gavin Lux and RHP Dustin May, who both spent time at the big league level last year.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Manager: Torey Lovullo (fourth season).
2019: 85-77, second place.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
First Workout: Feb. 12/17.
He’s Here: LHP Madison Bumgarner, OF Starling Marte, OF Kole Calhoun, C Stephen Vogt, RHP Junior Guerra, RHP Héctor Rondón.
He’s Outta Here: OF Adam Jones, C Alex Avila, OF Jarrod Dyson, INF Wilmer Flores, C Caleb Joseph, RHP Matt Andriese, OF Steven Souza Jr., RHP Taijuan Walker, LHP T.J. McFarland, RHP Yoshihisa Hirano.
Going campin’: The Diamondbacks had a promising 85-win season last year but are still struggling to close the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won 106 games and captured the NL West title for a seventh straight season. Arizona has a promising core that includes Ketel Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Nick Ahmed in the lineup, and Robbie Ray, Luke Weaver and Archie Bradley on the pitching staff. The D-backs were surprisingly active in the free-agent market, adding Bumgarner on an $85 million, five-year deal. They also added Calhoun, Vogt and relievers Rondón and Guerra. The D-backs should have depth and that could lead to some interesting battles for spots on the 26-man roster. Arizona would also like to figure out a full-time spot for Marte, who split time between center field and second base last season. The D-backs traded for Marte, who could man center and push Marte back to the infield. Bradley enters spring training as the closer after a career-high 18 saves in 2019 but will face competition.
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San Francisco Giants
Manager: Gabe Kapler (first season).
2019: 77-85, third place.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Scottsdale Stadium.
First Workout: Feb. 12/17.
He’s Here: Manager Gabe Kapler, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Tyson Ross, LHP Drew Smyly, 1B-OF Darin Ruf, SS Will Wilson, LHP Tyler Anderson, LHP Jerry Blevins, INF Kean Wong.
He’s Outta Here: Manager Bruce Bochy, LHP Madison Bumgarner, LHP Will Smith, CF Kevin Pillar, C Stephen Vogt, LHP Fernando Abad, OF Mike Gerber.
Going campin’: It’s a new era in San Francisco with Bochy retiring after 13 seasons and three World Series titles for the franchise. Longtime ace Bumgarner also left in free agency as the Giants are in the midst of a rebuilding stage in the second year under team president Farhan Zaidi. The Giants made few impact moves this offseason as they try to avoid matching a franchise worst with four straight losing seasons. The team has only done that twice in the modern era: 2005-08 and 1974-77. San Francisco brought back fan favorite Pablo Sandoval on a minor league deal and is hoping for a healthy season from starter Johnny Cueto. He made four starts late last season following a 13-month recovery from Tommy John surgery. Perhaps the biggest focus this spring could be on Alyssa Nakken, who became the first female coach on a major league staff.
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Colorado Rockies
Manager: Bud Black (fourth season).
2019: 71-91, fourth place.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Here’s Here: RHP Tyler Kinley, RHP Ubaldo Jiménez, INF Chris Owings.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Chad Bettis, LHP Tyler Anderson, RHP Seunghwan Oh, 1B-OF Yonder Alonso.
Going campin’: The team made no major moves in free agency over the winter to improve after a dismal season. That was a source of irritation for All-Star slugger and Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, who said he felt disrespected by the front office after his name was floated in trade rumors. Arenado finished last season third in the NL in hits (185) and total bases (343), fifth in batting average (.315) and tied for fifth in homers (41). The Rockies locked up shortstop Trevor Story in January by signing him to a two-year, $27.5 million deal that avoided arbitration. Story remains eligible to become a free agent following the 2021 World Series. The team also signed reliever Scott Oberg, who was eligible for arbitration before reaching a $13 million, three-year deal. He could be the closer heading into the season if Wade Davis doesn’t rediscover his form. The Rockies went to the postseason in 2017 and ’18 before turning in a clunker. They’re relying on turnaround seasons from starter Kyle Freeland and relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee. Freeland went 3-11 with a 6.73 ERA in a turbulent season that included a stint in the minor leagues to work on his mechanics. This after he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2018.
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San Diego Padres
Manager: Jayce Tingler (first season).
2019: 70-92, fifth place.
Training Town: Peoria, Arizona.
Park: Peoria Stadium.
First Workout: Feb. 13/18.
He’s Here: Manager Jayce Tingler, 2B Jurickson Profar, LF Tommy Pham, RF Trent Grisham, RHP Zach Davies, LHP Drew Pomeranz, RHP Pierce Johnson.
He’s Outta Here: Manager Andy Green, INF Luis Urias, LHP Eric Lauer, OF Hunter Renfroe.
Going campin’: The ever-rebuilding Padres will be opening spring training fresh off failing to land 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox. Instead, Betts was headed to the division rival Dodgers in a deal that was agreed to but hadn’t been announced yet. Betts would have added more luster to an offense that once again finished near the bottom in the majors in several offensive categories. The Padres did trade with Tampa Bay for Pham, who is expected to give them more offense and intensity. They also bolstered the rotation and got a left-handed bat when they traded with Milwaukee for Davies and Grisham. In another major move, they signed Pomeranz, who turned two stellar months in Milwaukee’s bullpen into a $34 million, four-year deal. The major battles in spring will be for rotation spots behind Chris Paddack, Garrett Richards and Dinelson Lamet, and in the bullpen. The team will also look to keep shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. healthy. The phenom’s rookie season was cut short when he missed the final 1½ months with a stress reaction in his lower back. Tatis also missed a month early in the season with a hamstring injury. San Diego hopes $300 million slugger Manny Machado has a more productive season than 2019. Tingler, a rookie manager, takes over a team trying for its first winning season since 2010 and first playoff appearance since 2006.
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