NL West division preview: Lineups, rotations and one question for each team ahead of 2026 MLB season Home of the back-to-back defending champs, let's take a look at the NL West By Matt Snyder Mar 13, 2026 at 10:30 am ET • 9 min read Getty Images The National League West has been run almost exclusively by one team for a long time. The Dodgers won the division in 2013, kicking off a run that has seen them win 12 of the past 13 NL West titles. The one time they didn't win it was 2021, when they won 106 games; the Giants won 107. The Dodgers dispatched the Giants in the NLDS that year. They own this thing. Is there an end in sight? Not really. It's difficult to see the Dodgers not winning the West in 2026 or 2027 and I'm sure they'll lock it down for 2028. People talk about the Dodgers "ruining baseball" and I don't believe that's the case at all, given how fluky the playoffs. As for ruining the annual NL West race, though, they might have. It feels like a foregone conclusion nearly every year. Regardless, let's preview this thing. Odds via Caesars Los Angeles Dodgers (-800 to win division) Projected starting lineup Shohei Ohtani , DH Kyle Tucker , RF Mookie Betts , SS Freddie Freeman , 1B Will Smith , C Max Muncy , 3B Teoscar Hernández, LF Andy Pages , CF Hyeseong Kim, 2B First off, keep in mind that the Dodgers are playing for the postseason and can cruise in the regular season a bit. That means Smith will catch less than most other stud catchers, despite not having DH at-bats available due to Ohtani's presence. Dalton Rushing swings left-handed, so he'll play plenty versus righties who are especially hard on fellow righties like Smith. Miguel Rojas will see plenty of time, notably at second base. Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández are also back, but recovering from offseason surgery. Projected rotation Yoshinobu Yamamoto , RHP Tyler Glasnow , RHP Shohei Ohtani, RHP Emmet Sheehan , RHP Roki Sasaki , RHP Again, the name of the game is conservation for October and it has already started with lefty Blake Snell slow-playing his spring while dealing with shoulder fatigue. River Ryan , Gavin Stone , Landon Knack and Kyle Hurt will also likely see starts. Notable relievers Closer: RHP Edwin Díaz Setup: LHP Tanner Scott , LHP Alex Vesia , RHP Blake Treinen The bullpen was an issue last season until they were able to throw Sasaki at the back end for the playoffs. Díaz was signed to shore things up and a bounce-back from Scott will also help. Biggest question: Will they threepeat? The portmanteau threepeat was coined in Los Angeles when Pat Riley was discussing his "Showtime" Lakers. The most prominent baseball team in L.A. has never done it and the Dodgers have a shot this season, heading in as back-to-back champs. In fact, only the Yankees and A's in MLB history have ever gone for a threepeat. This is how rare it is. These are the only times it has happened: 1936-39 Yankees 1949-53 Yankees 1972-74 A's 1998-2000 Yankees That's it. Can the Dodgers join that group? They are absolutely capable. The only question is will they? We'll find out later this year, likely in mid-October at the earliest. Probably in late October. As for the regular season, yeah, they likely cruise to the NL West title. Again. San Diego Padres (+850) Projected starting lineup Xander Bogaerts , SS Jackson Merrill , CF Manny Machado , 3B Fernando Tatis Jr. , RF Jake Cronenworth , 2B Ramón Laureano, LF Gavin Sheets , 1B Miguel Andujar , DH Freddy Fermin , C Luis Campusano is the other catcher and Nick Castellanos will get a chance to land regular at-bats either at designated hitter or even first base. Sung-Mun Song is the backup infielder while Bryce Johnson is around in the outfield. Projected rotation Michael King , RHP Nick Pivetta , RHP Joe Musgrove , RHP Randy Vásquez, RHP Germán Marquez, RHP Griffin Canning is recovering from a ruptured Achilles and has a shot to join the rotation at some point. JP Sears and Walker Buehler are also in the mix. Notable relievers Closer: RHP Mason Miller Setup: LHP Adrian Morejon , RHP Jason Adam , RHP Jeremiah Estrada Biggest question: Can the depth pieces step up? There's no question the Padres have the top-shelf talent needed to make the Dodgers sweat and maybe even to win a World Series. Tatis is capable of winning MVP. Hell, Machado still might be. He finished second in 2022 and is still only 33 years old. Merrill and Bogaerts look like All-Stars at their best. The rotation has three pitchers for whom you could say the same. The bullpen could be the strongest in all of baseball, or at least when we narrow it down to the late-inning guys. The roster depth is the concern. I've said before with some other contenders that they have a bunch of supporting cast players and not enough main characters. The Padres have a litany of main characters, but the problem here might be the supporting cast. The back half of the lineup can't afford to be terrible. The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation can't just be batting prac