The NL West has some interesting storylines coming into this season. The Dodgers are massive favorites again, but teams like the Padres and the Diamondbacks have the talent to push them to the brink. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series with an NL West Division Winner 2025 prediction and pick.
The Dodgers are rightly considered the overwhelming favorite to win the NL West. They are the defending champions of the MLB and have the most loaded roster, too. Shohei Ohtani is also the best player in the league and has a chance to get even better after an entire season with the Dodgers. The roster is loaded next to him, and they are primed for a record-breaking year.
The Padres and Diamondbacks are next up, and both have great rosters. The Padres come into this season fresh off a playoff loss to the Dodgers. The Padres have a deep roster of sluggers, with Fernando Tatis Jr. being the apparent leader of one of the best offenses in the MLB. Thanks to Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks had the best offense overall and are primed for another strong year, too.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: NL West Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -650
San Diego Padres: +950
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1000
San Francisco Giants: +3700
Colorado Rockies: +50000
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Why The Dodgers Will Win the NL West
The Dodgers won the World Series last season in six games and finished the regular season with the best record in the MLB, 98-64. The Dodgers were fourth in batting average and 13th in pitching ERA, at .258 and 3.90, respectively.
This offense is still loaded. Shohei Ohtani is the best player on the roster and the best player in the entire MLB. He led the Dodgers in almost every batting category last season and is primed for an even bigger year because he will see more time on the mound as a pitcher. That’s saying a lot because he created the 50/50 club, finishing the season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.
This offense is loaded, outside of Ohtani, with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Will Smith, and then postseason hero Tommy Edman. If there was any issue with the Dodgers, it was with their pitching, and they immediately upgraded in that area, adding Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki.
There is an argument that the Dodgers might win even more games this season.
Why The Padres Will Win the NL West
The Padres have sluggers on their roster. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the team’s leader and hero in the postseason. Tatis Jr. led the Padres in almost every main batting category this season. Jurickson Profar, Luis Arraez, Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackson Merrill are all massive contributors to this offense’s success. The biggest key to this offense’s success is its depth. They have so many different ways they can beat you.
The Padres’ issue is that they have not been able to rely on their pitching 100% consistently. They have many good pitchers, but no one stands out as excellent. Dylan Cease is the pitcher closest to that but can’t do everything himself. Michael King, Nick Pivetta, and Yu Darvish are all solid to very good, but they don’t offer the level of lights-out pitching that the Dodgers have.
Once again, the Padres should be great on offense, but can their pitching take that extra step? They will need to compete for the Division title.
Why The Diamondbacks Will Win the NL West
The Diamondbacks are very similar to the Padres. They have a great offense and a pitching rotation that desperately needs some added juice to compete. The Diamondbacks made two big moves this offseason that will impact the team. Corbin Burnes was signed to boost this pitching rotation, while the batting rotation lost Christian Walker to the Astros.
The Diamondbacks had the best batting average in the MLB last season, and I think you should expect that to stay steady. Ketel Marte is one of the best sluggers in the MLB, and Corbin Carroll can take over a game at his age. It is also worth noting that the Diamondbacks added Josh Naylor this offseason to add reinforcements after he came over from the Guardians.
The pitching got the most considerable boost because Zac Gallen is great, and Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt are solid, so adding Burnes gives the Diamondbacks flexibility with two aces.
Final NL West Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks got better, while the Padres are bringing back everyone from a great team. Based on their talent, I think the Dodgers will win the division and deserve the benefit of the doubt until someone proves they can knock them off. The Diamondbacks have the talent to jump the Padres for second, though.
Final NL West Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-650)
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