NL West preview: Big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers still the favorite

The Dodgers turned the highest payroll in baseball over to a former Wall Street investment banker with a history of winning on shoestring budgets. The Diamondbacks are relying on a front office led by a Hall of Fame manager and a former All-Star pitcher, both of whom made career changes. The Padres, with their new, sleep-deprived general manager, are banking on star power.

No division in baseball has experienced as much upheaval in the past year as the National League West. And perhaps no division is as interesting. Scenarios for both contention and disaster are conceivable for all five teams. And whether a club thrives or stumbles, it will do so in a way inherently its own.

"For me, it's arguably the best division in baseball," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Everybody can say that if they want, but I really believe we have a very tough division."

The circumstances are not ideal for the Diamondbacks, who had the worst record in baseball last season. In their division is a team that spends 2 1/2 times as much on payroll (the Dodgers), another that has won three World Series titles in five years (Giants) and a third that made a stunning array of offseason moves to beef up an anemic offense (Padres). For their part, the Diamondbacks say they're focused on themselves.

"You're aware of what's happening in the division, otherwise you wouldn't be paying attention, but there's no direct way it should impact the decisions you make," Diamondbacks Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa said. "You're looking to be as good as you can be."

For the better part of a decade, the NL West had been a division where predictions went to die. A team widely expected to finish first seemingly had as good a chance of finishing last.

But in the past two seasons, the Dodgers have fielded the most talent-laden rosters, built by virtue of the largest payrolls in North American sports history, and they have largely delivered on expectations, winning 92 and 94 games, respectively. If they can win the division again, something most experts are picking them to do, they'll be the first NL West club to three-peat in the wild-card era.

The Dodgers' roster reflects its various creators. There are homegrown stars whose acquisitions date to the cash-poor Frank McCourt years. There are aging veterans whose contracts were extended or absorbed after Guggenheim Partners bought the team. And there are new faces acquired over the offseason, many during a frenetic period of activity at the winter meetings orchestrated by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, a former Bear Stearns analyst who built the small-market Tampa Bay Rays into winners before joining the Dodgers in October.

"The Dodgers are really good," a rival general manager said. "They're good and they're going to get better and better. That's not going away anytime soon. Now they're run by really smart people and have big amounts of money. They're going to be really good."

The Dodgers' offseason moves have left them with a transformed roster, one less tethered to stars and perhaps more focused on preventing runs than scoring them.

One of their former stars, Matt Kemp, was traded to the Padres, whose GM, A.J. Preller, acquired two other big-name outfielders in Justin Upton and Wil Myers as he went about remaking the offense. Preller also added a frontline starter, free agent James Shields, and traded for catching help (Derek Norris) and a third baseman (Will Middlebrooks).

Preller, who is known for operating on little sleep, made moves with abandon, dealing away much of his prospect inventory and organizational depth in an attempt to win now.

While the Diamondbacks went after power (Yasmany Tomas) and power arms (Rubby De La Rosa and Robbie Ray) and didn't hesitate to trade away veteran contributors (Miguel Montero, Wade Miley), the Giants and Rockies made mostly under-the-radar acquisitions.

The Giants believe stability and culture help explain their recent success, and they're hoping contributions from others can help offset the loss of star Pablo Sandoval. The Rockies, despite naming Jeff Bridich their new GM, didn't make many player personnel changes in the off-season, and they aren't expected to be contenders. However, they could surprise if stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez stay healthy.

"Every team in the NL West has a very distinct philosophy and approach," Dodgers General Manager Farhan Zaidi said. "I think that's part of what makes the game fun. If we all had the exact same way of evaluating players, the same payroll and everything else, it would be kind of boring. So I enjoy it.

"I've enjoyed following what the Diamondbacks and other teams in our division have done. And I'm sure they've looked on with curiosity at the moves we've made."

The Giants are unique among their NL West brethren: They're the only team that didn't turn over its front office during the offseason. Brian Sabean is the longest-tenured general manager in the game, having been on the job since 1996.

"Stability is a big key to our success," said Bobby Evans, the Giants' assistant general manager. "We've had two GMs in the past 22 years and three managers. That definitely helps to build continuity, build consistency and build success."

Some rival executives are bothered by the financial clout of the Dodgers, who included cash in trades involving Kemp and pitcher Dan Haren, seemingly using money to get better players back in deals. However, La Russa, who shifted to the front office after 33 years as a manager, isn't complaining.

"If your payroll is close to $100 million, that's enough to build a championship contender," La Russa said. "That's been proven year after year."

The Diamondbacks began last season with a payroll north of $110 million. This year, it's around $92 million, but that's not including the $16.2 million needed to sign Cuban right-hander Yoan Lopez in January. The Dodgers' payroll is around $260 million.

Still, the Dodgers, like every team in the NL West, have questions that need answering. Can they win despite the departures of Kemp and Hanley Ramirez? Will the Giants miss Sandoval? Do the Padres' pieces fit together? Can the Diamondbacks or Rockies find enough quality pitching?

"You're always looking at the landscape," Preller said. "And you know, ultimately, as the year goes on, what you need to do to win a division title. Obviously, the Giants and Dodgers, they've been there a lot, they've done that a lot. We're just trying to get to that level."