NL Professional Division
Teams that left the division: CHI+, ARI-
Teams that joined the division: COL-, LAD-
Colorado Rockies:
2032 Review:
COL has 6 straight winning seasons, though they have been in a decline and only won 82 games last year earning a demotion from the Champion Division.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: COL lost some big names in FA including 1B Pratto, 2B Garcia, SS Rodriguez, along with role contributors like RF Armstrong, RP Aponte, and RP Heartley. Also notable is that SP Contreras is out for the year injured.
Players Acquired: The only ML signings for COL were CL Gallegos and 1B Espingardo.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: RF Aparicio had a solid .875 OPS his sophomore season, but has struggled since. In his age 26 season this may be his last shot at regularly producing in a lineup.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Marchinonni had a solid rookie season spotting a 3.63 FIP playing for COL. If he can continue to build on that he could be the COL ace for years to come.
Expectation: COL lost some significant production that it didn’t replace. COL still has some solid pieces that can generate some runs with the help of Coors Field, they are going to struggle to prevent runs. This is a team on the decline, and with some lucky breaks they may hover above .500 long enough to contend for a WC, but an even record seems like a realistic prediction for this team.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
2032 Review:
LAD are coming off their first back-to-back losing seasons since 1986-1987! This is a reliably contending club that has hit a rough patch. While their pitching was average, they scored the fewest runs in the NL last year.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: LAD replaced much of their bullpen, their MI, and OF this offseason. They let go of guys like CF Frank, SS Perez, 2B Freeman, LF Bradfield, RP Fridia, and RP Attenicio.
Players Acquired: They did sign replacements for all of them in guys like SS Lux, 2B Hanoian, SS Dieter, RF Decker, CF Anderson, SS Suarez, RP Peluse, Howarth, and RP Montgomery.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: RF Rivera has proved to be a all-star caliber OF when healthy, and therein lies the problem. It appears that RF Biagas will be the replacement for him to start the season. That combo’s production will have a large impact on the LAD season.
Pitcher to Watch: With a veteran pitching staff, CL Funes looks to have the stopper/closer role to start the season. He had a solid rookie campaign before struggling last year. He has the talent to be a solid back-end guy, but he will need to prove it this season.
Expectation: I like LAD pitching staff as a whole, but I’m not sure the churning of the bottom of the lineup was enough to generate the runs needed to consistently win. They have some nice bats in the lineup, but injuries and inconsistency could be the downfall. I can easily see a team that rides really hot and cold streaks and ends the year in the WC race. Mid-80s wins seems like a realistic expectation.
Milwaukee Brewers:
2032 Review:
MIL lost 94 games in 2032, their worst season since 2023. Although they rare lose many games, they have also only made the playoffs once since then, a picture of mediocracy. They were league average in most metrics last year.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: MIL lost their C Rogers and RP Lemons to FA.
Players Acquired: MIL signed SP Soriano and also replaced C Rogers with a solid tandem in Bailey and Bart (there are some good jokes in here to be had).
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: DH Crafton had a rough rookie season putting up a .682 OPS. He will start at DH again this year, and certainly has the talent to be a regular bat on a contending team.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Scaligeri has a very uneven start to his career. His first 3 years were okay putting up a combined 3.8 WAR. But his last 2 seasons he has a 5.90+ FIP and led the league in HRs allowed. He has some of the best stuff of any pitcher, bragging 3 elite pitches and throwing 100MPH. MIL will give him every chance to tap into his raw talent.
Expectation: This MIL team probably has the most variance in this division, as they have some high caliber arms and big bats, but have failed to put it together for a whole year. If everything clicks, this team has the talent to win the division, but with how things have gone the last few years, another mediocre season might be in order.
Washington Nationals:
2032 Review:
WAS broke their own streak of mediocracy, losing 94 games in 2032 ranking average in runs scored and prevented. This came after winning 81-82 games 3 straight years.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: WAS let 2 of their MI go in SS Gil and 2B Gordon along with RP Cabrera.
Players Acquired: WAS did sign 2 new MI in SS Downs and 2B Hoerner, along with C Perez.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: WAS resigned 3 of their own FAs in 3B Perdomo, LF McCarthy, and RF Winker. All of them were coming off career down seasons and are on the older side, they are counting on some bounce back production from those 3 guys.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Cave has had a very up and down first four years in the big leagues, with his last season being his worst, posting a 5.57 ERA. WAS is looking for him to post closer to his rookie ERA of 3.17 and become a mainstay in this rotation.
Expectation: WAS has some star talent in SP Barrera, SP Glenn, 1B Jordan, and Kirilloff. But I’m not sure the pieces around are good enough to elevate this team to true contender. I can certainly see a .500 record and maybe even a WC spot depending on some of their young arms (Herrera, Hyde, Petley, Pongo, and Thomas).
San Diego Padres:
2032 Review:
Stating that SD won 101 games last year doesn’t even do the year they had justice. Their pythagorean record was a sparkling 115-47, and their pitching last year has more records than the Rolling Stones. The 2nd best team ERA last year was SF (in Oracle Park) at 3.50. SD posted a team 2.79 era. Less than half of the worst at 5.68. Oh and they had an above average offense too.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: SD lost some contributing pieces in 2032 like SP Peluse, 2B Baylor, RF Acuna Jr, 1B Madrigal, RP Forsynthe, RP Yanez, and C Perez. They also lost some depth by having 12 taken in the Rule 5 draft, and only 3 returned.
Players Acquired: They did sign 2 MIs in SS Perez and SS Marte, and upgraded at C by signing Rogers.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: LF Giacoletti could be a prime candidate for regression. He hit .315 with an OPS of .950 last year, when his hit tool is probably closer to a 45. However, even if he regresses, SD has a couple progression candidates in 1Bs Barbosa and Yasukawa.
Pitcher to Watch: Not that a rotation headed by Campusano, Mitchell, and Morales needs any help, but this will be Lowery’s first season as a starter, and he has the potential to raise be a mid-rotation guy, further deepening an already formidable rotation.
Expectation: When you start with caliber of run prevention SD has (rotation, BP, defense), the absolute floor must be .500. When you add in a solid lineup that could be as good as last year, you have a complete team that has as good a chance as any other team to win the World Series. SD should be a clear favorite in this division a legitimate threat in the NL as a whole.
Summary: As I stated I do think SD is the favorite to win the division. The other 4 teams are all in the same boat where each of them has some talent to contend for a WC, but also enough vulnerabilities that injuries and inconsistency can make an ugly season.
For the GMs of the NL Professional Division:
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
What needs to happen for you to consider 2033 a successful season?
Who wins the NL Professional division this year?