LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Projected: 91-69
Last Season: 93-67, 1st (#2 seed in NL)
Lost to Beacons 3-0
Payroll: $253MM (2nd)
Major Additions: RP Nick Wittgren
Major Losses: 3B Jung-Ho Kang
Top Players: SP Ethan Hankins, SP Chris Archer, 2B Nate Eikhoff
As strong a team as you'd expect out of the Dodgers. Only once have they failed to win this division (2019), and they've won at least 89 games in all five seasons. When healthy, this rotation is the league's best, but Archer will be out until the end of May-ish, right as the Bees travel to Dodger Stadium. This top players list obscures how powerful the Dodgers are - LF Ronald Acuña, RF Yasiel Puig, C Tucker Barnhart, SS Adalberto Mondesi, CF Eric Cole and 3B Miguel Sanó are all among the league's top quarter or so at their positions. I happen to think they're more likely to beat the Padres by 10+ games than they are to tying or losing this division, despite the projections putting them in a dead heat.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
Projected: 91-69
Last Season: 74-86, 3rd, 19 GB
Payroll: $134MM (25th)
Major Additions: none
Major Losses: none
Top Players: 3B Joey Gallo, C Joey Bart, SS Carlos Correa
Like I mentioned above, I'm sort of not sure why the Dodgers and Padres are viewed as equal by the projections, since it seems as though the Dodgers are way superior. That's not to say the Padres are bad, though; they just look like an 85-87 win team instead of a playoff lock. In particular, their rotation is about as shaky as the Dodgers' is good. The Padres have another two-way player that I wasn't aware was also a hitter until just now - Mason Denaburg will be getting the opening day start for San Diego as they host the Giants, but he also serves as the team's backup first baseman and third catcher! He's been a sub-replacement level hitter, but still, he's doing it. The team could really use an upgrade in the outfield, but the trio of Gallo, Bart and Correa makes this a team worth watching no matter how good they are.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Projected: 81-79
Last Season: 65-95, 6th, 28 GB
Payroll: $133MM (27th)
Major Additions: none
Major Losses: SP Chris Pike, RP Chase Whitley
Top Players: CF Joc Pederson, SP Nick Lodolo, C JJ Schwarz
A bit strange to see a team forecast for this much improvement when adding basically nothing, but the Diamondbacks were torn asunder by injury in 2022, and they're looking forward to a full year from all of their starting pitchers. Lodolo was the only regular starter who made a full slate of starts in 2022, and long reliever Aaron Myers was pushed into 30 starts with not so great results. I don't know if that accounts for 16 games worth of improvement from Arizona, but why not? Looks like a team with a slightly below average lineup (led by Pederson, Schwarz and RF Robbie Grossmann) and a slightly above average pitching staff, so they do look like a .500 team, most likely.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Projected: 80-80
Last Season: 73-87, 4th, 20 GB
Payroll: $88MM (49th)
Major Additions: none
Major Losses: CF Brandon Nimmo, 2B Whit Merrifield
Top Players: SS Nick Madrigal, RF Steele Walker, SP Julio Urias
This is a team full of interesting names - Madrigal, Urias, Kyler Murray, Spencer Torkelson, Luke Heimlich - but probably not that interesting as a collective team. Urias is actually out for the season with a torn labrum suffered last September, but he'll be back for the Giants in 2024. This is a team with more good players than bad ones, but the rotation was the one place where they really couldn't have a catastrophic injury. Still, they didn't go out and sign anyone for that spot, so maybe it's their own fault there.
VANCOUVER CASCADES
Projected: 78-82
Last Season: 82-78, 2nd, 11 GB
Payroll: $69MM (59th)
Major Additions: none
Major Losses: SP Cody Anderson, RPs Danny Barnes and Taylor Rogers
Top Players: 2B Richie Palacios, LF Jesse Winker, CF Gage Canning
I can't get a great read on Vancouver, to be totally honest. They don't seem as good as their 82-78 record from last season, but they also seem better than the team that lost 104 games in 2021. Perhaps it's that this is overall not the strongest division, but if OOTP thinks that the Cascades will be a near-.500 team in 2023 then it's probably right! There are a lot of below-average players on this roster, but no area in which Vancouver is outright bad.
RENO SILVER SOX
Projected: 61-99
Last Season: 72-88, 5th, 21 GB
Payroll: $71MM (58th)
Major Additions: SP Cody Anderson, CF Charlie Tilson
Major Losses: 1B Josh Bell, CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
Top Players: 2B Brad Martin, RF Koshi Higuchi, SP Cody Anderson
With the departures of Bell and Bradley, it's down to Martin and Higuchi to carry this team as far as they possibly can. This is the team with the lowest projected record in all of MLB, and I think that makes a lot of sense (although I think the Red Sox might end up the worst?). It's too bad for Reno's two stars, because they're legitimately amazing players that any team would kill to have. Higuchi led the NL in RBI, slugging and OPS, hitting 53 home runs, and Martin hit 42 HR while putting up 9 WAR and winning the Gold Glove at 2nd base. They're incredible, but they don't have anyone else fun to play with.
That's the end of the preseason primers - I think we're ready to start the 2023 season here soon.