The next stop on our Meaty Previews takes us out west, where the Dodgers look to repeat as NL West champions following a run to the NLCS, only to lose to the eventual world champion Phillies.  This division looks to be much improved this year, unless your team plays in San Diego.

Speaking of which, the aforementioned Padres might be the worst team in baseball when this year is said and done.  The lineup is one that AAA teams would be less than confident to trot out (minus Adrian Gonzalez), and if the staff loses Jake Peavy to a contender, this season could get ugly in a hurry.  With the loss of Matt Holliday, the Rockies offense takes a severe hit, and with the loss of ace Jeff Francis as well, this team will struggle to win 75 games.  The Giants will be a vastly improved team from last year, but still will struggle to put runs up on the board with a subpar offense.  The pitching staff, which boasts Tim Linceum, Matt Cain, and a 59 year-old Randy Johnson, could surprise some people though, and this team could see themselves in the race this summer, but will quickly fizzle out. 

The Contenders

Come this fall, this should be a two-horse race for the division title between the Dodgers and D-Backs.  The D-Backs have the better pitching staff with two front line starters like Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, but the offense is nowhere near the caliber of the Dodgers, with a middle of the order presence like Manny Ramirez.  The Dodgers offense sports a good blend of speed and power, with guys like Matt Kemp, Russel Martin, and Rafael Furcal, which should have this team putting up enough rooms to make up for the sometimes lackluster starting pitching.  When it's all over, the Dodgers should be left standing at the top.

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