This Major League Baseball season features storylines galore in the National League West. This division has multiple National League pennant contenders, which will make for a really exciting division race between at least two contending teams. Here, we look at the NL West futures betting odds for this season and make our pick as to who we like to earn the division title.
2023 NL West Futures Betting Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: Still Favorites For Now
The Los Angeles Dodgers have suffered some significant personnel losses in the offseason leading up to the 2023 season. Bats like Trea Turner leaving could negatively impact this team’s chances in the NL West, while there are questions about whether age and health will become problems for pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard. This team is still loaded with talent, but they are not infallible anymore, which will make things interesting.
San Diego Padres: Can Return of Tatis Help Them Contend?
Fernando Tatis Jr. had a bad year in 2022, as he was injured in an off-field incident and was suspended for 80 games for a PED policy violation. Tatis is set to come back in late April, though, and that could give the Padres a massive boost going forward. The question now is whether the Padres can do enough from a pitching perspective, with the addition of Xander Bogaerts eliminating any sort of doubt about the performance of the San Diego offense.
Giants, Diamondbacks and Rockies: NL West Longshots
After looking at the Dodgers and Padres, things go downhill pretty quickly in the NL West. The San Francisco Giants are likely to be respectable, and could even compete for a Wild Card spot in the National League. But the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are teams that could each lose 100 games this season, especially with so many games against the Dodgers and Padres on their schedules.
2023 NL West Futures Betting Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers
While the Dodgers are not going to be quite as good as they were over the last few years, they are still going to be excellent this season. They should be able to outlast a Padres team that still has some maturing to do, starting with their top player in Tatis. We should see the Dodgers do just enough to win this division and propel themselves to another deep run in the National League playoffs.
