Still plenty of work left for NL West teams

December 18th, 2019

The Winter Meetings last week were filled with a flurry of activity as some of the game’s top talents -- Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon -- signed mega free-agent contracts.

That was fun and made for a memorable week, but every team in baseball still has at least one thing left on its offseason to-do list, so the Hot Stove is just starting to get warm.

Here’s a look at what’s next for the teams in the National League West:

D-backs: Add an outfielder (or two)
The D-backs need an outfielder to replace Steven Souza Jr., who was non-tendered, in right, and they would also like to add a center fielder so that Ketel Marte could play mainly at second base. Even with the signing of left-hander Madison Bumgarner to a five-year, $85 million deal, Arizona has about $15 million to spend. That could allow the club to sign Japanese center fielder Shogo Akiyama. The D-backs could also look to deal left-hander Robbie Ray for an outfielder or for prospects that they could flip for an outfielder like the Mariners' Mitch Haniger.

Dodgers: Make a blockbuster deal?
After the Dodgers indicated that they were focused on adding top-tier talent, the market seems to be running out of those players. That’s why the focus now seems to be prying shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Indians, even though Los Angeles has a shortstop in Corey Seager. After whiffing on Cole, the club is still in need of a starting pitcher, unless it re-signs Hyun-Jin Ryu. Despite having signed non-tender free-agent pitcher Blake Treinen, the Dodgers have been rumored to be in pursuit of another rebounding former All-Star reliever, Dellin Betances.

Giants: Add an impact bat to the outfield
Non-tendering Kevin Pillar earlier this month left a hole in the outfield that the Giants would like to fill by acquiring a power-hitting corner outfielder this offseason. A right-handed bat would be preferred, as they already have left-handed-hitting outfielders Mike Yastrzemski, Steven Duggar and Alex Dickerson. They’ve been connected to 27-year-old slugger Nicholas Castellanos, who is one of the youngest players available on the free-agent market and could be a long-term asset for San Francisco even as it enters a rebuilding phase. Fellow free agent Marcell Ozuna could also make sense, though he is slightly older than Castellanos at 29 and would cost a Draft pick to sign after rejecting the Cardinals’ one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer last month.

Padres: Find an impact bat
It’s still possible that Padres general manager A.J. Preller will look to bolster his rotation and bullpen this offseason. But the Padres’ top priority might be adding another big-time bat to an offense that struggled last season.

“If we get an upgrade or something that fits our club a little bit different, we'll continue looking at those options,” Preller said at the Winter Meetings.

Already this offseason, the Padres have been tied to the Royals’ Whit Merrifield and the Pirates’ Starling Marte. Both would fit San Diego’s plans nicely, given the holes at second base and in the outfield. The Padres clearly have enough pieces in their excellent farm system to swing a deal.

Rockies: Find a catcher
The Rockies released Chris Iannetta last August, and with Drew Butera electing free agency, they are left with just Tony Wolters and Dom Nuñez as catchers on the 40-man roster. There are some options on the free-agent market. Robinson Chirinos, Martín Maldonado, Jason Castro, Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph would seem to be fits. The question is how much money Colorado has to spend. Certainly, if it is able to free up some money, it increases its ability to get a quality backstop to pair with Wolters.