Updating San Diego Padres' Status in the Wild, Wild National League West

The San Diego Padres have made the playoffs in four of the past six seasons. In that time, they've finished no worse than third in the NL West, but also no better than second. They've firmly been the runner-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division during that time, though that status is set to be called into question this offseason.

Yes, the Dodgers won their second consecutive Commissioner's Trophy and have won every division title (besides 2022) since 2013. They are the favorites until proven otherwise. Instead, it's the Padres who need to defend their placement in the NL West hierarchy, as a shocking managerial change, significant personnel losses in the rotation, and an offense that went completely cold in the NL Wild Card Round do not portend another 90-win season in 2026.

With ultra-agressive front office executive A.J. Preller leading the charge, the Friars are sure to add some talent to the roster this offseason, including a potential reunion with one of Dylan Cease or Michael King. No one can rule out another blockbuster trade, either, but after ransacking the farm system at the trade deadline, that could be difficult to pull off.

Still, the Padres have the requisite talent to make another postseason push next year. Platinum Glover Fernando Tatis Jr. isn't going anywhere (no matter what the rumors say), and Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill round out a strong offensive core. With Nick Pivetta in the rotation and baseball's best bullpen (even sans closer Robert Suarez), there's room San Diego to make some ancillary moves and give the Dodgers a scare next season.

Luckily, even if the team can't mount a serious challenge to the Dodgers' divisional supremacy, the rest of the NL West is in such a state of flux that the Padres will presumably be the second-best team heading into the 2026 campaign no matter what moves they make over the winter. Let's refresh where the "other" three teams in the division are at heading into the meat of the offseason.

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have been irrelevant in the larger baseball picture for most of their existence, and they just had a franchise-worst season in 2025 when they lost 119 games. Thus, they finally cleaned house, dismissing manager Bud Black mid-season and firing general manager Bill Schmidt after the regular season came to a conclusion.

They're still looking for a permanent replacement for Black, though they do have a new president of baseball operations: Paul DePodesta. Yes, you heard that right—Paul DePodesta of Moneyball fame is returning to Major League Baseball after a decade-long hiatus in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. Prior to jumping ship for football, DePodesta served as the Padres' special assistant for baseball operations from 2006-08 before being promoted to executive vice president; that came after a failed stint as the Dodgers' general manager.

It's hard to find a word for what the Rockies are as a franchise other than directionless. Their farm system remains a joke, they have precious little major-league talent to speak of, and ownership just appointed the guy who went 56-100-1 and made one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history as their chief decision maker. They won't just be also-rans in the division in 2026—they'll occupy the bottom rung of the entire MLB ladder for the foreseeable future.

Arizona Diamondbacks

After a shocking run to the World Series in 2023, the Diamondbacks were on top of the world. Just two years later, and their empire-that-wasn't is already collapsing.

They still possess a load of talent, highlighted by a trio of Silver Sluggers: outfielder Corbin Carroll, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, and second basemen Ketel Marte. Those three superstars combined for 18.2 fWAR in 2025. The rest of the entire roster combined (pitchers excluded)? They accumulated just 8.7 fWAR, hence why the Diamondbacks finished below .500 and in fourth place in the division.

That's not entirely their fault, as the expected three-headed monster of Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly simply never got off the ground. Burnes needed Tommy John surgery just 11 starts into his new mega-contract, Gallen produced a career-worst campaign on his way to free agency, and Kelly was shipped to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. With a bloated payroll and aging core, the Diamondbacks simply don't have the pitching infrastructure in place to compete for much more than a third-place finish.

If rumors are true that the team is "motivated" to move Marte, the longest-tenured player on the club, the Diamondbacks could be on the verge of a full-scale rebuild.

San Francisco Giants

The most imposing challenger to the Padres' status as the second-best team in the division, the Giants are engaging in a pretty comprehensive makeover this offseason.

The team replaced experienced skipper Bob Melvin with college coach Tony Vitello, a shocking jump in level that tends not to happen too often in baseball. The coaching staff has experienced a ton of turnover since, including adding former Padres manager Jayce Tingler as one of Vitello's assistants. They're also parting ways with assistant hitting coach Damon Minor and bullpen coach Garvin Alston, while pitching coach J.P. Martinez has already found a new home with the Atlanta Braves. Hitting coach Pat Burrell's future remains uncertain at this juncture.

That's the kind wholesale turnover you expect of a rebuilding squad, not one that intends to compete as soon as next year. Vitello will have his work cut out for him jumping from the NCAA to the big leagues, and it'll take a while for the new coaching staff to mesh together.

As for the roster, the team is retaining a remarkable amount of personnel. Justin Verlander and Wilmer Flores are the only major free agents the team is set to lose this offseason. That would be great news if this core had shown any signs of real success, but since their magical 2021 season, the Giants haven't won more than 81 games in a single year. There's a strong core of well-compensated veterans in San Francisco -- Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Logan Webb, to be specific -- but it could take a while before everything comes together in the Bay Area.

What do you make of all the rumors and moves being made by the Padres' division rivals this offseason? Do you think San Diego can challenge Los Angeles for the division title in 2026? Let us know in the comments!