To me, this division is up for grabs as each of the top 3 have their faults. The Dodgers certainly have holes, but they'll fill them at the trade deadline. But what the other two teams don't have is a heart of the order like the Dodgers do with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney. Couple that with a very respectable rotation and I see Los Angeles squeaking it out late in the season.
Their rotation will only carry them so far as they have almost no hitting. I doubt Melky Cabrera is the answer, and until they upgrade the roster (or let Brandon Belt play) they'll be close but no cigar. Not resigning Carlos Beltan will be shown to be a huge mistake. Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez healthy for full seasons will go a long way, but won't be enough to get them to the playoffs.
The defending NL West champs should be good for quite awhile, but will experience growing pains in 2012. They boast a good young lineup, and a very underrated rotation, but something will go wrong. Maybe it's injuries, maybe it's regressions. Everything on a stat sheet says they should win the division, which is why my gut says they don't.
WINS 83 MVP Justin Upton CY Daniel Hudson
The Rockies have too much hitting to be in the cellar this year, but they're only an injury or two away from it. Their pitching staff is horrible having lost Ubaldo Jiminez and Huston Street last year, and should give up a ton of runs this year. At least the fans will get their money's worth as the Rockies should lose a lot of 9-7 games.
WINS 72 MVP Troy Tulowitzki CY Rafael Betancourt
About the best I can say about the Padres is that I'll get to visit Petco in May. And I'm very excited to buy a t-shirt with one of the greatest logos ever (above). Other than that, the squad is a jumble of young prospects and filler veterans that will take at least a couple of years to sort out.
WINS 66 MVP Yonder Alonso CY Huston Street
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