The Dodgers should be favored in this division, which might have the best collection of aces in the National League, including 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum of the Giants, 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy of the Padres (for now) and 2006 Cy Young winner Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks. Manny Ramirez (right) and the Los Angeles Dodgers might have the best offensive firepower to deal with the divisions strong pitching.
Arizona Diamondbacks
He's here
2B Felipe Lopez, RHP Jon Garland, LHP Scott Schoeneweis, RHP Tom Gordon.
He's outta here
2B Orlando Hudson, LHP Randy Johnson, 1B Adam Dunn, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Juan Cruz, RHP Brandon Medders, RHP Dustin Nippert.
How they can hurt you
Arizona's offense isn't too strong, but Brandon Webb and Dan Haren will match up with anybodys front-line starters in baseball. Justin Upton might be ready to take the next step toward superstardom. Chris Young can crush the opposition on the bases or with his power.
How they hurt themselves
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, their bullpen might not be good enough to protect their strong rotation. Arizona must remain strong down the stretch, something it did not do last year, when the Diamondbacks scored more than three runs in only nine of their last 23 games. That's the biggest reason they couldn't maintain the division lead they held heading into the 141st game of the season. The biggest question, however, is the relief corps. Qualls, the former Astros righthander, is the closer almost by default. Rauch and Pena will be keys to the Diamondbacks preserving late leads.
Colorado Rockies
He's here
LHP Alan Embree, OF Carlos Gonzalez, RHP Jason Marquis, OF Matt Murton, LHP Greg Smith, RHP Huston Street.
He's outta here
OF Matt Holliday, LHP Brian Fuentes, OF Willy Taveras, OF Cory Sullivan, RHP Matt Herges, RHP Luis Vizcaino.
How they can hurt you
Garett Atkins is the Rockies' Rockiesf Rockiesf slugger whom opposing pitchers will key on a year after Todd Helton drove in only 29 runs. Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez arenft well known, but they might ready to be mentioned among the best one-two pitching tandems in the league.
How they hurt themselves
The offense appears weak now that All-Star Matt Holliday was sent out of town in a trade to the Oakland A's. Considering they play in Colorado, it's a sad indictment of the teams offense that they finished sixth in the league in hitting last season. And that was with Holliday. Things will be different in the dugout, as the Rockies added five new coaches to the staff, including former manager skipper skipper skipper Don Baylor, who is the new hitting instructor. The season depends heavily on Heltonfs back holding up and Troy Tulowitzki's bouncing back from a subpar 2008 campaign.
Los Angeles Dodgers
He's here
C Brad Ausmus, INF Mark Loretta, RHP Guillermo Mota, RHP Claudio Vargas, LHP Randy Wolf, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz.
He's outta here
RHP Derek Lowe, 2B Jeff Kent, OF Andruw Jones, RHP Greg Maddux, RHP Chan Ho Park, RHP Brad Penny, INF Nomar Garciaparra, RHP Scott Proctor, RHP Takashi Saito, LHP Joe Beimel, INF Angel Berroa.
How they can hurt you
Manny Ramirez can punish opposing pitchers like few in baseball can. Rafael Furcal missed most of last season, but he was one of the keys for the Dodgers in the playoffs as a tremendous table-setter. Andre Ethier and Elkins product James Loney, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin give L.A. a strong nucleus of young hitters.
How they hurt themselves
Furcal's a great shortstop, but the Dodgers could struggle if his back problems plague him again. Ramirez's hamstring issues flared up this spring, and he must prove that he can stay motivated after a winter of discontent. Chad Billingsley was exposed in the NLCS last year against the Phillies, and that could be a problem because the Dodgers will need an ace in their division against the likes of Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy.
San Diego Padres
He's here
2B David Eckstein, C Henry Blanco, OF Cliff Floyd, RHP Shawn Hill, RHP Eulogio De La Cruz.
He's outta here
RHP Trevor Hoffman, C Josh Bard, C Michael Barrett, SS Khalil Greene, LHP Shawn Estes, RHP Dirk Hayhurst, RHP Clay Hensley, RHP Charlie Haeger.
How they can hurt you
Adrian Gonzalez is often overlooked in a league with Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Derrek Lee, but he's one of the most potent hitters in baseball. He must carry this offense if the Padres hope to have any chance at respectability this season. Ace Jake Peavy also can hurt the opposition, but Padres fans must hope the hard-throwing righthander isnft moved via trade.
How they hurt themselves
The Padres don't have much depth in the starting rotation. And because ownership wanted to unload salaries, they didn't upgrade much this winter. It might get worse before it gets better, however, because there is still a strong chance the Padres will dump Jake Jake Jake Peavy's salary. With all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman allowed to bolt to Milwaukee via free agency, the Padres' bullpen also will be a concern.
San francisco Giants
He's here
LHP Randy Johnson, SS Edgar Renteria, INF Juan Uribe, LHP Jeremy Affeldt, RHP Bob Howry, C Ronny Paulino.
He's outta here
SS Omar Vizquel, RHP Tyler Walker, RHP Kevin Correia, RHP Brad Hennessey, 1B Daniel Ortmeier, LHP Jack Taschner..
How they can hurt you
Ace Tim Lincecum will make many offensive players look foolish this year, just as he did while winning the Cy Young Award last year and collecting a major league- best 265 strikeouts. Matt Cain's 8-14 record is deceiving, and hefll prove it this year while showing off a great arm that helped him post a 3.76 ERA last season. Randy Johnson, a native of the Bay Area, is just five wins from becoming the 24th pitcher in major league history with 300, so he could reach the milestone at his former home.
How they hurt themselves
Brian ad Wilson had 41 saves, but the bullpen before him isn't impressive. The Giants aren't intimidating on offense, with Bengie Molina leading the club in runs driven in last season. Lincecum is great, but there are plenty of questions regarding LH Barry Zito, whose hefty paycheck and poor performances serve as heavy anchors dragging down the franchise.
