NL West 2026 Division Preview

Published March 21, 2026

NL West

Arizona

Colorado

LA Dodgers

San Diego

San Francisco

Spring training is always an interesting time for evaluating pitching, and especially relief pitching. Roles are blurry: some relievers get a shot at a starter role, the opposite is sometimes true with struggling starters moving to relief roles, and non-roster invitees are in the mix as well. Combine that with limited outings, low stress situations, and an overall small sample size and you can end up with some wild results on paper.

Despite all that, we're here to give you a quick breakdown of each division with regard to what their bullpens will likely look like and how they stack up.

We start with the NL West, a division that has traditionally encompassed some of the best (and some of the worst) bullpens in the league. Will this year be any different? Let's dive in.

Arizona Diamondbacks

This bullpen looks like it has some potential coming into the season, but there are a lot of question marks.

Paul Sewald appears to be the frontrunner for the closer position. Manager Torey Lovullo was very encouraging last week, praising Sewald's personality, confidence, and composure in critical situations. Sewald's fastball is sitting around 91–91.8 mph, consistent with his successful seasons.

The rest of the bullpen rounds out with spots all but guaranteed for: Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Taylor Clarke, along with Sewald. Jonathan Loaisiga, in camp on a minor league deal, has had a strong spring and should have an inside track.

That leaves roughly three spots for Andrew Hoffmann, Juan Morillo, Kade Strowd, Joe Ross (NRI), and lefties Philip Abner and Brandyn Garcia. Of those players on the bubble, Morillo has had a VERY strong spring, while Garcia has really been off his game.

Colorado Rockies

There's no worse place to pitch in any situation than Coors Field on a warm day, and I feel especially bad for the relievers who are often called on in less than desirable game situations. So it's no surprise that the Rockies bullpen often appears to be one of the worst on paper. They finished 29th in MLB in reliever ERA in 2025, sat among the bottom 5 in our season long Power Rankings, and rarely hold on to notable talent for long.

They are a fun team to watch though, and this year shouldn't be any different as the Rockies will attempt to fundamentally reshape their pitching strategy. Manager Schaeffer confirmed the team will use traditional relievers as openers, saying without hesitation that fans should expect it. The expected starting rotation of Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Michael Lorenzen should be serviceable but unspectacular.

The bullpen is filled with new faces after the departures of Bird, Molina, Chivilli, Kinley, and Rolison.

Juan Mejia was a solid contributor at times last year and has had one of the better springs for the Rockies, with the other notable spring performer being Zach Agnos with an ERA of 3.24 over 8.1 innings pitched so far.

Jimmy Herget was more than serviceable in 2025, logging 80+ innings with a 2.48 ERA. He, like most of the Rockies, has struggled in the spring though, and he'll need to turn things around quickly with opening day less than a week away.

Brennan Bernardino was acquired via trade to anchor the left-handed side, and there is a real possibility he could be the only lefty reliever in the bullpen when the season starts. Fortunately he has had a strong though limited spring, boasting a 1.93 ERA over 4.2 innings pitched.

Manager Warren Schaeffer confirmed Herget is a prime candidate to serve as an opener this season, and mentioned Bernardino as another strong opener candidate due to his temperament and experience.

Agnos, Jaden Hill, and Luis Peralta are all in the mix for increased usage this season as well. Agnos, who essentially claimed the closer role by default last year, has been one of the few bright spots in the pen this spring.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are World Champs and their pitching rotation and bullpen look to be formidable again, highlighted by the offseason acquisition of presumptive closer Edwin Diaz.

A number of sources have this pitching staff ranked number one in baseball, and it's really hard to argue against that.

The confirmed starting rotation at the time of this writing is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Emmett Sheehan. Health is always a concern with starting pitchers, particularly Snell and Ohtani, but the team is expected to manage workloads using their depth and bullpen.

Edwin Diaz, Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott, and Jack Dreyer should anchor one of the league's top bullpens this season. It's worth noting, though, that Diaz has struggled at times in very limited work this spring.

Vesia and Scott have been exceptional during spring training, both currently sporting sub 1.50 ERAs with each completing 8 innings of work. Will Klein has also been a notable bright spot, posting a 1.00 ERA over 9 innings.

Last week the Dodgers optioned both Kyle Hurt and River Ryan to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Ben Casparius and Edgardo Henriquez, will likely round out the bullpen.

San Diego Padres

The Padres bullpen was a clear top 5 last season and appears poised to repeat that feat in 2026, and might even be better.

Closer Mason Miller was unreal at times last year, is arguably the best reliever in the game, and has looked good in the spring as well.

Southpaw Adrian Morejon rates as a top relief arm and sports a 3.38 ERA over 8 spring innings, while Jeremiah Estrada has not given up an earned run over 9.2 innings pitched this spring.

Bullpen ace Jason Adam, in a surprise early return from what was feared to be a more serious injury, pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout against Colorado in a Cactus League appearance Friday. Adam was one of the Padres' bullpen highlights last season, earning his first All-Star honors.

Matt Waldron and Kyle Hart are expected to be in the mix, and it has already been mentioned that GM A.J. Preller is expected to add more pitching before the trade deadline.

The bullpen may have its work cut out for them though, as Joe Musgrove and Michael King are hoping to return from long term injuries, while Nick Pivetta along with veteran additions Walker Buehler, German Marquez, and possibly Randy Vasquez and Griffin Canning provide rotation depth.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants' bullpen has to go down as one of the biggest question marks of the early season after trading away Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers last season and Randy Rodriguez's season-ending surgery.

Ryan Walker is the assumed closer here and his spring performance leaves little doubt he is up to the task, throwing 7 innings without giving up an earned run while recording 8 strikeouts and zero walks.

Jose Butto, JT Brubaker, and Spencer Bivens are all expected to land roster spots in the pen as well. Bivens and Brubaker have already combined for 21 innings pitched this spring, with 3.48 and 2.45 ERAs respectively.

Erik Miller has been impressive in 3 outings so far this spring and Keaton Winn, a former starter, may get seventh/eighth-inning work right away despite a bumpy start. Offseason signings Sam Hentges and Jason Foley are returning from injuries and should contribute this season as well.

The starting rotation is anchored by Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, and supported by veteran additions Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser, and Landen Roupp.

— InsidethePen Staff

2026 Division Previews

NL West NL Central NL East AL Central AL East AL West