NL West Futures: Dodgers Now a Heavy Favorite Amid Hot Streak

The second half is officially underway and one of the hottest teams in baseball since the All-Star Game happens to be the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because of their dominance, the sportsbooks have labeled them as a heavy favorite in the NL West futures, even though the Arizona Diamondbacks were first in the division for most of the campaign.

Meanwhile, the star-studded San Diego Padres are completely out of the picture, although a Wild Card spot is still a possibility as they begin to find their footing. Below, we’ll analyze a few different teams who could have a shot at winning this division.

Los Angeles Dodgers

After an up-and-down first half, the Dodgers are 6-3 since the festivities in Seattle, and the sportsbooks evidently believe it’s a foregone conclusion they win the NL West. LA owns -1250 odds at 888sport.

While it’s not surprising to see them as a favorite, that’s a rather steep number considering Dave Roberts’ squad is just four games ahead of the Diamondbacks, who sit in second place. The Dodgers are 57-41 and 7-3 in their last 10 contests.

They’ve also won this division in nine of the last 10 years. Dominance. If LA stays hot and Arizona, in particular, continues to struggle, I don’t see anyone catching them for the crown. The talent is just unmatched and the likes of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and JD Martinez are raking. If Julio Urias can return to his former self as well, it’ll be huge.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs were honestly the talk of the big leagues in the first half. No one expected them to be good yet their two stud starters in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly were brilliant and the offense wasn’t too bad either. However, things have come back crashing down to earth.

Arizona is 2-8 in their last 10 games and in the midst of a brutal four-game losing streak. It was always going to be hard for the Diamondbacks to hold off the Dodgers, but they’re not exactly helping their case. Plus, the Giants are now tied with Arizona at 54-46. The divisional title is quickly falling out of reach. 

San Francisco Giants

Do not count out San Francisco. Gabe Kapler has his ball club playing fantastic baseball and remains in the mix for their second NL West title in the last three years, having also won it in 2021. The Giants won five straight after the All-Star break and were actually unbeaten in seven before the Reds beat them.

The rotation is performing very well and has finally managed to stay healthy. However, since the winning streak, San Fran has dropped five in a row, getting swept by the lowly Nationals over the weekend.

If the Giants are serious about catching the Dodgers and surpassing the Diamondbacks, losing to teams like Washington is not acceptable. The Tigers and Athletic are up next, which is a clear opportunity to get back on track. Most MLB betting sites aren’t giving San Francisco the best odds to win the NL West, but there is still a ton of time left in the regular season. You never know.