It’s been a busy off season thus far, with many of the top free agent bats already off the market.  Unfortunately for the NL West there have been a lot more subtractions than additions to this point.  Already the West has lost players such as Pablo Sandoval, and Hanley Ramirez both of whom signed deals with the Red Sox.  Michael Cuddyer left the Rockies to play for the Mets where he signed a two year $21 million contract, and just today Everth Cabrera was non-tendered by the Padres making him a free agent.  

First let’s take a look at the moves the Dodgers have made this off-season.  As already discussed they lost Ramirez to the Red Sox and haven’t done a whole lot else this off-season.  The only other move the Dodgers have made to their major league roster is trading for starting pitcher Juan Nicasio for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  For a team with world series hopes it is a strange sight to see them subtract and not add to their roster to this point.

Now let’s take a look at the world champion San Francisco Giants.  The Giants lost a key piece in Sandoval.  He has been a major producer in the postseason and has been above average at his position during the regular season.  Some other key pieces for the Giants are free agents Mike Morse, Jake Peavy, and Sergio Romo.  Morse quietly put together a good season for the Giants batting .279 with 16 homeruns, but most importantly played the second most games in a single season in his career at 131.  The Giants have yet to sign anybody this off season but it would be a major loss for them to lose Sandoval, Morse and players from their pitching staff which has always been a major component to their championships.  

The San Diego Padres like the Giants have had a very quiet off season to this point.  They have yet to sign a single player but they did non-tender their short stop Everth Cabrera.  This comes as a bit of a surprising move as despite his many injury woes, Cabrera is probably the Padres best hitter, and at a very key position.

Shockingly it is the Diamondbacks have made the most moves to this point in the off-season.  They may not have any notable names hitting the free agent market as they have tendered contracts to all eligible players, but they were involved in a trade with the Rays.  The Diamondbacks received starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson in mid November for outfielder Justin Williams and shortstop Andrew Velazquez.  Hellickson is still only 27 and as a former Rookie of the Year still brings high hopes to his new team in Arizona.  The Diamondbacks did give up some good prospects for him though as Williams is only 19 and the second round draft pick in 2013, and has a career .351 batting average in the minors

The Rockies like most other teams in this division have had a rather quiet off-season up to this point, but have been in the middle of trade rumors for months now.  These rumors have been surrounding supers star shortstopa Troy Tulowitzki.  When healthy he has been one of the best players in the game but the asking price is said to be extremely steep.  Tulowitzki will only 30 years old, and he provides the rare combination of power and a high btting average while also playing gold glove defense at shortstop.  Teams are really going to have to dive deep into the prospect pool to trade for Tulowitzki and have the money to pay for his contract that takes him through the 2020 season at just under $20 million per year.

There has not been a ton of movement to this point in the NL West at this point.  However when you have two teams that are perennial contenders you can afford to sit back and wait to make your move and make sure you are making the moves that best set you up for success next year.