Divisional preview: National League West

The National League West will be a three-team race with the Dodgers, Padres and defending World Series champion Giants.

The Dodgers have a revamped lineup, but their rotation is thin. The Padres have an all-new outfield, but the defense might be shaky. The Giants are banking on a healthy lineup to make up for the loss of Pablo Sandoval, who signed with Boston.

San Diego will prevent the Dodgers from winning their third consecutive NL West title. The Dodgers will finish second followed by the Giants, Diamondbacks and Rockies.

A rundown on the NL West:

San Diego: There hasn't been this much excitement in San Diego since 1998, the year the Padres won the NL pennant: The Padres, who have been to the postseason in five of their 46 seasons, are no longer an underdog. ... If the Padres pitch as well as they did last season and score more runs with their upgraded offense, why wouldn't they improve on their 77-win season from 2014? The Padres had the second-best ERA (3.27) in the NL, but they were also last in runs scored (535). They spent $75 million to strengthen their pitching, adding James Shields, known as a workhorse with leadership, to their rotation. He joins Andrew Cashner (2.55), Tyson Ross (2.81) and Ian Kennedy (3.63), as well as a strong bullpen, a Padres staple. ...The new outfield, from left to right, is Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Matt Kemp, who hit .309 with 17 home runs in the second half of last season with the Dodgers. Upton hit 56 home runs in two seasons in Atlanta. Myers hit .293 with 13 home runs during his rookie 2013 season with Tampa Bay, but slumped to .222 last season. ... Derek Norris is the new catcher and Will Middlebrooks, a top-notch third base prospect who sputtered in Boston, is rejuvenated with a fresh start in San Diego.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers won their second consecutive division title last season with 94 wins, but they were bounced quickly in the postseason. ... The Dodgers' strength is their top three starters, but the No. 3 guy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, who won 14 games with a 3.38 ERA last season, will start on the disabled list with shoulder stiffness. Lefty Clayton Kershaw, the 2014 NL Cy Young Award winner with 21 wins and 1.71 ERA, and Zack Greinke (17 wins, 2.71 ERA) lead the rotation. But after that, the Dodgers bank on Brandon McCarthy and injury-prone Brett Anderson. The fifth spot will be a prospect. ... The Dodgers have a new look up the middle with catcher Yasmani Grandal, second baseman Howie Kendrick (.293), shortstop Jimmy Rollins (.243) and prospect Joc Pederson, 23, a 30-30 guy at Triple-A, in center field. Pederson will play between Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig. ... The Dodgers' flame-throwing closer, Kenley Jansen, who had 44 saves last season, is on the disabled list in late April.

San Francisco: The Giants, who have won the World Series three of the last five seasons, start 2015 with their sparkplug outfielder, Hunter Pence, on the disabled list, and their October hitting machine, Pablo Sandoval, gone via free agency. Casey McGehee, who has a nose for the big RBI and hit .287 with a .355 on-base percentage in 2014 for Miami, will replace Sandoval at third base. ... The Giants think that full seasons for center fielder Angel Pagan, their leadoff hitter who was injured in September and didn't play in the postseason, and first baseman Brandon Belt, who played in 61 games last season but hit a backbreaking 18th-inning home run versus the Nationals in the Division Series, will make up for Sandoval's departure to Boston. Pagan hit .300 with a .342 on-base percentage before his injury last season. ... With Pagan, infielders Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik and catcher Buster Posey, the Giants have strong defense up the middle. ... Also, Matt Cain, who has a 3.39 ERA in 10 seasons for the Giants, returns to the rotation after elbow surgery, joining World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner at the top. The rest of the rotation, whoever is pitching, is suspect, considering the choices are Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson. Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum and Yasmeiro Petit. ... Are the Giants' worried about the workload of Bumgarner, who threw 270 innings last season? Manager Bruce Bochy joked that not only will Bumgarner pitch opening day, the lefty will pitch Game 2 as well.

Arizona: Rookie manager Chip Hale replaces Kirk Gibson and has the task of improving a team that won 64 games last season. ... The big story is the Diamondbacks' new third baseman, Yasmany Tomas, 24, a Cuban defector who signed for $68.5 million. The team sees him developing into a .280 hitter with 25-30 home runs. ... Finesse pitchers Jeremy Hellickson, a former Tampa Bay Ray, and Josh Collmenter lead the rotation followed by the power arm of Rubby De La Rosa, acquired from Boston. Prospect Patrick Corbin, out with Tommy John, could return in June. The usually durable Bronson Arroyo, also out with an elbow injury, could be back in August. ... First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, always a potential NL MVP candidate, anchors the offense after missing the second half of last season with a broken hand. The D-backs are hoping for consistent power from outfielder Mark Trumbo. ... Hale is a former utility infielder who had 575 at-bats in seven big league seasons, mostly with Minnesota. He made an impression on team president Tony La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager, and GM Dave Stewart, a World Series champion. "It was a little intimidating interviewing with those guys, but I am confident in my ability,'' Hale says.

Colorado: The Rockies are trying to dig out from four consecutive seasons of losing, and it all depends on the health of 30-year-old shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and 29-year-old outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The two are the Rockies' best players, but in the last five seasons, Tulowitzki has averaged 106 games and Gonzalez 117. But those two, along with Justin Morneau, would be a healthy anchor for the Rockies lineup. ... Outfielder Charlie Blackmon had 28 steals last season. Left-fielder Chris Dickerson had 34 home runs and slugged .567. Third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman D.J. LeMahieu are strong defensive players. ... The Rockies rotation had the fewest innings in the National League last season (905 1/3), so that puts pressure on the bullpen. The Rockies' top starter is Jorge De La Rosa, who pitched 184 1/3 innings, winning 14 games with a 4.10 ERA.