The Colorado Rockies are broken. The Arizona Diamondbacks are battered and bruised. The two teams comprise the basement of the National League West.

It’s a terrible situation for both teams. Yet these division rivals who share a spring training complex in Scottsdale are both trying to figure out how to put 2025 behind them and look into the future.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers currently sporting the second-highest active payroll (just over $245 million) and the San Diego Padres having the seventh-highest (just over $168 million), it’s a steep uphill climb in the division. Both teams also have general managers who have a history of not only making shrewd signings in the offseason but also the right deals at the trade deadline.

Colorado’s active payroll stands at just under $41 million, the fourth-lowest of MLB’s 30 teams.

Knowing the numbers, what will it take for the Rockies and Diamondbacks to compete in the near future with the two California titans of the division? Here are three things that must happen for both clubs to be in the postseason as they were in 2017:

Good health

It’s fair to say the Diamondbacks were dealt a cruel hand this season with injuries as starting pitcher Corbin Burnes, their big offseason signing, was lost for 2025 with an elbow injury that will also greatly impact his 2026 campaign. The same is true for key relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez.

All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll missed a couple of weeks with a wrist injury, one of several position players to be absent as the Diamondbacks eventually became sellers at the trade deadline, putting a cap on a season that had postseason aspirations when it began.

For the Rockies, injuries have exposed a lack of MLB-ready depth, especially in the infield. Thairo Estrada and Ezequiel Tovar never turned into the impactful middle infield that general manager Bill Schmidt envisioned when he signed Estrada in the offseason. A hamstring injury suffered on Tuesday sent Estrada to the injured list for the third time in 2025 and ended his season after just 39 games.

Tovar, meanwhile, had played in just 48 of Colorado’s 114 games entering the weekend.

Kris Bryant once again hasn’t been a factor this season, taking 39 at-bats in a season where his payroll allotment was $27 million. It’s possible that the 33-year-old All-Star may never take another bat in Colorado because of back issues.

For Arizona and Colorado to compete, they must stay healthy. With news coming out this week that the Diamondbacks will cut payroll in 2026, Arizona will have to depend on some of its young players to step up. The same is true for Colorado.

Kyle Karros, Charlie Condon, Ethan Holliday and others are expected to impact Colorado’s lineup over the next year or two and can be a big key to turning the Rockies’ fortunes around. They can’t help, however, if they can’t play.

Spending wisely

The Bryant contract will go down as one of the worst investments in Denver sports history as he has played just 170 games since signing a seven-year, $182 million deal before the 2022 season.

Lament it all you will, but it’s in the past. The signing can’t be undone. It can, however, be a reminder to Rockies executives of the future to invest wisely.

While there is plenty of excitement around the prospects who can make an impact at Coors Field, the team must have its share of veterans as well. Finding the right mix of veterans who can contribute on the field and in the clubhouse will be critical for the Rockies moving forward.

With Arizona cutting payroll for next season, the same holds true in the desert. If the Diamondbacks are going to spend, it must be on the right person, not just a heartbeat that will fill a position.

Prospects must come through

Both the Dodgers and Padres have spent money to bring in big-name free agents and have also had their share of young players come up through the system to contribute as well.

If the Rockies and Diamondbacks are not going to spend at high levels, their prospects must form the core of what comes next.

Chase Dollander, Carson Palmquist and Zac Veen have had their moments in Colorado and have struggled before being sent back to Triple-A. While Ryan Ritter and Yanquiel Fernandez have stuck on the roster for extended periods of time, neither has an OPS+ above 71 (league average is 100).

Kyle Karros is very early in his MLB career, but he’ll be given every opportunity to be Colorado’s everyday third baseman next season. Warming Bernabel has shown he has the skills to take over at first base and give Condon time to develop and not be rushed to Denver.

An infield of Karros at third, Tovar at shortstop, Ritter at second base and Bernabel at first is possible to open 2026, giving the Rockies a very young look on the dirt.

It’s going to take a lot for the Rockies and Diamondbacks to be in the thick of the pennant race over the next couple of seasons. However, if these three things happen, the light at the end of the tunnel may actually be hope rather than a train coming to wreck yet another season.