The Arizona Diamondbacks were not exactly crestfallen on Tuesday when the out-of-town scoreboard atop Citi Field showed the Los Angeles Dodgers with an early lead in Baltimore. The Dodgers needed one victory to clinch the National League West over the second-place Diamondbacks, and it came easily.

“They can clinch, whatever, they deserve it, they won the division,” said Arizona’s closer, Archie Bradley. “But we’re focused on what we’re doing here.”

The Diamondbacks’ focus is on the second wild card, a race they joined in earnest recently after a long flirtation with .500. More broadly, though, the Diamondbacks are trying to stockpile enough talent to someday unseat the Dodgers, who have taken the last seven N.L. West crowns with piles of cash, waves of prospects and seemingly endless roster depth.

In December the Diamondbacks traded their cornerstone first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, to St. Louis for three players and a draft pick. In July they traded their best pitcher, Zack Greinke, to Houston, for four players. They have also lost starter Patrick Corbin and outfielders J.D. Martinez and A.J. Pollock to free agency since winning a wild-card berth in 2017.