Hyun-jin Ryu turned out to be a great pickup for the Dodgers last offseason, but the team has more subtle changes to be made this year. By Owen Main

Last offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers made some huge splashes in the free agent market by signing Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu to multi year contracts. Both signings panned out for the Dodgers during the 2013 season as both Greinke and Ryu pitched very well in both the regular season and postseason helping to guide the Dodgers to the NL West title. After being eliminated in the NLCS, many people wondered what the next big move for the Dodgers would be during the offseason. Would they make a trade for former Cy Young Award winner David Price? Would they trade away star outfielder Matt Kemp? Neither have happened to this point. Here’s what has happened so far:

The winter meetings have passed and the Dodgers have remained very quiet this offseason. The biggest signing so far is that of Dan Haren to close out the pitching rotation. Since the new ownership of the Dodgers has taken over they have been willing to spend money whenever they want with no price limit, so the lack of movement this offseason has confused some folks. Aside from the Haren signing the team has re-signed some key players from last season including Juan Uribe, Brian Wilson and J.P. Howell. The team’s quiet signing of these players and lack of a big splash so far has been a blessing in disguise for the Dodgers. Sometimes, less is more.

Even with their lack of moves, the Dodgers should still should be the favorites to win the title this season. Re-signing such major players to their team as Uribe, Wilson and Howell was very important for the team and its chemistry. Consistency is a major factor for any team playing any sport and keeping mainly the same players around and having them grow together with the ups and downs wins championships which is the Dodgers ultimate goal. The type of players the Dodgers have in their clubhouse is extremely important. They did lose some utility players and clubhouse presences to free agency and retirement (Skip Schumaker, Mark Ellis, Nick Punto, Jerry Hairston, Jr.), but for the most part the rest of the 2013 team is there.

The Dodgers management should get more credit than they deserve for finally putting a winning product back onto the field in Los Angeles. Both the players and fans of the Dodgers should be excited for the upcoming season regardless if any more moves are made. For the first time in a long time, the Dodgers are looked at as the favorites to win the World Series and end their 26 year title drought. And, with a team this talented, they aren’t just making moves to make moves.

In a season that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers with the highest payroll in MLB history slip down to a 30-42 record to start the season. At that point, if I said that they would end up two wins away from making their first World Series since 1988 nobody would believe me. The 2013 season had many down times but also many positives.

Hopefully Matt Kemp can stay healthy in 2014. By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Matt Kemp”), via Wikimedia Commons

Of all the playoff teams, the Dodgers had the worst record at 92-70. But they met up with the NL East division winner Atlanta Braves in the NLDS and won the series in four games, and drew St. Louis in the NLCS.

The Dodgers knew the Cardinals would be a tough test. It didn’t help that the best hitter on the Dodgers, Hanley Ramirez, had his ribs broken during the first inning of game one. That one pitch defined the entire series as Ramirez was never the same hitter or fielder that he was during the second half of the year. The Dodgers would drop the series in six games leaving many disappointed after such a successful season.

Despite the series loss, the Dodgers have a lot to look forward to in the future. They played more than half the season without Matt Kemp, who is arguably the best hitter on the team when healthy, and they still were two wins away from the World Series. Much like the start of the season, injuries played a key role at the end of the season for the Dodgers. Along with Kemp being out, Hanley Ramirez had broken ribs, Andre Ethier dealt with a bruised shin and could barely run.

The Dodgers will most likely improve the roster this offseason and look to improve on a great season. Playoff failures a lot of the time, make a team hungry for more and hopefully the Dodgers come out next season looking for redemption. For example, the Lakers in 2008 were completely embarrassed in game 6 of the NBA Finals by the Boston Celtics only to come back and win the title in 2009. This season’s success will only help the Dodgers and the future looks bright for the boys in blue. And with all things considered, two wins away from the World Series is the closest the Dodgers have been to the fall classic since 1988 and is an accomplishment for a team that wasn’t projected to win anything this season. As Magic Johnson would say, Dodger Nation is back and better than ever!

Ever since Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez picked up their shovel and started pouring coal into the furnace of the Dodger train, the locamotive has been picking up momentum.

The already-surging Dodgers could get another boost when Matt Kemp returns. By Owen Main

It seems like yesterday that the Dodgers were mired in last place, Puig was in Chattanooga, and the outlook seemed bleak. As of yesterday morning, the team was 9 games above .500, 27-6 over their past 33 games. They are 3 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Diamondbacks and 11 games up on the last-place Giants. If this isn’t blue heaven, I don’t know what is.

To turn a turd into something positive, their potentially best player has been on the disabled list for most of their run. If Matt Kemp comes back healthy, this lineup could be devastating.

The clubhouse is as good as the team is playing right now. Veterans like Clayton Kershaw, Zack Grienke, Mark Ellis, Jerry Hairston, A.J. Ellis and Skip Schumaker must be doing something right. Their experience mixed with the youthful exuberance of players like Puig are creating a combination tastier to Dodger fans than ice cream out of a blue helmet on a hot summer day.

Yes, there are still a lot of games to be played. Yes, this team is quite capable of losing 12 out of 15 games and dropping back into a battle for the NL West. But I’m going to be an optimist here. I said earlier in the year that I thought the National League West winner would win 90-93 games. I stand by that. As of this morning, the Dodgers sit at 8 games above .500 (57-49). That would get them 85 wins on the season. To win 90 games, you have to be 18 games above .500. With 56 games left to play this year, the Dodgers would have to go 33-23 the rest of the year. I think this train has enough to get over the hill this year. I think they can, I think they can… .

Do you?

The Dodgers signing Zach Greinke shouldn’t surprise anyone as they were the frontrunners for the right-hander all along. But why stop here? The Dodgers, having all the money they obviously do, should take a chance and sign 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton and then trade Andre Ether. The move would give the Dodgers an outfield trio of Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford. It would instantly be the best outfield in baseball. While this move is unlikely, GM Ned Colletti has a history of keeping to himself and then unveiling a huge move.

With the addition of Zach Grienke, among others, Dodgers owners are hoping the stadium is more full than this next year. By Adam_sk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As of right now, with more possible moves to come, the Dodgers have put themselves in a position to be considered on the short list of “title favorites”. The new ownership wants to spend money and so far have shown no relunctancy to do so.

Dodger fans should be excited for this upcoming season. They haven’t had this kind of preseason chance to make the World Series since the team last made an appearance in the fall classic (1988). So buckle up Dodger fans, this should be a great season! And to Giant fans: the NL West just got a whole lot more competitive.

Potential Dodgers Starting Rotation in 2013:

1. Clayton Kershaw (LHP)
2. Zach Greinke (RHP)
3. Ryu Hyun-jin/Beckett/Billingsley
4. Josh Beckett/Billingsley/Hyun-jinn
5. Chad Billingsley/Hyun-jin/Beckett

Starting Lineup:

1. Mark Ellis (2B)
2. Carl Crawford (LF)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Adrian Gonzalez (1B)
5. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
6. Andre Ethier (SS)
7. Luis Cruz (3B)
8. A.J. Ellis (C)
9. Pitcher

Bullpen:

Ted Lilly, could be traded or start (LHP)

Aaron Harang, could be traded (RHP)

Chris Capuano, could be traded (LHP)

Matt Guerrier (RHP)

Scott Elbert (LHP)

Javy Guerra (RHP)

Ronald Belisario (Set-up Man)

Kenley Jansen (Set-up Man)

Brandon League (Closer)

Bench:

Nick Punto (Infielder)

Dee Gordon, could be traded (SS)

Jerry Hairston Jr. (Outfielder)

Ellan Herrera (3B)

Late Friday, the Angles sent shock waves through Anaheim when they traded for Brewers pitcher Zach Grienke. Neither the Dodgers nor the Angels gave up much in the trades and the potential upside of both trades is spectacular.

Luke and I talked about which trade was better, which team risked more, and how we would rate the success of each trade in the short-term and long-term. Hope you enjoy the Fansmanship.com podcast!

But then I thought about what I have written recently. My dislike of Juan Uribe at third-base for the Dodgers has overflowed to the point that I just picture a win-sucking vortex down the third base line.

He’s better than Juan Uribe!

Hanley Ramirez was only hitting in the .240’s this year and having statistically as bad a season as he’s ever had. When people have pointed that out to me over the past 24 hours, my response is a quick “He’s better than Uribe,” which also isn’t saying much. Almost anyone, Wilson Betemit included, is better than Uribe. But Hanley is better in a different way. His “upside” is Kemp-like. Just 18 months ago we were wondering whether Kemp would ever harvest the fruits of his pure talent and here we are with him as the cornerstone of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

Not only is Hanley better than Uribe, based on past performance Han-Ram has such potential that it’s scary. Or exciting. Really exciting.

You should hope he doesn’t turn out like Manny…

First of all, the premise that the Manny Ramirez trade was a bad one is erroneous. The original trade for Manny required the Dodgers to take on only part of Man-Ram’s salary (the Red Sox paid a lot of it) and basically get a hall-of-fame level rental for almost two years. Manny led the Dodgers to back-to-back playoff and NLCS appearances in his first two years. If you want to argue that the re-signing of Manny was a mistake, then I think a valid argument can be made, but the original trade brought excitement to the team and with casual fans paying more attention, maybe even gave the anti-McCourt sentiment that followed a nudge.

He’s going to be as good as he used to be!

Maybe. Even if he isn’t the MVP caliber player he once was, the Dodgers are only committed to him for two years. Even if he turns out to be a little better than Casey Blake (which would be the downside of Hanley), it would still be much better than what they have now and would give Dodgers management time to figure out what they want to do with the infield long-term.

The Pressure Cooker

For the past two years, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have had a heap of pressure on them. While other players in the lineup have exhibited positive stretches, Kemp and Ethier have been forced to be the stalwarts, often playing through injuries and leading the Dodgers’ offense. With Ramirez in the lineup, the collective pressure is eased. Words cannot describe (though I’ve tried) the tremendous pressure put on the entire rest of the lineup by a .185 hitter who is playing every day at a corner infield position. Now the Dodgers don’t only have a player who won’t put additional pressure on other guys. They have a potential superstar who can take as much pressure off other guys as Kemp and Ethier. And that’s something to be really excited about.luke chat

So what will he really be?

So will Hanley be the old Hanley — terrorizing opposing pitchers from a middle infield or third base position? Or will he be this year’s Hanley — a spoiled child not able to cope or play nicely with new friend. My prediction is that Hanley Ramirez will end up somewhere in between. His tarnished image and game will begin to dissipate and while he is unlikely to be the Hanley of old, he is a huge upgrade at the position the Dodgers sorely needed a change.

Last night Ramirez’ acquisition paid off in a tangible way when he sent the ball over the outfield wall in San Francisco to secure a Dodgers extra-inning win and pull them one game closer to the first-place Giants.

Now if we could just do something about this first-base thing…