If there was any doubt about the mindset of the people in charge, let there be no more. The Dodgers aren’t going for broke. But they are doing everything they can to help keep this great thing going. 

With only 44 games to play in the regular season, the Dodgers, who are on-pace for a historic number of wins, improved their outfield depth, acquiring Curtis Granderson. 

Dodger fans, @cgrand3 has a message for you. #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/Td87uPqoqN

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 19, 2017

Fangraphs still has the Dodgers’ World Series odds at 19 percent. That’s better than any other team, but still only a little better than a literal roll of a dice. Which is why a move like this, for an already-dominant team, is seen as necessary. Even for a team 52 games over .500 in August, Andrew Friedman and co. still thought they needed to make some marginal improvements. 

Granderson is known as a great clubhouse presence and a great guy in baseball circles. He’s been a Roberto Clemente Award winner and is in the lineup for the Dodgers today (Saturday). 

For Dodgers fans — if you didn’t know I am one — this is more confirmation that the Friedman/Zaidi front office is smarter than everyone. Nobody had Granderson on their radar. Nobody I saw was even talking about the need for another outfielder. People were “worried” about Joc Pederson, but nobody had any ideas on what to do about it. 

But the Dodgers did. And they acted. It was swift, decisive, and measured. As has been the case basically since Friedman and Zaidi have been in place, the Dodgers’ front office is the best in baseball. They proved why again on Friday. 

With all the recent excitement in the Dodgers front office, people may have forgotten the actual players. Going into the 2014 offseason after what was a very disappointing postseason run for the Dodgers, it seems as if they may not look the same come March. Hanley Ramirez seems a lock to not re-sign and the outfield situation needs to be finally solved. Josh Beckett is retiring and the bullpen needs to get rid of almost everyone. The Dodgers need to have a good off-season in order to reposition themselves as the class of the National League.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a large task ahead of him with the Dodgers. By Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg: Jennifer Huber derivative work: Delaywaves talk (Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

With Beckett gone, starting pitching should also be looked at. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, and Hyun-jin Ryu as their front three starters, but the back end of the rotation is the key to winning championships. Like Brian Wilson, Dan Haren will return to the club after picking up his player option. Haren gives them a nice fourth or fifth starter, but they need another.

There are a many options the Dodgers can choose from but I suggest the idea of signing a fourth starter rather than a fifth. Some interesting names are available that include Ervin Santana, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jake Peavy. The Dodgers’ spending habits lately would indicate at least a mild interest in players Jon Lester or Max Scherzer, though new management might not be as excited at the idea of another huge contract.

Finally, the Dodgers need to solve their outfield situation and upgrade a few positions. The Dodgers have too many outfielders and need to do something about it. Who gets the boot?

Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, or Yasiel Puig? Puig is basically untouchable, as he should be. Kemp should be as well after his resurgence last season, which leaves Ethier or Crawford. They both have terrible contracts, which will make it tricky to trade them. Trading Ethier seems the most likely to happen. A team like the Detroit Tigers may be interested, especially with uncertainty surrounding Torii Hunter.

Upgrading at the catcher position would vastly improve the team. AJ Ellis commands the plate as well as any catcher in the league but his hitting isn’t what the Dodgers need to get them over the hump. The only clear option to replacing Ellis for the Dodgers is with Russell Martin. Martin would bring some extra power as well as his control of the plate to the Dodgers, a team he spent a large chunk of his career with.

With Hanley Ramirez half way out the door, the shortstop position is open while they wait for prospect Corey Seager to grow. Some intriguing options in the free agent market, but making a trade with the White Sox for shortstop Alexi Ramirez makes sense. Maybe an Ethier, prospect and money for Ramirez trade would work?

It is essential that the Dodgers have a good and productive offseason in order to repeat as NL West champions and hopefully mirror their Northern California rivals and hoist a World Series trophy for the first time since 1988.

Every offseason brings speculation and rumors and every offseason something happens that nobody saw coming. It’s what makes the hot stove so hot. The 2014-2015 MLB offseason will be no different as there are numerous high-powered free agents looking to test the free agent market. After what was a crazy 2014 baseball season, the 2015 season should be another great one but first we have to figure out all the craziest of the offseason. Here are my predictions for some of baseballs biggest free agents and the predictions for the 2014 season award winners:

Max Scherzer is a free agent this winter and could find a new home come next season. By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Max Scherzer) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

MVP: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

CY Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager of the year: Matt Williams, Washington Nationals

Rookie of the year: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

2014 AL Award Predictions:

MVP: Mike Trout, Anaheim Angels

CY Young: Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

Manager of the year: Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals

Rookie of the year: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

Free Agents:

Max Scherzer (SP, Tigers): Signs with the Mariners

Jon Lester (SP, Athletics): Signs with the Cubs

James Shields (SP, Royals): Signs with the Yankees

Pablo Sandoval (3B, Giants): Re-signs with the Giants

Hanley Ramirez (SS, Dodgers): Signs with the Yankees

Nelson Cruz (RF, Orioles): Re-signs with the Orioles

Victor Martinez (C, Tigers): Re-signs with the Tigers

Melky Cabrera (RF, Blue Jays): Signs with the White Sox

Russell Martin (C, Pirates): Signs with the Dodgers

Ervin Santana (SP, Braves): Signs with the Dodgers

Francisco Liriano (SP, Pirates): Signs with the Twins

Brandon McCarthy (SP, Yankees): Signs with the Orioles

David Robertson (RP, Yankees): Signs with the Orioles

Kenta Maeda (SP, Japan): Signs with the Astros

Yasmany Tomas (OF, Cuba): Signs with the Rangers

Chase Headley (3B, Yankees): Signs with the Red Sox

Andrew Miller (RP, Orioles): Signs with the Tigers

Justin Masterson (SP, Cardinals): Signs with the Brewers

Jed Lowrie (SS, Athletics): Signs with the Nationals

Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, Nationals): Signs with the Reds

Nick Markakis (OF, Orioles): Signs with the Giants

Adam LaRoche (1B, Nationals): Signs with the Padres

Jake Peavy (SP, Giants): Signs with the Cubs

Mike Morse (OF, Giants): Signs with the Royals

Alex Rios (OF, Rangers): Signs with the Mets

Luke Gregerson (RP, Athletics): Signs with the Dodgers

Edinson Volquez (SP, Pirates): Signs with the Braves

Torii Hunter (OF, Tigers): Re-signs with the Tigers

AJ Burnett (SP, Phillies): Signs with the Red Sox

Sergio Romo (RP, Giants): Signs with the Dodgers

Francisco Rodriguez (RP, Brewers): Signs with the Angels

Rafael Soriano (RP, Nationals): Signs with the Tigers

Aaron Harang (SP, Braves): Signs with the Giants

Nori Aoki (OF, Royals): Re-signs with the Royals

Billy Butler (DH, Royals): Signs with the Indians

Stephen Drew (SS, Yankees): Signs with the Marlins

Chad Billingsley (SP, Dodgers): Signs with the Padres

A.J. Pierzynski (C, Cardinals): Signs with the White Sox

Jason Grilli (RP, Angels): Signs with the Giants

Emillio Bonifacio (2B, Braves): Re-signs with the Braves

Brandon Morrow (SP, Blue Jays): Signs with the Diamondbacks

It’s always fun to speculate. Who would you like to see on your favorite team?

For a really cool analysis of free agents, check out Fangraphs, who crowd-sourced what free agents should get what kind of deal. It’s always fun to see the difference between what the fans think a player is worth and what that player gets on the open market.

You can see the post here.

There will be a team from California in the 2014 World Series and no it won’t be the Dodgers or Angels; it will be the San Francisco Giants. Again. It hurts me to say, but the Giants are the most complete team in the league, and are better than their Southern California counterparts. Since winning two World Series titles in the last four seasons, the Giants have quietly been one of the better teams in baseball but haven’t got the recognition they deserved because of all the hype of their So-Cal rivals. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due.

Madison Bumgarner has lead the Giants back to the fall classic in 2014. By SD Dirk on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

They handily beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card game in Pittsburgh, then the Washington Nationals who had the best record in the National League. The Giants dispatched them in four games.

The pipe dream would have been to finally see a Dodgers-Giants NLCS, but the Dodgers couldn’t live up to their part of the deal and handed the Cardinals a series win thus setting up another Cardinals-Giants NLCS showdown.

A combination of great pitching from the Giants and injuries and mistakes for the Cardinals gave San Francisco the series win and another World Series appearance.

The San Francisco Giants will meet the red-hot — and surprising — Kansas City Royals in the World Series starting October 21^st in Kansas City. Recent history favors the Giants to win the series, but the way the Royals are playing anything is possible. My advice to the Royals would be to make sure to take the first two games in Kansas City, otherwise the Giants might get to party in San Francisco, celebrating a third consecutive even-year World Series title.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not made a World Series since 1988. With their loss this week, they won’t have a spot in the fall classic in 2014. A team with the highest payroll in baseball in one of the best baseball cities in America shouldn’t be eliminated from the playoffs as early as the division series. The Dodgers squad is made up of different types of talent that honestly don’t really work together to create a complete team. This season, their raw talent led them to the division title, and fans and experts alike looked past their obvious shortcomings.

Ned Colletti’s job could be in jeopardy after the team’s clear holes weren’t addressed. By PVSBond, via Wikimedia Commons

It has been two seasons since both trades went down and what do the Dodgers have to show for it? Two division titles and two playoff beat-downs at the hands of the St Louis Cardinals, who have are arguably become the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Baseball.

While the regular season winning is nice, when you spend that much money on a team it is championship or bust. So the question remains who is to blame for the Dodgers disappointments and what do they do about it?

Clayton Kershaw had a historic season. The Dodgers’ ace went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, but his postseason demons struck again against a familiar opponent. He is now 3-7 with a 4.83 ERA against the St. Louis Cardinals and 70-22 with a 1.99 ERA against everyone else. Kershaw cruised through six innings in game one, only having allowed two runs before squandering a four run lead and giving up eight runs in the 7^th inning. While Kershaw deserves some of the blame, Mattingly also deserves some for not pulling out his star pitcher once the Cardinals had closed to 6-4. I don’t care who the pitcher is or how much you trust them, once they start giving up runs and putting the game in jeopardy you take them out especially in the 7^th inning of a home playoff game. Mattingly in his Dodger career has made a lot of blunder-headed mistakes but none like this playoff series.

His first mistake was with Kershaw in Game One. Then, in game three he took Hyun Jin Ryu out after the 6^th inning when he was pitching a masterful game on the road. After the game, Ryu came out and said that he felt fine to pitch the 7^th inning. Instead of bringing in a relief pitcher that has carried the team all season like Brandon League, he brings in Scott Elbert who promptly gives up a two run home run that sealed the Dodgers game-three fate.

In Game Four, with Kershaw pitching on three days rest, the Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and Mattingly left Kershaw in for the 7^th against the heart of the Cardinals order, which lead to a three-run home run and the end of the Dodgers’ season.

All signs point to Don Mattingly and all-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw taking the majority of the blame. While they both made mistakes, they shouldn’t get all of fans’ ire. Mattingly made some dumb decisions, but in the end he isn’t the one who goes out onto the field and plays. The big hitters the Dodgers have didn’t produce and the bullpen, which was the weakest link of the Dodgers team all season, struck again.

The person who deserves the most blame for the Dodgers’ disappointments has to be general manager Ned Colletti. There have been rumors swirling that there might be changes in the Dodgers front office and I hope they are true. At the trade deadline, Colletti had opportunities to pursue bullpen help that might have saved the Dodgers season. Instead, Colletti went out and got back-end pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia neither of whom made the postseason roster.

While Colletti has built teams that made the postseason, he continues to disregard the team’s biggest needs and it ends up costing them late in the season. The Dodgers could use a new General Manager in their system and maybe then they will finally reach the World Series. The Padres and Diamondbacks have already changed their GMs so the Dodgers should continue the trend in the NL West.

Leave no doubt, this team needs some fixing. In order for this team to be fixed it is going to take major work. Much of the team is locked in for years to come in their respective deals. One solution would be to upgrade on a few positions including third base and catcher. Juan Uribe and AJ Ellis have been good clubhouse guys but their production on the field has been less than expected and more consistent production is needed from those positions. For me, the most important factor of the 2015 offseason will be getting bullpen help. Kenley Jansen is the only bullpen guy the Dodgers could rely on this season and even he has some issues.

Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon, Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, Hyun Jin Ryu and Kenley Jansen should be the main players returning to the team next season due to their success. Trading Andre Ethier and re- signing Justin Turner should be priorities going into the offseason. This coming offseason is going to be a tough one on both the Dodgers front office and the players but this team will be back again next season and should again be favorites to win a championship. In the mean time, the front office needs to make some changes in both player personnel and front office personnel, because the Dodgers have the core talent to win a title but proving it out on the field is a whole different story.

After making it to the NLCS a season ago and going on their historic 42-8 run to make it there, the Dodgers seemed primed to be legitimate World Series contenders in 2014. Yet the start of the 2014 season seems oddly familiar to the 2013. The likelihood of them going on a run like they did last year, though, is very far-fetched. So the question remains what is wrong with them right now?

Currently the Dodgers hold a record of 19-18 and are sitting in the third place position in the NL West. They started out winning four of their first five games and were looking good. Recently though, they have dropped six of their last eight games. They are a pathetic 2-6 head-to-head against the Giants who are clearly the best team in the NL West right now. They have had some injuries including Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and A.J. Ellis but that shouldn’t be an excuse for a team with such a high payroll and as much talent as they have.

It’s been said before but if the Dodgers don’t start winning soon, Don Mattingly may be looking for a new job. By http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvsbond/, via Wikimedia Commons

Aside from their obvious struggles, the Dodgers have had some bright spots this season, including the play of Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Zach Greinke and Adrian Gonzalez.

Gordon, who  is leading the team with a .328 batting average, has also  stolen 21 bases already which is the best in baseball, nine more than the next guy behind him.

Free agent acquisition, Dan Haren, has shown why the Dodgers signed him with his 4-1 record and his 2.68 ERA. With all the injuries to the pitching staff, Haren has stepped up and played a huge role in keeping this team afloat.

Zach Greinke started out 5-0 only to finally lose a game where the Dodgers just couldn’t score any runs. His 2.35 ERA and 47 strikeouts lead the team and have carried the Dodgers while Kershaw was hurt.

Adrian Gonzalez, in my opinion is an early contender for National League Most Valuable Player. He is hitting .265 with 9 HR and 26 RBI. He also has an .861 OPS, putting him just below the range of his best three seasons. Gonzalez has carried the load offensively thus far while the rest of the team figures themselves out.

How to fix whatever is wrong?

Other than the injuries to the team the only two real problems with this team are the inconsistency of the bullpen and the lack of hitting in some games, both of which can be easily fixed. As for the bullpen, manager Don Mattingly needs to read the situations during games better and figure out when to plug certain pitchers in rather than go with a set bullpen rotation. With the kind of depth that the Dodgers have, its the only way to manage all those bodies.

Dodgers win and Mattingly only made three mistakes. I'll take it.

— Howard Cole (@Howard_Cole) May 10, 2014

The hitting will come around, I’m sure of that. The Dodgers have too much depth and talent on their roster for it not to. It’s still very early in the season and the Dodgers just need regroup and get things together. Although it was over a month ago, the unorthodox trip to Australia could still be affecting them, since it cut their spring training and usual time to prepare for the long grinding season short. The Dodgers will get it together and I expect to see them being the team we all expect them to be come the second half of the season.

What do you think? Will the Dodgers turn it around or will they stay at .500 and be a disappointment all season?

Dodgers star outfielder Yasiel Puig is at it again with his questionable antics that causes most of the baseball world — especially grouchy Dodgers fans — a reaction kind of like this.

Puig arrived late for batting practice during the Dodgers home opener against the Giants and was benched from the game. It’s the second time in Puig’s career that he has been benched for arriving late. Add to that his two driving arrests, mistakes running the bases and failure to hit the cutoff man and you can see why some fans are frustrated by his immaturity.

The catch is that he remains one of the most talented players in the baseball. The Dodgers need him and they need his antics to stop to get back to the World Series — a place they haven’t visited since 1988.

Puig needs players like Uribe to show him the way and teach him. By Ron Reiring via Wikimedia Commons

Puig set records in his first month in the big leagues causing people to call for “Puigmania” or “MVPuig”. You couldn’t walk around Los Angeles and not have someone talking about Puig or the Dodgers.

Since his historic first month, though, his numbers have declined slightly and his off field antics have caused much criticism and debate. He just hasn’t made a good impression. The thing is, people forget that he is just 23 years of age now, he hasn’t even been in the majors for even a full season. He came from a country in Cuba with little freedom and now he is a star. I think any 23-year-old kid would lose control sometimes.

Yasiel Puig is a very talented athlete, that isn’t being questioned at all. But his maturity needs to improve if he wants to continue his career as one of the stars in Major League Baseball. It will only get worse for him from here on out if he continues to do these antics. He has a microscope on him and anything he does — on or off the field — will be examined and re-examined over the course of the season.

It may be wishful thinking, but I think or at least hope that Puig finally has learned his lesson from the opening-day benching. For the Dodgers sake he better have.

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.

The off-season hot stove is heating up. For the Dodgers, it’s time to start making moves and scout new players to fill the holes on the roster. Many questions have surfaced about the team — linking them to almost every free agent player and wondering whether or not manager Don Mattingly would return. Mattingly will, in fact, be back. Who are the players he’ll be managing, though?

Re-signing Brian Wilson is a key part to the Dodgers offseason, especially so he doesn’t end up back with the Giants. By Thephatphilmz (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

The key for the Dodgers to have a successful offseason begins and ends with one name — Brian Wilson. When Wilson signed with the Dodgers, it was basically an audition for teams to see how he could pitch after his injury and Wilson impressed. Wilson’s presence was a key to the Dodgers run into the NLCS. He posted a 0.66 ERA with a record of 2-1 in 18 regular season appearances and didn’t allow a run in three innings in the playoffs.

So what’s the problem? Wilson was great, so why is it so hard to sign him back? The primary answer is that Wilson wants to be a closer again and the Dodgers already have a good closer in Kenley Jansen. Many teams have expressed interest in Wilson and the Dodgers needs to do something about this fast. Wilson has interest and would stay in Los Angeles if he were to be paid closer-type money. I think the Dodgers should pay the man whatever amount he is asking for. If there is one team who can sink closer money into a player who isn’t a closer, it’s the Dodgers. Wilson has become a fan favorite already and having both him and Jansen at the end of the bullpen is a scary sight for opposing teams.

The Dodgers management needs to re-sign Wilson before making any other moves. He will be a key factor in this team trying for a title run. Winning close games is something you have to be able to do. Wilson will help to this end. Losing him would be a huge blow to a team that had bullpen problems last season. I say the Dodgers should pay the man and keep the rest of the National League West fearing the beard.

The Red Sox weren’t a very good team in 2012, but I was lucky enough to be able to attend a game at Fenway Park last season. I went to Fenway in early September for a game against the Blue Jays, shortly after the huge Red Sox-Dodgers trade happened.

It was a rainy night in Boston yet the stadium was packed eager to watch their beloved Red Sox. When I left Fenway that night, never did I think in a million years would the Red Sox be crowned champions of the baseball world the next season, especially after a trade that saw Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett pack their bags and head west. But it happened. What an incredible story for the city of Boston, for its fans and for baseball fans all over the world, except for maybe Cardinal and Yankee fans of course.

David Ortiz led the Red Sox to their third World Series title in the last 10 years. By Googie man at the English language Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons

The Boston Marathon bombing and the city’s reaction to it has, in many ways, redefined the “Boston Strong” mindset of Beantown.

Earlier in the year, the Celtics couldn’t bring a title back, the Bruins lost in the Stanley Cup Finals and finally the Red Sox broke through. After clinching the American League-East title with slight ease, they took on the Tampa Bay Rays and beat them in four games before taking out the Tigers in six games in the American League Championship Series.

Finally, the Red Sox would meet up with the St. Louis Cardinals after the red birds beat the Dodgers in the NLCS in six games as well. Last night, the Sox clinched and Boston partied.

They started the season off strong and never looked back, which is rare to do in the grueling 162-game season. This team was destined for greatness all season long and they earned the right to call themselves champions. For the first time in awhile, the absolute best team in baseball all season won the title — they weren’t just some “hot” team who climbed into the playoffs and went on some magical run. The 2013 baseball season is over but won’t be forgotten and we all are looking forward to opening day 2014. For now, Boston is partying like its 1918.