Much of the Dodgers’ offseason planning surely rides on the wings of their upcoming postseason, but they could be poised to continue their streak of huge moves under new ownership.

The Dodgers have already won the NL West title and now look to bring back the World Series trophy for the first time in 25 years Regardless of what they do in the playoffs, I think the Dodgers should make a serious run at second baseman, Robinson Cano. Recently, Cano stated that he wants a 10 year, $305 million dollar contract this offseason Realistically he isn’t going to get it from any team. Cano is a great player but $300-plus million to a player who turns 31 this offseason is ridiculous.

Will Robinson Cano bring his bat to the Dodgers lineup in 2014? By kidsire on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

Why it makes sense

The Dodgers lineup has three offensively “weak” positions: third base, catcher and second base. Adding Cano would shore-up the second base position and add an extra bat to the lineup. Cano has averaged 29 homeruns, 106 RBIs and posted a.310 batting average over the last three seasons. This would be a vast improvement from the Dodgers current second base options, though Mark Ellis has to be one of the better clubhouse guys in the game and is still very good defensively. Here is how the Dodgers potential opening-day lineup would look if Cano put on the Dodger blue next season:

LF Carl Crawford

RF Yasiel Puig

CF Matt Kemp

1B Adrian Gonzalez

2B Robinso Cano

SS Hanley Ramirez

3B Mark Ellis

C AJ Ellis

P Clayton Kershaw

That would be a very scary lineup for opposing pitchers to face. Just one of the players hitting 2-6 would put fear into opponents. Mark Ellis would shift over to third base, the position he played in college at Florida and let Cano take second. The Dodgers could probably get more than Cano this offseason with their large pocketbooks, but I think Cano should be the number-one target. I hope that the Dodgers management feels the same way.

One thing that has remained consistent this season is the dominance of Miguel Cabrera. By Cbl62, via Wikimedia Commons

Back in January, about three months prior to the start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, I wrote an article claiming my predictions for the upcoming season. Now that the All Star Game is upon us, that means the season is a little over halfway finished and my perception of the teams and players has changed over the course of the year from what it was before the season even started. So here are my updated predictions on what will transpire over the next few months of the season:

But first, here are my pre-season predictions:

Teams I picked to win their divisions:

AL East: New York Yankees

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: Cincinnati Reds

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

Wild Card Teams:

American League: Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s

National League: San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals

CY Young winners:

American League: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

National League: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

MVP:

American League: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

National League: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

Best record in each League:

American League: Detroit Tigers

National League: Cincinnati Reds

Manager of the Year:

American League: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers

National League: Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers

Moneyball will finally find a World Series ring in 2013. By Leaders Event from London, United Kingdom, via Wikimedia Commons

Updated Predictions (Stats are up to the All Star break):

Teams I picked to win their divisions:

AL East: Boston Red Sox

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Oakland A’s

NL East: Atlanta Braves

NL Central: Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks

Wild Card Teams:

American League: Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers

National League: St Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds

CY Young winners:

American League: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (10-4, 2.53 ERA, 140 Strikeouts, 1.10 WHIP)

National League: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (8-6, 1.98 ERA, 139 Strikeouts, 0.91 WHIP)

MVP:

American League: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (.365, 30 HR, 95 RBI, .458 OBP)

National League: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks (.313, 21 HR, 77 RBI, .395 OBP)

Best record in each League:

American League: Oakland A’s

National League: Pittsburgh Pirates

Manager of the Year:

American League: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

National League: Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates

I’m usually pretty stubborn about my predictions, but I will admit that I have changed some of mine from the preseason. I was totally off about both the Dodgers and Angels, even though both can still make some sort of run at the playoffs — especially the Dodgers.

Staying in the National League West, Paul Goldschmidt is my new pick for National League MVP. Many people view Yadier Molina as the favorite but I think otherwise. Goldschmidt has better numbers than Molina in every category other than batting average and he isn’t that far behind him in that.

Before the season started, I said that the Angels would meet up with the Dodgers in the World Series creating a “Freeway” World Series, but the Angels have woefully underperformed and I have changed my World Series prediction on its head. I predict that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland A’s will be the final two teams standing.

Let that sink in for a second and actually consider this scenario. Both of these teams are good enough to make it. I don’t have a winner from these two teams because in my mind, they are evenly matched. Since the American League won the All-Star Game and has home field advantage, I’ll go ahead and pick Moneyball to finally come through in the postseason.

Chris Davis has had a break-out year this season. By Keith Allison on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s about that time again, time for the Major League Baseball All-Star game.

Most professional all-star games aren’t as competitive as the real deal, but generally thats not the case for the MLB’s version of the game. This game actually matters because the winning league earns home-field advantage in the World Series. I, like a lot of fans, disagree with this rule because like any other sport, home field advantage should be based off of record not which league played better in the All Star Game. If that were the case, the Western Conference in the NBA would have had home court advantage six times out of the past ten years. This rule needs to be changed but I don’t see it being changed anytime soon. But for what is it, it makes the game that much more compelling to watch and root on your own teams league.

And if the game is going to decide who gets World Series home field advantage, it is certainly wrong that the fans vote the starting players into the game. It should be based off the best players from each position that get to play in the game not off of bias fan voting. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy putting in my own votes every year but, to be honest, I usually vote for my team’s players who I know will never make the cut.

Here are my starting nine players from each league that should be in the starting lineups for this year’s All Star game next month and some of their stats (as current as June 24th, 12:03am):

American League:

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (.330, 8 HR, 25 RBI)

First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles (.336, 27 HR, 70 RBI)

Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees (.276, 16 HR, 45 RBI)

Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles (.267, 15 HR, 44 RBI)

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (.370, 20 HR, 75 RBI)

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (.316, 16 HR, 55 RBI)

Outfielders:

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles (.298, 15 HR, 55 RBI)

Mike Trout, Anaheim (not Los Angeles) Angels (.306, 12 HR, 46 RBI)

Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays (.254, 16 HR, 42 RBI)

Starting Pitcher: Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox (9-0, 1.71 ERA, 81 K)

National League:

Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (.353, 5 HR, 41 RBI)

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks (.306, 19 HR, 65 RBI)

Second Base: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds (.265, 11 HR, 60 RBI)

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (.358, 4 HR, 10 RBI)*

Third Base: David Wright, New York Mets (.309, 12 HR, 41 RBI)

Outfielders:

Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals (.305, 17 HR, 46 RBI)

Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves (.240, 15 HR, 34 RBI)

Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies (.3004, 21 HR, 57 RBI)*

Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets (7-1, 2.05 ERA, 121 K)

*Because of injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Bryce Harper

By signing with the Angels, Josh Hamilton must believe that the West Side is, indeed, the best side. By Keith Allison (Flickr: Josh Hamilton) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I was sixteen. And since then, the musical machine has introduced collaborations between the likes of Tim McGraw and the dirty South’s representitive Nelly. Life is one big puffy cloud of peace now. It’s all so peachy and sweet.

Just fifteen years since what was a radical split between music’s most popular form, baseball has survived steroid scandals, broken records, and now, a major shift in league power.

After last season’s signing of Albert Pujols and C.J Wilson, the Los Angeles Angels officially put their face on the map as a legitimate threat. Tack on this year’s surprise signing of 2010 MVP Josh Hamilton to fill in rightfield, and the Angels not only boast arguably the greatest player ever in Pujols, but the best outfield in baseball — Hamilton, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo.

Not so angelic. As aren’t the Dodgers.

From the Halos, the Blue Crew courted 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, with the largest contract ever to a right handed pitcher. This capped a midseason spending spree that brought third baseman Hanley Ramirez, returning outfielder Carl Crawford, first baseman Adrian Hernandez and the hard-throwing Josh Beckett to Hollywood.

Name 50 major stars in Baseball and these from the Angels and Dodgers would be listed. Albert Pujols,  Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Mike Trout, Adrian Hernandez, Zack Greinke, Jered Weaver, Mark Trumbo, Josh Hamilton, Tommy Hansen and Andre Ethier. Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Becket, C.J Wilson and Kendrys Morales would be easily listed in the next 50. They will all be well-owned in the upcoming fantasy season.

It goes without saying that there is a major power shift occuring between America’s two coasts. Where once the Yankees and Red Sox competed yearly in bidding wars, now the Dodgers and Halos will.

The Angels allowed Greinke, Torii Hunter and Dan Haren to walk, only to upgrade with Tommy Hansen and Josh Hamilton. The Dodgers reconfigured their management, and since erecting men like Magic Johnson as the face of the franchise, have returned to form, adding five all-stars to their roster since June.

More perfect than the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry is the mere fact that both freeway rivals exist in entirely different league hemispheres. Despite their close proximity, the two can adequately meet each other in the World Series — and event I’m sure woould erupt Southern California into a horn-hollering traffic jam of ravenous fandom.

How perfect is that? Like a high-priced pickup game between neighbors: “Meet in my backyard at sunrise. Winner takes all in your backyard after school.” Weeeesssstttt Siiiiiddde, now has a whole new meaning.

David Price and the Rays look to have the pitching advantage in the wide-open American League East. By Wknight94 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

“Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice-versa.” – Casey Stengel

Much has been made of pitching in baseball over the past few seasons. The game has seen a shift from more dominant power-hitters to more shutdown pitchers since the “steroid era” “ended.”

While there are still many bona fide power hitters in the the majors (Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun, Robinson Cano, etc.), building a strong pitching rotation has become more of a prominent priority for successful teams. Just last season (2011), baseball had a pitcher, Justin Verlander, win both the MVP award and the CY Young award in the American League. Pitching has always been important to America’s pastime but now it’s more crucial than ever.

Especially in such a competitive division as the AL East, good starting pitching becomes even more valuable and necessary to have. Here is a breakdown of each teams potential starting rotation for the 2013 season with the average Earned Run Average (we know averaging an average isn’t scientifically sound, but we’re doing it anyway…):

New York Yankees:

1. C.C Sabathia (15-6, 3.38 ERA, 196 Strikeouts)
2. Hiroki Kuroda (16-11, 3.32 ERA, 167 Strikeouts)
3. Andy Pettitte (5-4, 2.87 ERA, 69 Strikeouts)
4. Phil Hughes (16-13, 4.23 ERA, 165 Strikeouts)
5. Ivan Nova (12-8, 5.02 ERA, 153 Strikeouts)

Average Combined 2012 ERA: 3.76

Baltimore Orioles:

1. Jason Hammel (8-6, 3.43 ERA, 113 Strikeouts)
2. Wei-Yin Chen (12-11, 4.02 ERA, 154 Strikeouts)
3. Chris Tillman (9-3, 2.93 ERA, 66 Strikeouts)
4. Miguel Gonzalez (9-4, 3.25 ERA, 77 Strikeouts)
5. Zach Britton (5-3, 5.07 ERA, 53 Strikeouts)

Average Combined 2012 ERA: 3.74

Tampa Bay Rays:

1. David Price (20-5, 2.56 ERA, 205 Strikeouts) Also was the 2012 AL CY Young Award Winner
2. Jeremy Hellickson (10-11, 3.10 ERA, 124 Strikeouts)
3. Matt Moore (11-11, 3.81 ERA, 175 Strikeouts)
4. Jeff Neimann (2-3, 3.08 ERA, 34 Strikeouts)
5. Alex Cobb (11-9, 4.03 ERA, 106 Strikeouts)

Average Combined ERA: 3.31

Toronto Blue Jays:

1. R.A. Dickey (20-6, 2.73 ERA, 230 Strikeouts) Also was the 2012 NL CY Young Award Winner
2. Josh Johnson (8-14, 3.81 ERA, 165 Strikeouts)
3. Mark Buehrle (13-13, 3.74 ERA, 125 Strikeouts)
4. Brandon Morrow (10-7, 2.96 ERA, 108 Strikeouts)
5. Ricky Romero (9-14, 5.77 ERA, 124 Strikeouts)

Average Combined ERA: 3.80

Boston Red Sox:

1. Jon Lester (9-14, 4.82 ERA, 166 Strikeouts)
2. Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.38 ERA, 153 Strikeouts)
3. Clay Buchholz (11-8, 4.56 ERA, 129 Strikeouts)
4. John Lackey, 2011 season (12-12, 6.41 ERA, 108 Strikeouts)
5. Felix Doubront (11-10, 4.86 ERA, 167 Strikeouts)

Average Combined ERA: 4.40

The stats above are from the 2012 season and based of ERA alone, it would show that the Rays would have the best starting rotation going into the 2012 season with the Orioles a close second. For the Red Sox I only calculated four pitchers since John Lackey missed the entire 2012 season because of Tommy John Surgery and somehow they still wound up having an expediently higher ERA than any of the other teams. But just stats from don’t show or prove which team will have the best starting rotation next year.

The team that I predict will have the best starting rotation in the AL East is the Toronto Blue Jays. I think that the huge trade between Miami and Toronto will resurrect the careers of both Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle from their down 2012 seasons. Also, any time you can land the raining Cy Young winner in a trade, that’s not too bad either. The Blue Jays rotation is greatly improved and I think will do very well in the 2013 season. However, I still don’t think that the Blue Jays will be the best overall team in the division. For that, I still have to give it to the Yankees. They were the division winners and until someone knocks them out, I am predicting that the Yankees will win the AL East again.

There are easy descriptions regarding the 37- year old veteran, and then there are debatable things the pundits ponder over decades upon decades, before coming to some mixed-form of conclusion.

The older Alex Rodriguez gets, the more polarizing he seems to become. By Keith Allison [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The man is a megastar and a sex symbol. To go along with his record setting contracts and polarizing personality, A-Rod and all that is his beefy 6’3″ frame has mastered the on-switch of women. From beauties like Cameron Diaz to Madonna and Kate Hudson, A-Rod has been gifted with the right kind of swing if you ask most men.

But he sure as hell can’t hit in the postseason. To think America is up in arms this year is outrageous. A-Rod, minus 2009 and a few MVP awards and 25 million dollar per-year contracts, is an average at best, postseason player. His mental fortitude is in question, as is his legacy as a whole. Not only is the man utterly underwhelming — .263, 13 homeruns, 41 RBI, 75 strikeouts, in 75 career postseason games — in the spotlight of playoff baseball, but arguably, is the greatest regular season trash hitter of all time.

What do I mean by trash-hitter? He can CLEARLY hit 3rd, 4th and 5th starters in a rotation. But after this postseason’s debacle and his career as a whole, he REALLY CAN’T hit 1st, 2nd and arguably the 3rd starters. Considering this, should we include A-Rod in the talk of all-time greats?

If he can’t hit the C.C Sabathia’s, Jered Weaver’s, Felix Hernandez’s and Justin Verlander’s, then he can’t be included in talks with the men who can — Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and the man formerly known as “Mannywood”  — though I’m sure fans of A-Rod would scoff at this, considering his career 647 home runs and nearly 2,000 rbi’s over a famed 19-year career.

But those are regular season numbers. Compare his regular season from his postseason averages.

Regular Season                                Postseason (75-Career Games)

Avg: .300                                               Avg: .263

Avg HR Per 75 Games: 19.6               HR: 13

Avg RBI Per 75 – Games: 59.09         RBI: 41

Avg Strikeouts Per 75-Games: 61.57  Strikeouts: 75

Clearly A-Rod isn’t the same man he is in the regular season. But I’m not certain it’s lack of ability, more than it is a lack of focus. As nuts as it seems to think a three-time MVP lacks focus, it’s not all that unbelievable.

Juggling some of the most beautifully demanding women in the world with the pop phenomenon that is he is — while having the world at his fingertips with a kingdom of unbridled wealth — A-Rod is certain to have at some level lost his original passion — baseball — and replaced it with glory.

Glory, the singular element with the power to breed beauty and victory, is the same with the ability to turn gold to rust and ruin.

History repeats this. For every heroic story there are ten bad ones that follow. From Doc Gooden’s drug abuse to the over zealous rise and fall of Napolean’s France, glory concedes men often, to the arc of failure. It is the element that ceased poet ‘Emily Dickinson long enough to write this lyrical warning:

Glory is that bright tragic thing,

That for an instant

Means Dominion,

Warns some poor name

That never felt the sun,

Gently replacing

In oblivion.

Oblivion is something I’m certain Alex Rodriguez fears. Irrelevance. At 37, his years are waning, and having been the rock star of his generation, he now has to concede his crown to those more deserving in the eyes of his constituents.

I would wager money on younger star players, like Matt Kemp or Ryan Braun, ending their careers higher on the all-time greats list then A-Rod. Yet, that’s not to say A-Rod will ever go unnoticed. His oblivion will manifest itself in the erosion of his character and confidence, and that alone, will sink his name further down the all-time list.  

I don’t believe any of us question whether or not A-Rod has done enough to be a hall of famer, and whether or not he is considered one of the greatest SS/3B of all-time. He’s that good. Within all the backlash and critism, the man ranks 5th all-time on the home run list, and no matter how hard the fans are, he is still one of the most consistently potent and feared powerhitters of all-time.  

But what-ifs linger more for A-Rod, than they do for teammate Derek Jeter, foe Albert Pujols and in another two or three years, reigning Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera. All three have been consistent in both the regular season and the post season, and have been the best players on their teams while doing so. 

A-Rod will always be that guy who couldn’t give it up. Who cheated. Who signed oversized contracts and feasted on his failures with disinterest in it all.

He’ll be the guy who couldn’t hit an 88 to 89-mile per hour fastball in his last solid run at postseason glory. The man who with the entire world at his fingertips and a legacy falling apart at the seams, had the audacity to let a player like Raul Ibanez outshine him.

He’ll be the man who blasphemed the tool that made him who is by using it as a vehicle to score digits from an unknown girl in the stands while his team drops a needed game one in the ALCS.

He’s just that interestingly old. And America and I are clearly over it.

The Yankees are standing pat on what they currently have, as there hasn’t been a deadline in recent memory where baseball’s top spending franchise has failed to bolster themselves in even the slightest amount.  They were in the Hiroka Kuroda sweepstakes along with the Chicago White Sox, but Kuroda ultimately held the trump card in the form of the no-trade clause built into his contract.

The biggest splash of the deadline had to be the San Francisco Giants acquiring Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets in exchange for the top pitching prospect in their minor league system, Zach Wheeler.  General Manager Brian Sabean was quoted as saying that the team owed the move to their fans, noting that the the Major League Baseball championship-winning window is a small one.

Almost a decade ago, Beltran was traded at the deadline to the Houston Astros from the Kansas City Royals and proceeded to put up the best August and September by a deadline acquisition in recent memory, only rivaled by Manny Ramirez’s late-season clip when he was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers a few years ago.  While Beltran isn’t that same player he was even five years ago, he does have the offensive ability to help the anemic Giants offense significantly.

The Atlanta Braves are contenders in the NL East as well as front-runners in the wild card standings.  The addition of Michael Bourn will bring much needed outfield speed at the top of the lineup, something Atlanta has severely lacked in recent years due to the ineffectiveness of Nate McLouth and the trading away of Melky Cabrera.

Ubaldo Jimenez will strengthen the Cleveland Indians’ pitching staff, as they actually have a realistic shot at the playoffs.  You would expect nothing less with a move like this from a team that is having a dream season after more than a decade of futility.  Jimenez hasn’t had his usual dominating season thus far, but his veteran presence and Cy Young-potential talent will bring some much needed stability and leadership to a young clubhouse.

The reigning Senior Circuit champions, the Philadelphia Philles, did not sit on their full house – they decided to try and draw to a straight flush.  The addition of Hunter Pence will help balance an attack that is left-handed heavy, and will only improve an already elite offense.  Getting closer Ryan Madson healthy will be the key to the Phillies running away with the East again, as having a stable finisher is something that is key for a team like Philadelphia, who depends on winning a lot of close, low to middle-scoring, station-to-station, National League-style games.

The Milwaukee Brewers bolstered their bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez, a great backup plan if their young closer, John Axford, happens to falter down the stretch. This move is by far better than anything the St. Louis Cardinals ended up doing at the deadline, and with the Brew Crew already holding a 3.5 game lead over the Cards, they have to be the distinct favorite in the Central as the finish line approaches.

The Pittsburgh Pirates added first baseman Derek Lee in an attempt to inject some run-production with runners in scoring position.  You have to admire the Pirates for being proactive, but their brutal schedule down the stretch coupled with their inexperience makes a playoff berth in the tightly-contested National League Central a prospect that looks to be futile at best.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded away arguably their top outfield prospect in Trayvon Robinson, who has seen limited action at the major league level while bombing 26 home runs thus far this season in Triple-A.  As a Dodgerfan, this move baffles me, due to the fact that they only received two average minor-league arms and a minor league catcher who has only hit 7 homeruns so far this season in return.

The Dodgers franchise is not only selling out its fans, but now they are starting to even sell out their best players.  The sad fact that one of the greatest and most storied franchises in sports continues to get dragged deeper and deeper through the mud and filth is as disgusting as “owner” Frank McCourt’s existence as a region-wide punchline.  Dodgerfans seem to be almost numb to the debacle as it gets worse and worse.  This is a true testament to how low the franchise has sunk.  But, a brighter day is hopefully around the corner.  What brighter day?  The day that the inevitable happens – McCourt buys a one-way ticket on a flying sourdough bowl of chowder and flys his ass back to New England for good.

Having said that, one should digress this time of year no matter how bad your favorite team happens to be navigating the treacherous waters of the vast sea that is the baseball season. Regardless of the gravity of the moves that are made every trade deadline, the underlying fact always remains – some moves end up resulting in pennants and some moves blow up in a general manager’s face.

Who will end up wearing  the egg and who will end up wearing the ring?  Its about to unfold.

It’s a Buddhist mantra oft quoted by, among others, Los Angeles radio host Vic “The Brick” Jacobs. Jacobs uses the line mostly to describe the attitude of Lakers players at their best. It also describes the workmanlike attitude of Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. While his career record in Major League Baseball is 9 games under .500, Kuroda’s 3.50 ERA over that time makes him the second most consistent Dodgers pitcher. At the age of 36, Kuroda’s career may be winding down and, for all he’s given the Dodgers, he is deserving of so much more.

_______________________________________

A night etched in history. And a pitcher always up to a big moment. This is how Dodgers fans will remember Kuroda’s 2008 postseason.

In the first round against the Cubs, the right-hander gave up no runs in more than six innings and, in what was the Dodgers’ first LDS win in 20 years, Kuroda protected his teammates, and in turn shut down the eventual World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

See the near-brawl he started here.

On a Dodgers’ team with other pitchers who probably have better stuff (see: Billingsley, Kershaw, et. al), the Japanese pitcher in his mid-30’s has been the rock. For the past two seasons, as the Dodgers organization has crumbled around the team, Kuroda has quietly resigned and given the team and fans everything he has each time he steps on the mound.

With any run-support, Kuroda might have been unattainable for the Dodgers to sign as a free agent in the offseason. If he had marketed himself more, the Dodgers’ $12 million offer might have been for naught this offseason.

And now Kuroda is at the heart of trade talks. Rumor is that the Yankees and Red Sox are both considering trading for him to bolster their starting rotations going into the stretch run. As long as Ned Colletti can get a good prospect or two in return, the move seems like a no-brainer. Along with the move being a great business decision, Kuroda is one of the easiest players to root for and I, for one, would have no problem trading him at this juncture. He deserves another shot on the big stage and, furthermore, he has proven he can handle it.

The Dodgers are far out of the playoff hunt, the team is bankrupt, and keeping a 36 year-old with high trade value doesn’t make any sense in the first place. They have an opportunity to do the right thing for everyone for a change. The front office can give an aging Kuroda the opportunity he has earned and get a good prospect in return. It won’t change the divorce, the disconnect from fans (have you seen the ballpark lately?), or the bankruptcy.

Hiroki Kuroda has oodles of good baseball karma stored up in his favor. Maybe the Dodgers can take his lead. Good karma, after all, can be started with a single good act.