2008 Record: 84-78 .519
Run differential: +52 (6th)
2008 payroll: $118,588,536
Last season’s Dodger squad was one marred with injuries and disappointment. Rafael Furcal, Brad Penny, Nomar, Jason Schmidt, and Andruw Jones all failed to live up to expectations and missed substantial playing time. This necessitated the Dodgers to make some bold moves to strengthen their roster during the stretch run. Acquisitions of ManRam, Casey Blake, and Greg Maddux helped give them to the division crown for the first time since 2004. Strong pitching allowed them to sweep past the Cubs and move to the NLCS where they lost to the eventual champion Phillies.
This season’s squad is unlikely to have the same injury luck but if lightning strikes twice it is doubtful there is enough depth to keep the team on top. Brad Penny and Derek Lowe are both gone from last season’s rotation. Clayton Kershaw and James McDonald are both ready to step in but there is reason to expect they’ll tire with the number of innings they will be needed to pitch. The oft-injured Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf are also expected to be contributors. If these three things work out then the Dodgers may be the best team in the league but it’s most likely only one will.
Offensively the Dodgers are set. The lineup is a blend of power and speed and is evenly balanced with left and right-handed hitters meaning runs will come in bunches. James Loney, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Rafael Furcal are good bets to improve on last season’s performance and though Manny won’t hit .396 again, having him in the cleanup spot for a full season will pay huge dividends.
This is a Dodger team that has championship expectations and rightly so, but if the rotation has issues it could be a rough summer in Dodgerland.
Likely opening day roster:
| Pos. | Name | Salary | How Acquired |
| C | Russell Martin | $3.9 M | Drafted 17th rd 2002 |
| C | Brad Ausmus | $1 M | Signed as FA 1/26/09 |
| 1b | James Loney | $.411 M | Drafted #19 overall 2002 |
| 2b | Orlando Hudson | $3.38 M | Signed as FA 2/20/09 |
| 3b | Casey Blake | $5 M | Acquired in trade w/ Cle 7/08. Resigned 12/08 |
| SS | Rafael Furcal | $6.5 M | Signed as FA 12/05. Resigned 12/08 |
| LF | Manny Ramirez | $25 M | Acquired in trade w/ Bos 7/31/08. Resigned 3/09 |
| CF | Matt Kemp | $.406M | Drafted 6th rd 2003 |
| RF | Andre Ethier | $3.1 M | Acquired in trade w/ Oak |
| Inf | Mark Loretta | $1.25 M | Signed as FA 12/10/08 |
| Inf | Blake DeWitt | $.39 M | Drafted #28 overall 2004 |
| Of | Juan Pierre | $10 M | Signed as FA 11/06 |
| Of | Delwyn Young | $.39 M | Drafted 4th rd 2002 |
| SP | Chad Billingsley | $.5 M | Drafted #24 overall 2003 |
| SP | Hiroki Kuroda | $10 M | Signed as FA from Japan 12/07 |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | $.39 M | Drafted #7 overall 2006 |
| SP | Randy Wolf | $5 M | Signed as FA 2/6/09 |
| SP | Jason Schmidt | $12 M | Signed as FA 12/06 |
| Cl | Jonathan Broxton | $1.83 M | Drafted 6th rd 2002 |
| SU | Hong-Chih Kuo | $.392M | Signed as amateur FA 1999 |
| RP | Cory Wade | $.39 M | Drafted 10th rd 2004 |
| RP | Claudio Vargas | $.4 M | Signed as FA 12/31/08 |
| RP | Greg Miller | $.39 M | Drafted #31 overall 2002 |
| RP | Eric Stults | $.39 M | Drafted 15th rd 2002 |
| RP | Guillermo Mota | $2.35 M | Acquired in trade 11/07. Resigned 1/14/09 |
Payroll obligations to former players: Andruw Jones, Esteban Loaiza
Say hello to: Mark Loretta, Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf, Brad Ausmus, Claudio Vargas
Wave goodbye: Greg Maddux, Scott Proctor, Nomar Garciaparra, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Derek Lowe, Chan Ho Park, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito, Joe Beimel
Rookies: James McDonald
Non-Roster Invitees to Watch: Shawn Estes, Yhenzy Brazoban, Eric Milton, Ivan DeJesus, Doug Mientkiewicz
Potential breakout: Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw
Welcome to Earth: Hiroki Kuroda
Likely to rebound: Rafael Furcal missed most of last season due to injury. He is apparently healthy this season.
Strengths: Infield defense. Strong, balanced offense
Weaknesses: No depth in the rotation. Jason Schmidt, who did not pitch last season and only threw 25 innings in 2007, is penciled in as the #4 starter
Optimal batting lineup (position, name, bats, Avg/OBP/Slg, HR, SB, EqA):
SS Furcal B .357/.439/.573 5, 8 .347
C Martin R .280/.385/.396 13, 18 .288
RF Ethier L .305/.375/.510 20, 6 .310
LF Ramirez R .332/.430/.601 37, 3
1B Loney L .289/.338/.434 13, 7 .274
CF Kemp R .290/.340/.459 18, 35 .282
2B Hudson B .305/.367/.450 8, 4 .281
3B Blake R .274/.345/.463 21, 3
Prediction: 2nd place NL West
2 comments:
I think this is my pick to win the NL this year. I like the team and they seem to have solid chemistry. Good to see Mr. Out Blake Dewitt back on the bench where he belongs. Orlando Hudson should see plenty of good pitches now that hes away from the anemic lineups in Arizona. The rotation is the question mark, but every team would crave no issues with their starting rotation. I think the mixture of youth and veteran leadership is solid for making a run at it all.
Also, I have a serious man-crush on Russell Martin. The guys is a true ruffian, and nows how to catch. Paul Lo Duca with a bat and more pizazz. 82 games in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium will also allow the rotation to gel and gain confidence throughout the season.
If the Cubs were serious about winning a pennant and a World Series, then they would have found $45 million for Manny Ramirez.
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