Very Early Look at the Dodgers’ Offseason

Heading into winter the Dodgers look well-rounded, yet holes still need to be filled.

Ah, the agony and heartbreak of playoff baseball. For the third time in the last eight years the Dodgers have fallen in the NLCS. Now, while so much can be said on what went wrong, let’s instead look to the future. The boys in blue have some key players that need a new contract this off-season, and some holes that need to be filled.

Expired Contracts:

The Dodgers have a quite a good number of players with expiring contracts heading into this off-season. In total, the Dodgers have nine major league players heading to free agency. Of these nine, six are pitchers, and three position players. Bullpen guys like J.P. Howell, Jesse Chavez, and Brett Anderson are replaceable, so LA should avoid over paying them. Guys like Chase Utley and Joe Blanton contributed, but are heading in to the conclusion of their careers. The Dodgers won games before they acquired Rich Hill and Josh Reddick, so although re-signing them would be nice for the depth, the Dodgers can’t give out an arm and a leg. Instead, the two names the Dodgers must hold on to is Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen.

Since signing with the Dodgers, both Turner and Jansen have become much more valuable in terms of talent. Before Los Angeles, Turner was regarded as a back up utility player, and Jansen was a poor hitting catcher signed as an amateur free agent. With Los Angeles, both men found their footing to showcase their talents. The Dodgers will have to spend relatively big to keep Turner and Jansen, however it is worth it as they fill the Los Angeles puzzle.

Potential Off-Season Targets:

Pitching wise, the free agent pool is not too deep. Starters like Jeremy Hellickson, Ivan Nova, or Doug Fister could provide a good arm for the back of the rotation. What Los Angeles lacks is a true number two starter behind Clayton Kershaw. Kenta Maeda can fill in the role, but as seen in October his arm isn’t use to the amount of innings pitchers throw here in America. Sonny Gray, Chris Archer, and Julio Teheran are young talented arms that Los Angeles could target in the off-season to compliment Clayton Kershaw.

Bullpen wise, the Dodgers have some good arms remaining under contract. Guys like Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, or Brad Ziegler could provide veteran arms in the back-end of the bullpen. Also, in a perfect world the Dodgers could finally get Aroldis Chapman to either replace or compliment Kenley Jansen, but I don’t know if that much money is there.

Position players wise the Dodgers may need one or two infielders and one or two outfielders. The perfect signing for LA would be Neil Walker, as he provides a potential starting second baseman, or a third baseman to fill in for Justin Turner. Another option is trading for a shortstop like Jonathan Villar, then moving Corey Seager over to third base. In the outfield, the Dodgers could afford to spend big. In a perfect world, LA would sign Mark Trumbo to play right field and provide power in the lineup. Or, they could pick up a speedy outfielder like Jon Jay to lead off. Either way, with a returning Trayce Thompson LA’s outfield is again stacked.

Next: Who Should Dodger Fans Root For?

The Dodgers have the money to make a big splash in the off-season to bolster their team. Every year it seems Los Angeles find a new talent addition to an already talented squad. However, this off-season Andrew Friedman’s biggest goal should be resigning the talent they have. In order to succeed, Los Angeles must gel together and become comfortable, constant new faces doesn’t provide that. However, if Los Angeles can’t come to terms with their talent, new talent is out there.