Dodgers: Five ways to instantly improve the team

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May 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) shake hands before the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

As Clayton Kershaw steps on the mound tonight against the San Diego Padres, the questions continue to swirl about the near future of Dodgers’ baseball.

Teetering on the edge of .500, still not showing life against left-handed pitching and in a quandary with what to do with a pitcher’s blister.

Deep breath. Things are not as bad as they seem.

Although the first month of the season hasn’t gone as expected, there is plenty of time to reclaim their throne atop the NL West and make a run to the World Series. Three games behind the Rockies in the division with a four-game series coming up in Colorado in the middle of May. And, last but not least, Clayton Kershaw takes the mound every fifth day, so how bad can things be?

Keep Kershaw in mind, the best pitcher in baseball right now, how much longer does this dominance last? For Los Angeles, the time to win a championship is now, they only get one Clayton Kershaw, and they have to utilize that to the best of their ability. If that means giving up a piece of the future or having another veteran put their pride aside for the youth to thrive, then that must be done.

With over 130 games to be played, there certainly will be more ups and downs. The important things are to make sure there are more ups than downs. Here are five things that the Dodgers could do that I believe would make them instantly better.

May 5, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) is congratulated by third baseman Justin Turner (10) after hitting a three run home run during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Trust the Youth

Anyone that has watched the Dodgers over the last ten days has certainly seen a glimpse into what the future of the team will look like. Cody Bellinger has put on a hitting display and shown remarkable athleticism on the field while Julio Urias has had two solid starts against the Giants, one on the road in San Francisco.

Chris Taylor has squared up seemingly every pitch he has made contact with and continues to come up with big hits when called upon. Andrew Toles has worked his way into the lineup almost every day now and has hit .277 with five home runs when he starts.

All of these players are under 25 and seem to be joining players like Corey Seager and Joc Pederson as the future core of this team. So why not let them start playing every day now?

The Dodgers have to continue to find ways to get these players into the lineup more often than not, it immediately energizes the whole team, and they just play a better brand of baseball with those positions players on the field. Urias is another story, but I’ll talk more about that later.

The question is, for now, how do the Dodgers free up that space in the lineup? Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Utley are a couple of the most decorated big leaguers playing the game right now. They both have contributed significantly to the Dodgers playoff runs the last few seasons, but 2017 has been a different story.

For now, it like time to move away from giving them the share of the at-bats and hand them over to the youth. Which brings me to the next idea…

Apr 9, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) in the dugout in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Adrian Gonzalez to the 10-Day DL

*written before Friday’s news*

This is not my idea by any means. It’s been circulating throughout social media and beat writers for the last week and has even been discussed by El Títan over the last few days. Gonzalez said Wednesday, “I should have gone on the DL to start the season from this,” and that is a huge admission coming from someone who has played in at least 150 games since 2006. The Dodgers made the rumor official and placed Gonzalez on the DL for the first time in his career on Friday afternoon.

He has been the Dodgers most consistent player for the last three seasons and has earned the respect he gets league wide. But it’s time to step aside for a moment, and the aching forearm and back need to get healthy before the bat comes back around. It’s time for a stint on the DL.

Freeing up that space on the 25-man roster would allow for Bellinger to remain with the big league club even with the return of Joc Pederson. It will throw Dodgers’ fans into a frenzy if they take a now a middle of the lineup guy off the team, especially after the last ten days he has had, and this is a clear solution.

This is not the final time this will be discussed for the 2017 Dodgers, but this could certainly buy some time before it is asked again. There will be more players coming off the DL soon, that isn’t avoidable, but there are other ways of making room within the organization. Expect this soon.

Jun 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson (21) enters the dugout prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade a Prospect

Now, this doesn’t have to be done in the next week. Not even the next month. But before the trade deadline in June, don’t be surprised if the Dodgers’ make a move to either solidify the rotation or bolster the lineup with a right-handed bat.

The Dodgers’ Triple-A club in Oklahoma City is a minor league all-star team. That is great, but no one cares too much about minor league championships. As I mentioned at the top, there is only one Kershaw in his prime, and the Dodgers must do something to at least get him into a World Series. If that means trading the youth, sign me up.

Even in Double and Single-A, there are prospects galore. There is nothing wrong with preparing for the future and many teams have been in the Dodgers position before making a big move and unloading major young talent on the way to a title run. This has not always gone well, but Los Angeles can avoid that.

Their depth throughout the minor league system should give them confidence in a trade that will help them now while protecting the future. Top prospects like Willie Calhoun and Alex Verdugo or possibly Trayce Thompson are nearly major league ready and would certainly have high market value as part of a package somewhere.

There will be teams that become sellers within the next month, that is certain, and then it may be a little easier to envision a trade at that point. Regardless of when I think the Dodgers need to make a move to give them the best chance at winning a title this year.

Sep 23, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Andrew Toles (60) is tagged out by Colorado Rockies shortstop Cristhian Adames (18) while attempting to steal second during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

More Stolen Bases and Selective Bunting

This team is built on the concepts that the newest minds in baseball are embracing. Using statistics to a greater degree and finding value in players’ stats that aren’t necessarily going to show up in the newspaper. Where the Dodgers draw the line between traditional scouting and new analytics is only known by a select group and probably changes on a certain basis.

What is clear though, at the major league level, the team is not interested in stealing bases or sacrifice bunting in a regular manner. Many folks believe these two things promote giving away outs to the other team and hurt your chances of getting players on base. The issue is the Dodgers have had nights this year where they struggle to get one on in an inning; it’s hard to expect two to get on in a row.

So when that runner does get on, looking at the Dodgers roster, there is a good chance they will have some speed. Cody Bellinger stole seven bases in Triple-A before he got called up. Chris Taylor had 100 career minor league stolen bases, Pederson has over 110, Toles with more than 120. We know Seager and Puig have wheels, so why not apply pressure?

Hit and run, slash, do something besides sit back for a big fly. Let the kids run! I can’t stand to watch Jon Lester throw another game against Los Angeles and not have the team take advantage of his yips; I’ll lose my mind.

As for the bunting, if you saw Yasmani Grandal’s bunt attempt a few nights ago, it was not pretty, and I do not encourage that. I cannot stress this enough — only let people bunt who know how to. Not breaking news, just often forgotten. But surely, the Dodgers have to have some players who are skill guys.

The team has eight sacrifice bunts this year, and weirdly enough Grandal is the only non-pitcher to have put one down despite what I just said, but that is not how it should be.

If LA gets into a tough match up with a runner on and the situation would benefit from the bunt, then I think that they should go with that a bit more. It certainly doesn’t mean the middle of the lineup has to sacrifice, but there are times this will work.

Apr 27, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (70) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /

Julio Urias Needs to be in LA

As much noise as has been made about Bellinger’s future, Julio Urias is also facing a bit of uncertainty for the rest of 2017. Despite two excellent efforts in his first two starts this year, it seems as if as soon as one of the hurt Dodgers’ starters returns, he will be relegated.

More from Dodgers Way

Now, certain limitations need to be taken for his age, like the pitch counts and innings limitations, but he isn’t made of glass. On top of that, he is continuously proving to be ready to handle major league hitters. Some would say that control with all pitches was an issue in his last start, where he walked four and only struck out one. But five innings of no run baseball is great anyway it comes, and even more, can be said about Urias pitching that well without his best stuff.

If there isn’t a spot in the regular rotation open for him, I think the solution has to be either going to a six-man rotation or moving 20-year-old to the bullpen. Moving to the six-man rotation would not only keep him there, but it could lessen the workload for all the starters while giving the team some flexibility for the way they match up against opponents.

If that isn’t an option because of the clustered roster, a spot in the bullpen will eventually open up and why not fill him in as a sort of jack of all trades. If his innings are being limited, why does it matter how he gets to that total? To add to that, allowing him to experience high-pressure situations late in games is a great lesson and will help him down the line when he gets late in games.

Next: Dave Roberts April Grade

As a lefty on lefty guy, there is no reason he can’t be dominant either, especially with the velocity boost he will get from only needing to throw for an inning. Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals started his big league career in the pen when he was 21 and has parlayed that into a solid career so far. I don’t see why Julio Urias can’t do that plus much, much more

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