Dodgers: 5 things L.A. Should Not Do at the Winter Meetings

1. Do not rest on their laurels

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This is the easiest call. There is no way on God’s green Earth that this front office will stand pat. Yes, if they go into next season with the exact same roster as 2017, they will be the odds-on favorite to win the NL pennant, if not the World Series. But where’s the fun in that?

This team has been building toward “juggernaut” since 2012. Something will happen next week, or at least by the end of the year.

This front office knows it must strike while the iron is hot. And the iron has never been hotter under this regime. As long as they don’t do any of these five things, the Dodgers will be OK in 2018. But, there is …

Now I’ve mentioned the few things they should not do. Here is the one thing they should do.

Steer the ship as far away from Chase Utley as possible. Was Utley an integral part of the Phillies 2008 World Series title? Absolutely. Was Utley important in the maturation process for Corey Seager the past two seasons? Undoubtedly.

Did Utley go 0-for-his-last-30 in postseason play, dating back to Game 4 of the 2016 National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals? Sadly, yes.

Next: Dodgers Need to Focus on a Starting Pitcher

There is absolutely no need whatsoever to bring Utley back to play once or twice a week and take up a valuable roster spot that the Dodgers so highly value. Depth is what got the Dodgers to Game 7, and depth is what will take them that next step.

Utley does not provide that. Don’t do these 5, and do this one, and the Dodgers will be set for 2018 and beyond.