Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
For the past four seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have attempted to craft powerhouse teams to win the World Series. While the Dodgers have done a good job of making the postseason, that elusive World Series berth has been just outside of their grasp.
The day Magic Johnson and the rest of the Guggenheim Partners took control over the Dodgers they were reborn. The years prior to their acquisition, which was in 2013, the Dodgers were considered vastly broke and had failed to make the postseason after Manny Ramirez‘ departure. The team had considerably lost it’s credibility, and seemed in to state to contend in the near future. In the years that followed the Boys in Blue saw themselves gather more talent, and weed away the unneeded assets. Los Angeles has solidified themselves as contenders in the last few years, but have done nothing more than contend.
Sure, it is notable that the Dodgers have secured four consecutive division titles and have consistently put together more than ninety wins. On the other hand, it is notable that the Dodgers have only made it out of the NLDS two of those times, and have failed to win more than two games in the NLCS. The Dodgers have been so close to getting their first title since 1988, but fate has not gone their way.
What’s the reason for this? Well, part of the reason certainly is the Dodgers miss a few pieces. Before Corey Seager they had no real superstar hitter, and when Kershaw is hurt they lack an ace. Sure, Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner are great, but they are not superstars.
Also, they have had tough playoff match-ups. Except for 2014 when the Giants won the World Series, every team the Dodger have lost to in the playoffs as of late went on to the World Series. The Cardinals are a tough match-up for anyone (two of LA’s eliminations), the young Mets staff and hot Daniel Murphy were too much in 2015, and the Cubs were destined to win it all in 2016. If the Dodgers want to overcome these obstacles they must find the keys to success that those teams mastered.
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Stay Healthy
I know, you can’t really tell a team not to get injuries. Most of the time they happen out of the blue and are hard to prevent. However, the Dodgers have had an insane amount of injuries. Although some of these injuries opened doors to other contributors, the amount of times the Dodgers need to make adjustments is ridiculous. In 2016, the Dodgers broke the record for the most players put on the DL with 28. That is more than an entire MLB ball club, and that is just way too much.
Yes, the injuries are merely bad luck and the Dodgers can’t just wave a wand to make them stop. Yet the amount of injuries was way too high, at that magnitude it has to show that there must be some cracks in the system.
Despite this, the Dodgers did very well and managed to nearly take out the Cubs in the playoffs. The team whose record they broke, the 2012 Red Sox, had a 93 loss season. Compare that to the Dodgers 91 win season and Dave Roberts‘ Manager of the Year and it is evident the Dodgers did fantastic in overcoming these obstacles.
This shows that if the Dodgers can manage to stay healthy, at least in key spots, they can reach that upper level. If they can manage to maintain Kershaw’s health, along with key contributors such as Trayce Thompson, Andre Either, and Hyun-Jin Ryu they may be able to secure their first pennant in 28 years.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Develop More Chemistry
The Dodgers front office needs to realize that in some cases chemistry between players if far more important that a slight upgrade. Although Carlos Ruiz came up with a clutch hit in the NLDS, trading him away for A.J. Ellis effectively stripped Kershaw of his most comfortable battery mate. Taking away your ace’s favorite teammate and friend for a slight offensive upgrade is bewildering. While sometimes holes do need to be filled, like second base, Los Angeles needs to start building a core group off players that can feed off of each other.
Look at the championship caliber teams of the past, they were given time to grow as a unit and develop that chemistry. It is hard for Los Angeles to achieve this when every winter there seems to be some sort of clubhouse shift. The start of this chemistry is apparent, the Dodgers managed to thrive while hurt and both Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner opted to remain in LA. These guys love being in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers need to build on that factor rather than solely look for talent or a profit.
Building around the clubhouse core of Kershaw, Seager, Turner, and Jansen will be key for LA’s future. With such a huge farm system they can afford to fill necessary holes and allow their home-grown talent to join the fold. Regardless, Los Angeles needs to take into consideration how well these players mesh together.
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Acquire a Second Baseman via Trade
The one move the Dodgers should make this winter is acquiring a second baseman via trade. Right now, the second base hole is extreme. This is caused by the head scratching trade of Howie Kendrick, who apparently wanted more playing time despite being the best second baseman on the roster. Regardless, the Dodgers are left with a massive gap at second base, and acquiring a second baseman who can hit left-handed pitching will be extremely beneficial.
Options to fill this need are guys such as Brian Dozier or Ian Kinsler. Both guys excelled against left-handed pitching, batting .282 and .309 respectively. They both provide power from the second base position, and in Kinsler’s case provides all around on-base production. Dozier is an above average fielder and Kinsler is a pretty solid fielder. Dozier provides more power, Kinsler provides more all-around production. Either way, not only would the Dodgers fill a need they would effectively improve their squad from last season.
Dozier wouldn’t cost Los Angeles as much as Kinsler would, but they both would have large asking prices. Both deals would most certainly need to include the Dodgers #2 pitching prospect Jose De Leon. With Julio Urias ahead of him, Los Angeles could afford to trade the promising pitcher. Add in a big league talent in both deals, such as Andrew Toles. Then, for Dozier the Dodgers could likely get away with trading a guy such as Omar Estevez.
Kinsler, on the other hand, would likely require the Dodgers best second base prospect Willie Calhoun.
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