We’ve made it to December, and I can only speak for myself when I say this, but the baseball withdrawals are in full effect. We all need things to keep us relatively sane until the regular season starts on April 6th (a week later than in 2014), right? I’ve decided to write two articles per week, featuring one NL and one AL team because I feel like Last Word On Sports could use variety instead of us writing about the same six or seven teams every day. I will include a brief recap, but will cover other things because anyone can do a recap.
I’ve decided to start with the Western division because the World Champs currently reside there, and I will make my way east. I will start with the LA Dodgers since they won the division outright.
The Dodgers finished with a record of 94-68, and finished a full six games ahead of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. This year, like the last five season, were guided by ace (and Cy Young Award Winner) Clayton Kershaw. Pitching was a key component to the Dodgers success. The collective ERA in 2014 was 3.40, which ranked sixth among all thirty MLB clubs. Also ranking 6th, was the offense with a line of .265/.333/.406 and 134 home runs. Overall, the Dodgers were the most well-rounded team in the Majors in 2014, even though they folded under the pressure in the NLDS.
Los Angeles will lose a number of players in free agency including: Jamey Wright, Clint Robinson, Chris Perez, Paul Maholm, Julio Lugo, Scott Elbert, Kevin Correia, Roger Bernadina, and Josh Beckett. The Dodgers have already lost shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who signed with the Boston Red Sox for four years and 88 million dollars.
For as long as I can remember, the Dodgers have always found a way to make the offseason eventful, largely due to them having money that they can “throw away.” They say you can’t buy championships, but Los Angeles gets pretty darn close a lot of the time. Though they haven’t made much noise, Bob Dutton, the Mariners beat writer, says that there might be potential for a Mariners-Dodgers deal, which includes sending Matt Kemp to the M’s in return for Taijaun Walker or James Paxton. Jack Zduriencik is unsure about the move, so trade talks have simmered for now. The Orioles and Dodgers have also discussed a Kemp deal. With the Dodgers having just lost Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers, it would behoove them to keep a bat such as Matt Kemp in their lineup.
With the three starters of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodger Blue definitely has the starting staff to make it through the 2015 season, but with only, as of this moment, three power hitters in Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Yasiel Puig, in the lineup, and only one speed-burner to wreak havoc on the bases, I question whether the aging roster could make it through an entire 162-game season, especially in that dog fight of an NL Western division.
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