Kuzul

On the first day of the Winter Meetings, a very interesting rumor is being reported by multiple sources—the Los Angeles Dodgers are discussing a possible trade which would send first baseman James Loney and closer Jonathan Broxton to Milwaukee for first baseman Prince Fielder.

This would be yet another move by a Dodger team that is quickly establishing themselves as a favorite in the NL West.

Last season, Fielder hit .261 with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs. He also posted an OBP of .401, leading the NL in walks with 114 in 2010.

In previous seasons, the Dodgers have been hesitant to move Loney because they don’t have another first baseman within the organization to replace him, but that would all change with the addition of Prince Fielder.

Fielder is a free agent at the end of the 2011 season and is in his last year of arbitration eligibility. Feeling they will be unable to sign Fielder to a long-term contract, the Brewers are looking to move him.

The Dodgers are a perfect fit for the big lefty slugger, but a trade does open up some issues for the Dodgers, mainly at the closer’s position.

Broxton began the season as the team’s closer but was wildly inconsistent and eventually lost the closer’s job in August. Despite his struggles, the Dodgers don’t have a lot of other options to close out games. Hong-Chih Kuo is a possibility, perhaps the only one, but he has had injury problems in the past and can’t be counted on for a full season.

If the Dodgers are able to trade for Fielder, it would be a huge pickup for a team which seriously lacked power last season. Fielder averages 40 homers per season, nearly a dozen more than any other player in the Dodger lineup.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On the first day of the Winter Meetings, a very interesting rumor is being reported by multiple sources—the Los Angeles Dodgers are discussing a possible trade which would send first baseman James Loney and closer Jonathan Broxton to Milwaukee for first baseman Prince Fielder.

This would be yet another move by a Dodger team that is quickly establishing themselves as a favorite in the NL West.

Last season, Fielder hit .261 with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs. He also posted an OBP of .401, leading the NL in walks with 114 in 2010.

In previous seasons, the Dodgers have been hesitant to move Loney because they don’t have another first baseman within the organization to replace him, but that would all change with the addition of Prince Fielder.

Fielder is a free agent at the end of the 2011 season and is in his last year of arbitration eligibility. Feeling they will be unable to sign Fielder to a long-term contract, the Brewers are looking to move him.

The Dodgers are a perfect fit for the big lefty slugger, but a trade does open up some issues for the Dodgers, mainly at the closer’s position.

Broxton began the season as the team’s closer but was wildly inconsistent and eventually lost the closer’s job in August. Despite his struggles, the Dodgers don’t have a lot of other options to close out games. Hong-Chih Kuo is a possibility, perhaps the only one, but he has had injury problems in the past and can’t be counted on for a full season.

If the Dodgers are able to trade for Fielder, it would be a huge pickup for a team which seriously lacked power last season. Fielder averages 40 homers per season, nearly a dozen more than any other player in the Dodger lineup.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Brewers and Dodgers are discussing a possible trade that would send 1B Prince Fielder to the Dodgers in exchange for 1B James Loney and closer Jonathan Broxton.

The Dodgers are a team in need of power and run production which Fielder would provide. Fielder’s HR, RBI, BB and OBP numbers would all dwarf the other player’s in the somewhat anemic Dodger’s offense.

While the Brewers would not be getting starting pitching in return, they would be getting a very capable 1B and a once-dominant closer. While Jon Axford acquitted himself admirably in the closer’s role for the Brewers, Broxton would be solid insurance if Axford were to falter in 2011.

The deal makes sense for both sides. Based on what I had been hearing, I am a bit surprised the Brewers would get as much as is being discussed. If Broxton can regain his form, this could end up being a steal for the Brewers especially if Fielder walks as a free-agent.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Brewers and Dodgers are discussing a possible trade that would send 1B Prince Fielder to the Dodgers in exchange for 1B James Loney and closer Jonathan Broxton.

The Dodgers are a team in need of power and run production which Fielder would provide. Fielder’s HR, RBI, BB and OBP numbers would all dwarf the other player’s in the somewhat anemic Dodger’s offense.

While the Brewers would not be getting starting pitching in return, they would be getting a very capable 1B and a once-dominant closer. While Jon Axford acquitted himself admirably in the closer’s role for the Brewers, Broxton would be solid insurance if Axford were to falter in 2011.

The deal makes sense for both sides. Based on what I had been hearing, I am a bit surprised the Brewers would get as much as is being discussed. If Broxton can regain his form, this could end up being a steal for the Brewers especially if Fielder walks as a free-agent.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As we start another offseason of Dodger baseball, this one seems to have a much bigger impact on the landscape of the franchise than most.

With the McCourt’s fighting over the control of the team, free agency questions looming, and deciding on weather to hold on to or cut ties with some of the young faces that have helped mold the franchise. And all this while the Dodgers are breaking in a new manager, Don Mattingly.

The McCourt ownership in Los Angeles seems to have been built on a very unstable foundation to begin with. In 2004, Frank McCourt’s purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers was financed mainly by debt.

So maybe this all shouldn’t come to us as such a shock. Questions have always loomed regarding the allocation of the teams profits. So are the McCourts just interested in living the lavish billionaire lifestyle?

Their many multimillion dollar homes located around Southern California and the dwindling Dodger payroll sure paint that picture.

Since taking over the Dodgers in 2004, under the McCourt ownership, the team has a 601-541 record. Now that’s nothing to look down on, but with the divorce running the organization through the mud; how much longer can it last.

Last year was a tough season for Dodger fans to sit through and the frustration is really starting to built (news of higher ticket prices in 2011 isn‘t helping matters).

This is not the type of selling point you would like to go into free agency with. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti will have his work cut out for him this offseason, as he tries to lure top free-agent talent with mid-level dollar contracts. With payroll mostly likely not to claim for the 2011 season, the Dodgers most avoid contract disasters such as the recent Jason Schmidt, Juan Pierre, and Andruw Jones.

The Dodgers need arms and they don’t come cheap these days. And what do the Dodgers do about free agents to be Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla? With the exception of Padilla’s bulging disk, all were viable starters. With Kershaw and Billingsley under contract (Billingsley is eligible for arbitration) spots three through five are open for the taking.

Other than Hong-Chih Kuo and the surprising Kenley Jansen, the bullpen is in need of a major makeover. And with another season in the books and yet another Broxton second half meltdown has caused the Dodgers to scramble for closer; a role they thought they had locked up for years to come. Maybe the young catcher turned hurler, Jensen, can fill that spot for the blue crew.

It wasn’t only the pitchers having trouble getting and staying on track, but Ethier, Kemp and Loney all failed to produce the type of numbers in the second that they showed prior to the all-star break. Colletti has shown his support for his young core in LA since seasons end, being quoted saying, “As of right now, I still have a lot of faith in them. But they all need to be better next year for us to be successful.”

The biggest position question this year is behind the plate. With Russell Martin still recovering from a hip injury suffered during the season and Brad Ausmus announcing his retirement; that leaves A.J. Ellis and free agent to be Rod Barajas as their options before free agency starts. Colletti is expected to make a run at Barajas.

Don Mattingly kicked off his managerial duties on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona. Mattingly managed the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the AFL to a 8-3 loss against the Mesa Solar Sox. Mattingly does have one change that he plans to inject into this Dodger farm system: “discipline.” He’s off and running.

For just a minute, let’s remember what drove us to the ballpark in truck loads for the late evening night games under the lights and those beautiful warm summer day games under the sun. Here’s to hoping for bright blue skies and the starry nights under the LA nights once again…And hoping they can field a contender with the turmoil surrounding the organization.

Because this really is the dark days of Dodger Blue.

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Unless something dramatic occurs at the McCourt divorce trial, it’s very safe to say that Frank McCourt will maintain control of the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into 2011. Even if Jamie finds herself on the winning end of Judge Scott Gordon’s decision, it’s quite possible that the appeals process could take up to several years, which would leave Frank in control indefinitely.

With Frank as chairman, the budget structure is likely to be similar to what the Dodgers utilized this year. It could be slightly less if Frank intends to make some type of an effort to reverse the overwhelming debt that he and his wife have brought onto the club over the past five years.

In the offseason, General Manager Ned Colletti will be faced with a number of very difficult decisions. Outside of the number of players who are eligible for arbitration, it’s conceivable that Colletti may be willing to deal several players to address numerous needs if the team does indeed have any shot at improving.

The trade market this winter may be difficult for Los Angeles, as a handful of Dodgers players may have seen their trade values drop as a result of poor performances in 2010. Colletti will be the chief orchestrator of putting together the squad for next year, and it will be no easy task considering the free-agent market is about the slimmest it’s been in recent past. If there’s no value in potential trades, the free-agent market could be the best option to improve, but payroll dollars will need to be freed up first to make any big market acquisitions possible.

In order to create the dollars to spend, the Dodgers will need to say farewell to at least a few players, whether it be by non-tendering a player, trading a player, or losing in arbitration.

The following slides show seven players Los Angeles may decide to move before the beginning of next year, and explain why these particular moves would be beneficial for the Dodgers moving forward.  

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Joe Torre has made it official: he will be stepping down as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the 2010 season, and thus comes to a close one of the great managerial careers in baseball history.

It is a bitter-sweet end, though, as after 12 brilliant season with the New York Yankees, Torre leaves the Dodgers without having brought a championship to L.A. in his three seasons there.

To make matters all the more wrenching, Torre’s Dodgers reached the NLCS in each of his first two years at Chavez Ravine, but could never get over the hump.

And then of course, there is 2010, which will forever be a footnote to an otherwise brilliant career.

But before we lose the 2010 season to history, let’s take a look back at what went wrong for the Dodgers in this, Joe Torre’s final season.

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It’s that time of year when it becomes apparent certain teams have players remaining on their rosters that don’t really belong.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are no exception, and they have several pitchers that should be on their own, or at the very least in the minor league system. 

Here are five pitchers the Dodgers could do without, and why.

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We have finally reached the payoff portion of the fantasy baseball season: the playoffs! It’s been a grueling 22-week season, but if you’re lucky enough to still be reading fantasy baseball articles, now is the time to really ramp it up.

This is the point in the year where one hot bat could decide your season—or a dead-armed pitcher could ruin it no matter how well his team has done thus far. Below are ten guys who are either destroying your championship dreams or carrying you to the promised land.

And just a heads up, next week will be the final By The Numbers of 2010, so we’ll be going through some of my hits and misses way back from my Mock Draft Reports in the preseason. Be sure to tune in!

Four

That is the Yahoo! rank over the past two weeks for Neil Walker. The Pirates second baseman has been on fire, blasting five home runs and driving in 16 runs. Many had no idea that Walker had been batting third for Pittsburgh for some time, and he’s clearly been taking advantage of the lineup.

The home runs are a huge surprise, considering he only had five for the season prior to this most recent hot stretch. But it’s important to realize that he wasn’t a slouch either, batting in the .300 range for most of the season. He is exactly the kind of random spark plug to add a few home runs and bring your team a title.

Two

Rafaeul Furcal has had two stolen bases since returning from the DL on September 3rd. The fact that he is already active on the base paths is a great sign that he is over his back issues and needs to be plugged back into lineups immediately, especially considering he had a 3-4 game on Monday.

When healthy, he can be one of the best shortstops in fantasy. He provides a high batting average (.316), stolen bases (nine seasons of 20+ stolen bases), and even a bit of power, exhibited by his five home runs in July. All owners, and especially those of the day-to-day Elvis Andrus, need to make sure their league is not one of the 25% in which he is available.

600

That’s the number of career saves by Trevor Hoffman, who achieved the feat Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. An absolutely huge feat that could not have come any sooner, as his struggled throughout the season. Not to mention, the emergence of John Axford significantly delayed the accomplishment longer than anyone expected.

As a result, his 600th save may be his last; the Brewers really have no reason to go with the Hoff over Axford from here on out. This should give Axford a boost down the stretch and essentially makes Hoffman waiver fodder, and subsequently less likely to reemerge ever again. Bow your heads baseball fans, a legend like Hoffman doesn’t come around every day.

You can’t resist reading more…

Lane Rizzardini has been playing fantasy sports for over 10 years. His earliest memory was drafting Fred Lane in 2003, only to find out Fred’s wife had shot him in the offseason. You can find more of Lane’s writing over at BrunoBoys.net.

You can contact him at Lanerizz@gmail.com or through his Twitter page.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

What a difference a year makes.

After two consecutive trips to the NLCS in 2008 and 2009, Dodgers fans had even higher hopes for the 2010 season.

Folks in Dodgertown knew that the divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt would have some type of effect on the organization, but nobody guessed the 2010 campaign would turn into a struggle on the field.

For the first two months of the season, the experts were concluding the Dodgers easily had the best offense in the NL West, and they presumed starting pitching would be the downfall for the Boys in Blue. However, those experts were way off the mark with their analysis—the starting pitchers were steady, and the offense was scarce.

Some critics say it was the overwhelming number of injuries that prevented a successful year, while others insist it was the lack of funds to sign a big market player to put the team over the top. Some even blame the coaches and managers for ineffective guidance and poor decision-making.

After Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers found themselves under the .500 mark for the first time since May 11. Trailing the division-leading Padres and the Wild Card leaders by 10 games in both categories with only 23 contests remaining, the Dodgers are hoping to close out the year on a high note and build momentum heading into 2011.

Still, with future management and ownership uncertain, many questions remain to be answered in the off-season, and depending on the outcome of the divorce trial, it may be difficult for the Dodgers to get a fresh start heading into next year.

The following slides show eight primary reasons why the Los Angeles Dodgers fell from contention 2010. Everyone in Dodgertown hopes to put these horrors and nightmares in the past and start with a new sense of enthusiasm, and a fresh appetite in 2011.

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