Kuzul

Just about every single fan across Dodgertown is elated the 2010 campaign is now in the past, yet Matt Kemp, although his season was not a total bust, holds both higher hopes and expectations for the journey ahead.

Although he led the Dodgers in RBI, extra-base hits, runs scored and home runs (setting a career high in the process), it was a tough year in many other ways—his batting average dropped dramatically over last season, he was caught stealing 15 times on the basepaths, he set a club record for strikeouts and at times his defense was much less than stellar.

Considering his 2010 salary was $4 million, most teams around Major League Baseball would sacrifice that expenditure in a heartbeat for a player who will produce 28 home runs, 89 RBI, 25 doubles, six triples, 19 stolen bases and 82 runs scored—despite a .249 average.

Yet the media, his own general manager, his coaching staff and the fans came down especially hard on Kemp for one reason only: They all know he has the talent to be a better player.

After the season was over, Matt Kemp himself admitted he could have been better. But what the typical misinformed fan doesn’t realize is that last year was a crazy roller-coaster ride for all of the Boys in Blue, especially for Kemp.

The following slides illustrate several of the obstacles Kemp had to deal with in 2010, show several of the changes made moving forward and explain why Matt Kemp will rebound in 2011. 

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The Dodgers have spent over $80 million so far this off-season, and in a city like LA, they can’t afford to bring second rate talent to the plate in 2011.

It’s been a rumor for years, but once again, Matt Kemp has been a subject of trade rumors. He’s only 25 years old, and with his contract taking him through the 2012 season, only the perfect trade would be a viable option.

Chad Billingsley was a trade topic in the summer, and with back-to-back seasons with a 12-11 record, Billingsley is certainly not immune from a deal that would net the Dodgers some talent.

But, however the deal could go down, the Dodgers would like to replace the 750 career strikeouts that Chad has notched in Los Angeles.

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This off-season has already seen the three biggest free agents switch teams for the lure of a nine-figure contract, and two of the biggest names in the game traded to title contenders.

As more and more free agents agree to terms, we begin to see a clearer picture of what to expect next season.

Pitchers and catchers will begin reporting in less than two months and opening day is just over three months away.

With next season rapidly approaching, let’s take a moment to stare into my crystal ball and examine 50 bold predictions for the upcoming year.

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With the hot stove season already past its boiling point and the beginning of spring training less than eight weeks away, many teams across Major League Baseball continue to dot their I’s and cross their T’s while preparing for the long season ahead.

Buried deep within the trade rumors and the free-agent market are the teams’ farm systems, and for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the next generation of future stars is both extremely talented and very exciting.

Although the number of players on the Dodgers farm who are actually Major League ready is very slim, there are at least a dozen stars who may be prepared to burst onto the scene as early as the fall of 2011 or the spring of 2012.

The minor league teams themselves within the Dodger organization continue to shine. The Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers low Single-A affiliate, boasted the best record in all of the minor leagues in 2010. Led by Manager Juan Bustabad, the Loons eventually fell to the Lake County Captains in the second round of the Midwest Playoffs.

Under the guidance of first year manager Damon Berryhill, the Dodgers’ Rookie League affiliate, the Ogden Raptors, advanced to the Championship Series in the Pioneer League and eventually fell to the Helena Brewers in a tightly contested series of games.

Focusing on the players specifically, the talent level of pitching is tremendous—both in terms of starters and the bullpen. The number of infield prospects who set themselves apart may be a bit on the thin side, but the stars in the outfield are plentiful, and they showcase a blend of speed, power and exceptional glove work. The catching department is rebuilding, but within a full season it should be at its peak once again and have several rookies who are ready for the show.

The following slides show the Top 10 most valuable prospects heading into next season and offer a bit of commentary for each player. In addition to the Top 10, there’s a bonus slide included which features more than 15 players broken down by position who have also soared to the top of the farm and caught the eyes of both Dodgers managers and coaches.

For classification purposes, the list shown doesn’t include any players who have already made their Major League debuts. Also, the rankings are completely subjective and original, and they aren’t sanctioned or endorsed by any group or entity affiliated with Major League Baseball.

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The New Year is quickly approaching and as baseball fans pour over the latest Hot Stove news, now is as good a time as any to look back at the 2010 season.

From a bevy of great pitching performances, to an unlikely home run king, to the Giants improbable World Series run, the 2010 season was a memorable one.

So here are the top 50 players from the 2010 season, from the subjective view of one sports writer. I welcome you to inform me where you disagree with my rankings, as this is certainly up for debate.

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Spring training may still be two months away, but the cold winter months have had little success subduing MLB’s offseason hot stove.

The fall of 2010 has been an eventful one in the baseball world, even with the free agent class being as thin as it is.

As always, there are some teams that have added tremendously to their chances of World Series title contention in 2011, and plenty more that have been set back further, whether by their own missteps or by the unexpected choices of those they pursued (cough…Cliff Lee…cough).

With the likes of Adrian Beltre and Vladimir Guerrero still on the market, the hot stove might very well stay that way right up until Opening Day at the end of March 2011.

With that in mind, here’s a mid-December look at the offseason’s biggest winners and losers thus far.

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That man is smiling because Adrian Beltre is currently the “hottest” item left on the Major League Baseball winter stove now that Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn have found greener pastures.

Or more luxurious estates with more elegantly manicured lawns amidst a community with higher gates.

You say potato, I say potato…

The point is that the prize of the offseason is now a 31-year-old third baseman who’s proven to be underwhelming unless surrounded by an elite supporting cast, working in a hitter’s yard and/or playing for a new contract.

Oh, and he’s represented by Scott Boras.

What you just heard was the sound of 30 major-league teams shuffling through the deck for more efficient options or a more pleasant negotiating partner (which shouldn’t be hard unless this human Porta-John is the only name in their contacts).

And the first ones to pass were likely out near the Left Coast.

Based on the free-agent doings in the National League West, you can bet the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies never even saw Beltre’s tires. Forget about kicking them.

The former Dodger seems priced out of each club’s budget and superfluous based on existing options at the hot corner.

So no, Adrian Beltre almost certainly won’t be in the division next year.

But there are other players who could help and Spring Training is still months away so the dealing’s not done. With that in mind, here are 15 players (really 12) who might be competing in the NL West come 2011:

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Ranking the top 100 baseball players of all-time is no easy task. It’s hard to juggle players from the dead-ball era, the middle 20th century and modern times.

Even more complicated is how to rank players at different positions. Where do you place the game’s dominant closers? How about starting pitchers? No matter how lights-out they may be, they still sat on the bench for most of their teams’ games.

Then, of course, comes the prickly situation of cheating, whether proven, admitted or alleged. Should ballplayers be penalized for the use of performance-enhancing drugs? Corked bats? How about the spitball?

It all adds up to a lively debate that we encourage you to join as Bleacher Report presents The Top 100 Baseball Players of All Time.

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Now that the Winter Meetings are over and Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth have signed mammoth contracts, what’s next? What other impact free-agents are still out there? 

It looks more likely this winter that there will be significant player movement via trade. In this economic climate it makes sense for smaller market teams to trade players who are looking at large salary increases in the near future in exchange for younger players that they can control for a significant amount of time.

Let’s take a look at 15 of the various rumors still circulating and see if they have any juice behind them.

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You can never have too much pitching. Pitching wins championships. Momentum is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher. General managers, broadcasters and baseball columnists tell us as much each and every year, and each and every year these beliefs are reinforced when the biggest Free Agent starter on the market is signed to a massive contract that takes him into his late 30s.

No player on the field can have more impact on a game than a dominant starting pitcher. It’s no surprise then that over the past 35 years, pitchers have consistently ranked as some of the most highly paid players in the game.

This offseason, former Ranger Cliff Lee, perhaps the second best pitcher in the game, is a free agent. The Rangers want Lee back and are willing to pay. The Yankees, a team Lee helped knock out of the playoffs, also want his services and a mystery team has supposedly stepped up with a seven-year offer for $20-$25 million a year.

We all know about Lee. He’s undeniably one of the best free agent pitchers in the history of baseball, but his situation is far from unique. Let’s take a trip back in time, starting in 1975, to look at a time-line of the most coveted free agent pitchers ever.

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