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As we inch closer to Opening Day, MLB teams are experiencing their fair share of hiccups.

Whether it be a slumping star player, an injury or a failed position battle, this is about the time in the spring when everything starts to shake into place.

For example, the Dodgers may not have Carl Crawford or Zack Greinke available for Opening Day due to arm injuries. Meanwhile, Yasiel Puig and Jeremy Moore continue to rake, and the team’s two best players continue to struggle.

While there isn’t necessarily anything going on to make fans lose hope for this season, there are bits of news that are worth poring over.

Read on for a full roundup of surprises, busts and injuries at Dodgers camp.

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Matt Kemp is set to make his first start of the spring today in Glendale, Arizona.  

And though he’s already had five spring at-bats with no hits, Kemp is focused on having a monster year in 2013 for the Dodgers.  

In an injury shortened 2012 season, Kemp still put up great numbers for the Dodgers, hitting .303/.367/.538 with 23 home runs, 69 RBI, nine stolen bases and 74 runs scored in 403 at-bats.

Not quite on pace for record breaking numbers, but a great shortened season nonetheless.

But this also brings up a question that many asked before the start of the 2012 season: Does Matt Kemp have what it takes to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season?

Health will be the first factor in his quest, and according to an interview with Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, Kemp is healthy and ready to play everyday:   

Um, me, I’m not worried about numbers…As long as I’m on the field, the numbers probably will be – or should be – there. I just want to stay healthy, that’s it. Everything’s strong. I’ve been working on my legs. Hamstrings feeling good. Shoulder’s feeling good. I’m just working on staying healthy this whole year, playing 162 games.

Well, at least he sounds healthy, but can he—or anyone for that matter—hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bags in a single season?

If anyone can do it, Kemp is definitely the guy that could reach that plateau first.  

In 2011, he was one home run shy of a 40-40 season.  He also led the league in home runs (39), RBI (126) and runs scored (115).  

A great season, definitely, but Kemp wanted more.  During the 2012 offseason, he told Tony Jackson of ESPN.com:

I’m going to go 50-50 next year, I’m telling you, y’all created a monster. I’m about to get back in the weight room super tough so I can be as strong as I was last year.  Forty-forty is tough, so 50-50 will be even tougher, but anything can happen. I have to set my limits high so I can try to get to them as much as I can. I’m going to try for 50-50, which has never been done.

Lofty goals, but you have to admire him for setting the bar so high for himself.  

So what will 2013 bring for Matt Kemp and the Dodgers?  

They sure made a lot of big moves, took the honor of having the highest payroll in baseball and according to many experts, are the favorites to win the National League West.  

But will all this help Kemp achieve his record-breaking goal?

“Heh, what a question…” Kemp told Brown, but “I’m not making no predictions.”

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The offseason has been abound with rumors that Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier might be traded.  GM Ned Colletti repeatedly squashed them, but reports surfaced that both the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners were interested.

The Dodgers seem content to head into the season with a starting outfield of (from left field to right) Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Ethier.  And on the surface, they should be.

As recently as 2010, Crawford put up a seven-win season, by fangraphs.com’s WAR metric.  Kemp finished second in the MVP voting in 2011, and Ethier, while never reaching those heights, has been solidly above average for every season of his career.

However, the Dodgers are currently locked into their outfield through 2017, as that is when both Crawford’s and Ethier’s contracts expire.

Crawford is probably not tradeable.  It’s been two years since he was valuable at all, and he’s coming off Tommy John surgery and played in just 31 games last season.  Even if the Dodgers could somehow find a trade partner, he likely wouldn’t fetch very much in return.

Ethier, on the other hand, is a different story.  While none of the rumors really specified what the Dodgers wanted in return, it’s a perfectly reasonable assumption to say that—given his more current track record and cheaper contract—he has more value than Crawford does.

Ethier supporters would likely argue that given his consistent production (an OPS above .800 in six of his seven seasons), the Dodgers would be hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement.  And while in the short-term that may be true, a slightly longer-term approach shows that they would be better off with the extra roster spot.  This past offseason, Nick Swisher and Josh Hamilton were available, but the Dodgers didn’t have a place to put them if they made an offer.

In 2014, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Beltran and Corey Hart will be free agents, and the Dodgers’ deep pockets would enable them to go out and sign one of those veterans.

An alternative route would be to hand the job to Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig, who Baseball Prospectus’ Jason Parks recently ranked as the 79^th-best prospect in baseball.  While Puig undoubtedly isn’t ready yet, the assumption is that at some point soon he’ll be a productive member of the big league roster.

The idea here isn’t to say that Ethier is a bad player.  He’s certainly not—he’s posted a WAR above 2.0 each year of his career—but he does have limitations.  He’s not a great defender, as seen by baseball-reference.com’s defensive metrics, which have him worth -45 runs over the course of his career, and he has always struggled versus left handed pitching.

Over the course of his career, Ethier has posted a .649 OPS against lefties, as compared to .913 against righties.  This brings to light another problem, which is that Crawford also struggles against lefties, with a .688 OPS.  It’s very difficult to manage a lineup with two everyday players that struggle against left-handed pitchers.

In the end, trading Ethier would give the Dodgers some badly needed roster flexibility.  As it is, they are locked in to long-term contracts at most positions, and Ethier has enough trade value that swapping him would be worth it in the long run.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

People will always love baseball, but thanks to Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke, it is now clear that any sense of loyalty in the game is dead.

Speaking to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Greinke admitted that the sole reason he signed with the Dodgers was money. He explained his reasoning:

It’s obviously the No. 1 thing. I could play for the worst team if they paid the most. … If the last-place team offers $200 million and the first-place team offers $10, I’m going to go for the $200-million no matter what team it was.

It’s hard to argue with Greinke, who went 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and threw 200 strikeouts for the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels last season and ended up signing a six-year, $147 million deal with the Dodgers in December.

After all, money talks.

But the fact that he was so forthright in admitting why he signed with the Dodgers is a bit unsettling.

First, though it’s slowly starting to become untrue, fans watch baseball with the belief that the players are on the field and playing for the sole love of the game, with money being an added bonus. In one fell swoop, Greinke has essentially killed that ideal. 

More importantly, think of how this could affect the rest of Greinke’s career. He’s 29 years old right now, meaning that barring a major injury, he’ll be 35 when he next hits the open market.

Seeing as how he basically just said he has no loyalty, what team is going to be willing to bring him aboard long-term if he’s just going to ditch them for more money once the deal is up anyway?

Granted, this could also mean that teams will just get into bidding wars over Greinke in the future. Nevertheless, it still attaches a bit of a stigma to him, especially since he basically said the opposite to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com at his introductory press conference.

There’s a couple things I was really looking at with teams besides the money, I guess, The No. 1 [factor] was to have a team that could have a chance to win a World Series for several years. … My main goal was a team that was competing each year to get a World Series [title]. Also, I looked at the organizations some, the cities — which ones we’d be most comfortable in and which ones we’d enjoy the most. Then also what my parents kind of liked and stuff like that.

[The Angels] kept in contact the whole time, from when I first got there to right when the season was over and right when the World Series was over. When the details came, they never really got into it too much. But my wife and I loved it there. Great place.

Now that the truth is out, that the City of Los Angeles was not really a factor in his signing with the Dodgers, Greinke has a lot of work to do in trying to win the fans over. He needs to have a great season and prove that he is indeed committed to the team and not just punching a clock for a paycheck.

Unless he’s in Cy Young form or something close to it throughout the season, he’s going to have a hard time staying on the fans’ and organization’s good side. After all, he may not care about representing a losing team, but the fans will. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The times are indeed changing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

After seeing the once-proud franchise rot under the ownership of Frank McCourt, the Dodgers find themselves in the enviable position of having a new pack of owners with deep pockets who are willing to spend at all costs to bring a championship back to Los Angeles. 

However, as great as it is on paper to see a team spending a lot of money, baseball fans know all too well that just because you hand out cash like it’s going out of style doesn’t guarantee you anything. 

All of the moves that have been made in the last nine or so months have certainly upgraded the big-league team, and the Dodgers are in a good position to compete for a playoff spot. 

The farm system is still pitching heavy, especially at the top. The team did try to bring in some high-upside position players by signing Cuban defector Yasiel Puig to a huge contract and drafting Corey Seager in the first round of last year’s draft. 

The Dodgers’ focus in 2013 certainly won’t be on the farm system, partly because of all the money spent on the big-league team and partly because the impact players are in the lower levels of the minors, but there is talent to be found. 

Here is a full look at the Dodgers’ system heading into 2013, as well as a look at the top prospects, a breakout prospect to watch and a prospect who could make an impact in the big leagues. 

Note: All stats and ages courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted. 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of Major League Baseball’s best five-tool players in center fielder Matt Kemp.

But what if we could make him even better? How good would Kemp be if we could borrow the best skills from his Dodgers teammates to create the perfect baseball player?

Given Kemp’s prodigious talents, it would not take much to make him the best player in the game.

He was well on his way to earning that title last April before hamstring and shoulder injuries derailed his exceptional season.

As he recovers from offseason surgery, Kemp plans to be in full health by Opening Day. That would put him in position to take another shot at becoming MLB’s best all-around player.

In a recent SI.com poll, 305 fellow major leaguers recognized Kemp as having one of the game’s most dangerous outfield arms. In addition to that lethal right-arm strength, even fewer hitters can match his power at the plate.   

It would seem that there is little left for Kemp to improve on, but here are three attributes that would better prepare him for MLB domination in 2013.

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This series will evaluate one team per day, starting on Jan. 23 and ending on Feb. 22 (the first game of spring training). It is based on last season’s performance, the offseason changes since then and the author’s outlook for the team in 2013. Please keep in mind that rosters can, and will, change before Opening Day. 

 We started in the American League East, worked across to the National League, tackled the Central divisions, knocked out the AL West, and now finish with the NL West, going in alphabetical order. Next up, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2012 finish: 86-76 (2nd place, NL West)

Notable additions

LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, LHP J.P. Howell, LHP Rob Rasmussen, RHP Zach Greinke, RHP Kevin Gregg, RHP Mark Lowe, RHP Peter Moylan, OF Alfredo Amezaga, 2B Skip Schumaker, 3B Dallas McPherson, C Jesus Flores, C Ramon Castro

Notable losses

LHP Randy Choate, RHP Joe Blanton, RHP John Ely, RHP Todd Coffey, RHP Jamey Wright, OF Bobby Abreu, OF Juan Rivera, OF Shane Victorino, 2B Adam Kennedy, SS Jake Lemmerman, C Matt Treanor

Why they will improve this year

If anyone was watching the race for the second NL Wild Card spot down the stretch last year, you saw a new lineup finally clicking in Los Angeles, which should have been signs of a brewing storm for the rest of the league. Though the Dodgers fell just short of sneaking into the playoffs in 2012, all the big bats started getting hot when it was too late.

That kind of production should carry over into 2013, and a full year with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez could be the makings of a championship contender. Los Angeles returns a pitching staff that was one of the best in the league a year ago, with a couple improvements.

Brandon League will close games out (or he better, for that contract he received!), and Howell gives them another southpaw option out of the bullpen. Former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke joins fellow honoree Clayton Kershaw at the top of the rotation and forms a formidable one-two punch. Closely following are Josh Beckett and Ryu, who are looking at big seasons at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.

And the Dodgers have a good problem at the fifth starting spot, as Ted Lilly, Chad Billingsley, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano all have a shot to fill the gap, and all would be above-average pitchers in that slot. But the real excitement with this team will lie in the offense.

A team that ranked 13th in runs scored last season will have the services of two former All-Stars for a full season in Ramirez and Gonzalez, and could get a healthy season from Kemp, which might put them over the top for the division.

Why they will regress this year

Everybody knows that money doesn’t necessarily buy championships. The Dodgers may have blown up their payroll, but did they really acquire enough talent to make the playoffs? First of all, Greinke’s value has been inflated since the day he was handed that shiny trophy. Then you have the up-and-down recent career of Beckett, and the complete unknown in Ryu.

Aside from Kershaw, do the Dodgers actually have any consistent starters? The bullpen is anchored by a guy who has limited (and mediocre) closing experience, and their next best option gets rattled after one bad pitch.

The lineup is another big “if.” The two best leadoff options are Mark Ellis and Carl Crawford—enough said. The former is an average hitter with no speed, and the latter is coming off an injury and just praying to regain his form after taking a dump in Boston in 2012. Nobody knows if Ramirez will bring his numbers back up or continue to decline.

Most importantly, Kemp missed significant time with injuries last season and Ethier couldn’t hit a pitch thrown by a lefty if it was set on a tee in front of him. If any one of the big four sluggers misses time or slumps horribly, the Dodgers lineup is suddenly a lot more vulnerable. 

And if Kershaw’s hip injury, which bothered him for a large part of last year, persists, who’s to say the Dodgers don’t lose their best (by far) pitcher? Even with a good year from their ace, what if Greinke tanks, Ryu struggles to adjust to major-league ball, or Beckett has another disaster of a season? In a worst-case scenario, the Dodgers are the ultimate busts and dip below .500 this year.

The outlook for 2013

The difference between the Dodgers and the pricey, star-studded Yankee regimes is that Los Angeles actually went out and traded for the guys they wanted, instead of only snatching up the biggest free agents every winter. Picking up Gonzalez and Ramirez via trade last year were moves almost any GM would have made if he had the financial capabilities. 

Gonzalez is one year removed from hitting over .330, Ramirez had a down year in 2012 and still hit 24 homers and drove in over 90 runs, and Kemp and Ethier are bona fide studs when healthy. This is the best lineup the Dodgers have fielded in years, and it’s only made better if Crawford rebounds, as I expect him to.

Whenever a team has Kershaw heading a rotation, they stand a fighting chance. But adding one of the best Korean pitchers in the world with a major-league-ready changeup to a staff that has Kershaw, Greinke and Beckett is heading toward a big improvement. Given that the Dodgers already had one of the better staffs in the league, this is icing on the cake.

Though I don’t personally trust League at closer, and expect Kenley Jansen to take over by the All-Star break, the bullpen should be very solid in 2013. The Dodgers have all the pieces in place to take back the division from San Francisco, and it will be a massive disappointment if they don’t. 

I’m looking forward to Kemp having a big year—closer to 2011 than 2012. Add in above-average years from Gonzalez, Ethier, Ramirez and Crawford means the Dodgers will have one of the best lineups in baseball—perhaps the best. It’s my opinion that the Dodgers live up to expectations and claim the NL West title with a win total in the mid-90s.

Potential changes before Opening Day

The Dodgers are pretty much set for 2013, but they might still be in the market for another reliever. Given that they have a plethora of starting pitching at the back end of the rotation, Capuano or Harang could be dealt to acquire more bullpen depth.

Chris Perez has been a name floating around the rumor mill in connection to the Dodgers lately, and Cleveland could definitely use a guy like Capuano in that rotation. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a move like that made before Opening Day. Otherwise, they are set.

Biggest surprise: Carl Crawford

Biggest disappointment: Brandon League

Bold prediction: Hanley Ramirez hits .290 with 30 homers and 20 stolen bases

Projected lineup

1. Carl Crawford, LF

2. Mark Ellis, 2B

3. Matt Kemp, CF

4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

5. Hanley Ramirez, SS

6. Andre Ethier, RF

7. Luis Cruz, 3B

8. A.J. Ellis, C

Projected rotation

1. Clayton Kershaw, LHP

2. Zack Greinke, RHP

3. Josh Beckett, RHP

4. Hyun-Jin Ryu, LHP

5. Chad Billingsley, RHP

Projected finish: 94-68, 1st place

For more preseason evaluations:

*Teams [in brackets] have not yet been evaluated.

You can follow Jeremy on Twitter @Jamblinman.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made some drastic acquisitions this offseason because they have the money to do it.

Most of the moves the front office has made is to bolster a certain position in their lineup. 

Adding pitchers like Zack Greinke and Ryu Hyun-Jin were important for making their starting rotations one of the best in the majors.  

These acquisitions have made them one of the preseason World Series favorites.

We will see if the Dodgers get the bang for their buck in the upcoming season.

Here are the Dodgers offseason transactions grade report:  

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The plan for the Los Angeles Dodgers going into the 2013 season was to play Hanley Ramirez at shortstop. 

Despite that commitment, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti wanted to see Ramirez improve his defense at shortstop.

According to FanGraphs’ Ultimate Zone Rating, Ramirez cost the Dodgers nearly four more runs on defense than the average player at the position.

In early December, Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez that he felt Ramirez could make improvements, but added “We need him to put time in to be a better shortstop.”

Here’s where the problem has developed. Ramirez hasn’t put in that time to become a better shortstop. 

As Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports, a shoulder injury restricted Ramirez to playing designated hitter during winter ball in the Dominican. However, he won’t be able to make up for that by playing plenty of shortstop during spring training.

Ramirez will play in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic. With Jose Reyes and Erick Aybar on the roster, Ramirez doesn’t figure to see any time at shortstop. Perhaps even worse, Ramirez won’t play any third base either, because Adrian Beltre has that position locked down.

Playing as a designated hitter through most of March—depending on how far the Dominican Republic advances through the WBC—is not what the Dodgers had in mind for Ramirez this offseason. 

As the Los Angeles Times‘ Steve Dilbeck points out, the Dominican Republic is favored to win the WBC and if their team gets to the championship game, Ramirez won’t report back to the Dodgers until after March 19.

That gives him just over a week to practice before Opening Day on April 1. 

Of course, Ramirez could take ground balls at shortstop during the WBC, but fielding grounders in practice isn’t the same as doing so during a game. (Obviously, he could do both during spring training.) Besides, Reyes and Aybar figure to get most of the practice time time for the Dominican Republic. 

This confirms the Dodgers’ worst fears. Mattingly didn’t want Ramirez to play in the WBC so he could concentrate on playing shortstop. But he understands Ramirez’s desire to play in the tournament.

“It’s hard to discourage a guy from playing for his country,” Mattingly said to the OCR‘s Plunkett back in December. “If I could — if he would listen — I would certainly talk to him because we would like him to play short.”

Should the Dodgers be rightfully concerned about Ramirez and his ability to play shortstop during the regular season? 

The team does have options. Luis Cruz will likely play the position while Ramirez is absent from spring training. He should probably be the Dodgers’ regular shortstop anyway, based on defense that FanGraphs’ UZR measures at above-average. 

Knowing that Cruz might have to play at shortstop frequently in Cactus League play might also explain the Dodgers’ interest in free-agent third baseman Scott Rolen. According to the L.A. Times’ Bill Shaikin, the Dodgers don’t necessarily view Rolen as a starter for third base, but he could provide infield depth. 

Colletti’s approach since the Guggenheim Baseball Management group took over ownership of the team has been to stockpile talent and figure out how it all fits together later on. The roster is loaded with extra outfielders, utility infielders and starting pitchers right now. 

Following that philosophy, perhaps the Dodgers would be taking a look at Rolen anyway. But would their interest be as strong if the team didn’t have questions about Ramirez making any improvements at shortstop? 

If that’s the feeling in Chavez Ravine, Colletti isn’t saying so publicly. 

“I think it’s great for him to be able to represent his country,” Colletti told the Los Angeles Daily News‘ J.P. Hoornstra. “It’s not like we’re asking him to play a new position, being shortstop. He’ll have plenty of time to be ready for the major league season.”

However, Colletti likely knows that Ramirez is a player who has to be treated delicately.

Before getting traded to the Dodgers in July, Ramirez began the season as the Miami Marlins‘ third baseman. He had to switch positions to accommodate the jewel of the Marlins’ offseason, free-agent shortstop Jose Reyes. But as the Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer reported, Ramirez wasn’t happy at all with the move.

The Dodgers likely fear a repeat of that situation in Los Angeles. Ramirez played shortstop after coming over from the Marlins, and the team surely accommodated his preferences to prevent upsetting clubhouse harmony. 

But Ramirez’s bat also justified him playing shortstop if that’s what he wanted. He batted .271 with a .774 OPS, 10 home runs and 44 RBI in 272 plate appearances after joining the Dodgers. Few teams get that kind of offensive production from a position where defense is a priority.

The question now is whether or not the Dodgers will eventually emphasize defense at shortstop if Ramirez doesn’t show the improvement the team was hoping to see from him. Will Mattingly make an issue of this or will Ramirez’s offensive production obscure his defensive flaws?

Follow @iancass on Twitter

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Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers scored 637 runs, ranking 25th out of 30 MLB teams.

For the Dodgers to live up to expectations, compete for the NL West and contend for a World Series championship this season, they have to score more runs and give their outstanding pitching staff some support. 

But with Adrian Gonzalez for a full season, rather than one month, the Dodgers will have another big bat to join Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in the middle of the lineup. Hanley Ramirez will also be in Dodger Blue all year, providing another run-producing bat. 

The team will also benefit from having Carl Crawford, who will likely bat near the top of the batting order and provide more production than any Dodgers left fielder did last year. 

What is the ideal lineup for the Dodgers’ new collection of offensive talent? How should manager Don Mattingly fill out his lineup card one through eight? Here are five suggestions for the best lineups the Dodgers could try during this upcoming season. 

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