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It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ new front office to leave its mark on the city and franchise this offseason.

In a span of 24 hours during the recent winter meetings, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi orchestrated deals that saw the Dodgers plug a hole at shortstop, replace their All-Star second baseman and dump a former franchise cornerstone seemingly without a moment’s hesitation.

When the dust settled, it appeared Los Angeles had improved its roster in a variety of ways—albeit perhaps more subtly than usual. And if last week’s flurry was any indication, the new conductors of this Dodgers train surely have more up their sleeve between now and the start of spring training.

Advanced Metrics

The hiring of Friedman and Zaidi shortly after the Dodgers were eliminated early in October signaled a cultural shift within the organization.

Both staunch believers in the concept of advanced metrics, Friedman and Zaidi cultivated the practice in the small markets of Tampa Bay and Oakland, respectively, where a lack of financial flexibility called for shrewd, cost-effective baseball decisions.

In fact, Zaidi spent time working directly under Athletics general manager Billy Beane, who gained national recognition through Michael Lewis’ 2003 book, Moneyball, and the 2011 film of the same name.

When analyzing the metrics of the Dodgers roster they inherited from former general manager Ned Colletti, Friedman and Zaidi probably noticed that the defense could use some work. After all, there was a gaping hole at shortstop. Los Angeles chose not to re-sign Hanley Ramirez primarily because of his defensive shortcomings.

A common barometer used to value a player’s defense is a metric called defensive runs saved (DRS). Zero is considered average, 10 is great and minus-10 is poor. According to Fangraphs, Ramirez ranked 29th among all shortstops who played at least 500 innings at the position last season with minus-nine DRS.

When Ramirez commanded a contract that the Dodgers probably deemed too expensive given his age and declining defense, Friedman and Zaidi opted to go in a different direction. Rather than completely sacrifice offense by rolling the dice on a sure-handed, yet unproven, in-house option like Erisbel Arruebarrena, the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies, per ESPN’s Buster Olney. 

Last season, Rollins ranked 10th in DRS among shortstops with at least 500 innings under their belt, per Fangraphs. He also produced a higher on-base percentage, four more home runs and 14 more stolen bases than Ramirez.

For a moment, it looked like Rollins and second baseman Dee Gordon were going to constitute the 2015 double-play combination for the Dodgers. But Los Angeles then traded their all-star infielder to the Miami Marlins in exchange for four prospects, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

The major haul for the Dodgers in the deal was Andrew Heaney, MLB.com’s top-ranked pitching prospect in all of baseball heading into 2014. Heaney didn’t stick around very long, though, as Los Angeles quickly flipped the southpaw across town in exchange for the Angels veteran second baseman Howie Kendrick.

Yes, the Dodgers gave up a dynamic game-changer in the speedy Gordon. But upon closer inspection, Kendrick’s .347 on-base percentage trumped Gordon’s in 2014. As the old saying goes, “You can’t steal first base.”

Moreover, Kendrick’s DRS ranked seventh among all second basemen with at least 500 innings played last season, per Fangraphs. Gordon’s minus-five DRS ranked 25th.

Saving Money

Although Friedman and Zaidi now have more money to work with than they ever could have dreamed of in Tampa and Oakland, the pair remains committed to their cost-effective approach to improving the team.

Financial flexibility was lacking within the Dodgers organization last season. Former general manager Ned Colletti shoulders some of the blame for that reality, as does the Guggenheim Baseball Management ownership group that gave Colletti permission to dole out massive player contracts in order to re-establish the Dodgers’ brand following the tumultuous Frank McCourt era.

Los Angeles’ Opening Day payroll in 2014 came out to $229.3 million, the highest in the majors.

Regarding the 30-year-old Ramirez, the Dodgers were simply not willing to give him anything close to the $88 million over four years that he received from the Boston Red Sox last month.

The Dodgers’ top prospect, Corey Seager, plays shortstop but by all accounts, will not be ready for full-time MLB service until 2016. That’s why Los Angeles nabbed Rollins, a player whose contract comes off the books following the 2015 season but someone who should make for a quality stopgap next year.

One of the loftiest contracts that Colletti handed out was the eight-year, $160-million commitment to Matt Kemp. Not only did the outfielder miss most of 2012 and 2013 due to various injuries, those same injuries had seemingly sapped Kemp of his defensive capability. According to Fangraphs, Kemp registered a minus-23 in DRS, the worst among qualifying MLB outfielders in 2014.

Kemp’s hefty contract and poor defensive metrics contradicted two of the central ideals that Friedman and Zaidi champion.

It’s why Kemp was a prime piece to be moved in a trade, and that’s exactly what the Dodgers did when they sent him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland and pitching prospect Zach Eflin, per Kirk Kenney and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

It also helped that Kemp’s value was higher than it had been in three years because of his resurgent second half at the plate in 2014.

Los Angeles agreed to eat $32 million of the $107 million remaining on Kemp’s contract, thereby immediately freeing up $75 million while reducing the well-documented outfield logjam at Dodger Stadium.

For good measure, the Dodgers recently agreed to deals with starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and ESPN’s Buster Olney. The common denominator between McCarthy and Anderson—besides being Twitter-savvy—is that they are both former Athletics and thus catch the eye of Zaidi.

While it can be argued that McCarthy’s four-year $48-million contract is excessive for a pitcher with a career 4.09 ERA, Friedman and Zaidi may be looking a little deeper. Sure, McCarthy’s most recent work was a stellar second half of 2014 with the Yankees. Even that might be an anomaly, though. Historically, McCarthy has struggled in hitter-friendly parks like Yankee Stadium.

But what about spacious parks like Dodger Stadium?

A reasonable comparison is O.co Coliseum, home of the A’s. McCarthy’s ERA during his two seasons with Oakland was lower than it has been with any other team throughout his nine-year career. As a No. 4 starter in Los Angeles, there will also be less pressure on McCarthy. Plus he will be working with one of the game’s best pitching coaches in Rick Honeycutt.

Anderson’s $10 million deal is incentive-laden due to his extensive injury history. But Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register points out an interesting piece of information that gives this signing the potential to be another cost-saving steal for the Dodgers in today’s high-stakes pitching market:

Although there is major injury risk associated with Anderson, Los Angeles appears confident the can provide better upside than Dan Haren, who was shipped to Miami in the Gordon deal.

What’s Next?

Whenever a team pulls off six transactions involving 17 players in a matter of two days, it’s probably a good bet that more moves are on the way.

The Dodgers certainly addressed some issues—filling out the back end of the starting rotation, finding a replacement at shortstop and replenishing the farm system—but what’s to say these recent acquisitions will even make it to spring training wearing Dodger blue?

Just ask Andrew Heaney or Stan Kasten.

The Dodgers president recently shared similar sentiments with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

I’ve always said to my GMs, the roster you have in December or January is not the roster you’ll need or want or have in August or September or October. They’re always going to be needs that arise, holes that have to be filled, adjustments or improvements that you need to make. So whatever you do, don’t ever think you’re finished.

One option that has been dangled around the league and whose name always seems linked to the Dodgers is Cole Hamels. The veteran Phillies southpaw will turn 31 later this month and is owed $94 million over the next four years.

With statistically comparable pitchers Max Scherzer and James Shields set to rake in contracts north of $100 million, Friedman and Zaidi might view Hamels as a bargain, and they’ve clearly shown how much they like a good bargain.

The additions of McCarthy and Anderson would seemingly take Los Angeles out of the Hamels sweepstakes, but if the Dodgers are willing to dump a resurgent fan favorite in Kemp, there’s no telling what the team might do if it means a better chance at reeling in a pitcher like Hamels.

Stay tuned.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise linked/noted.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers front office has begun wheeling and dealing this offseason, acquiring low-cost pitching help over the past two weeks.

New President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman went the familiar route with his first move, trading for former Tampa Bay Rays reliever Joel Peralta and Rays minor league left-hander Adam Liberatore.

Los Angeles then announced it had acquired pitchers Mike Bolsinger from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Nicasio from the Colorado Rockies in low-risk deals. The hope with these trades is that by removing the aforementioned hurlers from hitter-friendly parks in Phoenix and Denver, respectively, perhaps they will be able to find more success pitching in spacious Dodger Stadium.

There have also been a few moves that the Dodgers could have made but didn’t.

Andrew Bailey

Relief pitching was the Dodgers’ biggest weakness last season, and the team had an opportunity to buy low on a bullpen arm who was dominant enough to win Rookie of the Year as recently as 2009. Not only was Andrew Bailey the American League‘s best rookie five years ago, but the right-hander has also been a two-time All-Star.

The New York Yankees inked the 30-year-old Bailey to a minor league contract earlier this month, realizing that he has the potential to be a dominant pitcher when healthy. Bailey posted a 2.07 ERA over 174 innings between 2009-2011 but has undergone two surgeries since then and hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 2013.

Although injuries will now always be a concern with Bailey, the Dodgers could have taken a flier on the reliever to help shore up their mediocre bullpen. He probably would have come at a very affordable price, too.

Zach Duke

Zach Duke is another quality relief pitcher that Los Angeles decided against signing. Instead, the White Sox acquired the left-hander’s services when he accepted their three-year, $15 million offer, per Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.

Duke turned in the best season of his career in 2014 with the Milwaukee Brewers, compiling a 2.45 ERA in just over 58 innings of work. His 74 strikeouts were nearly double the amount he recorded during the previous three seasons combined.

The Dodgers could use all the bullpen help they can get at this point, and they may have been able to nab Duke for less than what the White Sox paid simply because they are positioned to win now while Chicago is rebuilding.

Duke, who limited opposing hitters to a .223 average last season, would have made a nice left-handed addition to the Dodgers bullpen to complement J.P. Howell.

Russell Martin

The argument could be made that Los Angeles needs an upgrade at catcher after A.J. Ellis mustered a measly .191/.323/.254 slash at the plate last season.

One of the biggest names on the free-agent market was Russell Martin, but the Dodgers were not prepared to take the financial plunge necessary to bring the backstop back to Los Angeles.

Instead, Martin followed the money home to Toronto, where the Blue Jays welcomed him with a five-year, $82 million contract, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick and The Associated Press.

Martin’s 5.5 wins above replacement (WAR) with Pittsburgh in 2014 were the most among all projected free-agent position players. He also led major league catchers by throwing out 37 base stealers a season ago, and his caught stealing percentage of 38.5 was much higher than Ellis’ 25 percent.

The Dodgers’ new front office has shown a commitment to cost-saving strategies so far this offseason, so signing Martin was almost completely out of the question because of the type of contract that the catcher and his agent were demanding.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise linked/noted.

Follow @NickOstiller

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With the World Series now over, MLB free agency can officially begin. The Los Angeles Dodgers are sure to be players in the market as they search for ways to improve their roster after a second consecutive disappointing playoff exit.

When looking around the diamond, positions of concern for the Dodgers include shortstop, catcher, the back end of the starting rotation and the bullpen.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a prime opportunity to make a good first impression after Los Angeles reportedly paid him $35 million over five years, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

The Dodgers extended a qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez worth $15.3 million, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, but the shortstop is expected to turn it down and sign elsewhere. Without many other free-agent options at shortstop, Los Angeles may roll with Miguel Rojas, Alex Guerrero or Erisbel Arruebarrena while waiting for the eventual promotion of top infield prospect Corey Seager.

Rather than focusing on a potential replacement for Ramirez, Friedman and the Dodgers may have their eyes on other marquee free agents this winter.

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After a 29-year exile from October, the Kansas City Royals are on the verge of sweeping past the Los Angeles Angels and storming into the American League Championship Series. 

The Royals are taking apart the Angels, the team with the best record in the regular season, thanks to a combination of unreal speed, perfectly timed home runs and lights-out pitching. With Game 3 of the American League Division Series looming at 6:37 p.m. ET on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, the Angels are sitting in an 0-2 hole. 

Of the 22 teams that have ended up in such a situation, only four have found their way out, according to Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times. Here are the three keys for each club as the Royals look to put an end to the Angels’ 2014 season, while the AL West winners hope to extend it for at least another day.

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Seventh in an 11-part series examining the vagaries of awards voting.

You could probably find at least one undeserved Gold Glove awarded every season. The vast majority of Gold Glove recipients are repeat winners, sort of making the award like a concussion—once a player gets one, it becomes progressively easier to get more.

To be sure, most repeat winners are among the very best defenders in the league and deserve the honor, but as we saw with Jim Kaat, precedent eventually plays a big role.

As well, a Gold Glove sometimes becomes a “throw-in” for players who have had strong seasons with the bat (or on the mound). Perhaps it’s unfair to spotlight Thurman Munson for this, but I do so more for who didn’t receive the Gold Glove than who did.

Munson had already won a Gold Glove the previous year and had come into his own as one of the best backstops in the American League. In truth, no AL catcher enjoyed a truly standout season behind the plate in 1973 (unless you count Detroit’s Bill Freehan, who played only 98 games), but Munson, with a league-high 80 assists and a 48 percent caught-stealing rate, was a good choice.

Smashing a career-best 20 home runs and batting .301 didn’t hurt his cause, either, and though it shouldn’t have had any bearing on the Gold Glove vote, Thurman’s lively bat likely helped him beat out Oakland’s light-hitting Ray Fosse, who enjoyed an equally strong season with the mitt.

However, the defending AL Gold Glove winner did not follow up his 1973 campaign so well. In fact, despite making the All-Star team, Munson suffered a setback in 1974. His offense dropped across the board, finishing with a lackluster .697 OPS. Yet thanks to the virtual absence of an injury-plagued Carlton Fisk, Munson had no real competition at the plate, making his off-season with the bat look good enough at season’s end.

Even so, Munson’s “default” slugging and defending Gold Glove earned him an encore in 1974—an honor that should have gone to Ellie Rodriguez, the unsung journeyman backstopping his first season for the California Angels. (Ironically, Rodriguez had begun his Major League career with the Yankees in 1968 after toiling in their farm system for four years. But New York’s selection of Munson in the first round of the 1968 amateur draft made Rodriguez expendable; left unprotected in the 1969 expansion draft, he was snatched up by the Kansas City Royals.)

Of course, when evaluating catchers’ performances, chances and putouts—being almost exclusively the result of receiving strikeouts—are poor statistics to utilize, especially when one’s battery mates include strikeout machines Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana (ergo, Rodriguez led the league in both categories in 1974). More tellingly, Rodriguez tied Munson for the AL lead in assists with 75.

However, Munson committed, by far, a league-worst 22 errors, including a horrendous 11-game stretch in early August during which he booted seven plays (ignominiously crowned by a three-error meltdown on August 13). Yet in essentially the same amount of innings, Rodriguez miscued only seven times, giving him a glittering .992 fielding average to Munson’s subpar .974 (league average: .983).

Eighteen of Munson’s errors came on throws—that’s a lot of extra bases gifted to existing baserunners. In fact, 11 of those throwing errors led directly to unearned runs, either on the throws themselves or allowing baserunners to get into scoring position, after which they were driven home. More amazingly, five of those runs scored on errant pickoff attempts to third base—this does not scream Gold Glove.

Advanced sabermetrics were unknown in 1974, of course—and I don’t believe in getting too far into them both because many of the highly specialized sabermetrics border on the arcane and because it’s unfair to criticize in hindsight using evaluations that were unavailable at the time. However, for the sake of argument, Rodriguez’s total zone runs dwarfs Munson’s in every category, according to Baseball-Reference. Furthermore, Rodriguez’s range factor per nine innings not only far surpassed Munson’s but also outdid every other full-time catcher in the AL.

Apart from the huge disparity in errors, though, what should have tipped the scale heavily in favor of Rodriguez was his effectiveness at stopping baserunners. Ellie’s powerful arm nailed would-be thieves at a 48 percent clip—resulting in an AL-topping 56 caught-stealings, far and away the best performance in the American League. Munson’s 35 percent caught-stealing rate was next-to-last among regulars in the Junior Circuit. (Of course, the pitcher shares fault in a stolen base, but that’s still a big deficit.)

True, Rodriguez allowed 20 passed balls to Munson’s eight, which partially washes out the difference in errors—passed balls being the only key statistic that favored Thurman—but Rodriguez should be cut a little slack for backstopping the most inaccurate staff in the AL. California issued the most walks in the league—and more than 100 more than Munson’s Yankees.

With Angels hurlers missing the strike zone so often, some pitches that could have been scored wild might well have instead been rung up as passed balls. (Incidentally, Rodriguez’s 20 passed balls were a fluke; he never before or again yielded more than eight in a season.)

Despite Rodriguez’s defensive superiority in 1974, being a light-hitting catcher on a last-place team surely camouflaged him come awards time. Again, not that hitting is supposed to play a role in Gold Glove voting—even though it clearly does—but Rodriguez’s home run and RBI totals pale even to Munson’s off-year. There was no way that seven home runs, 36 RBI and a .253 batting average on only 100 hits were going to accrue votes for Rodriguez.

As an aside, Rodriguez—who claimed to be a better stickball player in his youth than Willie Mays—actually clubbed more doubles than Munson in 122 fewer at-bats. More significantly, his 69 walks yielded a very respectable .373 on-base percentage—far better than Munson’s awful .316.

Similarly, being a light-hitting rookie catcher likely buried Jim Sundberg, even on a Texas Rangers team that had risen from last place in 1973 to second in 1974. Stepping right into a starting role, Sundberg fielded .990 on just eight errors, rang up the third-most assists, led all catchers in double plays and surrendered only nine passed balls. He, too, was more deserving of the Gold Glove than Munson, but even the most precocious freshmen hardly ever receive recognition for their defense.

Thurman Munson claimed a third Gold Glove in 1975. That award, too, is highly debatable considering an AL-topping 23 errors—the most ever by a Gold Glove–winning catcher, breaking his own dubious record of the previous year. Sundberg caught a slightly superior season with the mitt, but I’m certain voters were deterred by his horrid .199 batting average and meager run production. Sundberg’s day would come, though, as he owned the Gold Glove for the following six seasons.

Whereas Munson was ascending to stardom in 1975, Ellie Rodriguez, one of the better defensive catchers of his time, saw his wandering career wind down. He played only 90 games for the Halos that season, albeit well. Traded to the nearby Los Angeles Dodgers just before Opening Day of 1976, Ellie put in 36 games in Dodger Blue before his Major League sojourn ended.

Across a nine-year career that took him to five cities, Ellie Rodriguez always fielded well—even making two All-Star squads—yet never was officially recognized for his defensive prowess. In 737 games, he committed the same amount of errors as did Thurman Munson just in 1974 and 1975 combined.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers added several players to their farm system over the past few days through the MLB draft.

Most of those selected are still years away from becoming impact prospects, and only the team’s first-round selection cracked last week’s Top-10 list.

The following slides will further examine the Dodgers’ young talent on the farm, specifically focusing on each player’s strengths and weaknesses.

Notes: All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted. All statistics updated through June 9 unless otherwise noted. Tom Windle replaces Scott Schebler as No. 9 prospect.

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While most Los Angeles sports fans are still frustrated at the Lakers’ fortunes in last week’s NBA draft lottery, the hometown baseball team has its own draft coming up in less than two weeks.

The 2014 MLB draft is set to begin on June 5, with the Los Angeles Dodgers slated to make a selection at No. 22.

Last year, the team chose right-handed pitcher Chris Anderson out of Jacksonville University with the 18th pick. 

Los Angeles has always been a team that prides itself on pitching. Fifteen of the Dodgers’ last 20 first-round picks have been pitchers, so it would not be surprising to see the trend continue.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Dodgers will have a problem drafting a position player if the right opportunity presents itself.

Based on expert projections and various mock drafts, the following slides take a look at some players the Dodgers are likely to target come next week.

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A quarter of the season is in the books, and most Dodgers fans would agree that their team has played to about a quarter of its potential. 

One of the most popular picks to represent the National League in the World Series this season, Los Angeles began the week just one game over .500.

The Boys in Blue have not won a series since sweeping the Minnesota Twins almost two weeks ago and own a disappointing 8-12 record at home.

The trade deadline is less than three months away. While a lot can change between now and the end of the July, general manager Ned Colletti may want to start thinking about potential deals in case his team can’t find a way to right the ship.

Trade an Outfielder for Bullpen Help

When the Dodgers promoted Yasiel Puig last season, it meant there would be four highly paid outfielders for only three outfield spots. Skeptics wondered how manager Don Mattingly would handle the situation which, due to injuries, didn’t actually come to fruition until this season.

So far, Mattingly has settled an outfield rotation that favors certain matchups while giving all four outfielders multiple opportunities to start each week.

Having Puig, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford available off the bench any given day is certainly a luxury. But those four are all good enough—and paid well enough—to warrant full-time action.

That’s why it might make sense to ship one of them off in exchange for some bullpen help.

It’s no secret that Los Angeles relievers have struggled this season. The Dodgers’ bullpen has compiled a 3.94 ERA with 11 losses and five blown saves in 17 chances following Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Here are two possible trades that may help ease the bullpen concerns:

 Andre Ethier for Luke Gregerson

This trade would send Ethier back to the team that originally drafted him 11 years ago, while giving him the opportunity to start every day in Oakland. The A’s have a hole in right field as Josh Reddick has underwhelmed this season to the tune of a .214 batting average with just one home run.

The Dodgers would receive a quality right-handed relief pitcher in Gregerson, who is currently a key contributor to a top-five bullpen in terms of opponent batting average. His personal 2.37 ERA so far this season is even lower than his fine career ERA of 2.88.

The former San Diego Padre has experience in the National League West and could help spell a Los Angeles bullpen that has already pitched the second-most innings in all of baseball.

The potential snag lies in the financials of the deal. Ethier is owed about $10 million more than Gregerson this year. It doesn’t help that the A’s have been a notoriously frugal franchise.

However, Oakland’s ownership has shown a recent willingness to reach deeper into its pockets, as the team’s 2014 payroll is the highest it’s been in 14 years.

Carl Crawford for Will Smith

Carl Crawford is another outfielder that the Dodgers may need to use as a trade chip. In exchange, Colletti would reel Will Smith into Hollywood. No, not that Will Smith. The Milwaukee Brewers‘ young reliever currently leads the majors in holds. His 25 strikeouts in just 17 innings pitched have led to a miniscule 0.52 ERA. 

Unlike Kemp and Puig, Crawford did not originally sign with Los Angeles. It wasn’t Colletti who offered Crawford his current contract that will pay him over $20 million this season.

The Dodgers acquired Crawford in the 2012 mega deal with the Boston Red Sox and thus might be more inclined to part ways with him come July.

Crawford’s .255 average this season is nothing to write home about, especially considering his career average is .291. He’s no longer the speed demon of years past and hasn’t really gotten the opportunity to play the role of table-setter for the Dodgers this year due to the re-emergence of Dee Gordon.

Although Crawford’s contract will be unattractive to suitors, Milwaukee’s 2014 payroll is also the highest it’s been in the 21st century. The Brewers have been a surprising team this year and surely believe they are contenders. Crawford’s veteran presence may help fill an important void on the team.

If anything, he’ll be an upgrade from the current right-field combo of Logan Schafer and Caleb Gindl. In 66 combined at-bats, the two youngsters are hitting .196 with zero home runs and five runs batted in.

Trade an Outfielder for Infield Depth

The depth of the Dodgers’ infield is the polar opposite of the outfield. Beyond established veterans Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe, there’s not much to speak of.

Colletti always likes having a super utility infielder that isn’t known for power but rather versatility. Last season, it was Nick Punto. This year, it’s Justin Turner.

The only problem is that Turner hasn’t been turning in much production when he gets a chance to play. He began the week hitting just .180 in 65 at bats.

Here are some potential deals that might solve issues surrounding the Dodgers’ infield depth:

Andre Ethier and Chone Figgins for Adam Lind

The Blue Jays‘ Adam Lind might be a good fit in Los Angeles. What the Dodgers have been lacking in recent years is a powerful left-handed bat off the bench. Lind has been relegated to designated hitting duties with occasional starts at first base behind Edwin Encarnacion in Toronto. He hit 23 home runs last season, far more than the combined total of Dodgers’ bench players in 2013.

Lind is off to a slower start this year, with just two home runs. Still, his .306 average is a bright spot along with his 118 home runs over the past five seasons.

While Toronto has a fully loaded outfield with Melky Cabrera, Colby Rasmus and Jose Bautista, Ethier could still make the occasional start like he is doing now with the Dodgers.

But with the designated hitter in the American League, he’d be guaranteed even more at-bats than he’s receiving in Los Angeles.

Lind could be a fine backup to Adrian Gonzalez at first base, and he has outfield experience. Lind would essentially play Chone Figgins’ current role, but with the added power from the left side—something that’s been missing from Mattingly’s bench. Figgins would simply be a throw-in.

Carl Crawford and Justin Turner for Conor Gillaspie and Matt Lindstrom

This trade with the Chicago White Sox would bring in both a left-handed bat off the bench along with a veteran relief pitcher. Conor Gillaspie, who hit 13 home runs last season, can play both corner infield positions. Juan Uribe’s recent hamstring injury has raised even more questions about the Dodgers’ lack of infield depth.

The Jerry Reinsdorf-owned White Sox would be able to handle Crawford’s contract. This is assuming that Chicago is not one of the teams to which the outfielder can block a deal, per a stipulation in his contract.

The White Sox should be able to easily plug Crawford into their outfield shuffle. The team doesn’t have any proven outfielders outside of Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo, although they will look to develop Adam Eaton when he returns from the disabled list.

Matt Lindstrom is currently closing out games for Chicago and has turned in a solid 2.81 ERA. Although he has blown three of eight save chances, the hard-throwing right-hander wouldn’t be called upon to finish games in Los Angeles. Rather, he could be used in place of the struggling Brian Wilson.

It’s no secret that the Dodgers have underwhelmed so far in 2014. Still, they are above .500 and not in last place like they were at this point a year ago. If there’s a team that knows about flipping a switch, it’s the one that went on a 42-8 run last season.

The Dodgers remain one of the most talented squads in the league and should be able to gather momentum sooner rather than later. It’s not time for Colletti to pull the trigger on these panic trades just yet, but they should be considered if things don’t turn around over the next few months.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Follow @NickOstiller

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to conclude a grueling nine-game road trip this week, one that has featured almost every challenge the team could imagine.

It began with a rainout in Minnesota, which led to a day-night doubleheader later in the week. The second game of the twin-bill against the Twins lasted over five hours. After jetting down to Miami for the weekend, the team flew back up north to Washington, D.C. and was greeted with a mid-game rain delay that lasted over three hours.

Despite the unwelcoming conditions of the past week, the Dodgers are guaranteed to return home to sunny Los Angeles with a winning record overall.

As the Boys in Blue prepare for a big four-game series with the San Francisco Giants later this week, let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from the past month of Dodgers baseball.

The Dodgers Aren’t Making Home Fans Happy

The Dodgers have been sending home fans to the parking lot with their heads down for most of the season so far.

The team is a very underwhelming 6-9 at Dodger Stadium this year. The home slate started out on the wrong foot when the Giants blitzed Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu with six runs in the first inning of Los Angeles’ home opener, quickly subduing the pomp and circumstance of the pregame festivities.

Fans at Chavez Ravine haven’t had much to cheer about since then, as the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies have been the most recent teams to take series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The only team the Dodgers have been able to handle at home was the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

All told, the Dodgers are the only National League squad currently among the top three teams in their division to have a losing record at home.

But Don Mattingly’s bunch has made up for it on the road, where they continue to frustrate opposing fans.

Entering the final two games of their series against the Washington Nationals, the Dodgers own a ripe 12-6 record on the road. That’s good for second in the National League behind the surprising Milwaukee Brewers.

The Dodgers have already swept the Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins at their places this year, and are in position to complete a winning road trip by taking one of their two remaining games at Washington this week.

Outfield Dilemma Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be

Ever since the Dodgers called up Yasiel Puig from the minors last season, skeptics immediately questioned how Mattingly was going to manage the playing time of four high-paid outfielders with only three outfield spots available.

Well, the the potential problem didn’t really come into play until the beginning of this season, and so far it hasn’t been that big of an issue.

Mattingly has been employing an outfield rotation that favors certain matchups and situations while giving his four elite outfielders multiple opportunities to start each week.

Veteran left-handed outfielders Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford typically sit against southpaw pitchers. This is a wise move considering Ethier has posted a meager .233 batting average against lefties over the course of his career. Crawford is slightly better at .258.

But when Mattingly looks down his bench and sees a right-handed batter like Scott Van Slyke, a guy who’s hitting .375 with three home runs this season against lefties, it makes sense to start him over Ethier or Crawford.

Other times, Mattingly will give certain outfielders the day off if they have been slumping or—in the case of Puig—taken a fly ball off the head while crashing full speed into a wall, as was the case Sunday afternoon in Miami.

The bottom line is that the Dodgers have the rare luxury of mixing and matching above-average outfielders on any given day. Although Puig, Ethier, Crawford and Matt Kemp are getting paid enough to warrant a spot in the starting lineup every day, it simply can’t work when all four of them are healthy.

So far, the Dodgers have not had to deal with any public gripes about playing time, as Mattingly has continued to give each of them a fair chance every week.

The Bullpen Has Been Overused

Dodgers relievers lead the majors in innings pitched at 119 and have issued the second-most walks entering Tuesday’s game at Washington.

It also hasn’t helped that Los Angeles has played in more extra-inning contests than any other team in the league. Part of the reason for these long games is due to unpredictable situations, but other factors include relievers failing to do their jobs by closing out wins.

Closer Kenley Jansen’s 18 appearances are more than the Dodgers would have liked to see, especially considering the team has only played 33 games so far. Jansen’s two blown saves and 3.52 ERA are also numbers that the team expected to be lower at this point in the season.

Just this past weekend, Dodgers relievers were unable to preserve a 7-3 lead in the seventh inning at Miami. Los Angeles eventually won in the 11th inning, but not before the bullpen hurled 102 pitches—the same number that starter Paul Maholm threw in six innings of work.

Luckily for the Dodgers, their starting rotation gained some much-needed stability this week with the return of Clayton Kershaw. The defending Cy Young Award winner should be able to give the bullpen a rest, and it will be up to the other starters to follow his lead by going deep into games.

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This is the Josh Hamilton the Los Angeles Angels thought they were getting. Alas, after paying the five-time All-Star $125 million over five years in December 2012, the 32-year-old’s start to 2013 was as cold as his 2014 beginning has been hot.

In his first month as an Angel, Hamilton batted a ghastly .204/.252/.296 on his way to hitting just .250/.307/.432 with 73 runs scored, 21 home runs and 79 RBI, all of which were career worsts for seasons in which Hamilton played at least 100 games.

This April, though, the 2010 AL MVP has been the exact opposite, with 12 hits in his first 24 at-bats (.500, if you couldn’t figure that out), along with a pair of homers and doubles apiece. All of which earned Hamilton a share of the AL player of the week, per Joey Nowak of MLB.com.

“(Hamilton is) obviously a different player than he was last year,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said via Nowak‘s story. “He’s back to his playing weight (about 240 pounds). He has a comfort level in the box that started to come together the second half of last season but never really materialized the way it had before in his last couple years in Texas. Right now, we are seeing it. Hopefully, he’s in a better place in the batter’s box now and will maintain it for long stretches.”

That would be big for both the Angels, who once again have postseason aspirations, and Hamilton, who endured a calf strain that cost him a few weeks during spring training before making it back to hit .333/.378/.606 in March. Both sides want a redo on 2013, and a quick start is the best way to go about that.

Hamilton attributes his strong showing through the first seven games of the season to getting back his rhythm and timing in the batter’s box, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. “Hitting is rhythm and timing,” the outfielder told Gonzalez. “If one is out of sync, you are going to struggle.”

With Hamilton not struggling at the outset of his second year in Los Angeles, it’s time to make some general statements about his performance so far and play a little Fact or Fiction with each.

Statement No. 1: Josh Hamilton’s power is back.

For a hitter like Hamilton, who sports a .532 career slugging percentage, power is paramount. That wasn’t the case in 2013, especially early on.

A year ago, Hamilton managed a measly .296 SLG and .548 OPS before May. From there, his power fluctuated some, but he actually put up a solid .464 SLG and .783 OPS after April. That’s not quite the Hamilton of old, but it indicates just how much his awful beginning drowned out the progress he made over the rest of the year.

To wit, Hamilton hit .329 with a .518 SLG and .909 OPS over his final 45 games from mid-August until the end of the year.

Now that he’s in his age-33 campaign, it’s only natural for Hamilton to experience some decline in his performance. Thing is, his last April was still more of an outlier than a clear indication that Hamilton’s days as a dangerous hitter were done.

Is he going to return to his 30-plus-homer ways from his peak seasons? It’s a possibility. And even though it’s more of a cute observation than anything else, there is this: Since 2008, Hamilton has topped 30 homers and 100 RBI every other year, and 2014 is one of those other years.

Is Hamilton’s power back? Seems so. In fact, one could make a claim that it was here all along and only went hibernating for a month or two early in 2013.

Verdict: Fact

Statement No. 2: Josh Hamilton’s plate discipline is improving.

For Hamilton to sustain this early-season success, the two keys are going to be his health and his plate discipline, both of which have been concerns during his career. While the former is hard to control to an extent, the latter—when and when not to swing—is something that is well within a player’s ability to maintain.

Hamilton has always qualified as a free swinger, as proven by his 56.1 percent swing percentage, which is the percentage of pitches a batter goes after, and he ranks among the top 10 highest in the sport since 2007, his first year.

To start 2014, though, Hamilton has been a wee bit more selective. His swing percentage is at 46.3 percent, which would be a career low by far. Here’s a look at Hamilton’s other plate-discipline metrics so far:

That table basically shows that Hamilton has been swinging at fewer pitches overall (Swing%) while also doing a better job of swinging at pitches in the strike zone (Z-Swing%) after a dip in 2013 and swinging at pitches outside the zone (O-Swing%) at a much better rate than in recent seasons.

Add it all up, and it’s not surprising that Hamilton already has drawn six walks and has whiffed only six times in his first 30 plate appearances. By comparison, in his first year with the Angels, Hamilton had only three walks against 11 strikeouts through his first 30 trips.

A sample size of 30 PA is too small to draw any conclusions about Hamilton’s plate discipline this year, or any player’s for that matter. Studies have shown that a player’s strikeout rate tends to stabilize around plate appearance No. 60, while his walk rate takes about twice as long.

If that holds true with Hamilton, then he’ll need to continue with his current approach through the rest of April before we really buy in. And even then, this is a hitter who always will have an aggressive mentality and some swing-and-miss to his game.

Verdict: Fact (for now)

Statement No. 3: Thanks in part to Josh Hamilton’s early success, the Angels can avoid a third straight disappointing season.

It’s all about April for the Angels, who have been underwhelming in the face of lofty expectations the past two years despite a ton of talent on the roster.

It’s too early to put much weight on the Angel’s 3-4 start following two series against fellow AL West clubs, the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, but if any team in baseball needs to avoid a poor first month, it’s the Halos.

Here’s why. After April 2013, the club was just 9-17, and in April 2012, they went 8-15. From May on, though, they’ve been much, much better the past two seasons, going 69-67 last year and 81-58 in ’12.

The West is wide open at the moment, due to injuries that have the two preseason favorites to fight for the division crown more than a little short-handed: The Oakland Athletics are without Jarrod Parker after Tommy John surgery, while A.J. Griffin remains sidelined with elbow tendinitis; and the Texas Rangers lost Derek Holland for half the season after offseason knee surgery and Jurickson Profar with a shoulder injury suffered late in spring training that will cost him at least a couple months.

The Angels cannot afford to miss the opportunity that those injuries—as well as Hamilton’s hot start—is presenting. The rest of the team has to get on board with Hamilton and put together a strong opening month. After all, they’ve shown they can play well once the calendar flips to May.

Verdict: Fact

While the expectation shouldn’t be for Hamilton to regain his MVP form, he certainly should bounce back from a disappointing 2013. Ultimately, if that also helps the Angels do the same, then there’s a good chance they’ll be playing in October for the first time since 2009. That’s one final fact Hamilton and the Angels would like to change.

Statistics come from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, except where otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

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