Kuzul

My buddy Vinnie over at Talking Giants Baseball contacted me and told me he would like me to do a guest blog entry about the Dodgers. He wants me to throw a preview at him. Well…he’s not going to like what I’m about to write, because the Dodgers are coming back full force next year for a 100 win season and that NL West title.

Last season the Dodgers ended with an 80-82 record, far below the 95 wins they had in 2009. A few different things contributed to their drastic fall in performance. In no order:

1. Matt Kemp – Since 2007, when Kemp played 92 games and had nearly 300 at bats, he’s never had a season in which he batted below.290. Last season he hit only .249, and while his power continued to develop, his tremendous decrease in contact made him a less dangerous RBI guy, and robbed him of several possible home run opportunities.

I don’t know if its his newly formed relationship with Rihanna or just an off year, but Kemp’s defense also took a terrible tumble. He was coming off a gold glove season in center field with every night having a possible web gem, but last season he continuously misplayed balls and looked foolish. Kemp will need to regain his earlier, more promising form if the Dodgers are going to have a chance to win the NL West.

2. Jonathan Broxton – What the hell happened to Broxton? He was terrible last season. All of a sudden he looked scared and confused, like he had no idea what he was doing on a pitcher’s mound.

In previous years, when the Dodgers would send Broxton and his 100MPH fastball out for the final three outs, there was very little doubt that he would get the job done. Maybe his two previous collapses in the NLCS against the Phillies finally caught up to him, but last season his ERA ballooned to 4.04.

In his previous four seasons, Broxton’s ERA had only been above 2.85 once (3.13, 2008). Unless Broxton is dealt this season, he will need to come back down to Earth and start knocking people down again.

3. The Divorce – The McCourts’ looming divorce didn’t allow the Dodgers to go out and add the pieces they needed in order to compete. They needed to fill out the rotation better and the people who we did add were all old journeyman. It was almost as though they made some moves to make it look like they were still trying to compete.

This offseason however, when many people thought that the trend would continue, we’ve been one of the most active teams (besides Boston, or New York). We’ve gone out and bolstered our starting five, with the re-signing of Kiroki Kuroda and Ted Lilly along with the addition of Jon Garland.

Based on last year’s statistics, this group is the best rotation in the MLB. If they can continue to work deep into ballgames, and keep our team in position to win games, we just have to hope our pen can handle the rest.

4. Manny Ramirez – Well…Manny wasn’t really Manny anymore. Maybe this is the new Manny we have to look forward to, but luckily, as a team, we don’t have to worry about it anymore. Personally, I’ve always been a big Ramirez fan, but after he was suspended for his “PED’s” he was never the same. Coincidence? I don’t really care; either way, he was not the same middle of the lineup threat that he used to be.

In 66 games with the Dodgers he did manage to hit .311, but only hit 8 homeruns. In 2010 his AB/HR ratio was 24.5/1, a far cry from the end of 2008 when he came to the Dodgers and propelled them into the playoffs when it was 11/1. Manny has to be having fun to play good baseball, and after he was suspended fifty games he didn’t seem to handle the pressure of the LA fans very well. Good luck Manny.

With these reasons looking to change, the Dodgers should be at least 10 wins better than they were a year ago. That puts them at minimum 90-72. Not the 100 wins that I boldly (and semi-jokingly) predicted at the beginning of this preview. The biggest weaknesses for the Dodgers last season were driving in runs, and late-game bullpen issues.

Those are two very pivotal issues when it comes to baseball, but I think with Matt Kemp returning to form, the additions of Vicente Padilla to the bullpen and Tony Gwynn to the outfield, the Dodgers have already improved. With the rumors swirling that they are after Prince Fielder (for Broxton and Loney), the Dodgers aren’t done changing this team.

At the current state the Dodgers are in, I think think they are a lock for nothing lower than No. 2 in the NL West. With the addition of a big bat in left field and one more arm in the bullpen, I think we can realistically contend for a 100-win season, and the NL West title.

Check out the N.L. West Sneak Peak No. 1: S.F. Giants

This article is also featured on The L.A. Sports Minute.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

MLB free agency is in full swing with a lot of the top free agents already off the board.

Teams that missed out on the best available will be scouring the open market, looking for an extra bat or arm to give their team a boost. While the pickings are fairly slim at this point, there are still a couple of big names out there that could make an impact.

Of the available free agents, which are the best ones available?

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Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth have grabbed all the headlines with their lucrative nine-figure contracts, but many of this off-seasons free agents remain unsigned.

For some players like Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, their big day is a foregone conclusion, but others won’t be so lucky. Whether due to age or declining skills, many players may have to wait until Spring Training to sign a contract, that is, if they can find work.

With that in mind, let’s examine 15 players who could have to wait until March before finding a new home for the season.

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The offseason which some hoped would build upon last year’s isn’t exactly going so well. Shaun Marcum was shipped off to Milwaukee, John Buck bounced to Florida, and Scott Downs got the money he was looking for in LA. Kevin Gregg isn’t likely to come back either. 

Overbay is now a Pittsburgh Pirate. Good luck trying to get five million dollars worth of value from him… 

Aside from the Marcum trade, which is a bit of a head scratcher, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous seems to have made the right move with most of these guys. A 35 year old Downs isn’t worth as much as his two drafts picks and Buck was expendable. 

But let’s be serious, the Jays aren’t that bad. In fact they’re pretty good. Not to mention on paper, two of the three teams in the AL East have gotten worse. 

The Jays aren’t really that far away from a potential playoff berth. Alex Anthopolous seems to think this team is years away from playoff contention. He’s right, I wouldn’t expect to see the Jays playing next October, but they aren’t that far away.

One move that the Jays should look into is a potential trade for Prince Fielder. I know that might come as a ridiculous concept for some but his price isn’t going to be that high. 

Just look at the Red Sox’ trade for Adrian Gonzalez. Sure Padres GM Jed Hoyer knew the Red Sox farm system like the back of his hand, but the powerful slugger only cost one top prospect and two fairly good ones. 

The difference between Adrian and Prince? Adrian had a great year, Prince had a down one. Factor in the defensive abilities that Gonzalez brings and the two are quite different. And so are their prices. 

The Brewers can shop Prince all they want but they won’t get big money prospects. Prince is good but with one year left on his deal, they’re not getting much for the fat first basemen. 

This deal for me at least would be contingent on a contract extension since it would be a waste to have him for a one year rental. But even with that, this guy will not cost Toronto Kyle Drabek, J.P. Arencibia, or any other elite prospects. 

The first basemen free agent class of 2011 once looked like one for the ages. Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, and Fielder were all set to hit free agency. For now Howard is the only one locked up, but Gonzalez is expected to sign an extension with the Red Sox. 

With the Red Sox and the Yankees seemingly set at first base, the market for these powerful sluggers will not be what everyone thinks it will. You might expect teams like the Mariners, Nationals, Orioles, and possibly the Braves getting involved. But that’s about it. Extending Fielder isn’t going to be that hard, or that expensive. 

Toronto is a great team that plays in a tough position. Toronto is also not a poor team. The Jays need to spend some money to get better. Fielder seems to be a great fit to plug the hole at first base left by Overpay. The Jays may not need to “overpay” him either. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Free agency is quite often crucial to a team’s short- and long-term success. While many players are drafted and brought through an organization’s farm system, more times than not it comes down to the ability of a team to bring in top-end free agents. 

However, the risks involved with signing free agents are apparent in every Major League Baseball season. Year in and year out, players fail to live up to their multi-million dollar contracts.

Who are the riskiest players available this year? Whether it is a player’s age, inconsistency, or propensity to be injured, each player on this list has his own set of risk factors.

Here are the 15 biggest risks still available on the free agent market.

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It has been a busy off-season thus far that has seen almost all of the coveted free agents sign with different teams.

We have seen Jayson Werth sign a massive contract with the Nationals, Carl Crawford signed a bigger contract with the Red Sox, and the Sox also acquired Adrian Gonzalez.

There are numerous free agents left on the market and only half of them are really good players.  Meaning that the asking price for certain players like Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche will go up because they are the best left at their position.

So, now is the perfect time to analyze the risks, rewards, and my predictions for all the free agents that are left like Beltre and Lee.

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Last years regular season began with high hopes and great expectations for the Seattle Mariners.  They had had a very busy offseason as they acquired such players as Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley, and Casey Kotchman.

Unfortunately, the team fell way short of expectations and ended up with the worst record in the American League.  They were dead last in hitting in the major leagues and hit the fewest home runs in all of baseball as well.

The season was chaotic and treacherous as their new players were busts (except for Lee) and the clubhouse morale was bad.  Don Wakamatsu got the guillotine and the Mariners finished at a god awful 61-101 mark.

Once again, the AL West looks weak and if Seattle makes the right moves they can maybe compete once again.  The right moves you may ask?  Are the ones I am about to suggest.

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The 10 biggest laughing stocks of free agency are described as such not necessarily because they aren’t (or weren’t once) fine players.

Although some of them are far past their prime.

But the main reason why teams would be foolish to sign them is because of the likely very high asking price.

Maybe the aging veterans whose production has dwindled would take a reduced deal, one-year to hang or try to resurrect their career. But that’s not likely.

And maybe the free agents who aren’t over the hill, aren’t seeking contracts far better than they’re worth.

That’s not likely either.

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The winter meetings have seen a lot of action so far.

Carl Crawford signed with the Boston Red Sox yesterday for seven years and 142 million dollars. This was in the wake of the huge contract given to Jayson Werth a week earlier from the Washington Nationals.

After the top two hitters on the market have signed, the remaining players have a starting point in negotiations and there are still plenty of quality hitters remaining for teams looking to fill out their lineups.

Here are the top 20 hitters remaining.

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Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee are still available in Major League Baseball Free Agency. Some of the major names have already landed with new teams including Jayson Werth and Victor Martinez.

That leads to the question of who are the best remaining free agents. While it is a simpler process to measure these players from a numbers standpoint, who are the best value players remaining. In other words, who provides the most “bang for the buck”.

Let’s take a look at the 50 most valuable players still available on the market.

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