The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the middle of an ownership change and seem strapped for cash in a way that only the Mets can 
appreciate, but they have a 23 year old reigning Cy Young winner and the guy many think should be the reigning MVP. Things can’t be all bad in L.A. Here’s a look at what lies ahead as the 2012 season unfolds for the boys in blue.
Projected Lineup:
- Dee Gordan (SS)
- Mark Ellis (2B)
- Matt Kemp (CF)
- Andre Ethier (RF)
- James Loney (1B)
- Juan Rivera (LF)
- Juan Uribe (3B)
- A.J. Ellis (C)
Projected Rotation
- Clayton Kershaw
- Chad Billingsly
- Ted Lilly
- Chris Capuano
- Aaron Harrang
Strengths:
Kemp and Kershaw: The two superstars are fantastic and young, and represent an exciting future for the team. As long as these two guys are around, the Dodgers will be relevant and have a possibility to compete. Matt Kemp is talking about a 50/50 season and I certainly do not want to be the one that tells him he can’t do it. Clayton Kershaw is so good we did an entire post about guys who might be as good as him.
Rotation: I’m not overly excited about their rotation; especially the 4 and 5 spots, but with Harrang and Capuano you know exactly what to expect. However, the top three guys are legit and make it possible to compete in a tough division.
Ownership: This is actually a strength for them. I’m looking for the ownership deal to be completed by midsummer. There seems to be some holes in the Dodgers roster that can be addressed with midseason trades in an attempt by the new owner to flex his or her muscle. I like the possibility of trading some lottery ticket young arms for a solid closer/setup and 2B (Chris Perez with Jason Donald? or Carlos Marmol and Darwin Barney?).
Weaknesses:
Bullpen: I’m not sure who their closer is or where he came from, but I do know that he was really good last year. Javy Guerra had a 2.31 ERA and converted 21 of 23 saves. After him, the bullpen is made up of Kenley Jansen, M. Guerrier, B. Hawksworth, and S. Elbert. Anybody outside of Dodgertown know who those guys are? Jansen we know because he had a 1.34 ERA over his last 40 appearances last year.
Ownership: This is actually a weakness. Frank McCourt screwed his team out of a bunch of money and ran them into the ground. The team has far too many young, talented players with too many years ahead of them to be bad. McCourt managed to make them a mess.
Storylines:
Kershaw repeats: Is there anyway that Clayton Kershaw repeats his second half performance from last year and provides one of hte most dominant pitching seasons we’ve seen since…. well… Verlander last year.
McCourt Sale: This is the big one for the Dodgers as they are really handicapped until the sale goes through. Los Angeles is a place where payroll and production should be high and Dodger fans won’t put up with another bad season out their team.
Vin Scully: Any chance you get to listen to Vin this summer, please do it. I’m not sure how many games he’ll do or if he’s planning on broadcasting in 2013. I do know that he’s awesome.
Prediction:
83-79, T-3rd, NL West. The Dodgers managed to win 82 games last year seem like they could be better this coming year, but I have a really hard time seeing them make the jump to the playoffs. Juan Uribe and AJ Ellis do not start for playoff teams and the Dodgers ownership change could take until August. Did I mention that ownership change yet?
Bold Predictions:
- Don Mattingly still sucks at managing.
- Clayton Kershaw has a 2.78 ERA for the year including giving up exactly 2 runs to the Giants over 6 starts.
- Dee Gordan adopts a pet fox that then gives the speedster a severe case of rabies/athletes foot.
- Hector Gimenez quadruples his career hit count in one game. (Not that bold. The 30 year old catcher has just 1 career hit)
-Sean Morash
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