The Los Angeles Dodgers won 94 games and finished six games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Considering the team was 10 games behind the Giants in early June, that’s a commendable result. The Dodgers were the more talented club and eventually asserted themselves as such.
But with a MLB-leading $240 million opening day payroll, winning a division title and beating out arch-rivals isn’t the standard the Dodgers have set. Winning a World Series championship is the only result worth the massive investment team ownership has made. Losing in the Division Series round — even to the seemingly unbeatable Cardinals — obviously falls far short of that goal. Finishing with the second-best regular season record in the league isn’t a consolation.
Perhaps the Dodgers believed the talent already on-hand was enough to beat out the Nationals and Cardinals for the NL pennant. However, their four-game loss to St. Louis in the NLDS shows that general manager Ned Colletti has some significant holes that need to be addressed before next season if the Dodgers are to follow through on those championship aspirations.
Preseason Prediction: The Dodgers are a very good team. Their spending has assured them of that. However, they’re not World Champs yet. It’s going to take a healthy and productive season from up and down the roster. The most realistic scenario probably has Matt Kemp in about 120 games or so, with an outfielder being jettisoned at the trade deadline. Yasiel Puig picks up where he left off, if not just a slight regression. Kershaw remains dominant at the top of the league’s best staff. The Dodgers take the division over the Diamondbacks and fight for the NL pennant. (Randy Holt, February 28th)
What Went Right: Clayton Kershaw not only maintained his standing as the best pitcher in the NL, but made a strong case as the league’s Most Valuable Player. A NL Cy Young Award would be his third in the past four seasons (and you could argue that he should have won four in a row). Had the Dodgers beaten the Cardinals in the NLDS, it would have largely been because of Kershaw and that magnificent left arm.
His 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP ranked first among NL starting pitchers, while his .196 opponents’ batting average was the second-lowest. Kershaw also tied for the league lead with 242 strikeouts, finishing with the best rate in MLB at 10.8 Ks per nine innings. He compiled a 21-3 record, getting the most wins among MLB starters. Oh, and he threw his first career no-hitter in June, throwing one of the finest pitching performances in MLB history.
Kershaw achieved all this despite missing the first month of the season with inflammation in his upper back. The injury limited him to 27 starts, his lowest total in the past six years.
The Dodgers also had one of the most productive lineups in baseball, finishing second in the NL with 718 runs scored (and a +101 run differential), a .265 team average and .738 OPS. Four everyday players compiled an OPS of .800 or higher, led by Yasiel Puig’s .863 mark.
What Went Wrong: The bullpen was nowhere near as good as the starting rotation. Dodgers relievers combined for a 3.80 ERA, ranking 12th among the NL’s 15 teams. Manager Don Mattingly really had no reliable options other than closer Kenley Jansen, a problem that was highlighted during the NLDS when the Cardinals feasted on the Dodgers’ soft middle relief.
The front office didn’t make moves to improve the bullpen at the trade deadline, and settled for lackluster arms (Roberto Hernandez, Kevin Correia) to fill out the back end of the Dodgers’ rotation. His reluctance to part with top prospects may yield benefits in the future, but did nothing to help the team in the present. The Dodgers couldn’t find a team just looking to unload a big contract for little in return, unlike in past seasons.
Colletti also couldn’t solve the Dodgers’ outfield logjam by moving Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford. As it turns out, keeping Kemp (whether or not there was a deal to be made) worked out, as he finished with a strong September (.322 average, 1.047 OPS, nine home runs in 95 plate appearances) and was one of the Dodgers’ best hitters in the postseason. (Whether that makes him a cornerstone player for the Dodgers or a more appealing trade chip will be one of the offseason’s most intriguing questions.)
With Puig establishing himself as one of the team’s best hitters, and Joc Pederson probably ready for the majors after an outstanding season in Triple-A Albuquerque, the Dodgers will likely have to move at least one of their veteran outfielders — while eating the rest of a big contract. Whether or not Colletti can use those resources to help improve the starting rotation and bullpen could be a test of his skills as a general manager.
Most Surprising Player: Dee Gordon went from a question mark and possible reserve infielder to seizing a role as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter and becoming a major speed threat on the basepaths. The 26-year-old led MLB with 64 stolen bases and 12 triples, while also setting career-highs with a .289 batting average, .326 on-base percentage and .704 OPS. He finished with 176 hits in 650 plate appearances.
Gordon’s breakout success gives the Dodgers some possible trade options. Could the team now move Erisbel Arruebarrena or Alexander Guerrero? Or will either of those players end up as the shortstop if Hanley Ramirez departs via free agency (or finally agrees to move to third base)? Second base appears to be Gordon’s job for the present and future. (That is, unless the Dodgers look to sell high with him.)
Most Disappointing Player: If Colletti wanted to trade Andre Ethier, the outfielder did nothing to help his value by putting together his worst season as a major leaguer. The 32-year-old veteran batted .249 with a .691 OPS, four home runs and 42 RBI, numbers that weren’t likely to attract any clubs seeking a left-handed outfield bat. Obviously, that performance wasn’t going to convince Mattingly that he should play over Kemp or Puig in the Dodgers’ outfield either.
To be fair, Ethier might have done better with more plate appearances. His 380 were the fewest of his nine-year major league career. Perhaps Ethier also would have played better defensively with more time in the outfield, particularly center field. But he also had to give Mattingly a reason to play him and never really could, even when Puig was slumping through August and September. (Starting Ethier in Game 4 of the NLDS was a desperate move by the manager.)
Ethier doesn’t look like part of the future in Los Angeles. And with $53.5 million remaining on the final three years of his contract (which will also make him difficult to trade), he would be an awfully expensive role player.
The Future: With their financial resources, the Dodgers are almost always going to be competitive. The question is how Colletti uses that significant payroll advantage to build his roster. Failing to improve the setup crew behind Jansen in the bullpen was a costly mistake. And not bolstering the back end of the starting rotation compelled Mattingly to start Kershaw on short rest in the NLDS, and also prevented the Dodgers from having a capable starter to use in long relief. With what’s available in free agency, there’s no excuse for the front office not to patch those holes.
Catcher is one area where the Dodgers need a significant improvement. A.J. Ellis batted .191 with a .577 OPS while dealing with ankle and knee injuries. Drew Butera didn’t supply any more offense with a .188 batting average. The Dodgers are likely happy with the defense both catchers provide, but their feeble hitting creates a hole at the bottom of the lineup. Bringing Russell Martin back to Chavez Ravine seems like the right move. Besides providing a bat, he may also fill a leadership void in the clubhouse.
The Dodgers have abundant talent to stay ahead of the Giants in the NL West. They boast the stronger lineup and starting rotation, and quite a bit of young talent will provide reinforcements in the near future. But this was clearly a flawed roster for the postseason, and unless Colletti takes the necessary steps for his team to compete in a short playoff series, the Dodgers won’t advance past the divisional round. That’s obviously not the objective ownership has set forth with the money it’s spending.
