The Los Angeles Dodgers head into the 2014 season with their expectations as high as they've been in the last 25 years. Their payroll is sky high and they have plenty of notable names both on the bump and in the field. Nonetheless, while this team is absolutely loaded for a legitimate World Series run in the upcoming year, there are still questions facing this team. How they are able to respond to those questions could determine their fate for the new campaign.
Depth Chart (as of 2/28)
C: A.J. Ellis
1B: Adrian Gonzalez
2B: Alex Guerrero
SS: Hanley Ramirez
3B: Juan Uribe
LF: Carl Crawford
CF: Andre Ethier
RF: Yasiel Puig
SP: Clayton Kershaw
SP: Zack Greinke
SP: Dan Haren
SP: Hyun-Jin Ryu
SP: Josh Beckett
CL: Kenley Jansen
New Faces
The Dodgers head into the season with a few notable names gracing the roster, primarily in regard to their pitching staff. Dan Haren returns to California after a rough year in Washington, D.C. He's coming off of a season in which he pitched very well down the stretch, so he should be a solid addition as a third or fourth starter with the Dodgers. The starting staff also says hello to Paul Maholm, who seems destined to come out of the bullpen at this point, but should see his fair share of starts throughout the year. In the bullpen, Chris Perez joins the colorful group of relievers that this team already had in place. In the field, Alex Guerrero is currently slated to start at second base and that's about where the additions end for position players. Oh yeah, Drew Butera.
Departures
There aren't a whole lot of departures that the Dodgers will be concerned about, if any. A couple of veteran infielders parted ways, with Michael Young deciding to call it a career and Mark Ellis joining the St. Louis Cardinals. Carlos Marmol signed with the Miami Marlins and Ricky Nolasco signed with the Minnesota Twins. Chris Capuano signed with the Boston Red Sox. Again, nothing significant was lost this winter, though the Dodgers may hope that a guy like Young was still around for depth purposes.
Impact Rookies
It's all about Alex Guerrero right here. This is a veteran team that management has invested a ton in. There isn't a whole lot of room for rookies to make an impact at this point. Nonetheless, Guerrero has the second base job in his hands at this point and has the chance to become the second consecutive Cuban prospect to make a large impact for the Dodgers. He's a former shortstop who should bring a solid glove to the mix. He's a high upside guy with the bat, though, and is a big on-base guy with 20+ homer potential. He should be a solid addition to the mix for Los Angeles, assuming Dee Gordon doesn't sneak up and try and grab the job.
Position Battles
Do these actually exist in LA right now? You have a bit of a battle going on for the fifth starter spot, between Josh Beckett and Paul Maholm right now. Chad Billingsley will make some noise for a spot when he's healthy in his recover from Tommy John as well. Dee Gordon could try and fight for that second base spot and actually packed on some muscle this winter. That could end up in his favor. That does add some intrigue, in addition to the fact that when Matt Kemp is healthy, the Dodgers will have four starting caliber outfielders.
Injury Concerns
Where do we begin? Matt Kemp is a walking health risk after the last two years. Zack Greinke left his first start of the spring, but there is little to suggest this is serious. Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford each represent injury risks, which is why the Dodgers didn't part with any of their four starting outfielders during the offseason. Hanley Ramirez hasn't exactly been a figure of health in the last few seasons either. The deal here is mostly of the nagging variety, which could be a concern for the Dodgers.
Best Case
This is an easy one. In a best case scenario, all of that major spending over the last couple of years pays off in a big way and the Dodgers run away with the World Series. Clayton Kershaw takes home another Cy Young, and Matt Kemp makes some noise as an MVP candidate. Alex Guerrero comes on as a Rookie of the Year contender. The accolades pour in for a Dodgers team that ran away with MLB's best record and captured their first title since 1988.
Worst Case
Just as best case represents a "boom" season for the LA Dodgers, worst case would be a complete bust. Matt Kemp has another lost year due to injury, while Crawford and Ethier fail to pick up the slack. Yasiel Puig continues to hit triple digits on the odometer and ruin his public image. This thing with Zack Greinke turns out to be something more than just wanting to get out of going to Australia. The Dodgers struggle to stay healthy and find depth and cede the division to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Realistic Scenario
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.
