The 2010 Los Angeles Dodgers were a pretty popular pick to win the National League West. Injuries, turmoil and some down years for a handful of players caused the ship to sink in manager Joe Torre's final season. The front office mess may cause financial repercussions down the road, but at the very least there is new blood on the bench in first-year skipper Don Mattingly, who has been very optimistic about the team's chances.
2010 record: 80-82, third in NL West
Manager: Don Mattingly
Key additions: IF Juan Uribe, C Dioner Navarro, OF Tony Gwynn Jr., OF Marcus Thames, RHP Jon Garland, RHP Matt Guerrier.
Key losses: C Russell Martin, OF Scott Podsednik, OF Reed Johnson, IF Ryan Theriot.
Outlook: Oh, the McCourts. They have managed to make a beloved Los Angeles baseball team a veritable Hollywood subplot to their lengthy divorce drama.
It remains to be seen what this will mean for the team's financial situation going forward, but it probably will not help in terms of retaining star players or signing free agents. New manager Don Mattingly, known as a calm leader in his playing days, is not concerned. Nor should he be. He has a job to do.
Mattingly has insisted that the Dodgers are a better team this year than last. His style — which includes standing in the box when pitchers throw bullpen sessions — is unique. But that could be what this group of talented players needs to realize their potential.
At the top of that list is Matt Kemp, the team's star center fielder, who moved on from his star girlfriend, Rihanna, and has apparently recommitted himself to the cause. Kemp played in all 162 games last year and had 28 home runs and 89 RBIs, but it still was a down year. His average plummeted 52 points, his OPS nearly 100 and his strikeouts soared. A legit 30-30 candidate with the potential to hit over .300, the sky is the limit. After 2010, Kemp seems a bit more grounded.
Kemp will play alongside Andre Ethier, who was one of the few Dodgers to have a season which met expectations in 2010. Newcomer Juan Uribe is now the second baseman, with shortstop Rafael Furcal and third baseman Casey Blake giving Los Angeles a veteran core. With reclamation project Jay Gibbons in left and Rod Barajas behind the plate, it is not a lineup that will wow anyone.
Dodgers Stadium has long been known as a place for pitchers, and the rotation has a chance to be pretty solid. In rising young stud Clayton Kershaw (2.91 ERA), fellow lefty Ted Lilly, Chad Billingsley, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda, the Dodgers don't have a hole as of yet.
Closer Jonathan Broxton nearly lost his grip on the job last year, but the signing of former Minnesota reliever Matt Guerrier should deepen the bullpen.
What it means to the Red Sox: The Dodgers are one of those teams that could be seen selling off a few pieces if the first half of the year does not go well. Certainly, teams like the Red Sox would be interested. Although Boston's need for an outfielder is not what it was a year ago when it was linked to Ethier, the Dodgers best player, he would be intriguing to anyone if he gets dangled. Ethier is a free agent after next season.
