After a thorough review of the offseason moves of the other four teams in the National League West, we turn our investigation inward, looking at our very own Los Angeles Dodgers.
In case you missed the rest of the NL West, here are offseason reviews of Arizona, San Francisco, Colorado, and San Diego.
Five Questions
| Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 2011 Record: | 82-79 |
|
Division Finish: |
Third place, 11½ GB |
| 2012 Opening Day: | Apr 5 at Petco Park in San Diego |
| 2012 Home Opener: | Apr 10 vs. Pittsburgh |
| Other SB Nation coverage: | SB Nation Los Angeles |
1) Did the season-ending ACL injury to Victor Martinez of the Detroit Tigers cost the Dodgers Prince Fielder?
Yes.
2) If the Dodgers had all this money to sign Prince Fielder, shouldn't they have at least made a formal offer to Hiroki Kuroda, who signed for one year, $10 million with the New York Yankees?
Yes.
3) Will Clayton Kershaw in 2012 become the second Dodgers pitcher ever to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards, joining Sandy Koufax?
Yes.
4) Will Dee Gordon steal at least 60 bases for the Dodgers in 2012?
Yes.
5) Did you mail in this final question and answer session of the week?
Yes.
| Dodgers Trades, Etc. This Winter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Traded | Acquired |
| Rockies | Jamie Hoffmann of (claimed by Colorado) | |
| Orioles | Dana Eveland lhp | Jarret Martin lhp Tyler Henson of |
Eveland was arbitration eligible and not in the plans for the Dodgers' starting rotation in 2012, so he was shipped off to Baltimore for two players ranked by our own Brandon Lennox as the No. 59 and No. 77 prospects in the Dodgers' system.
| Dodgers Contracts Signed This Winter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | Type | Total Contract | 2012 Salary |
| OF | Matt Kemp | Arb | 8-year, $160m | $10,000,000 |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | Arb | 2-year, $19m | $6,000,000 |
| SP | Aaron Harang | FA | 2-year, $12m + option | $3,000,000 |
| OF | Andre Ethier | Arb | 1-year, $10.95m | $10,950,000 |
| SP | Chris Capuano | FA | 2-year, $10m + option | $3,000,000 |
| 2B | Mark Ellis | FA | 2-year, $8.75m + option | $2,500,000 |
| 1B | James Loney | Arb | 1-year, $6.375m | $6,375,000 |
| IF/OF | Jerry Hairston, Jr. | FA | 2-year, $6m | $2,250,000 |
| OF/1B | Juan Rivera | FA | 1-year, $4.5m + option | $4,000,000 |
| OF | Tony Gwynn, Jr. | Arb | 2-year, $2m | $850,000 |
| RP | Todd Coffey | FA | 1-year, $1.3m + option | $1,000,000 |
| RP | Mike MacDougal | FA | 1-year, $1m + option | $650,000 |
| C | Matt Treanor | FA | 1-year, $1m + option | $850,000 |
| IF | Adam Kennedy | FA | 1-year, $800k | $800,000 |
Matt Kemp signed the largest contract in National League history. That feels good just saying that out loud.
| Dodgers Players Lost | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | New Team |
| SP | Hiroki Kuroda | Yankees |
| IF | Jamey Carroll | Twins |
| C | Rod Barajas | Pirates |
| 3B | Casey Blake | Rockies |
| RP | Jonathan Broxton | Royals |
| RP | Hong-Chih Kuo | Mariners |
| P | Vicente Padilla | Red Sox* |
| *Minor league deal | ||
Here's my guess as to the Dodgers' 25-man roster:
| 2012 Dodgers Under Contract | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | 2012 Age* | 2012 Salary |
| C | A.J. Ellis | 31 | team control |
| 1B | James Loney | 28 | $6,375,000 |
| 2B | Mark Ellis | 35 | $2,500,000 |
| 3B | Juan Uribe | 33 | $8,000,000 |
| SS | Dee Gordon | 24 | team control |
| LF | Juan Rivera | 33 | $4,000,000 |
| CF | Matt Kemp | 27 | $10,000,000 |
| RF | Andre Ethier | 30 | $10,950,000 |
| OF | Tony Gwynn, Jr. | 29 | $850,000 |
| IF/OF | Jerry Hairston, Jr. | 36 | $2,250,000 |
| IF | Adam Kennedy | 36 | $800,000 |
| 3B/1B | Josh Fields | 29 | $500,000^ |
| C | Matt Treanor | 36 | $850,000 |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | 24 | $6,000,000 |
| SP | Chad Billingsley | 27 | $9,000,000 |
| SP | Ted Lilly | 36 | $12,000,000 |
| SP | Chris Capuano | 33 | $3,000,000 |
| SP | Aaron Harang | 34 | $3,000,000 |
| CL | Javy Guerra | 26 | team control |
| RHP | Kenley Jansen | 24 | team control |
| RHP | Matt Guerrier | 33 | $4,750,000 |
| RHP | Todd Coffey | 31 | $1,000,000 |
| RHP | Mike MacDougal | 35 | $650,000 |
| LHP | Scott Elbert | 26 | team control |
| RHP | Blake Hawksworth | 29 | team control |
| Totals (19 players) |
$86,475,000 | ||
| *Age as of June 30, 2012 ^Minor league deal; estimated |
|||
I do think Jerry Sands has a legitimate chance to make the opening day roster, and if he does it would be as the primary left fielder, as the club wants him to play every day. However, for that same reason I believe Sands will ultimately begin the season in Triple A Albuquerque unless he absolutely dominates during spring training.
The Dodgers do need power of the bench, which is why I picked Fields to make the opening day roster, but I could see Trent Oeltjen ending up with that final bench spot too. But the players haven't even reported to spring training yet; there will be plenty of time for this battle to play itself out.
Barring injury, there is only one bullpen spot open, with the out-of-options Blake Hawksworth fighting it out with Josh Lindblom and several non-roster invitees.
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