The National League West season preview is up at SB Nation's MLB hub, compiled and written by Marc Normandin. A writer from each team site was asked to submit a best-case and worst-case scenario for their team, and here is what I wrote about the Dodgers:
Dodgers' best-case: "The highest payroll in MLB history plays up to their salary level and the Dodgers ride a deep lineup and powerful pitching staff to the best record in the National League, followed by a deep run into the playoffs. This is contingent upon Carl Crawford looking more like the Tampa Crawford, and Chad Billingsley becoming the poster boy for non-surgical elbow ligament tear recovery."
Dodgers' worst-case: "The money spent still isn't good enough to wrest control of the NL West from the Giants, and the Dodgers get left out of the playoff mix in a top-heavy National League. Chad Billingsley's elbow doesn't hold up, Hyun-jin Ryu is a bust, Matt Kemp still takes a while to find power in his left shoulder, and the Dodgers find out why Boston was so eager to dump Crawford and Gonzalez."
In other Dodgers and baseball news...
- Ken Gurnick of MLB.com spoke with Stan Conte on Wednesday about the platelet-rich plasma given to Zack Greinke and its potential benefits.
- This is a couple of days old, but Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register talked with Kenley Jansen about recovering from heart surgery and having more energy this spring.
- In case you had any doubts about Yasiel Puig at the very least making the trip to southern California for the Freeway Series, Robero Baly of Vin Scully is My Homeboy reports that Puig is scheduled to make an appearance at a card shop in Lomita on Mar. 30, before the Dodgers play the Angels in Anaheim that night.
- Wendy Thurm at FanGraphs was at last week's SABR Analytics conference in Phoenix, and wrote about the great detail and lengths teams are using to attract fans.