Well, as we approach the Winter Meetings for baseball, it will be very interesting to see what the Dodgers do. There are plenty of holes, yet plenty of freed up salary to go after some players. I will say that I'm very annoyed by our owner, Jaime McCourt asking the fans if it's more important to sign a high priced free agent pitcher, or build little league fields in the community. She fails to realize these examples are exclusive from one another. Community involvement and fielding a good baseball team should not be a choice of either or. If success results on the field, more $$ and revenue will come off it. And of course Dodger fans want the best player possible. The McCourts are the owners to win, not be charity to the community.
As to what we should do, I've stated in previous posts the need to keep Furcal. Unfortunately, Furcal and his agent are wanting a four year deal. Being that he has only had one injury free season as a Dodger, they are not willing to give Furcal that kind of contract. However, the Oakland A's are the front runners, and appear like the ones that will match Furcal's contract desires. It's a shame, but part of the business.
The good news regarding Manny Ramirez- Even though the Dodgers have taken their initial offer of 2 years/45 Mil. off the table, we've offered him salary arbitration. If he accepts, he should make as much, if not more than A-Rod. Even though it would only be for one year, it would make him the highest paid player for a single season in the history of the game. A lot of the Dodgers optimism of keeping Ramirez has to do with the lack of interest by other big revenue clubs. The Yankees want Sabathia and more pitching, plus they already have three corner outfielders who make a ton of money. The Mets want starting pitching and a closer. The Phillies don't appear interested. Forget about the Red Sox. The Angels want Teixeira and/or Sabathia. The Giants have said they won't pony up that money for him. Who else is there? The Dodgers still appear to be the hands on favorite to keep Manny, whether it be through the one year arbitration, or if they hammer out a 2-3 year deal with an option.
My dad keeps telling me that the Dodgers might be better off letting Furcal go, letting Berroa take over. This would allow more money to be freed up for other signings. Although I understand the point and it makes sense, I'd still LOVE for Furcal to come back.
Infield takes shape- Casey Blake's agent says the Dodgers and Twins are the favorites to land him. If the Dodgers were to get him, it would possibly allow the infield to be set, given the above scenario with Berroa.
Catcher- The need to get a decent backup to Russell Martin is important. Martin is so valuable, that we cannot wear him down toward the end of every season. For that reason, we need to get a capable backup, such as a Javier Valentin, who is available. Since Martin is capable at 3B, he can give Blake a blow once in a while as well, allowing Valentin to catch 30-40 games. This would help Martin immensely.
Starting Pitching- Do we sign a middle rotation guy? If so, our pecking order would be Billingsley, Kuroda, new guy, Kershaw, McDonald. This doesn't look strong enough for me. However, it would be good enough to compete for the NL title. But is that all we want? If we can get a guy like Sabathia, that would turn everything on its head. We'd immediately become the favorite in the division. And if Manny accepted arbitration, we'd have a huge payroll next year, but then Schmidt and Jones contracts would be gone.
Outfield- Ethier and Matt Kemp are definite starters. If Manny comes back, there's our outfield, with Pierre being the fourth outfielder. Ethier, Kemp, and Pierre is simply not a good enough outfield, especially if Furcal doesn't come back. But the question looms, who bats leadoff?
Here's my best guess on who the everyday lineup will be, on the eve of the Winter Meetings, where a lot can happen.
CF- Matt Kemp
2B- Blake DeWitt
LF- Manny Ramirez
RF- Andre Ethier
1B- James Loney
C- Russell Martin
3B- Casey Blake
SS- Angel Berroa
P- Chad Billingsley
P- Hiroki Kuroda
P- Clayton Kershaw
P- James McDonald
P- FA pitcher to be named
