Dodgers Offseason In Review

Key free agent departures, the loss of two all time greats, and plenty of Manny being Manny only begins to summarize what the offseason looked like for the Dodgers front office. To say Mccourt and Colletti had their hands full would be a major understatement.

First let us say goodbye to two of the greatest players in MLB history. Jeff Kent decided to hang 'em up after putting on one of the most dominant displays by a second baseman that baseball has ever seen. The best second baseman ever? Well a case can certainly be made. Either way his presence will be missed on several different levels in the Dodger organization. This leads us to Greg Maddux, one of the most brilliant players to ever set foot on a mound. His leadership, pitching ability, and his ability to be a difference maker is what makes him a guarantee for the hall of fame.

Key Departures:

Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito, Joe Beimel, Chan Ho Park, Nomar Garciaparra, Scott Proctor, Jeff Kent, Greg Maddux, Andruw Jones.

You look at this list and to most it's obvious to see big names, big money and a lot of key holes to fill. The Andruw Jones experiment came to an end in early 2009. This was an unique situation and ultimately the Dodgers were losing big either way. They ultimately deciced to restructure the contract and release him. This was by far the best solution, and to most it's clear Andruw Jones will never be the same again. The Texas Rangers are finding this out and the speculation will grow. I have never seen such a dramatic decline in performance of any professional sports player like this. The rest of the list carries some big names that made a huge impact on this ballclub. Lowe the workhorse and ace of the staff has departed for what ultimately will be the beginning of the end for Lowe. There are some big names but aging veterans are just not the direction this ballclub is going. Every player will be missed and some are leaving a legacy behind, while every player is leaving a big hole to fill.

Key Free Agent Resignings and Arrivals

Manny Ramirez, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Guillermo Mota.

The Dodgers didn't make the splash in free agency that most thought would take place. As a matter of fact they didn't seem "in" on any major pitcher. They seemed to target Wolf and that was seemingly it. They kept the solid veterans and clubhouse leaders in Furcal and Blake in Dodger blue. Manny is returning in 2009 after one of the most painful free agent negotiations I have ever seen. Colletti and McCourt played the hand that was dealt to them perfectly. They didn't budge for a moment and read the market flawlessly. Colletti and Torre are looking to Manny, Furcal, and Blake to anchor the lineup and carry this young team to a World Series. The youth movement will continue in every aspect.

Martin, Loney, Ethier, Kemp these guys are the core of the offensive youth movement. They have chemistry and some experience and finally looking to have the break out seasons in 2009. They all four can have career years especially with a guy like Manny in the lineup. Colletti did a great job building around the core of his young players this offseason. He quickly gave his team the best defensive ballclub in the NL. Furcal and Hudson is quite the dynamic duo and should be a lot of fun to watch. Martin the former gold glover is just about a solid of a catcher you can get. Loney and Kemp are both capable of having gold glove caliber seasons.

Wolf and Kuroda the veterans are about it when it comes to experience. Guys like Kershaw, Billingsley, Wade, McDonald, and Broxton are expected to have big seasons. The sky is the limit for this pitching staff if this young pitching staff progresses and stays healthy. Don't sell this young pitching staff short, these guys are studs and are out to prove the skeptics wrong. There is also a wild card in Jason Schmidt, you know the former all-star pitcher. He is currently having a decent spring after missing the last two seasons. If this guy is even half the pitcher he was, look out. If May or June comes around and he is still throwing the ball well, he can make a impact in 2009. One last name to look out for in 2009 is Josh Lindblom. This guy is tearing it up on the mound in spring training so far. Don't be shocked to see this 21 year old on the opening day roster.

With Opening Day just about 1 week away lets take a look at the projected lineups. With some players that just don't fit anymore, and some players being out of options I can see a couple trades possibly on the horizon.

Starting Lineup
SS Rafael Furcal
2B Orlando Hudson
LF Manny Ramirez
1B James Loney
C Russell Martin
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
3B Casey Blake

Bench
Juan Pierre
Doug Mientkiewicz
Mark Loretta
Blake Dewitt
Delwyn Young

Starting Pitchers
Chad Billingsley
Hiroki Kuroda
Randy Wolf
Clayton Kershaw
James McDonald

Bullpen
Jeff Weaver
Hong Chih-Kuo
Cory Wade
Josh Lindblom
Guillermo Mota
Claudio Vargas

Closer
Jonathon Broxton

Projected Finish in NL standings with win/loss records

92-70 Dodgers
88-74 Diamondbacks
87-75 Giants
73-89 Rockies
70-92 Padres