Los Angeles Dodgers: 6 Steps To Returning to the Playoffs

Okay, Frank and Jamie McCourt suck. Right. Got it. Lost in that whole ridiculous saga was the fact that the Dodgers had an incredible second half of 2011, bolstered by Cy Young shoo-in Clayton Kershaw and coin-flip MVP candidate Matt Kemp. 

They only finished 3.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for second place in the NL West, and actually bumped their record up three games above .500 by season's end. 

They were one of the hottest teams in baseball down the stretch, providing hope in a lost season for what we can look forward to in 2012. Here are six moves that must be made for the Dodgers to contend next season.

1. Re-Sign the Big Boys

The good news: 23-year-old Clayton Kershaw is arbitration-eligible for the next three seasons before he becomes a free agent. They will have to pay him big bucks eventually, but with other pressing needs, they can get him on the cheap a little longer.

The bad news: Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier need to be sealed up NOW. Both players are in a position to earn big-free agent contracts very soon. But the Dodgers can't afford to lose them.

Kemp should be looking at a contract of at least seven years and $150 million. Ethier, after a couple injury-riddled seasons, is probably due something more like a four-year, $55 million deal. When healthy, he's one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, and L.A. just can't afford to lose either part of the heart of their order.

More good news: The Dodgers declined the options on Jon Garland and Casey Blake and will let Jonathan Broxton walk. Boom! $17 million off the books. Plus, we don't have to pay Juan Pierre to play for another team anymore. That boosts the total to about $20 million off the dirty, dirty hands of Frank McCourt.

More bad news: Help is needed at third base, in the rotation and at catcher. Two of those can be filled relatively cheaply, but a decent chunk of change will have to go to a productive third baseman or starter if the Dodgers want to be competitive again.

The solution: PAY MATT KEMP. I can handle another season with Aaron Miles and Jamey Carroll in the infield. I can handle another season of inconsistencies at the No. 2 spot from Chad Billingsley. And I can, with tissues and a box of chocolates, shudder and tearfully accept Ethier walking. What I will not stand for is letting the most talented player the Dodgers have seen in a long time wearing another uniform.

If Kemp and Ethier can be re-signed for at least a few years each, the Dodgers pass this offseason with a resounding round of applause.

2. Bring Back the Role Players

Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles aren't necessarily names that make opposing pitchers shiver in their spikes. They are names that fit the utility man roles perfectly. Carroll was exceptional filling in for Casey Blake and Juan Uribe last year, and when Miles was given time, he made some big plays.

They can be had for cheap and are two of the more dependable off-the-bench guys. Pair them with A.J. Ellis and Tony Gwynn Jr. and you've made a very happy fan out of this writer. One move they also might want to look at with any extra cash floating around at the end of the winter (Hah...HAH. HAHAHA. Extra cash...good one) is offering a one-year deal to Jim Thome. 

The fan base would love it, he'd be great for the clubhouse and would be a pinch-hitting hero. I feel confident guaranteeing at least two pinch-hit walk-offs from Thome in a Dodger uniform if he were on the team in 2012.

3. Assure the LF Platoon

For all the things GM Ned Colletti has done wrong during his tenure with Los Angeles (see: Andruw Jones, Carlos Santana, Trayvon Robinson), getting Juan Rivera from the Blue Jays was a coup. I can't for the life of me figure out why he has always been so undervalued. 

Anyway, hitting behind Kemp, Rivera was an absolute terror on opposing pitchers last season. He provides the type of protection Dodgers fans had come to expect from Ethier. 

Also, Jerry Sands showed he is ready for the big-league level when he got called up a second time down the stretch and absolutely raked. They both need to be on the Opening Day roster, splitting time in left field. That way, if Ethier goes down again, one of them can step in and do a fine job filling in. 

Even better, teach one of them to play first base so James Loney only hits against right-handed pitchers. Sands is probably the Dodgers' left fielder of the future, but allowing him to split time and improve even more will be beneficial in the long run. Rivera will put up good numbers if he is playing every day and may become great trade bait at the deadline in 2012.

4. Bulk Up at Catcher

Apologies to A.J. Ellis, who seems to be getting the Adam-Melhuse-in-Oakland treatment, but he's just not good enough to be our everyday catcher. Rod Barajas was dependable on defense, and I'll gladly take the awful batting average for his raw power and tendency to come through in the clutch.

I see two options here, since whoever is behind the dish for L.A. is inevitably keeping the spot warm for Tim Federowicz anyway. First, re-sign Barajas on the cheap for a one-year contract. Let him do his thing and mentor the young prospect. 

Or, if the powers that be aren't quite ready to hand the reins to Federowicz, look at signing Ryan Doumit, the potential-heavy, oft-injured former backstop for the Pirates. His switch-hitting power would also be a good short-term solution, and like Rivera, Doumit could become a valuable trade chip come July.

If all else fails, and he can be had cheaply enough, Ivan Rodriguez is an interesting choice. He's hot on the trail of 3,000 hits and would be the best mentor possible for the Dodgers' young catchers. Not to mention the best game manager for the rotation. Unlikely, but worth a mention.

5. Get Aramis

Whoever is smart enough to make a move for Aramis Ramirez will undoubtedly be pulling off the most underrated signing of the offseason. His glove is good enough at the hot corner, and whatever shortfalls he has over there are completely wiped out by his offensive prowess.

Ramirez is a career .284 hitter who is smart, disciplined and hits for power. After a couple seasons in Chicago where he was limited by injuries (but still put up pretty solid numbers, I might add), he seemed to be forgotten. 

Then in 2011, he was back in full force, hitting .306 with 26 homers and 93 RBI. So, yeah, like a hundred times better than anything Casey Blake ever produced. People may cry foul and say he's old and over the hill. And I understand. If it seems like he's been in the majors forever, it's because he has. He's going into his 15th season. But he came up when he was 20; he's only 33 right now and still has a few great years left in the tank.

I think the Dodgers need to make a move that gets them something they have been sorely lacking with Blake and James Loney: power from the infield corner spots. Offer Ramirez a two- or three-year contract for $10 million per and see if he bites. I guarantee it would be much more worth the money than the $7 million a season they are paying Juan Uribe.

If the Dodgers decide to ignore my brilliant advice here, then maybe they can at least look at bringing in Eric Chavez, Greg Dobbs or former Dodger Wilson Betemit at a bargain to compete with Aaron Miles and Jamey Carroll for the fourth infield spot.

6. Bolster the Rotation

Clayton Kershaw was the best pitcher in the National League in 2011, and will be awarded justly. He will win the Cy Young this year, and will be in line for a huge raise in a couple years. The Dodgers will have to jump that expensive hurdle when they get to it. Besides Kershaw though, the rotation is extremely flimsy. 

Chad Billingsley seems destined for a mediocre career, despite his frustratingly immense potential. At best, he's a third starter. It would be nice to have him be the fourth for the Dodgers. The first thing that needs to happen is the Dodgers absolutely need to convince Hiroki Kuroda to stick around for another season or two in America. Rumors have been swirling for a while that he would return to Japan to finish his career.

But, Kuroda has been an eternally underrated, exceptionally productive pitcher for the Dodgers. He's aging, but if 2011 was any indication, he's still got a couple good seasons in him. Ideally, he'd be their number three guy. His 13-16, 3.07 ERA line is much more indicative of the Dodgers' lack of offensive firepower than Kuroda's own shortcomings.

So, get Kuroda for at least one year, around $10 million. Or less, if you load it with incentive bonuses. That leaves the Dodgers with Kershaw, ________, Kuroda, Billingsley, and Ted Lilly. Who takes that No. 2 spot behind Kershaw? If they have to turn to free agency, it won't be CC Sabathia or C.J. Wilson. No, the Dodgers stay away from those initialed guys. 

If it is a free agent they bring in, they could potentially grab Mark Buehrle for a couple years. But, that might not be worth the money. He's still got it, but no better than Kuroda, Billingsley or Lilly. I know it's risky, but my preferred move would be to try and swing a trade for someone who is constantly flying under the radar as a top-notch pitcher. 

My plan would be to trade a couple prospects (within the realm of possibility—no Nathan Eovaldi or Zach Lee moves. Please, god, please) to the pitching-heavy Atlanta Braves for Jair Jurrjens. It's risky, because the kid's had issues with control and health, but he's just so darn filthy that it might be worth taking a one or two-year flier on him. He's only under contract through 2013, but at $3 million a season.

Recap: 25-Man Opening Day Roster Prediction

Now, let's get a couple things straight. First, don't believe Ned Colletti when he says he "has money to spend" this offseason. At least not until the McDivorce is through. Second, even if there were money to spend, Colletti and McCourt are both far too incompetent to even consider making smart moves like the ones I presented here.

I think the six steps I presented are moves that would not only make the Dodgers a serious threat in the National League, but make them favorites to win the division in 2012. They are good, fairly cheap moves and would pack a lot of value into smaller names.

There's no sense in fishing for someone like Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder or C.J. Wilson, who will command a record-breaking contract. Instead, stick with the very consistently boring James Loney, who produces and plays great defense, and find the offense elsewhere, cheaper (Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Doumit, Juan Rivera would easily combine to out-produce Pujols or Fielder).

Here would be my ideal Opening Day lineup for the 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers:

1. Dee Gordon, SS

2. Juan Rivera/James Loney, 1B

3. Matt Kemp, CF

4. Andre Ethier, RF

5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B

6. Jerry Sands/Juan Rivera, LF

7. Ryan Doumit, C

8. Juan Uribe, 2B

9. Clayton Kershaw, SP

Rotation:

1. Clayton Kershaw, LHP

2. Jair Jurrjens, RHP

3. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP

4. Ted Lilly, LHP

5. Chad Billingsley, RHP

Bullpen:

RHP Blake Hawksworth

RHP Josh Lindblom

RHP Matt Guerrier

LHP Scott Elbert

LHP Hong-Chih Kuo

Set-Up Man RHP Javy Guerra

Closer RHP Kenley Jansen

Bench:

C Tim Federowicz

INF Aaron Miles

INF Jamey Carroll

OF Tony Gwynn, Jr.