Los Angeles Dodgers: 5 Areas the Dodgers Need to Address in Offseason

It's a bright new day for Los Angeles Dodgers fans as owner Frank McCourt has finally agreed to sell the team after seven long years.

The Dodgers are hoping that with new ownership just around the corner the new owners will bring a surplus of money to spend on the team that finished a respectable 82-79.

In order to return to the playoffs and to be contenders well into the future, that money needs to address five very pressing needs.

Let's take a look at those needs and a few solutions. 

Second Base

In 2011, the Dodgers started seven different players at second base. That's something rarely seen from a playoff team—something the Dodgers are trying to become.

Jamey Carroll (pictured) and Aaron Miles saw the most time at second, followed by Juan Uribe and Justin Sellers. The other three players were Ivan DeJesus, Eugenio Velez and Juan Castro.

The Dodgers don't need a big bat to come from their second baseman; they just need consistency and good defense.

Re-signing Carroll or Miles as utility players would help the Dodgers' infield depth. Another option would be Mark Ellis, who split last season between the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies.

Third Base

Casey Blake's (pictured) Dodger career seems to be over after three-and-a-half years.

During his time in Los Angeles he quickly became a fan favorite, however he lost a significant amount of time to injuries in 2011. He batted .252 with four home runs in 63 games.

It's now time for the Dodgers to look elsewhere for a third baseman. They need someone with enough power to be able to protect center fielder Matt Kemp and right fielder Andre Ethier in the batting order.

Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez could be looked at by the Dodger front office but in the end, he might be too costly for general manager Ned Colletti. Then again, he could be the big bat the Dodgers are looking for.

Catcher

The Dodgers have had a problem at catcher the past few years.

In 2010, starting catcher Russell Martin missed a significant amount of time after suffering a torn labrum in his right hip.

In 2011, Rod Barajas (pictured) got most of the playing time with 98 starts. He played well, but at 36 years old, he is a far cry from a long-term option in Chavez Ravine.

At this point, the Dodgers' best option might be to just re-sign Barajas and let rookie Tim Federowicz take over as the starter by midseason.

Left Field

Left field was yet another revolving door for the Dodgers.

Tony Gwynn Jr. (pictured) got most of the starts out there and had his best season to date with a .256 batting average and a .353 slugging percentage to go along with great defense.

But those aren't very good offensive numbers. Gywnn is more suited to being a fourth outfielder.

The Dodgers could pursue Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore or decide to stay in house by re-signing Gwynn or Juan Rivera or making Jerry Sands the everyday starter.

Contract Situations

Center fielder Matt Kemp (pictured, left) and left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw (pictured, right) are the cornerstones of the Dodgers.

The two are just 27 and 23 years old respectively and could each be taking home two of the biggest awards this offseason, the National League MVP and Cy Young. On top of that, both already won 2011 Gold Gloves for their defensive play.

The problem is that both are potentially on the backside of their career as Dodgers—Kemp is a free agent after the 2012 season and Kershaw is arbitration-eligible this offseason.

The Dodgers need to lock them up quickly as they are the two players to build around for the future. 

It needs to be the team's top priority.