Dodgers' Updated Lineup, Rotation, Payroll After Mookie Betts, David Price Trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers might have made themselves World Series front-runners with the acquisition of Mookie Betts and David Price in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The Dodgers are coming off a 106-win season and their seventh straight NL West title. They haven't been quite as successful in the playoffs in recent years—they lost in the World Series in 2017 and 2018 and lost to the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series last year—but Betts should go a long way toward solving that problem.

Despite trading away Joc Pederson in a separate deal, per Passan, Los Angeles could go into 2020 with one of the scariest lineups in baseball.

Here's a look at the key parts of the Dodgers heading into the season.

Lineup

1. Mookie Betts, RF

2. Max Muncy, 1B

3. Justin Turner, 3B

4. Cody Bellinger, LF

5. Corey Seager, SS

6. A.J. Pollock, CF

7. Gavin Lux, 2B

8. Will Smith, C

You won't see much better outfield production than the 2018 AL MVP and the 2019 NL MVP sitting at the corners. 

Cody Bellinger was outstanding last season with a .305 batting average and 47 home runs, although Betts is arguably an even better hitter overall with a .301 career average and an AL batting title in 2018.

The only question is where they line up in the outfield, as both won Gold Gloves last season. However, Betts has won four straight Gold Gloves, which should give him the chance to stay at his position.

A.J. Pollock will remain in center field, as the Dodgers dealt Pederson and Alex Verdugo away.

Infielders Max Muncy, Justin Turner and Corey Seager have been reliable options in recent years and should provide some excellent balance throughout the lineup with production from each side of the plate.

The wild cards are Gavin Lux and Will Smith, two immensely talented young players who came on late last year but still haven't proved much at the major league level. If they can live up to expectations, the Dodgers will have zero holes in the lineup and will be extremely difficult to beat.

After ranking fifth in the majors in runs scored in 2019, Los Angeles could be at the top of MLB this year.

Rotation

1. Clayton Kershaw

2. Walker Buehler

3. David Price

4. Ross Stripling

5. Julio Urias

Rotational depth is a significant question mark for the Dodgers, as they lost Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill in free agency and Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins in the Betts deal.

The last two spots will likely come down to Ross Stripling, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.

Stripling should get one spot to start the season after proving himself time and again as a reliable option either in the rotation or out of the bullpen. He was an All-Star in 2018 and has kept his ERA below 4.00 in each of his four seasons.

Urias might earn the final nod thanks to his upside as a lights-out lefty with impressive stuff. The 23-year-old had 85 strikeouts in 79.2 innings last year but could be ready to pitch deeper into games now that he's another year removed from his injury-filled 2017 and 2018 campaigns.

The strength of the Dodgers pitching staff will be the top of the rotation, with Clayton Kershaw still among the best in baseball when healthy. If he can avoid back issues, he should again be a Cy Young contender.

He could also benefit from pitching with Price, another elite pitcher who had to overcome questions about his playoff performances. Price came through with a 1.98 ERA in three appearances during the 2018 World Series, which should give Kershaw some confidence that he can come through in the clutch.

Add in Walker Buehler, and this should once again be one of the better units in baseball.

Payroll

This was one of the biggest concerns for teams making a trade for Betts or Price, but the Dodgers still won't be too hamstrung by the payroll going forward, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post broke down. 

ESPN's Buster Olney added the lack of long-term liability:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted the Dodgers will receive plenty of money from the Red Sox to help afford the new salaries:

Otherwise, the only player on the Dodgers' current roster signed beyond 2021 is Pollock, who will make $46 million over the next three years, per Baseball Reference.

Kershaw and Kenley Jansen are owed big money—a combined $49 million this year and $51 million in 2021—but these deals shouldn't set the team back too much going forward.

Even with players like Bellinger, Buehler, Muncy and others likely to see their salaries go up through arbitration, the Dodgers should have enough money to handle this season and re-sign key players like Betts going forward.