Los Angeles Dodgers Free Agents: 3 Roster Tweaks to Make Them Contenders

The Los Angeles Dodgers played well late towards the 2011 MLB season.  However, the big problem came at the middle of the season with the organization amidst ownership drama and financial uncertainty. 

Although they disappointingly finished third in their division, it is hard to overlook some of the accomplishments of particular players. 

Matt Kemp led the team in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, bases stolen and runs scored overall.  He is in contention for his first MVP award, and needless to say, the priority is on resigning Kemp. 

Alongside Kemp, starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who is in the hunt for his first Cy Young Award, was fantastic this year.

With young up-and-comers like Dee Gordon and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have a bright future ahead of them.  However, to make them better contenders for the 2012 season, they will need to work as a cohesive unit as well as make some minor roster tweaks.  

Keeping a Solid Core

The Dodgers played surprisingly well towards the end of the season.  This was not a surprise if someone was to look at all the numbers the Dodgers had put up.  They had a group of good hitters in Andre Ethier, James Loney and Matt Kemp.  Also, pitchers Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Broxton all have tremendous upside.

Trying to maintain this solid core is a tweak in of itself.  The ownership cannot look at the final record and decide to have a clean sweep of the clubhouse.  This team is young and some up and comers such as Devaris (Dee) Gordon can develop to become impact players for the boys in blue. 

Clayton Kershaw’s contract will also have to be looked at by the Dodgers front office.  He is currently being paid close to the bare minimum while contending for a pitcher’s highest award, the Cy Young Award.  Other pitchers such as Kuroda and Ted Lilly are making close to $10 million a year.  Kershaw’s contractual happiness should be another priority for keeping the core intact.

Bigger Hitters

Matt Kemp was a statistical monster this MLB season.  His year was phenomenal and it is hard to make a case otherwise.  However, the real problem was that the rest of his team could not keep up.

Getting a bigger bat in the lineup to help relieve some pressure off of Kemp would greatly benefit the overall production of the team.  Two potential pick-ups would be getting Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals or Prince Fielder from the Milwaukee Brewers.  Although this is unlikely, getting hitters of their caliber and pairing them up with Kemp would create havoc for most pitching lineups. 

The Dodgers already have a huge payroll, and in order to afford a big contract, getting rid of some hitters is inevitable.  Unfortunately, if the owner decides that a big bat is necessary, it is only possible through the release or trade of some players in the core mentioned earlier.  A fan favorite in Andre Ethier would most likely have to go along with veterans such as Casey Blake, Jon Garland and James Loney. 

As far as Fielder goes, if his current team keeps the train moving and ends up doing well in the postseason, it is difficult to see him leaving.  However, if he does opt out and decides that he wants to move to tinsel town, the Dodgers would most likely be giving up another notable in Ethier, Loney, Jamey Carroll and/or Juan Uribe in order to afford his potential contract.

Better Pitching

Finally, all championship teams need to be able pitch and close out a game.  If this was a fantasy world, the Dodgers should go on an all out attempt to steal Mariano Rivera, however those are only dreams in the mind of a baseball fanatic. 

Jonathan Broxton struggled a bit this season, but most understand that he has the potential to help this club out in huge ways.  The pitching staff should give him some time to prove once again that he is a viable option at the closing position. 

With that in mind, Broxton, Kuroda and Vincent Padilla are all free agents at the end of the year.  This leaves a hole in the pitching lineup for the Dodgers. 

Kuroda seems to be leaning towards resigning with the team.  However, who knows if he will opt out of LA contract and move on to play elsewhere. 

It looks like Padilla will not be returning, mainly because he accomplished nothing extraordinary in his tenure.  Getting rid of Padilla to help out with paying for Kershaw’s impending pay raise seems to be a likely scenario.  

A potential pick up could be pitcher CC Sabathia from the New York Yankees.  He is to become a free agent, and if the Yankees do not meet his contractual expectations, it is a viable option for him to walk. This would be tough financially, though getting rid of some of the smaller contracts on the team—as well as painfully letting go Ethier or Loney—could allow for some wiggle room in contract negotiations.