Printer-friendly

Contact Author

August 29, 2012

Punk Hits

Will the Yankees West Match The Yankees' Success?

by Ian Miller

You know all about the money. The Dodgers’ new ownership group has taken on the ungodly sum of $260 million in contracts from the Red Sox, and $400 million in total salary obligations (including acquisitions and re-signings). These figures are wholly abstract; they’re so vast that our brains can’t even process them. Us normal folk have no frame of reference.

There’s no question that the moves Colletti and company have made improve the team in the short term. Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez are massive upgrades over Dee Gordon and James Loney. Shane Victorino is better than the three-headed left-field monster of Tony Gwynn, Jr., Juan Rivera, and Bobby Abreu. In a tight National League West race, these late additions might be enough to put the Dodgers over the top. And once a team reaches the playoffs, we all know that just about anything can happen.

But if they don’t run the table this year, how are they positioned for the future? How much has the Dodgers’ new ownership group’s investment of infinity dollars actually improved the on-field product? Can the new-look Dodgers run away with the National League in 2013?

The Rotation
The Dodgers pitching has been crazy good this year. As of this writing, they’re leading the National League with a 3.93 FRA;