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October 23, 2009

Kiss'Em Goodbye

Los Angeles Dodgers

by Baseball Prospectus

Baseball Prospectus' Pre-season Projection: 93-69
Actual Record: 95-67

A young nucleus will keep LA in the driver's seat in the NL West, but the Rockies are right in the rear-view mirror.

Buster Olney of ESPN.com's Take

What went wrong: Not much, really. Despite an injury to Chad Billingsley and the drug-related suspension of Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers had an exceptional season, winning a NL-high 95 games and essentially standing as the wire-to-wire winner in the NL West. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier took their next steps into stardom, and Clayton Kershaw provided more evidence that he could become one of the sport's dominant lefties.

Biggest puzzler on the drawing board: Actually, there are a lot of lingering questions, and first and foremost is whether the marital problems of the team's owner and its recently fired CEO—Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie—will paralyze the Dodgers in the same way that the divorce of John Moores devastated the financial planning of the San Diego Padres. It may be that the legal wrangling could affect the Dodgers' effort to fill their most glaring hole, the lack of a ace-type starter who can lead a staff. In the aftermath of the Dodgers' elimination, Joe Torre mentioned that his team had managed to plug along without having a clear ace, but if LA is to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1988, it needs someone like a Roy Halladay (the best pitcher likely to be available in trade) or a John Lackey (the best free-agent pitcher). It may not be clear for weeks whether GM Ned Colletti will be in position to either spend in prospects or in cash what would be required to land that type of talent. The bullpen and lineup should be strong, and eventually, Kershaw will become an ace—but he's only 21, and the rotation needs help.