Bloat and turmoil are being addressed in the offseason by the Dodgers. With baseball’s biggest payroll, this team contended but could not match the Giants in one aspect. Team chemistry was a shambles. Follow Apexbaseballbetting.com to find out why this reboot of the Dodgers might have lesser parts but will purr down the highways of the National League West in 2015.
Kemp Opens Up LA’s Outfield
A cardinal rule was shattered in trading Kemp to the Padres this week. One usually likes to ship their stars to other leagues or at least divisions. It limits the team and fans exposure to him. The revenge factor will come into play as they will see a lot of him being in San Diego. This move addresses team chemistry and a glut of outfielders for the Dodgers. Puig will get more time and be shifted to a right field spot that is better suited for me. A young prospect the organization is high on will get to be broken in at center. The bickering on the bench from lack of playing time will go down. Finally, while not concerned about payroll, LA shifts all but $31M of his monster contract to another team. A lot of positives to counter the trade to a division rival.
Infield and Defense Upgrade
Jimmy Rollins addresses the void that is at the heart of the Dodger’s woes which is team defense. Playing in a pitcher’s park, team defense or the lack of it made LA’s life harder in 2014. Although Rollins has decreased production, he is thought of very highly as a defensive shortstop. His locker room presence and veteran leadership will help stabilize this ship. Another good move for the organization.
These moves and numerology conspire against the Giants this year. Odd years have not been kind to San Fransisco during this dynasty’s run. With the moves that LA has made, they are to be considered to be the overwhelming favorite in the division. Future should reflect this and if they do not, should be invested upon heavily. So much pressure is now on the Dodgers that anything short of the World Series should result in the firing of their manager. Tune in next week as Apex Baseball looks at more trades that will effect the future of the 2015 season.
