Los Angeles Dodgers Biggest Offseason Mistakes This Winter
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers offseason has included a few key mistakes that could hold them back in 2017.
In recent years, we have seen the Los Angeles Dodgers offseason include several big moves. Rarely do they shy away from big contracts or blockbuster trades. They are even willing to trade a player on a big contract and eat most of the salary if it improves their chances in the coming year. Although nothing they have done has led to a World Series victory or even an appearance, the Dodgers always try.
This offseason is different. The Dodgers are not a better team. Their World Series chances are no greater. One can argue that very little was accomplished. If they were to face the Chicago Cubs again in the NLCS, the odds are in the favor of the defending champions and not the Dodgers.
The Dodgers’ primary focus this offseason was spent on handing out big deals to players on expiring contracts. The Dodgers just happened to have a lot of players heading into free agency all at once. Rather than building a championship caliber team, the Dodgers seemed to believe they had one in place. Maintenance then became the priority.
For as good as they still are, there are a few clear mistakes the Dodgers made this offseason. Whether specific or a little more general, Los Angeles may enter the 2017 MLB season wishing they had done things differently.
Trading Howie Kendrick
Maybe the biggest mistake from the Dodgers offseason was one that didn’t seem very big at the time. By trading Howie Kendrick, the Dodgers opened themselves up to their biggest offseason storyline: their pursuit of a second baseman.
Kendrick had to find his place with the Dodgers last year. He did so by spending time the majority of his time in left field with starts at second base, first base, and third base as well. Second base had been his primary position prior to 2016, but due to Chase Utley’s presence, Kendrick had to become more of a utility man. Had the Dodgers held onto him, their attention could have been focused elsewhere.
Unfortunately, because the Dodgers traded Kendrick to the Philadelphia Phillies pretty early on this offseason, they have a huge hole to fill. At first, it wasn’t a bad move to shed some salary. Then, as time passed, it became worse. Considering they only received Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney back in return makes it one trade the Dodgers likely regret.
Perhaps the Dodgers thought they had a trade with the Minnesota Twins for Brian Dozier in the bag. Whatever their thoughts were, Los Angeles traded their best second base option within the franchise before finding an alternative. Now, the Dodgers must either make a trade or Enrique Hernandez unwarranted increase in his playing time.
Re-Signing Rich Hill
Rich Hill was phenomenal with the Dodgers last year. In his six starts, Hill posted a 1.83 ERA. Overall, with his 14 starts for the Oakland Athletics included, Hill had a 2.12 ERA along with a 12-5 record. When healthy, Hill was practically unhittable The problem is that health was a major hindrance and this won’t change as he enters his age 37 season.
Hill’s story remains one of the most remarkable ones in recent MLB history. It began when the Boston Red Sox called him up in September 2015. During his brief tenure with them, he shined. This landed him a one-year deal worth $6 million with the Athletics the following offseason. His stellar performance there, and with the Dodgers in 2016, earned him an even heftier contract when the Dodgers re-signed him last December.
The deal Hill signed with the Dodgers this offseason will pay him over $45 million over the next three seasons. The money isn’t too outrageous for a pitcher of Hill’s abilities. However, there’s a very good chance Hill continues to miss multiple starts due to blisters and other ailments.
Last year, Hill was absent for all of June and then again from mid-July until late August. He’s also someone the Dodgers cannot expect a complete game from as he only went beyond six innings in three of his starts last year. Late in the season, this was due to the Dodgers remaining cautious.
Hill is certainly worth the price the Dodgers are paying. However, this could be a problem as only one of their starts last year reached 30 starts. For them to employ Hill, a guy who is bound to hit the disabled list at least once in 2017, they must have stronger reinforcements. Unfortunately, the Dodgers do not have this luxury which makes Hill a not-so-great fit.
No Significant Changes to the Roster
Alluded to earlier, the Dodgers made very few significant roster changes this offseason. The cliched definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. The Dodgers are apparently unfamiliar with this as they approach 2017 with many familiar faces.
The starting lineup remains completely unchanged. The only difference is they are forced to search for a second baseman. Some players could swap out on how gets the most playing time, but that’s about it.
Additionally, the starting rotation hasn’t changed either. The only starting pitcher free agent signing was Hill. The Dodgers also decided to bring back third baseman Justin Turner and closer Kenley Jansen, which seem to be quality decisions. The only criticism of the Turner signing might be that they were only bidding against themselves.
Keeping the roster almost entirely intact is not a terrible idea. This is especially true for a team that made it to the NLCS. The Dodgers will certainly contend again in 2017 yet seem to lack the same overall greatness of many other squads.
The losses suffered by the Dodgers were also quite huge. As minor as it may seem, Chase Utley and Joe Blanton were very important parts of the 2016 squad. Failure to replace each of them will haunt the Dodgers.
Fixing These Mistakes
Opening day remains in the distance. The Dodgers have weeks to fix these mistakes. By possibly trading for a new second baseman they have made up for the Kendrick trade and added a new ingredient to the recipe. As for the Hill signing, it’s one of those deals many will just have to accept for what it is.
Thankfully, for the Dodgers, they are coming off a National League West Title and NLCS appearance. They also employ the best pitchers in baseball named Clayton Kershaw and one of the top offensive players in Corey Seager. A few errors along the way won’t prevent them from finding success.
These mistakes are ones the Dodgers may have to wait until the trade deadline to solve. They can find their second baseman, fix the starting rotation if Hill doesn’t work, and make other changes as needed.
In the meantime, they can hang their hats on the fact that the San Francisco Giants didn’t do very much either this offseason. While the Dodgers remain a very good team, these decisions they made this offseason could have cataclysmic results.
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