MLB '07 (Go Dodgers!)

[Ghoulish Delight]

The teams are in camp, and spring training games start in 1 week! Hooray! Time for my amateur rundown of the Dodgers as they arrive in Vero Beach (for the last time?).

It's been another crazy spring for the Dodgers. They made the business decision to not pursue Gagne. I totally understand why. The last thing the Dodgers need is Darren Dreifort Part 2, the Tommy John Boogaloo. But it still sucks. Gagne fit the classic Dodger star mold, coming from within the system and winning the fans' favor by winning games. But both he and the team made the only logical choice given the uncertainty of his future. It's a shame.

For the most part, I'd call the new look for the Dodgers promising with some hesitation. While they've revived the, "If an opposing team's player is wearing to Dodgers out season after season, just trade for him," philosophy of the 80s and 90s, I'm a little nervous that they keep picking up these players in or near their golden years (Schmidt - 34, Gonzo - pushing 39). That, and the seemingly inevitable corollary to the "trade for them" rule being, "Once the Dodgers trade for them they start to suck."

My other concern is they didn't pick up any power hitting. All the analysts kept saying that they were loading up on pitchers to have some trading chips for a bat, but they never pulled the trigger. But I'm not worried too much about that as that kind of deal can be done mid season when there's a clearer view of who's worth it. Definitely better that than to cannibalize the best collection of prospects in baseball to make some desperation deal just because.

But in the end, with the usual caveat of health, I like the lineup. This is what it looks like right now:

Furcal
Pierre
Nomar
Kent
Gonzo
Martin
Betemit
Ethier

The last 3 are iffier than the top 5, but it's a pretty likely scenario. If Martin can avoid the sophomore slump, that's a damned imposing middle 4, even without an obvious ball-crusher. And if Betemit and Ethier manage to be consistent, even if they don't match their peak performances of the past, they can make even the bottom of the lineup a challenge for the opposition.

And then there's pitching. It certainly feels like they'll have more depth than they've had for a few years. While it would be near impossible to recapture the brilliance of the bullpen with a healthy Gagne, I think cutting him lose will allow them to be more confident and feel less like they're waiting for pieces to fall into place and more like they're building on something solid. Saito proved he's got the stuff last season, and with an abundance of starters (Schmidt, Penny, Tomko, Wolf, [god knows who #5 will be] looks damn good on paper), long relief shouldn't be an issue. Of course, the real challenge is to reduce the need for long relief. With only 1 complete game all of last season and with the vast majoirty starts lasting 6 innings or fewer, even the strongest bullpen's going to get worn out. That needs to change.

I think it's going to be between the Dodgers and San Diego for the west this season. I'm just glad the Dodgers don't have to face Schmidt or Gonzo any more! San Fran seems like it's floundering. Bonds will continue to be exciting to watch, but a hindrance to winning. And the loss of Schmidt will hurt them. Arizona and Colorado...actually I haven't paid attention to what they've been up to, but they both seemed like they're years away from being winning teams.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict the Dodgers make the playoffs and win at least 2 games. We'll see if I eat my words.