The Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday night at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second consecutive year. Will the front office do anything in the offseason to alter the current roster after a disappointing end to 2014?
A number of issues will finally be addressed after months of speculation. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez will be a free agent and it's not clear if the team wants to re-sign him for the money he wants, as it was reported earlier this year he wants a deal in the $130 million range. Matt Kemp was the subject of trade talks since the 2013 winter meetings and all the way through the July 31 deadline. Will they trade him this offseason? And they were looking to add one more arm to their starting rotation because Josh Beckett is now retiring and Dan Haren proved inconsistent this season. Could they go after a big name free agent?
As for the Ramirez issue, the team has expressed their skepticism in signing him for the long-term because of his poor defense and durability issues. He's shown vulnerability over the past few seasons, playing in only 92 games in 2011, 86 in 2013, and 128 this season. If the team opts to part ways with Ramirez, they may call up infielder Alex Guerrero at the start of spring training next season to immediately fill in at shortstop. The team signed the Cuban defector last October to a four-year, $28 million deal. He batted .329 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs in 65 games with Triple-A Albuquerque. He played shortstop in Cuba, but the Dodgers have had him at second base and parts of the outfield, so if he's a potential option for the MLB roster, they might consider giving him more time at shortstop.
Corey Seager, the team's 20-year-old shortstop prospect in Double-A Chattanooga, could also make an appearance with the team next season, but there has been little news about that.
Kemp, who had a rebound year after playing in just 179 games in 2012 and 2013, could still be on the trading block for Los Angeles. Although he batted .287 with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs, the Dodgers have one of the best prospects in baseball in Joc Pederson. The 22-year-old outfielder was named the Rookie of the Year and MVP of the Pacific Coast League and appeared with the Dodgers for 18 games in September. Kemp (besides Yasiel Puig) is likely the only outfielder they have that other teams would be interested in because of his obvious talent when healthy. Carl Crawford (33 years old) and Andre Either (32) are both signed through at least 2017, with Crawford being owed over $60 million and Ethier over $50 million. It's unlikely another team in need of an outfielder will take a gamble on either of those two. Kemp is owed over $100 through 2019, but he just turned 30 and another team could luck out if the Dodgers opt to pay a large chunk of his remaining salary.
Not many teams expressed interest in Kemp when the Dodgers were shopping him, but that could change after his rebound year.
Now for the pitching. If Beckett wasn't hampered by injuries, he could have lasted as the team's No. 4 starter. The right-hander was 6-6 with a 2.88 ERA prior to being shut down for the remainder of the season, and now he plans to retire. The Dodgers will likely stick with Dan Haren next season because they owe him $10 million after he reached his vesting option by exceeding the allotted innings specified in his contract. But prior to the trade deadline, Los Angeles was linked to David Price, Cole Hamels, Jon Lester, John Lackey and others. Lester (2.46 ERA), Max Scherzer (3.15 ERA) and James Shields (3.21 ERA) will all be free agents this offseason, which means the front office will have some thinking to do. It's likely they weren't able to execute a trade for any of the previously listed pitchers because GM Ned Colletti was unwilling to part ways with their best prospects. If they don't re-sign Ramirez, it could be a wise decision to invest in another arm that could join Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu in 2015.
The only thing that's for certain is the Dodgers have deep pockets and will probably be keeping an eye on these marquee free agent pitchers. It's also likely they let Ramirez walk and don't trade Matt Kemp, but the status quo can change and open the door for new opportunities.
