Will the Big Spenders See Big Results?

Will the Big Spenders See Big Results?

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a season in which they reached the NLCS despite enduring a slew of injuries to key players all season long. So, theoretically if they stay healthy for most of the season they should reach the World Series with no problem right? Not so fast my friends. Even though this should be a playoff team, they need to hope the Cincinnati Reds or Pittsburgh Pirates take a major step back from last year. If either or both of those teams keep winning as they did last year and do not regress by much then this billion dollar dream team is in trouble.

The number one reason for their slide this season will be Yasiel Puig. If there is any player who has regression written all over him it’s Puig. He burst onto the scene last season like a bat out of hell putting up numbers and hitting like very few before him. That is not going to happen again, especially over a full season. Puig also seems like a player that relies too much on natural talent and will not work as hard as others to sustain success. Also, Hanley Ramirez will not hit anywhere near like he did when he returned from injury. Ramirez looked like a top 5 player in baseball, which we all know he is nowhere near. There are questions in the outfield as far as health and distribution of playing time, and considering the guys involved it’s a good thing they play in Hollywood because 3 of them exhibit diva behavior. Puig, Crawford, and Kemp will all sulk and be a distraction to the team if they feel they aren’t getting enough at bats or playing time.

On the pitching side of things the Dodgers have what is arguably the best top 3 in a rotation. Easy to say that when they have the greatest pitcher in the galaxy, but after Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu there is a big fall off. Josh Beckett and Dan Haren are nowhere near the players they have been in the past and show more signs of being washed up than rebounding. They have a solid closer in Kenley Jansen but the rest of the bullpen is filled with question marks. Whether it’s Brandon League or windbag and attention seeker Brian Wilson, these are not guys I want protecting leads.

As I stated before, I see this being a playoff team because I don’t see the Reds or Pirates being in the hunt this season, but they need to stay together and play as a team when guys aren’t hitting or the pitching isn’t up to par. There will be no 40-8 stretches in 2014. Don Mattingly has some dynamic personalities to handle and needs to let his guys know that the only thing stopping their success is themselves.

We will be back tomorrow with a look at the new look Texas Rangers. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.