It’s no secret that that the Dodgers shuffled around their roster in the offseason. New faces in the front office—Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi and Josh Byrnes—were the puppet masters behind the changes in Chavez Ravine. With more than half of the Dodgers’ starting roster leaving, they focused on bolstering the defense and expanding depth on the bench. 

For most Dodgers fans, they have concerns about a relatively new roster and uncertainty about the team’s chances to keep up the offensive production that they relished last season. 

Most notably, Matt Kemp, Dee Gordon, Hanley Ramirez, Brian Wilson and Dan Haren are all missing from the Dodgers’ roster this season. In 150 games played last season, Kemp—a fan-favorite—had .287 batting percentage with 155 hits, 25 home runs, and 89 RBIs. Gordon added an extra layer of aggressiveness for the Dodgers with 64 stolen bases and a .289 batting average. Kemp and Gordan will definitely be missed, but the executives see promise in the new additions’ ability to replicate the offensive success. 

The Dodgers added second baseman Howie Kendrick, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, catcher Yasmani Grandal, starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson, and relievers Joel Peralta, Chris Hatcher, and Juan Nicasio.

Kendrick is a big pick-up from Southern California rival Angels. He put up a .293 batting average last season with 181 hits and 75 RBIs. 

The biggest question for the Dodgers heading into the season is how the loss of Kemp and Gordan will affect the high-powered offense that the Dodgers had last season. Kendrick, switch-hitter Grandal, and Rollins should be able to fill the gaps in the offense, but most of the responsibility will land on the bat of right fielder Yasiel Puig. In his first full season with the Dodgers, Puig had a .296 batting average with 92 runs and 69 RBIs. The biggest test for Puig will be whether or not Puig had matured this offseason and be able to taking a leading role on the team. Non-roster third baseman Justin Turner had a standout performance last season with a .340 batting percentage and 43 RBIs. Third baseman Juan Uribe—who hit a homer off of Kershaw during Spring Training—can also add power to the Dodgers’ line-up.

The brightest spot for the Dodgers this season will be their pitching staff. With the dominating trio of Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu returning to the mound for the Dodgers, if all three remain healthy and pitch at the top of their game, the Dodgers can clinch the NL West Championship for the third consecutive year and make a deeper push into the postseason. 

Kershaw took home the NL MVP and Cy Young award—the NL first pitcher to win both since Bob Gibson in 1968. This past season, Kershaw’s 2.48 ERA was the lowest among starting pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since 1920. There’s no doubt that Kershaw has cemented himself in Dodgers legacy; in seven years in the MLB, Kershaw has been a four-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner, Golden Glove winner and NL MVP. 

The one dark spot on his resume is his inconsistent performance in the playoffs. In the postseason, Kershaw is 1-5 (0-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals). That’s not a stat one would expect to be associated with the pitcher that Sandy Koufax, Dodgers great and MLB hall of famer, dubbed as the “best pitcher in baseball.” Koufax’s support is a testament to the raw talent that Kershaw possesses and confirms his ability to turn his luck around if the Dodgers make it to the playoffs this October. Kershaw will get his first start this season on Opening Day: it’ll be his fifth such start for the Dodgers—he’s 4-0 in his previous starts.

Speaking of Koufax, he also had praise about Anderson following his first day in the bullpen during Spring Training.

First real "Dodger" moment having Sandy Koufax have nothing but positive things to say after watching me throw a bullpen.

— Brett Anderson (@BrettAnderson35) February 26, 2015

McCarthy and Anderson come to the Dodgers as former teammates on the A’s. Both bring depth to the Dodgers’ bullpen that put up a disappointing 36-41 record in games not started by Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu. 

Not only do they add versatility to the rotation, but also they add humor to the team. Both have comparable Twitter followings and parallel humor. They add an additional layer of camaraderie to a team that is known for having had troubles in the dugout at times last season.

the first day at a new job is always scary but thankfully I had a shower with my co-workers to look forward to and that took the edge off

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) February 21, 2015

The two share similar histories in the MLB and if they can remain on the mound for the Dodgers, the Boys in Blue could have arguably one of the best rotations in the league.

Dodgers fans will get their first real chance to see the new roster in action at the Dodgers’ home opener on Monday, April 6th at 1:10pm against the San Diego Padres. 

 

Contact Staff Reporter Jodee Sullivan here. Follow her on Twitter here.