After a lackluster start to 2008, the Dodgers turned their season around in the second half of the season with the acquisition of Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake at the trade deadline, winning the dreadful NL West title at only 84-78.
Projected Lineup:
C - Russel Martin
1B - James Loney
2B - Orlando Hudson
SS - Rafael Furcal
3B - Casey Blake
LF - Juan Pierre
CF - Matt Kemp
RF - Andre Ethier
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Chad Billingsley
#2 - Hiroki Kuroda
#3 - Clayton Kershaw
#4 - Randy Wolf
#5 - Jason Schmidt
Closer - Jonathan Broxton
Position Battles:
LF - Since Manny Ramirez has not signed yet, it looks like Juan Pierre is the front runner for the the everyday job. If Ramirez does sign, Pierre be relegated to the 4th outfielder role.
Set-up Man - Former set-up man Jonathan Broxton is now the Dodgers closer, so there will be a battle between Tiawanese fire-baller Hong Chi Kuo and veteran Guillermo Mota.
2009 Outlook: It appears that with or without Manny Rameriez, the Dodgers will finish at least second. If they can find a way to sign him they would be the front runner to win the division. The signing of Orlando Hudson to sure up second base and give them another productive bat will surely pay dividends. Their only question mark is the bullpen, which takes a hit with the loss of Takashi Saito.
Projected Finish: 2nd plance, NL West
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