MLB Team by Team: 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a decent season last season, finishing 82-80, having three pitchers pull in double-digit wins, all well and good. Their big problem was being in the same division as Cinderella (the Colorado Rockies) and Sleeping Beauty (the Arizona Diamondbacks.)

So the Dodgers decided to go the Shrek route and get big and ugly. They swooped in and picked up Joe Torre off the unemployment line to bring his expertise to Hollywood, signed Andruw Jones away from the Atlanta Braves to add some pop to a pretty good lineup, and they still have two bright upcoming stars at catcher and first base. Far Far Away, in the Shrek movies, is based on Hollywood. Are the Dodgers about to find their Happily Ever After?

OFFENSE: A-

Jones had a hard time hitting for average in his last season with the Braves (.222), but more than made up for it in power numbers (26 homers, 94 RBI) and brings another power bat and definite defensive upgrade to a lineup that already had Juan Pierre (64 steals), Jeff Kent (.302, 20 jacks, 79 RBI), and the aforementioned youngsters Russell Martin (19 homers, 21 steals for a catcher, no less) and James Loney (.331 and 15 homers). And, if that wasn't enough, they've got another good tablesetter in Rafael Furcal (another 25 steals). It's going to be hard to find an out in this lineup when they're going right.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Pierre LF 2 Furcal SS 3 Martin C 4 Jones CF 5 Loney 1B 6 Kent 2B 7 Kemp RF 8 Garciaparra 3B 9 Pitcher's spot

STARTING PITCHING: B-

The strong point for many a year for the Blue has been the starting rotation. It's hard to argue that they've been the best franchise in history from that perspective (with all due respect to the Yankees, Orioles, and Athletics of the 60's and 70's), and the tradition continues. Brad Penny (16-4), Derek Lowe (12-14, but with a 3.88 ERA), and Chad Billingsley (12-5) return, and they could be even scarier with the better run support they're sure to receive. Four and five could be an issue, depending on how well former Hiroshima Toyo Carp Hiroki Kuroda (103-89 in Japan, plus fastball, slider, forkball, reportedly a victim of lack of support as well) adjusts, and the injury/age battle between Esteban Loaiza and Jason Schmidt for the five spot. Still, three of five, possibly four, pretty good hand to hold for the Dodgers.

PROJECTED ROTATION: Penny, Lowe, Billingsley, Kuroda, Loaiza/Schmidt

BULLPEN: B

And the bullpen was flat nasty last year as well. Starting with the closer, Takashi Saito (39 saves in 43 chances last year, up from 24 of 26 in 2006), going through his set-up man, Joe Beimel, overpowering Jonathan Broxton (99 strikeouts in 82 innings), and solid veterans Rudy Seanez and Scott Proctor, this isn't just a bullpen that can hold games, they'll win them on a regular basis as well. Between the starters and the 'pen, runs could be hard to come by for the opposition.

CONCLUSION

The Dodgers are most definitely better than they were last season. They have an upgrade on the bench in Torre, great players up the middle (Jones, Furcal, Kent, Martin), a stellar 1-2-3 punch in the rotation, and a great bullpen. Thing is, they're still in the same division with the similarly improved D-backs, the San Diego Padres, and the Colorado Rockies, as well as in the same league as the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies, all of which could pull just enough wins off this team to keep them, just barely, out of the playoffs.

PREDICTION: 87-75, second in National League West