The Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to a seventh consecutive National League West title and franchise-record 106 wins during the 2019 season behind one of the deepest rosters in all of baseball.
While the club has yet to make a significant acquisition this winter, they remain in excellent shape heading into the 2020 season. To no surprise, ESPN’s Buster Olney included the club on his list of top-10 teams for the upcoming year.
The Dodgers placed second in the rankings, trailing only the New York Yankees, who of course made the offseason’s biggest splash by signing Gerrit Cole to a 10-year, $324 million deal.
The rest of the field consists of the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, in that order.
Still considered by many as the team to beat in the NL, the Dodgers return the majority of their core this season. The only notable exceptions are David Freese, who announced his retirement, and a pair of left-handers in Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, respectively.
Returnees include 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger and other young stars such as Gavin Lux, Dustin May and Will Smith. Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw will additionally anchor a deep starting rotation that was among the best in baseball last season.
In terms of outside additions this winter, the Dodgers took a flier on former Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen, who looks to bounce back from an inconsistent 2019 campaign and return to his previous elite form.
Former Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson was also signed to a one-year contract and will have an opportunity to claim the fifth spot in the starting rotation this spring.
More recently, the Dodgers reunited with Alex Wood on a one-year contract. He enjoyed his best season in 2017 and hopes to get back to that level in his second stint with the organization.
Completing a blockbuster trade before Opening Day continues to be a possibility for the Dodgers as well, who have been consistently linked to Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts.
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