How the Dodgers can cement themselves as Fall Classic favorites this December

The Winter Meetings are approaching quickly, as are the cold, fierce days of December. Both give a reason for joy, and that joy is what carries every team in the league all the way back to Spring Training.

Call this the calm before the storm. Call this the prelude to an epic season. But one thing is always true; this is baseball. There may not be games on TV, and the home of the Dodgers may not be filled with loyal fans, but baseball is still here, and its presence is as noticeable as a Cody Bellinger home run.

Free agent signings are just now beginning and by February, many teams could look wildly different. I don’t think the Dodgers need to be one of those teams, but they need to make their voice heard. The Dodgers don’t have to go out and sign Jake Arrieta, Jay Bruce, and CC Sabathia all in the span of a couple weeks — but they have to do something.

As of now, the Dodgers’ most apparent needs seem to be in the bullpen, another slugger in the lineup, and another starter in the rotation. Though it’s often difficult to imagine that the defending NL Champs need to make some moves this off-season, rarely are changes such as these a bad thing.

All the Dodgers need to do is get where they couldn’t this past fall, but the season starts anew in March, and the joy of 2017 will merely be a riveting memory, instead of an unbelievable reality.