Los Angeles Dodgers: What a perfect offseason would look like
By Jason Reed
Fans are anticipating what the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to do this offseason to finally get over the hump and break a 31-year World Series drought.
This offseason is one of the more interesting offseasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers of recent years. While there is always some sort of storyline and shuffling done in the winter, this offseason presents multiple different storylines that all intertwine and will have a huge impact on the team.
The most notable needs for the Dodgers are at catcher, second base and the bullpen. Los Angeles actually has the pieces to fill the roster at all three positions, however, after coming up short yet again the team is going to have to make some sort of additions.
We don’t know who is going to catch next season with the Dodgers’ course of action depending on whether or not Yasmani Grandal accepts the qualifying offer. Second base can be platooned by Max Muncy and Enrique Hernandez, but can also be improved elsewhere. When it comes to the bullpen, it is safe to say the team has to add some sort of help.
Oh, yeah, there is also the elephant in the room: Bryce Harper. Harper is the biggest free agent of the decade and the Dodgers are one of the teams in the mix.
No matter what happens, the financial situation and luxury tax will dictate what the Dodgers do. A document given to potential investors prior to 2017 stated that the team plans to stay under the luxury tax through at least 2022. Of course, things can always change.
According to estimates by Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, the Dodgers’ payroll would be somewhere around $191 million if Grandal and Hyun-Jin Ryu accept the qualifying offers with all the arbitration players, including Walker Buehler and Max Muncy.
That would be an 18-man roster with seven spots left to fill and the luxury tax number at $206 million.
We will keep that number in mind throughout this article as we propose to you the perfect Dodgers offseason.