Footprints in the Snow: Dodgers

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Dodgers went to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row, and lost again.

So they now realize -- or at least should -- that they need to retool some to take the next step. And as if that already didn't make this a critical offseason, owner Frank McCourt is divorcing his wife Jamie, leaving everyone to wonder who will control the team and whether it will affect their spending, as happened down the road in San Diego.

The Dodgers did some fixing on the fly over the summer, with Vicente Padilla, Jon Garland and Ronnie Belliard. But all three of those players are now free agents, so the holes are back to be patched.

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Brad Ausmus, C; Ron Belliard, 2B; Jon Garland, RHP; Orlando Hudson, 2B; Mark Loretta, IF; Guillermo Mota, RHP; Will Ohman, LHP; Vicente Padilla, RHP; Jim Thome, PH; Jeff Weaver, RHP; Randy Wolf, LHP

Shopping List

Pitching is the priority. The NLCS exposed the Dodgers' lack of starting pitching; they had lots of options but not many good ones. And with Wolf and Padilla free agents, there's even more pressure to add to the top of the rotation.

One general manager not involved in Roy Halladay talks predicted the Blue Jays ace would end up on the Dodgers. L.A. might like to move Chad Billingsley, who had a rough second half and is arbitration-eligible, but at 25 could still be attractive to a rebuilding team.

The other major need could be at second base. Hudson and Belliard are free agents, so it's either turn the job over to Blake DeWitt or pursue a replacement. The Mets are probably willing to move Luis Castillo, but he's signed for two more years and $12 million.
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Money Matters

That remains to be seen. But other than re-signing Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers over the past few years haven't spent like a large-market team.

And seven mainstays are eligible for arbitration, which could mean large raises: Billingsley, closer Jonathan Broxton, right fielder Andre Ethier, center fielder Matt Kemp, first baseman James Loney, catcher Russell Martin and set-up man George Sherrill.

Martin, on a sharp downturn the past two years, could be moved to save some money.

Offseason Goals

It will be a balancing act for general manager Ned Colletti to add frontline starting pitching while staying within whatever the budget is. What helps the Dodgers is a strong farm system that allows them to add via trade. Just as Broxton, Billingsley, Kemp, Martin and Loney arrived in a wave, another wave is on the way.

But there is a sense of urgency, since 2010 is the last year of Ramirez's contract and manager Joe Torre certainly isn't around to rebuild.