Despite the end result, the Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed a historic 2017 season that resulted in a Major League-best 104 wins and first World Series appearance since 1988.
With an excellent blend of star talent, depth and youth, the club is set up for another deep postseason run in 2018. That’s despite not making a splashy acquisition during the offseason in an effort to stay beneath the luxury tax threshold.
Nevertheless, Dodgers president Stan Kasten recently said the team is destined for similar success in 2018, via Bill Ladson of MLB.com:
“I think they could be as good or better. We have all our key pieces back. We expect more additions to come from what has been a very fertile farm system. I think we are going to be good. But I think we are going to be good in the way baseball is changing. Last year, we saw evolution in how the game is played — shorter [outings] from starters, more use of bullpen, greater reliance on home runs than base hits. We are a team that is well suited to those kinds of evolutionary changes in the game. I expect that to continue.”
As Kasten notes, the Dodgers figure to once again rely heavily on their bullpen. That was further evidenced when they set an Opening Day roster that featured eight relief pitchers.
In terms of roster construction, Los Angeles returns the majority of its World Series core this season. The club re-signed Chase Utley and brought in a pair of arms in Scott Alexander and Tom Koehler, though the latter began the year on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury.
Within the lineup, the Dodgers reacquired Matt Kemp in a salary dump of a trade with the Atlanta Braves. Kemp surprisingly made it to the regular season with the club and now figures to factor prominently in left field.
Although the Dodgers have been slow out of the gate, there is plenty of season remaining for them to validate Kasten’s belief.
