It has been a rather tumultuous offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Following a brutal NLDS loss to the Mets, Los Angeles knew they had many a free agent agenda to attend to. None was bigger than bringing back Zack Greinke to solidify the rotation. However, that task was not completed as Greinke left Chavez Ravine for Chase Field when the Diamondbacks dropped a 6 year, $206.5 million contract on his lap. This led to a scramble for several other big name arms, each to no avail. Management bailed on a potential Aroldis Chapman coup at the last second following his domestic dust-up. They won the Kenta Maeda sweepstakes, if you can even call that a win. His contract could be as low as $25 million or balloon to as high as $105 million through incentives. Even with Maeda in the fold, Kershaw’s rotation deputy this year will be another man who is no stranger to incentivized contracts, Scott Kazmir.
Needless to say there has been little to get amped about this winter if you bleed that Dodger blue. Other than Kazmir and Maeda, the main “signings” have all been re-signings. Brett Anderson smartly accepted their qualifying offer. A.J. Ellis and J.P. Howell couldn’t put pen to paper quick enough. The nearly seventy years of second basemen, Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley, also came back to the Dodgers after finding no greener of pastures. The situation seems cold right now in Southern California, but fear not folks. The kids are coming.
Dodgers fans know about the bountiful farm system. It became a focal point of Dodger fandom as the team continued to have to trot out Jimmy Rollins, Juan Uribe, and eventually Utley on a regular basis. There are between five and eight prospects from the Dodgers in the top 100 in the sport, depending on who’s list you prefer. But there is no debate as to who tops each of those lists. Corey Seager made his presence felt with a tour de force September call-up. He hit .337 during the month with 4 home runs and 8 doubles and a 19/14 K/BB ratio. He was a bit overwhelmed in his playoff debut, but the fact that Don Mattingly never wavered from using him in the postseason proved his worth.
A full season of Seager is going to be tremendous. His versatility defensively, being able to play shortstop and third base, will give Mattingly much needed flexibility that he didn’t have with Jimmy Rollins. And that bat is nothing to sneeze at either. He has a tough act to follow as his brother, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager, is already an All-Star with a $100 million contract. But if all things continue the way most forecast, the Dodgers will have the greater of two Seagers for the foreseeable future.
Seager is the Dodgers’ crown jewel and will be an everyday player for LA, but he is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the youth movement descending upon Dodger Stadium. The pitchers ready to burst on to the Major League scene this year will surely soften the blow of losing one of the league’s best.
Julio Urias has been hyped up since his professional debut as a 16 year old. The southpaw has done nothing but live up to said hype at every Minor League stop and 2016 may be the year he finally gets the call to the Bigs. The Dodgers have an abundance of left handed starters at the moment with Kershaw, Kazmir, Anderson, and the returning Hyun-Jin Ryu. Nevertheless, it would be criminal to keep Urias in the Minors until his 20th birthday in August. He possesses command of his pitches beyond his years, and is effective coming at hitters with a bevy of off-speed pitches or straight heat. Picture prime years Tom Glavine folks. Even if he slid into a bullpen role to limit his innings, similarly to what Tampa Bay did with David Price in 2008, Urias should be an integral part of the 2016 Dodgers. It isn’t just the bespectacled left hander that could pay immediate dividends.
Right handed prospects Jose De Leon and Frankie Montas won’t be too far behind Urias once the season begins. While Urias had fanfare from the beginning of his career, De Leon was on the brink of fading into obscurity. A 24th round pick in 2013, the Southern University (producers of Rickie Weeks and Lou Brock) product put forth a miserable debut campaign. A 6.96 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 9 hit batsmen across three leagues isn’t a stat line that you can usually keep your job with. But the Dodgers Minor League brain trust saw something in him and that faith has been rewarded. De Leon has flourished since his rocky start. He rung up High-A and Double-A 163 times in 114 1/3 innings with just 37 walks. The 12.8 K/9 mark led the Minors.
Montas comes to the Dodgers by way of the three-way Reds/Dodgers/White Sox trade earlier this year that netted Chicago Todd Frazier. He was also part of the three-team Jake Peavy trade three years ago, so such a move isn’t unfamiliar. What Dodgers fans may become more familiar with real quick is Montas’ triple digit fastball. Used almost exclusively as a starter in the Minors, Montas possesses the stuff that could help him transition to the Dodgers pen better than his other two dynamic counterparts. He still needs to refine his changeup as a secondary pitch, but just imagine him and Kenley Jansen rifling 100 MPH gas past gassed hitters in the late innings. It should warm up the coldest of Dodgers fan’s hearts.
It is hard to feel empathy for the Dodgers due to their massive spending. However, this trend towards youth in Dodgertown may be a sign of things to come rather than a blip on the team’s radar. More and more youngsters are getting looks in LA, and that trend will surely continue over the next several years. These particular kids are coming soon, but even more players are in the pipeline. Cody Bellinger could be the heir apparent to Adrian Gonzalez at first. Alex Verdugo could be gunning out baserunners alongside Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson in the outfield in due time. Pitchers Grant Holmes and Zach Lee may be up sooner rather than later. The Dodgers need something to spark them to their first World Series title since 1988. Taking on teams’ unwanted contracts hasn’t worked. Overspending on middle of the road talent hasn’t either. Maybe the youngsters will be the difference? I think they will.