Los Angeles Dodgers

Before the season began, Major League Baseball was already stirring about the possibility of a blockbuster trade that would send the St. Louis Cardinals' star first baseman to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ryan Howard.

The deal never materialized, leaving fans to wonder if a trade for Pujols was imminent.

There are several reasons why the Cardinals would be looking to deal the slugger and perennial All-Star.

The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be the perfect mix of youth and veteran players on paper. With great young talent in Matt Kemp, Andre Either, and Clayton Kershaw, and solid veteran leadership from Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal, this team is set for another run at that elusive National League Championship. That is, if they can make the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged a win on Thursday in a 10-2 affair over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ronnie Belliard had a big day, filling in at third base for Casey Blake. He collected four RBI's while falling a single short of the cycle.

Chad Billingsley looked sharped, going nearly six innings allowing just one run and striking out seven.

Well, there are thousands of new skeptics-turned-experts out there. The controversy surrounding Torre's decision to tab Vicente Padilla as the Dodgers' Opening Day starter over the youngster Clayton Kershaw culminated in the struggle of Padilla to hit his spots in the early innings.

The other day it was revealed that Vicente Padilla would be the Opening Day starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I know, in the scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter, but the Dodgers have not one, not two, but three starting pitchers who I would rank above Padilla.

The question some are asking is if we should use this as a sign that Padilla is a usable fantasy option?  He was strong after the Dodgers acquired him last season, posting the following line:

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West by three games last year after posting a 95-67 record; unfortunately for Los Angelians, the 2010 season doesn’t hold nearly as much promise.

The ballclub is in trouble… that’s “trouble” that starts with “T” that rhymes with “D” that stands for “d-i-v-o-r-c-e-”!

The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly have weapons on their roster and thus far this Spring, those weapons have been on display. The Dodgers arsenal gives them an edge entering the regular season and a foundation to campaign for a playoff spot. Five essential strengths have to be met in order for a major league club to succeed:

Effective pitching is key. Pitching that keeps the other team from scoring provides an easy-street to wins.

A productive 3-4-5 in the line-up to drive in runs ensures plenty of offense to back up effective pitching.

DEFENSE.

Imagine you were chosen to select an all-time rotation and pitching staff for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Who would you select?  Who would make your all-time pitching staff?

Your fantasy team would then have to compete against all of the other all-time rotations and teams selected.  How would it fare?

Budding young stars seem to be a trend in not only baseball, but in numerous sports. There is something to be said for harvesting your own players and having them shine. It has been a long time coming in baseball, where again exciting youth have arrived to sell out ballparks.

One of the top organizations in the business the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been to the League Championships in consecutive years.

This is interesting given the fact that the third largest market in sports has spent relatively cheaply.

The credit is due to the players and the managerial staff.

Perhaps the most amusing topic of discussion this spring as position players fight for roster spots is a stipulation of Ronnie Belliard's agreement with the Dodgers and manager Joe Torre: Lose weight, gain a roster spot.

That's right. The Dodgers want Belliard—just not as much of him.

As the 2009 season came to a close, no one was more prominent of an influence in the Dodgers' playoff run than Ronnie Belliard.