Dodgers' Top 5 Offseason Acquisitions
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been active in the winter, including big front-office moves. With Ned Colletti out, the Dodgers will have a new philosophy on acquiring players with Andrew Friedman, who will lead baseball operations, and new General Manager Farhan Zaidi. Zaidi will bring the club a statistical edge, while Freidman should put all the pieces together for a title contender. As for the roster, the Dodgers amped up their defense by acquiring former MVP Jimmy Rollins and long-time Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick. Here are CBSLA's Top 5 off seasons moves:
1. Andy Friedman
The 38-year-old Andrew Friedman will be the new head honcho for any moves for the Blue Crew. The former investment banker has said he will bring multiple World Series titles by the end of his first term of his five-year contract. He is the man responsible for turning the small-market Tampa Bay Rays to serious MLB contenders. Team President Stan Kasten has thought long and hard for his main man for operations. He believes Friedman is the piece to help the team move to the next level.
2. Jimmy Rollins – The longtime Philly Jimmy Rollins will move west to replace Hanley Ramirez as the Dodgers' shortstop. With the addition of Howie Kendrick and Rollins, the Dodgers' interior defense will be much better than it was last season. Ramirez struggled to stay healthy – thumb, calf, shoulder, oblique, leg – while Rollins at 36 has averaged 139 games per season in his 15-year career. The 3-time All-Star won an MVP in 2007 and a World Series in 2008. Rollins will bring the team much-needed leadership.
3. Farhan Zaidi
Many people still doesn't know why the Dodgers have hired a geek as the general manager and possibly will never until they win championships. A Canadian who attended MIT, Zaidi plans to implement the "Moneyball" system to the team with the highest payroll. Zaidi will think outside of the box and ahead of the curve. We may not understand his future moves, but again did we ever understand those extremely smart kids in your classroom?
4. Howie Kendrick
The Dodgers will have a much-improved second baseman after acquiring Howie Kendrick and trading Dee Gordon to the Marlins. Of course, they will lose speed, but Kendrick will get on base. Gordon's second half of the 2014 season was horrible. He posted a 1.6 percent walk rate and his on-base percentage dropped to .300. Kendrick is a much better player than Gordon and will produce more offensively and defensively. He has career batting average of .292 with and an on-base percentage of .332 with the Angels.
5. Brandon McCarthy 
Brandon McCarthy will be the Dodgers' fifth starter, replacing Dan Haren, who went to the Colorado Rockies. He pitched a career-high 200 innings last season with the Diamondbacks and Yankees. He started poorly but turned it on when he ended the season with the Yankees, posting a 2.89 ERA with 1.151 WHIP. If he stays healthy, Dodgers may have gotten a great player.
