Los Angeles Dodgers: The Keys to Win it All in 2017

By Jason Reed | Dec 25, 2016

Aug 27, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) is greeted by manager Dave Roberts (30) and bench coach Bob Geren (8) in the dugout after a solo home run in the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Develop More Chemistry

The Dodgers front office needs to realize that in some cases chemistry between players if far more important that a slight upgrade. Although Carlos Ruiz came up with a clutch hit in the NLDS, trading him away for A.J. Ellis effectively stripped Kershaw of his most comfortable battery mate. Taking away your ace’s favorite teammate and friend for a slight offensive upgrade is bewildering. While sometimes holes do need to be filled, like second base, Los Angeles needs to start building a core group off players that can feed off of each other.

Look at the championship caliber teams of the past, they were given time to grow as a unit and develop that chemistry. It is hard for Los Angeles to achieve this when every winter there seems to be some sort of clubhouse shift. The start of this chemistry is apparent, the Dodgers managed to thrive while hurt and both Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner opted to remain in LA. These guys love being in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers need to build on that factor rather than solely look for talent or a profit.

Building around the clubhouse core of Kershaw, Seager, Turner, and Jansen will be key for LA’s future. With such a huge farm system they can afford to fill necessary holes and allow their home-grown talent to join the fold. Regardless, Los Angeles needs to take into consideration how well these players mesh together.

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