One would have hoped the Dodgers could make the playoffs in arguably the worst division in baseball (which they did). Basically we saw two different Dodger teams this season, one with Manny and one without Manny.
1. Offense
The glaring issue here is resigning Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers know what they are without him and losing him to free agency won't help their cause at all.
Pre-All Star: .253 BAA
Post-All Star .279 BAA
I can only guess Manny was the reason for the sudden boost there.
Now I am not one to believe one person can dramatically change a franchise (at least in baseball) but Manny was just about doing that. I can only guess Manny inspired some of the guys with his bat and gave them a major confidence boost. So basically, sign Manny and you did your job offensively.
2. Pitching
The Dodgers did a great job pitching and ranked 2nd in the league in ERA. There could be problems next year though. Are they going to keep Lowe? I am guessing no, another team might grab him before they can solve the Manny issue. If they lose Lowe, who is the Dodger's ace? Do they have a go-to guy come playoff time? I certainly don't see Billingsley fitting in that role despite his solid performance last year.
3. Other
Although all seemed to be forgiven after landing Manny, Colletti has a bad history as the GM. He signed large busts like Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones and has overpaid certain players.
