By: Abby Altman

It has been 4 years since the Los Angeles Dodgers last won the World Series title, but their lineup has only gotten more and more impressive in that time. Recent additions to the Dodgers lineup include 1st baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Trea Turner.

In 2021, the Dodgers took 2nd in the NL West, just 1 game behind the San Francisco Giants, whom they beat in the wildcard round of the 2021 playoffs.

The Dodgers lost to the Atlanta Braves, who went on to win the World Series, in the NL championship series.

The Dodgers were considered one of the top teams in baseball last season, landing 2nd in the MLB’s end of season power rankings. To nobody’s surprise, the Dodgers are starting off 2022 hot. 

In the opening series against the Rockies, the Dodgers won game 1, but lost the series, starting the season 1-2. The Dodgers bats were hot, recording 25 hits in the first series, before getting even hotter in the next 2 series.

“We know we have, top to bottom, the best lineup in baseball,” said Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor Sunday afternoon after the conclusion of game 3. 

“We didn’t show that this weekend,” he said.

The 2022 Dodgers have high standards for themselves, and they met those against the Twins and the Reds this past week. The Dodgers came to Minnesota for a 2 game series against the Twins, and came out on top winning 7-2 and 7-0 for the sweep.

After the 2 series road trip, the Dodgers went home to Los Angeles and faced the Cincinnati Reds, winning 9-3, 3-1, 5-2, and 9-1, for a 4 game sweep. 

After a not perfect, but still hot start, the Dodgers have only improved, and are currently sitting at an 8-3 record, just 2+ weeks into the start of the season. While it is in no way an accurate portrayal of what the rest of the season will look like, only 1 other team in the MLB has had as good of a start to their season, and that is the 2021 NL West champions, the San Francisco Giants. 

The Dodgers, at the time of this writing, as a team are 2nd in the league in runs scored and 4th in the league in batting average. Home runs are not the powerpoint of the Dodgers lineup, hitting only 7 as a team, which is tied for 21st in the league. Regardless, the Dodgers lineup is beyond impressive. 

1st baseman Freddie Freeman is a reigning World Series champion, 2021 Silver Slugger award winner and the 2020 NL MVP, among many other awards stretching all the way back to 2010. Freeman is also ranked 9th on the MLB’s list of the top 100 players in 2022.

Shortstop Trea Turner is ranked 13th on the MLB’s top 100 ranking. He led the league in hits and batting average in the 2021 season, and came in 5th in voting for the 2021 NL MVP. 

Right fielder Mookie Betts tops the Dodgers appearances in the MLB rankings at number 6. Betts is the 4th highest ranked outfielder in the MLB. 

The Dodgers also had 8 other players in the MLB’s top 100 players ranking, including Chris Taylor at 95, Justin Turner at 64, Will Smith at 53, and Max Muncy at 35. 3 Dodgers pitchers also made the list. 

As of right now, stats would not place the Dodgers as the best lineup in the MLB, but looking at how the players stack up, the 2022 Dodgers have potential to be the greatest of all time. 

If anyone is confident in this lineup, it’s their manager Dave Roberts. “We are winning the World Series in 2022. I know where you’re going with that,” Roberts said in an appearance on the ‘Dan Patrick Show’. “We will win the World Series this year, put it on record”. 

Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, the MLB may be witnessing the beginning of a baseball dynasty.

By: Abby Altman

Carlos Correa-Minnesota Twins

3 year/$3.5 mil

In a deal that nearly nobody was expecting, Carlos Correa signed with the Twins for 3 years, with an opt out option after each of the first 2 years. While this is a massive win for the Twins, most fans were expecting to see Correa with a larger contract, looking at up to 10 years. Correa chose the smaller of his options, however, and the Twins are looking to go for a title, rather than the rebuild many were predicting. 

Trevor Story-Boston Red Sox

6 years/$140 mil

The Red Sox were quiet for a lot of the offseason, waiting until just one top ranked SS was left in free agency to snag Trevor Story. Story had told the league he was only willing to play SS, and would not be moved to 2nd base if he was signed. The Red Sox appeared to have changed his mind, however, with Xander Bogaerts filling in the SS position, moving Story to 2nd. Bogaerts is a more dangerous hitter compared to Story, but Story’s defensive skills have been higher in the past. Overall, this is a complicated signing for the Red Sox, moving players all over the diamond to make room for Story. 

Freddie Freeman-Los Angeles Dodgers

6 years/ $162 mil

The defending World Series champ has been an Atlanta Brave for the last 12 seasons, and his off season was highly anticipated. The Dodgers lost Cory Seager to free agency earlier in the offseason, but made up for it nicely by landing the 2020 NL MVP, and defending WS champion for 6 years. Freeman batted .300 in 2021, and should help the already scary Dodgers attempt for another WS title this year. 

Kris Bryant-Colorado Rockies

7 years/ $182 mil

Although the team seemed interested, it never seemed likely that Colorado would land Bryant, especially not with a contract this monster in size. This signing is a good sign for Rockies fans, showing that they’re looking to add to what is already a decent rotation. Bryant will presumably play left field, alongside Charlie Blackmon. 

Nelson Cruz-Washington Nationals

1 year/ $15 mil

After being traded from Minnesota to the Tampa Bay Rays, it is likely that Cruz will keep signing small contracts for just 1 or 2 years at a time. Cruz is 41 years old, and doesn’t have the mobility he used to have to play outfield, keeping him solely at the DH position. Minnesota utilized the best of Cruz’s DH abilities, with him hitting 76 home runs in a Twins uniform in just 3 years. It is likely that we won’t see Cruz in the league for much longer, so any ability to sign him is a good signing. The Nationals, coming off a 65-97 season, are finding themselves in a difficult situation, so hopefully all goes to plan, with Cruz in the lineup. 

Jorge Soler-Miami Marlins

3 years/$36 mil

In 2021, the Marlins scored the 2nd fewest runs in the MLB, and Soler should quickly become the hottest bat in Miami. Even though Soler is a bit of a wildcard when he steps up to the plate, where you could see a towering home run, or yet another strikeout every other at bat. Regardless, the Marlins haven’t had the all star bat necessary to be contenders. Signing Soler should bring a big enough name to Miami to put them in the mix, but the Marlins still don’t have enough tools all around to make themselves contenders. With a few more big name signings, the Marlins could throw their name into the playoff ring, but for now Soler is just a small piece of the puzzle. 

Anthony Rizzo-New York Yankees

2 years/$32 mil

While it’s not the first base signing that many Yankees fans were hoping for, signing Rizzo is an okay addition for the Yankees lineup. Although he isn’t Freddie Freeman, Rizzo is a solid lefty batter and a good defensive first basemen, which is exactly what the Yankees need, especially after trading Luke Voit. In 2021, Rizzo batted .248, fitting in nicely with the Yankees combined .231 batting average. This isn’t the signing the Yankees needed to become runaway favorites for the AL East, but Rizzo is a big name and big names win games. 

By: Abby Altman

What is a lockout?

There are basically 2 kinds of labor stoppages. A lockout and a strike. A strike is a stoppage initiated by the Union side; in this case, the player’s union. A strike would revolve around the player’s union refusing to work.

A lockout is when the stoppage is initiated by the management; in this case, the team owners. Basically, the MLB owners were refusing to allow work to be done, or games to be played. 

In a baseball sense, a lockout means that games and practices can’t be held, trades can’t be made, and free agency is put on hold. 

The lockout already put a halt to spring training, and regular season games have been canceled through April 7th by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. This is the first time the league has lost games due to a work stoppage since the 1994-95 players’ strike.

The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) had its main focus set on getting more money for younger players. They were asking to increase the minimum wage pool, and install a pre-arbitration bonus pool. They were also attempting to curb anti-competitive strategies. 

On the other side of the lockout, the league and team owners were looking to expand the postseason, to either 12 or 14 teams. The 2 sides remained in disagreement over tax balance thresholds, the increase in minimum salary, and the size of the pre-arbitration bonus pool. 

Early in negotiations, 3 major changes were made to the league. 

The first change, and perhaps the smallest of the 3, is an increase in base size. The league has agreed to change the base sizes from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. The increase in size will likely reduce injuries, as the larger the base is, the more room runners have to slide around the fielder, avoiding more collisions. The MLB is also hoping this will lead to an increase in stolen bases. 

The 2nd confirmed change is the installation of a pitch clock. One thing fans and non fans can agree on is that baseball is not a quick moving game. The addition of a pitch clock is an attempt to speed up the game, estimating it can bring the game from an average of 3 hours, all the way down to 2:40. MLB’s plan includes a 14 second timer between pitches with empty bases, and a 19 second timer with runners on. 

By far the most significant and most protested change is the banning of shifts. The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed to ban defensive shifts. Shifts are one of the most analytical parts of the game, making it possible for a hard hit ball between first and second base to result in a routine ground out. 

Left handed batters are by far the most shifted on batters, with big names such as José Ramírez, Joey Gallo, and Max Kepler facing the shift over 90% of their at bats. While banning the shift will allow for more hits on offense, it is a large part of the defensive game, and will change the way defense is played for many. 

Edit** following the writing of this article, the 2 sides reached an agreement, and baseball is scheduled to resume on April 7th. 

The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed on several more changes to the game of baseball. This includes a 12 team expanded postseason and a universal designated hitter. This means that pitchers will no longer bat in the National League, and all 30 teams will hold a designated hitter position in their lineup.