The Dodgers said they will wait for Manny Ramirez until opening day if they have to. Eventually, they will either have to lock him up or move on.

The loss of Ramirez could hurt, but the pitching losses might actually be what really holds the Dodgers back this season. Derek Lowe was never really great -- more steady and reliable than spectacular -- and Brad Penny (shoulder) wasn't healthy, but the Dodgers don't replace those arms with exciting options.

Jason Schmidt (shoulder) cannot be counted on for much of anything, much less being a potential ace. He might even struggle to prove healthy and worthy of a rotation spot at this point. Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and burgeoning ace Clayton Kershaw is a nice trio, but they looked a lot better as complementary pieces at this stage of their young careers.

Jonathan Broxton looks born to close and figures to full time for the first time. We expect he will prove to be a solid closer after the top 10 are off the board on Draft Day.

The lineup might not be that potent without the slugging bat of Ramirez, but it is at least deep. Save for left fielder Juan Pierre, every other Dodger in the lineup looks good for 15-plus homers this year. The developing young bats of Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andre Ethier and Blake DeWitt could make splashes if they come affordably on Draft Day.

Sleeper: James Loney, 1B

When we saw the 19-year-old body of James Loney launch a spring training homer off the Mets some five years ago, we saw visions of a perennial 30-homer threat -- we even called it "easy power." Well, Loney only hit 13 in 595 at-bats last season, not the kind of power production you need out of your Fantasy first baseman. At 6-feet-2, 220 pounds, Loney should develop more power and continue to be a solid contributor in the batting average category (he has a career .303 average through 1,041 at-bats). Loney is not Mark Grace. He is merely slow to develop what should be very good power. He will be on the board late at a deep position, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him go .300-20-100-100-10 this season. That would be an outstanding value if you miss out on an elite Fantasy first baseman and are "stuck" with this guy later.

Bust: Rafael Furcal, SS

We have to admit we don't see a real bust on the Dodgers. To be a bust, you first have to be rated highly only to disappoint. Well, Furcal's injury-plagued 2008 might actually make him affordable on Draft Day. If not, he is a definite bust candidate. There are some leagues where he will go too early, if the buyer is completely dismissing the back surgery and lost season, picking him in the middle rounds. Anything more than a late pick is too much to spend on a 31-year-old shortstop coming off season-ending back surgery. Shortstops in their 30s are at the age of breakdown (see Derek Jeter); that's a kid's position. Also, Furcal's most useful Fantasy asset are his legs and steals. His age makes him a risk in that department, too. Buying into base-stealers in their 30s is a bad Fantasy strategy.

Breakout: Matt Kemp, OF

Kemp is another guy that caught our eye in spring training. Against the Red Sox in the last game in the old Dodgertown (which also marked the debut of Kershaw, by the way), we were standing on the berm beyond left field and said "Kemp's a guy that can reach us." We were wrong, he hit it 50 feet over our head. Kemp is a physical beast ready for a huge breakthrough. At 6-feet-2, 235 pounds, Kemp already shocked us with 35 steals last season. That is a lot of running for a big, strong man. It will get him drafted among the top outfielders this spring, especially since he could prove capable of going .300-30-100-100-30 as soon as this year. Wherever you draft him, he has a great chance to prove to be a bargain, particularly in Rotisserie formats where multi-category guys are golden.

Los Angeles Dodgers Outlook
Projected lineup
Pos.
Projected Rotation
1 Rafael Furcal SS 1 Chad Billingsley RH
2 Matt Kemp CF 2 Hiroki Kuroda RH
3 Russell Martin C 3 Clayton Kershaw LH
4 Casey Blake 3B 4 Jason Schmidt RH
5 James Loney 1B 5 Shawn Estes LH
6 Andre Ethier RF Alt James McDonald RH
7 Blake DeWitt 2B Top bullpen arms
8 Juan Pierre LF CL Jonathan Broxton RH
Top bench options SU Hong-Chih Kuo LH
R Jason Repko OF RP Cory Wade RH
R Mark Loretta UTL RP Guillermo Mota RH
R Tony Abreu 3B RP Ramon Troncoso RH
Rookies/Prospects Age Pos. 2008 high Destination
1 James McDonald 24 RH SP Majors Triple-A
A rotation spot could be his to lose in spring training, but he could use some time in Triple-A.
2 Andrew Lambo 20 OF Double-A Double-A
He is far too young to count on this year, but there is a lot of pop in his bat long term.
3 Scott Elbert 23 LH RP Majors Majors
Shoulder surgery has derailed him and might make him a late-inning reliever instead of a starter.
4 Chris Withrow 20 RH SP High Class A High Class A
This 98 mph arm has a lot of potential, but he still has a lot of work to do. He is still years away.
5 Ivan DeJesus 21 SS Double-A Triple-A
The re-signing of Furcal blocks him for a few years, but he's a future big league regular.
Best of the rest: SP Ethan Martin, SP Josh Lindblom, SS Devaris Gordon, 3B Josh Bell, SP Nathan Eovaldi, C Lucas May, SP Steven Johnson, SS Jamie Pedroza, 2B Tony Delmonico, OF Kyle Russell, SP Pedro Beato, 2B Preston Mattingly, SP Justin Miller, OF Xavier Paul, RP Javy Guerra, SP James Adkins, 1B Andrew Locke, SP Mario Alvarez and 3B Pedro Baez.

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