Dodgers matching Padres' moves, subtly

The Padres’ tidal wave of moves has advanced them from unwatchable to a team that we’ll all be paying attention to in 2015, because of the stature of the players involved. Matt Kemp, MVP runner-up. Two-time All-Star Justin Upton. All-Star catcher Derek Norris. And now All-Star James Shields, who started games in the World Series a few months ago. 

In comparison to all of that, the moves made by the Dodgers -- the defending NL West champions, a team the Padres are chasing -- have been unsexy, about functionality. It’s as if the Padres have rolled out the swimsuit issue of MLB’s offseason, while L.A. has been improving the printing process. 

The Dodgers have invested in roster infrastructure, in depth. L.A. won 94 games last season, overcoming problems with their defense and production in some corners of their roster. The Dodgers were a dynamic offensive team in the second half of last season, leading the NL in runs after the All-Star break, and it’s very possible that with Kemp and Hanley Ramirez gone, Don Mattingly’s lineup won’t generate as many homers. 

But L.A. has a chance for improvement

Yasiel Puig's power drought a big concern

Through the first two months of the season, Yasiel Puig looked like a superstar franchise player, as good -- and certainly as exciting -- as any position player in baseball. At the end of May, he was hitting .344/.436/.615 with 11 home runs, was drawing walks and making spectacular plays in the outfield. Sure, there were still some rough spots with the mistakes on the bases and some misplays in right field, but he looked like he was building upon his excellent rookie season. 

But then the home runs stopped coming. 

And lately he hasn't hit much of anything. 

Since June 1, he has two home runs in 78 games -- or one fewer than Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner has hit on the season. Since Aug. 1, he's hitting .207 with no home runs and just three extra-base hits in 111 at-bats. The power has vanished. The Dodgers still hold a three-game lead over the Giants in the NL West as Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez have provided most of the punch, but Puig's struggles are a big reason L.A.’s offense has been middle-of-the-pack since the All-Star break and just 13th in the National League in home runs in the second half. 

After Puig missed Saturday's game with a stomach virus, he was back in the lineup Sunday -- but hitting seventh, his lowest spot in the batting order in his career. "Yas is probably hitting where he should be hitting right now," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said before the game. "I think it's a place where you're not putting extra pressure on him. Who do you want the extra at-bat going to? Right now, that's not necessarily Yasiel." 

Puig is still having a solid season overall, ranking fifth in the NL with his .382 OBP. But what has happened to the power he displayed in April and May? Let's start by looking at the pitches Puig has faced, to see if pitchers made some sort of adjustment. 

Red Sox don't need an ace now

The last-to-first-to-last-again Boston Red Sox have completed yet another overhaul, importingHanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, as well as expecting full seasons from Rusney Castillo andMookie Betts, to reinforce an offense that sputtered to a 27th-overall wRC+ finish in 2014. But that's nothing compared to the changes in the rotation, in which six of the nine pitchers who started at least 10 games last year are gone.

In place of Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jake Peavy, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and Felix Doubront, the Sox head into 2015 with a rotation fronted by Rick Porcello, Wade Miley andJustin Masterson, as well as holdovers Joe Kelly and Clay Buchholz. For a team that entered the offseason simply needing to find enough arms to field a team for the season, it's an interesting collection of potentially useful arms.

That said, the idea of "Rick Porcello, Opening Day starter" isn't exactly going to sell tickets, and that's the main criticism leveled at Boston this winter: "Where's the ace?!" Having whiffed on the chance to bring Lester back and so far unable to satisfy Philadelphia's demands for Cole Hamels, the Red Sox don't appear to have the guy needed to make a postseason run. Maybe they don't, but maybe they don't need to. Here's why the Red Sox are just fine the way they are -- for now, at least.

Cashman won't close door on Scherzer

With many in baseball thinking the Yankees could be sleeping giants on the big-ticket starters -- most specifically Max Scherzer -- Brian Cashman refuses to squelch the rumors. 

"It is not in my best interest to say," Cashman said when asked to describe his level of interest.

Joe Girardi clearly wants to add pitching after the trade of Shane Greene. The Yankees do not have the depth that Girardi wants; especially with the uncertainty surrounding Masahiro Tanaka (elbow), CC Sabathia (knee) and Ivan Nova (elbow), as well as Michael Pineda's lack of one full season with more than 171 innings. 

"When I look at our club, I think you have to look at the depth of the rotation," Girardi said. 

When Cashman was asked if he could use the money he didn't spend on David Robertsonsomeplace else, Cashman said the question was "too specific" and said it would "compromise my efforts." 

After the top four in the rotation, the Yankees have David Phelps and Adam Warren. Warren seems more likely for the bullpen. Bryan Mitchell, Manny Banuelos and Luis Severino are three guys who may make starts for the big league club during 2015. 

The Yankees have interest in bringing back Brandon McCarthy. They would consider Hiroki Kuroda, but Cashman has not been in contact with his agent. Kuroda is deciding if he wants to play in the majors, in Japan or retire. 

Looking At Yankees' Lineup

The price on Stephen Drew dropped far enough that the Yankees made a move -- the two sides are close to finalizing a one-year deal -- to at least share some of the at-bats at second base, platooning with either Rob Refsnyder or Jose Pirela, and serve as a safety net if young shortstop Didi Gregorius struggles as the first to follow Derek Jeter. 

In an era when specialization is the rule rather than the exception, with defensive shifts that are altered pitch to pitch and eight-man bullpens, the Yankees will have the ability to stack up nine hitters who can bat left-handed. 

• C Brian McCann (bats left-handed)
• 1B Mark Teixeira (switch hitter) 
• 2B Stephen Drew (left)
• SS Didi Gregorius (left)
• 3B Chase Headley (switch)
• LF Brett Gardner (left)
• CF Jacoby Ellsbury (left)
• RF Carlos Beltran (switch)
• DH Garrett Jones (left) 

That the Yankees value left-handed hitting is hardly a revelation. With the exception of a few years in the middle of George Steinbrenner's time as owner, the Yankees have always placed a premium on left-handed hitting, driven initially by the success of Babe Ruth and the construction of their home ballpark. 

But the ability to stack up left-handed hitters might be especially relevant in 2015 in the AL East, which generally lacks left-handed pitching and, more to the point, elite left-handed pitching, such as David Price and Jon Lester, who were traded out of the division last season.