Team Report - LOS ANGELES DODGERS Yahoo Sports | The SportsXchange GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The lofty expectations accompany the deep pockets. With a payroll that likely will crack $250 million and a deep roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2014 season as marked men. One online betting site pegged the Dodgers as 13-to-2 favorites to win the World Series. "I think it's good," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of the positive projections. "I think it's something we should live up to. Know it's there. Don't try to downplay it. "I think we know we've got a good club. You start getting high-profile guys on your club, guys on other teams know. There's a lot of good teams in this league, but it's a little different when you have the expectations and the payroll and just the name recognition. When you come in, teams are going to be ready to play. We can count on that." Entering the season as favorites is something the Dodgers welcome, according to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. "We'd rather be that team than be the team nobody expects to do anything," Gonzalez said. "Yeah, we'll have that target on us. But I'm sure the Cardinals will have that target on their backs. I'm sure the Braves are going to be targeted by the other teams in the NL East." The Dodgers lost to the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series last year, reaching baseball's final four despite having an MVP-caliber Hanley Ramirez for only 86 games and outfielder Matt Kemp for just 73. Injuries were a common thread running through the 2013 season. This year, though, the Dodgers are deeper with a pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and the dynamic presence of outfielder Yasiel Puig added to the mix for a full season. Kershaw will pitch the season opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 22, the first of two games the teams will play in Australia. "For us, it's just, 'Go out and play,'" Kershaw said. "We have the talent to do it." NOTES, QUOTES RHP Javy Guerra, a former closer who was out of options, was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on March 17. Guerra, 28, posted a 2.25 ERA in eight innings this spring. He had no record and a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances for Los Angeles last year, spending much of the season in the minors. As a rookie in 2011, he recorded 21 saves for the Dodgers. OF Carl Crawford was not expected to make the trip to Australia in order to be with his fiancee for the birth of their child. The Dodgers hoped to put Crawford on Major League Baseball's paternity leave list in order to receive a roster exemption. C Miguel Olivo asked for his release after being told he would not be on the Dodgers' travel roster for the series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers hoped Olivo, 36, would accept a minor league assignment, but Olivo declined to report to minor league camp. RHP Chad Billingsley is scheduled to take another step forward in his recovery from Tommy John surgery by pitching to minor league hitters during the week of March 17-23. Billingsley has had no setbacks during his rehab from the surgery last April, and the Dodgers are optimistic he could be ready to pitch in the majors by May. RHP Josh Beckett was bothered by soreness in his right thumb in mid-March. Beckett injured the thumb when someone opened a clubhouse door as he was reaching for the handle. The Dodgers could put off using a fifth starter until April 18-20, making it likely Beckett will open the season on the disabled list due to the thumb and his surgery last year to address thoracic outlet syndrome. SS Erisbel Arruebarrena reported to Dodgers' camp and worked out with the team the last few days before the Dodgers left for Australia. Signed in late February to a five-year, $25 million contract, Arruebarrena was working out at the Dodgers' complex in the Dominican Republic while waiting to obtain his visa to travel to the United States. The Cuban defector is expected to start the season in Triple-A. QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think Yasiel is a confident kid. This is a totally different spring for him. He's established himself. I'm not really concerned as long as he continues to work." -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, on OF Yasiel Puig's sub-.200 average this spring after hitting .517 in the preseason last spring. ROSTER REPORT For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers enter the season with a big payroll and expectations to match. This year, though, there is the added challenge of a short spring and early start to the schedule with a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. That creates the potential for a jet-lagged start to the season after the trip Down Under. However, a repeat of last year's 30-42 start -- and historic 42-8 midseason run -- is unlikely thanks to a deeper roster this time around. ROTATION: LHP Clayton Kershaw RHP Zack Greinke LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu RHP Dan Haren RHP Josh Beckett It was not a good spring for Kershaw or Greinke. Kershaw's Cactus League ERA was an unsightly 9.20, and Greinke suffered a calf injury that kept him from traveling to Australia. Both should be fine once the U.S. regular season starts, and few teams can match the 1-2 combo at the front of the Dodgers' rotation. The back of the rotation remains a mystery. Haren is plugged in as the No. 4 starter, but Beckett's return from surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome was delayed by a thumb injury. Veteran LHP Paul Maholm is an alternative if Beckett is not ready to go when the Dodgers need a fifth starter in mid-April. Also, RHP Chad Billingsley looms as a potential option in May. Billingsley's rehab from Tommy John surgery a year ago was going smoothly. 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PAGE 2 of 2 >>> BULLPEN: RHP Kenley Jansen (closer) RHP Brian Wilson RHP Chris Perez LHP J.P. Howell RHP Jamey Wright RHP Brandon League LHP Paco Rodriguez The Dodgers' bullpen actually goes 11 deep with hard-throwing young RHPs Chris Withrow and Jose Dominguez; RHP Seth Rosin, a Rule 5 pick; and potentially LHP Paul Maholm (if RHP Josh Beckett claims the fifth starting spot) all jockeying for position. That gives the Dodgers uncommon depth and valuable resources from which to deal in midseason if other needs must be filled. As it stands, the Dodgers have three former All-Star closers (League, Wilson and Perez) and six players who have had 17 or more saves in a season at least once (those three plus Jansen, Guerra and Howell). The group should give the Dodgers one of the deepest bullpens in baseball and a reliable collection of late-game options for manager Don Mattingly. LINEUP: Yasiel Puig, RF Carl Crawford, LF Hanley Ramirez, SS Adrian Gonzalez, 1B Juan Uribe, 3B Andre Ethier, CF A.J. Ellis, C Dee Gordon, 2B Puig was last year's spring sensation, with a .517 average in preseason play announcing his dynamic presence. The runner-up in 2013 NL Rookie of the Year voting, Puig looked much tamer this spring, hitting less than .200 before leaving for Australia. How Puig performs now that he is very much a known commodity to opposing pitching staffs will make for an interesting storyline in 2014. Puig's arrival from Double-A sparked the Dodgers' midseason revival last season. This year, they could get a similar boost from OF Matt Kemp. The 2011 runner-up in NL MVP voting, Kemp is returning from ankle and shoulder surgeries performed last fall. If a healthy Kemp is injected into the mix sometime in April or May, it could turn the Dodgers' lineup into a much deeper, more dangerous group. The Dodgers went to spring training looking for an answer at second base and didn't really get it. Cuban defector Alex Guerrero might need time to make the transition to the majors. A platoon among Gordon, Justin Turner, Chone Figgins and even Guerrero (if he doesn't open the season in the minors) might be the temporary solution. RESERVES: C Tim Federowicz 1B/OF Scott Van Slyke INF/OF Chone Figgins INF Justin Turner OF Mike Baxter The Dodgers lost a lot of intangibles with the departures of last year's bench players Jerry Hairston Jr. (retired), Michael Young (retired), Nick Punto (signed with the Oakland A's as a free agent) and Skip Schumacher (signed free agent deal with Cincinnati Reds). The new group has plenty of versatility thanks to the multi-position abilities of Figgins and Turner. Van Slyke offers a power threat off the bench that was missing last year. The bench becomes even stronger if Kemp returns to create a four-man rotation of frontline players in the outfield. That would bump either Kemp, Puig, Ethier or Crawford to pinch-hitting duty on a nightly basis. MEDICAL WATCH: OF Matt Kemp (left shoulder and left ankle surgeries in October 2013) progressed without any setbacks in his rehab. While the team is in Australia, Kemp will be increasing his game action in minor league games. RHP Chad Billingsley (Tommy John surgery in April 2013) was enjoying a smooth rehab. His return was targeted for May or June. LHP Scott Elbert (Tommy John surgery in June 2013, appendectomy in January 2014) went on the 60-day disabled list Feb. 8. He is not expected back until midseason after his third elbow surgery in less than two years. RHP Josh Beckett (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July 2013) had a rib removed to address nerve issues that were causing numbness and tingling in his pitching hand. His throwing program went well in the spring, but he suffered a thumb injury that could delay his return. The Dodgers do not need a fifth starter until mid-April, giving Beckett extra time to recover. RHP Zack Greinke (strained right calf) was hurt in his first spring start, and that prevented him from traveling to Australia for the season-opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The ailment is not expected to be a factor when the Dodgers resume their regular-season schedule March 30 in San Diego. RHP Brandon League (lat strain) was injured early in camp. He did not make the trip to Australia but is expected to be ready for the start of the stateside schedule. LHP Onelki Garcia (left elbow surgery in November 2013) went on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to March 14. __
