Jimmy Rollins In, Matt Kemp Out as Dodgers Rework Roster at MLB Winter Meetings

The Dodgers are going to look like a brand new team next season.

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Jeff Curry

The Dodgers were obviously not happy with the way that their 2014 MLB season ended back in October. Despite having the highest payroll in baseball last season—their $235,295,219 payroll was about $32 million higher than the Yankees' payroll—the Dodgers got eliminated from the postseason by the Cardinals. So this offseason, the Dodgers appear to be determined to make as many moves as they can in order to put their team in the best possible position to take a trip to the World Series in 2015.

The Dodgers are actually making so many moves right now at the MLB winter meetings that it's a little bit difficult to keep up with all of them. As of 9 a.m. today, they actually own three of the top 10 headlines on ESPN.com. So to help you keep things straight, here are the most important moves they've made over the course of the last 24 hours:


  1. The Dodgers acquired shortstop Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies. It's unclear what they gave up to get him at this time, but they're hoping Rollins can replace Hanley Ramirez at shortstop for them and play the position until 20-year-old prospect Corey Seager is ready to make the jump to the big leagues and assume the shortstop role for the team.

  2. They agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with free agent pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who pitched for the Diamondbacks and Yankees last season.

  3. They traded second baseman Dee Gordon, pitcher Dan Haren, and shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Marlins in exchange for pitcher Andrew Heaney, infielder Enrique Hernandez, relief pitcher Chris Hatcher, and minor leaguer Austin Barnes.

  4. They traded Heaney to the Angels for second baseman Howie Kendrick.

  5. They sent outfielder Matt Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz to the Padres in exchange for catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland, and pitcher Zach Eflin. The Dodgers are also expected to send about $30 million to the Padres to help cover a portion of the $107 million remaining on Kemp's current contract.

And…breathe. There's obviously no guarantee that any of this will result in a World Series berth for the Dodgers. But the very least, they're doing whatever they can to rework their roster and make it better for next season. Stay tuned to see what they decide to do next.

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