After losing the World Series for the second consecutive year

in 2018 http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , the Los Angeles Dodgers' first offseason priority was to retain Clayton Kershaw.Forget his postseason hiccups and the back and biceps injuries that have recently hampered him. Kershaw is the face of the Dodgers and the greatest pitcher of his generation. With a player opt-out looming, L.A. had no choice but to re-up its ace.Hence the three-year, $93 million extension Kershaw inked with Los Angeles.The Dodgers' work isn't done, however; it's merely beginning.Keeping Kershaw in the fold was the first step for a club in unambiguous win-now mode.The next step? Sign Bryce Harper.Along with Manny Machado, Harper headlines the lauded, gaudy 2018-19 free-agent class. The Dodgers acquired Machado at the '18 non-waiver trade deadline and could bring him back.There are a couple of problems with that.First, Los Angeles is set on the left side of the infield with third baseman Justin Turner and shortstop Corey Seager, who is on track to return from Tommy John surgery.Second, Machado's production dipped with the Dodgers. He posted a .963 OPS with the Baltimore Orioles compared to an .825 OPS with Los Angeles. More damningly, he slashed.227/.278/.394 in the postseason and exhibiteddubious hustle.Harper, meanwhile, hit 34 home runs and tallied 100 RBI with the Washington Nationals. Yes, his OPS slid from 1.008 in 2017 to .889 in 2018 and the Nats missed the playoffs. He's an immense talent, however, whose brash personality is built for the Southern California spotlight.Imagine Harper's "make baseball fun again" antics married to the glitz of Hollywood. It's a match made in headline-grabbing heaven.Andrew Harnik/Associated PressTechnically, Los Angeles is covered in the outfield with the mix of Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, Yasiel Puig Wil Myers Jersey , Matt Kemp, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez.That said, the Dodgers are all but obligated to make a seismic splash this winter. Their title drought surpassed the three-decade mark. Tinkering with the roster won't cut it.Harper, backed by superagent Scott Boras, will seek a contract larger than the record $325 million deal Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Miami Marlins in November 2014.He's also a six-time All-Star who won National League MVP honors in 2015 and celebrated his 26th birthday on October 16.As Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times noted:"The Dodgers again have to embrace the responsibility that comes with playing in this market. They can't use the luxury-tax threshold as an excuse anymore. They have to reinvest the money they are earning from their disastrous but nonetheless lucrative television contract, as well as the sales of tickets that continue to escalate in price. They should absolutely pursue Harper, who is not only the most talented free agent of his generation but also a personality capable of representing the franchise."It's a fair point. The Dodgers have positioned themselves as MLB's big, bad bullies. They throw money around like so much presumptive confetti. Simply winning the division and crossing their fingers aren't enough.L.A. has to go big. It doesn't get bigger than Harper.With Kershaw locked in, this is the next logical move. It carries risk. It'll rile up the haters. Really, though, that's the point. And, if you believe ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Dodgers might need to sign Harper to keep him away from the archrival San Francisco Giants.Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated PressClose your eyes and picture Harper and Puig in a bat-flipping contest. Picture Harper flipping his hair in Dodger blue."Who comes to L.A.?" former Dodger Steve Garvey said, per Hernandez. "The big stars. LeBron's here. L.A. has the best path for the remainder of his career. He can make a difference with his personality and who he is."It makes too much sense.Make it happen, Dodgers.All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference. ST. LOUIS (AP) — After missing postseason play for the past three seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals believe they’ve struck gold with Paul Goldschmidt in their quest to play into October.“We knew we just couldn’t have a stagnant offseason. We knew we had to make some changes to our club because we felt like even though we had a good team last year, we still weren’t good enough,” said John Mozeliak Rickey Henderson Jersey , the team’s president of baseball operations.“We looked at all the different options that might be out there, whether it be the free-agent market or what our trade options might look like. We felt that Paul checked so many boxes for us that it made sense,” he said.St. Louis acquired the slugging first baseman from the Arizona Diamondbacks in December for pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young and a 2019 draft pick.Goldschmidt was glad to join the Cardinals.“This organization here has had success for a really long time and sustained it and that’s really tough to do,” Goldschmidt recently said at a winter fan event. “I’m looking forward to finding ways to help us win. I’m excited about that. This division is really good top to bottom. It’s going to be a challenge.”St. Louis finished 88-74 last season. To remedy its postseason drought, the club sought a big bat to put in a lineup that includes Matt Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna and Yadier Molina to better compete with Milwaukee and Chicago, the last two NL Central Division champions.The Cardinals’ postseason drought is their longest since 1997-99.Mozeliak is hoping Goldschmidt can boost an offense that finished fourth in the NL in homers last season (205) and sixth in runs (759).The 31-year-old Goldschmidt has made six straight All-Star Games — Mike Trout and Salvador Perez are the only other players in the majors with a current streak that long.Goldschmidt hit .290 with 33 homers and 83 RBIs last year, his fourth time in the past six years with at least 30 homers. Over the past eight seasons, he’s averaged 31 home runs, 40 doubles, 97 walks and a .930 OPS.A three-time Gold Glove winner, Goldschmidt also brings some baserunning skills with him. He stole 32 bases in 2016, and has averaged 18 a year over his career.Goldschmidt’s teammates are excited about his arrival.Second baseman Kolten Wong said he told Mozeliak the team’s defense will be much better with Goldschmidt.“It’s going to be tough for these guys to sneak a ball past us on the right side,” Wong said. “(This) allows me to be more free and go for balls I know I can go after, and not go after balls to my left, because I know he’s going to be there.”Adding Goldschmidt also will allow the club to move Matt Carpenter to third base on a full-time basis.“I couldn’t be happier not only that I’m moving across the diamond but who I’m moving for http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey ,” Carpenter said. “When I got that phone call about who we were getting at first base, I couldn’t have been more excited.”Durable, Goldschmidt has played less than 145 games just once in his last six seasons. Despite an incredibly slow start to last season, he bounced back.“As you saw, I turned it around,” he said. “It wasn’t like I could guarantee I would go out there get hits. It was just keep working. A lot of the credit goes to the hitting coaches we had with Arizona last year. I was relying on those guys. You don’t want to struggle but I’ve had ups and downs forever. As long as this game has been going on, everyone has ups and downs.”Goldschmidt has a $14.5 million salary in the final season of a seven-year deal he signed with Arizona. He will be eligible for free agency after next season.Will he remain a Cardinal?“When you look at someone like Paul Goldschmidt, that is a Cardinal, man,” Wong said. “How he plays the game, how he goes about his business, that’s the Cardinal Way.”“To have someone like that, hopefully to re-sign and be with us long term, that’s something all these guys who are coming up or getting drafted by the Cardinals are going to be able to look at and say: ‘This is how I want to play the game,'” he said. “Even someone like me. I want to be in this guy’s ear. I want to be sitting next to him, finding out what I can.”