The Marketing of Players

November 29, 2020

This is the time of year when we hear that teams will be listening on potential trades for Player A.  However, most of the time those proclamations are simply rhetorical.  The Brewers have said they are willing to listen to offers for Josh Hader.  The Rays will be listening on offers for Blake Snell.  The Reds will be listening on offers for Sonny Gray.  The Cubs are listening on offers…

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The Dodgers and 2B

September 4, 2020

Second base has been an enigma for the Dodgers for the last two decades.  The concern does predate AF, but he has not found the remedy for the position.  The opening day 2B for LAD during the AF era has been Kike’ (2 years), Logan Forsythe (2 years), Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick 1 year each.  The best bWAR during the AF era was Kike’ last year at 2.2.  It…

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Collusion or Just Frugal and Prudent

December 2, 2018

So far, this year is beginning to mimic last year a bit. There has been some movement, but it is for the lesser thought of FA or in one case a player who wants a bigger pay day next year (Josh Donaldson).   It seems that a lot of teams are looking for the trade route first before even considering a high cost FA. Look for Harper and Machado to…

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One More on FAZ and My Final 2018 WS Autopsy

November 3, 2018

I hope you all bear with me. I would like to somewhat continue the FAZ discussion from yesterday.  And then to give one last autopsy report on the 2018 WS. As Mark indicated, FAZ took over a team that had a payroll in excess of $250MM. One would think that a team with that payroll would be loaded.  However when they arrived on the scene, the team had only 3…

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LA Dodgers vs. Boston Red Sox – 2018 World Series

October 22, 2018

WELCOME TO THE FALL CLASSIC 2018!! By the time the Dodgers and Red Sox square off in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series, it will have been 356 days since the Dodgers went down in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.  It will be 30 year’s this month since the last Dodgers WS victory.  This year’s WS can make all of those bad memories go away (at least…

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Now To The NLDS

October 4, 2018

Now that the Dodgers are in the NLDS, I thought I would take a look back to see how they got here.  While I never gave up hope, I absolutely had my doubts.  I had concerns about how the team was structured, and in game management.  It became apparent that the primary focus for the front office was to get below and stay below the competitive balance tax threshold. If…

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And the Magic Number is 5

September 25, 2018

The Magic Number is down to 5.  The Rockies do not look like they are going away, so the Dodgers are going to need to win this race.  I am more than fine with that.  On a night that showcased another of those all RHH lineups against a very good LHSP, the players came through when they needed to.  The team scored 7 runs with only one solo HR, so…

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The Master Plan was Diabolical…

September 15, 2018

Maybe Guggenheim and Company invested heavily in a pharmaceutical firm that had a new blood pressure medication and the plan was for the Dodgers and their coaching staff to do whatever was necessary to keep to Dodgers treading water, choking in the clutch, implosions of the bullpen, freaky lineups to drive up Dodger fans’ blood pressure so that they would seeking this new wonder drug to lower their collective blood…

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The Stats For Clutch Are Also The Stats For Choke

August 26, 2018

By now, everyone has read the article in Fangraphs by Jeff Sullivan, on how Non-Clutch the Dodgers are as team, and individually! In analyzing the information, I think there are a few facts we need to consider, facts like the Dodgers should be much better than they actually are.  Sullivan says this: By almost every indicator, the Dodgers look like the super-team they were expected to be. They’re just not…

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Back in First Place!

August 8, 2018

Except for bad pitch selection (4 fastballs) to his last batter, Rich Hill was again terrific.  No blisters = a very good pitcher. This is the pitcher the Dodgers are paying for and if he keeps it up, he’s a bargain!  Blisters have been his kyrptonite! The bullpen was very good again:  Floro, Alexander, Chargois and Jansen handled a hot A’s team. Oakland has the 4th best bullpen ERA in…

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