Houston Mitchell is a writer for The LA Times and covers the Dodgers. Yesterday he stated that he was trying to make sense of the Dodgers’ off-season. Houston is a wonderful writer, but he has papers to sell and he knows that many Dodger fans are not sophisticated enough to understand how a successful team is built. He and The Times understand that the average fan is underwhelmed at what the Dodgers have done this offseason and creating discord helps them peddle their papers.
He knows that fans love to create “dream teams” and then bitch when their team doesn’t sign “almost superstars” to unconscionable, boat anchor contracts.
- Alex Rodriguez signed a $252 Million/10-Year deal with the Rangers, and the media was ga-ga over Tom Hicks who was all in to win many championships.
- When the Tigers broke the bank to sign Miguel Cabrera to a stupid, long-term deal along with several other stars, they were set for a long successful run according to the media.
- Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton joined Mike Trout and Arte Moreno was cited as “Taking LA from the Dodgers.”
- Zack Greinke bolted from the Dodgers to the Diamondbacks and along with some other deals left many anointing the D-Bags as champs. Shock Journalist Bill Shaikin’s headline said: “Being outbid by Arizona for Zack Greinke is disappointing for Dodgers, devastating for fans.”
Shaikin finished his silliness by writing : “The Dodgers are worse off today than they were last season.” Shock journalism playing into the average fans naivete and having little basis in fact… that’s what it is. Mitchell wrote this shortly after Greinke signed with the D-Bags:
If Friedman and Zaidi are reading this, I hope they realize that most fans have lost faith in them. And if you just sign a couple of low-level free agents and don’t improve the offense at all, expect a lot of Dodgers fans to be unhappy.
Yeah, the Dodgers moved on alright, winning the division repeatedly and getting to the World Series the last two years. Most bombshell acquisitions do not translate into winning titles or much less, even winning, so knock off the BS rhetoric that is purely for the purpose of peddling papers. Houston, you have a problem: You are working for a bunch of dinosaurs who want you to write the stuff that sell papers.
Evidently many Dodger fans were expecting the Dodgers to make a big trade or signing after The Farmer Trade. To call it a salary dump is really showing a lack of comprehension. Farmer has no value, but some people think Wood, Puig and Kemp did. Yeah, Friedman could have traded them to another team for a closer and a #1 starter, but he chose to trade them to the Reds because he didn’t care about value. “It was just a salary dump.” That’s what many believe and they can find many writers and bloggers who support that position. It’s easy to prove anything and just about everything.
The fact that the Dodgers cleared enough salary to sign AJ Pollock was not really mentioned by Mitchell, who evidently has a problem. He thinks its strange that they signed Joe Kelly – Houston wrote it – it must be true. Look, Andrew Friedman should have earned some trust by what he has accomplished. He’s not perfect, but I believe he sees something special in Kelly. I am open to what happens. Houston’s problem is that he has to sell newspapers (and that in itself, is a bad problem to have). Yellow Pages, Newspapers, Magazines and Dinosaurs are all in the same group… heading to extinction.
Houston did give away what many of us already knew: “Puig was Toxic in the Clubhouse.” He should know… he is there! Friedman obtained two Top 15 Prospects… maybe Top 10 soon. He got rid of malcontents and spent the savings on Pollock. The people who were naive enough to believe something else was coming, were disappointed. Evidently disappointed that the Dodgers did not include two of Verdugo, Lux, Ruiz and Smith in a deal for JT Realmuto. Mitchell went on to say:
I do hear a lot that Martin is a “good clubhouse guy,” which is certainly nice to have. But I’ll take the bad clubhouse guys who hit .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs every year and you take the good clubhouse guys who hit .200 with no power and we’ll see who wins more games.
What makes you think that there are only two types of clubhouse guys? Because you wrote it, doesn’t make it so. I said AFTER the Trade that even if the Dodgers did not make another move, it was addition by subtraction. They did not need to make another move to get better. The Dodgers were going to lose all three after this season with NO COMPENSATION, so they got what they could and improved in the process. But they did make another move, signing Pollock. Mitchell called the trade “thievery by the Reds” yet he has no clue who would have paid more for any of the players. Ha, Ha. Don’t you think Friedman knew how other teams valued the players? Do you really think he took less because he is dumb?
I doubt that Mitchell comprehends how good Lux, Ruiz and Verdugo can be. Frankly, I love his style, but his substance is wanting. Move on Folks, there’s nothing to see here. Now, Houston doesn’t always sink to huckstering newspapers. Sometimes he is the voice of reason in the room…. just not yesterday. As an example, on September 13, 2018 when the Dodgers were floundering he wrote this:
It’s what we have talked about all season. I get so many emails from readers filled with anger and rage after losses. They call the team a bunch of losers and choke artists. But here’s the thing. The Dodgers aren’t out of it yet. They are making it difficult for themselves, but they still can make the playoffs. I don’t know if they will. You don’t either. If they do make it, I don’t know if they will win the World Series. You don’t either. There have been teams that have won 84 games and won the World Series. There have been teams that have won 116 games and got knocked out before the World Series. Anything can happen, you just need some guys to get hot.What I would recommend to some of you is that you don’t let each game linger in your mind. If you are still seething over a Dodgers loss more than 10 minutes after the game ends, then you are doing it wrong. Calm down. Relax. If being in a playoff race isn’t an overall enjoyable experience for you, then you may want to find something else to do with your time. It’s not worth the stress. There are fans of other teams that haven’t made the playoffs in years. They’d love if their team had won one division title recently, let alone five in a row. So, if you are angry, spend some time with your friends. Hug your significant other. Play with your kids. Pet your dog. But you can still ignore your cat, because cats are evil and were sent here from an alien planet as spies.
I would like to encourage you to do the same right about now. It’s easy to make sense of what happened this offseason. NEITHER HARPER OR MACHADO HAVE SIGNED! Why? Because they are not worth what they are asking! Pure and simple. Do you want Friedman to just be so in love with one player he signs that player no matter what and hamstrings the team for years like the cases I mentioned above? Who would root for a team like that? A bunch of dunces?
Friedman’s plan is crystal clear to those who will see. He has traded more prospects than most teams, but none have risen to be a big star. He was loathe to trade Seager, Urias and Bellinger and right now he is in the same corner with Ruiz, Verdugo, Lux and May. He simply wasn’t going to trade them – end of story. The Dodgers are still favored by Vegas to win the NL title and Friedman has been adept at swinging a trade or two when needed.
Many experts and Las Vegas have the Dodgers at 94 to 95 wins and we have no clue how the new hitting culture will impact the team. We have no idea when Keibert Ruiz will be ready. Most expected Bellinger to arrive a year later than he did. What does AF know about Alex Verdugo that you don’t? Will Ruiz be ready THIS season? Don’t bet against it. He is insanely talented.
There is a lot to be optimistic about. This team has the best rotation in baseball and the bullpen is loaded with potential. The Dodgers are taking steps to cure the poor situational hitting and like any other team, hope spring eternal as pitchers and catchers report today.
Peace, out! (which is better than peace off)
Mark, I hope you haven’t caused the Dodgers to sign Harper by writing this.
Thanks for this great article, I’m totally in agreement with you, Mark. Excellent!!
I heard that the Giants were now the favorites to sign Harper.
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That’s like putting a Hellcat engine in a go cart. If he will sign with the Giants, he’d rather sign with LA.
The Giants don’t have another path to competitiveness outside of free agents or maybe getting two helpful players for Bumgarner. They need players and they need the clock to run out on some of their contracts.
Nice piece, Mark. Really well done.
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If anyone ever wants a strange trip, read the Halos Heaven comments on the day the Angels sign Pujols. Euphoric is an understatement. Everyone was so in love with the feeling of hope that they never even allowed it could be a bad long-term move.
I’ll be surprised if he winds up with the Giants. Passing up 300 Mil to sign with a crappy team is a bad look. At least the Nats have a chance to win.
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Houston Mitchell is horrible. I can barely read his articles. He lacks substance almost as much as he lacks style. The LA Times is becoming the National Enquirer. Barely worth cleaning the windows with.
Better retract that. The Enquirer has pictures of you.
They’re busy with Bezos! 😉 What a dumbass. As the leader of perhaps the largest tech company in the world, he should know better. Anything you put on the Interwebs can be recovered and used against you by somebody.
He’s claiming it was a face pic.
Rudy
They it say it was Bezo’s mistress’s brother.
And he did that because of political reasons, so just use your imagination with that.
But his face looks like an ass
Bum
That is the Stone Cold truth, and yes he is suppose to be involved with this too.
Palmdale
That is better then being all A, and he won’t be going to jail like some, that should have thought better.
Good article Mark. I have faith in Freidman to do what is right for the Dodgers. In the last two years he made trade deadlines to try and win the WS. That is all he can do. The players have to do their job and they did not do it. The farm system is in very good shape. He will not trade a prospect if he thinks the kid is going to be a major player. His scouting reports must be very good. None of the kids he traded yet have become major players.
Jon Heyman is reporting that the Marlins asked for 3 of the Dodgers top 5 prospects in discussions for J.T. Realmuto before sending him to Philadelphia.
After their demand for Cody Bellinger was not met, the Marlins reportedly asked for Gavin Lux, Dustin May, and one of the two top catchers, Keibert Ruiz or Will Smith. The Dodgers rightfully declined to meet the Marlins insane asking price. Realmuto has 2 years of team control left on his deal, and while he is a very good player, he isn’t a superstar that warrants that kind of prospect return.
The Marlins settled for a lesser package from the Phillies, mainly because Jorge Alfaro has major league experience. Why a rebuilding team cared about a player having major league experience instead of just taking the better players is a question for Derek Jeter and the Marlins’ front office. In reality, he’s just going to reach free agency sooner and it’s never a good idea to pass on acquiring the more talented player.
ANALYSIS
While Realmuto would have been a fantastic addition to the Dodgers’ offense, the cost to acquire him was far too great to make a deal worth it. There were also always questions if Friedman would even acquire a catcher with poor framing abilities.
With Smith close to making his debut and Ruiz right behind him, the Dodgers will be fine with a platoon of Austin Barnes and Russell Martin for a few months. There is hope that Barnes can get closer to his 2017 numbers when he was a top 10 catcher in baseball after reworking his swing this offseason.
Worst case scenario, the Dodgers can always circle back to Francisco Cervelli to acquire an offense-first catcher, with numbers comparable to Realmuto, at a much cheaper cost.
With an off-season filled with Realmuto rumors, hopefully this is the last we hear about them for a while.
In how many games could Realmuto have been this season, 100, 120? The same as Pollock could play,
And who could have better offensive numbers?
For those who still regret not having acquired Realmuto !!
Excellent comment. Agree with all of it.
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Sometimes it’s instructive to view the Dodgers’ roster like an investment portfolio. While we have a lot of skin in the game in the form of major money contracts, especially on a three-year horizon, we also have long-term plays in the form of prospects and even a good bit of speculation in the form of young international signings. As always, we play the margins [The Extra 2%] but our core holdings are of the conservation variety. I do believe we are actively choosing to hold onto some cash right now, keeping it on the sidelines for when a deal appeals to us.
Like AC already said, the Marlins never asked for Verdugo.
2019 has officially begun!!!! Pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch today. Cheers to another frustrating crazy ride!
Latest Bryce Harper rumor per Jon Heyman (FWIW) – The Giants offered Harper a five year deal (no terms disclosed), but Harper is making it very clear that he is not accepting a short term deal. Thus, apparently the Giants offer has been rejected and Harper is still not close to signing with anyone…if you believe rumors. That would also seem to indicate that the Dodgers are not in the picture. Phillies, ChiSox, Nats, and Padres are the rumored teams still considering Harper on a long term deal.
if that’s the case, enjoy philly or wash dc!
I’m sure its been mentioned, but looking at/analyzing the 25 man roster, one might forget how potent are 40 man ends up being by the time regular season rolls around.. I would say as good as anyone in the NL!??!
Once again, it’s good to be a Dodger fan…
Just looking at my ST tix hanging in front of me and as the Isley Brothers would say “Here we go again”…
This is the year
I don’t write so swell but I believe I read pretty good. Especially reading things unwritten. I read 2019 Dodgers as it’s all about TEAM and these guys really are where they want to be. That this is where they have history to write, that they believe in each other. The core of this team could of gotten more $ elsewhere but chose the importance of playing for LA and for it’s fans. If your doubts favor over your hopes then you aren’t even close to how this team feels about themselves and each other. 100+ games and rings. I believe I read pretty good! CHEERS!
Read, write, and FEEL THE BLUE.
We should just be thankful that the Dodgers are currently a well run organization unlike The Los Angeles Times which has been irrelevant for the last 25 years. When I was a kid we bought it for the Calendar section which listed the movie times and we threw the rest of the paper in the garbage.
Well yeah but there is more to the paper than just Plashke.
Ouch!
To be fair, Houston Mitchell was talking more about the owners, not Friedman.
He said Friedman deserved credit for taking the Dodgers to the World Series twice.
And he also said, that Friedman can only spend the money the owners allow him to spend too.
Houston was right about one thing….cats. Otherwise that was a grand slam Mark.
Right now this team isn’t perfect but we all know what we’re built for.
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I’d say we’re about a 95 win team, clear favorites in the NL West [although watch out for COL], and part of a scrum for the best team in the NL.
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As always, we have no way of knowing what could be facing us in the World Series should we make it that far but at some point our experience has to count, right?!?!
Looking forward to the proverbial spring training comments such as “I’m in the best shape of my life, ball is coming out of his hand great, his velocity has ticked up a point or two, he’s moving well, just trying to work on my mechanics, I’ve got to stay healthy this year and I’ve completely changed my training program, I’m eating right and started working out after taking a two week break, this is our year”
Did I leave any out? But seriously let’s bring on the season. 7th NL West Division in a row and perhaps. WS title this year
I arrived to my office this morning in my Clayton Kershaw official game jersey (with the red number 22 on the front) ready for pitchers and catchers. Baseball New Year!
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Then, I read Mark’s diatribe against Houston Mitchell. I guess if you don’t agree with our host you’re an idiot? “The fact that the Dodgers cleared enough salary to sign AJ Pollock was not really mentioned by Mitchell, who evidently has a problem. He thinks its strange that they signed Joe Kelly – Houston wrote it – it must be true. Look, Andrew Friedman should have earned some trust by what he has accomplished. He’s not perfect, but I believe he sees something special in Kelly.”
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Yeah, Mitchell is an idiot. He works for a dinosaur (newspaper). He’s just writing stuff because Dodger fans are stupid – in that sense, our host and Stan Kasten agree. (“he knows that many Dodger fans are not sophisticated enough to understand how a successful team is built.” – ” Shock journalism playing into the average fans naivete and having little basis in fact… that’s what it is.”) He’s writing because he has to sell newspapers. All this makes him an idiot or at least unable to comprehend what Mark knows.
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Or maybe Mitchell knows something? He’s on the Dodgers’ beat – he probably sees more games than any of us here. He probably has pretty good contacts, both around the Dodgers and in MLB. Almost everything that I have read in the baseball press disliked the Farmer trade unless it was the 1st step to much bigger things, but Harper, Realmuto, Kluber et al were never coming here. Pollock is a good player but not a star – he has had 1 great season in 7.
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Who here can say that he has knowledge and contacts as good as Mitchell’s? Certainly, MItchell has a right to an opinion even if some here disagrees.
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My takes
1 – in 2017 the Dodgers won 104. Last year, 91. They were supposed to be better in ’18 too, weren’t they?
2 – how are the Dodgers better this year? I buy it if Seager, Turner, Kershaw are healthy all year.
3 – the offense was the issue last year – that and the bullpen. The ‘pen has 1 new arm and suddenly, it isn’t a problem?
4 – the offense – lost 3 key contributors (Puig, Kemp and Grandal). They’ve replaced Grandal with a 36 year old who hit .190 last year. They’ve replaced Puig with Verdugo (I assume) and Kemp with Pollock. They should have better bat to ball skills assuming that Pollock can stay on the field (which he hasn’t 6 out of 7 seasons). I know – the new hitting coach is more magician than coach and will fix everything by waving a magic wand (or bat).
5 – the Farmer trade was a salary dump/player dump. It cost the Dodgers 5 or 6 WAR and they took back negative WAR in Bailey. They signed Pollock (about 2.5 WAR), but lost Grandal (about a 4 WAR player last year). But they’re better!
6 – yeah, the NL West will be crappy this year – probably the 2nd weakest division in MLB (after AL Central). So that’s a good reason to take your foot off of the accelerator? Yet, the Rockies weren’t supposed to be too good last year and ended the season in a tie.
7 – most Dodger fans expected that the Dodgers would make a bigger splash this offseason, especially after the Farmer trade. If some of us are disappointed, that doesn’t make us stupid, uninformed, non-fans, etc.
8 – just because the Dodgers’ Braintrust does or doesn’t do something doesn’t mean it’s right. Fans are permitted to question his moves/non-moves. So are journalists.
Mark, DC, and AC give us a new post everyday. That takes effort and imagination. Mark decided to talk about where he disagrees with Houston. Why don’t you take this opportunity to talk about where you agree with Houston instead of going after Mark’s thoughts. Rick, Mark did not make you the straw man, why don’t you return the favor.
Dodgerrick. What would you do to make the Dodges better?
Usually we look at life either through the lens of the glass is half full or the glass is half empty. That can lead to a lot of negativity when it is half empty.
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Maybe we should use scotch instead of water–it doesn’t matter if it is half full or half empty, we’ve got half a glass of scotch. Life is good.
If it’s Macallan I’d like to join you
I’m pretty sure it’s 5 o’clock somewhere
The engineer says the glass is twice as big as it should be.
I pretty sure it’s just time for some Mental Floss and a Makers 46 on the Rocks.
I have a New Belgium variety pack from Costco at home. Life is good.
Today, Doc said that Bellinger would be the “almost” everyday right fielder. Which means Pollock in CF. Which means the combination of Verdugo Joc Toles CT3 Kike Pedro Guerrero will be in LF.
It also means Muncy plays majority at 1b, and CT3/Kike get a shot at 2b, unless Gavin Lux makes us all very happy in March.
That would pretty much eliminate most of the platoons. CT3 or Kike at 2B leaves only one as the utility to cover SS/2B and be the RH OF platoon. I don’t see Gavin Lux breaking camp with the team no matter how well he plays.
I thought that would be the case. Belli is not going to move around and he is going to be in the lineup every day. Perhaps Alex Verdugo is not as well thought of outside of Dodger circles. Perhaps Cleveland was not enamored with Verdugo (or Joc or Toles). Last weekend after the story broke about the JTR trade, I remarked about the Dodger players (prospects) that were requested by Miami did not include Verdugo. Perhaps it also might mean that Puig was not traded to open a spot for Verdugo. Not making any predictions, only observations and questions with three LHH OF vying for LF to platoon with Kike’.
I just heard that on the Dodger radio channel too.
I thought Dave may be saying that so Verdugo knows he has to earn his way.
AC I noticed that outfield prospect we traded to the Astros for Fields, was rated right there with Verdugo right now.
Didn’t Bill Buckner use to play left for the Dodgers?
Yep… until he tore up his ankle.
Mark thanks!
I always thought I remembered Buckner in left.
I remember him being a fast runner before he hurt his ankle.
Yordan Alvarez is the Astros 1B/OF prospect the Dodgers traded for Josh Fields. Josh has been a competent pitcher for LAD for 2+ years. He has a .9 WAR for each of the last two years, so he is earning his keep. Nobody knew the type of player Alvarez would become, and if they did, they should be on somebody’s scouting payroll. He never played in the Dodgers organization. He had not played since he defected from Cuba as a 17 year old. He is a LHH LF who moved there because he was not that good of a 1B. Sound familiar with other good hitting and questionable defense 1B who can also play LF in the LAD organization already (Max Muncy, Edwin Rios, Matt Beaty)?
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Alvarez has more power than Verdugo, but not nearly the arm or OF defense. Alex has better bat to ball skills, but Alvarez is not an all or nothing hitter, although he did have a K rate of more than 24% in 2018 (AA and AAA). Alex’s K rate was around 12% in AAA, and only 16% in a short sample of ML PA (86).
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I hope Alvarez has a good career, but I do not see Fields for Alvarez as a bad trade, not that you implied it, but others have.
Thanks AC!
Kinda cool that Kershaw threw his BP session to Martin today. Must have been fun for both of them.
I am hopeful the Dodgers can get off to a fast start this year.if healthy the Dodgers starting rotation should be a strength. I am optimistic that the bullpen will be very good. How, with Jansen in better shape and better preparation in spring training that is a plus. With the addition of Kelly who should throw a lot of innings. The recovery of cingrani, growth from Alexander, baez, Ferguson, floro and maybe other arms like Santana, Therrien etc. in 2017 the Dodgers should have won the World Series but didn’t because kershaw and Jansen didn’t do their jobs. Even last year Jansen melted down or we would have had a shot. That’s why if he is back 100% we have that shut down guy. It had nothing to do with the ownership or front office the players just didn’t get it done. My biggest concerns going into the season is that seager will not be ready. Will he be the same seager that was well on his way to being an MVP type player? What will pollock produce? He is one of the most unreliable players in the league and not a great player either. If he can get 500 at bats he can be an above average player for sure. But he is a huge risk. If Barnes doesn’t bounce back our catchers could bat below the Mendoza line. I think Barnes will be better. I am confident that turner, bellinger,, and seager will eventually carry the team. It appears we could use another quality hitter. We really need Taylor to bounce back and verdugo to get out of the gate strongly. But as they say that is why you play the games to find out strengths and weaknesses.
from MLB Trade Rumors
“The Marlins are in agreement on a one-year contract with veteran reliever Sergio Romo, pending a physical, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter). Romo will be guaranteed $2.5MM and can earn additional money on top of that via incentives. ”
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I can’t believe AF couldn’t find $2.5 MM lying around for this. 😉
He did, but said Naaaaahhhhhh!
Here’s a highly unfunny thought: we might have a ring if we didn’t give into fan pressure in 2017 and release Romo prior to his turn-around.
As Mark so eloquently stated “Naaaaahhhhh!”
I think they will make their moves at the trade deadline, if something is needed.
I agree that the trade deadline makes much more sense now that Kluber is not going anywhere. The Dodgers should be well out in front in the NL West by the ASG, and AF will know what will make them more dangerous for the playoffs. My only hope is that if they do see a problem in the bullpen that they do not ignore it this year. Maybe MT and AF were happy with Axford, Rosscup, Madson, and the other questionable relievers while Ryan Pressley, Keone Kela, Joakim Soria, Brad Brach, and Zach Britton went to other contenders (except Kela), but most of us were not. Would any of those 5 been the answer? We will never know. But I sure would have liked to give it a shot with 2 of the first three.
AC
I remember you mentioning those pitchers in plenty of time before the trade deadline
But this is a new year, so hopefully Friedman learned
from that experience.
This year think of Taylor Rogers (Twins), Jose Leclerc (Rangers), Brad Boxberger (Royals), Keone Kela or Felipe Rivero (Pirates). There will be others with teams that will fall out of contention early. I hope this year, AF looks at difference makers instead of hopefuls.
Dodgerrick, I tend to agree with you. Houston Mitchell, whom I don’t read is correct when he says the Dodgers are no better off now. They have backed off of the Big Name FA’s and seem to target low rent, older types for short term contracts. They are afraid of injuries is my guess. But I keep saying everyone seems to think the Dodgers will automatically get to the World Series for the 3rd straight year with this team. I don’t see it. Maybe with a Superstar Bat like Harper they may have, but not with Pollock and Kelly and losing Grandal? No way.
You say “No way”. You should put some $ against Dodgers. I’m putting $ on Dodgers taking the crown against the field. Long odds would be getting me a better payday if there were more like you who’d actually place a bet on other teams. So please do so. If you haven’t noticed there are a couple superstars on this team. I prefer to title them as elite rather than superstar. And Harper ain’t elite enough to put the Nats in the championship. There’s nothing automatic about going to the World Series and Dodgers did get there the last two seasons after getting off on miserable start. As long as the kids stay off the DL they’ll in shape to better than simply contend. There are signs that some of the problems the team had last season are no longer a problem. I truly believe that FZ was too hands on and plainly wrong with the plan. He’s now elsewhere, why do you think that? What reason would he have to want Giants in the shape they’re in? If he was really any good for the Dodgers why would he leave? I hope Giants actually do land Harper so Giants fans would start placing bets and make me a payday.
UPDATE:
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You don’t have to believe what I do. You can choose to follow the naysayers who have been prevalent since Friedman took over. I won’t censure you.
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Baseball is my hobby. It’s fun and just when I think the Dodgers are in a position to do some great things, you can say what you want as long as you don’t attack me.
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Frankly, I pity that you are so miserable…
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This team is going to spread a lot of joy. You can choose to enjoy it or revel in your swill. I can’t say I don’t care, but I am sorry for how you feel.
Mark,
Exactly who are you directing this comment to?
Probably me – at least that’s what I assume. But I’m not miserable.
Mark
It seems like some of these names have been weird lately.
I respect your opinions and all the work you put into the board. It is hard work and we all appreciate it. Nobody is miserable, nor in need of pity. As a Dodger fan, and that is what I am since the early 1960’s I can only respond by what heart and head tells me. The Dodgers have not a World Series since 1988. One of the longest dry spells in Baseball for a team of their Upper Crust.
I don’t care about how much money the Dodgers are spending or saving, the Team and Players are all making Bank!!!! We as fans still sit waiting for the WS win. Two straight years they have blown it. And we all know how hard it is to get there. How many more chances do they get. We expected this year for AF to get someone, anyone of GREATNESS to put them over the hump and so far he has not. Kluber, Harper, Manny, Bauer, JTR. None.
I hope you are correct and they can find a miracle player this year like Muncy or Taylor 2017.