Joc Pederson hit 36 HR’s in 2019. That’s a lot. In fact, it was the most of any player not named Bellinger for the Dodgers. Joc has 123 HR in his short career. Duke Snider, of course, holds the Los Angeles All-Time Home Run Record at 389, but in a season and a half, Joc should be in the Top 10 in LA Dodger All-Time Home Runs. That’s pretty dang good. It’s a lot better than I thought Joc would do. I predicted he would be no better than a 4th or 5th outfielder. He has certainly exceeded my expectations.
The question is: Where do we go from here? In the Post-Season. Joc has not forgotten to hit like some of his peers on the team, but his .239 BA, 37% strikeout rate, and .326 OB% is emblematic of the Dodgers struggles in the post-season. Let’s take a peek at what some other Dodger players have done in the post-Season:
- Max Muncy hits .217 in the Post-Season with a 37% strikeout rate, although his OB% is.365.
- Corey Seager has a .203 BA with a .275 OB% bd a 35% K rate in the playoffs.
- Cody Bellinger has struck out 39% in the POst-Season with a .178 BA and a .234 OB%.
- Kike Hernandez has a 28% K rate in the playoffs and hits .213 with a .333 OB%.
- Chris Taylor has a 25% strikeout rate and hits .255 with a .392 OB%.
- It’s no surprise that Justin Turner is the best of the bunch with a 17% K rate and a .310 BA with a .411 OB%. JT is clutch. Period!
The rest of the team has had their moments, but the opposite of “clutch” is “choke” and that would be a more accurate moniker for the bunch. The Dodgers need less “swing and miss” guys and more contact hitters like JT. Max, Corey, Cody and Joc all hit from the left side of the plate as well, which brings me to the dilemma: Joc will be a free agent next year. All 36 of his HR’s came off RHP. He simply cannot hit lefties. He is pathetic against them and has shown little sign of change. He is not an everyday player. He is a platoon player. He is slated to make about $9 million this year and if he duplicates last season, that is certainly a bargain.
But, after 2020, do you give him the Qualifying Offer? He would take it in a heartbeat, and maybe he would be worth $18 million, but that seems unlikely. I admit to being wrong about Joc before, so I could be wrong about this too, but I think the Dodgers should sell-high on Joc Pederson. I think we have seen the best and regression is more likely than “progression.”
In his injury-shortened Rookie Season, Alex Verdugo hit .294 with a .342 OB% and he struck out 14% of the time. I think as he matures his BA will go up (a lot) along with his OB% while his strikeouts stay near the same or drop. The Dodgers could have used Alex’s fire in the Post-Season last year. He plays with an edge.. and edge the team needs and can feed on.
Alex also hit LHP (.327 in his rookie year), so he is an everyday player. He’s young, controllable, and is a better defender than Joc (although Joc has exceeded my expectations in RF). Did I mention that Alex has a cannon? Alex Verdugo needs to be the starting RF’er next season and Joc needs to be traded. Of course, I have pushed for Nicholas Castellanos in LF because he is RH and mashed lefties and because I think he will become much better than he was in the past. Forget his stats: That is not the guy you are getting. I believe in Dodger Stadium, Nick will hit 20 HR, hit .300 and be a doubles machine.
I want to get that guy before he is that guy. Don’t throw his stats up in my face. They aren’t bad, but I’m betting he will be much more than that. A combination of Joc and “Disgruntled” Maeda could net some nice bullpen pieces. Add Ross Stripling to that list (I’d like to see him get an opportunity to start unless he wants to stay in LA in the bullpen). I am going to bang that Castellanos Drum until he goes somewhere else and I do think the Dodgers could live with his defense in LF. AJ Pollock becomes the 4th outfielder and get 35o AB’s.
Next, the Dodgers need more of an edge and need to become more RH, so I would try and sign Josh Donaldson. Do you know that Donaldson’s WAR was 6.1 last season… compared to Rendon’s 6.3? For my money and the “edge” JD brings, I am spending on Donaldson over Rendon.
Finally, AF should sign Cole, Strasburg or Wheeler… one of the three. I don’t care who. This lineup is likely to be much more productive in the playoffs:
- Verdugo (L) RF
- Turner (R) 1B
- Bellinger (L) CF
- Donaldson (R) 3B
- Muncy (L) 2B
- Castellanos (R) LF
- Seager (L) SS
- Smith (R) C
Rotation: Buehler, Wheeler, Urias, Kershaw, May
I have grown to like JOC, as frustrating as he is. I hate to see him go, but this is strictly a business decision. What kind of bullpen pieces the Dodgers get back remains to be seen. This team does not need to be “blown up” but it does need to get better and I think this makes them much better.
I like the lineup and rotation possibilities. But, there’s no chance they’re going to sign Casty and make Pollock a 4th outfielder. I think deep down you know that. Zero chance! Write that down, take it to the bank.
I also think there’s zero chance they would get rid of both Stripling and Maeda.
I agree about Joc. They have plenty of outfielders and I just don’t see them extending him. Better to get something for him while you can.
I am all in for trading Joc with the following caveats: (1) Dodgers replace the offense lost from the platoon in LF. It isn’t just Joc’s offense you give up by signing Castellanos as the full time LF’er, it is also the offense lost from the platoon partner, whether that be Pollock (you did not include him; I don’t see Dodgers paying him $16M a season to be a 4th OF’er), or Hernandez, or Taylor; and, (2) the team receives equal, or better, players in return. In 2019 Joc’s Fangraphs wRC+ (weighted runs created – equivalent to Baseball Reference OPS+) was 127 compared to Josh Donaldson 132 – five percentage point difference is only marginally better. In you suggested lineup, Gavin Lux is missing so you subtract offense lost by sending Lux back to OKC. I like Castellanos, but it doesn’t appear that he will be an upgrade over the current Dodgers left field platoon. The equation changes substantially if Rendon’s 154 wRC+ is inserted into the lineup in place of Donaldson. And, DO NOT TRADE Verdugo!
Do we really know that Maeda is “Disgruntled” ? Maybe his agent has told him that he needs to stick up for himself a bit since his contract is based on incentives. He signed this because of questions about his elbow which has been fine. Probably the most healthy SP since he signed. If he goes into the playoffs knowing he is not one of the top 2 or 3 SP’s I would have to believe he would have no problem going to the pen. If we do trade him that will just be 2 instead of 1 bullpen arms we will need for the playoffs that we will lose prospects for at the deadline . Plus he is 1 of only 2 Dodgers who know how to bunt ! He does seem to be best suited for a 6 man rotation though.
Castellanos’ glove will be good enough until he botches one in the playoffs, Joc for me, Rumor is he will hit 45 dingers this year.
That’s a good point. His incentives are based on the regular season. It’s also more than coincidental that we wound up just under the CBT threshold and Maeda joined the pen early. The other side of the coin is also important. He rarely pitches 6 or 7 innings and his second half numbers as a starter always seem to wane. If we sign a co-ace, there is no room for him in the rotation as referenced by Mark’s rotation listed above.
A very important thing to point out is that going short in the rotation makes the pen worse. We didn’t have a single 200 IP SP last year. If we had a couple of those, the pen automatically becomes better with less usage / less stress.
There is no such thing as a 6 man rotation. Not one team has ever had one for an entire year.
Agree with you and SoCalBum, just hate to lose someone who kicks butt in the playoffs.
Would be good to have if Strasburg tires out after 7 or 8.
Fair question about Maeda being disgruntled, but the signs point to a pitcher who is at least dissatisfied with his current role. No one is disputing the reports that Dodgers attempted to re-negotiate Maeda’s contract a year ago with more guaranteed income to offset his use in the BP, but Maeda and his agent declined the offer, saying that he has always been a starter, wants to remain a starter for a team that will start him 30 to 32 times a season. When Roberts goes out to the mound to remove Maeda you can tell from his body language and facial expression that he is not a happy camper. That being said, I think the only way Maeda will be traded is if the Dodgers add another starter at the top of the rotation (Cole? Strasburg? Kluber? Ryu?).
Joc – agree he should be traded while he still has trade value. He, along with another piece such as Kike could bring back a decent reliever or be part of a Kluber deal.
Pollock – agree with 59 that he won’t be a fourth outfielder and I don’t think he’s tradeable this year. Start him in left until he proves he can’t do it. Forget the WS performance, but can he stay healthy?
Third base – sign Donaldson or Rendon
Casty – not needed
Maeda – do everyone a favor and trade him. He isn’t happy here and definitely has trade value
#1 or 2 starter – absolutely must sign one of Cole, Strasburg, Wheeler, Ryu or trade for Kluber (that could blow up in our face if he doesn’t revert to the old Kluber but I would do it if I couldn’t get one of the other four)
2nd Base – Muncy and Lux (assuming he is producing) can both get playing time there with one of them also getting some time in left when Pollock sits and Muncy relieving JT at first when needed.
I am ambivalent about Joc, don’t hate him, don’t love him. So, for the right return I am all in on trading him before he reaches free agency and a qualifying offer. But it seems like most Dodgers fans undervalue his offensive contributions, and I will add that when he played right field his defense looked much better than left field. A few wRC+ (weighted runs created) numbers to compare against Joc’s 127: Justin Turner and Josh Donaldson – 132; Nolan Arenado – 128; Ronald Acuna Jr. – 126; Bryce Harper and Gleyber Torres – 125; Trevor Story – 121; Starling Marte – 119. Pederson is worth much more than a “decent reliever” – in fact, a good case could be made that he is worth more than Corey Kluber in a straight up swap. Trade him – fine; but make sure that team is getting equivalent value in return.
I understand the point you make about Joc’s trade value. The problem is that he’s only controlled for one more year. I think that cuts down dramatically on what we could get for him. By “decent reliever” I meant a very good 7th or 8th inning guy. I don’t think he’d bring a good closer.
I can see trading both Maeda and Stripling for reasons mentioned above. The problem though is who would be our 7th starter (assuming a top of the rotation addition and Gonsolin is the 6th). With injuries and rest at least 7 starters are needed and 8 is likely.
Stripling projected to get $2.3M in arbitration — talk about a team friendly contract. Statistically he is a better all around pitcher than Maeda, and willing to pitch in whatever role the Dodgers ask. He is a keeper in my opinion.
Concur, we need one of them
First of all, thanks Mark for providing this forum for discussing Dodgers baseball.
Okay, Joc Pederson, really mixed feelings on this. Lot of production to replace. Plus, he’s really involved in the communitjy, representing the Dodgers. He’s also streaky, has issues with lefthanders, but he produces when it counts.
On the other side, the Dodgers have too many outfielders and not enough at bats to around. Alex Verdugo is going to start, probably right or center, with Bellinger in the other outfield slot. AJ Pollock will be in left. He’s not going anywhere. His second half and all the big hits earned him that. I think he’s stays healthy and has a big year. Still a good defensive outfielder with speed and power.
The only real questions for the Dodgers this winter are third base, the rotation and the bullpen. Justin Turner is fine at third, but the Dodgers will look at Anthony Rendon, who will make them better offensively and defensively. That does create a bit of what do you do with Max Muncy and Gavin Lux problem. I’m guessing Turner continues to be productive the next two or three years and I can see the Dodgers extending him. In many ways, he’s the heart and soul of the team.
So where does that leave us? Back to pitching, starters and relievers. If the Dodgers could make it happen tomorrow, I think they sign Gerrit Cole. I think they make him a very good offer. Friedman recently said the Dodgers have made substantial free agent offers, six years, high dollars twice during his time, but didn’t get the player. One of those offers was probably Zack Greinke, six years, close to $160 million.
Now the team has considerable financial room and they will be aggressive, especially since they haven’t won since 1988 and Friedman has acknowledged that something is missing. Stadium renovation, All-Star game just add to the Go Big thinking.
It is probably financially feasible to add Donaldson and Cole. But who knows how that plays out? Whatever happens, pitching is still the main target. I don’t think Ryu or Hill are out of the picture.
Bring on the Winter Meetings, hopefully they’ll have something to talk about.
I disagree on trading Joc. Even with the juiced ball, players who hit 36 HR don’t grow on trees. I would rather have him and Pollock platoon in left than anyone not named Mookie Betts. I would let Joc, AJ and CT3 platoon in left. I put Bellinger in right and leave him there. He’s the best RF in baseball and he was most productive offensively when he played RF. If Verdugo is healthy, he is my center fielder. I would also platoon AJ with Verdugo against tough left-handers. That way everyone gets 400+ at bats and earns their money. I also hold out hope (pipe dream perhaps), that one day DJ Peters will be our big right-handed bat.
I would not be opposed to adding Donaldson. JT’s defense suffered last year and maybe a move across the diamond will be of help to him and the Dodgers.
I would also keep Stripling over Maeda. I am an unabashed Stripling fan.
I think Kike and CT3 are redundant, and prefer CT3 over Kike. I think Kike would be good trade material and I would trade him before I traded Joc.
Primary focus for me would be a strong arm for the rotation and 2 quality relievers,
We all have an opinion about our players. That’s what makes us fans.
Joc, I think will improve, but not against LHP. I have always said he was not a complete player and should not be platooned, but traded. I like Joc, he has grown on me, but like Mark said, we could use a good contact hitter and I think we’re covered in the outfield without him. 45 HR’s seem fair for him. We can make up a lot of games against LHP with the right trade(s).
I don’t see Castellanos as a real target for the FO. They certainly could use another RHB, though.
Asian players are usually very loyal to their teams. Very rarely do they exhibit ‘me, first’ attitudes or demands. I respect Maeda and he’s given us some nice moments but he is at best, a #5 starter or a BP piece. If he really is unhappy in the BP, we should try to trade him to a team of his liking. OTOH, Ryu should be signed. Hill should be a goner, not an afterthought, IMO. He did very well with the Blue but it’s time to let him go.
PS-The Dodgers could also keep Joc to be our future DH, but then again, it would only by for RHP. Same dilemma.
Whoever we sign it’s all about the playoffs. We could win the West next year without signing anybody. So who makes a bigger difference in the playoffs, Rendon or Cole?
Thank you! This.
Personally I feel Cole, but you won’t see me cry if we sign Anthony Rendon!
This team does not need to be blown up. I agree with Cassidy that this team does not need to make one move and will still win the N L West going away. The DBacks have made a couple of big trades for prospects, top 10 catcher, and a potential top of the rotation pitcher. They are still not ready to chase down the Dodgers. They will non tender more than $10MM in expected contracts and give them even more capability to make some additions. The Pads could very well be the most improved team in the NL. They still need to wait for Gore and Patino to join the rotation, and they do need some more offense, but they are getting closer. I have no idea how their new manager will do. I think they can get to .500 this year. The Giants and the Rockies should be at the back of the Division.
But that is now, and the Dodgers should not even be thinking about how to make the regular season team better. Their offseason moves need to concentrate on the playoffs. Sure that means putting the cart in front of the horse, but there is not any team in the NL (probably MLB) that is deeper than the Dodgers. But there are plenty that have as many elite players.
The one absolute is that today it takes at least two Aces to win it all. Buehler is an Ace but the Dodgers do not have that second Ace. Kersh is a #3 right now. Just like golfers are no longer intimidated by Tiger, MLB hitters do not feel intimidated by CK. He needs to make that an advantage and become a lot less predictable. He is still formidable, but no longer elite. And just like Tiger in the 2019 Masters, CK is very capable of dominating on occasion. Maeda is a #5, and no matter how much someone believes Urias or May or Gonsolin will dominate, they have not yet. I want to win in 2020 as well 2021/2022, etc. when those young guns could be ready to dominate. But they are not ready to be considered as Ace material yet, and leaves LAD needing a 2nd Co-Ace to match up with Buehler.
The Dodgers will not trade both Maeda and Stripling. They will not trade either if they do not sign or trade for another Ace. I think Jo Jo Gray needs another year. I am glad to see more Ross Stripling fans. It used to be a very small rooting section for Strip on here.
AF needs to trade one of Kike’ or CT3. Both strike out too much. Kike’ has more power, and both are good defensive players that play all over. But IMO, CT3 is the more consistent player. Of course in the playoffs, consistency is not that critical. Both are capable of getting hot at the right time. Find out who brings the most back in return and let that be the decider.
Joc – I have written about Joc and Champ, and I believe he is one of the finest humans around. He loves being a Dodger and is a great teammate. He was the true 2017 WS MVP. He does not get hurt. But as I have said for the last several years, I am indifferent when it comes to Joc as a baseball player. He is certainly at his zenith right now in trade value, but it needs to be for a significant return, and one who can help the Dodgers better in 2020 than Joc could. That may be hard to find. I would be happy to see Joc platooning in LF next year as a Dodger. I would be happy for him if he was traded to a team that will play him all the time and if the Dodgers were able to package him for an elite pitcher; starter or relief.
I do not think that Josh Donaldson is that much of an improvement over JT to lose Lux for a year. I would rather give Lux a year to establish himself. But what Donaldson does bring is a different mentality. I have read that Rendon is a lot like Belli/Seager/Pollock/Smith, very stoic. Intense but stoic. While Donaldson brings a different dynamic to the clubhouse. Is he a Reggie Jackson type that can carry a team? He hasn’t yet, while Reggie did with both Oakland and NYY. Maybe Verdugo’s fire was truly the missing ingredient from last year’s NLDS. Would he have made a difference? We will never know, but I like the fire more with him in the lineup than without.
I know Mark is a big Castellanos fan, but he is another that I just do not see as a difference maker on this team, I won’t cite stats. But I would be fine with the AJ Pollock that played the 2nd half of last year. And while AJ was particularly bad in the NLDS, not one player stepped up. That is what needs to change. I like Donaldson in that role much more than Castellanos.
I would be happiest if the Dodgers beat every other team in their quest for Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg. Then go out and get the two best 7th and 8th inning relievers and/or closer available. And then look for their next David Freese. I actually believe that AF thinks that could be Tyler White, but I would rather have that proven RH bat off the bench. I would not be against a reunion of Howie Kendrick.
Great post AC. I agree with all you said, especially comments on Stripling, CT3, Castellanos, White, and another ace, my preference, Cole. Please Santa grant my Christmas wish and get him. I admit bias, but do not want to see my favorite, Joc, traded. I think he has earned another year with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers signed Pollock to play CF. If he no longer can, trade him even if it means eating some of his salary.
If possible, I would trade Pollock and Baez for Diaz.
I wouldn’t hesitate to trade Verdugo for Betts.
I would trade Muncy and Taylor and Maeda for Lindor and lefty reliever.
SS. Lindor
3B. Seager
RF Betts
CF. Bellinger
1B Turner
LF. Pederson
C. Smith
2B. Lux
Buehler, Kershaw, Urias, Stripling, May
Jansen, Diaz, lefty reliever from Cleveland, Gonsolin, Ferguson,
I don’t think you’d get the Mets to take on Pollock’s salary and furthermore a center fielder is what they really need so they would be unlikely to trade for a guy who can’t play center field and who is owed a fair amount of money.
You have Joc in left. Would you platoon him with Kike or play him against everyone?
Must admit, that’s a nice lineup you have there but I don’t want to trade Verdugo for one year of Betts, although I’m sure a lot of people would be happy to do that.
I would offer Betts millions of dollars to stay with the Dodgers. Pollock fooled Friedman into thinking he could play CF, maybe he will do the same to NY.
That rotation is just not good enough. It may be in 2021, but not in 2020. BoSox will not trade Betts for Verdugo, but even if they did, what will you do when Betts walks after one year. There is no guarantee your favorite re-signs with LA. So that leaves Belli and ??? for the OF in 2021. JT is a FA and what if he bolts? Add to that, probably p***ing off Seager and he would be gone the year after, and Lindor says he is going to go for big bucks in FA. So you are going all in for 2020 with that rotation? After 2020, Betts, Joc, JT, and Brad Hand (the Cleveland LHRP I am assuming you are talking about) become FA. After 2021, Seager, Lindor, Kershaw, and Jansen. That is a lot of people to replace. If the Dodgers are not willing to sign FA this year when they can, what makes anyone thing they will in the next two years. They do not have position players capable of replacing Betts, Verdugo, Lindor, Seager, Muncy, JT in their system.
Sign Cole/Strasburg, a good (or two) late inning relievers, and deal with the RH issue at the trade deadline.
I thought about all of that AC and agree with it. So, yes it requires extending Joc 2 years, signing Betts long term, and re-signing Seager.
Before I included signing Cole and adding him to the rotation, I wanted to guess the team AAV after Betts, Lindor, Joc’s and Seager’s extension.
I would add players to Verdugo to get Betts but I’ll let that detail be handled by others.
… and a #24 Farm System.
And yet I didn’t offer Gray, Downs, Ruiz, May, Gonsolin, Kimbel, Huose and instead pulled mostly from the active 25 with Verdugo (injury history), Pollock (payroll relief) Baez, Taylor, Muncy, and Maeda.
Gray – agree that he needs another year but I’m really anxious to see what he can contribute in 2021. I would not trade him except for someone spectacular.
Kike vs CT3 – Taylor has more trade value if for no other reason than that he has an extra year of control. That said, I’d still rather keep Taylor, although I would really miss Kike’s personality.
Howie K. – I’ve always liked him, ever since his days with the Angels but I think at this stage of his career he’s an AL guy. Some DH and some first base seems like his best situation..
7th inning reliever – how about Joe Smith? Side armer who would give us a different look from the right side and his stats are pretty even between left and right handed hitters. I hadn’t ever paid a lot of attention to him but took a look at his stats today and they’re fairly impressive. Not sure what it would take to sign him though. Could be more years and $ than AF would spend for a 7th inning guy.
Part time 1B, sometimes DH, and RH bat off the bench. Isn’t that what Freese was? But you are still probably right because Howie probably sees himself more than in a David Freese role. I am not sure that Howie has the power that most AL teams are looking for in a DH. But he has to at least try to maximize his earnings. The Dodgers are still going to need that pure hitting RH bat off the bench. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Dodgers make a play to try to get Daniel Murphy from the Rockies. He is a little too expensive, so it would have to include some cash. Howie K., Daniel Murphy…anyone other than Jedd Gyorko. Maybe it will come at the trade deadline, but I do think AF will find a David Freese replacement.
Joe Smith would be a good addition. But I am not convinced he is a legit late inning high leverage reliever.
Only one problem with Daniel Murphy, he hits left handed.
Man, the off season is so much more draining than the actual season. 🙂
Yeah, I wasn’t thinking on that one.
But Cole is a guy who can win two playoff games in a series by himself. That is a huge advantage over the next 4-5 years. And if Buehler continues to develop and we hit it big with either May or Urias then we’re looking at multiple championships. As much as I love Rendon, I think Cole is a bigger advantage
It will all boil down to whether Boras gets his number of not. Boras’ number is likely close to $350 M. I think AF will offer Cole 6 years at $240 M. Cole also wants to win… and hopefully, he wants to win without cheating. If so, he will want to be a Dodger.
I am OK with JOC and AJ in LF, but that means that JOC walks next year without compensation… I cannot see giving him the QO.
P.S. No way NY takes Pollock unless you include $30 M.
Good point about Joc walking next year. This is the time to move him as I cannot see them giving him the QO, either.
Pollock, to me, is dead money. No one will trade for him and offer anywhere near equal value. They need to find the ideal role for him on the team. Why would any team be after him? It was not a good signing.
Joc’s average annual WAR is 3.0, and his last 2 seasons his 126 wRC+ is very good. If he puts up similar numbers in 2020 then there is no doubt he will get a QO. For the majority of MLB teams those stats would be worthy of a contract extension. During the 2019 season Friedman alluded to negotiating contract extensions for certain players — perhaps Joc deserves that consideration. Perhaps a 3 year, $40M deal? Very team friendly, but it is also a lot of money that would let Joc test free agency at age 30 when it is likely that the NL will have the DH.
I like it. I would also like a 3 year $30M contract with incentives.
I like the idea of incentives, but I think (could definitely be wrong on this) that incentives can only be based upon things like games played, at bats, innings pitched, etc. — not on things like RBI, home runs, etc.
Maybe something like this:
$$ for making the all star team
$$ for finishing in top 10 league MVP
$$ for exceeding 500 Plate Appearances
$$ for NL player of the month
$$ for playoff / WS MVP
I’m watching ND right about now, PJ.
One of the best college games I have ever been to was 4 years ago at Palo Alto with ND.
I would love to keep Chicken Strip if he’s willing to be the Swingman.
I’m wondering how many teams will have 2 aces next year? Since it’s required to win a World Series.
We will, I believe. If not Ryu, another top tier pitcher will be gotten. If not, we’ll see a repeat of last season with no ring.
Boston’s Aces in 2018 were dubious!
Not true. Price owned us, none of their other starters did anything out of the ordinary. Sale gave up 3 runs in 5 innings. Porcello was better than Sale, 4.2 innings 1 ER. Eovaldi and everyone’s favorite Joe Kelly did most of the heavy lifting for them. They combined for 14 innings of one run ball.
Here’s the Red Sox Big Four in 2018:
1. Sale – 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA but battled injury most of the second half (158 IP)
2. Porcello – 17-7 with a 4.28 ERA (191 IP)
3. Price – 16-7 with a 3.58 ERA (176 IP)
4. Rodriguez – 13-5 with a 3.82 ERA (130 IP)
Sale certainly had Ace Stuff, but that in that group as a whole, I would be hard-pressed to say they had two Aces.
I’m not sure you need two aces to win the World Series, but both teams, Houston and Washington, rode that to success. Didn’t hurt that Patrick Corbin, the Nats number three and a free agent signing, really did a great job coming out of the pen.
But, it really can be a difference maker, and I don’t think you can argue about it. The bullpen oriented teams, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, didn’t make it. Doesn’t hurt to have clutch hitting either.
When you look at Cody Bellinger’s season and consider that he pretty much had no one hitting behind him (some times Taylor or Hernandez), you could probably make a case for Rendon or Donaldson. Maybe Seager returns to form and becomes that hitter.
As funny as it sounds, I’m not sure if the Dodgers get past the Nats and they should have, that they would have beat the Astros in the World Series. Not sure they were built to win it all.
That seems to be the crossroads that Friedman and the Dodgers are looking at this winter, which lends credence to Friedman’s comment about something being missing. Losing always teaches you more than winning. In the long run that may be the turning point the Dodgers need as they move forward.
I remember reading a comment many years ago that the Dodgers winning a World Series in 1988 actually proved harmful to the team moving forward because it allowed the Dodgers to ignore the flaws in the structure and the approach going into the 90s.
Truthfully I dont see the Dodgers making any huge moves, they’ve gotten cheap and dont want to spend money they go for older and cheaper talent but let’s ride this wave out and see what happeneds
Friedman will project payroll in each of the next 5 years and determine how competitive each of those teams will be.
Kershaw’s salary will be off the books in a couple of years but that’s when Seager’s cost will jump if the Dodgers want to keep him. Offer big AAV to Coles and Betts will affect what the team can do with their existing core.
Trading for Lindor wouldn’t mean the Dodgers would have to extend him as they have Downs and Lux for the middle infield. Turner can be replaced at first by Bellinger and who knows, Kendall might wind up in CF.
Yeah, they are cheap. Since Friedman has been in LA only 29 other teams have spent less than the Dodgers. Math must not be your strong suit, so I’ll break it down: The Dodgers have spent more money than any other team under AF. Cheap? That’s a joke, son!
MT – Good game yesterday, heartburn 1st. half , but as usual we seemed to wear Stanford down in the 2nd half… I’ll take a 10-2 season… I still think we should beaten Bulldogs.
Boy did I love to see Alabama’s coach whining like a big man’s ass.. Ohio St. – Auburn could be a barn burner..
For me it is important that we sign Cole or Strassberg. We need the second ace. If May or Urias turn out to be good, we could have a great starting group. I would pass on Rendon. I like Joc, but he is not a complete player. I would trade Joc. I would also trade Maeda, if he wanted to be a starter. I think Maeda could be a great reliever. Keep Stripling and Goslin as spot starters or in the pen. I would also trade either Taylor or Kike. I think Pollock will have a good year.