The financing of a baseball season is going under the microscope this offseason and potentially into next season. There is no question that MLB lost several billion in revenues.
According to Forbes’ estimates from 2019, as gathered by the University of Michigan sports economist Rodney Fort, MLB teams made a total of $9.9 billion as follows:
| REVENUE (IN BILLIONS) UNDER… | ||
| CATEGORY | NORMAL SEASON | HALF-SEASON W/O FANS* |
| Gate receipts | $2.84B | $0.00B |
| Concessions/parking/etc. | 1.65 | 0.00 |
| National TV deals | 1.70 | 1.70 |
| Local TV deals | 2.14 | 1.61 |
| Licensing/sponsorships/etc. | 0.56 | 0.42 |
| Central fund | 1.00 | 0.50 |
| Total | 9.90 | 4.23 |
*Assumes teams retain all of their national TV revenue, 75 percent of their local TV and licensing/sponsorship/etc. revenues and 50 percent of their central fund revenue. SOURCE: FORBES
The same Forbes numbers from above, estimated that teams spent a total of $8.7 billion in operating expenses in 2019, generating a net operating income of $1.2 billion. Of that expense, $4.6 billion went to paying player salaries, and $4.1 billion went to “other” expenses — which include front office and staff payrolls, minor league costs, stadium expenses and the cost of operating MLB’s central office.
If teams spent the same as last season but with the reduced revenue illustrated above, they’d be on the hook for a total loss of $4.5 billion. This is undoubtedly the logic used by owners in their estimation of operating losses in excess of $4B. But paying the players a prorated version of their full salaries in a projected half-season would cut those losses by $2.3 billion.
Of course some of the “other expenses” would also be reduced, limiting the losses even more. The cash losses were probably closer to $1.0B to $1.5B. Still significant even in a billionaire’s playground. During a recent appearance on “Evolve,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten revealed that the organization lost more than $100 million this season and will look for ways to save money until things return to normal, via CNBC Events:
“Our cash loss this year were well north of $100 million, and there’s no way to predict that. Any team is prepared to have a downturn, lose $5 million, lose $10 million. No one can be prepared for an unexpected cash loss of $100 million or more a year. We have enough strength and depth in our organization that we’re going to get through this, but it’s going to take a while to catch up.
“It won’t happen overnight, and that is going to become a part of our mantra as we look for continuing economies. We’re looking at all areas on both sides of our house; on the baseball side and the business side. I can’t tell you all the techniques we’re going to use, but we’re going to look too save money wherever we can while we are trying to dig out of this hole. Hoping that a return to normal is right around the corner, because when it does return, the customer experience — which we focused on right from Day 1 — is going to be better at Dodger Stadium than it’s ever been.”
The Dodgers estimated to have reported revenues in the amount of $556MM with a net profit of $96MM. Kasten was very careful in reporting cash loss well north of $100MM and not operating loss. I would surmise that a very fair amount of those revenues would have been utilized to pay down any principal portion of their estimated $408MM debt. It is also difficult to know how the major and minor capitalized improvements were financed. If financed through operating revenues and not separate loans, those expenditures would be included as a component of the “cash loss”.
All national network TV revenues were paid pursuant to the contract calling for full payment even without a full season. Ironically, this is something the owners chose to ignore with respect to the players’ salaries. National network TV revenues are split evenly with each of the teams.
Local revenues are also subject to revenue sharing; As defined by Article XXIV of the CBA, the basis for the revenue sharing plan is a percentage of each team’s “Net Local Revenue”, which is basically the money a team makes in its local market (mostly ballpark and media related receipts) minus the cost of stadium expenses, including debt service. However, because of the lack of local revenues that were not sufficient to cover stadium expenses, there was no local revenue sharing for 2020. Thus, teams with very little local revenue lost their revenue sharing, and it could be further impacted in 2021. Also teams like LAD and NYY with huge local revenues apparently lost quite a bit in this area. Until the owners open their books for full audit review, neither MLBPA or the rest of the world will know what each of the teams actual losses were: operating and cash.
What does all this lead to for the 2020-2021 offseason? Every year I like to monitor the FA signings and use the MLBTR top 50 FA as the standard. For 2018-2019, there was one who accepted the QO (Ryu and LAD), 6 (including two top ten) signed before and during the Winter Meetings, 15 more after the Winter Meetings and before New Year’s. For 2019-2020, 2 accepted QO, 12 signed before or during the Winter Meetings (including 3 top 10), and 21 signed between the Winter Meetings and New Year’s (including 5 top 10). Eight of the top ten 2018/2019 FA signed before New Year’s.
Thus far in 2020-2021, two have accepted QO (both top ten), six signed before or during Winter Meetings (Trevor May top ranked at #28), and thus far 3 have signed subsequent to the Winter Meetings (James McCann top ranked at #16). This excludes three free agents outside of the top 50 who signed one year deals.
Last year by December 16, not including the two qualifying offers, 22 free agents signed for a combined 73 years and $1.443B. 17 free agents signed for multi-year deals, including 11 for three or more years and 8 for four or more. The nine free agents who have signed thus far in 2020, they signed for a cumulative 15 years and $133.75MM. Only four signed multi-year deals, and only 1 for more than 2 (James McCann – 4 years, $40MM).
Last year three players (Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg) signed individually for more than all of the 2020/2021 free agents combined.
There is obviously an evident slow pace to free agent signings this year, but there are other signs that present a very strange end to a very strange year.
●While some teams may be able to cope with the loss of game day revenues for 2020, the unknown game day attendance situation for 2021 has many (if not most) teams more concerned with making large financial obligations.
●Tampa Bay declined the $15MM option for Charlie Morton.
●NYY has listed DJLM as their #1 priority, but are a reported $25MM under DJLM’s contract “demands”. Normally this would not raise an eyebrow, but the Yankees have stated they WILL be below the CBT, and they need starting pitching. Many think NYY needs a SS more so that Gleyber Torres can move to 2B, where Brian Cashman thinks is his best position. Do they sign Andrelton Simmons for one year and set themselves up for one of the mega-five next year? Do they bring back Didi Gregorius?
●Cincinnati – Non-Tendered Archie Bradley and then trade Raisel Iglesias and his $9.125MM salary for Noe Ramirez and his $1.1MM salary as a salary dump. They have told everyone that Sonny Gray is available for trade. The Reds and Nats have discussed Eugenio Suarez. If Suarez is available, the Dodgers might want to swoop in. While everyone was pushing for Arenado or Bryant, I brought up Suarez who is tied up through 2024 (7 years $66MM) with a very team favorable 2025 option ($15MM with no buyout). Former SS who transitioned very well to 3B. And he is another Venezuelan.
●Cleveland – Non Tendered Brad Hand. Has told everyone that they will trade Francisco Lindor this winter.
●The ChiSox needed a left hand hitting OF and signed Adam Eaton for one year. Why not the more expensive but probably better fits with Michael Brantley? Or even Joc? They will not be players for any of the top FA, but they are very much interested in Liam Hendriks.
●Philadelphia – Shows more signs of stepping back and regrouping rather than continuing to spend stupid. Spending stupid got them Bryce Harper and no playoffs. Now they need more starting pitching, much much much more relief pitching, a SS, and a catcher. And without much of a farm system. But they currently are not showing any signs of reaching out to JTR or Didi to re-sign. Dombrowski loves to stir things up and I doubt that he would have accepted the position with Philadelphia without knowing he could spend. So Phillies watch is on hold, but when rumors about Zach Wheeler being available, and knowing that Middleton’s money is primarily from the Phillies, questions about finances are legitimately raised. After selling his tobacco company and subsequent litigation, his secondary source of revenue has dried up.
●Atlanta has paid $26MM for two back of the rotation starters leaving them with holes at 3B and a LH hitting OF, and hope that Travis d’Arnaud can have another good year.
●San Diego seems ready to pounce on a pitcher, but they are focusing more on a trade because of their deep farm system. I think they will be leaning on relievers in FA and not starting pitching. Some have indicated that Yadi Molina is on their radar, which makes sense. But it is probably more like them raising the cost for St. Louis.
●Why aren’t Yadi Molina and Adam Wainwright re-signed with St. Louis?
●Nationals – Have denied talking with Cubs about Kris Bryant
●Two teams that appear that they could be in on FA in a big way are NYM and Toronto. I know Mets fans are hoping for George Springer and Trevor Bauer, but all signs are that Cohen will authorize one. Cohen has also said that most of the big deals for NYM will come via FA and not trades, so Lindor may not be wearing a Mets uniform next year. Mets have made two good FA signings in Trevor May and James McCann, and did not have to overspend for JTR or Liam Hendriks. They have enough available for Springer who they covet. Will they also swallow hard and sign Trevor Bauer also?
●Toronto is supposedly a player for all of the FA including, Bauer, DJLM, JTR, Springer, JT, Hendriks… I think they will make a significant bid for one of the players, but which one, who knows.
●With Dave Dombrowski leaving Nashville and Billy Beane returning to Oakland (with David Forst and Billy Owens), it is clear that MLB expansion is not anywhere close to fruition.
The Giants got a good second tier starter in Anthony DeSclafani (1 year $6MM). The Rays have replaced Morton with Michael Wacha (1 year $3.00MM). Thirteen of the top fifteen FA are not signed, and the only two that have been, were accepted QO (Gausman and Stroman). 28 of the top 32 FA are still available, and the two that have signed (other than the two QO) were both signed by NYM (McCann and May).
When NYY and Boston and apparently LAD are out not heavily involved in FA bidding, then the market sort of dries up. All of the top FA will get signed, but undoubtedly not for what they expected. A vast majority of teams will spend on peripheral talent like KC has. KC has signed four FA: 1B/DH Carlos Santana (2 years $17.50MM), RHSP Mike Minor (2 years $18.00MM), RHRP Greg Holland (1 year $2.75MM), and OF Michael Taylor (1 year $1.75MM).
Way out guesses:
Dodgers will re-sign JT for no more than two years guaranteed, and one of Brad Hand, Trevor Rosenthal, and Kirby Yates. Dodgers will not initially go over CBT.
- Trevor Bauer – LA Angels
- JT Realmuto – Washington Nationals
- George Springer – NYM
- DJLM – NYY – He is a perfect fit for LAD, but Brian Cashman will not let AF outbid him.
- Marcell Ozuna – San Francisco Giants
- Masahiro Tanaka – NYY on a much smaller deal than anticipated. With Severino due back, NYY will have the offense to carry them, and they should be able to slide under the CBT with DJLM and Tanaka.
- Liam Hendriks – Chicago White Sox
- Ha-Seong Kim – Texas Rangers
- Corey Kluber – Boston
- Francisco Lindor – Toronto (along with second tier starting pitching)
- Nolan Arenado – Colorado
- Trevor Story – Colorado
- Kris Bryant – Atlanta
The owners are going to take a very slow step into FA without knowing when fans will be allowed back in the stands. MLBPA will not trust MLB again, and they will show up for ST and be ready to play 162 games. The owners will have to lock the players out if they want a delay in the season. If the owners do that, look for Congress to remove the antitrust exemption for MLB. They are already on thin ice when it comes to how they have treated MiLB, which is another story for another day. For now, FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Excellent post Jeff. I knew MLB took it in the shorts. And our country has not had it easy either. I just hope some time in the future the whole country will get back in the saddle.
Many of us small businessmen could only wish we had a tv deal to keep our business’s afloat during this horrible 2020. Many have not survived!
I’ve settled on 3 free agent relievers and in the order that I list them.
1 Joakim Soria
2 Sean Doolittle
3 Mark Melancon
It’s time to move on from our current ROOGY and LOOGY bullpen, since the 3 batter minimum rule is sticking around.
If Gonsolin is going to be in the bullpen because we have 5 starters ahead of him (Buehler, Kershaw, Price, Urias, May) then I’d like the bullpen to look like this.
Joakim Soria
Sean Doolittle
Mark Melancon
Tony Gonsolin
Victor Gonzalez
Brusdar Graterol
Fill in the rest (probably 3 others) with whoever we have.
5 of those 6 relievers I listed get outs consistently against both sides of the plate. Only Graterol doesn’t, but he hasn’t racked up enough innings to call him a ROOGY.
Sorry Eric, no chance in hell AF goes after any of those guys. Doolittle is the kid at 34. Soria turns 37 in May and Melancon turns 36 in March. You are totally dissing guys who are on the roster and figure to be in the pen. Kelly is under contact for one more year as is Jansen. Alexander, Kolarek and Gonzalez are going to be the lefty’s barring injury or a trade, not likely at this point. What are you trying to do? Hire every senior citizen reliever out there? What about Knebel? They did not trade for him to just cut him loose. You also totally forgot Floro, who the Dodgers like a lot and Roberts has a lot of trust in. None of those guys has been mentioned on any Dodger blog, or site as to the Dodgers having any interest in any of them. As a matter of fact, the only two relievers connected to the Dodgers in any kind of rumor, are Ryne Stanek, and Liam Hendriks. I know all of those guys have decent track records or else they would not still be pitching. Of the 3, Doolittle had the worst year going 0-2 with a ERA north of 6 and a WHIP of almost 1.7. Not good. He did not have a single save and he averaged less than an inning a game only pitching 7.2 innings. A for sure pass. Soria was 2-2 with a 2.82 ERA and a WHIP of 1.254 with 2 saves and just about 1 K an inning. maybe, but not likely. Melancon was 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA, 11 saves only 14 K’s in 22 innings and a WHIP close to Soria’s. Again, not a shut down pitcher and certainly not the type of reliever AF is looking for. The Dodgers had 10 pitchers on their roster last year with WHIPS that are much better than any of those guys. Of those 10, 7 are still on the team. There is simply no way AF signs any of these guys and the reasons are obvious. 1. They are not difference makers, and all 3 would get higher salaries. 1. There are better options in the organization who are not going to cost nearly as much. 3. None of them give the kind of diversity AF is looking for in relievers. 4. They are all too old.
1 You are citing the wrong stats. Wins and loses and ERA are meaningless stats.
2 Floro, Kolarek, Alexander are ROOGYS and LOOGYS. Hello 3 batter minimum rule.
3 Jansen in the last 3 years has only been effective against the left side of the plate. Hello 3 batter minimum rule.
4 Kelly absolutely sucks.
5 Rumors are just that. RUMORS.
6 I kept 3 spots open in the bullpen for whoever we have already, Corey Knebel I guess would fit here although I don’t care for him.
You are delusional and know bupkis bud. Your evaluation of those guys is whack. WHIP means a lot, and Kolarek’s WHIP was sub 1. It does not matter what you think of Kelly or Jansen. Each one has a contract for 2021. Both will be on the roster. You have zero chance of any of those guys being signed by the Dodgers. You need to quit consulting your crystal ball and read some actual baseball stuff by the people who cover the game and know what is going on way more than you do. What the hell is a roogy or a loogy? That is some whacked out thing you came up with? Without Floro striking out Arozarena on 3 pitches in game 6 of the series, they might not have won that game. Kolarek pitched excellently all year. Alexander is a sinker ball pitcher and exactly the type of diversity AF wants out of the pen. And rumors may be rumors, but there is usually some truth to them. No one, and I mean not one single site has reported any interest in any of those clowns by the Dodgers. I trust their judgement and reporting more than I do your wacky ideas of who is what. ERA might be a meaningless stat to you, but it isn’t to agents when they negotiate contracts. If those guys are so good, how come only one of them was in the playoffs and his team lost???? Let AF worry about the bullpen, you need to get some baseball education because I have yet to see you make a logical argument for any of your posts since you have been here.
“What the hell is a roogy or a loogy?”
There you have it folks. You don’t even know that. And you cite meaningless stats. Your knowledge of stats should make you feel embarrassed or stupid, pick one or better yet both. Stick to whatever you are good at if anything and don’t embarrass yourself or make yourself look stupid by talking stats.
Always an attitude from you. ALWAYS.
It is not attitude Eric, it is something you sadly lack. Knowledge of the game. WHIP is not a meaningless stat. And before you put those dumb ass words out there I always thought a loogy was something that came out of your nose. Why should I be embarrassed? I am not the one making up words. And I am far from stupid. All those guys are OLD. The Dodgers are not going to sign guys that old when they have younger less expensive options. That is common sense. Something you lack.If you would learn to read something other than a comic book, you might gain a little baseball knowledge and actually make some sense. As it is, you come up with the least likely options. I know all of those guys career stats, and yep, they were all good at one point. They are still somewhat effective, but not one of them makes the bullpen better. I think you are a passionate fan, just not very well informed or versed in the game.
You do not care for Knebel?? wow I will inform AF of this and have him immediately removed from the roster….oh yeah…fat chance that happens. I doubt Friedman listens to what or who you may or may not like.If my so called attitude bothers you, quit posting.
1 I didn’t say WHIP is meaningless the others you cited are meaningless, just as I told you.
2 Look up LOOGY and ROOGY.
3 You should be embarrassed and feel stupid because you are the dumbest SOB when it comes to stats.
4 You have an attitude problem, I’ve told you that before. Seek help.
Attitude ALWAYS from you.ALWAYS
About time for you to shut up kid. We do not call people names on here, and I do not care where you picked up the loogy and roogy. I am far from stupid, I do not have an attitude problem with anyone else on here, so the problem is obviously you. You might not think some stats are important, but other people do. You are not the know all end all of baseball info. You might not like it, but i will be around here a while since I also write for this blog. I am not huge into stats, and I dislike saber metrics. But I know the game. I also have been following closely the way Friedman does things. None of the pitchers you named fit what he is looking for. They might be your choices, but that is where it will end, and come spring training I would be willing to bet that not one of those guys is in a Dodger uniform. Now, you may not like that, and you might think Friedman is a lousy baseball exec. But he has the job, and he traded for Knebel, so he obviously sees more value in him than you do. And quite frankly, I trust his judgement more than I do yours. And do not go talking about people you do not know. You have no clue who I am or my mental state. It just pisses you off that I question your sanity and judgement. I have performed in front of thousands of people, and I also trust their judgement and evaluation of me as a person more than I do somebody who has never met or talked to me in person. The one who needs help is you. I feel for ya kid .One more thing, I would not call me an SOB to my face. Ir would not be a healthy thing to do.
None of what you said changes the fact that you are the dumbest when it comes to stats and that you have an attitude problem. Those 2 things are facts.
By the way it makes me laugh when you try to talk tough. LOL.
No I am not dumb about stats, I just value some that you do not.. nor do I have an attitude problem The only one who seems to think so is you. And since your opinion of me means nothing, I really do not care. How my friends and family respect me means more to me than some anonymous faceless entity like you. Talk tough? Face to face you would not think that way. You are a nameless faceless punk to me. And I do not need to talk tough, I would back it up, even at my age. That is not trying. That is a fact.
If there are 5 guys ahead of Gonsolin then that still leaves the 6th spot. I’ve been tracking the starters the past 3 yrs and its rare they go through the rotation every 5 days with the same 5 starters. And with all of them coming off a short season it’s a smart plan to minimize their innings.
Fantastic post, Jeff! I must say that your expertise in accounting/finance really shines through in these posts. Very informative!
A question for you. Do you think that the owners are trying to reset the expectations of the FA market? By moving slowly to sign FAs, are they signaling that they will not sign players to the budget-busting FA deals of the past? I am not saying that this is collusion, but it functions that way by lowering the expectations of what the market will bear. The NY Mets under new ownership is an obvious exception, of course, as they have already signalled that they will spend big.
I’ll answer part of that David. A couple of things are affecting the market, one, the uncertainty of how many if any fans will be allowed at games. Baseball lost a lot of money last year. Also there are less teams in the minors now, so there are less spots available for players to go which is why you have seen so many sign in Japan and Korea so far. And even those teams are limited to the number of foreign players they can sign.
Wonder how much MLB collectively saved by significantly reduced travel in the abbreviated season and regional play; not having a minor league season,; and, only 5 rounds of the 2020 draft?
Good point SCB, also MLB probably saved $3B in not having to sweep peanut and sunflower seed shells plus dead beer cups out of the stands after each game.
Eric is the new MJ for Bear. Pretty funny stuff from those two armchair WWE wrestlers, Pretty funny stuff. “My stats can kick your stats’ ass!”
Glad you are amused. But I would not compare him to MJ. She knew a hell of a lot more about baseball than he does.
Damn, you are an easy lay.
Not hardly. I have always regretted some of the things I said to MJ. And I felt bad i did not get to apologize to her. She kept insisting that Joc was my favorite player and the same with Puig. Neither was true, I have not had a favorite in years. But she knew the game and stuck to her guns.
Regarding players. Seems odd to me that the Reds are willing to trade Suarez and/or Gray who are on very team friendly deals and provide terrific value to the team. If they want to reduce payroll then trade Nick Castellanos and/or Mike Moustakas for prospects (Reds may have to keep some of the payroll), each of whom are at $16M AAV. But, if Suarez is available then he would be an excellent target not only for the Dodgers, but the Braves, Cardinals, Rangers, Blue Jays, etc. My preference is for the Dodgers to re-sign Turner and add Ha-Seong Kim.
It does seem odd So Cal, but it also looks like salary dump. Suarez has I think 5 years left on his deal at a very affordable price. And he is exactly what they need power wise. But he also strikes out a lot.
For a salary dump then the Reds should package Moustakas and Castellanos in some combination with Suarez and/or Gray to get the best packages of prospects available. Of course Joey Votto is not going to be happy playing through another rebuild.
Votto has 4 years and close to 100 mil coming to him. And the way he has played the last couple of years he is an albatross to that team. They would have to eat a lot of salary to move him.
3 years, $22.5M AAV — $20M team option for 2024 ($7M buyout)
In today’s environment Votto is untradeable. Cincinnati has to hope that he rebounds to his 2018 performance which is close to being a value push for his contract.
On Eric’s relievers:
Doolittle is staying on the East Coast (DC probably), but he had a 5.87 ERA last year and a 4.05 in 2019. I tink Eric believes that Sean will that 1.60 or 2.40 ERA he had in 2017 and 2018.
Soria had a good year last year, but the previous season, he had a 4.30 ERA. He has spent his whole career with up and down years.
Melancon also had a decent year, but you have to go back 5 years where he actually had a GOOD year. He could provide a different “look” than our other relievers.
I would take Suarez in a heartbeat. It would likely take Lux and Ruiz and maybe another lower-ranked player. The Dodgers have the resources to make it happen. Suzrez is not a defensive wizard, but he is solid.
If there are 5 guys ahead of Gonsolin then that still leaves the 6th spot. I’ve been tracking the starters the past 3 yrs and its rare they go through the rotation every 5 days with the same 5 starters. And with all of them coming off a short season it’s a smart plan to minimize their innings.
At some point in time they will go through all of those guys and some minor league arms also. Last season 11 different pitchers made starts. Granted Graterol, Kelly, Gonzalez and Ferguson, who used to be a starter all we openers. But Wood also made 2 starts along with the 6 starters they had over the season, Strip, Kersh, Buehler, Urias, Gonsolin and May. And now they add Price and Gray and White to the mix. I hear guys bitching about the pitching staff last year but the teams WHIP was 1.056. That is pretty damn good.
From what I have gathered, the Dodgers want Striker Buehler to have as much rest as possible. I think it’s possible that they use 6 starters.
I would have to agree on that. And Price has had a year off. You really have no idea how sharp he is going to be until they get to see him in spring training…smarting a bit from that beat down the Irish got????
I like the Irish, but I put that loss on the coach. They weren’t ready!
I guess I like the IU football team too. I have lived in Indiana for about 40 years and this year is the first time they have been relevant.
My two favorite teams have always been USC and whoever beats Notre Dame. But i can’t brag any, SC played like crap against Oregon and lost a game they should have won easily.
Yeah, no.
The second COVID-19 Vaccine from Moderna started being shipped today.
The Moderna Vaccine may, in fact, be easier to distribute as it does not require specialized refrigeration and is much easier to handle.
Between Pfizer and Moderna, 45 Million Doses will be delivered in December and the US government has commitments from Pfizer for at least 100,000,000 doses by the end of June and 200,000,000 from Moderna by the end of June. It appears to me that “herd immunity” can be reached by April or May. Now, if the teams can be vaccinated by March 1st, ladies and gentlemen, I see baseball in our future!
Also a bright future
A little concerning with report out of London (CNN, Reuters, NY Times) that they have encountered a variant (reported to the WHO) that it is 70% more transmissible than initial virus; accounting for more than 60% of new cases in London.
The question is whether the vaccines that have been developed protect against this new variant.
correct
I read on Yahoo news a few days ago that some of the test subjects ended up suffering from Bells Palsy. Now it may or may not have been connected to the vaccine, but I have Bells. I had it strike me on a trip home from Cali when I worked for JB Hunt. The first couple of weeks, it was really tough because one side of my face looked like it had slid into my soup. About 6 weeks after the attack, I finally retained some control of my facial muscles. But to this day, I still have days where I will get an uncontrollable tic in my face. Very irritating.
It’s been mentioned several times to package Gonsolin, not a good idea because the DODGERS don’t know what price will look like or if he will be pitching in2021. Also Kershaw pending FA static. Here’s what I envision of our pitching staff will look like in 2022 , Buhler,Urias, May, Gray, Gonsolin. Could I be wrong.
Good article.
Will like to se what can RVS do with Suarez.
Gonsolin and Lux will probably make that deal done.
Rather have Turner, Gonsolin, and Lux
That’s a horrendous trade.
I do not want to trade Gonsolin. He is a key part of the pitching staff – starter or reliever!
I like Ruiz too, but I would include him and Lux along with another payer out of the Dodger Top 10.
Spot on about Gonsolin. Only reason to trade him is if the return is a pitcher comparable to the Rays Snell. or Reds Castillo
I think they are looking for a pitcher in return.
They have 2 of their own starters, Gray and Castillo on the block. I think they are looking for lower priced talent.
I am amazed at how easily some say they trade Lux, a high-end prospect does not have a good start and they already want to trade, on the other hand they see players in other teams with only a good year in their career and they offer a lot of players in their imaginary exchanges.
I am glad that Freidman and his collaborators make the decisions.
Wow, that was a spicy exchange Bear and Eric. This place sounds like the corner bar at 2AM sometimes. I always pay attention to AF during his interviews and listen to his quotes and try to decipher and read between the lines because he doesn’t often come right out and say what he’s going to do. When talking about relievers this offseason, he mentioned that he wants guys with different looks than his sinker / slider relievers that dominated last year’s pen. He wants guys that can miss bats. First guy he got was a 4 seam / Curveball guy in Knebel. Look for him to get a high leverage, high K rate guy as his bullpen cornerstone. Rosenthal and Hendricks are obvious choices. They may or may not need another lefty with Alexander, Gonzalez and Kolarek on the roster. Doolittle makes some sense, but he isn’t the main prize. There’s no way he goes after Melancon, he’s not a K rate guy. I’d rather have Soria than Petey, and I wouldn’t be surprised to sign a guy like Soria if he’s still available in February.
Prices for free agents are definitely on the cheap so far this year. This year’s class is not nearly as good as a last year’s class which adds to the slow signing period. The Dodgers are a rich team, there’s no reason for them to not take advantage of this depressed market and there’s a lot of relievers available. I’m expecting them to add at least 2 more guys with names that are well known to the pen.
Ending up with JT and a reliever is not being pigs, so I’m expecting something bigger. AF surprised a lot of people when he traded Matt Kemp and to a lesser extent, Yasiel Puig. I’m hoping he surprises us again and gets someone we haven’t been thinking of.
I’m tepid about bringing back JT. I hear a lot of bashing on the Eric’s geriatric reliever list, but all those guys went to high school with JT and everyone seems to want him back. I don’t think any of those relievers get injections in both knees in Spring Training every year and none of them play every day.
One last thought, don’t get stuck on one statistic. If a reliever’s splits were so damn important to the three batter rule, Kolarek wouldn’t have even had a chance last year. Last year’s splits. .203 OPS v Lefties and .737 OPS v Righties. So, don’t act like a 100 point swing is significant.
I guess I shouldn’t use the term lopsided splits because it doesn’t quite explain what I mean. As for relievers I’m not looking for anyone that has a career OPS above .700 against either side of the plate. I’m looking for a difference maker in the 3 batter minimum rule. Call me picky if you want and you may be right.
I think Doolittle is going to bounce back to pre 2019. He may want to stay in the DC area but as long as he is a free agent I want him.
Everyone wants Liam Hendriks. He has put together 2 good years but before that not much to talk about. I’d be fine with Hendriks but a lot of guys have put together 2 good years and then crashed.
Some people here don’t care for Pedro Baez but if you look at his stats it’s similar to Mark Melancon. I’d be fine with Baez.
The ideal free agent reliever is Roberto Osuna, but Jeff tells me he is a woman/wife beater so that’s why I don’t list him. I don’t want to upset the easily offended. He would be on the top of my list.
So anyways Baez and Hendriks would be alright and then Osuna would be a GREAT pick up minus the woman/wife beating allegations.
Let me preface the following with ” I Don’t like USC”… As a kid I liked UCLA because of their use of the single wing and how they would circumtien (?) out of the huddle… Liked the Okies because they drafted Samoan kids out of Carson, Banning etc.
And then was Notre Dame… As I said before it was a Catholic thing…
Kelly lost that game??? Really??? You go against the likes of Clemson and Alabama, you’re going up against the closest you’ll get NCAA semi pro football…
You got it MT!!! I figured corn and a occasional good NCAA basketball program their strong suit in IA…
Hello Pete, Seasons Greetings to you and everyone else.
Hope the back surgery recovery is going well.
I’m enjoying the Michael/ Eric banter. Different opinions is what sport is all about.
Wanted to address what SoCal mentioned earlier about a new Mutated Strain of Covid now in play, particularly in the Southern part of the UK.
Evidently it is 70% more transmissible than previous strains, and is leading to more hospital admissions, but importantly no more fatalities, and we are being assured that it is no more resistant to the Vaccines.
However the Government has really reacted quickly totally shutting down Christmas. From now we are now not allowed to spend any time in any other households. No mixing at all, not even on Christmas Day.
This obviously has put people in a certain amount of moral dilemma, as no one wants to think of family members on their own. In my case, that is my Mum who is 83 and lives on her own.
She is now meant to spend the day alone. She is having the Vaccine on the 29th with another dose three weeks later.
Lots of families with tough decisions to make.
The sooner we can get the elderly and vulnerable injected, the better.
All non essential shops and all bars & restaurants are closed.
These are dark days indeed.
Watford, good hearing from you mate.
We will be thinking of you and yours and especially your Mum…
We all know Mothers are like no others..
Nice to see ya Watford. How is jolly ol England these days? Different opinions are one thing, you start name calling it is something else.
Name calling? You might want to look in the mirror on that one.
Always an attitude from you. Always. You certainly have an attitude problem. That’s a fact.
I was a UCLA guy growing up because my grandfather had connections there. He got field passes my senior year as I was being recruited, gently, by the Bruins. I can root for both them and USC now. I’m also a Cal fan. Got a letter from them too. Not a Notre Dame fan. And I am at this point in my life not an SEC fan.
I’m in on keeping Gonsolin. His stuff is really good. Start or relieve, his innings are valuable.
My position on Lux hasn’t changed. Same with Turner. In an uncertain year I say we circle our wagons and prepare to defend with most of the guys who made it happen this year. Turner/Rios looks as good as any other third baseman we might chase and Lux was a Top MLB prospect just a short time ago. Unless he lands a bonafide star, I don’t let talent like that leave. I don’t see a need for Suarez.
David Price is 35 this year coming off a year off. He costs $16 million. As long as he opts in, I think he fits fine, especially in a 6 man rotation. He won’t be great, but he can go 5 with a 4.0. ERA. That keeps us games. I like our rotation, and our bullpen as is looks pretty good to me. And I think AF isn’t done with it yet.
Vaccine. Praying it works. I heard some front line nurses, on 60 Minutes I think, say this thing is evolving. From what I’ve read I believe it can. We need to wipe it out now before it does.
Just saw your post W. I think your country has the right strategy. I think it should have happened here months ago. Dark days indeed. And maybe darker before the dawn. I saw crowds at football games yesterday being pretty lackadaisical with the masks. We need to be smarter.
I was split, I loved USC football and was a huge John Wooden fan. UCLA always seemed to recruit just the right guys for their basketball program. USC was tail back U. Saw some great runners there. I remember a game where they were down to Notre Dame in the Coliseum 24 -7, and then they just went nuts and ended up winning 55-24. Awesome game. UCLA had a slugfest with Stanford on Saturday and ended up losing. 48-47. That has to be demoralizing.
I was at that USC-ND game. I had just graduated and got married that spring, and lost my student tickets so I did not get to many games that year. I was supposed to be at a Becker CPA Review course that day, but I joined a bunch of friends to go to the game. They were actually down 24-0, but AD (Anthony Davis) scored just before halftime and went into the locker room down 24-6. Davis then ran back the 2nd half kickoff to get within shouting distance against the #1 defense in the country. SC would go on to score 35 points in the 3rd quarter. AD scored 4 touchdowns and a 2 point conversion to outscore Notre Dame on his own. I have seen a lot of great USC football games since my first one at the 1963 Rose Bowl. But I do not think I have ever enjoyed a better game than that one in 1974. I used to have a clock which was a picture of the final scoreboard, but it was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake. But my memory of seeing that scoreboard live will live with me forever.
I had forgotten it was AD who scored all those points.
Bear, maybe you forgetting about that SC/ND game is why a comment I made a few posts back where you said Anthony Davis signed with the Lakers and I replied something like–You mean the Anthony Davis that kept Traveler running all day long–didn’t register with you.
They did the same thing in The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds.
Peterj—-serpentine… move like a serpent.
Thanks Campy… At least it sounded the same!!!
The In-laws
Great flick
“Are you interested in joining? The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to get killed. That’s really the key to the benefit program.”
Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. I always see Falk as Columbo though. Although his turn as Max in the Great Race was also classic.
Dodger starters: Dodgers pen. Possible
Buehler. Jansen. Jimmy ? Starter/reliever
Kershaw. Kelly. Whoever I left out plus other milb
Price. Graterol
Urias. Alexander
May. Floro
Gonsolin. Kolarek
Gray Alvarez
Knebel
Santana
White
Morrow
Af can start with this bunch. I personally feel another Starting pitcher is needed. We run through them like crazy, injuries etc. so depth is huge. This is to get to the playoffs. Af knows when he gets their he can use Urias, May, Gonsolin, gray, white etc. to make a great postseason bullpen. With the development of who we have like, May, Graterol,Urias,Alvarez, and potentially morrow and Knebel we could be better than last year without additions. He signed jimmy Nelson (got it) to be a swing man if healthy. If healthy it would be nice to get wood back. So, Af really doesn’t have to do more with the pitching and if healthy we would probably have as good as staff as anyone and probably better. So, if turner is resigned we have a lineup with: Betts rf, seager ss,turner 3b, bellinger cf, muncy 1b, smith c, pollock lf, lux 2b, and Rios platooning, Taylor , mr. versatile, Beaty or reks lefty bat off bench. Taylor could start at second with lux platooning in lf. Voila WChamps again.
AF strong suit is depth so he will find some extras but with reasonable health we have the talent with what we have providing turner stays. I don’t expect turner to play more than 100 games but he is a playoff beast.
Alvarez is nowhere close on our depth chart.
Sorry, I meant victor Gonzalez who was a playoff stud.
When I typed the original post the relievers and starters were separated. Dk what happened. Sorry a mess.
I was able to make sense of it. Personally I think we have the arms to stay ahead of everyone in the West. Yeah, another top of the rotation starter would be nice, but we are a team that has whooped ass on the league for a few years running so, we don’t need much to keep doing what we’ve been doing. They are all still chasing us.
So Eric and Bear. What are you getting each other for Christmas?
Gotta stir the pot eh Cassidy? Ok, I’ll bite…I am getting him a muzzle.
Buy him a plane ticket so he can say that shit to your face. The man has not been born who can lay hands on me.
If he’s smart he’d use the ticket to go skiing.
I’d say buy him a beer sit down and talk it out.
Not a bad idea, but I quit drinking years ago. Besides, i do not think he is worth the effort.
Been years since I was last in a fistfight. Doubt I could hurt anyone with a punch anymore. My arthritis in my hands is pretty bad, which is why I do not play the guitar as much as I used to. But I will not be intimidated nor slurred by anyone, especially someone who can remain anonymous behind the keyboard on their computers. There are a lot of real brave guys out there when they know they will never meet you face to face.
“But I will not be intimidated nor slurred by anyone,“
I think you just were. But you slurred back. It was a slur fest. I rather enjoyed it
But I think maybe you’re in too much of a slurry. Slur down, you’re too old for that crap.
Thanks Badger, I am too old. And I used to pour slurry when I was driving a cement truck. Nasty shit.
You’re revealing who you are by continuing to talk shit. Just as I told you. You have an attitude problem. That’s a fact.
Of course some MLB teams lost money in 2020, although Scott Boras tends to disagree, noting that salaries were greatly reduced as were other expenses. Certainly the loss of ticket sales was huge, although I’m guessing that the Dodgers probably kept most of the season ticket money, rolling it over into 2021. We did that. They gave us a 10 percent bonus on leaving the money with the team, but I’m not totally sure how that works. At some point rolling it over will have an impact, depending how they reflect it on the books.
Whether the Dodgers received full payment for the local Sportsnet TV deal is the question that would tell you if the team made or lost money during 2020. If the team received the full amount there is no way they lost money, the difference between actual revenues and expenses. But there is no question that revenues were greatly reduced without people in the stands, lost ticket sales, food and drink, plus on site merchandising. Then parking, of course.
But most teams don’t have the local TV revenue deal the Dodgers have so they may not be the same position.
The continued investment in the stadium obviously has an impact on the bottom line. Said to be over a hundred million this past year.
So the reality is no one knows for certain except MLB and the franchises. But Dave Roberts believes the Dodgers will play a full season so there is that.
I definitely wouldn’t want to trade Tony Gonsolin. Great stuff. It would have to be beyond a significant return like Blake Snell.
Other than re-signing Justin Turner and picking up some bullpen pieces, I’m good with where the team is going into the spring. But listening to Roberts, maybe there is more to the rumors of a major move.
I found a little gem on MLB.TV. You can still go back and watch the games if you like, but they have a lot of video’s on there too On the bottom row there is a collection of World Series Films and I found the one from 1959. It is narrated by Vinny. The quality is not the greatest but when you see how bad those fields were compared to how they look today, you have to wonder how they caught anything. But it is all there. Big Klu’s 3 HR’s, Essegian’s PH homers, Duke’s last World Series homer. Cool film. They also have the 81 and 88 films.
I’m glad we won because those 1988 clips were starting to look like ancient history.
1959 is ancient history. But it was fun to watch.
Very interesting article this morning, AC. Thank you. Looking forward to your Minor League report. I want to see Lux, Gonsolin and Turner among others on the team next year. Please do not trade them, or in Turner’s case, not sign him.
Thanks for the information regarding England, Watford. Stay safe and well.
I think they will make JT an offer, but it depends on the years. I do not think they will go 3. But they might do 2 with an option year. As for Lux, he is not going anywhere. Everything I have read, and I read a lot, says they have a lot of faith in the kid and he will be given every chance to win the job in spring training. Gonsolin could end up in a trade at mid season maybe if they feel they need something and he might be the piece that brings what they need. But personally, I like his upside a lot.
Colder than a well diggers heinie out there today, wind is blowing like a banshee. Great day for some hot chocolate. Lasorda hoping to go home on Wednesday. That is good news. Reds now also engaged in talks about Castillo. Warren resigns with the Yanks on a minor league deal.
The Rose bowl, which will feature Alabama and Notre Dame has been moved to AT &; T stadium in Arlington Texas.
Still early in his SF Giants tenure, there is plenty of time for Farhan Zaidi to change direction. At the moment though, it appears a trend has emerged from the pitchers he has acquired on MLB contracts. While MLB bullpens have moved towards premium velocity, the Giants have targetted arms with a low-90s fastball and a secondary offering (usually a slider) capable of generating swings and misses.
Based on that article, maybe Zaid will go after Tanaka and Richards to put into his rotation.
Great info AC.
Oh, one more thing. It takes two to tango. Dancing bears are however always entertaining.
Ahh, bad knees, I do not dance much anymore. Question, if the stats I quoted are meaningless, why does MLB even bother to keep them? If they are meaningless, should they not just be eliminated?
Stats are hardly meaningless, though I believe some are more meaningful than others. Some can be misleading, like wins and spin rate. A starter can go 8 and a relief pitcher can come in, throw 1 pitch and get the win. Spin rates mean very little if you can’t find the strike zone. I’ve always believed in OBP (now OPS)and WHIP. I look at those first.
With relievers I like to look at the inherited runners they allow to score. If they shut down teams with runners on base when they came in, I think that is important, and I also look at strikeout to walk ratio. A reliever with a high walk rate is more likely in my opinion to give up runs. Blown saves can be misleading if there are errors made allowing the runners to get on base or advance. I know wins and ERA are not as valued as they once were. And in a shortened season like last year, one bad outing could really ruin your stats. I also remember a game last season where Jansen got a blown save and a loss because of some shady defense.
I love whip, but it doesn’t consider K rate, which I think is pretty important when evaluating pitchers. The thing I hate about OBP and OPS is that they value a walk as equal to a hit, which it isn’t. No one scores from second base on a walk and often time it sets up a double play. Sorry, but that can’t be equal to a hit.
I agree a walk and a hit are not the same. But hate OBP? I’m surprised to hear you say that. OBP is important for obvious reasons. If you get on you don’t make an out. I don’t care how you get on, just get on. What I find frustrating are guys who hit for a decent average but their OBP is below average. The first player that came to mind was Jose Peraza. On our team that guy is Kiké Hernandez. .313 career OBP. Not good. That figure alone brings his OPS to below league average. A guy like him has to get on at .350 to have real offensive value. The one year he was close, ‘15, his OPS was .836. He just doesn’t walk much. Sometimes you just gotta take the base on balls.
I didn’t say I hated OBP. I said what I hated about it. I love my Mustang, but I hate the clutch.
Contact hitters don’t walk as much as players with a lot of swing and miss swings. A decent eye and swings and misses leads to walks whereas a decent eye and contact doesn’t. That’s my two cents.
I think that’s generally true, but I’ve seen some excellent contact hitters over the years with superior on base percentages. Joe Morgan, Nellie Fox, Richie Ashburn, Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, even Pete Rose.
It’s possible. But few do it.
Eric and Badger, great job at defusing Eric…
I have not seen that USC has been assigned a bowl game yet. Teams behind them in the polls have including Oregon.
SC has opted out of bowl games this year. The reason given is COVID.
Okay, I did not hear about that. I think the coach did enough to save his job though.
My Christmas-New Years wish would be for Clay Helton to move on. SC will never get back to where they were with him as the head coach. SC alums/fans are re-experiencing the Paul Hackett days, and they were not very good. Clay Helton may be a nice guy, but he is not a good head coach, and the elite players know it. Right now SC is recruiting solely on their prior reputation and kids wanting to be Trojans.
Dodgers continue to build up their depth with a pair of defensive specialists in SS Elliot Soto and C Tim Federowicz. Soto is considered to have limited offensive tools but is considered a defensive Wiz, which is why he continues to stick around. He did not make his MLB debut until he was 31 with LAA in 2020. He did go 2-6 with a BB, including a double. He will partner up with Carlos Asuaje and Omar Estevez for AAA middle infield.
Federowicz will be depth but will also be a mentor to Keibert Ruiz. Ruiz should get the bulk of catching duties, but needs a push defensively and some contend work habits. Fedex will replace Rocky Gale as the emergency AAA catcher. This makes perfect sense. The Dodgers have lost multiple catchers over the last 12 months. This probably keeps Stevie Berman back at AA where he will get more playing time. That will leave Ryan January, Hunter Feduccia, Wladimir Chalo, Diego Cartaya, Marco Hernandez, Tre Todd, and Carson Taylor to fill out the rosters.
Besides Asuaje and Soto, the Dodgers picked up 20 year old Venezuelan 3B, Claudio Finol who was waived by Cincinnati. He is not a prospect, but he is 20 and maybe something will click for him in the Dodgers organization.
As for the Eric / Bear exchange – with my wife being a family therapist and us having 3-opinionated and very argumentative boys. Whenever I was going toe-to-toe with them – she would always ask me who is the adult in the room.
I think both of you are passionate and great Dodger fans and are posting to an awesome site – THANKS to Mark.
Please agree to disagree and keep it civil.
Wish both of you and everybody else a safe and happy holiday season.
Thank you!
We all need to remember that what we see is not always the way it is.
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
Excellent article, Jeff!
Well researched and informative.
The slow progress in the free agent market is understandable once you consider the revenue losses in 2020 combined with the uncertainty for 2021.
While the vaccines are promising, the best case scenario is that the majority of citizens are vaccinated by June. And California, which houses 5 MLB teams, is the most cautious of all states. We are one of the few states that prohibit all indoor dining and even prohibit outdoor dining in most of the state. And the state is very cautious with sporting activities as evidenced by the expulsion of the 49ers to Arizona, the move of the Rose Bowl to Texas, and the lack of any high school football played the entire year in CA.
At this point, it is not unreasonable to assume that fans will not be allowed to attend MLB games in California until at least June, and thereafter even 25% occupancy is not certain. MLB ownership groups are forced to make their financial and budgeting decisions with significant uncertainty, but would be prudent to plan for revenues closer to the 2020 level than the 2019 level. And this year, the MLBPA seems unwilling to prorate salaries if less than a full season is played or if fans are not permitted. If owners are faced with the prospect of revenues at or near 2020 levels, while expenses are closer to full season expenses, the mlb teams could face even higher operating losses in 2021. Based on Jeff’s table above, league wide revenues would be about $5-6 billion compared to operating expenses of about $8 billion in a limited attendance 2021 scenario. This could produce operating losses of $2-3 billion without adjustments to the schedule or to the player salaries. Unlike NFL and NBA which derives most of their revenue from national TV contracts, the MLB revenues are mostly tied to stadium attendance.
Before most owners are going to spend on free agent contracts this year, they will need a framework for this season including fan attendance limits and player salary proration, if any. And if players are unwilling to prorate salaries for games where fans cannot attend, then look for the owners to declare emergency safety provisions to delay the season. Since the Covid cases are much higher now than when the 2020 season was started in July, they probably have grounds to invoke emergency provisions until the Covid prevalence is similar to last summer. But without cooperation between MLB and the MLBPA, the season is not likely to start on time, and the free agency is unlikely to resemble prior years.
Newsome is in the process of getting recalled. HP, Oracle, and Tesla have left California along with over 700 other companies. I think people in CA are smarter than that! If it keeps up, CA will be a $hithole. I believe that rationl minds will prevail.
Bnning Outdoor Dining? Are they out of their minds?
“Newsome is in the process of getting recalled.“
No he isn’t. Get your facts straight. He could face recall if enough signatures are gathered. Personally I don’t see it happening.
This is being spearheaded by a cadre of professional Republican consultants and fund raisers. He had a great job approval rating until this pandemic blew up. And we know where and when the mishandling of this started and it wasn’t in California. This country should have tightened up last March and it didn’t. Now we have this.
Yeah, stay home. It’s the smart thing to do.
Getting the signatures is part of the recall process – why are you so angry?
It’s easy for you to say to tighten up. You are retired.
It’s easy for journalists and politicians to say tighten up and close down businesses. They work from home.
The reality is that many younger people and families cannot afford it. Look at what is happening in Japan – more suicides last month than deaths to COVID-19. We have not even seen the worst of the fallout from the lockdowns and it is going to be devastating to many people. Hundreds of thousands of businesses will close,
In many states, half of the deaths were in nursing homes. That was and is a huge blunder. No one needs to tell me how bad COVID-19 is – I have had it twice, but we are an essential business. I find it incredible that hospitals, hotels, Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart and the like operate almost normally, but the small businessman is closed down. That’s why the recall process is happening!
One final thing: the President does not have the authority to shut down the country. That falls to each state. I won’t engage in politics, but that is a Constitutional Fact!
News flash…………….California is already a $hithole. Lived here my entire life and have never seen this state in such bad shape as it is now. Homeless and all that it seems to bring with public defecation, open-air drug use/dealing, woeful mental health services along with a legislature that has decriminalized many crimes while releasing 35,000 state prison inmates prematurely and without supervision.
We have a Governor who tells Calfifornians to do as he says, but not as he does. More than 135,000 California residents have left the state….more than people who moved here and California is likely to lose a congressional seat with fewer voting members of the Electoral College. I’ve had probably 4-6 life-long California friends leave for places like Idaho, Tennessee and Missouri all looking for a better quality of life for their families.
****THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT****
News flash – homelessness is not just a California problem, it’s everywhere, with the East Coast cities leading the way. California has the best weather in the nation so yeah, they come here. If you have to sleep on the streets you might as well pick LA.
Look, I’m not happy here either. Southern California is just too damm crowded. But California is not nor will ever be a shithole. This state remains beautiful and has enough wealth to see to it everyone has food, shelter, healthcare and something to do to contribute. Money is like manure, it does no good to pile it 50’ high. Spread it around. And here’s some ancient wisdom about that process… what goes around, comes around.
That said I’m leaving again as soon as I can. I’m not heading to a red state. Been there done that. I’m likely going to Oregon.
And this isn’t a political statement, it’s social.
Nice that you somehow made my comments political and turned it into a discussion about wealth sharing. It appears you indeed made it political and while you focused on my homeless comment you made no rebuttal about our woeful elected leadership, the crime problem, the decriminalization of certain crimes and the release of inmates from state prisons back into our communities without adequate supervision.
Is California beautiful?….absolutely but is it also a shithole? My nearly sixty years of observation pretty much confirms my belief. I’be been to many east coast and have not seen an open homeless and crime problem remotely similar to what we experience in California.
Enough with the politics.
Regarding money, I wonder if Friedman has any tricks up his sleeve to get a Japanese player on a lower AAV.
NorCal!!! That says it all.. Just move or secede…
Badger again thanks for your thoughts… God knows every state has it’s warts…
This will get me a comments closed for sure…
No it didn’t. It is time for the next post to be published which generally means closure to the prior post.
It’s time for Dodger Baseball ! Well, not yet, but soon.