Do You Want to Win the Battle or the War?

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1. Trading for Luis Castillo and signing Trevor Bauer would sure alleviate many of those concerns and NO, those are not dope-fiend moves.

   I don’t know about many of you but I would not have felt comfortable with Clayton Kershaw starting a game 7, and I’d trade Memory and pay half his salary.

   1. Trevor Bauer has had one good season and every good two-thirds of a sixty game season. As MLB considers cracking down on illegal substances that enhance a pitcher’s grip and spin rate, there is no guarantee that Bauer’s spin rate which increased last season by about 30% will stay there. Everyone knows how he did it. Bauer wants a deal that is north of $150 million. That would most certainly be a dope-fiend move.

      Luis Castillo is not being shopped, but I am sure he could be had, if you overpaid and took Votto. That seems to me to also be a move of the dope-fiend variety!

      1. We can’t “take” Votto because he has a full no-trade contract and has stated many times that he ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’m sure they’d be happy to dump Moose or Castellanos though, although I can’t see AF ever doing that considering that starting pitching is not a major problem for us.

2. That was suppose to be Kenley.

3. They could probably just have to take on Moose and he can play 2nd or 3rd. Lux, Ruiz and Gray for Castillo and Moustakas. Bauer 4 years $125.

4. Regarding JT or any free agent, the 40 man is full so to sign a free agent they have to release or trade someone, or wait until spring training when Ferguson and Kahnle go on the IL. My guess is there is already an agreement with JT and they are waiting for a spot to open. If that is true than any trade would be to acquire a 2nd baseman, closer(not likely) or a righthanded first base/utility player.
   I could be way off, but the roster situation speaks for itself.

   1. That is an interesting and feasible theory about waiting to sign JT once Spring Training begins. But, at the same time I would be surprised if everyone on the 40 man right now, remains on the 40 man once Spring Training begins.

      Latest bullpen rumor is Jeremy Jeffress.

5. Looking a couple of years out: the Dodgers will have to pay a lot to keep Bellinger, Seager, Buehler and Urias. Given the Padres are rumored to signing Tatis long term for 300+ million, Seager is going to want the same deal. All the others are going to be way up there as well. If you figure 25 million average salary for the 4 plus Mookie’s contract, that’s 130 million for 5 players. Is this doable?

6. MT – This may be your best post in awhile… Short and sweet and keep it simple…
   Your list of 25 will keep me thinking for weeks…
   The beard!??! Becuz mine grows back quickly, I think I’ll try it out with my wife’s family… Every couple weeks we grab our beach chairs and a small cooler , get together on a green belt near my house and talk endlessly about not much… Wife has 6 sisters and a brother less than 5 miles away… It’s cool…
   OK, I’ll confess… I’ve been watching Australian baseball and digging it… The crack of the bat bat etc. etc. cures what ails me…
   Come on Camelback and ST…

7. For those who were hoping we might sign Yates, word is out that he’s getting close to signing with the Blue Jays. Not to say that AF couldn’t come in at the last minute with a higher bid, but when did he last do that?

8. Nope, that beard will never be on my face. First off, I do not make that kind of money, and second, it looks stupid. I used to wear mutton chops years ago when my hair was long. Something like that with my bald pate would look ridiculous. Mets fired Porter for his inappropriate tweets. Rosenthal reporting that Yates is close to signing with the Jays. AF will do what he has done since he came here, and it will make some people angry, others scratch their heads, and even more say, damn, that was genius. Just the way he operates. Many here forget he has people he has to answer to. And if Guggenheim says stay below the CBT, that is what he will do. If they say, hey, lets do this, then he will do that. He did not sign Betts to that contract without ownership’s whole hearted stamp of approval. And you can bet that he and Stan Kasten speak often of baseball related issues. He knows SD has improved. He also knows that except for a few players, they are still a very young inexperienced team. He will do what he has to do to keep the Dodgers competitive. And I see more a trade kind of move than a major free agent signing. In Facebook jail for 24 hours. Freedom of speech there has really gone down the tubes.

9. Lot of risk with Trevor Bauer, but there is some serious upside too. When he’s good, he’s really good. Anyone care to predict what 2021 will look like for Bauer?

   Unless injuries play a major role, the Dodger rotation seems to be very good. If I’m certain of Price’s return, I would probably let it ride. It would be nice to get a verdict on the DH. That’s an area that the Dodgers could make major improvement. Might change how we view Justin Turner going forward.

   Still think the Dodgers will seek to improve the bullpen further. Probably some great deals to be had as we get closer to spring training. Maybe even a right handed bat, although I’m not sure where he would play, especially if Turner returns to third.

   Although a big trade with the Reds could be a possibility, but the cost would be high in terms of players headed to Cincinnati. More likely Grey is the pitcher in a trade than Castillo. The Reds GM doesn’t seem to be inclined to trade his top young hurler and why should he? Where is the logic? Does he really want to trade his young third baseman? Some speculation, perhaps a hint or two. But what are the sources? Just something to write or talk about, but no real foundation.

   Now in the world of reality, I’m guessing the Dodgers could acquire Votto and Grey. Does that make any sense? Maybe not. Okay, probably not.

   1. Pretty sure they will get the DH back. Both sides really want it. MLBPA because it keeps a high priced veteran hitter with a job, and MLB because it generates offense, and offense means excitement. Excitement means more butts in the seats. Bone of contention between the two? Expanded playoffs. MLB wants them, MLBPA, not so much. But there is a good chance that the rules that applied in the 60 game shortened season last year, are going to be back this year with all the uncertainty. Including, runner on 2nd in extra’s. 7 inning double headers. And maybe expanded rosters.

10. Bummer about Yates. I’m still hoping we add another bullpen arm but the 40 an roster is stocked full of pitchers with a whopping 24. Two of them can go on the 60 day IL when Spring Training starts, but we have two non roster players that may take those spots in Morrow and Nelson.

    Our bullpen was very good last year. Was it elite? Right now Fangraphs lists our bullpen as 8th best in the league. I find that this is probably skewed in the wrong direction and has a good chance at being much better than that. For example, Steamers projects Knebel to have a 4.00 ERA. I’m willing to bet anyone he out performs that projection. For me it comes down to this. We lost Baez and McGee and replaced them with Knebel and Cleavinger. Wood was an extra pitcher with only 12 innings at a -.4 WAR on the season, so I don’t really count that as a loss of any kind.

    Fangraphs also ranks bullpen by WAR, which is an odd stat to use mainly because the more usage will result in a higher WAR since WAR is a counting stat. So really this all comes down to who’s better. Baez and McGee or Knebel and Cleavinger? McGee was pretty horrible for several years with Colorado and the Dodgers fixed him, will they have that same success with Cleavinger? Baez was very good if you don’t bring him in with runners on and had a lot of success facing the meat of the order the last couple of years, but Knebel was a former closer with a couple of good years and one great one. I’m hoping Knebel is better, but can be seen as a wash.

    So right now, I think the pen is about the same as last year, except one of the young starters will see time in the pen with Price returning to the rotation. If Morrow or Nelson are dominant, the pen is much better than last year. If not, it’s probably a wash.

    With that said, it’s probably not a high priority to add another arm to the mix. Instead, if someone wants to come in and get a ring at a fair price, we might see another addition. But, we are in the position where we don’t have to make a move.

    Still need that RH bat. JT will probably resign and the DH might come to the NL. This is so unfair to DHs and to NL teams that this isn’t settled. This is a total failure by a horrible commissioner.

    I’m hoping the the talk about Marcus Semien is a smoke screen. His bat does not come close to JT’s.

    1. Garrett Cleavenger has a great ability to miss bats. In 2018 and 2019, he averaged 15.12 and 14.46 Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. His fastball hits 95 but his swing and miss pitch is a plus curveball. Here’s what they say about him:

       Cleavinger has some deception his delivery that helps his stuff play up and he can flat out dominate for multiple innings at a time when he has his command working. Command is the key though as it is not always consistent as we would like to see and his fastball can get squared up pretty easily when he’s falling behind in the count and not hitting his spots. He has the ability to get both right-handers and left-handers out when his stuff is on as well as the ability to go multiple innings. Cleavinger has some violence in his delivery and his arm action can get out of whack which leads to his problems with command..

       He will be 27 this season, so maybe he’s at that point where he “gets it.” This is a classic attempt to get a guy before he is THAT guy! I think he could develop into a very solid, if not spectacular bullpen piece. This is a guy who could be developed by the Dodger Pitching Committee.

       1. I have no idea if Cleavenger gets “it” this year. But there is nothing in his past or in his projections that indicate that he finds “it” this year. In 2018, his K/9 was actually 12.2. The 15.1 K/9 was for 8.1 IP at Reading (AA). In 2019, his K/9 was 14.5. So it is true that he misses a lot of bats.

          But he also misses the strike zone, A LOT, as his BB/9 for 2018 was 8.1, and for 2019 was 5.9. His K/BB ratio for 2018 was 1.40 and for 2019 was 2.44. The Dodgers just let a former #1 draft pick with the same control issues leave via Rule 5 draft (Jordan Sheffield). The same Dodger pitching Committee could not get Sheffield to gain better control, but they will for Cleavenger? I hope so as I would not want a pitcher who averaged nearly a walk per inning to be on the ML roster.

          Cleavenger’s WHIP for 2018 was 1.875 and for 2019 was 1.277. Thus he did improve his third time at AA, but nothing that would indicate he is ready for a breakout season at the ML level. Also, based on those numbers it would appear that more patient ML hitters will have a better approach to what Clevenger is throwing.

          Not that it means anything, but I thought I would take a look at what the ZIPS algorithm has projected for Cleavenger.

          23 games, 40.1 IP, 9.82 K/9, 6.92 BB/9, 1.42 K/BB, 1.12 HR/9, .301 BABIP, 71.2 LOB%, 4.91 ERA, 5.10 FIP, 1.64 WHIP.

          Again projections of this kind are not meaningful except to give a starting bar to climb over. But then again, statements that he could develop into a very solid if not spectacular bullpen piece, hold the same value. I hope Cleavenger is that guy, but I have more confidence that Scott Alexander will find his control before Cleavenger becomes a stakeholder in the bullpen. And I do not believe Alexander will be on the initial 26 man roster out of ST. Best of Luck to Garrett Cleavenger in his inaugural LAD Spring Training! I hope Mark’s confidence comes to fruition.

          1. I don’t really have confidence in him, a person close to his last team thinks he is one of those late bloomers. He says that when he is good, he is very, very good and when he is bad he is pretty bad. However, he feels it is all mechanical and that if he can do it once, he can replicate it. We are seeing more and more guys like Cleavinger who don’t put it together until their late 20’s as relievers. I am not counting on him, the same as I am not counting on Morrow or Nelson, but one or two could be special.

             I am counting on Knebel.

             1. Well, if Cleavinger isn’t ready to step into McGee’s role, then all we got so far this offseason is an upgrade from Baez to Knebel and a handful of lottery tickets. I guess I hope AF is luckier than good.

             2. To be fair, the Dodgers added David Price against the loss of Alex Wood. Wood was brought in to be the #5 starting pitcher. That is a clear advantage for the rotation. And McGee’s loss will be due to reduced roster size from 28 to 26.

11. Not a done deal yet Bull, but we will see,

12. Every year a team has lots of question marks. Betts isn’t one of them. But the bullpen is loaded with them. Big issue is if Jansen can regain his control. That was more of an issue than his lost velocity. Interesting take if Turner just waiting to sign when spots open up on roster. I just can’t believe he’s anything but a Dodger next year!

13. 25 great questions about the Dodgers MT. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
    With the recent arbitration and salary bumps, the Dodgers will be over the “competitive balance tax” if they sign Turner.
    Understanding the Luxury Tax is not my forte and I am in no imminent danger of becoming a GM. It seems odd to me that the Padres can make so many moves yet they still are 43 million under the “cap”. (I know Baseball doesn’t have a salary cap) How have they done that when the Dodgers have made few moves and the ones they have made don’t break the bank.
    As I look at Salary and Payroll tables on Sportrac, I have no clue the differences between columns “payroll salary”, “adjusted salary” and “luxury tax salary” so I’ll go with luxury tax salary as that seems like what needs to be under the “cap”. It’s been obvious that the Padres had prospects, being rated one of the most, if not the most, highly rated organizations in MLB for a few years. It appears they have parlayed that talent into fairly reasonably priced roster. Only five guys making over 10 million topped with Machado at 32 million (geez). But a couple of players won’t be making the minimum forever. Tatis and Paddock will eventually get paid.
    The Dodgers have 7 guys over 10 mill a year. CK in his last contract year and Mookie, who deserves every penny, account for 28% of the payroll. With the youngsters coming toward free agency at the end of 21 and 22, they will get their money
    While not exactly boat anchors, KJ, Kelly and to a lesser extent Pollack, account for 25% of the payroll. It will be nice to have that money freed up.
    But 3 things are funny. One is folks who suggest the addition of expensive, all-star type players at every position, 2 the addition of Bauer to the payroll and 3, how is it that the Yankees, Mets, Phillies Qalwaysseem to be in the conversation for the most expensive guys. Do they have a money tree?
    It’s quite an art to be competitive every year and stay under the cap. Oops, I mean Competitive Balance Tax.

14. Bauer appealed directly to Dodger fans on Twitter wearing a Dodger cap. And those who think he is coming to LA responded. Personally, I do not think a pitcher who has had one really good year merits a 9 figure contract, and so far the market has shown that. Bauer is a strikeout pitcher, he is also very eccentric and has his own way of doing things. One reason the D-Backs unloaded him after one season. He has pitched well for the Indians and has a 7-9 record over parts of 2 seasons with the Reds. But is he worth 4/125? Doubtful. He is now 30 years old and obviously trying to capitalize on his free agency. But last time I checked, there have been no contracts north of 100 million given to anyone. No way he fits into AF’s budget. Musgrove, who every one seems to be drooling over after SD adds him to their rotation, has been a bust against the Dodgers. 0-3 lifetime, and they hit over .300 against him. Darvish and Snell have each faced the Dodgers once in the regular season and both times the games ended in a no decision for the pitcher. Lamet is 1-3 career against LA and Paddack is 1-2. Plus LA has 8 HR’s off of Paddack. So the vaunted Padres rotation has a total career record against LA of 2-8 with 2 no decisions. Between Kershaw and Buehler alone the Dodgers are 25-7 against the Padres. I think even on paper that looks like advantage LA>

    1. As you point out Bear, Bauer does not have a long resume of outstanding seasons. Although he may be an excellent pitcher, he hasn’t yet proven that over a long stretch of time.

       With the exception of the Blue Jays and possibly the Angels, I really don’t see any other team offering him the kind of years and dollars he’s looking for and if the Jays prioritize Springer and manage to sign him that possibility could dry up also. Bauer might actually go back to his first strategy, that being to take a very large one year contract and if that happens AF might jump right back in. If Bauer could couple a very good 2021 with his 2020 he would then go into next winter in a much stronger bargaining position and teams will probably also be more willing to spend next year.

       Do I expect to see Bauer in Dodger blue? No, but I would put the odds at better than 0%.

    2. Bear, thanks for this information, I’m tired of reading so many SD assholes in other chats, many times I wish I had them in front of me and blow their damn heads off. With this I already have a little to shut them up!

       1. Not a problem Jorge. If you look deeper, you add 6 wins as Price, Urias, Gonsolin and May have all beaten them. May has lost 3 against them. So the overall record is 31-10. I think the Dodgers have the edge. Morejon has lost 1, so the Pads are 2-9 because Morejon is a starter. Gore does not have a record against LA. Joey Lucchesi, who the Pads just traded to the Pirates, and then on to the Mets, has a 1-5 career record against LA. Needless to say, none of the Padres pitching staff has very good numbers against the Dodgers. Snell was good in the Series, but avoided getting a loss since he was pulled early. Clevinger has never pitched against the Dodgers.

          1. blow their damn heads off?

             dude you are a drama queen

15. Don Sutton has passed away

    1. Don was one of my all time favorites. He was a great interview as one would expect of someone who would easily move to the broadcasting booth.

       “I am 100% convinced that if I had spent most of my career anywhere but with the Dodgers, I would not have the record, not have the Hall of Fame, not have the life I enjoyed,” Sutton told the Los Angeles Times in 2017. “All those Dodger people gave me all of that. It’s my alma mater, and all the good I had in baseball came from them.”

       I was at a game at Dodger Stadium with two friends some 50 years ago and it pitted Dutton against Gibson. There were scoring opportunities for each side during the game and we bet a beer whether the Cards would score or not or if the Dodgers would score or not. My two friends bought me three beers that day between them and I never lost one of those bets.

       So, I said I will bet a beer that Willie Crawford hits the next pitch off Gibson for a home run so I could return the favor of buying my friends a beer. One said no way, I was too lucky today and the other wound up buying me another beer.

16. After losing baseball Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Whitey Ford and Joe Morgan in 2020, we have already lost Tom Lasorda and Don Sutton in 2021. A huge dent in those immortalized with plaques in Cooperstown.

    1. Happens every year now. Aaron and Mays both in their late 80’s. Willie turns 90 in May.

    2. Very sad day for me. I was 14 when he came up, and Little D immediately became my favorite Dodger. I was so glad, to see him end his career with the Dodgers. He pitched in 4 World Series, 3 with the Dodgers (74, 77, and 78), but never won one. He again got close in 1988, but was released by the Dodgers in August 1988. I am sure he got a ring, but I am also sure he would give that up to be on the field celebrating a WS Championship.

       RIP Little D (#20 HOF)

17. RIP Don Sutton. He was 75 years old.

    1. Oh man, what a bummer. RIP Don, you were truly an Ace!

18. Favorite Dodger pitcher as a kid. RIP

19. Kirby Yates to the Blue Jays

    1. Yep, just announced.

20. Official Dodger Press Release

    DODGER HALL OF FAME GREAT DON SUTTON PASSES AWAY
    PALM SPRINGS, CA –Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Don Sutton passed away at his home after battling cancer. Sutton was 75 years of age.

    “Today we lost a great ballplayer, a great broadcaster and, most importantly a great person,” said Dodger President Stan Kasten. “Don left an indelible mark on the Dodger franchise during his 16 seasons in Los Angeles and many of his records continue to stand to this day. I was privileged to have worked with Don in both Atlanta and Washington, and will always cherish our time spent together. On behalf of the Dodger organization, we send our condolences to the entire Sutton Family, including Don’s wife Mary, his son Daron and his daughters Staci and Jacquie.”

    Sutton, who hailed from Clio, AL, was a pitching workhorse in the Major Leagues in a career that spanned 23 years, 16 of which with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sutton was enshrined into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Dodgers retired his number “20” in a ceremony on Aug. 14, 1998.

    Following his illustrious pitching career, Sutton started his broadcasting career in 1987 working the League Championship Series for NBC before splitting his time in 1989 between the Dodgers Z Channel and the Atlanta Braves. He then spent 18 years with the Braves calling the action on TBS. Sutton spent two years with the Washington Nationals in 2007-08 and returned to the Braves in 2009, where he has been ever since. Sutton was elected to the Braves Hall of Fame in 2015 for his broadcast work.

    Sutton made it to the big leagues in Los Angeles on April 14, 1966 at the age of 21, and this was the start of a great and long career for the right-handed hurler. He signed with the Dodgers in 1965 and pitched one year in the Texas League, where he was named Texas League Player of the Year. In 1966, he joined a rotation of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen. He struck out 209 batters in his rookie season, the most by a National League Rookie since Grover Cleveland Alexander’s 227 in 1911.

    Sutton’s career with the Dodgers spanned 1966-80 and he returned in 1988. During this time, he ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (233), innings pitched (3,816.1) strikeouts (2,696) and shutouts (52).

    Sutton was a four-time All-Star, who pitched in three World Series (1974, 1977 and 1978). He led the league in shutouts (9) in 1972, was the NL ERA leader (2.21) in 1980 and a 21-game winner in 1976.

    His 23-year career that also saw him pitch for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s and Angels, saw him finish with a 324-256 win-loss total, a 3.26 ERA in 774 games with 178 complete games, 58 shutouts and five saves. He struck out 3,574 batters in 5,282.1 career innings.

    Sutton was 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA in seven League Championship Games and was 2-3 in eight World Series games. In the 1974 post-season, he was 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in four games.

21. RIP Don Sutton… Steady I would label him… Just went out and did his job… Prayers up for his family.
    312 W seems surreal nowadays… HOF… Easy pick…
    Don Sutton pitched 200-plus innings every season but one between 1966 and 1986. The one year he didn’t pitch 200 innings? The 1981 strike year.
    Don Sutton is 1 of 10 pitchers to record 3,000+ Ks, 300+ wins, and an ERA below 3.50.
    Now he may not have had the charisma of a Big D or Sandy but quietly set the bar for young Dodger pitchers…
    Last but not least: The guy who rightfully told the press that Reggie Smith, not Steve Garvey, carried the 1977-78 Dodgers. That led to a fight, but Sutton was right even if it’s not a thing you should say on the record about a teammate… Steve ‘Mr. Clean’ Garvey’ IMHO was a butthole anyhow…

    1. 324 wins, 233 of them as a Dodger. Probably noted as much for his fight with Garvey as anything else. Won 20 games just once in his career and played for five teams, Dodgers, Angels, Brewers A’s and the Astros. Fight with Garvey was in 1978 in New York following a story where Sutton had criticized Garvey’s Madison Avenue image, and told the reporter that Reggie Smith was the real team leader and not just a facade. Garvey went over and they had seemed to work it out when all of a sudden they were on the ground. Neither player won the fight, Garvey had numerous scratches on his face. Supposedly, Sutton made a disparaging remark about Garvey’s wife Cyndy. They remained team mates for two more years after which Sutton left for Milwaukee in free agency after the 1980 season, and Garvey left after the 1982 campaign. Even though he was released on the 10th of August in 1988, he was given a World Championship ring. Sutton was released after a loss to the Reds. He and Fred Claire had been at odds for quite a while. Sutton supposedly had contacted the Astros about a front office position, and Claire told him he was under contract to the Dodgers and could not do that. 12 hours later he was released. Claire was on the verge of trading for John Tudor and there was really not a spot for the 43 year old Sutton who at the time of his release was 3-6. He went to work for the Braves as a broadcaster in 1989. No matter how big of an ass Garvey was, and he was very image conscious, you cross a line when you talk about another mans wife.

22. I have no idea how serious the Dodgers were about signing Kirby Yates. If there were five teams who made offers, I am guessing that IF the Dodgers were indeed one of those five, their offer would have been #5. Why they spent so much for Joe Kelly, I will never know. So not like AF. Every time he makes an offer to a reliever, I bet he thinks about Kelly.

    It is still speculated that the Dodgers will be adding another reliever. I cannot see them signing Brad Hand, Alex Colome, or Trevor Rosenthal. But I can see them offering Steve Cishek, Tyler Clippard, Jeremy Jeffress, Brandon Workman, or Yusmeiro Petit on a one-year low base and incentives laden contract. Maybe they take a chance on clubhouse problem Keone Kela. Maybe most on here and other Dodger blogs say NO, but it is something that AF would do and has done.

    Reliever contracts (2021 Actual Salary):
    KJ – $20.000MM
    Kelly – $8.333MM
    Treinen – $8.000MM
    Knebel – $5.250MM
    Kahnle – $1.025MM
    Alexander – $1.000MM
    Floro – $875K
    Kolarek, Gonsolin, Graterol, VGon – Pre Arbitration

    Brandon Morrow will make $1.000MM if he makes the ML roster.

    The top four relievers make more than the entire Cleveland Indians roster. I do not believe that AF is going to spend a lot more on the bullpen.

    1. Next year, $28.333 Million goes away with Kelley and Jansen a well as $8.5 Million to Yasiel Sierra. $31 Million also comes off if Kershaw decides to retire or play in Texas. Additionally $6.70 Million to CT3 is off the books. THat frees up $89 Million to pay Buehler, Seager, and Bellinger. The other interesting thing is that Mookie Betts Competitive Balance Tax AAV is “just” $25.555 Million.

23. https://www.mlb.com/news/justin-turner-signs-4-year-deal-with-dodgers-c212210494

    OK, it’s old news! 😉

    1. U R a tease Mark. Almost fell for it. But I doubt they give him 3 now.

24. Yates getting 8.25 mil from the Jays, do not think the Dodgers would have offered close to that.

    1. $5.5MM guaranteed plus $4.5MM in performance bonuses. And you are right. AF is not giving up that much for a reliever.

25. Memorial service today for Tommy at the Stadium. For family and friends. His casket was placed on the pitchers mound and all the players were wearing # 2. Turner was in attendance.

26. Let’s see if this works.

    This is Tommy’s Celebration of Life at Dodger Stadium:

    https://ladodgers.sharefile.com/share/view/s568bddb8d18b42d697797e036cbcee8f

    It’s too bad there is a Pandemic. Dodger Stadium would have been SRO!

    1. It worked Mark. Very moving.

       1. I saw earlier today. Yes, very moving. I watched it a couple of times.

27. Blue Jays and George Springer apparently close to having a deal in place, per multiple sources. Not signed, so not complete, and anything could happen. Mets are not completely out, but it looks pretty clear the Jays are going to do whatever they have to do to sign him. It sure seems all of the major parts have been agreed to.

    1. Good. Less money to spend on JT. Now they can go out and sign Bauer and use up the rest of their budget.

28. Springer to the Jays, 6 years 150 million per Heyman….just happened.

    1. $25MM AAV. They actually have enough left in their self imposed budget to sign Bauer. They will probably move on to Odorizzi or make a trade. If they can move Grichuk, they will really have enough.

       1. NYM best offer was believed to be 6 years $120MM to $125MM. Blue Jays typically have to overpay to get their player. But with their young core, they have the ability to pay.

29. Jose Quintana signing with LAA. Looks like things are finally opening up. Typical LAA pitcher signing. 1 year $8MM. meh

    1. Yep, just read that. I spotted Turner in the crowd at the Lasorda memorial. At least we know he felt like he needed to be there.

30. OK, now things are going to happen…

    1. Glad to know that, I am bored to death!

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