Up until yesterday, Andrew Friedman had been busy in this offseason, but had not made any “big deals.” Oh, I think Corey Knebel was a significant deal, but other deals were of the “Dollar General variety.” That all changed yesterday when out of almost nowhere, Friedman signed Trevor Bauer. In what is probably the best introduction video ever, Trevor introduces himself as a Dodger and proclaims that he “can’t wait” to play ball.
You never know what to believe, but we have been led to believe by certain “sources” that Trevor Bauer wanted to be Dodger. There’s a lot of information out there about that, but you can’t always believe what you see, let alone what you hear. However, that evidently was true. Trever turned down more money from the Mets to be a Dodger (although it was allegedly only about $3 Million). However, factor in California Taxes and he probably left $10 to $15 Million on the table. That ain’t chump change, but he wanted to be a Dodger!
It appeared all offseason that the Dodgers were again loathe to go over the LuxTax Threshold, but Andrew Friedman is a value shopper and when you can get a pitcher like Trevor Bauer for about half of what was projected at the start of the offseason, you evidently do it.
Let’s make no mistake, Trevor Bauer has not consistently been a Cy Young Winner, even though he was last year. Bauer has had two great years in his nine-year baseball career. In 2016 he was 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA and in a COVID-19 shortened season he was 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA. He has always had “filthy stuff” but as a “Driveline Devotee,” it appears that he really “got it” last season as his spin rate went up 400 RPM, which is almost unheard of. Lots of pitchers use a substance to get a better grip on the baseball and MLB has looked away. Early last year, Trevor said this:
“Probably like 70%” of all pitchers apply sticky pine tar to the ball. “It affects every single pitch. And it’s a bigger advantage than steroids ever were. If you know how to manipulate it, you can make the ball do drastically different things from pitch to pitch at the same velocity,”
Here’s the interview:
It appears to me that Trevor decided to join them… at least that is my take. It’s my opinion, but it is an informed opinion. How does spin rate suddenly go up 400 RPM without something physical on your fingers? If MLB cracks down on this like they are planning to do, can Bauer keep his spin-rate up? No, he has not been an Ace much in his career, but he was last year and it was all tied to his spin rate. Let’s hope he can keep it up. I am sure that AF has considered that too and in fact, has a lot more knowledge of it than me.
Trevor just turned 30 years old, so a one to three-year deal feels pretty safe. He can opt-out each year if he chooses. I seriously doubt that will happen. Trevor Bauer has been described as “one of the most outspoken and unique athletes in sports… His unorthodox approach to pitching has labeled him an outcast of sorts, but the non-conformist is now considered one of the intellectual misfits who is at the forefront of changing the game.“
Again, Andrew Friedman has considered all this and believe that Trevor will not cause a problem. “Trevor Bauer says he’s good at two things – throwing a baseball and (ticking) people off.” Or as Bauer explains: “I decided that as long as I can look in a mirror, and I like what I see looking back at me, as long as I can be proud of that, then I really don’t care what other people think.” He’s a guy you might hate when he is on the other team but may love when he is on your team.
I thought that the only way the Dodgers would go over the LuxTax Threshold was to re-sign Justin Turner, now I wonder if Justin Turner is even part of the plan. Yes, he could be back, or AF could decide to go another direction. A young arm like Dustin May and a player like Keibert Ruiz might just pry Matt Chapman from the A’s.
Chris Bryant and Eugenio Suarez could also be on the radar. The Dodgers now have a plethora of starters and while many of you think David Price is the obvious pitcher to trade, I doubt you could get much in return for him – it would just be a “salary dump“.
I don’t think AF is finished – in fact, he may have just gotten started and JT could also be back. Still, when Andrew Friedman was talking about being “pigs” he was talking about winning championships. The how is the question. The stars aligned so that he could go over the cap this year and get back under next year when the penalty becomes more severe… and when Hoese, Busch, Amaya, Gray and other have more experience and to me this signals that 2021 is Clayton’s last year.
Clayton Kershaw had a distant, strained relationship with his late father, and knowing what kind of man he is with two young children, I think he wants to be the linchpin in their life. 2021 is Clayton’s 14th year in MLB and he will be 34 in 2022. I think $30 million comes off the books in 2022 as Clayton rides off into the sunset. In the meantime, maybe Trevor can teach him how to add 400 RPM to his spin rate and win one last Cy Young!
Now, we wait again!
Cute kid.
I’m surprised and excited. Like you, I didn’t expect it. I guess the CBT is not the unofficial hard cap I thought it was.
Surprised and pleased by the contract, too. I always wondered why AF and other teams didn’t try to front load contracts more, and I advocated some front loaded hypothetical with Cueto back before the Gnats signed him. Actually, AF did offer that to Harper, but Harper didn’t want to bet on himself and instead took the long term payday.
It’s the player who assumes the risk in a short term, high AAV contract such as the one given to Bauer, but I have to respect Bauer for wanting to bet on himself. If he continues to pitch like an ace, he’s all but guaranteed to opt out after the second year when the AAV drops to 17 mil. At that point he can sign another high AAV at age 32. Still, in the end, he gets paid less than his college teammate and comp Gerrit Cole, but it gives him the freedom to play for whomever he wants on short term deals and it doesn’t burden a team by having an albatross contract that pays big money to a player who is declining.
I hope these contracts become more the norm because they’re better for baseball. There is a big incentive for Bauer to keep going to Driveline and keep pitching at a high level because his next contract depends on in. Do you think there’s going to be as much of an incentive for Bryce Harper to continue to scrap and improve his conditioning and his game. He gets paid regardless. Albert Pujols even playing is bad for the game because a negative WAR player who has a guaranteed spot in the lineup takes up a roster spot for a hungry player who will otherwise languish in the minors.
As for him as a distraction, it’s already started. Unless anyone else hadn’t noticed, we’re currently in the middle of a cultural civil war and rigid ideological conformity. I just popped over the Dodger’s Digest – oh boy! I read through some of the comments – oh boy! Hopefully it dies down and the haters continue to hate from the fringes (and that Bauer doesn’t unnecessarily give them ammo).
Dumb, inexperienced, silly little kids all over there!
They are really tough behind their keyboards. About 14 or 15 years ago (back when I was still scary), I ran into a troll who talked crazy like that behind his keyboard, at Vero Beach. RogerDodger was with me and he told me to leave it alone, but of course, I couldn’t. I walked over to him and said “Why don’t you try and say what you said on the web to my face?” The little __________ literally ran away! 😉 I would have not done anything… unless he had hit me first, but that’s what I see on lots of websites.
The groupthink at TBLA is even worse. Talk about virtue signalling . . .
This is the best comment you ever wrote. I always say that when I was young, if you stepped out of line, you had a punch in the face to deal with as a deterrent. The problem with social media is that the same deterrent doesn’t exist.
You may be right about CK retiring after this year Mark, but if I had to place a bet, I would bet against it. The competitor in him is so strong that I don’t think he could get himself to do it if he’s still pitching at the level he did in 2020. Time will tell.
In the meanwhile, I think we’re in for quite a ride with the Bauer Train. It could wind up going in so many different directions, both talent/results wise and fan acceptance/social media wise.
Bauer is very free with sharing information so a lot of guys on the staff might pick up some worthwhile tips from him. He may wind up making the entire pitching staff better…………………………………….or the whole thing might implode. It’s gonna be quite a show.
Buehler–Our best pitcher with 4 years of control left
Kershaw–HOFer has a ring on it
Bauer–A guy who can throw a CGSO in the postseason
Price–Welcome back
Urias–First real shot at rotation
May–Elite stuff; maybe Bauer can help him harness it.
Gonsolin–Very flexible & valuable; trade chip too
White–Probably a reliever but team might stretch him out
Gray–Next man up
Nelson–Remember me!
Incredible.
The baseball world was turned on it’s head yesterday when the Dodgers signed Trevor Bauer. The baseball networks unanimously proclaimed the Dodgers rotation as the best in baseball. We also added a top arm to the bullpen with this move. So now we move up from a projected no 8 bullpen after being one of the best last year in terms of ERA. But, that’s the baseball side of it. Just stats and projections.
The other side of the coin is all the posts that want to talk about his character, his social media activity, his supposed “wrong” and often outspoken views on social issues. Wow, this is going to be fun. From all the ink that’s been spilled, it sounds like we signed Milton Bradley, or Gary Sheffield.
Personally, I try to stay away from most of the off field stuff with players. I think most of the time things get blown way out of proportion. I can use Urias as an example. He was accused of assaulting his girlfriend, but it turned out that wasn’t the case at all. I have my own opinions about what might have happened, and it certainly wasn’t what was initially “reported”. I formed that opinion when the police declined to charge him after reviewing video “evidence” that was never released to the general public.
I guess the point I’m making is to save the outrage and see what happens after he gets here. Maybe he pisses some people off on Social Media, kinda like what many people do here on a daily basis. For me, it will be worth it if he throws up zeros in post season starts like he did against the Braves last year. For all of the talk about him being misogynistic, he sure is bad at it considering his agent is female.
All the talk about the salary cap. My least favorite subject on this site. AC is a finance guy, so he lives for this stuff.
Let me start by saying that you smart guys were so wrong about this subject. But, you guys write awesome blogs, so I’ll forgive that you chose to overlook important details, like the fact that they spent 276 Million on payroll in the past with this ownership group.
Here’s some facts that we can easily glean from information readily available.
The Dodgers own their stadium, so they don’t have pay rent like other clubs (the Padres have to pay a pretty hefty percentage of stadium revenues for rent). Meaning their expenses are less than other teams.
The Dodgers have one of the best TV contracts in baseball, equating to over $200 million a year.
The Dodgers lead the league in attendance every year. 82 games with 46,000 fans per game at (conservative estimate) of $100 per fan in revenue equates to a whopping $377 Million in revenue.
Other revenue streams exist, so payroll is chump change to this team.
The current CBA expires after this season. So there’s no guarantee that there will be a cap next year.
The loss of draft picks is more of a deterrent for this team than the financial penalties associated with the CBT.
If you put all of this together, they have one of the highest revenue producing teams, and one of the least expensive teams to operate. This equates to having more cash available than other teams to invest in things that make baseball operations better. They can pay more for analytics, scouting, development and salaries.
So, don’t worry too much about not having enough money to sign JT. Money is no issue. Sure, it’s a bad look, but it isn’t prohibitive.
People also talk about the layoffs due to covid and how can the Dodgers pay all that money to one guy after laying off all those employees. Often companies use external factors as excuses to cut fat from their organizations. In business school they called this downsizing, or right sizing. When business is good, budgets increase and departments get fat and sometimes become inefficient as a result. In the cycle of business, you take opportunities to trim that fat and become more efficient. You keep the best and trim the weak links. Then you begin the cycle of adding more personnel again.
Take what you will from my posts. You don’t know me from Adam. The important thing is to not dismiss other people’s views so easily. If you only consider people who agree with your own opinion, there is no growth. You become stagnant.
Yesterday AF fulfilled on his big statement of “being pigs”, not by simply stating that we’re gonna win more championships, but by adding an elite talent while keeping his perceived difference makers on the roster for the upcoming season. He trimmed some fat by letting Kike and Joc walk, replacing them with players he thinks can give similar production, while adding a difference maker in Bauer. He is stockpiling talent up and down the 40 man roster with a deep farm system beyond that.
We’ll see what ultimately happens with that RH bat, but I’m more confident that the team is improved now that we added a Cy Young caliber innings eater to the rotation. And I’m confident that AF will fill that hole in the lineup with a RH bat as he said he would.
I’m glad that AF is patient enough to drive me crazy during the hot stove. He really delivered these last two seasons by bringing in elite talent and being a pig. Because that’s what it takes to win championships.
I love how Mark has his feet dug in insisting that being a pig is winning more championships. I maintain that being a pig is doing whatever it takes to bring in difference makers and making the team better. I think I was right on this one. We can disagree and still move forward without silencing each other. Differences of opinions is a good thing.
Yeah, losing the 2nd round draft pick probably irks me the most but we can withstand the hit and sign a high-upside guy lower down. Arbitrage.
You have a snowball’s chance in hell at the possibility of turning a second round pick into a Cy Young winner. A player taken in the second round of the draft only has a 51% change to even make it to the big leagues, much less become a Cy Young winner…
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-many-mlb-draftees-make-it-to-the-majors/#:~:text=The%20answer%20is%20less%20than,to%20reach%20the%20major%20leagues.
But, I agree that I hate losing draft picks. But, I love acquiring elite players. So excited!
Just don’t see Clayton Keyshaw retiring as long as he’s healthy. Maybe a two year deal moving forward, wants to retire with the Dodgers. Incredibly competitive guy and wants to win a couple of more World Series.
I wonder if the players in upcoming negotiations will go hard after the CBT. I would think so. Hasn’t really worked in terms of creating competitive balance. Smart organizations tend to have success, dumb ones don’t. But it does hold down payroll and that probably doesn’t work for players, especially with some teams pointing to it as a reason not to overspend.
Still see the Dodgers bringing back Justin Turner. Clutch player, fan favorite and a team leader, it makes too much sense to do otherwise.
Like most of us, I was following the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes closely. I thought there was a chance the Dodgers would sign him, he often over the past couple of years indicated that he would like to pitch in SoCal. The Dodgers seem to be entering a Go Big or Go Home phase. The pursuit of Harper, Cole, the trade and signing of Mookie Betts (during a pandemic no less), now Bauer.
The Dodgers are flush with prospects, have an exciting mix of veterans and young players on the current roster, coming off a World Series win, a renewed and more grounded approach internationally, a massive stadium improvement project and an opportunity to become an absolutely beast.
Mixed signals and all, the Dodgers have an opportunity to hit the afterburners and they did just that, pretty much again shocking the baseball world.
It’s a good day to be a Los Angeles Dodger fan.
Looking forward to returning to the stadium soon.
I think it is a fantastic signing!! He may or may not produce at the level we expect but that is the risk you take when trying to be the best. I applaud AF and the ownership for taking the risk to provide the best. It is short term because if healthy he will never take the third year. But the organization is betting we get his best. It sure appears he wanted to play for the Dodgers and apparently AF was convinced. For that kind of money they better be and I love that he wants to be a dodger. Grienke and others certainly went money first. Bauer is his own man and he got a great contract playing for who he wanted. How many more millions do you need? He is going to make more in one year than most in 10 lifetimes. As far as twitter etc. I don’t get on because I have enough drama but who cares I suppose big tech will just silence him if he is too bad.
In regards to Kershaw. I don’t think it signals any retirement. This should energize a guy like him. He can really concentrate on his own game while the pressure to carry the load will be on Bauer and Buehler( killer B’s) if you like. The competitor will come out in him and his performance will be unsung but dominant.
If we keep everybody our bullpen could become dominant especially in the post season. If Price is retained and is healthy he can be dominant starting or relief, ditto Urias, May. The 3 starters could be Bauer, Buehler, and Kershaw, with your 4th price, Urias, May oink oink!!
Let me first say, I WAS WRONG. I was quite certain this front office would not sign Bauer. So Mark, if you are serving up that hat for dinner, I’ll be glad to take a portion.
I sincerely hope that Trevor is here to take care of business and like others have mentioned, as long as he wears the Dodger blue, I’ll be cheering for him.
I know the taxes in CA are onerous, but are they really that much better in NY? Living in Texas, I’m blissfully ignorant of state taxes. I’m curious if anybody knows what the difference is.
Blissfully ignorant?
“The Texas state sales and use tax rate is 6.25 percent, but local taxing jurisdictions (cities, counties, special-purpose districts and transit authorities) also may impose sales and use tax up to 2 percent for a total maximum combined rate of 8.25 percent.”
Has that changed recently?
As I see it the problem with social media is that half the people in the United States are too dense to figure out when they are being duped. I blame that on defunding public education.
Regarding Bauer, I said my piece on the previous thread right before it was closed. The key to Bauer’s success is clearly spin rate. I regurgitate, which means to repeat, hopefully MLB won’t come down on the foreign substance rule. $40 million is a lot of cheddar for a 4 ERA.
Sorry Badger, but CA has a sales tax of 9.5% in LA county in addition to a top income tax rate of 13.3%, and high property taxes and car taxes.
My understanding is Texas has a higher property tax %, but given the home values, the property taxes are pretty close in dollars to CA.
In this case, I think us Californians have been duped by our politicians!
I was wrong as well. No way did I think the Dodgers would sign Bauer for $85 million for two years.
On the NY tax rates, you have both NY state and NYC income taxes. The top tax brackets total about 13% in NY, which is comparable to the top CA tax rate currently of 13.3%.
Thanks RC for answering my question without getting all bent out of shape.
Upon further review, the two main reasons we did this were:
1. Opportunism to outlay “only” $85m for an impact FA.
2. Postseason. We can go into a series thinking we can win every game. In some ways, an elite SP functions like a closer in the postseason. He can shut the door.
Excellent points by Mark and by dodgerpatch.
Put me in the shocked category with Mark. I was fine with the approach of bring back JT, and you still have the best team in baseball to compete for another championship. The Bauer signing makes the Dodgers the clear favorite to repeat as champions, especially if they find a way to bring back Turner. And the short term, high salary deal makes sense for a pitcher and has been Friedman’s preference in seeking free agents. I am eager to hear the explanation from Friedman, and while he has been a great GM, committing $85 million over the next two years to Bauer seems like a mistake for the team, and ultimately bad for baseball.
My concern with the Bauer signing is that the Dodgers had better uses for the $40 million this year and $45 million next year, and that the team should prioritize its homegrown players. In my opinion, Justin Turner will be just as important as Bauer to winning a title this year, and JT has been a Dodger for 6 years. But they haven’t re-signed JT yet. For $40 million this year, the Dodgers could have signed JT, Ozuna, Joc and Rich Hill. The Dodgers are currently negotiating with Walker Buehler over whether to pay him $4.1 million or $3.3 million this year. If the Dodgers can throw $85 million for 2 years to Bauer who has never thrown one pitch for their team, then why are they fighting with Buehler over $800,000?
And next year, when Kershaw and Seager become free agents, how do they not offer them a similar amount to the $45 million Bauer will earn in 2022? Both Kershaw and Seager have only played in the Dodger organization, and I would prefer to have either player on the team above Bauer next year.
I trust that Friedman is a great GM, and maybe he sees greatness in Bauer that makes him worthy of being far and away the highest paid player in baseball, but I see him as a good not great pitcher. The Dodgers have 7 solid starting pitching options now with the following career ERAs:
Buehler – 3.15
Kershaw – 2.43
D Price – 3.31
J Urias – 3.20
D May – 2.98
Gonsolin- 2.60
T Bauer – 3.90
Amazingly, the $40 million pitcher has by far the highest career era of all 7 starters. Of course, career ERA is just one stat and some sample sizes are small, but in my opinion he is at best the third starter for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have built a great organization that finds and develops talent and creates a winning culture. They have been able to keep many of their top players, and maintain leadership and continuity, while sprinkling in additions that fill needs. The Mookie Betts deal was the rare exception where they added a great talent at a huge cost, and the culture and teamwork actually improved. The Betts deal came with risk and turned out great. Hopefully the Bauer deal will turn out well also. But my preference is to reward your homegrown players and try to win with your own players first.
I guess there’s flaws in looking at career ERA. Especially when some only have a 1 year career and others have a 10 year career. I saw on MLB channel that Bauer was top 8 percentile in virtually every statcast metric for pitchers last last year.
Another reason he go paid so much is because a two year contract has much less risk than a 10 year contract. No boat anchor here. You aren’t paying him for his age 38 season like you are for his age 30 season.
The absolutely best thing that I like about this deal is that Bauer put his money where his mouth is. He said he prefers a short higher AAV to a longer contract and that’s what he got. I think that speaks to his character. Many people these days say things that they have no intention of doing themselves. Bauer said it and did it. I commend him for that.
In the NBA, players routinely take a short deal for less money to win a ring. Then, go sign a bigger contract after winning the prize. This is the baseball equivalent to that. He sure could have gotten more guaranteed money. If he still pitches like an ace, he’ll cash in later. If the salary cap goes away, he might just wind up making more money than his nemesis and former college teammate. And he got a great chance to win a ring with the team he grew up rooting for. You can’t put a price on that.
It’s great having a kid playing for his home team. I wish Nolan would have had that opportunity, but he caved to the long term deal.
Great points, Bulldog!
I also appreciate that Bauer is willing to take a short term deal, and bet on himself. And the preference to play for the Dodgers and your hometown team is great. I would have preferred Nolan Arenado to the Bauer signing, but the Rockies must not have taken Friedman’s calls. Now hopefully JT signing is next.
Potential reason for Turner delay was interest in Ozuna on two-year deal. Now he’s signed we should see Turner announced any day.
The key for the Dodgers going forward isn’t about the signings going forward. It’s about a Lux, Busch, Hoese and one of a bunch of young outfielders developing into starting big league positional players. We have a lot of depth of young pitching. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball developing home grown talent. That’s the key to the Dodger reign.
Don’t stop there.
It’s bridging the gap to Miller/Beeter/Pepiot/Knack/Lewis.
It’s some of Vargas/Pages/Amaya/Mann/Cartaya making it.
It’s Ruiz and Gray right now as actual guys or trade chips.
It’s dreaming on Vogel/DeJesus/Rodriguez/Diaz/Galiz.
Two years of Bauer helps buy us some time until the next wave hits.
And Lux is hitting this year.
It took two years of going in and out of the lineup for Verdugo to start living up to his potential. I’m not ready to quit on Lux, who had way better minor league numbers at a position that typically yields less production.
Always great read in the morning. One thing not being mentioned about Bauer signing is the injury issues with Buehler (blisters), Kersh (back- not getting better with age) and Price is huge unknown. Bauer and kids are our insurance policy. Have good day boys !!
And Mark let’s do a little side bet on Kersh. If Kersh retires I’ll fly you and your wife out to LA and pay for a dinner at the restaurant of your choice and if not you fly me and my wife out to Indianapolis for dinner of my choice. But I may have you wear Betty’s apron
I think signing with Texas is more likely than retirement.
And I don’t assume he’ll pitch for us past this season.
Let’s enjoy him and get him a second ring, Elway-style.
I’ll take that bet!
[Virtual Handshake]
Deal!
A lot of good stuff on here today. I am not a financial guy, I leave the money matters to the guys with the degrees in finance and economics. I like it when the team gets better. And AF, who is not the GM there RC< he is the President of Baseball Operations, the Dodgers do not have a GM per se right now. At least in title. He surprised everyone, including me, with this signing. I was reading all of the chatter, and I thought no way he is going to give this guy the kind of money they are talking about. But he did, and now Bauer is a Dodger. Not officially though because they need to clear a roster spot first. Not sure if they would wait until they can put Ferguson and Kahnle on the IL. Garlick was DFA'd yesterday by the Braves to clear a spot for Ozuna. I would think that if they do not wait the most vulnerable player would be Sborz. Not sure where they stand in negotiations with JT, but with Bauer in the fold, AF can concentrate on the offense.
I had a question about how Bauer’s cap hit is affected if he opts out after 2021 and/or 2022? With his salary spread over 3 years it’s AAV is $34M. I’m sure if he is still with the Dodgers in 2023 he’s not going to play for $17M unless he has a major injury or he is totally ineffective. If he makes $85M the first two years and opts out, but the Dodgers AAV for him is $34M. How does MLB square that in their CBT calculation? Do they average the $85M over two years and charge the Dodgers additional taxes and surcharges for 2021 and 2022? I’m not a CBT expert and sometimes the obvious escapes me. Can someone help me out?
Checking out Spotrac they had the Dodgers $29.2M over the threshold with a tax of $9.3M (20% + 12% surtax because we are more than $20M over). If they sign Turner for more than $10M AAV then the surtax goes to 42.5% and first round pick goes down 10 spots. I don’t know how accurate Spotrac is with their figures. They show an CBT expense for extra benefits. Any idea what that covers? Thanks
After reading Ken Rosenthal’s article about Bauer on The Athletic, I cancelled my subscription. I can’t stand all the politics. His weak excuse for getting his call of Bauer to the Mets was blamed on “things changing quickly”, he then goes on to say what a bad guy Bauer is. Between him and Molly Knight, I can’t stand their Dodgers coverage any longer. I’ll take that money and give it to Baseball America instead.
BnP, I cancelled at the end of the year due to Rosenthal’s bullshit article on the Turner situation during and after game 7 of the WS. Here, the Dodgers just won a WS for the first time in 32 years and The Athletic’s top national baseball writer ignores that and focuses on the Turner story. He knew none of the facts on what actually happened, but felt that was the lead story. He’s a petty little man with an agenda. Of course, The Athletic wouldn’t allow any comments at the end of Rosenthal’s article. I wrote directly to the editor and never heard back from him. Tim Kawakami is editor in chief for the west coast edition of The Athletic. He seems to take a slanted view of things. So, you can write a crap, unsubstantiated article about a Dodger player, but can’t allow any response. You block me, I don’t need you. I can find somewhere else to spend $60.
Not going to get into it with you about The Athletic, you are certainly entitled to spend your money where you want to, but when did Rosenthal call Bauer to the Mets? The only guy I saw do that was Nightengale who probably couldn’t get his own name right if he was quizzed on it.
In thinking about the Bauer contract:
Why would he take a short term deal?
1. Mb no one was willing to give the length and wage that he wanted
2. Mb he wanted to have the highest wage of any player
3. Mb he wanted a chance to play for a world champion
4. Mb he wanted to be a Dodger, in LA, go home again.
5. Mb he wanted to show he can be the best with the best
6. Mb he wanted to make sure it worked out or if he chose he could move on with financial security
Why would the Dodgers want him?
1. How do u improve a world champion? Acquiring top level talent
2. This adds to the depth of a great rotation and in collateral helps the bullpen
3. Why Bauer/ cy young winner in his prime years
4. Why 3 years with opt outs/ nobody opts out of 40 million do they?
5. Why 3 years? To get the aav down to what AF could live with
6. What if it is a colossal failure? Well only 3 years but really 2 the reward should be greater than the risk.
7. Allows time for other pitchers to develop and not be rushed
8. It appears he has a similar analytic approach as the Dodgers
9. I am sure the Dodgers have insurance in case of health issues
10. We can decide if we want him moving forward
11. He has great incentive as a competitor to prove his worth on a short term deal
These are obvious and I am sure there are many other factors
Well stated analysis. Bravo!
This is what I’ve been talking about since our WS win.
TheRealten gets it (above).
It is hard to defend any Championship as you are the team to be shot down.
Imagine how Kershaw or Muncy or Belinger etc felt yesterday whilst watching this unfold?
This sends the message that we are not done at one WS win – not only to the opposition, but to our own players.
Imagine the excitement when this news came through.
Spring Training will be exciting for them with the CY Young winner in their midst, and focus will be restored. Things will have been freshened up, points will need to be made, and muscles will need to be flexed.
This is what winners do. They improve again from a position of strength, not resting on their laurels.
I’ve always liked Bauer. I like upfront honest people. That’s why I liked Rich Hill. Bauer will be well fine in the Dodge’s culture. Doc will make sure of it. That is his forte.
S Buffalo – I was wondering if Clayton could possibly transition to Kenley’s role at some point? What an arsenal for a Closer!
In reality we are the WS holders, and have added two starters in Bauer and Price, while also having May and Gonzo with a year’s more experience under their belts.
I guess JT now comes back, although you never know with AF.
I must say I found myself agreeing with much of B&P had to say @ 11.05
There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of all of the shrewd decisions that our Club has made over the past 8 years. Good management from the top down has put us in this position.
Getting the right people in place to deliver a product that a large fan base wants to support, thus leading to a bumper TV contract, and therefore more income that is then reinvested back into the team.
The circle is fully formed.
Being pigs means you are in a position to reap what you have sown.
I just checked out the comments on DodgersDigest. I see what you mean! Some very strong and negative reactions. Personally, I am in favor of giving him a chance. If he says controversial things, that is his right. It is also the right of other people to call him out on it. That’s free speech. If his actions cross a line that I find unacceptable, I will be one of those people to call him out. However, I hope that he and Dodgers fans choose to take the high road. I will be rooting for him, and hope he considers the fan base before making statements that might be offensive. I find that this site is a good example to emulate. There is a diversity of viewpoints among people on this site. We ususally manage to keep it civil, which is a benefit to all of us, as we can enjoy our mutual love of the Dodgers. I hope that Bauer and the fan base will also exercise that mutual respect.
And I believe what Urias did in the postseason will push him into elite status. His confidence has to be through the roof. He now believes in his stuff and will be in attack mode. No more nibbling. No more first inning jitters. This could be a team with four aces and then Price, May and Gonsolin! And I still think Nelson will be a huge piece, maybe even in the pen!
You point is well put even if I have a hard time keeping Price out of that conversation. Sometimes pitchers really step up and amaze in their latter years. Clemens at age 42, Ryan age 40, Maddux age 36, Johnson age 38 just to name a few. I keep thinking about Price’s 2018 World Series against us.
Kershaw is going to rack up regular season wins like he always does. He’s the ultimate workhorse. I heard someone say that Cole and DeGrom are alpha aces. Go have 10 straight seasons of sub 3 ERA then tell me how they’re Alpha-aces.
Kersh will dominate the regular season, then let the post-season happen without leaning on any particular pitcher. Bueller is our Mad-Bum, putting the team on his back when it matters the most. Two righties and two lefties in the postseason rotation with Urias, May and Gonso joining a bullpen with 3 closers. This is completely unfair. Top to bottom, this staff can possibly be the most talented in baseball history.
I am surprised, let’s see what happens.
We know the Dodgers owners and general manager and manager, at least from a distance, and they seem to be very decent people. I might disagree with them on various things, as all fans do, but I do not question their basic character. So if they thought that Bauer was a worthwhile addition, I have no problem with accepting it. I would think that the Dodgers are one of the most socially sensitive organizations around. They canceled the trade for Aroldis Chapman, although I wanted to keep him; and the Cubs and then Yankees had no problem with signing him. They were very sensitive to the situation with Urias, would likely have released him if it had been worse. So they must feel that Bauer is a decent guy, a good teammate, and that it is fine to sign him. I agree with that. We don’t want awful people on the team, but he is certainly not that.
I took a look at some of the comments by Molly Knight, whom I like in general, but do not agree with on this matter; and also an awful article on the Sports Illustrated site, mostly about what a foolish trade this was, and that the only two that gained from it were Bauer and the Padres; and that the Dodgers desperately and foolishly overreacted to SD picking up all that talent. Well, we do not know how Bauer will do in the playoffs, which of course are almost determinative. But if Friedman and Byrne and Roberts and the others think he would be a very worthwhile addition, he probably will be; and certainly his recent pitching is supportive of that. Sports are full of players whom we might not like if we knew about every detail of their personal life. Again, I don’t think that Bauer is one of those, though I probably would not agree with him politically, but why would I have to, he is not running for office.
My guess is that he behaves here, and I respect Alex Wood saying that he was a great teammate. He looks like a winner, even if he has not been on great teams yet. I like having a team with winners, intense competitors who want the challenge. I honestly think that some Dodgers teams of recent decades might not have had enough of those; the Eastern writers loved to call us “soft.” Well, whether we were or not, we are not now; and I very much supported Utley when so many media people were attacking him as a dirty player who should be banned, etc. Utley is a classy guy who goes all out to win. So does Betts, and others . And I would be very surprised if Bauer is not one of those. So I’m very glad to have him, and hope that he does very well, and decides to stay for more than a couple of years. And I think that the almost reflexive attacking of him by various writers and fans is tedious. We had a number of past teams with the nicest guys, but we didn’t win much of anything. I don’t want criminals on the team, but Bauer is not even close to being one. I hope he feels welcomed here.
A’s-Rangers make a 5 player trade. Main piece’s are Khris Davis to the Rangers and SS, Elvis Andrus to the A’s. A’s also resign Fiers.
Some idiot named Matthew A at The Athletic commented:
Sorry a team that employs woman-beater Julio Urias and now Bauer cannot make any claims to valuing character.
So, Urias is a “woman beater” – I guess I missed the news. What a tool!
I won’t cancel my subscription to The Athletic.
I can tolerate dissenting views as long as they are factual. Molly Knight’s aren’t, but she is so transparent that you can see she is full of it at times. Other times, she’s pretty dang good.
I watch CNN and Fox, but I wish we had a news source that would just report the news, instead of embellishing it. Molly Knight is a gifted writer, but not a journalist. She is a commentator. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I disagree.
I do not believe in Cancel Culture!
Molly wrote a great book, I’ll give her that. I haven’t cared for her articles recently and the same goes for Rosenthal. Honestly speaking, I get something every day on this site and it doesn’t cost me anything. The people that comment are mostly good. The quality of the content here is sometimes very fact based and sometimes very opinionated. But, I’m honestly more engaged in your articles than I am in The Athletic’s. So, they lost a customer today for connecting a sports story to contemporary social issues.
Try Shepherd Smith on CNBC. He came over from Fox from their news side and not their opinion side.
Cnbc on mute is just fine. Watch the money coming in.
Shepherd Smith was an idiot when he was at Fox. Why do you think he is on CNBC? He is just worse now.
Let’s stop there. Journalists, Lawyers, Professors, and many Politicians are almost 90% Liberal. Understand that. Accept that and let’s not talk about it because it is very divisive. We all have very strong opinions about politics and I respect your opinion… if you respect mine, but we will not talk about it here.
I am thinking of starting another blog that allows it. It is called http://www.ignorantsavages.com I own that site.
I was playing soccer in the front yard with my younger son and he was surprised that $85m only bought two years of Bauer. I told him if we win in either of those two years the deal was a success.
And then we have no more exposure.
I love baseball because it is (mostly) not political.
I have left college and NBA basketball because it is.
I am lukewarm on the NFL because of that.
I really hope baseball remains non-political.
Hey Mark, what’s your prediction for Urias this season? Do you see him breaking out? Do you think we’ll need him the pen again this postseason? If all goes according to plan, one if Urias/Price will be heading to the pen in the playoffs. Each has experience and success there.
Here’s what I think:
I do not know how he will do, but he has all the tools.
He should start out as a starting pitcher, but if there are any issues, he could be a hell of a light’s out, high leverage reliever.
I have him penciled in as a starter, but that could all change.
On the Super Bowl: I like both teams. I have no favorite. It will be fun to watch.
I said it in November: ” in times of crisis, the rich get richer”, it’s always like that, I was confident that the Dodgers would take advantage of the situation.
Now ask what you need to get 3B José Ramírez, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
I’m more interested in another bench piece to finish up the offseason [assuming JT returns].
Indians said again today that they aren’t trading Ramirez.
You can choose to not believe them but that’s what they are saying.
There is always a price if the price is right. For instance: I the Angels wanted Kershaw so bad that they offered Trout straight up, would you do it? I would in a New York minute.
You’re right Richie, everyone’s got a price.
Most people would trade Kershaw for Trout.
My question to you is would you trade Mookie for Trout?
I do not have a subscription to The Athletic. I read enough as it is. And honestly, way out of my budget. Stupor bowl tomorrow, and then baseball is just around the corner.