Dodgers: #8 Farm System

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1. Keith Law released his Top 100 Prospects and there were six Dodgers listed: Cartaya, Miller, Busch Vargas, Pages, Leonard.

   He then released a short list of “just missed” and that included Pepiot. He also said that another 4 (whom he didn’t name) could easily have been included had the list been a little longer.

   I think the reason the farm system has been disparaged was because the guys we called up last season didn’t perform. But those were never considered our top prospects. The good ones are now a year older and within a couple of years we’ll be seeing a number of them here in L.A.

   It will be interesting to see how those prospects affect Friedman’s willingness to pay Bellinger, Urias and Buehler when they become free agents.

2. I am still of the mind that AF needs to re-sign Kershaw. I also hope he goes after Freeman, in part because there have been a number of DHs who have performed well in their late 30s and even 40s. Ortiz and Cruz quickly come to mind. I
   n the near term, Muncy can move to DH (assuming that it is coming) or 2B. It would be great if Lux could really own 2B but like Taylor his greater value may be as a super UT guy, especially if Freeman comes over. (Lux would pair with Taylor as a super UT–one hitting from the left, one from the right, Last season the hope was than McKinstry could replace Kike… Oh well…. Still hope McKinstry comes back strong, of course.)
   So, just for grins….
   Betts RF
   Muncy 2B
   T. Turner SS
   Freeman 1B
   J. Turner 3B
   Bellinger CF
   Smith C
   Pollock LF…
   With Taylor and Lux in the wings. And they’d get plenty of starts especially if Muncy, J. Turner, Pollock, etc rotate through DH

   I am also of the opinion that management would much rather unload Bauer and his baggage at a considerable loss than incur the various costs of bringing him back. (My guess is a small market team would take on Bauer because of the discount. Would it be too political to suggest that Bauer might be a good fit for Florida?) Re Bauer, I sense little groundswell of support from the fans. But this isn’t just a matter of public relations for the Dodgers, but also internal relations. Seems clear that Bauer has alienated his teammates, coaches and others up the chain. It would probably be best for Bauer that he try to get a fresh start in a new place.
   I could rant all day on politics, but let me make just a couple of points.
   If you are paying attention, the evidence of a multi-faceted conspiracy to overturn the presidential election keeps mounting. Between the DOJ’s investigation and the Jan. 6 investigation, it’s obvious that there attack on our democratic values began long before the Capitol riot and involved fraudulent actions in several states. Right now the defeated former president is even suggesting that the Georgia prosecutor who is leading the investigation into his pressure campaign to “find” just enough votes is a “racist.” You see, she is black and the DFPis white, got it? And the DFP is also encouraging his supports to wage massive protests if he should be charged with crimes. So folks, would you let him walk? Do you think a POTUS is above the law? Just this one, maybe?
   Finally, let me share a little covid research.
   If you are of the mind that the USA could not have handled his crisis much better, why have Americans been more than 3X more likely from covid than Canadians? I recently delved into the stats and found this nugget: Canada’s highest per capita covid death rate is in the province of Quebec, which has a population comparable to Virginia. And Virginia, remarkably, has the LOWEST covid death rate in all 50 states–but Quebec’s rate is lower still.

   So why has the weakest Canadian province handled the crisis better than America’s top-performing state?
   Is it just that Canadians are so polite? Could there be some other factors in play?
   Hmmm.

   1. Three Reasons:

      1. Financial benefits if they die “of COVID” not “with COVID.”
      2. The US has the highest obesity rate in the world and people who are obese have a much higher mortality rate.
      3. Canada’s population is much less dense.

      Trump was obsessed with winning and tried to do anything to win. He should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I like a lot of what he did, but what he did at the end was deplorable. He will be disqualified from running again and could sit in prison.

      1. If you look at the numbers it is more a “pandemic of the obese & sick ( though obesity is also an illness for sure ) than it is any other thing. One reason that it generally did not kill kids. and the lion’s share of the young that died also had co-morbidities with the most common one being obesity. I cannot count how many times I have been at a gas station in the AM and seeing an adult buying donuts & energy drink for their kids for breakfast b4 school.
         ridiculous.

      2. If you look at the numbers it is more a “pandemic of the obese & sick ( though obesity is also an illness for sure ) than it is any other thing. One reason that it generally did not kill kids. and the lion’s share of the young that died also had co-morbidities with the most common one being obesity. I cannot count how many times I have been at a gas station in the AM and seeing an adult buying donuts & energy drink for their kids for breakfast b4 school.
         ridiculous.

   2. There was a tweet on Twitter by a guy named Adam King who is suggesting that Kersh is going to sign with the Rangers. He has ever surmised there was a deal in place before the lockout, but Kersh wanted to give the Dodgers a chance to meet or beat. Do not know how much truth there is to that. There is another story going around that the Dodgers tried to extend Walker Buehler.

3. Count me among those who appreciate the occasional foray into politics. I don’t particularly enjoy it when NFL, or NBA, or some other non- Dodger topics come up either, but I can’t imagine complaining about such discussions and wishing they would go away. Our nation is clearly suffering because there has not been enough intelligent discussion about politics, not too much. As a result we have put people in power who have given us a $30 trillion national debt, a provocatively weak foreign policy, record murder and other criminal activity, huge spikes in the costs of just about everything, a sieve for a border, and failing schools nationwide. Sometimes listening to attempts at political dialogue feels like listening to a Pirates fan explain why the Pirates are a superior team to the Dodgers. Significant facts and the historical record simply don’t matter, only distorted statistics and outright lies which anyone with a high school education should be able to see through in an instant.

   Quote: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Trumps tax plan “the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress” several weeks before the 2017 tax law was enacted.

   Actual results, 4years later: “Income data published by the IRS clearly show that on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent, as so many Democrats have argued.”
   (Justin Haskins, MSN.com)

   Another tidbit: “…what has set this (Trump) rise apart is that it’s the first time during the economic recovery that began in mid-2009 that the bottom half of earners are benefiting more than the top half—in fact, about twice as much,” CNBC reported.

   Carry on.

   1. and under #sleepyjoe the only ones who have improved their lives are the top of the top.

4. i suspect that regarding the differences in Canadian and US Covid deaths, it may have a lot to do with how deaths are counted. There seems to be a substantial financial gain to be had when a patient dies of Covid in US hospitals.
   Maybe Canadians aren’t politer but more honest.
   Whatever the statistics are they have no doubt been manipulated for some financial and political gain.
   If the truth is ever revealed it will look a lot different than what has been given to us the past 2 years.
   May I say, Even Ray Charles can see that.

5. I believe Bleacher Report ranked our system fifth. We keep getting better!

   Happy Imbolc, All.

   1. That is funny! 😉

6. Great read Mark. Joe Biden belongs in a nursing home and his son Hunter in jail for peddling his father’s influence around the world in China, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania The fake news wouldn’t make it a story during the election, but now it is all coming to light. A Special Prosecutor should be appointed to investigate,

   The Dodger future is bright with many prospects on the way. Let them continue to develop and thrive in the minors this year. Wouldn’t trade any of them even if it means having a down year.

7. I just want some baseball. Last night, mainly because it is colder than a well diggers ass here and the snow is falling, so going anywhere was out of the question, I watched my 2020 World Series DVD. Narrated by Vinny of course. It was nice to see a feel good story in the middle of the total disaster the last couple of years have been. What still chaffs my ass is the number of people who still try to say that 2020 wasn’t a real championship because the season was shorter and the Dodgers did not have to play a full season. Hey, every team had the same chance to win that they did. That being said, watching the game four meltdown all over again was a bummer. But being able to see Julio finish it off, well, just made me feel good. Now if the MLBPA and MLB will just get their collective shit together, we can enjoy the game once more. I wish I had some clue what the plan is after the lockout ends. But AF has always been pretty silent about future plans. PS, Biden looks amazingly like Jeff Dunham’s puppet, Walter. Has close to the same mentality too. Anyone notice that the Dodgers signed a couple of kids from Uganda? They also brought in a coach from there to help them. They are going to the Dodgers academy in the Dominican.

8. Do you think it’s a worthy goal for the Dodgers to legitimately pursue a World Series title this year? Or, would you settle for just making the playoffs and hoping they get lucky and win it all? The latter is actually not a bad strategy. The Braves weren’t the best team in the NL last year, the Dodgers and the Giants were, but they were the best when it mattered. That’s what AF had done prior to 2020 – create a sustainable winning franchise that doesn’t overextend, but puts the team in a position to win each year.

   AF deviated from his prior template and went all in to win it all last year. He saw the opportunity to be “pigs.” They came up short.

   Right now, the Dodgers are decent. They might win the division and will probably make the playoffs. They are not World Series front runners. They have a hole in the batting order with Seager’s departure, JT is a year older, they’ve not addressed the pathetic bench that did nothing for them last year, and are probably two starting pitchers short of having the depth needed to sustain a full season and get through the playoffs. If either Buehler or Urias have to spend time on the injured list, they’re done.

   So, what do you do? Stand pat? Pray that the Dodgers #8 ranked farm system injects enough cheap talent to make a difference? Sorry, but as good as Bobby Miller might turn out to be, he ain’t helping this year. Maybe if you’re AF, you start the season as is and look to pluck someone off a losing team at the trade deadline. If the Reds are treading water, Luis Castillo will be cheaper at the deadline than he is now. Still, Castillo’s not a difference maker. Scherzer was, and even he came up short at the end.

   If the Pasadena DA declines to press charges – and it’s somewhat mind boggling that a decision hasn’t been made – I think you just have to hold your nose and bring Bauer back. There will be teeth gnashing by Knights/Noslers/et al, but it will pass. Bauer’s already under contract and he solves a major problem.

   Freeman will likely sign with the Braves, but he would fill Seager’s hole in the order, and 180 million is a lot more palatable than 325 million. With Freeman at 1rst, Muncy goes to 2nd, TT to SS, Lux continues to work on playing the outfield and he becomes the left hand version of CT3, which partially solves the bench problem. When Trea Turner leaves in free agency next year, and I think he’s gone after next year, Lux perhaps slides over to his original position at SS.

   About politics – It was probably better when this site was apolitical, but that Rubicon has been crossed. I read several comments here about how some are “uncomfortable” with the politics here. That’s not entirely correct. You are uncomfortable with Mark’s politics and his expression of them. That’s understandable. If I was left leaning and consumed left leaning media, I’d be uncomfortable with Mark’s opinion, too. I despise Dustin Nosler, more generally because of his politics, but specifically because he’s abusive, and his forum of minions is a toxic cesspool of illiterate bullies that is modern Woke politics in microcosm. We all have our political biases.

   The folks here who are “uncomfortable” with Mark’s politics can simply leave and avoid this place and its discomfort, but withdrawing into our echo chambers doesn’t do our culture any good. It’s making it worse, actually. It is easy to simply label something as “MISINFORMATION!” and avoid the substance of the argument. The same people calling for Joe Rogan to be deplatformed are the same people who, till their last breath, will be convinced that Trump colluded with Russia to steal the election – which, we now fully know, was a manufactured lie promulgated by the main stream media that, I argue, did more to poison the political dialog than any other single act of “misinformation” in our nation’s history.

   My suggestion is that people face their discomfort and answer opposing opinions, not with insults or indignation, but sound positions based on facts, not talking points. That’s historically how our liberal (liberal in the classic definition) civilization has discovered better ideas. Addressing the substance of other points of view honestly is how you discover truth.

   1. I agree with much of this Patch, especially about prospects probably not helping out this year, but you never know. Every now and then a prospect arrives a year early like Belli, Santana and Ferguson and you might also say that about Puig. I’m not holding my breath.

      I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Freddie goes back to the Braves. At the very least, the Dodgers should make an offer and drive that price upwards. I’m sure most Rangers fans didn’t think that Seags would bolt for Texas, so you never know. If not Freddie, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Dodgers go after Kris Bryant.

      The most curious thing to me is the lack of focus towards the starting rotation. This makes me wonder if AF knows something we don’t. (Of course he does). Worst case scenario is Bueller, Urias, Gonsolin, Heaney, White and best case is Bueller, Urias, Bauer, Kershaw and Gonsolin. Well, adding Rodon to that group would be best case.

      Even in the worst case, we can get by with worse Giants and Padres teams and only the Braves, who could also be worse without Freeman, as our main competition in the NL. So far the Power Rankings give the Braves an edge against us as World Series Favorites and Vegas says we’re the top dog. So, you might as well push your chips to the center of the table again and sign somebody that can produce for a few more years and keep this thing going.

      I’m warming to the idea of Muncy at 2B, or even Mookie at 2B or Muncy at 3B and I still think Lux can be a very useful, if not a star player after finishing the season on a high note. The team is still very talented and as complete as any other team out there right now, so I’m looking forward to another exciting season if we can get this deal done between the players and the owners.

      1. I don’t know what kind if arm Muncy has, but he learned how to handle himself at 1rst.

9. I agreed at the time that we are a top 10 system. I used pretty simple math to figure it out, but I don’t want to go back to the original discussion to paint the picture again. I also argued that organizational rankings only consider the prospects that are currently in the top 100, which is a pretty stupid way of doing the ranking. Maybe lazy would be a better word than stupid. I also argued at the time that in reality, we are better since we have more prospects outside the top 100.

   So, Baseball America has us at 8 with the following prospects…
   Cartaya – 23
   Vargas – 40
   Miller – 38
   Busch – 76
   Pepiot – 99

   The only one of these that has a decent chance of graduating the lists this year by exceeding rookie status is Pepiot and that’s a long shot given how deep the Dodgers bullpen is.

   Curiously absent from this list is Pages and Leonard who both appear on at least one other top 100 list. This means that there’s a good chance that we have 7 players on the top 100 list as early as mid season, barring trades that send any of them to the list of another team. There could be more if Yurchak, Lewis or Taylor keep mashing or if one of the teenagers like De Jesus, Galiz, Rodriguez or Bruns break out in a big way.

   It’s a very exciting time to be a prospect hugger and a Dodgers fan.

   On a side note, I just spent 72 bucks filling up at the station this morning. Let’s go Brandon!

   1. The last time I filled my truck up it was $139 and gas is a lot cheaper here.

      1. Hey enough of that “my tank is bigger than yours stuff” on this site!
         cheers!
         pb+

      2. Mark: You should buy a gas station and give Dodger fans 10% discount and Giant and Astro fans a 15% increase

      3. I only put in 15 gallons. Pretty sure your truck holds a bit more than that.

         1. 36

            1. My truck holds 20, at 3,399 a gallon, if it took the whole 20, not likely, it would cost me 78.00 to fill the tank.

            2. 4.65 / gallon with all the additional California taxes.

10. I don’t vote because I don’t see anybody to vote for. And if that makes me ‘The problem’ then I’m fine with that. Put something in front of me and I’ll deal with it as I see fit. My politics are not left or right and all you voters out there ain’t doing anything any better than I am with this attitude. I’m not against voting. when someone worth voting for is on the ticket I might vote till then let the wind blow.

    1. Sorry Quas but wrong attitude. I believe that if you don’t vote you have no right to bitch and complain

       1. It doesn’t matter if you vote or not, everyone is entitled to the freedom of choice. And bitching and moaning is included.

11. I am responding to Dodgerpatch:
    I am one of the “uncomfortable” ones you address though you attribute things to “uncomfortable ones” that do not pertain to me. That’s the kind of thing that makes me uncomfortable. You say for instance that we are uncomfortable because we do not like Mark’s politics. Not so. I appreciate his politics because I feel Washington has become inefficient at meeting the real needs of people. You say I don’t like “the politics” of LA Dodger Talk. That is not what I said. I said that I don’t like politics as a part of LA Dodger Talk. I would like for LA Dodger Talk to be talk about the LA Dodgers. I did allow however that that is really the business of Mark and it is his to decide. This is not out of malice, but rather a simple statement of preference for what it is worth. After attributing to me your guesses about what I am thinking, you tell me what I ought to do to learn the truth and to present it “not with insults or indignation” ( Wow, talk about Rubicons that have been crossed . . . .) So, I will skip over political posts, and you will understand that my silence is not agreement.

    1. Harlan,

       I suspect we are not that far apart politically and I truly understand how you feel.

       I just have reached the point in my life where, as much as I love the Dodgers, this country is more important and I will not shut up. I get it, but I don’t do this for money.

       1. Country and family have always been at the top of my list. I am sick of politicians doing their level best to screw it up.

       2. Understood, Mark. You notice that I did not threaten to leave. I hope you carry on with LA Dodger Talk.

          1. Thank you. I appreciate that.

    2. Do you think I crossed some Rubicon and singled you out for personal insult?

       In skimming though the posts for the last few days I noticed more than one reference to being uncomfortable with the political direction here. I honestly don’t remember who the particulars were. Apparently one was you, and if you think I was calling you out individually, then I apologize for the misunderstanding.

       My point in even bringing up politics was to suggest that, since politics is now part of the discourse here, we stick to being civil, having good faith discussions, listening to the other side, and using facts to back up our arguments – all things that aren’t happening in elsewhere, especially in our government and media.

       1. Dodgerpatch, I think there was some misunderstanding on my part, and I appreciate your taking time to set me straight on your intentions. I particularly feel good about your second paragraph. Carry on!

12. The Constitution gives qualified citizens the right to vote it also gives those citizens the right to freedom of speech. One is not dependent upon the other they have both rights afforded to US citizens.

13. “ I just have reached the point in my life where, as much as I love the Dodgers, this country is more important and I will not shut up. ”

    Statement of the year! Thank you Mark. And I will add, there is something that is rather, dare I say, unmanly, about some of those who get upset when political topics enter a discussion.

    How’s that for a little political incorrectness!

    1. I agree. I think our country is under pressure that’s unprecedented. I worry about it. Sometimes I think it’s lost. If it continues, I think it will be.

14. Never been politically correct, never will be. I call em as I see em. Roberts said in an interview that the toughest part of the lockout is not being able to connect with his players. Finding out where they are training wise and such. Especially important when you have guys who finished the season hurt, or those coming back from a major injury. Guys like May, who I saw in a video on Twitter doing some long toss, Kahnle, Ferguson, Muncy, J.T, a new guy like Heaney. He also said that AF has told him he thinks there will be a lot of movement player wise once the lockout is over. I was kind of hoping that cooler heads would prevail, but it is pretty obvious that MLB is playing hard ball this time. In that sense, I have to believe they are cutting their own throats because there are going to be some fans who are fed up with this BULLSHIT. Myself included.

15. Hi guys – greetings from a sunny Tenerife. 10 couples having a bit of Winter Sun. Been brilliant fun.

    Talking Politics is an American pastime, it’s never gonna change, so it doesn’t bother me one way or the other.
    Interestingly, I have no idea of the voting habits of my friends that I’ve just spent the last few days with, as it never ever gets discussed.

    What has peaked my interest is the post from B&P regarding the strength of the NL -and specifically the odds on the Dodgers winning the WS.

    In the Uk we are the clear favourites at 5/1 to win.
    Now I’m not as knowledgeable as you guys, but I do watch and follow Baseball very closely including the movement of players between teams.

    I always back the Dodgers out of loyalty, but I definitely do not see us as the clear favourite this year, and I agree that the Braves are the most likely winners of the 22 WS at this time, and even more so if the resign Freddie.

    Unbelievably the Braves are available at 16/1 and I cannot understand that?
    As you can imagine, I’ve been lumping on.

    So, my question is – am I missing something or am I right in thinking that 16/1 is an absolutely ridiculous price for the Braves to win again in 22?

    And should I keep lumping on lol???

    With Ozuna & Acuna jr to return as well….

    1. Might as well take that action but I do not see the Braves catching lightning in a bottle again. It’s somebody else’s turn. I like the Dodger’s chances as good as any team… actually better. Of course, I believe Cody will be closer to the MVP of 2019 than the DNS of 2021. I think Gavin Lux will take another step forward and if he does not become a superstar will at least be a CT3 Clone. .. and that’s fine.

       I think AJ Pollock will do what he did last year. I think Mookie will be much better. Max Muncy is an elite 1B. JT will benefit from the DH and put up good numbers. The bullpen is outstanding even without Kelly and Jansen who both are still on the radar. I do not feel that Starting Pitching is a reason to panic. If Heaney can finally realize his potential (or even part of it), he should be a solid #3 and the Catman, while not pitching a lot of innings, is one of the very few young players to have a sub 3.00 ERA after 3 partial seasons. His 3 partial seasons (142 IP) equal about one full season and his record is 10-5 with a 2.85 ERA. I’ll take that for a #3 or #4.

       I think this is the year that someone jumps the Shark as Cody Bellinger did in 2017. Everyone said he was a year away, but then A-Gone went down and Cody jumped the shark! I was about the only one who predicted that. I am going to do the same thing THIS year and predict someone jumps the shark again. I do not know who, but I have some possibilities: Vargas, Miller, White, Pepiot, Knack, Cartaya… for starters.

       I think it will a fun spring training (if there is one) and a fantastic season. I prefer that AF wait until the trade deadline to make a big move although I can see him signing Freeman. Max can play a solid, if not spectacular 3B – if you let him alone. He will do it! He has the glove and an above-average arm.

       1. “Jump the shark” – You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. 🙂

          1. Yeah, Jump the Shark means something different.

             I remember when I was a little kid, Happy Days with The Fonz was the coolest show on TV. I had a t-shirt with the Fonz on the front with his leather jacket and his thumbs up, saying “ayyyy!”. Everyone loved the Fonz, and Richie and Potsie and Ralph Malph.

             Towards the end of the show’s run, they started running out of material. They started to introduce bits of drama and soup opera silliness. There was a two part special when the Cunninghams and all the regulars left Milwaukee and traveled to California for a vacation. The Fonz got into some spat with the locals, and to prove his manhood and coolness, he took a bet to jump over a caged shark in the ocean with water skis.

             In a gratuitous build up of tension, The Fonz donned the skis and set off in tow towards possible doom. Of course he was wearing his leather jacket (and it was obviously a stunt double), but, of course, before the climax, the show ended with “To be continued.” America had to tune in the following week to see the finale.

             It was in that moment that we all realized that Happy Days had lost its coolness. It was over. Whatever magic it had captured was gone. It had become self-caricature.

             to “jump the shark” describes that moment in popular culture where something goes too far and loses what made it appealing in the first place.

    2. Although the Braves won the World Series last year, you have to remember that a lot of their production at the end of the season came from their outfield of Pederson, Rosario and Soler, all are free agents along with Freeman and Smyly.

       That’s a hell of a lot of production to lose for a team that only won 88 games (18 games less than the Dodgers) during the regular season. Add in the fact that the Dodgers were probably one of the most injured teams, if not the most injured team in all of baseball and you can see why the Dodgers would be favored. In fact, I believe that the preseason power rankings that have the Dodgers second to the Braves is because they’re given an edge for being being last year’s champions.

       Also remember that the NLCS was a lot close than most would remember. We lost the first two games in Atlanta and both were one run games with the deciding run coming in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Braves had several hot hitters during the series, while the Dodgers were limping along and it was still very close.

       1. I’ll be in Vegas next weekend, so I’ll definitely see what the Vegas odds are for MLB 2022.

          5-1 sounds about right for us, not only because we’re good, but also because LA fans in general go to Vegas and bet on their teams more than most, so our odds tend to be lower.

       2. It was also an anomaly that the team with the lesser record got home field in the NLCS. Had the Dodgers had home field, I think the outcome may have been different. But you also look at the catastrophic injuries the Dodgers had in the last couple of weeks. They lose Muncy the last game of the regular season, Kersh goes down in his last start, Kelly gets injured early in the playoffs, Scherzer’s are goes dead. Turner’s hamstring acts up again, and to top that off, their best post season hitter last year, Seager, and the heart of the team, Turner, both go ice cold. The bench was abysmal, while the Braves got key contributions from their scrubs.

16. Our country is a mess because political office has become a lifelong profession which requires millions and millions of dollars to maintain. Where does that money come from and who are they beholding to? Toe the line or you’re out! They’re not looking out for the interests of anyone but themselves and their kingmakers!

    1. 1. Term limits
       2. Make Lobbyists Illegal
       3. No accepting money for campaigns
       4. No TV ads
       5. Debates on every major channel with independent monitors

       Cut out the hype – get to the meat and potatoes. Make the media legally liable for false information. In other words, allow them to be sued. The side that spends the most money generally wins. Truth be damned!

       1. Add school choice to the list.

       2. I agree with the list totally. Aside from the list, I would like to mention a couple of things I believe regarding politics: 1) We should be as ready to call out our own party (if we have one) as we are to call out the opposition, and 2) the real political hero will be one who brings the nation together– being right is not enough. Finally, Washington is a mess, but we let it happen.

17. I think that political discussion can be stimulating if it is within moderate bounds. From my perspective the “politics” of LA Dodger Talk skew quite a bit to the Right. That is fine, if that is the viewpoint of the vast majority of the posters here. But it is not my point of view, and there is no point in my arguing another side of it; it would not be appreciated or supported.

    No one here is going to change their “Biden is terrible, he is ruining the country; the economy is awful; anything that one doesn’t like is his fault in his one year in office; oh, if we could only get Trump or DeSantis or Hawley or Youngkin in there.” views, because of anything I would say. I think it would be horrifying, the end of democracy, but I can’t convince you of that. At least California is strongly Democratic; it is the Red states which are daily trying to turn this country into a Radical Right religious state where only Republicans will ever be allowed to win elections, because they will make sure that not enough Democrats can vote; and that even if one wins a race, the state legislatures can just throw the results out and hand the election to the Republican.

    In the rest of the world, and history, that would be known as totalitarianism and fascism, but to the Right, it is ideal. Thus ends democracy in all but name only. Many absolutely totalitarian regimes try to pretend that they are democratic or open. The Nazis pretended that they were socialists. Russia holds elections. It is just for show. That is what we are looking at, in my view.

    I won’t belabor this in long paragraphs . I will just make a few more brief comments.

    1. The Biden economy is doing very well. Unemployment down to 3.9%. GDP rose 5.7%. Supply chain disruptions, due to the pandemic, mostly solved. 6.4 million new jobs. The only major problem is inflation, which is worldwide, and scarcely Biden’s fault in one year, but he has to try to fix it. Biden is by no means perfect. I thought the best potential president in the last twenty years was Hillary, but the media did everything they could to stop her. People here probably hate Hillary, and that’s the way it goes.

    2. Texas is having books removed from libraries at a record pace. This is the Republican playbook, it is happening in Florida and Virginia, too. The people who made up the term “cancel culture” are of course the McCarthyites and book burners of old. Any book that they don’t like, they want removed from the shelves. Does the Left do that, too? Yes, it is appalling to me that they have been as doctrinaire and censorship-demanding as they have, but they never actually elect people who tell the citizens that they should monitor their children’s teachers, and report them if they say anything they don’t like. That is Orwellian, and that is the world they are trying to create.

    3 . Our biggest threat is climate change. Republicans in office have no intention of doing anything about it, while Democrats try to. That should be enough to keep anyone who loves nature and the open spaces from voting for Republicans, but it obviously does not.

    I will leave it at that. Baseball can offer a respite, though I hate the idea of robot umpires!

    1. William, are you related to AOC?

    2. I think our biggest threat is saying things like “This is the Republican playbook” or “the Democrats are blah, blah.”

       You are focusing on the Far-Right Factions and there are just as many Far-Left Factions, but it’s the 75% in the middle that makes the difference.

       BTW, you think the media did much to Hillary? They did 100 times that to Trump!

       The biggest threat is saying things that aren’t true about others. That will precipitate all kinds of things no one wants.

       1. Fair enough. Of course, people usually think the things they are saying are true. I think that mine are, even if sometimes generalized, but of course others might disagree. Would that there were absolute concrete facts on most political issues, but there rarely are. I would say that Republicans make them up constantly, but they would say the opposite. It is interesting that there are many Republican congresspeople who have been going back to their districts and taking credit for infrastructure improvements that they voted against.

          1. Political litmus test

             To William and others,
             I have a fairly simple question that I ask of Democrats to see if they are honest and fair, as opposed to deluded and/or dishonest. You might call it my own personal litmus test. Are you up for the challenge?

             It is based on a recent article by the left-leaning website Politico.com which reported that the Trump 2017 tax legislation, which was universally criticized by those on the left as “tax cuts for the rich,” “worst legislation ever,” etc., actually turned out to be clearly more beneficial to lower and middle class workers than it was to the wealthy (based on IRS statistics.) See “IRS data proves Trump tax cuts benefited middle, working-class Americans most” at msn.com.

             You will also find that more tax revenue was collected after the cuts than the year before. Easy to Google, so “increasing the national debt” does not apply either.

             You should now be able to state, unequivocally, that Dems we’re wrong and Republicans we’re right on this one issue. You can make any other claims you want on other issues, but if you can’t acknowledge reality (and hopefully be just a fraction less scared of Republicans) on this issue, well, I will just have to continue, like Diogenes, my search for an honest man elsewhere.

             Btw, I think Trump was one of the great Presidents of the past century. I also think he has been at times a dishonest, ignorant, adulterous, egotistical, conspiratorial, childish jackass.

             We’ll, you’re up. A chance to give me hope for our future. Was the 2017 tax legislation beneficial to America?

             1. First, I am virtually certain that Politico is owned by people on the Right, and independent of that, I do not think that they are Left-leaning in slightest, virtually everything they write is from the Republican framing. I do not think that you should see something Politico wrote as being anything but Republican-based.

                I do not think that the 2017 tax legislation was beneficial to any group except the .1% and the corporations. It simply substantially lowered tax rates on those very small groups, and blew up the deficit, which is what the Republicans now use to argue against spending programs. It nothing for working class Americans, Republicans’ bills never do, in my opinion. They just help the wealthy get even more tax breaks and massively increase the deficit. Under Clinton, a deficit of around $3 trillion got turned into a surplus. Then GW Bush and the Republicans in Congress passed a big tax cut for the wealthy, and he left office with a big deficit. Under Obama that was halved, and then the Republicans passed the massive tax cut for billionaires, which is the only economic “program” they ever have.

             2. William if I didn’t know better I would say that you are a Republican plant, used to make Democrats look like unthinking robots. I provided the results of a major economic experiment, the 2017 tax legislation. The results were put out by the IRS, and yet you still, like an obedient drone, repeat the lies you have been fed that the benefits went mostly to the wealthy, and it also “blew up the debt!”

                You seem to have a superpower. Like so many on the Left you have become impervious to facts. They bounce off of you with no effect. In baseball terms I guess that makes you a one tool player. It is easy for me to give Bill Clinton credit for balancing the budget, for example, because it is a simple fact. Kudos to him (and the Republican Congress) for doing so.

                I would think you would have a real problem with having your Democrat leaders lie to you on this topic, but you let them get away with it. Nothing demonstrates the cause of the chaos and rancor in our body politic more than that.

                The Pirates are not a better baseball team than the Dodgers. The sun does not set in the east. And the tax cuts did not disproportionately benefit the wealthy or contribute to the debt.

                Diogenes will have to keep on looking.

    3. 1. You can’t claim Biden credit for GDP growth and, at the same time, that inflation is scarcely Biden’s fault. Can’t have your cake and eat it, too. Presidents have somewhat limited influence on both. Lowering taxes or regulations by administrations can definitely have an effect on the economy, and that is in a President’s control, but the Federal Reserve’s influence on interest rates – and the just the nature of economic change – matters just as much if not more.

       Inflation is multi-factorial. Supply chain issues, an increase in dept and the overall printing of money has depressed the value of the dollar, which makes imports more expensive, a pandemic switch to consumer demand for durable goods versus services. Distributing trillions back to consumers spiked demand, and, actually 5.7% under normal circumstances is probably too high for a mature economy like the U.S. That’s one of the primary concerns of the Fed – to tighten the money supply and raise interest rates when there is a danger of the economy growing too quickly and causing inflation. That, and good old fashioned corporate greed and profiteering, too.

       Biden has most definitely contributed to a rise in gas prices through his general petroleum unfriendly domestic policy. So, what does his admin do? Go hat in hand to OPEC and ask them to increase production. If they were serious about climate change, why would you ask someone else to produce more oil?

       2. What are the books that are being banned at a record pace in Texas? Are they banned? Can you be more specific?

       And speaking more broadly, what is it about banning books that we don’t like? I’m not asking because I’m in favor of banning books, because I’m generally not, but it’s a rhetorical question.

       3. I hope you like nuclear energy, because if you really want to reduce carbon emissions, nukes are your best friend (and only economically viable solution).

       1. You have made some legitimate arguments about how much a president is responsible for the economic situation. I think that inflation was exacerbated by the rise in demand when people started going back to work, and had more money due to the stimulus checks. And some companies were not ready to ramp up supply, so with demand outpacing supply, prices went up. And also, I think that some companies, and oil producers, are price-gouging. Again, there is inflation worldwide right now, not just here, so I do not see how Biden gets blamed. Right now, America is the only one of the leading economies with positive GDP growth. Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is an economic whiz, said that the average American has $354 more in his or her pocket at the en of the month, then they had last year, even allowing for inflation.

          On the book banning, I have read that books are being taken out of Texas school libraries at a fast pace, disconcerting librarians. Apparently as in the 1940’s, people on the Right are trying to get rid of books which they don’t like. Which books, I don’t know, but I am sure we could find specific examples. We have heard of “Maus,” a celebrated graphic novel about anti-semitism, being banned from part of a reading curriculum in one state. perhaps Oklahoma, by unanimous vote of the school board. More will follow. I remember reading about the attempts in the 1940’s to ban or burn “Catcher in the Rye,” “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,” and “Forever Amber,” among others. The Left tries to do this, too, but it is the Deep Red states which have the power to actually ban books from the curriculum and libraries, and they are using CRT as their lever to try to ban all sorts of things which do not appeal to their political viewpoints. I would just add that I am not in favor of CRT being taught, and I am very much against censorship of any but the most pernicious writings.

          1. So, I did a quick search on Texas book banning and came across a few articles. They are misleading. In one article, it cites 50 books that a parent has asked to be removed. It says nothing about them actually being removed, just that a parent has complained about each of these 50 books.

             In another Yahoo article that attempted to frame issue as a right wing book banning crusade (I find Yahoo news to be the absolute worst and most blatantly biased), they cited a single school district that removed a book from the school library about a gay teenager and his “adventurous sex life.” Ok, sure, we can make a comparison to say, Lady Chatterly’s Lovers, but is there a line where a blatantly sexualized work becomes inappropriate for a school aged child, and do parents have some say over what their children are exposed to at school and what they are taught? When does a coming-of-age story about a gay teenager just become pornography? Is it ok to have illustrations graphically depicting sex acts with minors in a grade school library?

             And about Maus, you are correct in pointing out that it was removed from the CURRICULUM of assigned reading. That’s completely different from banning the book outright. The district was uncomfortable with some of the language and the scenes of nudity in it, NOT because they wanted to gloss over teaching about the Holocaust, which is how the left media is framing it. The district was adamant in saying they wanted to find another book about the Holocaust and that they were committed to teaching about the Holocaust.

             And about book banning. Do you realize that To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned in several districts, and that there was even an article in the Washington Post denouncing it? It’s problematic because, for one, it uses the n-word, but even more broadly, it depicts the main protagonist, Atticus Finch, as having what is called a “white savior complex.” Interpreted through a modern critical race theory lens, this is deeply racist. This is enough to have it banned.

             Do you remember that six Dr Seuss books have been pulled from publication, and they have subsequently been banned from many libraries? Charles Blow, NYT columnist, argued at the time why they need to disappear from our culture. Some of the illustrations COULD be interpreted as racist – if you look at everything through a Critical Race Theory lens.

             Did you know that a sitting United States Senator, who wrote a book about about big tech and how it uses its influence to stifle debate, had his publisher decline to publish it? Why? because he’s a Republican Senator and that somehow tied him to the January 6 riot. Do you think his work about big tech information monopolies should be banned?

             HBO pulled Gone With the Wind from its streaming service because of its depiction of the domestic slave. Do you agree with that?

             And I asked you more broadly about book banning because I wanted to get to the heart of why we consider book banning wrong. Books represent ideas and information. In an open society we generally want access to different ideas – even ones we might consider subversive – like Catcher in the Rye in the 1940s, for instance. Dissent is good sometimes.

             Would you consider social media and podcasts and independent YouTube videos to be our modern equivalent of books, and are they legitimate ways to spread ideas and information?

             Within this book banning debate and how book banning is generally a bad thing in an open society, how would you frame banning Joe Rogan’s podcast? Do you think he should be censored and banned?

             1. Patch, the efforts to ban books like “Lady Chatterly” or “Catcher” were not with regard to children, it was an effort to get them off bookshelves. I never had interest in reading Dr. Seuss, but the pulling of a few titles was done by the heirs or their own publishing company, not because of outside pressure. I do not like Charles Blow’s writing at all, I cannot be responsible for everyone on the so-called Left who wants to ban this or that. But today I read that in at least one library in Texas, they pulled one or more Harry Potter books, but left in Hitler’s book.

                I agree with you that there should be little censorship, that people should have access to all bu the most pernicious of works , such as those which advocate the killing of a race or religion of people, for example. I am not tech-savvy, but I think that social media is a big problem, disseminating hate speech, and helping violent people find each other via algorithms on the sites. I don’t know how that can be fixed, except by millions of people unsubscribing from them, and at least some moderating by those who own them. As to Rogan, I had scarcely heard of him until lately; but putting out untruths about covid is very dangerous to others. He revels in it, and gets rich from it. Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren pulling their playlist from Spotify is a good step, maybe the only power that some people have to protest, and make it expensive for those who profit from this.

          2. William,

             Congresswoman Katie Porter is no economic whiz. She is no more intelligent then AOC who majored in Economics.
             I live in this country and I DO NOT HAVE $354 MORE DOLLARS EVERY MONTH COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.
             Do you believe everything the libs tell you? That is the problem. Our country as a whole has become more dumb over the years. It starts in the corrupt school system and filtrates throughout society.
             Unfortunately only a civil war is going to fix the problem as both sides are so far apart that compromising is a thing from the past.

18. Not my blog, but I’ll again reiterate that publishing for free viewing content that costs money is unethical (IMHO ONLY).

    I pay for Baseball America. I pay for content I consider good.

    As the economists would say, we shouldn’t enable free riders.

    1. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. They do not mind if you post a few excerpts and they appreciate it if you provide a line to buy it. The way I do it, I have never had a complaint, but thank yous many times.

19. CBA News: MLB has requested a federal mediator be brought in to help with the negotiations. That will only happen if the players agree to it.

    If they do, I suggest they make sure that the mediator is not named Manfred.

    1. It will likely be someone who has some knowledge of baseball but is not associated with either side.

       1. Yes and yes but that still doesn’t insure a solution because it isn’t binding arbitration.

    2. I was thinking about this. This is really the best solution – have an outside interest who can weigh the overall policy implications of each side’s demands and find a solution that doesn’t hurt the game long term for the benefit of a short term victory over the other side.

       Even Marvin Miller NEVER advocated for true free agency. There had to be some reserve clause holdover and team control of young players. He understood it would hurt the overall competitiveness of the game if only the rich teams monopolized talent. Tampa Bay is the best run organization in baseball because they do it under scarcity pressure. They can only manage this because they have some team control of young talent.

       1. I’m sure there are people here who know a lot more about arbitration than I do, but my understanding is that unless this is binding arbitration (and neither side would agree to that), the arbitrator just serves as someone to keep the sides talking. He doesn’t offer solutions.

       2. Eh, I’ve decided my reply is stupid and added nothing.

          Can Mark please delete it?

20. Okay, here goes. I was a lifelong Democrat. Became that way when JFK was president. Him getting assassinated was one of the worse days for me. But I stuck with the party while I was in the military. I despised Johnson though, and had little use for Richard Nixon. Gerald Ford was president just long enough to get his buddy off of the hook with a presidential pardon. After I left the Army, and Ford left office, I did not really follow politics all that much. It was work, and family. I had no time for political BS. Carter came along, and I thought he was just too nice of a guy to be president. No cojones. Then the hostage debacle, the failed rescue attempt. To me, he was every bit inept as Biden is now. Reagan had been the governor in California, so I was not real fond of him either. I was more concerned with commercial driving laws and my music. Baseball was a release from all the day to day stuff. Then along came slick Willie. The guy just never resonated with me. I did not vote for him. The other thing that kept me away from politics was all the back stabbing going on. And you read it every damn day in the papers. Well at least I was still reading them back then. But, I was on the road a lot, did not watch the news or listen to it when I was driving. So all the info I got came from USA Today since it was in every truck stop in the country. When 9-11 happened, I was at the JB Hunt terminal in South Gate. So for most of the next day, since everything closed down, we watched the news. Did I believe all the WMD stuff? Probably, because most of the reports said the CIA felt Saddam had them. As for Bush, I am pretty sure although he was not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, that he listened, like Johnson had over Viet Nam, to his top military and intelligence people and made his decisions based on their recommendations. At that point, when Obama ran, I was so far away from the Dems that I registered as an independent. Which I still do. For me, tying myself to one party’s political agenda just did not work. After what happened in Benghazi, there was no way I could ever vote for Hillary. You have to understand that in my eyes, both her and Obama were guilty of leaving those people unprotected in a hostile environment. Why did I vote for Trump? The reason was simple. he was not a politician. He was not part of the I do this for a living old boys network. He was a maverick, a loudmouth, abusive, and about as blunt as they come. He brought a business mans perspective to the office. Corrupt? I do not know, I have no evidence, but I doubt there are very few career politicians who are not dirty in some way. I have gotten that cynical. I do not trust the federal government at all. They all have their own agenda’s. And anyone who says they put the needs of the country and its citizens above all else, is delusional. Our border is a sieve. Our biggest enemies have little respect for the people in charge.

    1. I disagree with some of what you wrote, but you’re clearly open minded, you’re not a tool, you’re honest. You are a patriot. Much respect.

       1. And this is how we should discuss things. You can disagree with things people say, but we should respect honesty.

       2. Thank you Ray. I appreciate that. We all have our own opinions on politics and politicians. I have always had very little use for any of them. They run the country, I run my life. My patriotism comes from my family and love of country. It has not always been right in it’s actions, the all men are created equal part has never been exactly correct. We persecuted our share of people based on race or creed. We almost exterminated the American Indians in the quest for more land and living space. Race has always been a problem, and since WWII we have become the worlds police force. It is no surprise that two of the largest countries in the world are our enemies per se. Yet we have commerce with both. My problem with the cancel culture is simply, they think you change history by removing all reminders of it. I think you learn from it and get better. Hauling down a statue is not going to change what happened and history, no matter how bad is not just going to go away.

    2. Bear, I respect your positions here. I will note that the House had eleven hearings on Benghazi, at the end of which Republican Chairman Trey Gowdy admitted that there was nothing to blame Hillary for. I consider Trump to be the most corrupt President in history, he viewed the office as his private bank, and stole hundreds of millions in every way he could. I am not sure that the country will ever recover from his one term.

       1. Ok William, I like you to show one provable fact that he stole ONE million much less HUNDREDS of millions.

          waiting……………

          1. I like how people request something and then five seconds and one paragraph later, intone they are waiting!

             Talk about immediate gratification.

       2. Of course, that is not provable at all and not backed by any facts whatsoever. It may be that he was the least corrupt of all presidents, but he was the most bombastic and narcissistic. “he viewed the office as his private bank, and stole hundreds of millions in every way he could.” When you make a statement like that I think I am dealing with a clinically insane person. All of your credibility just went down the sewer! Now I understand! Trump is probably the only President in history who left office poorer than when he came in.

          1. He’s not insane. He’s just credulous and only consumes information that confirms his worldview. The more he consumes it, the deeper into his echo chamber he goes – to the point where he sounds insane to others.

             So, William. If you have some more info on your claim that Trump stole money I’ll take a look.

          2. I wouldn’t even know where to start, but how about making sure that every world meeting held in this country was held at a Trump-owned building, where the prices were raised? How about never accounting for the money taken in at the inauguration and where it was disbursed? Why has Trump never released his tax records, when every other candidate has? Why did the Russians buy Trump properties at a massive overprice? Oh, well, maybe he will get elected again and bankrupt the country beyond all repair; people will figure it out eventually. I do note that there is no one else on the site who agrees with my positions, this in a state where Trump lost something like 60-40%, so clearly this is a self-skewed sample, which is fine, but not any indication that the majority here is right, just the futility of arguing with them about it.

             1. William, there are many on this site (although probably not the majority) who agree with your positions, but speaking only for myself, I don’t comment here on politics and I’ll tell you why.

                When having a conversation on a subject, it should be a back and forth on the merits of certain facts and how they should be dealt with.

                When the two people in the discussion are dealing from totally opposite banks of facts and neither is willing to admit the other person’s facts are real, it is impossible to have a discussion.

                When we discuss baseball, every website will list the same batting average for Freddie Freeman so we can discuss the merits of whether it’s worth it to sign him.

                But when you try to discuss politics and can’t even agree on the facts at hand, it’s just not worth it because neither side will change it’s mind.

                And that’s why I tune out the politics here. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. I just don’t have to participate. And according to RC Ray (that incredibly virile man amongst men) that makes me less of a man.

       3. Gee whiz, 11? I don’t trust the house anymore than I trust the moron in the White House now. Listen, the president and the secretary of state are responsible for the safety of all of the diplomats overseas. Clinton and Obama had plenty of time to send help, and they did not. They could sit in a room and watch Seal Team Six take out Osama, but they did not have time to save four Americans surrounded in a small compound from being executed? What the hell were they doing there in the first place? Benghazi was one of the most dangerous places in the world at the time. I care less what you think about Trump. I am discussing Benghazi. You do not protect your people to the best of your ability, you are guilty of dereliction of duty. Had those been military personnel there instead of civilian contractors, the commanders would have been relieved of duty. Get your head out of your proverbial rear receptacle and see the big picture. Quit believing the BS the media hands out. Try reading the story by the people who were there.

    3. I believed the WMD stuff at the time, too. This is what happens when a mainstream media doesn’t ask tough questions and when there’s group think. I still remember a debate on one of the Networks between Pat Buchanan, who has always been more of an isolationist, and Newt Gingrich, who was advocating all kinds of military adventures to bring American style democracy to the world. It made me laugh when Pat started calling him “Field Marshall Gingrich.”

       And I generally agree with your assessment of Trump. He was a jerk. In a way this was almost refreshing in a politician. We’re so used to them being oily and talking like they’re reading from a script written by a PR flack. He was a jerk, but at least he was an authentic jerk. It’s working class people like you who got him elected, because the Democratic party – who used to be the party of the working class – has changed and become a party of over educated elites who hold working class people in contempt. To them, you are a basketful of deplorables. That’s why Hillary lost.

       1. Totally agree. One of the reasons I like the Matt Damon film, Green Zone so much. It stripped away the BS that was handed out about WMD’s and the way the CIA handled intellegence.

21. William, Biden’s economy has fallen short on job numbers each quarter. So, while GDP is up, it should have rebounded higher. You seem to be ignoring empty shelves and the higher prices everywhere.

    Texas isn’t having books removed from libraries, they are having books with sexual content removed from elementary school libraries. Look into the details, don’t just read the headlines.

    If our biggest threat was climate change, why did Biden close the XL pipeline and remove sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? Obviously climate change doesn’t affect Russia? If we aren’t doing anything about climate change in regards to Russia and China, it isn’t the problem that they’re making you think it is.

    Why are they pushing electric vehicles and hybrids so fervently? Hybrids only get slightly better mileage, but need rare earth metals that cause devastating pollution in the countries where they mine the materials that are needed. The spent batteries aren’t being recycled because it’s cheaper to exploit cheap labor in third world countries to keep mining the raw materials for new batteries.

    Mark is exactly right about your insane statement regarding Trump using his office as his private bank. Are you ignoring all the allegations about Biden accepting China money? How did the Biden family become so rich as a career politician? Ditto for Pelosi and Obama?

    1. B and P, you can add “16 of the 20 lowest unemployment states have Republican governors” to the discussion about Biden’s unemployment rate.

       1. In that context is lowest good or bad?

          1. I guess that depends upon your perspective. I could argue either way. That is part of what makes it so confounding. It’s like in my business. We have companies that do things like SEO, PPC, and the like for our website and we spend millions for this. They come to us with statistics that show that “organic ppc is up 17%, while time on the site has increased 33% and blah, blah, blah.” I say “What did the bottom line show?” Show me the money. Figures don’t lie, but liard figure!

       2. I really don’t care about any of the numbers when I’m paying so much more for everything I buy. Any idiot can see that life under Biden is hurting everyone, but some people will turn on the news and believe the people who constantly lie instead of their own lying eyes.

    2. Removed sanctions on Nord Stream and begged OPEC to pump more oil.

22. Over at Dodgersway.com a possible trade for Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez would consist of Lux, Andy Pages, Landon Knack and Jose Ramos. What say you guys?

    1. A big fat NO!

       Baseball writers are so damn lazy and Dodgersway.com has the worst of the worst writing for them.

       Just a few years ago, you could have had just about anyone straight up for Lux. Lux is coming off his best month of pro ball during a pennant race last year while learning a new position. I think he’s ready to shine and they have a hole he fits into. Letting Corey walk shows that they value Lux.

       Add in the fact that Lux can play CF, SS and 2B. It’s clear that it makes no sense in trading him now and certainly not with 2 other top prospects.

       I would love to sign Freeman because he’s a generational type hitter. I would love to trade for Ramirez for the same reason, but not at that price. Remember, they sent K-Bear and Gray to the Nats for Sherzer and Turner. I don’t see them giving up more for a player who’s value is probably equal to Turner to fill a hole that doesn’t need to be filled. Not when there’s quite a few very good bats on the free agent market.

    2. Just looked over there. One scenario they had was Cartaya, Pepiot and Beeter.

       The Dodgers would be overpaying for his two years of control. Then what? All of these bills will eventually come due.

       TT needs to get paid. Buehler’s gonna need to get paid. Urias is gonna need to get paid. Bellinger is gonna need to get paid, Muncy is gonna need to get paid. Now Ramirez is gonna need to get paid. Add to that the money the Dodgers are already paying Betts. How is that sustainable?

       Cartaya is a future perennial All Star – and he’ll be under team control for a long time. Same with all of these prospects. They are all talent that is affordable, and their affordability allows the team to spend on expensive players. You can’t just have all expensive stars. Even the Dodgers can’t afford that.

       Will Smith can slide over to 3rd when Cartaya comes up, or Vargas might emerge as a replacement at third.

       1. Between Smith, Cartaya and K-Bear, Cartaya is supposed to be the best of the bunch. I don’t think you need two all-star level catchers, so Smith will probably move to 3b or 2b in the future or become a huge trade chip. Vargas and Busch have bats that should carry them to the MLB, but you might not need both and it’s probably early to tell which one becomes expendable. I think it’s best to trade a prospect at their highest value like they did with K-Bear, and before they show warts like Gray. I don’t think we’re at that point with Busch or Vargas yet.

          I also think that Yurchak and Fat-Boy Lewis are the next prospects to start to shine. Both have some serious hitting skills with Yurchak’s contact and Lewis’ power potential. Smart GM’s would be patient and assume a little risk to get a better return for a guy like Ramirez. Lewis and Beeter might look like a steal for the GuardIndians in the future.

          1. Yurchak hasn’t been protected from the Rule 5 draft. I’ll be very surprised if he isn’t taken by someone. I agree that he has some serious hitting skills. No power, but he excels at everything else, hitting related.

    3. Well if they said it, it’s bound to happen. They have a direct-line to Andrew!

23. MLB Trade Rumors reports that MLB suggested a federal mediator be use to help negotiations and that the Union has declined. They mistakenly suggested that mediation didn’t make any sense because MLB hadn’t made a counter-offer to the Union’s latest demand. They don’t know how labor mediation works.

    If MLB had made a new offer then the onus would be on the Union to counter. A mediator’s involvement isn’t predicated on who made the last offer or whether a counter was on the table. A mediator’s job is to take an objective look at the entire situation and to try to find potential avenues for agreement. Part of this is to look for weaknesses in each side’s position. Part of this is to suggest alternatives that haven’t yet been considered by the parties. There are many facets, but MLB suggesting mediation means that they don’t believe that they can reach agreement without the intervention of a third-party neutral.

    The Union’s refusal means a number of things. One is that they don’t plan on giving additional ground on key issues at the current time. Another is they are playing “hardball” and are displaying their willingness to dig in their heels and thus don’t care if the season is delayed. (The players don’t get paid during the off-season and a delay would mean that players under contract would not get paid after the season is supposed to start).

    MLB has used federal mediation to assist with bargaining in the past, and a mediator was brought in after the disastrous 1994 season. The process can help if the parties are willing to settle. A mediator won’t help if the parties aren’t ready to settle yet or if they are still so far apart that he can’t help bridge the difference.

    The fact that the Union declines mediation means that we are no where close to resolution.

    1. Exactly, and I for one am fed up with both of them. The ones paying the price will be the fans.

       1. Not so sure about that.
          I think the ones paying the price are those who depend on baseball for their livelihood. Those who work for the teams, those work for the players, those who work at the stadiums. It’s pretty easy to be a fan.

          1. Yes, but we will miss it. Now, I’ll have to do something to improve my intellect… God knows I need that!

          2. Fans always foot the bill because when they do come back, who is going to spend massive amounts of money for entertainment???? The worst part of no fans in the stands was the poor schmucks who sell hot dogs, toss peanuts, and point drunken fans to their seats lost an entire season of work. But they recouped some because they could claim unemployment. Someone always pays, and you do not see the owners or players going hungry. And anyone, who depends on 81 days of work for his money, is just a little wacky. I drove trucks for years, and still supplemented my income playing music.

    2. Regardless of what the facts are, most people are going to think the optics look bad for the union.

       In MLB, the valuation of the highest valued team is almost 6 times the valuation of the lowest valued team. In the NFL the disparity is only 3X and the teams in the middle are a lot closer. Baseball has devolved into 33% are haves and 66% are have nots!

       If I were the owners, I would try and bust the union, institute a hard salary cap, and mandate revenue sharing while banning tanking. Otherwise, baseball is going to die a slow and painful death. We may not have baseball for a long time.

       1. Baseball has ALWAYS had haves and have nots. The Yankees have always bought up players from other teams. The joke was that the KC A’s were a Yankees’ farm team – a guy named Roger Maris was on the A’s first.
          https://247sports.com/mlb/athletics/Article/Athletics-History-KC-As-Yankees-Pipeline-104402240/

          Lots of times, bad poor teams like the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and went to the World Series in ’66, ’69, ’70, 71, 79 and ’83. There’s an ebb and flow and it hasn’t killed baseball yet. Some teams are well run and some aren’t. Branch Rickey goes to the Cardinals and invents the farms system and they win. He goes to the Dodgers, breaks the color barrier and he wins. He goes to the Pirates in 1950 and they win the Series by 1960.

          The Red Sox were horrible – they didn’t win more than 84 games between 1952-1966. Yet they were the same big money team that they are now – but they weren’t well run.

24. They are going to cost us games again. Story on Twitter says Freeman will sign with either the Dodgers or Red Sox after the lockout. I think he is pretty fed up with the Braves.

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