It’s pretty obvious to me what Andrew Friedman is doing. I was going to say “trying to do” but no, he is actually doing it. He has all but PROMISED the 2B job to Miguel Vargas, and he has four older guys (Taylor, Peralta, Heyward, and Thompson) fighting for two positions in the Outfield. I believe that he believed that introducing one rookie at a time was the way to go, but now James Outman has gone and screwed up that plan. One of those four outfielders might not make it out of Spring Training, and the other three may not see the end of the season. Yes, really!
Unless James Hitman (credit to Mushers’ Pop) tanks the last 15 games of the season, he has won the CF job. Full Stop! So, now Andrew Friedman has two (count ’em 2) rookies in the lineup. He really did not want to do that, but James Hitman is forcing him. Jason Heyward would be a “feel good” story, and man, he has worked hard this past Winter and Spring, but old habits are hard to break, and I do not see any consistency in his swing. He looks great in one swing and totally lost in the next one.
I do not believe in Trayce Thompson and do not believe he will survive the season… much less half the season. David Peralta will hit RH pitchers and could be traded at the deadline. We don’t know which Chris Taylor will show up this year, but if it is the Good CT3, he is very tradable. Do you see where I am going with this? By the All-Star break, CT3, Peralta, Heyward, and Thompson could all be gone. Teams will need help, and CT3 and David Peralta could ride to the rescue. The Dodgers could get some more low-level prospects for them. Heyward and Thompson could have no value, so they would be released.
What then? Well, Eric and Bradley think some big trades could be coming. I see some Big Hitters coming from the Farm. The Dodgers have several hitters who are close to ready and may be ready by mid-season, including Andy Pages, Mike Busch, Jonny DeLuca, and Eddys Leonard. Could this be the lineup after the All-Star Break?
- Betts RF
- Vargas 2B
- Freeman 1B
- Martinez DH
- Muncy 3B
- Smith C
- Outman CF
- Busch/Pages LF
- Rojas SS
Bring on the Kids! Screw the Luxury Tax!
… and then I woke up! It’s not a bad Idea!
News & Notes
- Cody Bellinger is hitting .174 this Spring for the Cubs with a .457 OPS! 0 HR, and 1 extra-base hit. Ouch!
- Edwin Rios is at .167 with 2 HR and 1 Triple.
- Gavin Lux’s surgery revealed Damage to his LCL and ACL, and Doc said, “It’s more than a strain.” This is not good news.
- Dave Roberts is changing his tune about JD Martinez playing LF. JDM made a nice running catch over the weekend, and it only makes sense to let him play LF to get Will Smith’s bat into the game more. I think he might play LF 10-15 times when a tough LHP is on the mound, allowing another RH bat (Smith) into the lineup. JDM says he likes to play LF and finished 2nd in Gold Glove voting once.
- Of course, JDM is hitting .172 as well… but…
If you want to read the story about RVS and Craig Wallenbrock and their work with JDM, here’s the link to a great piece written last week by Rowan Kavner on Fox Sports: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/can-the-dodger-who-fixed-j-d-martinezs-swing-get-the-best-out-of-him-again
Peter Gammons who followed JD in Boston says this:
Bellinger actually hit a homer in a B game last week so it is not showing up on his stats. I saw the video. He creamed that pitch. Dansby Swanson is worse. He is hitting .053 this spring.
Of those 4 players you mentioned above I like Jonny DeLuca. Pages has also looked good. He has a great arm. These kids are starting and playing 5 innings against starting pitchers. Usually the farm kids play the last 4 innings and batting against young pitchers. Hard to evaluate. The WBC has given these young kids an opportunity and they have taken advantage of the opportunity.
Right now Taylor looks like the 2022 version. Not good. Thompson is the one I do not think will make it. You are right. Peralta, Heywood and Taylor need to play well early or they will be gone. We could have 3-4 rookies playing by mid year. That will blow Friedman’s mind.
Note to Bradley. I could not answer your last post, but I do have a suggestion for you that will answer all of your questions about the pitch clock. Buy a baseball rules book. Rick Monday suggested that the other day on the broadcast. As with all new rules, the clock rule is going to be tweaked as it progresses. I am pretty sure they will set a limit as to how many pitch clock violations a pitcher can have before he gets the old heave ho.
Not giving Outman the CF job is a dope fiend move. He’s a junkyard dog. 5 out of 4 people agree.
But Bellinger is coming off an injury (5 years ago!) and plays gold glove defense (not) and he’s only costing 20 mil
Watching Joc hang in for a career I gotta say the bigger talent with Belli is going to find a niche somewhere. He could end up back here in year/two.
Actually the Cubs are out closer to 40 mil. Bellingers salary plus what they are paying Heywood to play for LA. He is on the last year of that guaranteed contract. A perfect reason for LA to keep him. If he gets added to the 40-man roster he only costs them the major league minimum which is around 750 thousand.
Can we never have a Dodger play in the WBC again please.
I wish they would just scrap the whole dadgum thing….
And yes I know guys can get hurt in ST as well, see Lux, but I just dont get the while WBC thing at all….
Freeman officially out of the WBC at the request of the Dodgers.
Peralta hit RH pitching well last year (.778) and the Dodgers are paying him plenty. He’s in the plans. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Heyward/Thompson in center. Frankly I think Outman is a better choice than Peralta, but what do I know.
I’m still surprised, after seeing the side view of Lux’s injury, the PCL isn’t being mentioned. Whatever, it could take two years. I’d suggest he loses that twenty pounds he put on. I agree with whoever first said outfield may be a good place for him to begin his comeback.
Glad to see Freeman coming back to camp. Would rather see all of them back, moving at a different tempo toward Opening Day. I’ve read many believe playing is playing, but the pressures of the games at the WBC appear different than the games in Glendale.
That said, we are now only a few days away from the ST games meaning a lot more. Time for a few guys to start turning it up.
I questioned whether the extra weight he added contributed to his injury. More muscle = Same Ligaments.
I have always thought Lux should play OF and have been roundly criticized for it.
Lux looked like a hitter going into spring training and less like a shortstop with the added bulk. Will he be another Bobby Valentine?
Just for the record I don’t necessarily believe a big trade is coming for a position player. But that’s ok Mark.
I don’t think the Dodgers want to go that young like Mark talked about up top. But I do agree with Mark that Peralta, Heyward, Thompson are all on the bubble.
So I was thinking Outman in CF. Peralta (my guess of those 3) and Taylor platooning in LF. I was also thinking about a right handed bat (that hits LHP good) from the minors coming out of spring training that would make the team and platoon with Peralta to free Taylor to be the starting SS. I was thinking Deluca because Pages is considered a better prospect and the Dodgers probably want him to get at bats and wait to make sure he is ready since he has only completed AA and didn’t do very good there. But Deluca and Pages just got optioned the other day. So I think that plan has been delayed but eventually will happen.
So:
Start of the season:
Betts, Smith, Muncy, Martinez, Freeman in whatever order are 1-5. Outman is 6th. Vargas, Rojas, Peralta/Taylor platoon, in whatever order are 7-9.
Sometime later in the season Deluca (maybe Pages) is inserted in the platoon with Peralta, freeing Taylor to be the starting SS and Rojas goes back to the utility guy that the Dodgers got him for until Lux went down.
Later in the season:
Betts, Smith, Muncy, Martinez, Freeman in whatever order are 1-5. Outman is 6th. Vargas, Taylor, Peralta/DeLuca platoon (maybe Pages) in whatever order are 7-9.
I don’t think Busch (a LHB who didn’t do all that good in AAA) has an opening on the team, because LF needs a RHB and Busch will have to wait until next year.
With the banning of the shift, Miguel Rojas should start every game possible at SS. Having a defensive wizard at SS is critical… which is part of the reason TT is not back and why AF traded for him in the first place.
I don’t think AF traded for Rojas to be the starting SS, that was Lux’s job to be the starting SS. I think Rojas was traded for all along to be the infield utility guy. He is taking over for Hanser Alberto from last year. I know you think Hanser was there only to hit LHP but he only had one out of this world excellent full year and another partial year hitting LHP and that inflated his career numbers against LHP. So he was there last year to be the utility infielder that Rojas is there for this year.
Hanser Alberto was there to hit LHP. Period! His glove was not great.
Actually, Rojas was brought in to play SS if Lux could not. Alberto pitched twice as many games last year(10) as he played SS (5).
I’ll bet Rojas starts over 130 games at SS unless he is injured.
Think about it T Turner was the everyday starter last year at SS. Alberto was there for 2B and 3B.
Rojas was brought in as a utility guy.
“I don’t think AF traded for Rojas to be the starting SS“
He didn’t. I think it has been widely accepted Rojas was signed to back up all infield positions. But he’s at short now, and a full season of him out there will yield 2 WAR, and most of that will be defensive. Hey, somebody has to hit 9th.
Mark, I think TT not being back has nothing to do with his defense and everything to do with money. Seager and Turner both left because other teams valued them more than we did. So be it. We have I believe 8 guys with 8 figure contracts. The big payroll hits of course are Freeman, Betts and Kershaw, none of them $30 million, yet. Betts hits that figure next year. We’ll see who we might add, and lose, when the time comes. In the meantime, it’s quite possible, maybe even likely, we cruise as is until July.
There are about $300 Million reasons why the Dodgers did not sign him, but I think his glove will be exposed without the shift.
I agree on the July date!
When we say the Dodgers management iswary of getting too young, or “letting the kids play,” it’s important to remember that Outman and Busch are both 25–not exactly kids–and that getting stuck in the minors figures to reduce their trade value. Other teams can reasonably wonder why Dodger brass prefers past-their-prime veterans to rising prospects. Peralta is a solid veteran, and Heyward is a reclamation project–but if their presence serves to block guys like Outman and Busch, what’s the benefit?
Even now we don’t know whether Outman will make the opening day roster, even though he has surely earned it.
Also, remember that Vargas, at 23, isn’t really some sort of prodigy like Trout, Acuna, Soto and some others. I think theJulio Rodriguez was 21 and Michael Harris was 22 when they won the ROY awards. They added youthful energy to their clubs.
Speaking of youthful energy, does anyone know why Dalton Rushing wasn’t invited to Spring training? He’s 21 and had a really impressive debut in the minors. The Dodgers knew that Smith and Barnes would be in the WBC, so why not bring in another catcher–especially one who seems to have such a bright future. Unless he’s hurt, I guess I’ll interpret the decision NOT to invite Rushing as another sign of how conservative and stodgy the Dodgers really are.
Let the aging veterans play!!!
Taylor is going to play left sometimes, but he is the backup short stop and Roberts said he is going to play anywhere from 20 to 25 percent of the games there. So for a quarter of the games, he is going to be unavailable to play left.
All of these estimates of playing time that Doc tosses out there are just that: estimates. Already Doc has revised Mookie’s starts at 2B from 40 to 20.
Injuries are likely to be a big factor in all of these decisions. Imagine that Max gets hurt. Who plays 3B? Perhaps the best option now would be Yonny or Luke Williams. Yes, Taylor could do it–but we also want him platooning in the OF, right?
Right now it seems obvious that the Dodgers have a surplus of outfielders and need another UT guy instead. Outman has options–and for that reason he isn’t a lock to make the OD roster, though he has certainly earned it. Yonny could get the last spot .
A simple deal like Trayce-for-IKF makes sense but isn’t exactly exciting. I’d prefer that the Dodgers use some of their prospect capital to go after a better talent.
Yes, we can expect the Dodgers to upgrade at the midseason when we have a better idea of what is needed. Could be at SS, could be in the outfield. But there is an obvious need right now. The roster is out of whack,.
Thompson-Kiner-Falefa never gets made. It is not needed. And he is not that good. If they want a guy who can play infield and outfield, why not just sign Juricson Profar??? Better yet, Jonathan Villar. They are still out there as is Andrelton Simmons.
Rojas will be the starting shortstop. Taylor will be the utility infielder and outfielder. Unless Hernandez makes the team then he is the utility infielder. Taylor will not be the starter at short unless Rojas gets injured. The only way Rojas doesn’t start is if the Dodgers trade for a starter.
Dodgers renewed the contract of Michael Grove and did the same for Andrew Toles so he can continue to receive care.
That’s a mitzah.
That it is.
Dodgers moved on from Justin Turner and they very well could move on from Heyward. Both good teammates and good clubhouse guys.
Is $5MM enough payroll to retain in order to trade Taylor?
CF Outman
RF Betts
1B Freeman
C Smith
3B Muncy
DH Martinez
LF Thompson / Peralta
2B Vargas
SS Rojas
Who would be interested in CT at a $15M per year price tag? Given his recent performance he is severely overpaid.
Bellinger makes 17.5 id say we got a bargain for CT3 and I expect a big year for him….
CT3 was not good in 2022 but is he were to put up a year as he did in 2017 to 2020, then a lot of teams would be interested.
9:05 PM ET vs Rockies at Glendale
SP Austin Gomber L
0-0 .00 ERA
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B M. Vargas R
LF Chris Taylor R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Martinez R
CF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
RF James Outman L
1B Devin Mann R
C P. Mazeika L
Rain
35% Rain
65° Wind 7 mph R-L
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Freddie Freeman said Opening Day is NOT in doubt #Dodgers
Dave Roberts described Freddie Freeman’s hamstring injury as “mild” and said his opening day status is “not a concern at all” right now
I didn’t realize that the guy who wrote the song in “Midnight Cowboy” (“Everybody’s Talking” sung by Nilsson) is the same guy who did one of my favorite songs ever: Fred Neil and “The Dolphins”
Cool.
And I did not realize until I watched an episode of the Graham Norton show, that the actress in Jurassic World, all three films, which I love by the way, is Ron Howard’s daughter. Never heard of Fred Neil, but then many songwriters are pretty anonymous unless they start performing their own stuff. Eddie Rabbitt wrote Kentucky Rain for Elvis, then went on to a successful country music career until he passed away. Biggest hit was probably, Driving My Life Away and I Love a Rainy Night.
I always thought Burt Bacharach wrote that song. Cool lyrics.
Tonight’s game rained out.
Crap!
WBC claims another soul.
Edwin Diaz of the Mets. Their star closer was carried off of the field after suffering a knee injury. Not good for the Mets. What is worse is that he suffered the injury celebrating their win.