Fans are still thinking about the offseason and espousing that the Dodgers need to sign a couple of starting pitchers. This is especially true after Julio Urias was arrested yesterday under charges of Felony Domestic Violence. They throw out names like Jack Flaherty, Marcus Stroman, Jordon Montgomery, and others. I would liken signing any of those guys to playing Russian Roulette. After you sign them, most of the time, you will end up with fewer brains! That reminds me of a skit by the Comedian Wild Bill Bauer about Russian Roulette.
I have never played the game, and nor will I ever play it, and I think Andrew Friedman is smart enough not to play it as well. If you want to get a glimpse of starting pitchers whom Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes might acquire, look no further than the past five:
- Lance Lynn (Total Cost: $7.5 Million) – He is a solid pitcher who was having his worst year, pitching in an expiring contract with no further obligations. The Dodgers were hoping that a tweak here and there could make him an effective starter – so far, it is working! The $7.5 million listed as his contract ($6.5 Million pro rata) will likely be bought out for $1 Million Dollars. The Dodgers are not going to pay him $18 Million for next year… maybe $10 Million!
- Noah Syndergaard (Total Cost: $13 Million) – Thor came to the Dodgers with the hopes he could be fixed. Sadly, it was a total failure. But AF got Ramirez for him… so there is that!
- Tyler Anderson (Total Cost: $8 Million) – Tyler was the total antithesis of Noah Syndergaard. He came to the Dodgers with a career ERA of over 4.25, and the Dodgers weaved their magic with him. However, they refused to sign him to a three-year deal, and he left… only to revert back to what he once was.
- Andrew Heaney (Total Cost: $8.5 Million) – He was another success story… until he got hurt.
- Trevor Bauer (Total Cost: $65 Million) – Andrew Friedman was prepared to pay him $105 Million over just three years, but we all know what happened, as he was a total bust for the Dodgers. Never speak of this again!
One only has to look at the past to figure out what is going to happen in 2024. You are playing Fantasy Baseball, but Andrew Friedman is playing Reality Baseball. Lots of and here wished for Stephen Strasburg, who was fresh off carrying the Washington Nationals to a World Championship in 2019 and was the MVP. The Nats signed him to a $245 Million deal, and he has never thrown another pitch. He is now out of baseball, and the Nats have to pay him every dime.
Quick! How many long-term Big Dollar contracts with pitchers pay off? Gerrit Cole… maybe, but beyond that, it is a game of Russian Roulette! The Yankees signed Carlos Rodon to a deal through 2028, which pays him $140 Million after this season, and he has been total crap! Plenty of Dodger fans begged AF to sign him. Let me give you some advice: Don’t play Russian Roulette! Keep growing your own! Sign a “Project” occasionally – if they don’t pan out, it doesn’t hamstring you. Anderson, Heaney, Syndergaard. Oh, you will hear that the Dodgers are “in on X Player” – that is just Russian Disinformation!
The Dodgers might sign Lance Lynn for the right price, and there might be another signing, but most of you won’t like it. It will be for someone like Tyler Anderson, and people with sight will not like it. Andrew Friedman has vision. Grow them on the Farm and maybe trade for or buy a pitcher you believe has “upside.” Stay away from Free Agency. It ain’t “Free.”
What About Julio Urias?
I have NO OPINION about Julio. Maybe he is a woman beater and a misogynist, or maybe he is not! There are plenty of wife-beaters out there, and they need to be throttled. I would give them a choice of prison or having someone beat the hell out of them. It’s never OK to beat a woman (and it’s never OK for a transgender man to compete with real women … but I digress).
On the other hand, maybe his wife is Fucking Crazy, and when she doesn’t get her way, she does this stupid stuff. It does happen. Men are not perfect, and neither are women. I have no clue, but if he beat her, then shame on him. It could also be a “shame on her.” This requires Due Process of Law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment! The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause guarantees procedural due process, meaning that government actors must follow certain procedures before they may deprive a person of a protected life, liberty, or property interest.
Julio was accused of a misdemeanor once before, but she said that she “slipped.” Whatever! I have no clue what is happening, but if he sticks with her and she is that freaking crazy… that is on him! It could be totally on him… or it could be on her. Time will tell… maybe!
We know very little about this, so I will not jump to any conclusions.
Not thinking about the offseason at all, enjoying this season very much. What happens to Urias, happens. Got games to be played no need to whine or whimper. Love the young pitching we have in the organization, we will be just fine. Lots of positives for years to come.
Game 1: Kershaw
G2: Miller
G3: Lynn
G4: Pepiot/Yarbrough
I guess Buehler exists too.
Ugh.
Oh well. At least this simplifies the postseason rotation a bit. The good news is that Buhler seems ready to step back on the mound. And maybe Gavin Stone could get another look. Sure do wish we also Eduardo Rodriguez right now. (Eduardo probably does.)
Assuming good health, the rotation could be Kershaw, Miller, Buhler, Lynn…..
Rooting hard for Striker returning at (nearly) his (before TJ) former self by the playoffs. That would definitely move the needle for the Dodgers WS prospects.
It was reported that AF wanted Tyler Anderson to take the one-year qualifying offer– $19.65 million–but Anderson opted for the security of a 3-year deal at lower AAV from the Angels. He hasn’t had a good season, but we don’t know how well he’d be pitching with the Dodgers.
Unfortunately, AF gave a three-year deal at $34m AAV to the wrong pitcher….
Yes, considering the Dodgers’ Prior coaching, superior medical/conditioning staff, and his success from last year,..it’s not hard imagining Anderson pitching much better for the Dodgers this season than he has for the Angels.
One last comment on the previous mascot article–
It was said that mascots exist mostly to annoy the opposing team .. maybe so. But that definitely wasn’t the case with the famed Crazy Ray (real name Wilford Jones) of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys–who roamed the stands and sidelines during home games as the team’s “unofficial” mascot for 46 yrs up until his passing in 2007. Long-time DC fans will always remember him as a beloved figure because he supremely entertained THEM much more than he “annoyed” the other team.
Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Greinke’s deal was six years, but he opted out. He continued to pitch well. So, it does happen. Greinke originally wanted 7 years, $175 million. They should have done it with no opt out. The opt out was Colletti’s idea.
More likely to Mark’s point, most long term pitcher contracts end badly.
Too much injury risk or simply a failure to stay at a high level.
Then again, many big contracts go bad. Just ask the Angels about Anthony Rendon. Glad he didn’t like Hollywood.
A short term deal with Flaherty would be worthy of a look. He needs to show that he can be elite in order to pursue a long term deal. Dodgers might help him reach that goal. Pretty good pitcher at one point.
Maybe Anderson would be better with the Dodgers than the Angels. He certainly looked like a different pitcher last year.
Some of the Dodgers are in on this player or another may actually come from the Dodgers, part of a misdirection plan to keep other teams guessing.
During an interview a few years ago, Friedman admitted enjoying all the rumors about the Dodgers, especially those without grain of truth.
Flaherty is another pitcher who has experienced a drop in velocity and has had arm problems. If he wants to be a Dodger, it could happen, but you need to realize that he has dealt with injuries throughout his career, including Tommy John surgery in 2019, and right shoulder surgery in 2022.
Julio was actually arrested by the Park Police who are in charge of the area around the soccer stadium next to the coliseum. A post from someone who worked at the stadium was posted on twitter. According to her, her friends pulled Julio off of the woman while they were near a fence. He was hitting her at the time, then they observed them getting in a car and he was still hitting her when the police arrived and got them out of the car. There were plenty of people with phones around so maybe a video surfaces later.
And I’m sure there is heavy surveillance in and around the property. If he did what those purported witnesses said he did, there is likely ample evidence to make this open and shut. It won’t be a “he said/she said” scenario like Bauer.
As per yesterdays posts. I didn’t hear anyone pining away for Seager last year. If we had resigned Seager would AF have then pursued Freddie? And Freddie is an all time productive sign considering his contract!
Seager left two years ago. They had Trea. So, nobody was crying because Corey left. It would have cost the Dodgers around 400 million to keep Seager, why? Because that is how much it would have taken to offset the state income tax he does not pay because Texas has no state income tax. As for Freddie and Mookie, both of their deals have deferred payments. 37 million of Freemans deal is deferred. Mookie has close to that deferred. Between the two they are drawing about 52 million this year. Next year Mookie’s salary jumps from 25 mil this season to 30 mil. Freddie continues getting 27 million the last four years of his deal.
Kershaw tonight, and Lynn tomorrow against the Marlins. No starter listed for Thursday. Giants now 15 back and the D-Backs are 14 back. SD lost too as the Phillies knocked Dick Mountain around. Turner hit his 22nd homer. He has a 15-game hitting streak where he is hitting close to .400. Getting closer to his career numbers.
You don’t know the future but I miss JT. Hard to take having 3 guys u thought were long term players,who were the face of our team are gone.All 3 guys who are having great years now they are playing with someone else.What a shame for us.
That is baseball. In this day and age no one is exempt from leaving as a free agent. Shame for us? Really. Of the three, Seager, Turner and JT, Turner is right now the only one whose team is in the playoffs. The Rangers are sinking fast, and Boston hasn’t been a factor for quite a while. Seager has been gone for two seasons, so ferghetaboutit, Turner did fine as his replacement, but we all knew he wasn’t signing back with the Dodgers. As for JT, the Dodgers made a one-year offer, at his age, he was lucky to get that. Boston gave him two at twice the money. JD has more than filled JT’s shoes. Muncy has been ok at third, a position JT rarely plays. They don’t miss his leadership because all of the veteran players they brought in have helped. No, I am not crying over any player who leaves and I sure do not miss them if they do not want to be here which is the case with Corey and Trea.
Imagine if this Julio thing would’ve happened 4/5 wks later instead of yesterday. Egad! At least now the Dodgers have ample time to adjust to this punch in the gut.
Surely the Dodgers aren’t overly concerned about physically replacing Urias in the rotation. They’ve got plenty of other arms to handle his absence the rest of this season and into the playoffs. And considering Julio’s wildly inconsistent year, AF and Roberts might’ve already been planning for a Urias-less rotation anyways.
The problem with this Julio thing (at least in the short run) may be the negative emotional and psychological effects it has on everyone else. Urias isn’t just a player, he’s also a teammate, human being, and possible friend to at least some of the other Dodgers. Hopefully those guys can quickly shake off this distraction so it won’t hurt their performance going forward. But for sure, a damper hangs over this team that must be overcome ..quickly.
Nah if anything this will galvanize the team.
Urias always seemed like an outsider to me. Now Im not in the dugout or clubhouse so maybe Im wrong about that.
I wont rush to judgement though there is always 2 sides to EVERY story.
Plus Ozuna does still play for ATL.
Julio is described by some as “aloof!”
That fits the bill.
Something was off with him ALL year. Hoping he gets the help he needs…
A crappy day all around as I had to witness that Clemson loss….UGH.
Okay time to move on, Kershaw day!!
I could buy this Julio incident not having any negative effect on the team. But “galvanize” them? Really??
Not just 2 sides, but stories could even have multiple sides.
Either way, Urias is in trouble. And the longer this goes, the deeper his troubles will be.
We’ll know more later as info leaks out.
I will also refrain from judgement until we know more about the facts, but considering there was enough to book him on a felony charge, it does not bode well for Julio.
If he is a wife beater, I hope he gets what is coming to him. There is no room for that. Period! Having said that, if found guilty I hope he is given the necessary assistance to overcome his demons. Everyone deserves a second chance, but he should be held accountable for his actions.
Wayne, There are arrests that correct pitching staff.
Buehler hit 96.1 MPH in his first outing. It would seem that he would add a MPH or two in his next 2-3 outings. The Athletic released their Weekly Power Ratings and the Dodgers remained at #2. Grant Brisbee said this:
Ruh roh. Only way to put it. It’s a technical scouting term. You see a fantastic team like the Dodgers doing what they’re doing with a rejuvenated rotation and possibly getting a chance to add an All-Star and perennial Cy Young candidate back to the rotation?
Ruh roh. Only way to put it. — Grant Brisbee
I know their as rare as hen’s teeth but just maybe the Dodgers could fine a knuckle baller( junk thrower) not only do they eat up innings but it can mess up a team in next game .
Flame throwers seem to be a dime a dozen then their arm breaks down .
I’m not sure knuckle-baller’s exist anymore.
There are two left and this article tell you why no one is carrying the torch:
https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/03/24/meet-mlb-pitchers-dying-art-knuckleball-mickey-jannis#:~:text=Mickey%20Jannis%20is%20among%20the%20few%20knuckleballers%20playing%20today.&text=Waldron's%20journey%20with%20the%20knuckleball,still%20been%20mainly%20self%2Ddirected.
Enjoyed the article, learned some things.
Thanks Mark.
Any of you old timers ever seen Buddy Guy live?
I have tic for tomorrow’s show at the Hollywood Bowl, and I think it’d be awesome to see him perform in person
Enjoy! I have seen him at the Slippery Noodle Inn in Indy.
https://www.slipperynoodle.com/
1994 Long Beach blues festival. I have a poster. If I can figure out how to post a pic I put it on here.
Julio had his chance along with a redo. This Urias “incident” must drive Boras nuts because Julio has taken something that could have set him up for life and dumped it into the toilet. For the Dodgers, this creates the easing of a tough decision. Dealing with Boras for a new contract on a pitcher whose velocity is down about 5 mph, was gonna be tough. It no longer is and there is about a month to find a plan B. So, I am going to try to focus on moving forward for the Dodgers while Julio will always wish he had not beat up his lady. I just don’t get it why some people (or their handlers) can’t avoid the near occasion of sin and can do stupid, self destructive things to themselves and their families. Time to move on.
One question, hypothetically speaking, if the Guardians release Giolito, and luckily the Dodgers take him, would he be eligible for the playoffs? (Yesterday he had a horrible debut with CLE)
And yes, I know, he is having the worst season of his career, and that there are a thousand better options, and that there are many teams that are first, etc etc… I know, I know, but that was not my question
No, players have to be on the roster on September 1st to be eligible for the postseason.
I knew but just wanted to confirm, thanks
I am going to caution everyone to wait for the evidence in the Urias Case.
1. There is allegedly a video. What does it show?
2. If he was hitting his wife, she should have bruises.
3. What does she say?
4. What do bystanders say?
Lawyers Know This:
Eyewitnesses can provide very compelling legal testimony, but rather than recording experiences flawlessly, their memories are susceptible to a variety of errors and biases. They (like the rest of us) can make errors in remembering specific details and can even remember whole events that did not actually happen.
This makes the moving on from Julio decision that much easier. Resources to go elsewhere.
Hoping most will heed your advice, but many already are not.
People always want to make snap judgments. It takes time for an investigation to take place. I’m sure the police are gathering all the witness statements and video evidence as we speak. From there that has to go to the DA’s office who have to review everything and determine when to make a statement. And that takes time.
Unless cell phone video appears independently, I’m guessing we will have to wait a week or two before anything substantive becomes public.
Until then. I have no opinion.
Really only a few need to take the advice, and I suspect they are and will. The decision makers. ( with a sign of relief too )
Can’t a player in the organization on August 31st be eligible to be called up & still be in the post season? They don’t need to be on the 26 man roster on September 1st, or do they?
No. Any player on the 40 man (or IL) for the club on Sep 1 is playoff eligible. But if a team were to sign a free agent or take somebody off wavers after they date, they would not be playoff eligible.
What I don’t know is how the Julio situation will play out. If he is suspended or otherwise made unavailable I don’t know if the Dodgers will be permitted to add a minor league player to the 40 man AND have that player be playoff eligible. I’m not aware of a situation like that occurring since the rules were changed. I’d assume Julio’s spot on the 40 man would be treated like an injury. And the Dodgers will simply replace him. But I’m not sure.
6:40 PM ET
Dodgers (84-52)
Marlins (70-67)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
12-4 2.48 ERA
SP Jesus Luzardo L
9-8 3.62 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
DH Will Smith R
2B Amed Rosario R
3B E. Hernandez R
LF Chris Taylor R
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas R
C A. Barnes R
In Domed Stadium
Dodgers minor league playoff schedule
Tuesday, September 12
Great Lakes at West Michigan/Fort Wayne, Game 1
Rancho Cucamonga at Inland Empire/Lake Elsinore, Game 1
Thursday, September 14
4:05 p.m.: West Michigan/Fort Wayne at Great Lakes, Game 2
6:30 p.m.: Inland Empire/Lake Elsinore at Rancho Cucamonga, Game 2
Friday, September 15
4:05 p.m.: West Michigan/Fort Wayne at Great Lakes, Game 3*
6:30 p.m.: Inland Empire/Lake Elsinore at Rancho Cucamonga, Game 3*
September 17-20
Midwest League championship series
California League championship series
Tuesday, September 26
TBD at Oklahoma City, Game 1
Wednesday, September 27
TBD at Oklahoma City, Game 2
Thursday, September 28
TBD at Oklahoma City, Game 3*
September 30
Triple-A championship game
Hi in Sky
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT82rEwYT/
It feels like this may be CK’s swan song. Four BB’s in just 3.1 innings worked and he’s laboring badly.
I think he calls it a career after the Dodgers win the WS
Tucker Barnhart anybody?
Turned on the game late ,why was Smith catching. He was listed as DH
Barnes got hit on the noggin.
Roberts said Kershaw still working through shoulder stuff.
Injuries and unforced off-field errors starting to accumulate
Right now I am more concerned about Kershaw than Julio’s situation.
I just figure that, from a baseball perspective, Julio is out of the picture. He’s a nonfactor and his absence could be an opportunity for Pepiot or somebody else.
Kershaw was not good today. Bell’s HR came on an 88 mph four-seamer. His control was awful and walked too many guys. Got out of jams with double plays. And Yarbrough also struggled more than we’ve seen in the past.
Hopefully Lynn will get back on track tomorrow, but his last start was a mess. Plaschke might be right about Bobby Miller suddenly being the ace of this team.
To his credit, AF tried to get Eduardo Rodriguez, only for Eduardo to strangely reject a chance at a championship. Before his troubles, Julio was not inspiring confidence, and Kershaw couldn’t really be counted on either. Will he better next time?
Sure hope Buhler is ready….
Something I wonder about….
Should the MLB try to rein in hitters with huge, dangerous backswings?
My impression is that it is only in recent years that hitters have adopted the practice of releasing the top hand on a swing, which enables these long backswings, often with extra force from the tongue of the batter’s torso. I was taught to hold the bat with both hands. Many players, including Trout, still take this classic approach.(I was troubled seeing my son’s teammates being taught to release the top hand. Wh
On the broadcast today Rick Monday seemed to fault Barnes for getting hit. I think its safe to assume that catchers are not inclined to deliberately put their noggin in harm’s way. At any rate, batters don’t have to have a reckless, nexaggerated backswing. This is a problem with some–a minority, I believe. To my knowledge, the batters are rarely faulted and not subject to discipline. A pitcher who hits a batter can get thrown out of a game. One, in fact, recently was for retaliating against a batter whose backwing nailed his catcher.
So how about a two-game suspension for batters who smack catchers? For a second offense, make it 5 games. And so on. It really shouldn’t take much to change this dangerous practice.
Amed & Kiki now officially struggling at the plate.
Clayton with continued shoulder problems pitched helpless today – lucky to get out with only 3 runs.
Notwithstanding Buehler possibly back by the playoffs…
ALL THREE Dodgers playoff starters will be inexperienced (albeit talented) youngsters. Carve it in stone!
The new youth era begins shortly — whether the Dodgers or us fans like it or not.