Nice Guys Finish Last

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1. Maybe it is just me but after seeing how Trevor Bauer got railroaded I don’t hear one peep about how he might have helped this Dodger’s pitching staff in the playoffs. I am fairly certain he would have stirred up some emotional energy. Hey if you want to play nice with the other team at least get mad at a teammate or two. Then unleash that energy on the field.
   I get all the negative stuff about him but he sure brought a lot of talent and energy, both good and bad when he pitched.
   Fearless and out spoken.
   Maybe the Dodger’s need a designated “Bad Guy” to stir things up come playoff time.

   1. Didn’t expect this theory!

   2. Totally agree.

2. I agree about all those guys you think will be gone and I want them gone, except I’d like to see 4 of them stay. Here’s why.

   Martinez because he had a good year, although he is up there in age and that might play to the Dodgers advantage because I doubt any team will give him more than a 2 year contract. He might stay because the Dodgers got him back on track.

   Taylor because he can play almost anywhere. Not as a starter but a utility guy. Plus he has similar career splits, so he can start in a pinch and pinch hit vs RHP and LHP. But here’s the thing will Doc use him like that. Against both RHP and LHP?

   Shelby Miller because he was dominant this year. You never have enough good pitching.

   Treinen because when he’s healthy he is very good. You never have enough good pitching.

   1. All those guys you mentioned I would like back too. You mentioned Yarbrough yesterday, I think. He is arbitration eligible and I think they might do that with him since he is relatively cheap and is a dual-purpose guy who throws soft. But only time will tell which direction they are going to go.

      1. Yeah I overlooked Yabrough, I wouldn’t mind having him stay.

3. Knee jerk.

   Utterly ridiculous suggesting trading Mookie and Freddie who just put up historical numbers.

   Either out of necessity or purely a Dumb Ass decision – but starting a broken Kershaw in game one of an NLDS was pure folly when other alternatives were available.

   That embarrassing first inning set the tone and the momentum.
   You are totally over reacting.

   It was an excellent Transitional season, and you are losing sight of that.

   1. I agree Watford. I think they should have given the ball to Pepiot.

4. I don’t buy into this nice guy/bad guy theory. Mookie and Freddie slumped in Sept and sucked in October. I just lay the blame on three guys those 2 plus Kershaw. Whatever you think about his condition, they wouldn’t have thrown him out to pitch unless they thought he could go at LEAST 3 -4 innings, which he did in Sept. When we won it all, Mookie was the same nice guy except he came through. So then I see posters say we need Harper or Ohtani. Hell we had two of the 4 top hitters and that’s why we won 100 games. Heyward, JDM, Muncy they had good years because of batting with runners on base in front of them. Arizona had NO ONE on there team as good as our top guys. How many teams had a better lineup. OK I guess SD did.
   So, in summary, I don’t see the team making a lot of changes to philosophy going forward. The open question is how they handle the pitching next year. I say let 2024 be the TRANSITION year and let the kids pitch

5. Love the fact you’re trying to create debate and conversation, but if I had posted/suggested a trade of Mookie or Freddie you would have called me a moron or someone who has sight but no vision or some other catch phrase often used by you. There is no way Mookie or Freddie are traded, but I’ll suggest an addition that just might accomplish what you’re suggesting.

   Before making my case for Ohtani let me say that I do agree with your assessment of Mookie and Freddie being too nice. Neither one of them are rah rah guys, but how about some fire in the belly when Angel Hernandez rings them up on a called third strike well out of the strike zone. I am so tired of seeing them simply turn and walk away without so much of a whimper. Show some freaking emotion, throw a helmet, get in an umpires face and demonstrate to fellow team mates that you care. Perhaps they’re not the type of player to lead a team meeting or yell in the clubhouse, but just once in awhile show some emotion on the field.

   I always found it odd that Freddie consistently congratulates an opposing player with a base hit at first base and then starts a conversation with the opposing player, but is often shown in the Dodger dugout not saying a word to anyone. Why the need to talk to an opposing player, but not to fellow team mates?

   Ohtani may not be a rah rah guy either, but he wants to win. Everything I’ve read and heard says he is a workout warrior and he will easily become the face of the Dodgers for the next 8-10 years. He is so much larger in personality than Mookie and Freddie that the Dodgers will become his team. Mookie and Freddie are perhaps superstars and if the team needs new and different leadership it would require someone who has more gravitas than either of them. A tall task considering the FA and trade market and the only one who can do that is Ohtani. If he signed with the Dodgers it would be patently clear it’s his team and not the quiet as a “church mouse” Mookie Betts, or the too nice guy Freddie Freeman. He is a worldwide generational talent who would carry the team.

   I saw a short video on youtube where Ken Rosenthal said Ohtani would be perfect added piece for the Dodgers…
   he wants to win and he’s a must sign this off season. Fans are growing tired of the epic playoff meltdowns and the meager signings of Syndergaard and old broken down relief pitchers. The business model used by AF to build a roster needs to change. Finding older players on one-year contracts is OK to fill in the margins of a roster, but it’s time to go BIG and get the one true FA who can make a difference.

   1. ” sign ONE FA who can make a change’—We had 2

      1. But I believe Ohtani can truly make a difference. Mookie and Freddie are good if not great, but Ohtani is spectacular .

         1. ‘Was’ lets see how he does going forward. Pujols was great in St Louis

   2. What? You think Mark has a double standard?
      Say it ain’t so!
      Pretty sure the difference between this entry into the Book of Moron is the over-the-top, bold-face effort to be provocative. Verdugo>Mookie is hilarious….and so here we are chatting about it.
      More often Mark’s entries are perfectly serious, such as…. well, there are several examples just about the relative merits of Miguelito and a certain “fourth or fifth outfielder.”
      To his credit, Mark step up to the plate looking for walk like Max. He’s up there hacking, and whiffs add to the Book of Moron.

      Gotta admit, this latest October debacle has my inner GM floundering about how best to fix the Dodgers. I’m still on board for Ohtani even though he seems like another nice guy and won’t pitch in 2004. If the Dodgers land Ohtani, then the DH won’t be JDM or Max. Perhaps Max stays at 3B and platoons with Taylor or Kike (if he comes back.)
      The Dodgers could move on from Max and package him with Cartaya or ??? for a good young lefty like the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and his glorious name. Perhaps Vargas gets the runway at 3B, and maybe Busch gets a shot in LF, maybe in a platoon with DeLuca.
      Will Heyward be back? If so, then I think Vargas, Busch or DeLuca become trade material.

6. Change or remain the same. Something needs to happen . For starters get Iron Mike Scioscia as your manager , he will demand productivity . Second get some ace pitchers third get a legit 3rd baseman and shortstop. It is not Lux. Maybe Lux at second base. Spend that money Friedman , this isn’t the Tulane Greenwave!

7. Often wondered what the pitchers are thinking when mookie is joking around with the guy on second who just smacked a line drive off the wall for a double or Freddie congratulating one who just smoked one thru the infield. Have to think if I was pitching wouldn’t take to kindly to that

8. You guys can take me literally, but trading Mookie and Freddie was sarcasm.

   It seems that it will take 8 years at $400 Million to get Ohtani plus pitching incentives. That will be tricky. I think AF might go 8 years, but not 10.

   Signing Shohei would probably mean declining Max’s option, unless they want to let him play another year at 3B… or maybe 3B. A .808 OPS and 36 HR guys are rare even if he only hits .212. Plus Max has an “edge.” Are the Dodgers just going to throw him out? I don’t think so.

   I assume that AF will give Lux a shot at SS, again and I know they hope to integrate Vargas, Busch and DeLuca, as well as maybe Pages. I would think that 2 or 3 of that group will make it. If you are going to have $110 Million tied up in three players, you have to have low-cost players at other positions.

   If Lux can’t cut it at SS, what about Mookie? That solves a lot of problems.

   1. I would be OK letting Max walk if it meant the Dodgers sign Ohtani. Play Busch or Vargas at 3B. Their defense couldn’t be any worse then Muncy’s and while they probably won’t hit 36 HR’s Im thinking they can surpass a .212 BA with fewer K’s.

   2. I seriously would like to see Mookie move to the infield permanently. Not just to open a position for a player like Heyward. They want a power hitting outfielder, how about Teoscar Hernandez? He is a free agent also. I cannot see AF signing another player for 10 years, so 8 for Ohtani, front loaded. Between the two of them, Freddie and Mookie have a couple hundred million deferred.

9. So we won 100 games this year. I guess we can sign Snell, Ohtani etc. then the young pitchers mature, Lux, Vargas, Busch are ready. So then what. We win 125 games?
   I’ve played on teams with quiet guys, rah-rah guys,- in your face guys, total a hole guys- etc, etc. And have won or lost with ALL of them. Either you come through or you don’t. You are who you are. And how many WS did Sciosca or Dusty Baker win.?
   Even on my bowling teams. We had our best results when we had this young knock out girl on our team. She was a crappy bowler, but somehow we were motivated

   1. How many so-called great managers never won any? Gene Mauch. Tom Kelley won two with the Twins. Casey Stengel, who was no baseball genius, won 7 in 12 years.

10. Some great ideas here!
    Would the Red Sox give up Verdugo to get Mookie back? I sure hope so. Plus, that would clear the way for Miguelito to play 2B… with stellar defense! And maybe he’ll win the Comeback-from-the-Minors Player of the Year Award!
    What edgy guy can we get for Freddie? I think Vogelbach is edgy. Somehow both round and edgy. I’d make that deal in a heartbeat.
    Or maybe what we need is just real a-hole. Do you think the Halos would trade Rendon?
    But seriously, folks…. I get where Mark is coming from.
    I do wish these Dodgers had more of an edge to them. The team chemistry was peachy, it seems, but not very spicy. After Osuna’s backswing nailed Will Smith’s noggin, I was hoping Bobby Miller or Brusdar would bury a 101-mph pitch in his rib cage. Send a message. Sort of like how Joe Kelly buzzed Alex Bregman and followed it up by mocking Correa.
    Perhaps payback would have led to a fracas, maybe even a brouhaha–and bad blood between the two top teams in the NL Is that such a bad thing?
    There is a time and place. Seeking payback because a guy took a slow HR trot is stupid. But a bat to the noggin on a long back swing -even if truly accidental–is another matter.
    Anyway, I think AF and Roberts will survive this disappointment. Excuses will be made about the layoff, or how it’s “just a crapshoot”–mostly luck, in other words. While I hate how the Dodgers’ season ended, I can at least find some a bit of joy in my own private Mudville.
    My youngest, the crafty southpaw, had his first game of the new Little League Juniors Division season–what we used to call Pony League. In the allotted two hours, he twirled a complete game in a 6-4 win, striking out nine over five innings while walking three and allowing three singles and one earned run.
    So at least there’s that.

    1. Nice going. I played exactly one game at the Pony League level. I was 1-1.

    2. Maybe he will be a Dodger someday. Send him to Driveline early… or get Bauer to tutor him! 😉

11. Translation: need that dog in us

12. Interesting, Mark.

    Yes the Dodgers need to play with an edge and they need somebody to bring it. Not that one single player is going to save the Dodgers in the post season. They really needed better starting pitching.

    Hey, Clayton’s shoulder was an issue, Bobby Miller is young and Lance Lynn should have never been there.

    Honestly, injuries, more than anything brought down LA.

    Kershaw’s break down set the tone. Too much pressure on Miller to resurrect the ship. Some of this was years in the making. I’ve always thought the Dodgers made a huge mistake not making a deal with Harper, who actually wanted to play in LA. Then they came out with a short term, high dollar deal when Harper wanted a longer, less annual cost contract. This is part the Dodger box thinking. Now Harper plays with fire. His attitude oozes onto the field.

    Then they trade for Mookie and sign him to a massive deal. Was this a change in strategy or did they just like Betts more?

    Allowing Corey Seager to walk was another dumb move. Yes, it was a lot of money, but Corey has always been an incredible clutch hitter and he was totally a Dodger product. Exactly why can a team like the Rangers beat LA. for a player like Seager? Because the Dodgers failed to compete. This is what we’re willing to give and no more. Maybe the attitude adjustment needs to come from the top.

    Okay, but I get it. The Dodgers spend a lot on payroll and they win the division pretty much every year. More people come to Dodger Stadium than any other ball park. They are successful. They’ve become comfortable. If your goal is to become Stan Kasten’s Braves you’ve succeeded. But this isn’t Atlanta, it’s Los Angeles. There hasn’t been a Parade since 1988. Yes we won in the Covid year. But no one got to celebrate.

    None of this, of course, has anything to do with Mookie or Freddie. Corey is gone, Harper is in Philly and the Dodgers are left to figure out how to fix the posts season blues.

    The real concerning part is back to back failures in a similar manner. Losing to a division rival who finished well back during the season, then when it counts, the Dodgers fold and go out with a whimper.

    So where should they go from here. Is Shohei Ohtani the missing piece? Mark talks about eight years being something that Friedman might do, but not 10. But if that’s the thinking, I will point out, Here We Go Again. The Dodgers have learned nothing. Didn’t Friedman point out that if exceed your comfort level, you’ll never get the player.

    But is Ohtani the solution? They need more pitching. Maybe the pitcher from Japan. They don’t like dealing with Scott Boras, so I’m guessing Snell is out. They need Walker Buehler, who has plenty of attitude, to come back firing. If Buehler comes back with a fury, then the Dodgers need to re-sign him, not get outbid by lesser teams in smaller markets.

    Oh then, there is Max Muncy. Hey, I like him. He has fire, but he also strikes out way too much with runners on base and his average is a drag. He’s no defensive wizard a third. We’ll see. Plus I think Busch deserves a legitimate shot.

    It will be an interesting winter.

    Hopefully, Dodger management evolves.

13. Lots of silliness this morning.

    1. Always is. Just the nature of the beast.

14. Ha, probably my favorite piece you’ve written Mark. A lot of satire, I know, but plenty of truth as well. Funny thing is I also thought about what we could get trading Freddy and Mookie. Never going to happen (and shouldn’t) but I would love to see a list.

    1. Back up the truck. They could get a haul for either of them except for one thing, they would have to eat some serious change with Mookie’s deal. Both contracts have a lot of deferred salary.

15. Stirrin the pot! If you really want more fire and intensity, it’s always easier to fire one person than 26. Scioscia and AF. Now I’d pay to see that interview!

16. Someone above talked about Harper and Seager not Dodgers and I would add Bellinger to that list. I never wanted to see him nor J. Turner go. Look at what could have been.

    DH J. Turner or Martinez
    C Smith
    1B Freeman
    2B Betts
    SS Seager
    3B Muncy
    OF Outman
    OF Harper
    OF Bellinger

    Absolutely no platoons. I think the Dodgers would be bankrupt with all that money given out.

    1. Nice lineup but I think we should drop Max and Outman and add Acuna and Jose Ramirez.
       And never mind JT or JDM. Put Ohtani in the DH spot.

       1. Lol I know what you’re talking about, but we had Bellinger, Seager, and J. Turner and Freidman went after Harper but the Phillies snatched him up. 3 quarters of them we already had though.

    2. It would take a lot more than those contracts to bankrupt the Dodgers. They can pretty much afford anything they want to do.

17. There has been a lot to digest these last few days. There has been a lot of gloating by the D-Backs on social media, same kind of crap we heard from the Padres fans last year. As for the Nice Guys Finish Last. Well, Durocher was a product of his era. He played during the depression, and played like every game was his last.
    That is where that fire came from, survival. Knowing you might not get paid tomorrow. It was why guys spent so many years playing in the minors after their big-league careers were over. But that kind of trait is usually not something you are born with. Some are, most are not.
    But old Leo the Lip should have kept his mouth shut. In his illustrious managing career, 24 years, he won 3 pennants and one World Series. Meanwhile all-around nice guy, and MLB’s resident quotable manager, Casey Stengel, won 10 pennants and 7 World Series in 12 years with the Yankees. Oh, his other 13 seasons with the Dodgers, Braves and Mets, were less than memorable. But the Ol Perfessor knew how to manage and get the best out of his players. The superstars and the bench guys.
    Players today, they are not worried about their jobs. Oh, the kids maybe, or the 14-year vet on a minor league deal trying to make a team out of spring training. But for the most part, they are set for life, especially the stars. Maybe they need that sense of I might lose my job, who knows. I read one of the posters saying they are tired of seeing guys like Betts and Freeman just walking away after a bad strike call.
    I get it, get mad, tell the ump off and get kicked out of the game. I can think of only one Dodger who got tossed for that this year, Muncy. And it was late in the game. Betts and Freeman understand that arguing balls and strikes is not allowed. You can look back at the ump and say that looked like a ball, but you argue with him, and you are getting tossed. That is especially true with the umpires working these days who seem to have a short fuse about everything.
    You can’t change guys who have been rather mild mannered and friendly their entire lives. I do not think there is a mean bone in Mookie or Freddies body. But they both are competitors. They both want to beat you. And when they fail, they stand up like men and take the blame. None of them blamed it on anything other than not performing up to their capabilities.
    And I do not buy the always fail in the playoffs stuff. You know what their record is over all of those playoff series since 2013? 53-50. Have they dominated? No, but they have held their own. It is not easy to get there. But the thing is, you have to win either your division, or be one of the top 6 teams in your league.
    Maybe it would do the Dodgers a ton of good to NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. Get that hunger again. It worked for the Lakers once. But you think the fan base is pissed now? Just let them tank once. You will hear it from here to Brooklyn.

18. The times have changed it use to be that players would work really hard, not be that greedy with their contracts and be team players no matter what.

    Now we have a lot of big ego players that are probably born gifted who don’t put a lot of work in compared to previous generations that don’t care about the team, only themselves and are way greedy with their contracts.

    It’s the Millenials and Gen-Z generations that are playing sports now. Those generations are what I described in the 2nd paragraph of this post.

    1. I totally agree. Athletes today are pampered. They fly on charter jets, stay in the best hotels, eat food most of us cannot afford, own luxury homes and multiple cars. But the one thing they do that grates on me the most? And I know this is stretching it a bit, wearing all that bling while trying to play ball. I love watching Mookie play, but his constant playing with that stuff around his neck drives me up a tree. Now, most Bears can climb those easy, but getting my 250 plus pounds up a tree takes a lot more effort than I am willing or able to exert, Oh, don’t forget the cupcakes, Eric. They are in charge now. On the home front, exe is doing better and heading home,

       1. Yep athletes are pampered nowadays. I forgot about the bling and I hate the bling too.

19. Gee, we got a 3.2 COLA this year and the cost-of-living index is up 4.1. COLA never matches that anyway. Comes out to 47 dollars for me which will just about cover my rent increase. And those millionaires think they have problems.

20. I too don’t like all the fraternization I see now days on the field and not just Freddie and Mookie. The Latin players are very familiar and friendly with one another. They seem to share a bond based on geography, common language and heritage. Too me, it’s too much.
    * Back in the day their were warnings and fines about fraternizing on the field. And I agree that if I’m the pitcher who just gave up a hit, I don’t love my infielders celebrating with them.
    * Everybody’s different. Some guys get motivated and play better pissed off. Others play better without the anger. They can switch from being fun loving and light hearted mentally then refocus and compete in an instant. It’s the difference between Lee Trevino and Jack. Both competed with a different attitude. They found out what worked for each, mentally.
    * But for me, keep all the warm and fuzzy shit for another time. When the bell rings and you step between the lines, your only buddies are your teammates. I don’t like Freddie sharing laughs and hugs as he’s the welcome wagon at first. In the past that was not okay.
    * I learned this as a kid. My dad was super competitive. He hated to lose and if you faced him, he hated you. Until the game was over. I had to tone down the competitiveness for my own good. It got a little over the top when I poured a pitcher of water over my wife’s head as she taunted me while beating me in a crabbage game.
    I learned to tone it down but nobody gets to an elite level without being a competitor. But it’s how you behave.
    * In hindsight, I think Rose blowing up Ray Fosse in an all-star game was probably bullshit, based on today’s norms but I appreciate his take no prisoners attitude to win the game.
    I’m not being friendly with a player who’s ass I’m trying to beat. We’ll have a beer later but for now I’ll poke your eye out. And I’d be disappointed if you didn’t compete against me with the same passion. Will has it right.

21. Everyone who watched any sport or did anything ‘back in the day’ liked it better than now. Get over it!!! Life goes on. Players used to be like slaves to the owners before free agency. And worked second jobs. There was no bling and players all wore those home white and road grey uniforms with high socks. So those days are over. If you watched NFL back then there was no celebrating when you made a tackle or sacked the quarterback etc. The NBA players all wore short shorts. ‘Can’t stand those baggy pants they wear now’. Golfers used wooden ‘woods’ Not these giant iron ‘woods’ like today Sure they all drive it 300+ yards and make millions now. What else?? NHL players didn’t wear those sissy helmets and masks, and were proud not to have any teeth. Gas was .29 and I made $6200 in my first job as a teacher.
    Everyone have a nice weekend. And I STILL don’t see a change in Dodger Philosophy going forward. But would love to see us go ‘all kids’ plus the vets we have now in a transition year

22. There’s an old saying in baseball: “Momentum is your team’s starting pitcher” Maybe AF needs to heed those words next year when he is building a playoff roster. We were down 6-0 and 3-0 before we even came to bat in two games and down 4-0 early in the other game. Hard to have any momentum when you’re in those kind of holes.
    I don’t get all the Ohtani talk. Next year he will only be a DH and we have those coming out of our a**. Then in 2025 he may or may not be a front-line pitcher. $400-500 million for that? show me how that makes any sense?

23. “ great plans are a dine a dozen, to succeed you need to execute. ”

    1. I’ve said it before. Mile Tyson used to say, They all had a plan until I punched them in the face

24. Just my two cents as we watched another Dodger season end in the Division series.
    1. Not buying the idea that this generation of players don’t work hard, are not team players, are too selfish, etc. Sound like the old man yelling “get off my lawn”. If you think that Kershaw, Freeman, Betts, Muncy, etc. don’t work hard or don’ t care about winning then you have another think coming.
    2. I think Jayne may be the one who said this but forgive me if it was another poster. The surprising thing is not that this team lost three games to the Diamondbacks but that they won 100 games during the season. We all remember some of you talking about the Dodger off season last year and how they were signing reclamation projects on one year deals and that this team would get buried by the Padres, might win 85 to 90 games. And this was all BEFORE Lux went down for the year and their starting rotation was decimated by injuries and suspension (Urias). To win 100 games with all they went through this year is a credit to the front office, to the coaching staff, and the players.
    3. Entering the playoffs I thought that the Dodger starters 1 – 4 were not as good as the Braves, Phillies, or Brewers. Did not think they would be that bad. While the offense certainly deserves much blame, the inability of Kershaw and Miller to pitch three or four quality innings so the Dodgers could play to their strength (the pen) was a definite factor in their elimination. When your three starters pitch a combined 5+ innings and allow 13 runs, hard to escape some culpability. By the same token, hard to imagine many teams getting to post season when their top six starters leaving camp (including Pepiot) spent so much of the season unavailable.
    4. Reliance on platoons in a third of your line up is a problem in the playoffs. I think Phil mentioned this but with opposing managers willing to play match ups as early as the fourth or fifth inning in the playoffs, you can exhaust your bench pretty quickly like the Dodgers did in this series. That is why we were left with Austin Barnes batting in a big spot in game three.
    5. Not sure why we think RVS should be gone. I think the Dodgers chased more in this series than they did during the year and especially in big at bats. Down 4-2 in game two with bases loaded and one out against a pitcher who could not throw his breaking stuff for strikes (Saalfrank) Outman chased a 2-0 breaking pitch off the plate. Runners on 1st and 2nd with one out in game two, Betts swung at the first pitch low in the zone and grounded into a force. Plus, Barnes chased the first pitch in his big game three at bat. That seems to indicate a team that was pressing and trying to force the action which is not the way they hit during the year. Hard to pin that on RVS.
    6. I know Mark’s article today was tongue in cheek at times but I am not a believer in the outward emotion and intensity being an indicator of caring more or being more intense. I coached a sport other than baseball for 30 years and I coached young men who were intense competitors and outwardly emotional while competing. I had others who were just as intense and wanted to win just as badly but that fire burned inside. To borrow from another sport, Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic are not outwardly emotional players but they are fierce competitors.
    7. I hope that baseball does look at the playoff format. There is such a disparity between what is required of a team to win in a 162 game season and what is required to win in the playoffs. No excuses for the Dodgers in this series loss but there is no way that a team like the Diamondbacks, who were the number 6 seed, should be able to have Monday off, Thursday off, Sunday off and Tuesday off (4 off days in 9 days) to have a rested pen and have their top two starters get to pitch four of the 5 games. Small sample size for sure but in the last two years the teams with the bye have lost 3 of 4 series in the NL and 2 of 4 in the AL.

    1. Going in we knew that SP was a weakness. So we had to hope for a few good innings and turn it over to the shutdown relievers. so that was the plan. So we failed in each game. It was a good ( or only) plan, it just didn’t work out. I saw a quote from a tennis player this year. ” We all know how to beat every opponent, but executing the plan is another thing’

    2. Actually, they have lost all 4 of the series. The Braves and Dodgers both had byes both years and lost their series. Houston is the only team in the AL that had a bye and advanced to the ALCS, both times.

25. I think Doc is learning just like in Money Ball winning the regular season is a completely different mind set than winning a winner take all short series. I believe he mentioned after this latest disaster he needs to learn how to be better at it.
    This year proves once again you can’t ever have enough great pitching.

    Still it was fun year that exceeded my expectations. A very fun and entertaining group to watch.

    Go Dodger’s in 2024!

26. Life is good when you’re a Dodger and an SC fan this week!

27. I quit the internet.

28. So free agent wise how about the Dodgers add someone like a Michael Brantley or Adam Duval for a left fielder or Matt Chapman a third baseman a Blake Snell and someone like jack Flarethy to go with Buehler and the young guns in the starting rotation or a Josh Hader as the closer all are free agents and good guus that have been in playoff games. Then go with these young kids.

    1. Bradley, Brantley is 36 years old and injury prone. He played in only 15 games this year. Younger and healthier maybe, but not at his age. Duvall is a right-handed power hitter who is a very good outfielder. Possible. Matt Chapman and Snell are both Scott Boras clients. Freidman signed JD Martinez, a Boras client, but he came cheap at 10 mill for one year. Snell is going to want a multi-year deal. Probably 5 or 6 years. That is the way Boras works. AF has not given any pitcher more than three years since his first year running the team. That was Brandon McCarthy. Bauer got three. Jack Flaherty stunk up the joint after the trade to Baltimore. He might be cheaper, but who knows what you are getting. You might as well ask for Giolito too. Hader, might be a target, never can tell. But I think his price tag might be a little high, he made 14 million this year he also blew 5 games. As for Chapman, the only thing he does better than Muncy is defend. He strikes out more than Max, and his BA, a little higher at .240, his OPS is below .800. He doesn’t walk much, and he strikes out way too much.
       To be very honest with you, they are not going to sign a bunch of 30 plus year olds and block their kids. Busch, Vargas, Deluca, maybe even Pages and Rushing, are going to get some serious looks come spring. And Lux is going to get the first crack at being the full time SS. There will be some changes no doubt. But I do not see them signing any big-ticket player.

29. It would be nice to have a crystal ball or be a fly on the wall in the Dodgers conference room when the plan for 24 is discussed. In a couple of weeks, after the World Series is over, it will be hot stove time. And the rumors will run hot and heavy.
    I have no clue which direction they might go, but my gut tells me that they are NOT going to overload with expensive free agents. Maybe one. That is the way AF has worked the last couple of years. Bauer, then Freeman, and none this last year.
    Were they saving their cash for Ohtani? That seems to be the consensus of many. If not Ohtani, who? Yamamoto has been mentioned. With Ohtani not being able to pitch, he is at the top of the list as a quality starter. I think AF will make this more of a transitional year than last year. This is the year the kids get their shot. No matter how many of us feel about the performance of Vargas, Busch or any of the other kids who got brief looks this year, the Dodgers need to know what these kids bring to the dance, and there is no time like the present.
    Kersh is undecided about his future and has said he will think about it longer than he did last year when he signed a new deal in November. I think the Dodgers need an answer by the winter meetings in December. Because if they do want to sign a free agent starter, that is when most of the foundations for deals get laid.
    Many think that a season is unsuccessful if you do not win the whole thing. That is wishful thinking. No team has ever been that good. The Yankees are the only team in baseball history to win more than three World Series in a row, and they did it twice. 4 in row, 36-39, and 5 in a row, 49-53. They also won three in a row, 99-2000. The only other team to ever win three in a row, the A’s, 72-74.
    The Braves won 14 division titles in 15 years and won exactly one World Series out of the five they went to. And that team was loaded with excellent pitching. The Dodgers won 100 games when most had them winning 85-90 at best. And there weren’t expected to even be close to the Padres.
    So, yes, the early playoff exit was embarrassing, especially to the players themselves. But considering the condition of their starting pitching, it was amazing they got as far as they did. What is past is past. It is over, time to quit trying to analyze it, and enjoy the offseason. There is plenty of time to spend this winter dissecting the Dodgers offseason moves and either agreeing or shaking your head in disgust. We cannot change what happened. Neither can all those involved. What they can do is learn from it, and hopefully be a little better prepared next time they are in the playoffs.

30. Freddie and Mookie clearly gagged or choked or whatever you want to call it. So Mark, you say the root of the problem is that those guys are “too nice” in how they go about their business. Assuming you’re right, the only solution you proffered is for them to not be so nice, and “…play with some fire!”

    But you know pro athletes (and ppl in general) are who they are, and they very RARELY change from within. So your “solution” is a non-starter, and definitely not a REAL solution.

    Now while I actually agree with your “too nice” assessment, I still challenge you to offer a REAL solution to this dilemma, ..not some unrealistic pie-in-the-sky “just play with more fire” wishful thinking. ..particularly regarding Mookie and Freddie.

    So let’s hear it!

    1. The solution? To what? Players having a bad series.? It happens all the time. Guys play 162 games at an extremely high level, and no one bitches about their attitude on the field. There were stretches during the season where Mookie and Freddie had a few bad games. But Betts was actually cold the last month of the season. He had only 18 hits in 22 games. Only 5 for extra bases, one homer and four doubles. He also walked 18 times. In the previous 3 months, he hit .350 with 25 homers and his OPS was over 1.000. Freeman on the other hand, hit .309 over the last month and had 12 extra base hits, 8 doubles and 4 homers. The hottest Dodger the last month was JD Martinez. He hit .333 with 8 homers and 25 driven in. But most of the team did not hit well in September. Smith .191, Peralta, .190, and he did not hit a homer after July. Heyward hit .299 and had 8 extra base hits. Kike .286, Rosario, .279. Muncy, 241, Outman, .220. He hit 10 homers over the last month but struck out 1/3rd of the time. Rojas, .300. 2 of hit 5 homers came in the last month. Barnes, .219 with a homer. Wong hit .296. But for the most part, the offense was stagnant.

31. Call me a dumbass (you don’t really have to!), but I still say way less platooning and more consistency every day, especially when the guys you’re platooning are .230-.240 hitters. How many times did the Dodgers start their “right-handed hitters “lineup and start pinch hitting halfway through the game? Leaving hardly anyone on the bench for later. face it, if you have to use Austin Barnes as a pinch hitter, you’re in trouble! All 4 of the teams left mainly use a regular lineup. Personally, I’m not sold on the “young” guys stepping up next year. much rather have a couple of good veteran play in the lineup every day. No Bradley, no Brantley, Grandal, or anybody like that. We had those this year! I am torn about Clayton, would love him back if healthy! If he’s not healthy I believe he will retire. At least he got a ring with Doc doing a fabulous job in the playoffs that year! Doc did a great job during the regular season this year. never had a chance in the playoffs. maybe a new voice would work! but who? Counsel would be an upgrade, but he’s probably heading to the Mets. With no Clayton, Snell or Montgomery are possible options. I saw a rumor or opinion that the dodgers might have interest in Tyler Glasnow. injury prone, but when healthy a stud. we’ll see

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