Coming off of two straight epic post-season meltdowns, is this Freidman’s most important off-season since he took over?
I get the impression from reading many baseball blogs and websites that the Dodgers fan base wants something really big and really dramatic.
I get the impression that half-measures and signing fringe guys is not going to satisfy the average Dodger fan. I see a lot of no more Peralta’s and no more Thor rhetoric. They want and feel the Dodgers should go after the star power that is out there this winter.
Ohtani, Imanaga, Yamamoto, Snell, and Montgomery – two of those would help satisfy some fans. Others want them to get Burnes in a trade with the Brewers.
That might be more possible than it would have been had Counsell stayed with Milwaukee and Woodruff not undergone surgery.
The Brewers are looking like they might begin a real reboot. Fans would also like to see someone other than Gavin Lux as the shortstop full-time. Adames has been mentioned. Good glove some power, but he strikes out WAY TOO MUCH. 165 times last season.
Plus, the Brewers most likely would want to include Christian Yelich in any deal to dump salary. Yelich has bounced back some from two straight bad seasons. But that contract still has 130 million dollars on it. He will be 32. At the end of the deal, 37. There are no guarantees his production will stay at the level it was this season.
One thing Yelich does that many lefties do not is hit left-handed pitching. He has a career .270 average against them, meaning he does not necessarily need to be platooned. And he is a full-time left-fielder now.
Watching the interview that was posted on the site with Andrew Freidman, I get the impression he is checking many avenues to improve the team. He also seems very committed to giving the SS position to Gavin Lux.
But we, as fans all know the Achilles heel on this team is experienced starting pitching. I think AF needs at least two experienced starters added to this roster. And one of them needs to be left-handed.
Most of the best starters in free agency are going to get contracts in excess of five years or so—especially those guys represented by Scott Boras. I think, and I believe, the only starting pitcher out there that AF would feel comfortable giving a five-year or more deal is Yamamoto.
Mainly because of his age. He is just 25. Just how much he gets between the posting fee and the contract remains to be seen, but he is obviously one of the most desirable arms on the market.
I could see them pursuing Montgomery, but like Snell, Boras is his agent, and he will be looking for years and money. Snell is a non-starter for me. He’s too erratic and just a five-inning guy all of his career, even in his two great seasons.
The Japanese lefty, Imanaga, is intriguing. But I would think AF might go out of the box here and sign Rodriguez, who now says there are no geographical restrictions on where he might sign. He was the Dodgers’ main target at the deadline and isn’t going to cost in years or money what Snell or Montgomery will.
Of course, this is all guesswork. None of us really has a clue which direction AF might go. But I get the feeling he really wants to make a huge splash. Not just to satisfy the fans but to make this team a whole lot better. Only time will tell.
A couple of things:
1. Adames strikes out 31% of the time (Same as Outman); Lux Strikes out 25% of the time. I’d rather have Lux, but I am still unconvinced he is a SS (AF is sure he is) and will he be able to handle the position after knee surgery – although it will be more than a year.
2. AF knows he will never satisfy the fans. so he won’t even try. He will just try and make the team better. I continue to believe that it will be with 4-5 smaller movers, not one big move (Ohtani).
3. You are going to hear about the Dodgers every day being linked to some free agent. Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see!
I agree they will be linked to every big name out there. But I honestly believe they are targeting Ohtani and I believe the owners are ok with that. But Ohtani won’t be the only major move. He will make at least one other major free agent signing, and possible a big trade.
I agree Mark, no Ohtani. I just have a bad feeling about his future. No one knows when he can safely start hitting this coming season without jeopardizing his elbow or how well he will hit. I believe he’s had 2 elbow operations now (correct me if I’m wrong). How will his pitching be affected in the ’25 season? He will be commanding a ton of money and I can’t see putting it into a player with a questionable future.
The Athletic speculates on what it would take to get Burnes from Milwaukee:
“Let’s make a deal: The Dodgers’ farm system remains one of the best so finding a trade that works for Milwaukee should not be difficult. Perhaps a package featuring two of their best pitching prospects, right-handers Emmet Sheehan and Ryan Pepiot, could be the foundation of a blockbuster. Or maybe a deeper dive into their system for a package of 19-year-old standouts, righty Payton Martin and outfielder Kendall George, a 2023 first-round pick who can really hit. Or perhaps something in between such as outfielder Andy Pages and third baseman Jake Gelof, a second-rounder this year. Bottom line, there are several ways the Dodgers and Brewers could match up on a trade for Burnes.”
Or… you could just keep all those prospects and sign a couple of rehab prospects. No way I would do any of those trades. You will see these young Dodgers pitchers take huge strides forward in 2024.
I am not trading Sheehan or Pepiot. And I damn sure am not trading Gelof and George. So bye bye Burnesie.
Agree 100%
Yes, this is AF’s most important off-season.
One reason is the Ohtani sweepstakes. Anther is the way the Dodgers need to come back from consecutive post-season collapses. Another is the state of the rotation, rife with inexperience.
So Burnes is an excellent trade target.
He’s in the last year of his contract, and it’s clear the Brewers won’t be signing him long-term. They’ll get more for him now than if they trade him as a midseason rental.
Let’s say that AF has no interest in Adames and/or Yelich. Let’s say he agrees with Bear–he won’t trade George or Geloff. (I wouldn’t want to either.)
Still plenty of possibilities for Burnes alone. How about one of Grove/Stone/Knack/Frasso plus one next-tier guy like Kendall Williams/Huebeck/?? + Yeiner Fernandez/ ???. Pages or Ramos or Jorbit Vivas? Is Cartaya really untouchable now? (I have more faith in Rushing now.)
The overarching point is that AF has A LOT of prospect capital to work with, and there should be some combination that would satisfy both parties.
I remain convinced that Guggenheim Baseball Management thinks Ohtani is Job One, and that the $$$ commitment will be so hefty that AF will use the prospect capital for an ace-level acquisition, and perhaps another like Beiber, or even a rising star like the Tiger lefty Tarik Skubal.
In the non-ace FA market, there’s Giolito, Flaherty, others.
Still puzzling over Eduardo Rodriguez. If AF wants him, I guess I can let go of my grudge.
Fraudman and Uncle Gomez need to get started ! What are they waiting on? He is allowing other teams to jump on and raise the stakes! Make offers they cannot refuse and get busy getting better . We need pitching , 3rd base, shortstop , and Ohtani! and they are sitting on their hands! Lets Go!!!
I suppose you believe in going to an estate auction, and instead of starting the bidding at $25 million, you just bid $100 Million. All that it takes is money and no brains!
AF and the Dodgers have the money…but most importantly they have the brains NOT to do that!
He is a troll. And totally off of his rocker.
I believe in striking while the iron is hot make a reasonable offer and get it done already! No troll here, lifelong Dodgers fan who is anxious to get another championship for our beloved Dodgers!
That is hardly the way you negotiate!
Your logic is flawed. That is not the way AF works and if you are a so-called lifelong Dodger fan with eyes, you could clearly see that. You can bet there is plenty going on that the normal fan cannot see and knows nothing about. They signed their first free agent today. RHP Ricky Vanasco signed to an MLB deal bringing the roster to 39.
Nice, glad to hear they are getting started, just anxious to see them get better and yes Friedman has done a great job just tired of losing in the first round. Have been a fan since Lasorda’s rookie year as manager
Glad to hear they have gotten started. Just anxious to see them get better. Tired of losing in the first round. Have been pulling for The Dodgers since Lasorda’s rookie year as manager.
I did a deep dive into Cal Quantrill this morning and I am convinced that this is a guy AF is interested in. He another RHP, and they have a bunch already, but his fastball velocity is not trending down – it is ticking up. He has a cutter, split-finger, slider, change and curve… maybe too many pitches. The Indians have just a few days to trade him or lose him. I would offer a low-level prospect for him: maybe Kendall Williams.
He is a guy Prior and McGuinnes could fix.
I want to see Ohtani in Dodger Blue. The cost will be significant and somehow AF must also acquire at least two major league starting pitchers either through FA or trade. There is no way AF will go into the 2024 season with a SP staff consisting of two-time TJ recipient Buehler and four seemingly rookie/second year major league starters in Miller, Sheehan, Pepiot, Grove and rookies waiting in the wings like Frasso and Stone. Dodger fans will not be excited without the addition of veteran ML arms or young established arms from Japan.
This is a big off season for AF after two disappointing back-to-back post season exits and over $100 million in salary off the books. I think he”ll work his magic and at the end of the off season he will pull together a roster that combines young and veteran talent that will be well positioned for a 12th straight post season participation. There will be some very big additions to the roster including at least one block buster trade that none of us saw coming. As Dodger fans we want something more than a participation opportunity ,we want a parade. I think this perhaps might be the off season that means the most for AF and I think he knows it by the way he carefully selects his word in the interview.
Will he go big and add big pieces or will he continue to look for bargains that don’t move the “needle” much? Time will tell, butI have a sneaky suspicion he’s been given the “green light” by ownership to spend big and go big game
hunting.
Buckle up……it’s going to be a wild ride.
Is Ohtani holding up the entire market? And will AF offer him 10+ years, 500+ mil (doubt it) or one of his infamous short term high AAV deals? Will another team give him the 10 and 500 deal?
This is normal Cassidy. No one really does any business until the winter meetings or after Thanksgiving, which is next week. I think AF will do his due diligence. They are already talking to other teams about trades. He said that during that interview. They feel teams out, see who might be available and go from there. As far as Ohtani is concerned, they will probably want some sort of structured deal in case he is unable to pitch come 25.
Lets not put down Peralta. He had a great stretch until his injury that no one knew about until season was over.
I like him.
Like Vargas. We are quick to jump on ‘slumping’ players only to find out that they were playing thru injuries and often we don’t know until they announce in October that they just had surgery.
I like Peralta, he did a good job. But the guy is 36 and turns 37 next August. They need to get younger, not older. Muncy, Betts, Freeman, Taylor, are all 30 or older. Even as much as I like Heyward, he turns 35 next August. He did provide some power and excellent defense as did Peralta. But are left-handed. If they bring one back, I would think they go with Heyward. Everyone knew Vargas was hurt. He injured his hand in spring training and tried to play through it.
That’s our problem as Dodger fans we fall in love with players Turner come to mine
JT was a fan favorite for sure, and he had a fine season with the Red Sox, but he is 39 years old. He did not play third much, and that is where LA would have needed him.
Owners vote unanimously allowing the A’s to move to Vegas.
No matter what the Dodgers do, anything without Shohei Ohtani will be a downer, a cold winter.
No to Adames. Why does his name keep popping up? Rather have Gavin Lux. No to Arenado. Let one of the young guys get a fair shot.
No trading Sheehan. No way should they trade Pepiot. Deep breath.
The Dodgers and Friedman are on the clock. Go big or go home. Fans expect Big, not fringe.
Since only five or six teams can play in the Ohtani market, that shouldn’t hold up signings or deals.
Besides LA and San Fran, who else would be a legitimate contender? Chicago Cubs, the, Texas Rangers and maybe the Boston Red Sox.
Oh and this is just a thought, but why not extend Will Smith. Seems to be working for some other teams like Atlanta and Arizona. Maybe that would help with roster change turmoil.
Good write-up, Bear.
Any reason you didn’t include the Yanks and Mets in your list of teams that would be legitimate possibilities for Ohtani?
It is the opinion that he does not want to play on the East Coast.
Sbuf listed the Red Sox. When did they relocate to the West Coast?
Well, they didn’t, and I stand by what I have heard. If what I hear is correct, he will not go to Boston either.
I tend to agree he’s less likely to wind up on the east coast.
Just wondered why he listed Boston but not NY.
I just hope Shohei makes a fairly quick decision because that will open up the entire off season. Lots of players and front offices are going to make their decision based on Ohtani’s decision.
The only reason I listed the Red Sox is the Boston paper said they had serious interest. Mark is right, most reports say Ohtani has no interest in the east coast. But who knows.
Thanks. I also do not get all the love for Adames. My best memory of that guy is him striking out to end the 2020 World Series.
I find it interesting that il I’m reading that Ohtani may explore the possibility of taking a shorter, higher AAV package all of a sudden.
Whose MO does this smell of? Could it be that the first shots have been fired in opening negotiations between AF and SO’s people?
Sounds a lot like the ultimately failed attempt to entice Haroer s few years back.
Personally I’d be much more interested in Ohtani on a shorter deal, one that doesn’t Boat Anchor us indefinitely.
I think the interest is real. Don’t forget though that he’s turned us down before in favour of the no chance of competing Angels. Maybe he’s not worried about winning, more about feeling comfortable.
Mariners could be a good fit.
That’s what I am talking about!
Shohei Ohtani wanted to pitch and hit, and he could NOT do that in the National League when he came over.
Im guessing he didn’t “choose” Anaheim over LA just because he prefers Disneyland to Universal Studios.
He did that because at the time there was no DH in the National League and he doesn’t play a position in the field. I am sure you meant Harper. I have no clue who Haroer is. Mark, we need an edit button on here.
I have faith that AF will build a 100+ win team again. But what needs to be fixed are several things in my mind.
1. Healthy pitching in the playoffs no matter what round we start in. No more excuses.
2. Mookie and Freddie start hitting like the stars they are. (Setting the table for the rest of the team.)
3. Stop chasing meaningless stats at the end the season causing bad habits. Home runs, doubles. (Mookie and Freddie)
4. Build around the young guys with the right mix of veterans who are both hungry and lead by example.
5. Lastly manage the playoffs using the eye test and stop relying solely on analytics. No more crash and burn Mr Roberts.
You cannot, to the best of my knowledge, fix injuries nor hot/cold streaks. Would love to be proven wrong.
Stop making sense!
Stop it right now!
Adames’ name keeps popping up for a few reasons.
One is that AF dealt for him when he was the GM for Tampa Bay. He was something of a coup for Friedman, a prospect who rose to become solid starter. The Rays later traded Adames to the Brewers to make room for phenom Wander Franco, which looked like a good move until it didn’t.
Adames is a first-rate defender with 20+ HR power. Yes, he Ks too much, but with superstar shortstops now earning $30 million per year, Adames is relatively cost-effective alternative. The rating systems say he is a better defender than Miguel Rojas, and obviously has a bigger bat. He’d be a substantial upgrade over Rojas.
Is he better than Lux? Certainly on defense he’d seem to be. He’s flexed more power, but Lux may have more potential and for now costs a lot less.
Not an easy call.
But if the Brewers really want Lux, a Wisconsin native, it could make it easier for the Dodgers to present a package for Burnes and Adames
Exactly! While my preference is not to take Yelich, I would also add him to the deal if necessary.
Can’t stand the guy, and what fielding metrics are they using? Horse manure. Rojas is a better defender. Adames strikes out on average 182 times a year. He is a .240 hitter with some pop. They have enough big K guys without getting another. Adames OPS is down around .700. I will take Rojas’s defense over his offense any day. Hell, I take Lux over that guy. And no thanks to Yelich either. Too much money left on his deal.
Fielding Bible award (from Sports Info Solutions) for ’23 went to Swanson, with both Adames and Rojas finishing in the top five:
The Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson was voted as the unanimous winner with Willy Adames (Milwaukee Brewers), Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado Rockies), Anthony Volpe (New York Yankees) and Rojas rounding out the top five.
For overall performance at SS in ’23, Bleacher Reports ranked Adames at No. 13 and Rojas at No. 23. Plus, Adames is six years younger than Rojas.
Not at my fingertips, but I saw a defensive WAR rating that had Adames among the SS leaders, and did not mention Rojas.
I still would rather have Rojas. I despise strikeouts and Adames is a strikeout machine. But it doesn’t matter, the SS is going to be Lux. Milwaukee can keep Adames and his strikeouts.
I still would rather have Rojas. I despise strikeouts and Adames is a strikeout machine. But it doesn’t matter, the SS is going to be Lux. Milwaukee can keep Adames and his strikeouts.
Sign Ohtani and Yamamoto. Trade Frasso. Knack, Vivas and Pages for Burnes or Bieber.
Betts RF
Freeman 1B
Smith C
Ohtani DH
Muncy 3B
Busch/DeLuca LF
Vargas 2B
Outman CF
Lux SS
Burnes
Yamamoto
Buehler
Miller
Pepiot/Sheehan
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/dodgers-re-sign-ricky-vanasco-to-major-league-deal.html
Good news about Vanasco. Dodgers obviously see a lot of potential in him….,
As for Yelich, some points to consider:
–If I’m running the small-market Brewers, just lost my star manager to the Cubs, know that key players like Burnes and Adames are in their walk year–and can’t afford to extend them– then I might think a major rebuild is in order and want to get rid of Yelich’s contract.
When Yelich signed the extension, the thinking was that he’d be a perennial all-star/MVP candidate and “face of the franchise.” He’s turned out to be something less. A good player, but overpaid and expendable. If you can move his salary and get some good low-cost talent back, why not? Imagine DeLuca or Busch or Pages playing LF for about $25 million less than you were paying Yelich.
— But should the Dodgers take him and his salary on?
Well…. maybe. He would be an offensive upgrade in LF. I’ve read that, despite his weak arm, Yelich still rates a superior defender. (I wonder if the arm trouble is permanent. Perhaps he was playing hurt last season. I don’t know.)
And yet, and yet…
If we consider Mookie and Freddie as Grade A talents who merit longterm contracts–and we want to add A+ Shohei to that list–I think it’s clear Yelich has slipped to Grade B. Do we want a pricey long-term commitment to a Grade B guy or do we want to keep the roster spot open to provide an opportunity for rising low-cost prospects? (Who is the next Outman?)
Anyway, it’s fun speculate.
What would the Brewers be looking for? Does Lux’s Wisconsin roots add much to his appeal? Are the Brewers thin at catcher? The two teams just seem to be a logical trade fit.
I read where Japanese players don’t like playing on same mlb team. Why is that I wonder. Home country exposure I’m guessing
Not really sure how much truth there is to that.
I’m guessing a guy like Yamamoto would much rather play for the Mets, Red Sox, Padres or Cubs (all of whom have Japanese players) than with the Royals, Tigers or Rockies.
Most of all they want $$$ and a chance to compete in the post season.
I read that too. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any ML team with two Japanese players at the same time, but that could just be coincidence. (It could also be true that many teams would prefer to just have just one player from Japan.)
I assume some Japanese guys would love to play with Ohtani, just like some current Dodgers. The Japanese guys all know each other pretty well, having been teammates on the national team. That doesn’t mean they’d want to play together, but it may help more than it hurts.
My guess is that Ohtani + Yamamoto will prove too pricey (though I’d love it). But Ohtani + Imanaga might be doable–and it would get the Dodgers the proverbial crafty southpaw.
So maybe….
Burnes
Buhler
Miller
Imanaga
Pepiot/Sheehan/ Stone/Grove/Knack/Frasso/River Ryan/??? (Nobody knows who will be dealt to get guys like Burnes, Cease, Beiber or Glasnow.)
And that doesn’t include possibilities like Giolito, Flaherty, Manaea, etc…
I used to hear that cliche “you can’t have too many pitchers” and shrug. But the Dodgers had A LOT of pitchers in ’23–and it still wasn’t enough.
Red Sox, 2007. SP Daisuke Matsuzaka RP Hideki Okajima. 2017 Yu Darvish and Kenta Maeda-Dodgers. 1998 Mets. Hideki Nomo, Masato Yoshii, 2005 Mets. Kazuo Mitsui, Kazuhisa Ishii, Shingo Takatsu 2008 Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda, Takashi Saito, 2007 Yankees-Kei Igawa-Hideki Matsui. Those were the ones I could find.
After hiring that guy that does international stuff, I think AF is going to swerve the Ohtani Dodger fans and sign BOTH Yamamoto and Imanaga.
I don’t understand those of you who are convinced that the Brewers will demand that whichever team trades for Burnes also has to take Yelich.
If they trade Burnes and Adames, that lops about 27 mil off of their 2024 payroll. Yes, Yelich will be paid almost 24 million, but almost all their other players will be earning under 2 million.
They may also non tender Woodruff rather than pay him not to pitch next year.
And now that they don’t have to pay Counsell, they’re saving another 8 million.
The Brewers can easily afford Yelich’s salary and demand a better prospect haul, as opposed to dumping him and getting much worse prospects in return.
Yes, they can afford Yelich’s salary, but they would rather move him and start the rebuild now. They won’t say that publically, but he is also not going to be excited to be aging and on a team going nowhere!
You’re right, he isn’t going to be real happy being part of a major rebuild, but if they include him in a Burnes trade they won’t get the kind of prospects they need for a rebuild.
I don’t get why so many are against Yelich. He will be 32 next year and is under contract at $26 million for 5 years and a sixth at $20 million (age 37) or a $6.5 Million buyout.
Look at this:
20th in the NL in WAR
18th in the NL in BA
9th in the NL in OB%
22nd in the NL in OPS
10th in the NL in SB
12th in the NL in EV
41st in the NL in DWar(but better than Bryan Reynolds, Acuna, Happ)
If you can get him cheap enough, what is not to like?
Now maybe the Dodgers don’t want him or Milwaukee wants to keep him (I have no idea) but he could play for me any day.
Way better than any LF bat we had. Fits nicely into the 6th or 7th slot and a hometown kid to boot.
I think we could use Yelich. No complaints here.
Interesting.
Yelich’s ’23 stats were generally better than Outman’s, but not a whole lot. Yelich hit to a .818 OPS, with Outman at .790. Yelich’s WAR was 3.6 and Outman’s 3.3.
These are Outman’s rookie numbers, of course–and they were better that Yelich’s first full season.
If Guggenheim Baseball Management adds Ohtani, Burnes and Yelich, I wouldn’t complain. Still need another SP or three.
Perhaps the Dodgers keep Lux/Rojas at SS.
Or try Mookie…
Thanks for all the hot stove conjecture, guys. Good stuff!
The Dodgers have flopped in the playoffs 2 years in a row, along with 2 of their castaways, Seager and Bellinger, having excellent years with other teams. Will this put pressure on management to make big changes ?
If I were GM I would be looking for 2 starting pitchers and 1 or 2 big bats. Preferably, free agents.
The Dodgers have enough .200 hitters already. No need to sign any more of those. Let the prospects get the playing time.
Is signing someone who just unanimously won the AL MVP considered big?
I’m confused, they say there’s over 394 members of bbwaa but 30 is a unanimous vote on post season awards so who and where do the 30 that vote come from? Was able to find a list of the 394 but nothing more on it
Everything you ever wanted to know about BBWA voting:
https://bbwaa.com/voting-faq/#:~:text=Which%20BBWAA%20members%20vote%20for,30%20voters%20for%20each%20award.
If I were GM.
Starting pitchers:
Yamamoto
Imanaga
Miller
Sheehan
Pepiot
Buehler is a possibility
Position players:
DH JD Martinez or Justin Turner
C Smith
1B Freeman
2B Lux
SS Betts
3B Muncy
OF Outman
OF Rhys Hoskins
OF Busch/DeLuca platoon
I notice what you did there with Vargas.
Just me, but I’d rather have Martinez, Turner and Hoskins. Busch crushes RHP and DeLuca crushes LHP.
Vargas could be on the bench pinch hitting when the team needs a contact hitter, if Vargas remains a contact hitter. Otherwise keep him at AAA and trade him at the trade deadline for an unexpected need.
Vargas is ready… more so than DeLuca and Busch.
In 2022, both Vargas and DeLuca’s last full Minor League seasons, Vargas hit .291 against RHP and .351 against LHP.
In that same 2022 season, DeLuca hit .233 against RHP and .284 against LHP.
I’d say Vargas, not DeLuca, CRUSHES LHP. Now what? For someone who worships stats… you need to get them right!
Your bias against Vargas because you want to prove me wrong is on display for everyone to see.
There’s more to crushing than batting average. Go check OPS. I’ve already proved you wrong about Vargas this last season. Nothing more to prove. I don’t predict specifics farther than the next season.
Not bad, Eric, although I’m going to consider Buehler as part of the 5-man rotation with Sheehan as the first man up in case of injury or bad performance. In the meanwhile, he can certainly be used in the bullpen.
Hoskins is not a good outfielder. I’d much rather sign Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee.
Granted these are in Korea, but his lifetime (7 seasons) statline is .340/.407/.491/.898 with more walks than strike outs. He’s considered an excellent outfielder.
Vargas/Busch/DeLuca – let them battle it out in Spring Training. Hopefully we have room for all 3 on the roster, if they prove they’re ready.
That’s a really good statline. Maybe when AF hired that guy that does international stuff, he had in mind to sign Yamamoto, Imanaga AND Lee.
Wrong again! Vargas was 1.082 in 2022, and Deluca was 1.027. Selective amnesia?
You “proved me wrong about Vargas?”
Of course, you did because you knew Vargas would break two fingers and get derailed. If that had happened to Outman, he would have rubbed some dirt on it and hit 70 HRs. Ha!
Why are you fixated on 1 year? I have a larger sample of more than 1 year. And where did you pull those numbers from?
I am not fixated on anything.
Only From MiLB.com.
Both of their last full years in the Minors was 2022.
In 2021, Vargas beats him too.
Ah, you’re only talking about minor league stats in 2022 and left out Vargas’s extremely horrible stats in MLB. Selective stats on your part.
2021 there was no contest between DeLuca and Vargas against LHP. DeLuca had .128 OPS higher than Vargas.
Baseball Reference.
Oh I forgot, Vargas was healthy with no excuses to point to in MLB in 2022. And he still sucked .170/.200/.255/.455
Just want you guys to know I’ve given up wrestling in favor of your matches.
Extremely entertaining.
Let me know when one of you is going to pick up the other and throw him out of the ring. I want to be sure not to miss it.
I used to do that stuff. I can’t throw anyone out anymore but I don’t back down.
You’re an old SOB, Mark, but I’d walk down a dark alley with you at my side any day.
Singing The Blue
Mark always picks stats that fit his narative. First batting average when I was talking about crushing pitchers. Then he insulted me as he normally does and told me to get it right. By the way, someone needs to buy him a mirror. Then leaving out MLB stats for 2022.
Well, you did not get it right. I told you that I was comparing the last two full minor league seasons, which I feel is a better representation than what a player may have done earlier in their minor league career. First, DeLuca is a year older than Vargas, and DeLuca started after college when he was 20. Vargas started when he was 18, so I think the first couple of years are irrelevant and like comparing apples to pineapples.
Jonny started when he was closer to being a mature adult,. Miggy was a kid. That’s why the last two years are more relevant. When DeLuca started he had 3 years of college under his belt and started at Rancho. Miguel started in the Rookie Leagues, so I believe the past two full seasons, not the injury seasons for both players, are most relevant.
If you are looking at stats, you also have to consider the underlying circumstances. Of course, using your “Godlike Stats” you have determined that Jonny is better than Miggy, even though Baseball Scouts and people who do this for a living (60-80 hours a week), ranked Miggy #3 for the Dodgers last year and Johnny #18.
If you are going to make wild, invalid assertions on your cherry-picked stats, expect to be challenged. You are the master cherry picker!
Vargas had an injury that affected his swing. His stats in the majors should not be held against him. Let’s see what he does in the majors when healthy. He is younger than Busch, and more of a contact hitter. If he sucks at the big-league level over an entire year, then you can say I nailed that. Otherwise, he has not spent enough time in the majors to make a qualified judgement as to his readiness to play at the highest level. Many players struggle in their first trip to the bigs without being injured,