The Dodgers are on pace to win over 100 games this season… again… for the fourth year in a row. No has EVER (in baseball history) EVER done that, but were it not for the COVID-19 short season, the Dodgers would have won 100 games six years in a row! Let that sink in! No team has ever been this dominant for this long… EVER! Yet, I think some Dodger fans would trade two championships for a losing seasons the other five years, and that only proves that they value being miserable over continued excellence. Well, it also proves that they do not even come close to comprehending what a crapshoot having twelve teams make the playoffs makes it. I have to admit that most are old and only remember how easy it was to win when only two teams made the playoffs. They cannot comprehend why it is statistically more difficult to win now, so they continue to say, “Friedman can’t build a team for the playoffs.” I have to deal with that level of comprehension daily, and it wears on me. This is a broken record that plays over and over again every year… over and over… over and over! It could be that they suffer from a treatable disease:
I’ve posted this before, but Al Yellen wrote the best Essay entitled: “With MLB’s new playoff system, it’s impossible to ‘build a World Series team’“ I am publishing it in it’s entirety:
It’s been said by many that teams who want to succeed in Major League Baseball should build a “World Series team.”
I’m here to tell you that’s basically impossible now that MLB has 12 teams in its postseason. This year, we have a World Series between the No. 7 seed and the No. 12 seed (that is, if all the teams were seeded by record, which they aren’t).
This doesn’t mean the playoffs aren’t entertaining. The first couple of rounds this year were a bit less than compelling, granted, but both LCS had entertaining moments, interesting games, great pitching and hitting and a walkoff win. If you want to enjoy October baseball — and if you’re here, I assume you’re a baseball fan who does — you simply have to accept that the World Series is no longer an attempt to crown the best team champion. It’s simply a tournament played over four-plus weeks’ time that results in a winner. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good and enjoyable baseball.
Even in the “olden days,” the World Series didn’t always crown the best team champion. Take, for example, the Cubs, who won 10 N.L. pennants in the 40 seasons between 1906 and 1945. That’s really good! They won just two World Series in that span, in 1907 and 1908. They had the better regular-season record both times. But in the other eight, all losses, the Cubs had the better record five times, including being 22½ games better than the White Sox in the only all-Chicago World Series in 1906. Two great pitchers, Ed Walsh and Doc White, shut the Cubs down and the Sox won the Series four games to two.
It. Happens. All. The. Time. And it’s more likely to happen now when we have more postseason series — and when MLB expands, perhaps by the end of this decade, we’ll likely have even more. I’m fully expecting MLB to have a 16-team postseason when there are 32 teams.
Too many? That’s an argument for a different day. Today I want to examine what this all means to the Chicago Cubs as they currently stand.
JD said it right: “Oh, no.” If Dansby Swanson catches that ball, the Cubs win the game — and presuming everything past that went just as it did in reality, the Cubs are in the postseason and the Diamondbacks are not.
That’s how much of a crapshoot this all is.
So what do the Cubs now need to do in order to give them a chance to be in that postseason crapshoot every year, or nearly every year?
The Mets outspent everyone last offseason. What did that get them? Twenty-six fewer wins, and one of the guys they previously spent big money on is in the World Series — for another team, with the Mets paying a lot of the contract. I assume you don’t want that for the Cubs.
Go on a spending spree like the Padres did? They spent a ton of money on Xander Bogaerts, and the Cubs got the better shortstop for less money — and next year Bogaerts might be asked to move off shortstop. Interestingly, the Padres wound up winning just one fewer game than the Cubs did, but they had to win 14 of their last 16 to do it, and now they’re looking for a new manager after Bob Melvin and A.J. Preller reportedly clashed amid “institutional failure.”
The Cubs don’t have that. They’ve got a President of Baseball Operations who did a pretty good job putting together a contending team in 2023 and a manager who they like (even if some of you don’t). Yes, they have just lost a key executive to the Red Sox, but I suspect they can carry on without him.
The Cubs will have to spend money, no doubt about it. Job 1 is re-signing Cody Bellinger. You know, a couple of years ago Phillies owner John Middleton said the team was spending “stupid money” and regarding Bellinger, they might have to.
But beyond that, and also locking up Justin Steele to a long-term deal, the Cubs already have a pretty good core signed for reasonable terms. Swanson, Hoerner, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are all signed for at least three more seasons. That’s a pretty good core to build around. The Cubs found out late in the 2023 season that a bullpen made of used chewing gum wrappers wasn’t going to cut it. That’s where they should focus after re-signing Bellinger, and not necessarily spending big money on that, either. “Intelligent spending” was mocked by many when Jed Hoyer used that phrase a while back, but it does actually seem like the right thing to do.
To circle back to the headline, you can’t build a “World Series team.” Teams that appeared to have done that this year — Dodgers, Braves in particular — are watching the World Series at home with the rest of us.
Build a team that’s good enough to get into the October tournament and withstand injuries. That is, in my view, what the Cubs have to do to be able to get in the playoff conversation every year, or nearly so. Do that and it should work out in a championship or two, eventually.
So, this brings me to the crux of what I want to discuss today: Will the Dodgers make a BIG MOVE at the trade deadline? Before I answer that, I want to remind you of what Andrew Friedman said when he took over for the Dodgers. He said this, according to Jon Weisman:
— Andrew Friedman (via Jon Weisman)
“It’s an incredibly exciting day for me, coming into a franchise with such an historic history, occupying the same seat held by legendary baseball men like Buzzie Bavasi and Branch Rickey, is both challenging and humbling. Baseball would not be where it is today, without the Dodgers, and I have to say it feels great to be a Dodger today.
“Baseball is great when fans care deeply, and no team has better fans than the Dodgers. They expect their team to compete deep into October every year, and so do I. The fans know that baseball’s best when you win, so I’m looking forward to working with the many talented people in this organization to help us get to where we want to be, which is bringing a World Series championship back to L.A.
“I will focus on process, and I will be as open and disciplined in our thinking as possible. Success requires an entire team of people who are on the same page and who trust implicitly in the processes we implement together. I look forward to working with the many talent people who are already here in baseball ops and adding dynamic people from the outside as well.
“Most of all, we will create a culture of trust throughout our entire organization. An environment of trust and forthrightness breeds a healthy and highly functional organization. And I want our players to know that we will communicate openly and take care of them at all costs.
“I fully recognize the magnitude of the job ahead of me. This is a world-class organization with world-class expectations.
“It’s important to be able to supplement your major league team and it’s important to be able to use certain guys to go out and get things that you need, whether it’s in the offseason or in July.
On the relevance of team chemistry:
“It’s a much longer answer than we have time for right now, but if you are a team that wins 70 games and you have great chemistry, I don’t want those 25 guys. Those aren’t guys that I necessarily want to be in the trenches with. A lot of those stories about chemistry from the media come after the fact — it’s a narrative after the fact. … I’d rather win with what you determine to be bad chemistry than lose with what you determine to be good chemistry.
“We look at scouting reports. We look at the different metrics. We look at who they are, their makeup. We do a lot of digging on the people we are going to acquire.”
On communicating with players:
“We’re gonna communicate. We’re going to talk to guys. We’re going to be very open and honest and forthright. People are going to know exactly what we’re thinking. I think it’s important that whatever conversations we have with players behind closed doors, that we have with the players, that they understand what we feel like our their strengths, what we feel like are their goals and things they need to work on, so that line of communication is open and guys know what the situation is and where we stand.”
“It’s an incredibly exciting day for me, coming into a franchise with such an historic history, occupying the same seat held by legendary baseball men like Buzzie Bavasi and Branch Rickey, is both challenging and humbling. Baseball would not be where it is today, without the Dodgers, and I have to say it feels great to be a Dodger today.
“Baseball is great when fans care deeply, and no team has better fans than the Dodgers. They expect their team to compete deep into October every year, and so do I. The fans know that baseball’s best when you win, so I’m looking forward to working with the many talented people in this organization to help us get to where we want to be, which is bringing a World Series championship back to L.A.
“I will focus on process, and I will be as open and disciplined in our thinking as possible. Success requires an entire team of people who are on the same page and who trust implicitly in the processes we implement together. I look forward to working with the many talent people who are already here in baseball ops and adding dynamic people from the outside as well.
“Most of all, we will create a culture of trust throughout our entire organization. An environment of trust and forthrightness breeds a healthy and highly functional organization. And I want our players to know that we will communicate openly and take care of them at all costs.
“I fully recognize the magnitude of the job ahead of me. This is a world-class organization with world-class expectations.
“It’s important to be able to supplement your major league team and it’s important to be able to use certain guys to go out and get things that you need, whether it’s in the offseason or in July.
On the relevance of team chemistry:
“It’s a much longer answer than we have time for right now, but if you are a team that wins 70 games and you have great chemistry, I don’t want those 25 guys. Those aren’t guys that I necessarily want to be in the trenches with. A lot of those stories about chemistry from the media come after the fact — it’s a narrative after the fact. … I’d rather win with what you determine to be bad chemistry than lose with what you determine to be good chemistry.
“We look at scouting reports. We look at the different metrics. We look at who they are, their makeup. We do a lot of digging on the people we are going to acquire.”
On communicating with players:
“We’re gonna communicate. We’re going to talk to guys. We’re going to be very open and honest and forthright. People are going to know exactly what we’re thinking. I think it’s important that whatever conversations we have with players behind closed doors, that we have with the players, that they understand what we feel like our their strengths, what we feel like are their goals and things they need to work on, so that line of communication is open and guys know what the situation is and where we stand.”
On autonomy:
“I’m a big fan of collaboration. I think that anyone who thinks there’s one person making all decisions, it’s naive.”
On payroll:
“We’re gonna solve for winning, and I think the payroll part of it will be a byproduct of that. A healthy, highly functioning organization has a lot of good young players you’re interjecting with veteran star players and (being) able to do that in a way that allows you to remain competitive, that’s our challenge. That’s the thing that will drive us every single day in what we do.”
Andrew also stated that he wanted to build a sustainable team to win year after year, not win for a few years and then tank. He also said something very wise:
“I don’t believe the best team wins the World Series every year. I think the hottest team wins the World Series every year.”
— Andrew Friedman
Here’s another wise quote:
“Making sense of MLB’s postseason rollercoaster is a fool’s game.”
— J.P. Hoornstra
Will the Dodgers Make a Blockbuster Trade?
While anything is possible, I would not predict that he will make a Huge Splash. The Dodgers are still running away with the division, and many players will be back in the next six to eight weeks. Dave Dumbrowski will not hesitate to gut the Phillies’ farm system, while Friedman will not do the same in the Dodgers system. However, it does not mean that the Dodgers will stand pat at the trade deadline. I think that what Friedman has done in the past will predict what he might do in the future… and he seldom does what any of us predict.
I think that Tyler Rogers of the Giants would fit in well in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Rogers has a 2.92 ERA in a majors-leading 40 appearances this year, with 27 strikeouts and only two walks. The 33-year-old righty with the submarine delivery is affordable ($3.2 million salary this year) and controllable through 2025 as well. He has not allowed a run in 10 of 11 appearances this month. Rogers has a career ERA of 2.96 and has led the league in games pitched in two of the past four years. His submarine delivery would play well with all of the flamethrowers in the Dodgers ‘ bullpen. Friedman can deal with Farhan and could get Rogers relatively cheaply.
As I have said, I think Garrett Crochet is a waste of collateral. By the All-Star Break, he may have 120 innings. In 2023, he had 12 innings and in 2022, he did not pitch due to injury. In 2021, he had 54 innings and just 6 innings in 2020. I cannot see him helping during the stretch run or in October. I can see Wrobleski doing it, however. I suppose the Dodgers could have an interest in Jack Flaherty…
Jazz Chisholm is a player that the Dodgers might value because he can play IF and OF, but there is a lot of bad blood between him and Rojas. Randy Arozarena could be had for LF, but I would rather keep Miguel Vargas. Taylor Ward of the Angels could be in play and would not cost a ton. The Dodgers almost signed Tommy Pham before they decided to sign Teoscar, so they do like him, but they had two opportunities and declined both times.
With Gavin Stone, along with Glasnow, Knack, Paxton, and the choice of Kershaw, Miller, Buehler, Wrobleski, or maybe Casparius, Hurt, or Ryan, the Dodgers seem stacked at starting pitcher. Of course, you can never have too much pitching. The Bazooka may also return in August!
I think we simply have to wait and see how this all shakes out with the current lineup. In about a month, we will know a lot more, and Muncy may be ready to return.
X-CITES
Finally…
I am taking a few days off, and I may or may not be back. I have reached the conclusion that I will not allow the childish, little idiots who live to criticize me because they have never built or run anything themselves in their lives (except their mouths driven by their small brains)… I will not allow them to take away my joy and happiness. I have better things to do than read what these dimwits write… and if I am such a stupid/bad/make-shit-up kind of guy, why do they even read here in the first place? If/when I do come back, I may thin the herd of the idiots that don’t even rise to the level of morons. If you are not one of them, I’m sorry, but they ruin it for everyone. If you are one of the idiots, I am sure you don’t comprehend that either.
Don’t go anywhere Mark this is THE best Dodger Blog out there.
And you are 100% spot on about the playoffs and WS. Ill take what the Dodgers are doing over any team in baseball.
I’m not gonna re-hash 2017 but we all know what happened. So that’s 2 WS championships in 7 years and winning 100 games every year.
Being a Dodger fan is great we dont have down seasons, at all.
I enjoy the ride every summer and know we will have a chance to win it all come October, 2024 is no different.
No team can say that.
Mark I understand your feelings but why not just get rid of the garbage.
Dont post much these days but best Dodger blog hands down. I’m with RF might time to take out the garbage !
Dude, just DFA three or four guys on here and you’ll be golden.
Cheers
Here we go again….
Sorry, I really like you Mark and this blog, but this is childs play at some point.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
It’s getting pretty apparent he doesn’t really have much to write about so just hashes the same BS over and over again.
So, Kevin,
What kind of dumbass comes to a site such as that?
I guess it’s a dumbass named Kevin .
Well Mark, looks like Kevin is the first that’s gonna walk the plank, guaranteed he’s one of the Spectrum LA toolbags who spew nothing but toxic trash, even when the Dodgers win. Away Matey!
Thanks for proving that doesn’t hurt to be a moron. Because here you are……. Typing away… Oblivious.
Most will agree about getting rid of idiots. But that doesn’t mean everyone that may disagree with a certain opinion.
I think Mark now tied with Tom Brady for most retirements. But anyway. Just delete posts that make personal attacks on anyone. Let people express their opinions, and don’t feel compelled to answer idiots.
LOL
This site great when it talks baseball. But this must be the 500th time posting about building team for wins or playoffs. I think all future posts on this subject should be deleted.
Agreed . And Mark should just stop calling other users out and suggest they would prefer feeling miserable over contnued excellency because those users would chose 2 WS titles going along with 5 losing seasons over 10 great regular seasons without a WS title.
Every animal is different. Speaking for me I would chose those 2 titles in a heartbeat even if we had 5 losing seasons in between and it would NOT make me feel miserable . I like baseaball a lot , not only MLB but the minors too.
If the big league team loses but some of our blue chip prospects have good days that makes me happy . It is not only about the big league team for me. Watching the kids move along , making it to DS and eventually win the title is just as nice as all those winning regular seasons.
But hey, that is just me and Mark probably will call me preferring to be miserable over happy too.
I can deal with it though cause only I know what makes me happy. No one else.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess you would rather have a site where everyone just agrees on everything and keeps patting each other on the back…… boring!
That’s what you got from what Mark said?
I think he prefers a site within intelligent discourse.
Not quite sure why you would let someone’s SPORTS opinion bother you so much to take your ball and go home. Either just delete the ones that refute what you think or don’t worry about them. Most of them are just PEOPLE’S opinions that may or may not match yours. Yes, some proposed trades are pretty loony but I just read them and move on.
I can agree with the playoff crapshoot to a point but maybe our FO could look at what is causing our top hitters gonads to shrink. Knowing that, look to trades for a non- 3 result hitter or two to try something different. On the pitcher side it’s just health. Every year it is the hitting. I think this is the cause of some of your posters angst.
You have made this site the first place I go every morning. Thank you. You are very talanted.
Mark,you know who the troublemakers are,just block them,delete them or do whatever it takes to rid of them. I still believe this is an opinionated site and opinions should not get personal with anyone.Why let a few assholes ruin it for all the loyal Dodger participants?
Just block the morons. not worth getting upset over them.
this is still the best dodger site out there. Just block them.
Please keep it going!
Thank-you for every morning. My first thing to read.
never usually comment, just look forward to reading your insights!
Hi Mark- most of what makes you crazy is under the radar for me. I’m here primarily for your content and secondarily for the comments. Stupid comments are easily skipped over for me because I’m not invested. You take comments personally because this is your blood, sweat and tears. Totally understand that.
My 2 cents for posters is: don’t be an ass hole and have at least a modicum of respect. And Mark- I’d simply blow people up without fanfare – I bet know one would know or give a single shit. Thanks,
Jim
Perhaps we should discuss wordle, recipes, what’s for dinner or Auburn football like they do at TBLA or just suck it up and embrace the notion we’re all different and enjoy our fandom of Dodger baseball differently and we won’t always agree.
At the end of the day we’re online discussing baseball, many of us are retired and have been watching Dodger baseball for decades. In the big scheme of things that we’re all dealing in this thing called life does it really matter if one guy wants to sacrifice some WS titles for a few losing seasons, or a certain player should be sent out, or a big trade made should be made.
It’s a freaking blog for gosh sake.
Between your previous site and current one it has been an enjoyable daily read for me over the last 12-13yrs.
I hope it continues and hope you come back relaxed and refreshed.
And if you decide to continue, please don’t loose that edge, it keeps the blood flowing.
Let’s just do our best to respect each other views.
Go Mark !!
Go Dodgers!!
Well said.
I read 2 blogs this one and ladodger chronicles and they each have their own personalities due to the head moderator’s. This one is more edgy for sure. I like both of them and don’t post as much as i used to.
You lost or banned quite a few posters over the years I have been reading.
It’s a blog and people are going to say things others either agree or disagree with. Sometimes its better to not say anything you don’t agree with instead of going back and forth like you and Eric have for the last 3 years.
Just my 2 cents is all and i hope you keep the site going as its a daily occurrence for many of us
It is your blog, Mark; you do what you want. But as many of us said before, don’t let others spoil your love of the game or the team. Yeah, the uninformed and disillusioned are going to always piss and moan about something. And since I used to write for this blog, I know how it can drain one listening to people constantly complain about an era that is unlike any era in Dodgers history. I am old, but I totally understand that the playoffs are crapshoots. And if you go into the playoffs minus major pieces, like 21, when Muncy and Kershaw were not available, your odds of winning go way down. Yet in 21 they got to the NLCS, but just could not come back from a 3-1 deficit. Last year, same thing, injuries to the pitching staff, and the stars not producing against Arizona. Just get rid of the ones who give you ulcers. And there is no need to post every day. If you like, just a game recap can generate conversation. I like posting here, most of the fans here have some solid knowledge, and I respect theirs and your opinions. I shall continue writing for Jeff’s blog as long as I can. Be well my friend, and do what makes you, not others, happy.
Thursday schedule
4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Patrick Copen) at Lake County (Rorik Maltrud)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Chris Campos) vs. Amarillo (Dylan File)
6:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Wyatt Crowell) at Lake Elsinore (Eric Yost)
6:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (River Ryan) at Reno (Humberto Castellanos)
“Chris Campos makes his Double-A debut on Thursday. Patrick Copen, the Dodgers’ seventh-round pick out of Marshall last year, makes his Midwest League debut after getting promoted Tuesday”.
Would be a shame for you to go away!! Look forward to this all day. .. there’s always someone or somebody want to piss in your cereal. Well i don’t eat cereal. Haven’t in 55 years. Hell i don’t agree with everyone all the time, but that’s what makes for good conversation! Give people 3 chances. #1 , warning. #2. week off. #3 permanent ban. You and i have never agreed on Barnes. But, i respect your opinion and acknowledge my bias against him. I pull for him, but he drives me crazy! ….. I want Bo Bichette. Bear doesn’t. But we agree that LA needs another bat. Bottom line everyone practice aa little common courtesy and respect every single person. If you can’t, go away! Go Barnes!!
I eat cereal all the time, about the only thing soft enough for me to chew. Bichette at this point is not a great upgrade from what we have at SS right now. Miggy is outhitting him by about 50 points. And Miggy is every bit as good or better as a defender. You want a SS that hits, get DeJong, at least he is showing some power numbers, stick him in this lineup with all the thumpers around him and he will get better. Bichette is hitting .234 with no power, 4 homers, DeJong is hitting .236 with 14 homers. DeJong is not going to cost you premium talent. DeJong could fill in very well until Mookie gets back and then be a backup around the infield. He has played some second base in the majors. Good news is that Muncy is supposed to start taking some swings this week.
It still amazes me how many people blindly bite the hand that feeds them.
This is an excellent site that so many individual enjoy to let it be ruined by the few who pick a fight or do a “neener – neener” when a statement by somebody else that they disagreed with is wrong, just so they “may” feel better about themselves??
The amount of time that Mark puts into this site is incredible!
So my question to others is “when” he is wrong who gives a Fxxx!
Let it go, ignore it and move on and write something that is “semi” rational, “reasonably” thought out and “possibly” entertaining. The amount of nit-picking that sometime occurs is ridiculous.
Plus, typically Mark owns it when he wrong on his opinions on certain players.
As most of us are older (i.e. definitely over 55) I think we can handle being called some names – but Mark, maybe instead of saying that a post or specific thought is “moronic” instead say “nonsensical”??:)
Also, as most of us are / have been married, could you imagine the ruckus in your relationship if you corrected your spouse on every little comment and or nuance. Everybody here should have learned to let the small stuff go as it makes for a happier life!:))
I grew up pretty hard-core blue collar, and believe it or not, my dad used the word “that little bastard” as a term of endearment.
Now of course he if prefaced that word with “Fxxxing” – then “usually” it was not a term of endearment, but then, of course in a context of pulling off something funny with your friends/family, getting call a “you Fxxxing bastard” probably meant you scored a point and could expect a friendly retaliation sometime down the road.
That is of course, something that the written word cannot convey vs. the tone/context of the verbal word in a face-to-face get together.
Any way – in summary – I don’t think any of us that reads this blog “as a go to” every morning wants it to go away.
Finally, whether or not I agree / disagree with any/all of your posts, I will say that as we come up on the July 4th holidays that we easily (warts and all) live in the best country ever!! AND I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday with family and friends!
Excellent Shawn. I was called so many names when I was a kid. My foster father was a total ass and the biggest jerk alive. He would belittle you every chance he got. I got the last laugh, he died at 55 and I am still cooking at 76 despite all of the abuse. As a former contributor to this site, I have had my share of missteps when posting. And several times I have been totally wrong about trades or player moves. But I will happily eat crow if it helps the team. There are several very knowledgeable fans who post here. Being civil is something we all need to do. It is easy to criticize when your identity is shielded by the internet. And you are miles away from the person you are arguing with. I met Mark, and I know how passionate he is about the Dodgers. We talked about them for quite a long time. But like me, he sometimes has a short fuse, and who can blame him. He puts a ton of effort into running this site. I know for a fact that coming up with topics each and every day, especially in the off-season is not that easy. I mostly wrote about the teams history, so it was a little easier. But I respect the man and any decision he makes regarding his site, I hope he keeps it up, but if he decides otherwise, I respect that too.
Hi Eric,
Just wanted to share some of my own life experience. My uncle got polio in the 50’s when he was a little boy and was confined to a wheel chair for most of his life. Polio was rampant disease back in the 1940’s – 1960’s and affected many people.
He lived a fine life and accomplished many things in his short life. He got married, and had 3 wonderful girls. To support his family he would go deer hunting and fishing to provide food. His wife worked part-time and took care of him and the girls along with helping with his medical attention.
He even played softball in our local neighborhood. He played pitcher and could sling it in there to the batter pretty good. When he batted he usually bunted and we had a runner that stood next to him in the box and ran for him after he made contact. Later on in life he was our manager of my softball team, filled out the lineups, and coached 3rd base. We won many league titles and tournaments locally.
He was an avid Bear fan and when they had their football practices in Platteville Wisconsin he got to know a few of the players and got to kind of know Walter Payton. Walter even signed some personal pictures they took together.
He even served on the city council and did that for about 10-15 years and was quite popular. Sadly he passed away in early 2000’s but lived a very fruitful and full live.
I just wanted to let you know he never let his confinement to being in a wheelchair be a hurdle.
I know every person’s situation is different but wanted to share that story is all so I hope you don’t take it wrong or anything like that.
Take care.
Zeke
People are cruel Eric. Especially kids. It is not uncommon to find in adults. If you look at my history, it is a wonder I did not turn out to be an axe murderer. But the lessons I learned made me a better man. The temper thing took a long time to overcome. Not until I was in my late 30’s could I really get a handle on it. I still have some moments when I have to check myself, but usually they pass quickly. Two things got me through all of the bullshit. Baseball and music. My love of the game, and the Dodgers, and my god given talent to be able to sing and entertain people, well, those are pretty powerful drugs. I have met some women who are downright cruel. But I have done my best to forgive and forget any slights made to me over the years. I also apologized to those who I knew I had not exactly been cordial too. Mark and I had a quite stormy beginning on a different baseball blog. We were at each other’s throats almost daily. But we worked it out, and I consider him a friend. I got to know him, and some of his family, and baseball, specifically, Dodger baseball, brought us together. I hope things get better for you. I have no clue how your life has been because I have never been in your situation. But keep loving the game and the team. I know it helps me.
To Shawn….
Yes, Mark puts a lot of work into this blog, and he does a terrific job of that. It’s much appreciated.
The problem is that Mark often belittles people here for simply stating their opinions. He calls them idiots and morons and says they have their heads up their asses.
It’s the behavior of a bully. It’s just rude.
Now, we could choose to ignore the BS–and I often have.
Or we can push back–and I’ve often done that too.
Turnabout is fair play. What’s good for the goose… Etc.
You rarely ignore anything
Old Bear 48, thank you for backing up Mark he is so blessed to have you as a true friend. Mark I to will support what ever you decide about this site. Many of the posters on this site have commented here that this the best Dodger blog anywhere. That is 100% correct. Thank you so much for all your work and passion you put into it.
Heard this a few days ago from the BVM sports outlet?
Yes over the last week many outlets are buzzing around a possible trade between Jays and Dodgers
Not sure who the heck they are but if this is even a possibility, I would take this in a NY minute
:
The Los Angeles Dodgers, aiming to bolster their roster by the July 30 trade deadline, are considering a trade proposal that would bring Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette to L.A. in exchange for Gavin Lux, Diego Cartaya, and Payton Martin.
Maybe that’s why they moved Cartaya to AAA a few days ago to showcase him in a trade?
I guess that move will either enhance our prospect capital or put us in the red.
Hope he puts up some solid numbers, but I’m not to gonna bet on that one.
Bichette could be the long term SS solution if they can extend him after the 2025 season .
Although coming off injury and having a below avg yr so far, his career stats speak for themselves.
Bichette : Career
Avg: 293
Hr: 93
RBI: 340
OPS: 801
SB: 55
Strikeout rate: 21.6%
Fielding% : 964
Games : 594
Bichette- 1 hr every 26 AB which avgs around 24 hrs per year
Bichette just turned 26 in March and is just beginning to reach his prime.
Go Dodgers!!
In a heartbeat!
No thanks, Bichette is playing like crap, he is hitting .234 with no power, 4 homers, and has not shown much improvement lately, plus, he is presently on the IL. Why trade for a SS when the one they have playing now is hitting better than Bichette??? Rojas is doing fine, just leave well enough alone. Bichette is a free agent after next year. Would be tantamount to the same thing they got when they got Trea Turner. Wait until the offseason, and then sign a free agent, Adames, then.
I respectfully disagree.
I believe the Dodgers would only do the trade that included some top prospects if he agreed to sign an extension.
If not then less prospect capital would be offered to get him for the next 1 1/2 yrs.
You say why trade for a shortstop when the one they currently have is hitting better the Bichette,
Yet you would consider Dejong?
Yes,
I would keep Rojas were he is at as opposed to trading for Dejong.
This year he is hitting .233 with an OPS of .726. And those would be career highs as his career numbers are even worse.
After watching him in the Dodger series, I don’t see him helping the team now or in the future.
Yep he has 14 hrs. And strikes out at almost 34%. We have enough of those guys
Bichette over his 4 yr career averages 24 homers a year and has and OPS of .801 and BA of 293.
Dejong career OPS .717 and BA of .229.
I believe
Bichette is a long term solution at shortstop.
Bichette is 26 yrs old.
Bichette was activated off the IR on 6/25 and starting tonight against the Yankees
DeJong is a rental and would not cost a lot. Rarely is a player traded at the deadline and then signs an extension, most of their agents want them to test the free agent waters. You can disagree all you want, I get that, but I do not see the Dodgers trading for any SS for any reason. I think they look for maybe a backup infielder type, and outfield help. Rojas and Taylor can hold down the fort at SS until Mookie is back. Bichette at this point is no upgrade at SS. If they need an upgrade anywhere, it is at second and some bench power. Bichette alone is not worth two top-10 prospects. Hey, your entitled to your opinion. But history tells us AF has only traded for a position player at the deadline once who was a star, Manny Machado, and the only reason they made that deal was because Seager was out for the year. Trea Turner was what they got for including both Gray and Ruiz in that trade.
To me the question is whether DeJong would be an upgrade over Lux, not Rojas. DeJong’s OPS is about 150 points higher than Lux’s.
Mookie should come back as the full-time 2B. His injury makes it harder for him to get enough experience at SS before the playoffs–and with Mookie back at 2B, where would Lux play? That’s a long-term problem.
Rojas and DeJong could share the SS job and play UT roles. It has been suggested that Rojas is playing well in part because he gets regular rest.
Trea was a better acquisition than Machado, no? Not just a rental!
I still think the Scherzer-Trea deal was brilliant. Dodgers gave up their two top prospects, but neither figured greatly into the team’s long-term plans. They also included two lesser prospects; I think one made it to the majors, but didn’t stick.
In some ways, I think it’s easier to fashion a package for Crochet + DeJong than for either of those guys alone.
No, Trea was not a rental, but he was really not needed at the time. The thing was the Dodgers would not give up both Ruiz and Gray for Scherzer alone. Not wanting to wait another year and see Trea walk after the season, they included him in the deal, and he took over second base for the Dodgers. Trea had a great stretch run for the Dodgers. He ended up winning the batting title. But he was mediocre in the playoffs. He only hit .240 in the NLCS against Atlanta. He had two homers in four games the following year against the Padres. Machado’s attitude and play during his time in LA was not good. I was genuinely happy when they did not re-sign him.
Offense going completely cold and getting embarrassed in first round by teams we dominated isn’t crapshoot. There’s something wrong. Myself I’ll take having good respectable post season runs over 100 wins seasons anytime. I don’t need a great regular season to enjoy it. What happened last couple years when it really counts, that hurts. Every sport has a bunch of teams making playoffs but only in baseball do I hear the loser term crapshoot
Michael,
Agreed
I would take a few subpar seasons to get a WS ring or 3 every decade.
Now that I think about that I sure wish I had a few more decades I could put in the bank.
The down years will allow for some higher draft picks, allowing for the team to become younger, dare I say more exciting and probably allow us to reset the salary cap a few times.
Go Dodgers !!!
And by down years I’m still looking for them to be competitive and fighting for a playoff spot.
Go Dodgers !!
Manure, the Dodgers were not the only top team eliminated in the first round. It is a total crapshoot. LA was hurt in the pitching department going into the playoffs and it showed. They have won before when the big guns got stifled. You might want the down years, but most fans are not spending their money to go watch losing clubs,
The fans will pay even in the down years. The Dodgers have always been at the top in attendance even in the lean years of the 90’thru the mid 2000’s
That’s why there fans.
And with the revenues generated from all the advertising and Cable contracts the Dodgers won’t be hurting
Remember this all started on the question of do you want to win 100games every year and yet continue to get knocked off early in the playoffs every year.
Or have a few below average years, yet still competing, but win 1 or 3 World Series rings in a decade.
I’ll take a wild card spot with 90 wins and 3 rings
In 2011, the Dodgers were 11th in attendance. A drop off of 8 spots from the year before. Over 600,000 less fans came through the gates. The year before they were under .500 at 80-82. 2011 was the year Matt Kemp was chasing a triple-crown, and they still were drawing 4000 less a night. Since Guggenheim took over, totally different story. They have been at or near the top of the majors in attendance. WHY??? Because they are winning during the regular season. If they were mediocre all those years, but competitive, who knows. Fans love a front runner, not a wild card. The one year they were a wild card team, they won 106 games. Wild card means exactly that. Your chances are not that good. You want home field. Chances are, the results would be the same. Why??? Injuries have been part of it. Bad performances by the team’s stars, It just isn’t that easy to win. The wild card teams biggest advantage under the new system is that they do not have to sit on their butts for five days waiting for an opponent. Right after the 66 season, the Dodgers over the next 4 years drew less than 2,000,000 fans. something they had done only twice since they moved to LA. 5 of the 7 years between 66 and 73, they drew under 2,000,000 fans. Why??? They were a losing team.
Nope
A real fan does not love there team because they are front runners they support them because that’s their team, through sickness and in health.
Of course it’s not easy to win.
And I’m not saying wild cards have a better chance of winning. Of course they don’t. I’m looking for them to be competitive in the down years.
This was a hypothetical question.
Rings over regular season wins.
Now if you take a deep dive into. regular season records and attendance for the Dodgers you will not see drastic changes in attendance records that would be concerning.
In 2010 the Dodgers had a LOSINGrecord of 80-82 and had 3.5 million in attendance and ranked 3rd
In 2011 they had a WINNING record of 82-79 and there attendance DROPPED to 2.9 million and ranked 11th
2009 95-67 ranked 1st in attendance
2007 82-80 ranked 2nd in attendance
2005 LOSING record
71-91 ranked 2nd in attendance
2004-
Winning record 93-69 ranked 2nd
2001- winning record 86-76 and was only 8th in attendance
1989- 77/83 – 3rd in attendance.
Since 1988 World Series the Dodgers have had 5 losing seasons.
1989- 3rd rank
1992 – 7 th rank
1999 -7th rank
2005- 2nd rank
2010- 3rd rank
The point is the fans will come and the sponsers will pay.
Of course consistent loosing over
Cumulative years will affect attendance.
The point of this exercise was that I will take a wild card with a chance to win 85-90 games in the regular season for 1 or 3 World Series rings over a decade as opposed to 100 plus wins every year and get knocked out early
It’s all hypothetical that’s all it was.
New rumor has Detroit and the Dodgers talking about Tarik Skubal. Detroit would love for someone to take Javier Baez’s contract as part of a deal. But Baez is having an awful season and is owed 73 million over the next 3 seasons. Dodgers won’t do that.
Cheerios! Had another bowl today…
Anyone who thinks Crochet would be a rental is mistaken. He won’t become a free agent until 2027. If the Dodgers get him, he could be the lone lefty in a six-man rotation for the two seasons after this one.
AF might prefer a rental, which would be cheaper. But if the Dodgers brass think Crochet is worth it, he’s an option.
Right now, Crochet is getting paid $800K. He should get a nice bump in arbitration. But it will pale in comparison to what Sasaki will seek.
I could be wrong on this but it’s my understanding that if Sasaki comes out this winter, he wouldn’t be eligible to be posted so his team wouldn’t get anything and he would be signed under international free agent rules which would mean he couldn’t be paid all that much either.
I believe Ohtani came over early under the same set of circumstances.
He’ll make his money. While his salary might not be where he wants it his merchandise will be substantial.
With Crochet, the ’25 rotation might look like this:
Glasnow
Shohei
Yamamoto
Stone
Crochet
Miller/Knack/Wrobleski/???
And that doesn’t include Sasaki.
I certainly wish Buehler great success as a free agent, and Kershaw all the best in retirement.
You are forgetting Gonsolin and May. They will both be back. How about Sheehan, unless traded, he will be back also. Corbin Burnes is a free agent this winter. They could look at him if the Orioles cannot re-sign him.
Good point.
I think some of these guys may be traded.
Burnes was the guy I wanted most this winter. If I recall correctly, I was willing to part with Lux and Stone to get him. (Hey, I figured that Miller > Stone, right. Certainly glad we kept Stone.)
But the Brewers management was smart, getting infielder Joey Ortiz and a couple of good prospects whose names I can recall to get Burnes. Ortiz, blocked in Baltimore, has been excellent at 3B and is poised to replace Adames next season. (AF could very well try to bring Adames to the Dodgers.)
It’s unfortunate, I think, that the front office didn’t find a way to deal for Ortiz or one of the other excellent SS prospects in recent years. There are a lot of really good young shortstops out there in the majors–but AF thought Lux would be the guy.
Sasaki is not pitching right now. He has been plagued with right arm soreness. No diagnosis yet, but it does not look good. The bug in the buttermilk is Crochet’s lack of innings over the last several years. He has been injured a lot. That will play into any decision on a trade. They could ger Yusei Kikuchi from the Jays much cheaper. At his point, I am not counting on Kershaw or May returning anytime soon. Buehler neither. I think a lot of Bobby Millers problem is between his ears. And his mechanics seem off.
Kikuchi is a good pitcher but he will not move the needle for us. IF AF goes after a starter roll the dice.
Crochet has his risks (health, limited innings) but the Dodgers can handle his workload so he will be a weapon in the postseason.
For Crochet I would be willing to part ways with two out of Hurt or Knack plus Ryan or Wrobleski plus Rushing or Cartaya , give the WS the choice out of those pairings.
We have a surplus of young pitching and we probably can not protect all in the Rule 5 draft anyway. So better to use them in a trade to aquire a potential difference maker.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not trading Wrobleski. And I do not think the Sox would take just two players. Crochet is under team control until 27. I also think you are underestimating Kikuchi.
Will AF make a big splash?
I think the evidence points more to “yes” than “no.”
Sherzer-Trea was a big splash. Machado was a big splash (albeit predictable). Darvish was a pretty good-sized splash too–and he wound up getting screwed by the Trashtros.
He went the small splash route in ’22, trading Beeter for a badly slumping Gallo, and promoting Vargas from OKC when there were better options in the trade market. He also flipped McKinstry for RP Chris Martin, which turned out to be the best deal of the bunch. But all considered, the ’22 acquisitions didn’t move the needle much–and maybe moved it in the wrong direction.
There’s a lot of talent out there who could help fix the Dodgers’ flawed roster.
I think Friedman WANTS to make a (so-called) “big splash,”..
..but getting it done depends on the degree to which he & ownership are willing to overpay to do it.
I think you hit the nail on the head, but I also think this ownership wants a full season championship badly. They spend well over a billion dollars in the winter, I think spending some more to shore up the holes in the roster would not be out of the question.
Friedman has done it before, but remember that finding a willing trade partner who values your assets is where it starts. We may think it works, but does the other team? That’s what we don’t know. The White Sox may want Rushing, Hurt, and Wrobleski for Crochet. That could be a great trade for both teams, but with the number of innings Crochet has thrown, even though he may be great for two more years, he may flame out THIS year due to the fact that he has NEVER pitched close to the total innings he has this year (already). Is it possible that Wrobleski could be better than Crochet this year? I m not against Crochet, but I just think he will not be as effective as he nears 180 IP and then why did you trade for him?
BTW, River Ryan looked pretty good last night as he builds up. 3.2 iP/2 H/1 ER/2 BB/5 K
The Braves have been aggressive at promoting their young pitchers over the years. Look at how many they promoted and got hurt… an they just keep bringing them up.
If we’ve learned anything from the past few season, any pitcher may flame out and need surgery at any time. The Dodgers have had several: Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Kershaw, Sheehan…
Will Wrobleski and Ryan stay healthy? How about Stone and Knack and Paxton and Glasnow? There is a lot more risk in the game than there used to be, no?
So I think the injury risk is just kind of a given, and rarely a dealbreaker.
I was very wary of Glasnow, but he seems to be fixed and looks like the ’24 version of a workhorse. I figured that Yamamoto, with his yoga regimen, was about the least likely pitcher to get injured. (Shows what I know.)
I think thin teams like the Sox or Angels may be interested in quantity, not just quality. I can imagine some dickering in which the Dodgers refuse to give up a top prospect like Rushing and instead offer 3 decent prospects who don’t seem to have a clear future with the Dodgers.
We have enough starting pitching to win a WS. And certainly more than enough starting pitching going forward. My bet is that AF goes after another bat. Either Bichette or Roberts Jr. Both down right now but the history and potential are difference makers.
Sorry Cassidy, I agree both are potential great players. But Robert Jr.s injury history has to be of concern. Bichette is not hitting close to what Rojas is doing. And he just returned from the IL. I do not see AF wasting prospect capital on damaged goods. Robert Jr went 2-11 against the Dodgers. He did club his 8th homer last night in a 1-0 win over the Braves. But the price tag is high, and at this point he is not worth what the Sox will be asking. Bichette returned to the lineup last night and went 1-5. He is hitting .233, His slug, OPS, OBP are all way down across the board. He would also cost a lot in prospect capital. I do not think AF is going to drain his prospect pool in two trades bringing players back who are not exactly tearing the cover off of the ball. In 32 days, we will know if I am right or not.
Great piece on Ryan Yarbrough in The Athletic today and his importance to the Dodgers:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5597017/2024/06/28/dodgers-ryan-yarbrough-missing-bats-sliders/?campaign=5888993&source=dailyemail&userId=147501
He really makes it so that you may need one less starter.
Perfect guy for the regular season. Innings eaters out of the pen or as a spot starter.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yarbrough is a great role model for my 14-year-old crafty southpaw..
Not much velocity from his 110-pound frame yet, but he can twirl it with good control.
Now encouraging my boy gets into yoga like Yamamoto…
Phillies suffered a couple injuries last night. Schwarber tweaked his groin and Harper pulled up running out a grounder and grabbed his hammy.
Tough for any team to get through 162 game season without injuries. Baseball is so hard on the lower leg area.
NL Wild Card is a log jam so there will be a lot of buyers I would imagine.
Both Schwarber and Harper placed on the 10-day IL today. One day after they lost Turnbull to the 15-day IL. Giants are using Webb as the starter tonight. He has a 6-6 record. He has not pitched well lately. 2 wins and 2 losses and a no decision in his last 5 games.
good morning Mark! happy to hear from you. A 3 game sweep might just put the giants in sale mode. Get er done!!
If he listens intently, Farhan can begin to hear the fat lady singing.
It’s just a joke that Will Smith isn’t a finalist for NL all star starting catcher!
Realmuto is injured, Will will be on the team, but maybe its just better to give him the time off…..
Philly stuffed the ballot boxes, just like they did for Biden…..F em.
Hey, was it you who smeared feces on the Capitol, Matt?
You’re not a “hostage,” are you?
No reason to bring your political BS here.
Realmuto likely won’t be healthy enough to play the game. Neither will Betts. Teo, Freddie, Smith and Ohtani most likely will make the team. Ohtani is the starting DH. LA fans have never for some reason been huge on the All-Star voting front. Will’s recent struggles might have something to do with it also. He is hitting in the .260’s now.
Hitting .200 the past two months. Not sure what is wrong but right now he should not he hitting in the top 5 positions. JMO.
I read today where he said he is having a problem with his swing mechanics. He and the hitting coaches are working on that.
I’m not the only one who thinks AF is the best.
https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-news-andrew-friedman-voted-best-mlb-executive/2024/06/27/
If the Dodgers wanted to rid themselves of underperforming players but have a longer contract, waive the player. The Dodgers have ten days to release him or trade him. If they are able to make a trade great. Because these players could have enough years, they could declare themselves a free agent but then lose their current contract. Again if claimed they lose the contract. What will probably play out is the player will resign a minor league contract. In this situation the Dodgers are on the hook for the remaining part of the contract. If said player refines himself on the field the Dodgers open up a spot on the 40 man roster and life goes on.
The Dodgers will be on the hook for the rest of his salary if he goes on another team’s 40 man roster.
On track for the 100th shutdown….AGAIN!
Rendgofi from angels could play 2b and othee positions like third base and Turner Ward can play all three outfield positions and they have a starting pitcher that used to be a Dodger Anderson. Thats my take on Dodgers and Angles make a trade Lux a outfielder and a pitcher for those three angels. It’s simple. Like every one says doesn’t break the bank like everyone is worried about. Gives dodgers some better hitters and Lux a new start somewhere and ship Miguel Vargas down there so then Mark can root for the Angels.
That was pretty good until …
ship Miguel Vargas down there so then Mark can root for the Angels.
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Good idea there Bradley, except for one thing, the Angel owner, Arte Moreno is not going to trade with the Dodgers. The last proposed trade fell through in 2020 because the Dodgers were finalizing the Betts trade with Boston. Pages, Pederson and Stripling were going to the Angels for Rengifo and some prospect, thought to be Jo Adell. Moreno got pissed that it was taking so long and pulled the trade off of the table. Dodgers and Angels have not made a trade since.
Don’t know until you try.
Hell, not that long ago, Arte was going to sell the team. He may a new attitude about. Maybe Minassian and Trout could talk him into a deal.
True, but why would he want the Dodgers to get better? They already make his franchise look inept. I also think he would try to fleece them if he could. LA is not going to overpay for any player. They also can find better options than Ward and Anderson. Google news reported that the Dodgers are considering bringing back Jansen. I believe that ship has sailed. Arte is a very confused individual. He has no clue what he wants to do. Trout won’t be back for a while, and I think he has lost some of his power in that clubhouse. Good news, Muncy is going to begin swinging a bat this week.
I’d include Vargas in the deal.
See I told you Vargas could start for the Angels every day then you can watch him every day Mark. I thought it’s a great trade Refigo plays 3b and 2b Anderson comes back comes back to Dodgers blue then wearing that red red hat, and Turner Ward is a scrapper dives for balls and a player like Jim Edmonds was he would be a great centerfielder that can hit both lefties and righties. Then you sub on the corners Heyward Teo Hernandez and Pages and you still have Taylor even thou he should be sent down to triple A.
Bradley, you mean TAYLOR Ward, not Turner Ward, who is a former player and now a coach.
I often got confused in ’22 when the Angels would field a lineup with both Taylor Ward and Turner Wade.
While some people think Arte Moreno is dead set against dealing with the Dodgers, I would advise Mike Trout to tell him not to be such a wimp, The best way to get back at the Dodgers for luring Ohtani away would to find a hidden gem among the Dodger prospects.
10:15 PM ET
Dodgers (51-31)
Giants (39-43)
SP Landon Knack R
1-1 2.10 ERA
SP Logan Webb R
6-6 3.16 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Cavan Biggio L
60° Wind 8 mph Out
Friday schedule
4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Payton Martin) at Lake County (Carter Spivey)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Jacob Meador) vs. Amarillo (Billy Corcoran)
6:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Alec Gamboa) at Reno (Logan Allen)
6:45 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) at Lake Elsinore (Ian Koenig)
06/25/24 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Gregg Ferrera to a minor league contract.
MiLB has almost reached the 1/2 way point of there season.
The Dodger minor league affiliates are playing .500 ball so far.
Quakes : 33-37
Looms : 36-36
Drillers : 36-36
OKC : 41-37
First time in a bunch of years that the cumulative records of this group is only around 500 ball.
I believe the Dodgers had the best cumulative winning % in MiLB last year. And have been at the top for years.
Records of course are not import in the grand scheme of things in the minors, development is.
But it seems we have been very aggressive in promoting some of our top kids.
That’s a good thing, hope we continue to push the envelope.
The 3 clubs in Arizona and Dominican rookie leagues are doing well.
Some very good young talent , especially position players , performing well.
Mostly all 17-19 yr olds.
Let’s hope they develop over the next few years. There off to great starts
Go Dodgers !!
Well Treinen got bit, it happens. My takeaway is at least the Dodgers came back to tie it late in the game in the road instead of folding the tents. Baseball just happens sometimes, we move on to Saturday, pretty good old school National League game, lots of good pitching.
Freddies rare error set up the go-ahead runs for the Giants, that does not happen often. Both Hudson and Treinen hung pitches and that was the ballgame. Home plate umpire was about as bad as one can be. Do not know why that guy has a major league job.
If the HP umpire gives a pitcher like Webb that wide and high a strike zone you usually lose the game.
Treinen and Hudson have been a little wobbly lately. Treinen has lost some velo which makes his margin for error smaller. Not worried yet but something to keep an eye on come the deadline. I would like one more high leverage reliever like Scott or Mason Miller. Dodgers should know by the deadline if May can come back. He maybe could be what Julio was in 2020 for us.
And please end that Biggio experiment.
Lead down to 7.5 games. Padres are hot , division not a gimme for me.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hudson has not been wobbly. As a matter of fact, he had not given up a run for 17 games. Treinen got tagged for the slam against the Royals, but his stuff is so nasty, he does not need a lot of velocity. You can forget Miller, the price tag is going to be through the roof, and no way AF overpays for a reliever. Scott could be an option, but I read a story on google that they are considering trying to bring back Jansen. May is throwing, but he is a long way from being ready to face hitters. Padres have played 3 more games than the Dodgers. 7.5 is a lot of ground to make up and they do not play again until the end of July, and then not until September after that. No way Pads catch the Dodgers unless they totally collapse.
Biggio is not an experiment. He is holding down the fort as a lefty bat until Max gets back. After that, you will probably see him gone. But he will be with the team until at least after the All-Star break. Not his fault they lost. Too many weak grounders, a couple of double plays and boom, you lose.
something missing in that offense, and not just mookie and max! Guess Rojas streak comes to an end. ………. Can’t blame lack of rest for Hudson and Trienan last night. …….Score 3 runs off Webb you should be in line for a win! ……..Knack looked good for the most part!………Sure miss #22 out there!……..Still believe Bichette is a Dodger by August 2nd!
Possible, but Bichette doesn’t help the offense at this point. He isn’t hitting a lick. The problem has not been the defense. What makes anyone believe that just being traded to the Dodgers is going to fix Bichette’s season long malaise? And what is he going to cost? Right now, he is worth two old spare tires and an air pump.
What really bothers me is the Dodgers are running a billion dollar plus operation in payroll. and there is no left handed infield position player better than Cavan Biggio in their entire minor league system that can replace Max Muncy at third while on the IL. One solution is to start drafting quality position players rather than pitchers in the first round whenever that pick may be. Right now the organization is top heavy in pitchers and not very many quality position players.
Alex Freeland is coming.
AVF,
Here’s the problem with that:
1. You are going to get the top hitters in the top 1/2 of the first round… some may slip to 20-25, but the Dodgers don’t draft there; because
2. NO ONE in the game’s history has finished at the top of their league for so many years in a row.
Baltimore, Houston, Boston, and many other teams have garnered hitters because of so many losing seasons before the winning started.
Hitting is the hardest to develop – the talent at the top of the draft is usually where you will find it. I think drafting pitchers, and either trading for hitters or signing them as free agents is a sound approach, especially in light of all the arm injuries. You have to be deep in pitching. Hitters you can buy or sign.
I generally don’t have a favorite player because of player movement, but I confess that Alex Freeland is my favorite player because of his back story. I am not sure he will be more than a utilityman, but I love his play and where he came from.
Absolutely. Have to root for a kid like that to make it. But he is in a slump right now too.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!1
James Outman is in a huge slump – he’s down to .277.
Diego Cartaya is hitting .154 after 3 K’s yesterday.
It looks to me like he is trying to pull everything.
Yes, he looks pull happy since coming up to AAA. But still early after his promotion.
dePaula is a walking machine at high A ball since coming up but still waiting for his first hit.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed,
Cartaya has not demonstrated very good hit tools since his A + days a few yrs ago.
Since his move to AA almost 2yrs ago he has regressed sharply.
His strike out rate has increased every yr in the minors while his OPS has been dropping
His career strike out rate is close to 32% but this year alone its over 35%
It’s a shame because many of us were excited for him when he stared playing in 2019.
You really don’t prove you can be a good MLB player unless you can perform well at AA.
He is still only 22yrs old and they have moved him up aggressively for sure, but his star is dimming and so is his trade value.
Not sure why they moved him to AAA?
Was it to give him a change of scenery or work with a different hitting coach ?
Was it to showcase him for a trade ( that might hurt his value more then help)
Was it to give Rushing more catching opportunities to improve his trade value or determine he will become Will’s back-up in the near future and eventually take over the catching duties?
I believe Cartaya is rated a much better defensive catcher at this point.
Anybody have any thoughts on what LA is trying to do with Diego.
Go Dodgers!!
By moving Cartaya up both he and Rushing will get more at bats. Important for both of them to get regular at bats.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That certainly could be a possibility.
But they do have the DH and Diego and Rushing we’re routinely switching between catching and DH duties
You also now have 3 catchers at AAA including Feducci who has played extremely well.
I’m hoping it’s just a kick in the ass to get him going,
Although from what I read he is a great kid.
With the bottom of the order starting to show signs of life after a horrid start with Max Muncy and Mookie Betts on the IL, and with Will Smith mired in a slump, the Dodgers are still within a handful of runs of leading the league in runs scored. They are #2 in all of MLB in OPS and #1 in OB%.
Cool your jets!
If Pages can keep his hitting up at .260 -.270 and MM and Mookie back our lineup should be just fine. We certainly could use one more high OBP bat but even if not we look okay. I would like to see more of Vargas but if they do not want him at 3b so be it.
In the end everything will hinge on our top 6-7 hitters doing well in the postseason anyway and pitching, pitching, pitching.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday schedule
4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jackson Ferris) at Lake County (Trenton Denholm)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Orlando Ortiz-Mayr) vs. Amarillo (Dylan Ray)
5:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Luke Fox) at Lake Elsinore (Miguel Mendez)
6:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Justin Wrobleski) at Reno (Chris Ellis)
What’s happened to Maddux Bruns?
He has not pitched since May 21st.
He has 13.2 IP with a 1.98 ERA.
He is currently on the injured list.
Thx
Good question
Muncy (oblique) took swings off a tee, fielded groundballs and did some throwing Friday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Muncy’s progress from a Grade 1 right oblique strain has been slow to the extent that he was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 21. However, the third baseman appears to be beginning to ramp up, and the Associated Press reports that his next step will be to take live batting practice before potentially beginning a rehab assignment. Muncy isn’t expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup until after the All-Star break”.
Taylor Ward and Refigo and Anderson I am telling you all three of those guys would help improve the Dodgers. Angels I am sure would like Lux Cartaya Outman and pick a pitcher in the minor leagues. Add Anderson with Paxton and Glasgow and Stone and Knack that’s five good starters until like Buehler or Yosemoto or Keeshaw come back. Refirgo can be an upgrade at third until max cones back and taylor and Kiki can play second with Rojas at shortstop until Betts comes back. And Taylor Ward can be your every day Centerfielder with Pages Teo Hernadwz and Heyward platooning in leftfield and rightfield
Max will be back before the trade deadline, most likely right after the All-Star game. Moreno most likely does not want to trade with the Dodgers. All would be good additions to the team no doubt, but AF won’t make a move before the deadline unless someone is DFAd.
7:15 PM ET
Dodgers (51-32)
Giants (40-43)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
8-5 2.88 ERA
SP Erik Miller L
2-2 3.79 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Cavan Biggio L
66° Wind 10 mph Out
NO Vargas against a left handed pitcher and Biggio,Heyward and Lux starting against a left handed pitcher, Giants must be having a bullpen game.
I assumed that was the reason as well.
Damn! Biggio ?? it’s time to go!
Nice comeback. No big hits, but great situational hitting. Biggio should have not bunted. Glasnow did not have it today.
Biggio sucks what big leaguer can’t lay down a bunt. They need to do something about a third baseman Lipsicus was having a good year and they didn’t call him up. For this guy. Only becaue he bat’s lefthanded. I swear every time lux biggio Kiki and taylor are up. I just know they will strikeout and even the bench knows that.
true dat bradley
Nope, the bottom of the order had 8 of the 16 hits, drove in 8 of the 14 runs. Team was 10-19 with RISP. Rojas hitting .297 and drove in 4 runs. Who says we need a SS??? Dodgers 7.5 game lead on the Padres, but they are 20 games over .500 Padres are 5 games over .500 and have played 3 more games than the Dodgers.
Hurry back Max. Can’t take it any more!
7 Eleven!
Very entertaining game.
I would prefer they sign Bichette sooner, while Muncy is still out.
That moves Rojas to 3rd base for now.
And no more Biggio, and very limited reps for Taylor and Kiki.
That improves your defense and offense now with Rojas, Bichette and Lux.
When Mookie comes back Lux sits and either Kiki or Taylor goes.
When muncy comes back either Vargas goes down or who is ever left between Taylor and Kike gets released.
Your bench is Barnes or Feducci, Lux, Rojas and a Vargas / Hayward platoon.
This move is happening because I just don’t see Rojas being able to hold up playing full time with almost 78 games left.
Go Dodgers!!
A thirdbaseman to play until Muncy comes back. Who plays good defense and can hit lefties and righties. Hmm. Where is Ron Cey when you need him isn’t it funny how back when it waa Cey Russell Lopes and Garvey and Yeager. It didn’t matter if it was lefties or righties they just played. Here is a name and player I heard of Jesse Winkler OF and and is it CJ Adam’s SS from the Nationals. It seems like the Dodgers always trade with them. Do they have any pitching this year. I haven’t watched to many Nationals games.
To say it with the words of a certain blogger we all know;
You must be a moron to play Kike and Biggio over Vargas at 3b. Both players are not hitting and they committ their fair share of errors too. Vargas career fielding perecnetage at 3b is around .920 and not that much worse than the other two guys to leave his bat out of the lineup day after day.
I will say it again, the Dodgers should give him a few occasional starts there until MM comes back to get his bat in the lineup.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!