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  1. I watched the parade on the MLB Network live for three hours and then after dinner taped for another three hours. It was unbelievable the love and joy of the players and fans at the parade and at the stadium, I’m sick of TV right now and all the negative political ads that happen on every program. Can’t wait till the election is over and there is a declared winner.

  2. To hear Shohei Ohtoni speak to the crowd at Dodger Stadium in English was one of the highlights.

  3. I so very much agree with you Andrew.. Like you I reveled in the genuine affection the players had for each other, for the organization , and for the fans. Hoping that our country can feel some of that post election. No matter who wins we must love one another and our country enough to peacefully accept the decision of our fellow citizens. The Dodger organization is a great example for us all. BTW Andrew, I always appreciate your insightful additions.

  4. For anyone who cares ,High Heat with Chris Russo and Alana Rizzo aired their last show on the MLB Network yesterday. Russo an avid SF Giant fan, the day before, deemed the Dodgers the best professionally run sport in all of sports and John Heyman an excellent sports writer on the show agreed. Next he said would be the Kansas City Chiefs in football. Sorry to see Alana go and hope the MLB Network will bring her back in some capacity.

  5. Anyone here know what players the Dodgers have to and will protect on the 40 man roster to avoid be taken in the December Rule 5 Draft?

  6. My favorite part was Teo breaking up. Would love to have him back. Pages can replace him but he would still be missed.

    Big RH bat.

  7. Thanks for posting videos of the parade. I didn’t get to see it live.

    Scary to think this team is well positioned to be even better next season.

    Congrats to all my fellow Dodger fans. Enjoy moment! WS championships are difficult to win and you never know when the next one will come, so let’s take a pause from the craziness that life has to offer to savor this moment.

    Go Dodgers!

  8. I think Andrew values team chemistry a lot and will attempt to keep the core together. A big part of this team’s cohesiveness can be attributed to Dave Roberts. Fans don’t realize he deals with a clubhouse full of big egos all year. Expect him to get maybe a 5 year extension (if he wants one!) maybe even longer.

    I believe Teo will be back, Flaherty and Treinen too if his medicals look good. AF may drive up the price for Soto but I doubt he’ll sign him for the length it will require. Lux, Outman and others – like Barnesy (a largely under appreciated asset!) might well be moved. The roster NEEDS to get younger!

    1. Your last statement is the reason why I believe the Dodgers are going to be in play for Juan Soto.

      Freddie Freeman is 35 years old and it wouldn’t be unprecedented to experience some sort of regression before his contract ends in 3 years. Betts is 32 years old and heading into the wrong side of 30. Muncy has 1 year left in his contract; I have a hard time seeing the Dodgers extending a multiyear contract at age 35.

      Juan Soto offers consistency in a post Freeman and Betts era. As much as Soto offers over the short term, given his age, a signing of this magnitude provides security, performance wise, over the longterm.

      Having said that, competition to acquire his services is going to be fierce. Personally, I believe the Mets are going to pull out all the stops, but if winning is a priority he will end up coming to the Dodgers, not the Yankees.

  9. Cole opted out of his contract with the Yankees on Saturday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

    “The Yankees have the opportunity to void Cole’s opt-out decision by adding an extra year and $36 million to his contract, which would cause him to be owed $180 million through 2029. The 34-year-old posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 95 innings this season after missing the first couple of months due to an elbow injury, so there is no guarantee that New York will want to keep him around for such a hefty price”.

    Is anyone stupid enough to pay Cole more than $180 million and more than $36 million a year at his age? I don’t think so.

    1. Sounds like Cole and the Yanks might be playing a game of chicken here. That could turn out to be a pretty dumb move by Cole. Except for the negative feedback they’d get from their fans, I think they should say “no thank you, you’re now a free agent.”

      On the other hand, if Soto sees they don’t want to risk the $ to bring back Cole, it might make him less likely to re-sign there. Glad I’m not the Yankee front office right now. Some tough decisions coming up.

      Steve Cohen would probably love to swoop in and steal him for the Mets no matter if it’s financially logical or not.

      1. The Yankees will cough the extra year!

        In reality, they MIGHT get two years out of him at a high level.

  10. Andrew, you were asking above about players who will be Rule 5 eligible this December and might need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected.

    Here’s a link to a site called Future Dodgers. He keeps track of that stuff.
    Column at the far left are guys who were eligible last December and weren’t taken (would still be eligible this year).
    The column second from the left are guys who will become eligible for this year’s draft if not protected.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tuooytw157kjyMeY1ecRDnPq9FTGGWQOwzWSgsQpqN4/edit?gid=1621097114#gid=1621097114

    1. Thank you. Excellent information. The Dodgers will be faced with some decisions before the Rule 5 Draft.

    1. The Dodgers have exercised their club option on the services of catcher Austin Barnes for the 2025 season. Barnes will earn $3.5MM in 2025.

  12. It is a lot more fun to play GM in an off-season when the Dodgers win a World Series. A remarkable post season run by Dodgers considering the injuries to Freeman, Ohtani, and Rojas as well as Vesia, Graterol, and Phillips. A testament to the front office, manager, coaching staff, and players. While I don’t think last year was truly a total organizational failure like Friedman said at the end of the year, I do think this was a total organizational success. Really cool to see them answer much of the (unwarranted, in my opinion) criticism they received with another championship.

  13. The Dodgers exercised Rojas’ $5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

    “Rojas appeared in 103 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2024 and slashed .283/.337/.410 with six home runs and 36 RBI across 337 plate appearances. Rojas suffered a torn adductor injury during the NLDS against the Padres, which will require surgery during the offseason, but he was able to play in Game 2 of the World Series against the Yankees, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. It’s unclear whether Rojas’ procedure will have the 35-year-old shortstop sidelined for the start of spring training.The Dodgers exercised Rojas’ $5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports”.

    NO need to sign SS Adames now.

    1. There’s never been a need to sign Adames…
      But there may still be a desire.
      Seriously, the Dodgers are so deep they should be a WS contender even if AF and Gomes sit on their hands all winter.
      That said, there’s a rich market of talent out there, and I expect the Dodgers will be busy shoppers.

      1. The Dodgers will only shop in the deep end of the pool with players first with character and then skills. It’s the AF way of doing business. I would like them to sign a couple of quality pitchers, one named Snell as they were interested at the trading deadline. I know we have injured pitchers coming back like Gonsolin and May but how will they perform after their injuries is anyone’s guess, Is Miller still a head case or has he seen a shrink in the off season? You NEVER NEVER have enough pitching.

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