First of all, I would like to be the 10,000,000th Dodger fan to welcome JT back into the fold. I never thought he was going anywhere, so it was not a surprise to me. Nevertheless, he is a key cog into the well-oiled LAD machine and the Dodgers can head to ST ready to challenge all comers in their quest for a repeat. Take that San Diego. I guess I get to continue to wear my #10 JT jersey for the next couple of years at least. As I am writing this, JT has tweeted that he is here to stay, and the deal is reported to be for 2 years and $34MM, with a third year $14MM option, including an $8MM signing bonus. The deal also includes built-in escalators that could raise the overall value of the deal to $52MM over three years, conditional to MVP voting. No matter what source one chooses to use (Cots or Roster Resource), the Dodgers will exceed the Tier 2 threshold. Will there be other moves to bring the payroll back below $250MM? I am done speculating about what the Dodgers plan to do monetarily. One thing I will be VERY disappointed to see would be a trade of David Price.
I am happy that the Dodgers have re-signed JT, but this contract screams bonus for prior year results. Even though he is four years older, this is a greater AAV than his last contract. Thinking ahead, what affect will the last two signings have on a Clayton Kershaw re-sign? That is for another day.
JT’s “Here To Stay” tweet seems to indicate that JT will retire as a Dodger. With the expected universal DH to become a rule in 2022, JT can then sign a series of Nelson Cruz type one year DH contracts. Great for JT, great for LA, and great for LAD. There will not be a shortage of JT articles in the next several days in the Dodger blogosphere for information and opinions. I am sure the podcasts will be JT all the time.
Now with respect to the trades, I have maintained that I was a fan of both Adam Kolarek and Dylan Floro. I think both proved pivotal in the Dodgers march to a WS championship. The three pitch punchout of Randy Arozarena will put Floro in the Dodger’s hero discussions for years to come.
AF does not always come out and defend trades. Certainly, not of this magnitude (or lack thereof). But what it has done, is to perhaps leverage some of the current benefits with future rewards. What did the Dodgers give up? Two quality middle relievers over 30, and a 26 year old LH hitting OF, who is blocked.
Adam Kolarek is a LH side arming reliever who is very nasty to LH batters, but not so much to RH batters. What the A’s may have discovered is that Kolarek was very successful using a four seamer to RH batters. He threw 10 four seamers and did not give up a hit in 2020, and threw 81 in 2019 and allowed only a .180 BA. Maybe the A’s push that more against RH batters than did the Dodgers. The A’s have a knack of getting everything they can out of their bullpen.
I will be following Cody Thomas and hoping that he gets a chance in Oakland. However, for the Dodgers he was destined to be a AAAA player, and will probably never be more than a reserve OF for A’s. He has excellent defensive instincts, with good power. However he has a tendency to strikeout too much. He hit decently at High A, but not as good at AA. As a 24 year old in the Texas League, he hit .236/.308/.443/.751 in 532 PA. He had 23 HRs but 144 Ks (27% at AA). Two other LHH OF, Luke Raley and Zach Reks, both project to hit better than does Cody. He is currently rated #20 on the A’s MLB Pipeline Prospect List. There are 7 OF (6 younger) rated higher. Good luck to Cody in Oakland.
The Dodgers have acquired Dylan Floro twice before. Maybe there will be a third time in July. Miami does not figure to be in the hunt, so they could be selling. Floro will probably never be more than a very good middle reliever, but he was mostly effective for LAD, and never more so than in the 2nd inning of Game 6 of the 2020 WS. His last three pitches as a Dodger will always be remembered by Dodger fans.
What they got. A 26 year old utility player who could start at 3B or 2B for the Dodgers. Sheldon Neuse was projected to be the starting SS or 2B for Oakland before the A’s traded for Elvis Andrus for SS, and signed Jed Lowrie to a MiLB contract. If Lowrie cannot return to his 2018 All-Star season, then Chad Pinter and Tony Kemp will continue to platoon at 2B. But to Billy Beane, Jed Lowrie seemed a safer bet.
There was an interesting observation in the Athletic about the Neuse trade:
“Four years ago, the Dodgers acquired a 26-year-old who attended high school in Keller, Texas, played Big 12 baseball and spent time rotating between Triple A and the A’s roster. He had flashed some power, and he had flashed some patience. Stout and on the shorter side, that man did not have a specific position, though he could play a few in the infield. “
“On Friday, the Dodgers acquired another 26-year-old who attended high school in Keller, Texas, played Big 12 baseball, and spent time rotating between Triple-A and the A’s roster. He had flashed some power, and he had flashed some patience. Stout and on the shorter side, that man did not have a specific position, though he could play a few in the infield.”
Will Neuse become another Max Muncy or the heir apparent to Kike’ Hernandez/CT3? AF has uncovered diamonds before, has he done it again?
Gus Varland is a 24 year old RH pitcher who has undergone TJ surgery, so his pitching has not been extensive. He was a 2018 14th round draft pick, so he was not high on a lot of teams’ agendas. After returning from 2019 TJ surgery, Varland pitched in the A’s fall instructional league last summer, where he shined. Per Melissa Lockland of The Athletic:
“Varland is a three-pitch pitcher with a fastball that has a high spin rate and sits 92-94, touching 96. He also has a good slider and a developing changeup. Coming off of surgery, Varland may be moved into a bullpen role, although the A’s planned to develop him as a starter.”
Varland will probably not see action on the ML team this year, but if he continues to develop, he could be on the 2022 roster. He is currently targeted to be assigned to Tulsa (AA).
Alex Vesia won an opening day spot on the Marlins roster last year, but he did not pitch very well. But since being drafted in the 17th round of the 2018 draft, Vesia was converted into a reliever and has been highly successful. Through his first two years in the minors, Vesia has a cumulative 1.62 ERA in 100 innings pitched across 5 levels. Below is a twitter video of the movement on Vesia’s pitch.
Then a question and answer tweet about how his 4-seam fastball vertical movement compares against others in 2020.
Kyle Hurt was the 5th round pick of the Marlins in the 2020 draft out of USC. Automatically he joins my favorites group.☺ But there might be something to this 23 year old RHP, who is undoubtedly headed to the bullpen. He is tentatively assigned to Great Lakes, but that can change. Below is a scouting report that does not project him as a can’t miss, as well as a draft video of his pitching in the Cape Cod League.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2020/draft/kyle-hurt-669165
https://www.mlb.com/video/2020-draft-kyle-hurt-sp?t=mlb-draft
These are the kinds of trades where AF excels. They look like meh, but somehow someone emerges to be a star. Will Sheldon Neuse become another Max Muncy or Kike’ Hernandez. Possibly, but he apparently has the skillset to become at least a ML utility player with good defensive tools. Both Neuse and Vesia have been added to the 40 man roster and are under team control through 2026 (under the current CBA). Neuse has 2 options remaining while Vesia has 3.
Varland is Rule 5 eligible this winter, while Hurt will become Rule 5 eligible in December 2023.
For the last 39 years, we have not celebrated Valentine’s Day in our household. February 14, 2021 will be my daughter’s 39th birthday, and February 14th will always be her birthday rather than Valentine’s Day. But for those who do celebrate Valentine’s Day…
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
Great stuff Jeff. I am glad to see JT back, but I was also ready to move on if he had signed elsewhere. I was very surprised by the amount of the contract with all of the escalators. But I also think he is being paid for being the leader he is in the clubhouse and one of the faces of the team.
I had never a doubt that the Dodgers would sign up JT. I just could not see them without him even if they did not have the DH. Very glad for him. Thanks for the article AC.
Also I want to wish all the Dodgers wives, girlfriends, or significant others, a Happy Valentines Day. I hope you all get spoiled.
JT has been my favorite player up until the acquisition of Mookie. I’m very pleased to see that JT will be with us for a few more years. I’ve always said he is the heart and soul of the team. Mark predicted he wouldn’t get more than $8M. Glad to see AF pony up and keep him in the fold. It’s still surprising that they didn’t keep Ryu, knowing how weak the starters were that we had. They’ve taken care of that problem this off season and look to be in top working order going into ST.
I can’t comment on the other trades as I don’t know any of the other players we’ve gotten. I will say that Kolarek surprised me last season. He had some great moments. I’ve always been a little luke warm towards Floro, though. I never felt any confidence in him and had the feeling he could fall apart at any moment, sort of like Jansen in the last couple of years. I do think the BP is not as strong as last year’s, but I may be wrong. We really had strength in numbers. I like the idea of moving Kelly, though. He is maybe the biggest question mark in recent Dodger history. Strange dude. Lucky to be where he is.
I’ll eagerly await the start of the season to see how things play out. SD will certainly challenge. I’m not sure if they can overtake us. Many things still have to click for that club but they’ve got some great talent. And, yes, I’ll be missing Kike more than Joc, but wish Joc well. Sometimes a change is enough to spark an athlete to another level.
Happy Valentines day to all of you married and those who are in a relationship. Hope you have a great day with your significant other. Another night where I just cannot get to sleep. Tried watching a bunch of episodes of NCIS which are available on Netflix. Might be because the weather is so cold outside right now. My heater is running constantly, and it is -4 right now. No snow though. I am really happy JT is back. But I also think there may be a move or two before they start signing guys to minor league deals and spring invites. I really think the two sleepers who have already been signed to those kinds of deals are Morrow, and Nelson. Both when healthy are flat nasty. I believe Morrow has the better chance of making the team, but do not fall asleep on Nelson. He could be the long man out of the pen if healthy, and allow May to get more seasoning. A lot of players signing minor league deals. I mentioned Bruce and Matt Harvey yesterday. Bruce with the Yanks and the Orioles signing Harvey. I also think that with JT back on the team that the Dodger offense is better than the Padres. The LA starting staff has a slight edge too. As for the pen, it will be like it usually is, a wait and see kind of thing. Never know what you are going to get out of these guys until the games start to mean something, They did take a few games off of the spring schedule. LA will now play 29 instead of 32. I look for the 26 man roster to carry at least 12 position players with no DH in sight. I do worry about the pitchers hitting though. More than a year since most of them have picked up a bat. One reason I really hope the DH comes back. I do not want to see Bauer or Kersh or any other pitcher injured while hitting. And it happens a lot. But the Dodger lineup is loaded. I think Lux will do just fine, and the biggest battle is going to be for who is going to be on the bench. A lot of lefty bats in the fight that is for sure. Now ate least, one of the infield positions will be manned most of the time by a righty. Neuse is a RH, so he will get some looks in spring, but I believe JT’s backup will once again be Rios. Taylor, Rios and Barnes are bench locks. So the battle for the last spot will be among a bunch of guys, Raley, Reks, McKinstry, Beaty, Peters, and just about anyone else you can think of. Going to be very fun to watch. McKinstry because of his versatility probably has the inside track. I also really believe that Keibert Ruiz is now a real candidate to be traded if a need arises. He is blocked at least for this year by Barnes. Although they could change gears and trade Barnes, but he is Kersh’s catcher.
-4? Well at least you have no humidity(lol). Keep the water running so your pipes don’t freeze. I know what it is to live in sub zero weather. In 1961 I was stationed in Ft Niagara in upstate NY before going overseas. It was so cold that winter that all of Niagara Falls froze over.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Buehler would also want Barnes as his catcher. He really praised Barnes for helping him get out of his bases loaded jam against Atlanta.
So was Ellis! (Kershaw’s catcher.)
Great Summary, Jeff.
I am really shocked that AF was allowed to blow through the salary cap, both first and second-tier. I like JT, but he will experience some decline. That’s quite a contract for a guy who may start 120 games (or less). But, it’s not my money and I’ll take it. I guess it shows the level of commitment to winning another championship… and lest we frget, the more championships won, the higher the value of the franchise!
Happy Birthday to your daughter, Jeff. I just remembered that my daughter will be 40 on April 7th! Dang I am getting old. Happy Valentines Day!
My daughters are 49 and 50. My son turns 40 in April. You are a pup. Oh yeah, she got her looks from her mom obviously…..! LOL…
No, she got her looks from me: Somebody Obviously took them!
Maybe you never had them to begin with? I know I never have.
Bear, I got you beat with my kid’s ages, but if I dwell on it too long I’ll need a nap…
JT is back and I’m happy… I know he’ll be fit and ready to play… Of course as usual the amount of $$$ shelled out had my brain going at an extreme spin rate…
Hopefully Rios gets a good look see at 3rd and will share some time with JT during the season…
I hope there’s some backing for me when I say to trade David Price would be a big mistake.. With his sitting out last year followed by a good 21 ST he will IMO be a mainstay of the staff… Just a strong hunch…
This to me puts and end also to the Madres overtaking the Blue this season… Before Bauer and now JT I had the Madres a huge pain in the arse for us… No Mas…
I would love to see Rios take 2 starts a week at 3B to keep JT fresh, and then another at 1B to keep Muncy honest and to see what we have when Muncy’s contract expires. Three starts and daily pinch hitting opportunities should keep him hot.
I don’t think Price will be traded anytime soon. I really think they pushed their pile of chips into the pot and are going for it. This may change by the trade deadline if someone make you an offer your can’t refuse. But, I don’t see AF moving Price just to move a level down in the CBT. Not to mention, if Price pitches well the return increases in value.
I took a nap….
I’m definitely not surprised that the Dodgers blew past the CBT. I was surprised that thy didn’t for several years in a row. I can’t claim to know what a team like the Dodgers makes, but I have a rough idea that it’s a lot more than most assume, otherwise they would open their books.
As far as the bullpen goes, I think it’ll be practically unstoppable. First off, Kenley isn’t horrible, he still gets K’s and saves. All he needed was a little more motivation or a safety net, whatever you want to call it. We have a three headed monster with 3 closers. It might not be the nasty boys Myers, Dibble, Charlton, but not many teams can boast 3 guys who have had historic years as closers on the same roster. Graterol and Kelly bring the gas from middle relief roles. V-Gon and Alexander are the lefties and Gonso’s the swing / long man. If you had to architect a pen from a clean slate, you can hardly do better.
Jansen R
Knebel R
Treinen R
Graterol R
Kelly R
V-Gon L
Alexander L
Gonsolin – Swing/Long
The bench looks a lot more balanced now as well. With a 26 man roster, you have your starting 5 in the rotation, 8 fielders, 8 relievers, and a 5 man bench starting with a backup catcher. My way too early bench looks like this…
Barnes R – C
Taylor R – OF/SS/2B
Neuse R – 2B/3B and I hear he can play some OF as well
Rios L – 1B/3B
The last spot comes down to…
McKinstry L – INF/OF
Recks L – OF
Rayley L – OF
The bench and bullpen is very well balanced between L and R. But, so is the starting lineup and the rotation…
Betts R
Seager L
Turner R
Bellinger L
Smith R
Muncy L
Pollock R
Lux L
Kershaw L
Bueller R
Price L
Bauer R
Urias L
This is the best team AF has ever assembled, top to bottom, to reserves, to AAA backups. This team is deep in talent and has a great balance between righties and lefties. There’s no obvious platoons with the exception of players that might need a little time off in JT, Pollock, Smith and Lux. We have significant coverage for all positions, multiple starters, closers and a deep trove of relievers. Multiple MVPs and CyYoung winners. This is as close to a perfect team as you can get and will go down in history as one of the best teams of all time.
It looks like Andrew has been slowly and patiently building this team throughout the years and has finally put the finishing touches on a historic juggernaut. I can’t wait for the season to begin.
Where is Matt Beaty?
And possibly the rotation would be:
Kershaw L
Bauer R
Price L
Buehler R
Urias L
In regular season, and in playoffs Bauer, Kershaw, Buehler and Price, depending on performance during the year
Beaty’s in AAA waiting for injury. He plays the same positions as Rios and he’s not as good.
It will be interested how they roll out their starting rotation. No bad options here.
He is a better contact hitter than Rios, but not nearly as much power. I do not think Neuse makes the 26 man. No way.
Damn. Rack this man!
I’m not as sold on Reks and Rayley. I’d prefer a right handed bat that could spot Muncy at 1rst, although Muncy is actually better against LHP than righties. I was liking the rumors of AF getting Garrett Cooper.
I think Kenley is still a good pitcher. He just can’t pitch in the closer’s role in back to back games anymore. When he’s fresh, he can still be good, he just can’t recover like he used to.
If I’m AF I hope they don’t trade Price or Kelly to get under the 2nd threshold. I think the penalty becomes onerous when they’re repeat offenders. A lot of money comes off the books next year, but I don’t know how much gets budgeted to keeping Seager or renewing Kershaw. I’m actually not sure how the current payroll affects their draft ranking and I’m too lazy to look it up, but that would be a bigger issue for me.
Bulldog, I don’t see May on you list. Did I miss him?
That’s how deep we are. I suspect May to chill out at AAA working on his Curve or Change so he can put guys away and staying built up as a starter for when one of the top 5 go on the DL with elbow or shoulder “discomfort” to get a rest.
Gonsolin will be that long guy and will make a spot start when they need an extra day for the other pitchers without having to send one to the IL.
As far as luxury tax numbers go, when exactly is that calculated? Is it our salary going into the season? Halfway? End of the season? An average of beginning and end?
If we’re at $254 mil now, but in July we trade Kersh and Mookie and Bauer, and our salary drops to under $180mil, are we then under the cap, despite being over the cap on Opening Day? Which numbers are used to calculate who pays tax and who doesn’t?
The amount of money you spend is what you get taxed on. For example. If Kershaw makes $30M and you trade him 2/3 through the season, you paid him $20M so you save $10M off the cap.
so then it’s calculated at the end of the year
Yes, not based on who is currently on the roster at the end of the year, but on all dollars spent on payroll throughout the year. That’s why Price opting out and trading Stripling dropped them just below the threshold last year.
Pecota had us with 103 wins and taking the Division by 7 games before the Turner signing. Maybe they knew he was coming back. Most of us figured he would. Prediction – the third base tandem we have now will lead the league in collective WAR.
It would appear the nation is finally getting vaccinated. Good sign for summer baseball with at least some fans in attendance.
I am happy JT is back but did not expect the Dodgers or any team to pay that kind of money for him. But hey, it’s not my money so who cares.
Only thing left is to figure out who plays second full time and who is on the bench.
All eyes on Lux this spring.
There’s no way AF stays in Tier 2. Somebody is getting moved. I hope “my source” is wrong. I’m really excited to see Price pitch this year. But make no mistake, Urias will be in the playoff rotation. He’s gonna have gonna have an ace like year! And by the way, Happy Valentines Day to my source!
Wouldn’t it be funny if Kelly had a good year?
Does your source read this blog?
If so, she needs to comment, since we would probably value her opinions more than yours. 🙂
And please wish her Happy Valentines Day from all of us here at LADT. Without her, JT would have never come back.
She doesn’t but like everyone here she thinks most of my opinions about the Dodgers are ridiculous as well!
Here are the nine starting pitchers who will appear for the Dodgers this year:
1. Kershaw–this is it
2. Buehler–everybody knows
3. Bauer–don’t hold back
4. Price–welcome to LA
5. Urias–come get some
6. May–something wicked
7. Gonsolin–sleeper
8. White–in a pinch
9. Gray–next man up
Looking at the current list of pitchers the obvious guy to get rid of as a salary dump is Kelly. Is there any interest from other teams in signing him? Would the Dodgers need to pay a big portion of his bloated salary to a receiving team. How do we get rid of this guy and save some dough?
After blowing through the $250MM payroll, how many teams are going to be anxious to help the Dodgers unless there was a significant overpay of a prospect attached to Joe Kelly? How much of an upgrade do teams think Joe Kelly will be to help the Dodgers get out of the 2nd tier threshold? Joe Kelly is not Liam Hendriks. But I will not put anything past AF. So….maybe?
Yeah, it makes a ton of sense to get rid of Kelly or Price plus prospects to move up 10 positions in the second round of the draft having lost their first pick to grab Bauer. It’s only money, so that isn’t going to happen.
It makes no sense to trade Price. With Price they have 3 former Cy Young winners in the rotation. Without him you have a good 1-2-3 with question marks after that. Urias is pretty dependable, but I am not sure Gonsolin and May are ready for that kind of workload yet. They got Bauer to strengthen the rotation, trading Price weakens it.
Why are we the best team in baseball? Well having nine! 9! of the top 50 mlb players according to mlb’s top 100 players sure helps. And by the end of the year Urias will be in there as well!
Concerning Mark’s statement: ” That’s quite a contract for a guy who may start 120 games (or less). ” Just think of Bauer getting $1,333,333 for each of 30 starts, or based on 200 innings getting $200,000 per inning! Salaries are unbelievable. No wonder it cost so much many people can’t afford to attend. As for children, I have four ages 52-56. Where as the time gone?
I think the Dodgers picked up several promising pitchers plus Sheldon Neuse who intrigues me. I think he is the in house replacement for Turner. I now see Rios as the in house replacement for Muncy.
That said, if Pollock were traded as a salary dump we might see Sheldon Neuse in LF.
I see Nuese closer to a Muncy clone [though RH] and a potential utility man ala Hernandez/Taylor. Also a RH HR threat off the bench.
But you’re right: he could be a 3b of the future.
A Muncy clone that plays 3rd instead of 1st. That is smart cloning.
Their best position is “batter’s box”
There’s a better chance that the Dodgers trade to get Pederson back than to dump Pollock. He was their best hitter against lefties last year. Keep in mind that Pollock is making quite a bit less than JT, is three years younger, and tied for the team lead in HRs last year. You might as well just say they’re gonna trade JT to dump salary. It would make more sense than dumping Pollock.
My thought had more to do about Nuese’s ability to play left where he would add another place to reduce payroll in addition to the other places on the team such as Price, Jansen, or Kelly. In this case, I am talking more about payroll than I am about improving or weakening the team.
There is no chance the Dodgers would trade for a lefty bat to replace a righty bat with the current team makeup. But you already know that.
Pretty obvious stuff. I was just pointing out that trading their best hitter against left handers who lead the team in homers to bring back an older third baseman that’s paid more to force another 3rd baseman with little MLB experience to play left field should also be seen as obvious.
I just want to say this one more time because it defies all logic that Pollock is so hated by people on this site. Pollock lead the team in homers, was their best hitter against left handed pitchers and makes 12M against the CBT. I think he was something like the 6th or 8th best hitter in ALL OF BASEBALL against lefties last year.
If it made any sense whatsoever to trade Pollock and have Neuse play 3B. It would have made more sense not to bring back JT and let Neuse play his best position.
Before the Dodgers blew past the CBT threshold, they were viewed as possibly the best team in the league. Afterwards they are undoubtedly viewed as the best team in the league. That’s what spending money gets you. Any questions?
Yes, if Kershaw returns how will Seager’s future salary be accommodated?
The same way it’s currently accommodated. By spending money.
It’s a fools errand to try to predict what will come out of the next CBA, so it would be even more foolish to try to think about managing future salary when you don’t even know what the rules are.
I’ve listed past payrolls on this site too many times, but from what I can remember, they went over the tax threshold 5 years in a row and then stayed under 3 years in a row. I don’t find it unreasonable to think that if they did it before with a worse shot of winning a title, then they would certainly do it again when they have the best shot at winning a title.
Since 2000, the team with the highest payroll has a 20% chance of winning the World Series.
Since 2000, if a team has a payroll in the top half of the league, they have a better chance of winning,
In the past 20 years, 12 teams have won the World Series that did not have a Top 5 payroll.
Money is no guarantee. I am surprised the Dodgers went over the cap and into Tier 2. I would be surprised if they stayed there, but I can’t see them trading Price.
Stan Kasten said that they did it, in the beginning, to put fans in seats, but I would not get used to going over the Cap. There is little correlation between having the top payroll and winning. It’s more likely you have the top payroll and lose. Figures tell that tale. The Dodgers owners are smart and know that money is not the ultimate answer.
That’s why I think Kershaw will retire. AF knows something we don’t. I am relatively certain that Friedman will get under the second Tier. It is not just the money – it’s dropping back 10 spaces in the draft. That’s HUGE! They already lost their pick for taking Bauer, so this drops them into the third round.
I remember that post. Using the same math, if you can call it math, the team with the second highest payroll has zero chance to go the WS because no team with the second highest payroll has made it to the World Series in the last 11 years.
Enough said.
https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-chances-of-a-drafted-baseball-player-making-the-major-leagues-a-quantitative-study/
Ist rounders – 46.8 Percent of players drafted played in the MLB for 3+ yrs
2nd rounders – 31.5 Percent of players drafted played in the MLB for 3+ yrs
3rd rounders – 21.6 Percent of players drafted played in the MLB for 3+ yrs
So, do you think losing Price is worth the extra 10% chance they draft a player that plays in the bigs 3+ years? Let me put it another way. Would AF trade David Price, a former Cy Young winner to get a player that has a 20% chance to play in the Bigs. Not be good, just play for 3 years.
Enough said for you. Not me…
Your takes are your takes… not everyone’s!
5, 6 7 years ago the Dodgers payroll was much higher than it is now (it was the highest in baseball by a wide margin).
The Rays have absolutely no business being good. Neither do the As. Neither did the Royals a while back or the Pirates. They should be cellar dwellers every year. But they’re not. They may not have the talent to put them over the top, but they are successful year in and year out even though they shouldn’t be.
Scarcity creates innovation. It forces people and organizations to be creative and resourceful.
The Dodgers are a much better organization today than they were with stars they bought when they were spending like drunken sailors. Todays organization, top to bottom, is better than it was with Hanley, Kemp, Agon, Rollins, Puig, Greinke and Crawford. Those teams easily won the division, but they sucked.
A big part of why the Dodgers are better is because AF has to operate under some financial limits. He can’t just go out and buy every free agent reliever out there. He plucks guys off the slag heap. He makes resourceful trades (His nickname for me is Andrew Fleeceman), they draft well and have the best organization for developing talent in baseball – he does more with less.
It’s made the Dodgers better.
Spending helps, and the Dodgers have that option when they have the flexibility, but IMO, NOT SPENDING is what has made them a truly exceptional franchise.
Joe Kelly has become one of my favourite Dodgers.
I like people who say it as it is, and take responsibility for their performance.
Like Rich Hill before him, he doesn’t hide behind excuses.
He had a mystery injury at the end of the 19 season, and that seemed to overlap into the shortened 20 season, when he only was deemed fit enough to Pitch towards Playoff time.
If he can have a good ST and stay healthy, he will also be like having another new player this season to go with Price, Bauer, Knebel and Lux.
When he gets it right he is absolutely filthy – and I would add that he also looks like a really good team mate.
AF gave him that contract because that’s how good he can be.
I’m really hopeful that if fit he will be a major weapon (and he’s in his Walk year)!.
I’ll be rooting for him.
I root for him to not kill a batter first and then I root for him to be good.
Unless it’s an Astro
Watch yourself my friend. Aren’t all doctors and relief pitchers required to take the Hippocratic oath?
Or the Hypocrisy Oath when it relates to the Astro”s
Or a Padre…
It’s nice to have a guy that’s not afraid to brush back a batter after one of ours gets plunked. I don’t think people here are familiar with an unwritten Dodgers rule. If you get a mural, you can’t be traded the following year.
I’d sure like to know what that mystery injury was. Nobody, including Kelly, ever came up with a satisfactory statement on that and we really don’t know that he has recovered completely from whatever it was.
Lots of Bauer’s former pitcher teammates have commented on how willing he is to share pitching techniques and training regimens. Kelly might be one who could benefit tremendously from a few conversations with him.
Could have been nothing more than a tired arm. His velocity went way down, and his control was way off. One thing about advocating trading Price. You forget that the Dodgers would most likely have to pay some or most of what he gets. Few teams want to take on 30 million in salary even if it is spread out over 2 seasons. He will not be traded.
If you have to pay most of his salary, that eliminates the reason for trading him.
I could see the Jays doing it, but the odds are definitely not great, and I’d really rather keep him anyway.
Isn’t Boston paying half his $32M annual salary? If traded, a team would be getting a $32M pitcher for $16M and therefore I doubt the Dodgers would have to pay any of Prices’ salary if traded.
Yes they are, but no one at this point is going to help the Dodgers out by taking 16 mill off of the books. and trading the guy makes absolutely no sense. They just added Bauer to STRENGTHEN the rotation. Why in the blue blazes would they trade Price and weaken it? Price has better creds than all of the guys who would be in line to replace him. He is going nowhere. Barnes gets a 2 year deal avoiding arbitration. Little over 2 mil a year.
You guys are sure putting a lot of faith in a guy who has 25 major league games under his belt. I do not think Neuse even makes the roster. As I see it right now the starters are Betts, Bellinger, Pollock, Turner, Seager, Lux, Muncy and Smith. Locks on the bench, Taylor, Barnes and Rios. That is 11 position players. If they carry 14 pitchers, then there is one slot open. And who ever that guy is, he is going to have to be versatile. McKinstry fits that description more than most of the other guys on the roster, and it gives you 2 lefty and 2 RH bats off of the bench. If they decide to carry 13 pitchers, that opens one more slot up. The starting lineup is split 4-4. RH bats are not really a problem. And since a huge percentage of pitchers in the majors are right handed, lefty’s are a good thing to have if you do not have RH bats that handle RHP that well. Pollock was their best at it last season. I expect Betts to be much better against them this season. Once he knows the league a little better, he will hit anybody. Taylor is better against RH than left. He has 39 HR’s of RHP and 20 off of lefty’s. I think Neuse will be at OKC and is more of an emergency back up than a bench guy.
I wonder who will get more wins this year, Trevor Bauer or the entire 5-man rotation of the Cleveland Indians.
The reason I ask is that we’ll be paying Bauer $40MM while the Indians will be paying all 5 starters less than $3MM combined!
Ain’t baseball funny.
And that’s why come October they’ll be making plane reservations for their vacations and we will still be playing baseball!
Per on Jon Heyman
Austin Barnes settles arbitration case with Dodgers.
$4.3M, 2 years
Signing bonus – $300,000
$1,500,000 – 2021
$2,500,000 – 2022
BASE IN 2022 INCREASES BY: $100,000 each for 70g; 80g in 2021
Plus in 2022: $100,000 each for 70g; 80g
Molly is relentless.
Monomaniacal ideologues and cultists usually are.
“obsessed with a single subject or idea. psychoneurotic, neurotic – affected with emotional disorder”
I don’t think so.
Sleeper for roster spot: Ruiz as 3rd catcher & LH PH.
When you see what Bauer is getting paid this year, can you just imagine what a Koufax could get in this era?
Koufax would be a part owner of the team.