Well, my son, nephew, and I leave for Camelback Ranch at 5:45 AM on Thursday and hope to make it to the first Spring Training versus the Cubs at 1:05 PM. We get into PHX at 8:05 AM. I have two extra tickets for Thursday’s game and one extra ticket for Saturday’s game. These are great seats. I think I paid $67.00 each. Let me know if anyone is interested, or I will scalp them! 😉 Look us up.
I had my back ablation done yesterday and woke up with no pain. It almost made me cry! Wow! They say it takes 4-6 weeks to fully take effect. Here’s what they did – it involved four punctures.
OK, I will stop with the risque photos and go back to Dodger and MLB Baseball.
Rants & Raves
- Justin Turner signed with the Cubs, but no one should get all giddy. His first year in Boston (2023) was about what we expected from him in LA (.800 OPS), but in 2024 (age 39), he dropped to .737. I think he will struggle to be at .700 OPS with the Cubs. In the past three years, Turner’s Exit Velocity and Barrel % have declined, along with his BA, OB%, SLg, and OPS. I hope he does well, but he needs to retire as a Dodger.
- Rafael Devers‘ selfish desire to play 3B could wreck Boston’s Pennant hopes. He is a real tool and dumbass who actually thinks he’s a good 3B!
- The Toronto Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications, which is valued at about $16 Billion Dollars. However, they do not send their announcers on the road because they can’t afford it. Now, we hear that Vlad Guerrero, Jr. has closed negotiations with the Jays and will become a Free Agent. He is a year younger than Juan Soto and like Soto, is not a Defensive Wizard. Could he be a Target of the Dodgers in 2026? Soto is the better hitter, but Guerrero ain’t chopped liver. Last year, he hit .323 with 30 HR and 103 RBI with a .940 OPS. Imagine this:
- Ohtani RF
- Betts SS
- Guerrero DH
- Freeman 1B
- Hernandez LF
- Muncy 3B
- Smith C
- Edman 2B
- Kim/Outman/Edman CF
Just dreaming. Back to reality.
- I have spoken to a couple of friends with knowledge of this: They are not as high on Zyhir Hope as many fans for the same reasons Fangraphs, Eric Longenhagen articulated: “Hope is now physically maxed out. His thighs look like tree trunks and he’s slowed down a good bit already compared to high school. His swing is relatively grooved… In short, I think there’s more strikeout risk here than currently shows in his data, which I don’t trust because of the relatively small sample, the Cal League environment. etc.” He’s not a CF prospect, but his power is real. So was Joey Gallos. We will see what happens at Great Lakes with him this year. If he’s the real deal, he should be at Tulsa by Mid-Season. There is no question that he has prodigious power.
- I also had some who watched Kim in CF predict that he would be the Dodgers’ CF’er this season. I have no opinion, but we will see him playing somewhere tomorrow.
Opening Day Roster Guess (before Spring Training)
- Smith
- Barnes
- Freeman
- Edman
- Betts
- Muncy
- Conforto
- Kim
- Hernandez, T
- Hernandez, K
- Taylor
- Rojas
- Ohtani
- Snell
- Glasnow
- Yamamoto
- Sasaki
- Miller
- May
- Banda
- Grove
- Vesia
- Treinen
- Yates
- Scott
- Kopech
We don’t need Guererro. Ohtoni will never be a right fielder and Guererro will never be a Dodger. Bet it!!! He will not be worth what he will eventually get paid in free agency.
I think Gonsolin is head and shoulders better than Grove. Noticed you left Tony off your 26man roster.
That’s a good catch, but I left him off for a reason.
He has options and can be sent down to start at OKC for 20 days and then has to be recalled.
This will help him build up as a starter after missing a lot of time.
May has no options, so I think they will showcase him as a starter. If he faulters he might move to the pen.
Grove is just the bulk guy. I want Gonsolin to make 3 or 4 starts at OKC. If Miller has to go to OKC then Gonsolin or Knack will take his place.
Just my opinion…
Instead of Vlad Jr., can the Dodgers please train De Paula to play 1B? The guy is about 6-3 and lefthanded–and he is not earning raves in the outfield. In a few years, Freddie will be ready to retire….
I’m not sure there’s a problem with Zyhir Hope’s thighs. Ever see Kirby Puckett’s? We’ll know soon enough if Hope is getting too much hype….
It’s amusing that the physical profiling continues here.
A couple years ago, the LADT scouting report on Diego Cartaya was that he was a big, strong guy who wouldn’t “wear down” like little guys like Will Smith.
This notion was repeated time and again even though there is little evidence to suggest that physical size enhances a player’s durability and stamina. Yogi Berra, so durable he often caught both ends of a doubleheader, stood 5-7….
Meanwhile, mlb.com put out projected opening-day lineups that have Miguel Vargas starting at 3B for the White Sox and Gavin Lux starting at 3B for the Reds.
My guess is that mlb.com will bat .500 on those predictions.
And mlb.com also project that Jonny DeLuca will be starting for the Rays…. while we all expect that James Outman will be starting for OKC.
OTOH, maybe DeLuca would not have made it on other teams. The Dodgers develop a lot of players who ultimately do not crack the lineup because they have so many stars. DeLuca was part of the Glasnow deal.
DePaula is a 1B or DH in MLB… if he continues to develop. I have seen him and am very impressed… of course, I was impressed with Vargas and Cartaya, too. However, progress is not linear. Sometimes, they figure it out later.
I am skeptical that Vargas can acquire the requisite bat speed to hit the high fastball… but I am not writing him off… yet!
If Gavin Lux starts at 3B for the Reds, a lot has gone wrong. His hardest throw last year was 77 MPH. A typical third baseman in professional baseball will throw the ball across the diamond at a speed ranging from 85 to 95 miles per hour, with elite third basemen often reaching the higher end of that range. A 3B must have a strong arm for the position. Lux does not have that ability. Although Mookie does, I think 2B will be his spot in a couple of years (but you never know).
On Hope’s Thighs: It’s not profiling. It’s a fact that he has lost speed, resulting from his Thunder Thighs. I used to call Wille Calhoun ‘Willie Tree Trunks’. His lack of speed and agility squandered a solid bat. I was always down on him.
When Freeman retires the Dodgers could have Smith and Rushing share first and catcher positions. It would keep them fresher for the long season.
I can see Betts playing third when Max retires or moves on. That would leave the middle infield up for grabs between the in-house candidates Kim, Edman, and Freeland. I’m hoping Edman plays second and Outman center field this year.
Willie also put a lot around the middle over the years.
Hope’s thighs– I nearly called him Hype–have served him well so far. My point is that a lot of body types are able to succeed in baseball. One of the game’s virtues…
Hoping Vargas figures it out with the White Sox. Lux is fine as platoon 2B and bat off the bench. But if he starts hitting lefties, he might be an all-star someday.
Excited about May and Miller this year. Ride ’em hard. Same with Gonsolin.
Love to see Miller be the 5th starter and 6th starter when Ohtoni returns to the rotation. May to the bullpen and
Gonsolin a trade chip eventually after he proves he’s healthy in minor league starts.
Take a look at Gonsolin’s stat line in 2023, the year before he got hurt.
Way better than anything May has accomplished.
Miller if ihis head is on straight has better stuff than Gonsolin. The violent delivery of May is only another injury away and he should be a reliever. There’s no room in the starting rotation for Gonsolin unless Glasnow is injured or Sasaki starts in the minors which I doubt.
Or Miller is still a head case.
And I got my years wrong. Gonsolin’s great year was 2022 not 2023.
16-1 with a 2.14 ERA , 188 ERA+, 0.875 WHIP and a bWAR of 4.3.
Miller’s stuff may be better but I’d be willing to bet he never has a year that good.
I too am excited about May and Miller BUT….
I say, “Do NOT ride them hard”. With this deep a staff let them come back at a measured pace, remain uninjured and collectively this staff will produce extraordinary, possibly historic results for the season.
PS: No one seems to be talking much about Outman. Is the prevailing opinion he will be traded? Doesn’t seem like much room on the major league roster for….well, ANYbody who isn’t already penciled in as a starter.
I look for him to play a lot early in Spring Training. The Cubs have four LH potential starters, so he may not start tomorrow unless they start a RHP.
Unless Miller just implodes in Spring Training, I think they will have him or May as the 5th starter. Bobby’s rapport with Blake Snell is a big part of that reason.
Rapport is all well and good but you have to prove it on the field.
Of the three (Gonsolin, May and Miller), Catman has had by far the best single season.
Miller and May probably both have substantially higher ceilings than Gonsolin, but I’ll take results every time.
Gonsolin used to hit 100 MPH in the Minors. I have seen him at 98 in the Majors (that was in relief), but I don’t think he is that guy anymore. He was 92-93 last year and toughed 94 a couple of times. It’s possible he gets back to 95, I think, but his stuff always played up.
After all, in 2022, he was 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA and 0.875 WHIP. He didn’t have enough innings to qualify for the Cy Young.
There isn’t going to be as many spring battles this year in my opinion. Gonsolin, May and Miller for the last two pitching spots and Can Pages or Outman out battle Rojas or CT3 for the final position spot? I honestly don’t see Grove making the team unless there is a spring injury. I would rather see Pages on the team and feel he’s a better option then Rojas off the bench but I know Rojas is a team leader in the clubhouse. I would rather see Rojas coaching the team in some capacity as we have a lot of SS options this year. Have fun at Camelback Mark. I got tickets for the March 8th game against the White Sox. The team should be almost ready to head to Tokyo by then.
I believe Gonsokin will be given every opportunity at some point early in the season to crack the rotation, in part because of his pre injury success, but also because the Dodgers gravitate towards team first guys and Gonsolin definitely put the team first in continuing to pitch while injured. The discussion around player frame size brings back the nightmare trade of Pedro Martinez based on those same assumptions about smaller frame durability. Sad.
I could be way off base, but since the Dodgers have such a glut of starting pitchers, and Knack can be optioned as well as Gonsolin (but for just 20 days), that leaves May and Miller to battle for the #5 spot. Of course, injuries and unintended consequences can change all that. The Dodgers may also want to piggyback some pitchers. For example, Snell (LH) starts the game, and May or Miller comes in (RH) when he is done. The Catman could come in as well for just about any of the starters.
Landon Knack is highly regarded by many teams, so I do expect some trades early in the season.
I was wondering will the three Japanese players have three separate interpreters in the the dugout along with another Korean one for Kim?
They used just one last year for Ohtani and Yamamoto. So, one for all three is most likely. Will Ireton is the in-game Japanese interpreter. Yuki Ajimoto has been Sasaki’s interpreter for press conferences. Leo Bae is Kim’s interpreter.
Hm. Might need two.
Shohei is a full-time job. The other could share Yamamoto and Sasaki.
And yes, one for Kim.
Miller also has options I believe if he doesn’t gain his mojo by the end of spring.
Miller has 2 options remaining.
According to the Dodger’s official page,Yamamoto starts against the Cubs in tomorrow’s first Spring training game at 3PM ET.The game will be broadcast on the MLB Network. Pitching starts are always subject to change.
“The Dodgers lineup should consist of several regulars, but Shohei Ohtani won’t be among them. He is not expected to make his 2025 Spring Training debut until the end of February or early March”.
Freddie most likely will not start either. He is hitting but not running the bases yet.
If Dodgers target Vlad Guerrero it will be to play 3B (at least until Freeman leaves), there is no way Ohtani is moving off of DH and we will have a glaring need at 3B. Vlad has publically stated that he loves 3B and that is the position he came up playing. If Muncy can improve at the hot corner Vlad can be passable there.
Muncy can probably continue to improve somewhat @ 3B but at age 34 not more than Vlad can at age 26. But that’s IF Vlad can even play it at the big league level.
Vlad is looking to get Juan Soto money and years. The Dodgers could afford it if they want to. I doubt they will pursue him seriously. Maybe they would just to drive up his price to the NL West teams.
My guess is that the Dodgers would prefer Murakami over Vlad. The Yankees are also said to interested in Murakami– but Vlad would be a GREAT fit for the Yanks.
I keep hoping that Dodgers might find a young star via trade, in part to enable guys like Outman, Pages and Knack to get better opportunities. I trust the Dodger brainiacs have a wish list of guys they might target.
If Freddie misses time with injury, the brass could turn immediately to Rushing. Why not? He’s play a lot of 1B. The boring move would be to just put Kike there. It would be better to see how Rushing handles ML pitching. Developing Rushing for C, 1B and LF makes a lot of sense. And I still think he could handle 3B.
Fox Sports Airing Tokyo Series Between Dodgers & Cubs
“The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are beginning the 2025 MLB regular season with the Tokyo Series in Japan.The two-game set takes place at the Tokyo Dome from March 18-19, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. local time (3:10 a.m. PT) in both contests”.
Great…. Not on MLB games pretty much screw me. I pay for NOTHING but MLB. Including I won’t pay an extra hundred bucks for the Rockies package so I can see Dodgers Rockies games.
I just checked Cincy’s Depth Chart, and Lux is 5th on it at SS, and 6th at 3B. They have him first at 2B, but that is only because they have to see if Matt McLain is healthy. Gavin will wear #2 with the Reds.
I think he will be their DH.
That makes sense.
The early reports from Cincy after the trade fairly gushed about his versatility. It was strange. Made me think nobody who covers the Reds reads LADT!
MLBTR has a piece on The Dodgers Rotation (nothing new):
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/02/poll-the-dodgers-rotation.html
Former Dodger Ross Stripling has signed a minor league deal with the Royals.
The Royals announced that they have signed ex Dodger right-hander Ross Stripling to a minor league deal and imvited him to Spring Training.
I think Gonsolin is underrated and underappreciated. Before he got injured he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Miller has options and until he pulls it together, he can’t carry Tony’s jock. Those numbers in 22 are mind boggling. I like your roster except for Miller. If Tony is healthy, he should be the 5th starter with May in the bully.
Although a couple of trades would change the narrative for sure.
Hard no on Vlad.
Book em
Last I saw it said Kopech likely not ready for opening day
As I stated Dodgers 2025 payroll plus competitive balance tax will top $500 million.
“That Dodgers payroll would be a major league record, surpassing the 2023 Mets ($374.7 million). Given that Los Angeles has already paid the competitive balance tax four years in a row, as a multiple-repeat payer they are subject to higher tax rates at each CBT threshold, beginning at $241 million this year. For anything over $301 million in 2025, the Dodgers are taxed at 110 percent.
A payroll of $388.6 million would incur a competitive balance tax of $137.8 million. The Dodgers last year paid a record $103 million in luxury tax”.
Counting payroll and luxury tax, the Dodgers would spend a total of $525.6 million, making for baseball’s first $500 million payroll.
Wish I were there
Is anyone at all surprised that Alex Verdugo is still a free agent? There have been zero rumors as to his signing anywhere. ESPN said the teams that possibly could sign him are the Mets, Blue Jays and Pirates. I am pretty sure he won’t be a Yankee or a Dodger again. He is 28 years old.
He’s a punk. Another team that you can elininate is the Red Sox because of his run-ins with Alex Cora.
Nobody will get a hard ride on this team.
And that’s kind of sad.
I expect Snell to lead the team in IP. Seems that the Dodgers will try to keep him on a 5-day schedule. He threw 180 IP in winning his second Cy. It would be shocking to me if he gets above 150 this season. Seems that the Dodgers will be resting everybody a bit as they sort out a postseason rotation.
Boone extended through the 27 season by the Yankees. Still waiting to see if LA extends Roberts.
3:05 PM ET at Glendale
Cubs (83-79)
Dodgers (98-64)
Cody Poteet R
0-0 .00 ERA
Y. Yamamoto R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
3B Max Muncy L
RF T. Hernandez R
CF James Outman L
LF E. Rosario L
1B David Bote R
C H. Feduccia L
2B Hyeseong Kim L
DH D. Rushing L
That’s gonna be an interesting watch
Few I’d like to see playing
Rosario hit the Dodgers first spring homer. Bote had two hits. Miller hit in the head with a line drive off of the bat of Michael Busch. Cubs up 8-3.
Not a great first game, but it is spring training. I did not expect much. No Ohtani or Freeman, who won’t start the early spring games at all. He is not running yet. Max ordered not to challenge any pitches. Scary moment for Miller. Even scarier for former teammate Busch. I do not understand how they let the runner score on that play, ball should have been dead after striking Miller. Four former LA pitchers got jobs yesterday. Floro signed a minor league deal with the A’s. Heaney inked a one-year deal with the Pirates. Stripling signed a minor league deal with the Royals and Yarbrough signed a minor league deal with the Jays. Clevinger signed a minor league deal with the White Sox and Rowdy Tellez did the same with the Mariners. LA at the Cubs today in Mesa.
i may be wrong Bear, but isn’t the ball live until play stops? Now that being said, in an exhibition game they should have stopped play. That was nasty. Busch stopped and realized he still had to go. He looked visibly upset. Hopefully Bobby isn’t negatively affected by this. …….. Nothing to see here yesterday. Yamamoto looked just fine and most of all he looks healthy and happy! Rosario ? He might make it a tough decision for the front office. i’m not sure if he can elect to become a free agent if they send him down . If pages and Outman struggle, he might be a solid 4th outfielder. … Catman up next!
No room at the inn for Rosario, with the current bench of Kiki,Taylor,Rojas and Barnes unless an injury happens to one of the starting position players or a trade happens and frees up a spot. Rosario is auditiong for a spot on another team’s roster or will go to the minors quietly and provide depth.
Rosario’s ace in the hole is the fact that he hit’s left-handed and LA has no LH bench players unless Outman makes the team as the fourth outfielder.
If Rosario plays well in OKC, he could be the first OF called up. Dodgers love guys with experience.
An injury could create an opportunity now.
You are probably right, but everyone including the catcher ran out to check on Miller. In an exhibition game, the play should have been dead. I remember being at a game where Maeda was hit in the head by a line drive in Arizona. That was scary too. Herb Score’s career was basically over after he was hit by a line drive. He never was the same pitcher after that.
Rosario is another October gamer.
His best chance at another ring is with the Bums. He’ll stick around, play for the Comets, and if he’s healthy and hasn’t lost a lot of bat speed…….could be in the mix come Oct. Heck AF might go sign Bucky Dent or Mark Lemke. He loves players with a proven track record in the playoffs.
Book em