Tarik Skubal is unquestionably the best pitcher in baseball. That is for sure. What is uncertain is how much longer he will be able to sustain that. Personally, I think that at some point, he will be Walker Buehler! Just my opinion, but I say NO to Skubal. However, I am now beginning to think that Kyle Tucker could be an option. When they said, “damn the draft picks and signing bonus money, we are signing Edwin Diaz” all bets were off.
Here is a cold, hard fact: The Dodgers don’t have the time to develop many players. They are always in a “win now” mode, so they were not inclined or able to develop players like Zach McKinstry, Michael Busch, or Miguel Vargas – all of whom may be very solid to good players. They can develop pitchers, but they don’t have time to develop hitters. Enter, Kyle Tucker! I am not going to try to negotiate a deal for him, but I think the Dodgers could offer a six- or seven-year deal that would entice him to come to LA. Just get him!
That would solve the Dodgers’ outfield problems. Teoscar Hernandez moves to LF, Andy Pages stays in CF, and Kyle Tucker is in RF. Of course, Brendan Donovan would be nice at 2B, and while I do not believe the rumors, I think that the Dodgers signing Donovan is a long shot. Of course, Kim, Call, Ferris, and DePaula might get the job done.
C – Smith/Rushing
1B – Freeman
2B – Donovan
SS – Betts
3B – Muncy
LF – T. Hernandez
CF – Pages
RF – Tucker
Bench – Rojas, Edman, E. Hernandez
Of course, Kike and Edman will likely not be ready at the start of the season, so Ward and others may be at the ready.
OMG! Look at this lineup:
- Ohtani DH
- Betts SS
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Tucker RF
- Pages CF
- Muncy 3B
- T. Hernandez LF
- Donovan 2B
That team might be 162-0!
Welcome: Ontario Tower Buzzers
The Ontario Tower Buzzers are the new Single-A Minor League Baseball Team for the Los Angeles Dodgers, debuting in the California League in 2026, playing at the new ONT Field in Ontario, California, as part of the Ontario Sports Empire, with their name nodding to Top Gun and the local airport. They replaced the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes as the Dodgers’ affiliate, bringing a Dodgers-themed experience, including Dodger blue colors and a mascot named Maverick, to the Inland Empire.
Rancho Cucamonga was quaint. This is a new start in a new ballpark.
I like the idea of Tucker. It’s so simple and solves our OF problem like that. And it only costs money. No other moves necessary. A big strike.
We are hunting a threepeat.
Cody would be cheaper and could play first when Freddy retires and we have our young outfielders to take over for him and Hernández in the outfield. We just have to see how it all plays out.
Many teams can afford to play in the Brendan Donovan sweepstakes. Whereas, a few limited teams can afford Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. I believe the Mets will be front runners for both. After losing out on Pete Alonso, Bellinger is almost a necessity for them. Tucker on the other hand is more of a want rather than a need; but they desperately need to make a splash for their fanbase after losing Diaz and Alonso. Cohen has the resources to pursue both and I think they will make a serious run at these guys. They’ve been backed into a position where they have to make a move to replace Alonso.
Kyle Tucker is my top choice, but the price could quickly become too steep if the Mets somehow fail to land Bellinger. Given that the Dodgers don’t have a “need” for either player, I have a hard time seeing the Dodgers paying what these guys are going to end up getting paid.
Skubal on the other hand, the Dodgers have what the Tigers need. If the LAD “want” Skubal, they have the rare combination of major league talent and major league ready prospects to get it done. The Dodgers are in a position to make an offer Detroit can’t refuse. It’s up to the Dodgers to decide whether they “need” Skubal to win. I believe we are fine without him, but if a three-peat remains the primary goal, then, we’re better with Skubal than without him.
RIP Rob and Michelle Reiner. Murdered in their own home today.
I’m still rooting for a Buxton deal, in part because it might save the Dodgers $300-$400 million in salary and luxury tax. High risk, high reward. We like to say that it’s “not my money’…. but how much has the cost of a Dodger game for a family gone up in recent years?
Another reason is that wheeling and dealing is so much more interesting than a big fat check.
Interesting how the Dodgers and Blue Jays now top the Tucker rumors. But the Mets really need to make a splash, right?
Japanese players maybe
Maybe–but risky.
I think proven major leaguers like Tucker, Bregman and Belli are a safer bet.
Could Munetaka Murakami mollify the maddened Met masses?
Or does he just enhance alliteration?
UPDATE ABOVE
VERY interesting Eno Saris article on MLB trying to “even” out technology spending across minor leagues.
Obviously, i’m opposed to one-size fits all decisions, but who cares what I think!
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6879487/2025/12/15/mlb-technology-change-minor-leagues/
A couple of weeks ago I read that the lower payroll teams (cheap owners), wanted yo limit the expenditures that teams like the Dodgers spend on technology. So basically you have cheap teams wanting to limit the amounts teams spend on players and everything else.
They’re happy to take revenue sharing dollars and then want to dictate what other teams do. Seems backwards. If your going to take reinvented money, those teams need to be forced to use those funds to improve their teams. To paraphrase Ken Rosenthal, the threat of a ‘27 lockout is not about players salaries, it’s more about cheap owners wanting to rein in teams like the Dodgers and Mets.
This is what’s happening.
But I keep wavering with this point:
“If your (SIC) going to take reinvented money, those teams need to be forced to use those funds to improve their teams.”
Do we want MLB telling owners how (or how much) of their money to spend?
I see both sides of it, and am not sure.
I read that Glasnow said that Friedman has assured him that he is not going to be traded anywhere.
Need a bat, get a bat! Bigger the better!
Correct.
But if the Tigers want to hold down costs, they might prefer Sheehan + Wrobleski to Glasnow, to get lower-priced talent and more years of control. The Dodgers could also offer River Ryan, Jackson Ferris, Bobby Miller and others. A lot of possibilities.
I don’t expect this to happen…. but if AF deals for Buxton instead of Tucker, he could save about $300-350 million that could then be applied to a long-term contract for Skubal.
Caught an interview with new mlb.com Dodger beat reporter Katie Woo, who had been covering the Cards and seems pretty sharp. She floated the idea that Tucker or Belli might be intrigued by the sort of contract Bregman has, with high AAV and early opt-outs.
I just hate 2 guys that you can tell love being Dodgers keep coming up in trade talks.Teo has been such a good player.
Teo is working out and looks good. I believe he’s motivated to work hard and have a good year in 26. I think he will be here for the remainder of his contract.
He just needs to move to left field.
What reports are you citing? About his physical condition?
Bellinger makes sense. Tucker’s deal needs to get done somewhere first. I’m not sure I’d want to lay out a huge contract to watch Tucker half ass it down the first base line. He’s got the entire market waiting on his deal.
Haha
The best plausible Dodgers OF is probably Teo-Pages-Tucker.
It is also the most expensive. But would price restrain the Dodgers?
Perhaps not. Because if the Dodgers don’t snare Tucker, Toronto may get him. They proved last season that they don’t need Bo to win because Clement can get the job done… so they may pivot to Tucker and let Bo move on.
Toronto has already had a productive winter, landing Cease, Ponce and Tyler Rogers. The Jays have to be favored to win the AL again.
If the Jays land Tucker, would the Dodgers try to take a swing for Belli or Buxton?
Belli sorta makes sense…, but I think the Dodgers think they can do better.
The stats show Belli was great at Yankee Stadium–and pretty average everywhere else.
At home, Belli hit to a .909 OPS, with a .302 BA and 18 HRs.
On the road, he hit to a .715 OPS with 11 HRs.
He is made for Yankee Stadium – If he came back to LA, you might get the .715 OPS version. He’s not the same Cody Bellinger he once was.
I want the Mets to trade for Miller, Bogaerts, and Machado. That rids SD of 2 bad contracts. I haven’t a clue what else SD would get back other than payroll flexibility.
“Before making this decision, Díaz had a crucial conversation with his now teammate, Kiké Hernández. Hernández, known for his charisma and leadership in the locker room, gave Díaz some honest advice. “The only bad thing about the Dodgers is that they’re far from Puerto Rico,” he said, referring to the distance from their homeland. However, he also assured him that both he and his family would be well taken care of in Los Angeles, which was undoubtedly an important factor in his decision.”
Sounds like Kike will be back!
He might have to wait until June to get signed.
… or get signed and go on the IL.
That’s what I expect.
Also why I doubt that the Dodgers deal for Donovan.
machado and soto in the same dugout? it happened once. evidently lindor and soto don’t like each other much! i guess throw tatis into the mix and hope nobody gets killed!
Tucker? ok Mark. i’m on board. but i hope the dodgers don’t let The giants get Donovan. he’s a perfect fit inLA!
But we have Donovan at home
if the giants sign donovan they are going to be much better in a competitive nl west. Another good starting pitcher, and they will be very formidable. he would be a perfect fit almost anywhere, but he fits best in LA! Edman and Kike ? neither one will be available opening day. So unless the dodgers sign Kyle Tucker, they need another quality position player.
Good news SB. Teo looked a step slower this past season. If he comes in a little lighter , and regains a step, maybe he’ll be an adequate left fielder. that would be a great boost for the outfield. After all, left field provided almost nothing in 2025. No i’m not saying Teo was fat! 5-6 pounds might make a difference in him getting to balls he didn’t get to in right field. And, if they do happen to sign Tucker to play right, pages in center, not a bad outfield!
Saw a rumor suggesting the yankees and dodgers could pull off a trade for Jazz Chisom! 30 plus homers this past season. How would Miguel Rojas react to that? Won’t happen, but what if it did??
The Giants cannot sign Donovan; they have to trade for him. They might be better, but the Giants offense is still not that good. The Dodgers are not finished. Donovan is a good player, but he does not add that much offense to the Giants. His best skill is putting the ball in play. He is not a great power hitter. His contact skills will play well in that massive ballpark, but he is not going to hit a lot of homers there. His career high is just 13. Before we go making predictions on the NL West, let’s wait and see what the 26-man looks like come March 26th at Dodger Stadium. A lot can happen in 3 months.
i’m sorry Bear, i meant trade for him. With donovan at second, Adames @ shortstop, Devers at first , and Chapman at third, that’s a pretty solid infield. they, in my opinion would only be a very good outfielder addition away from being a solid offensive team. So if they acquired donovan, and signed , say, Bellinger? that’s pretty solid offensively .
Devers is listed as the DH. Defensively they are very suspect, especially in the outfield. They don’t have one single outfielder who scares me. Chapman is a .240 career hitter who like Muncy, strikes out a lot. He is excellent defensively, but he doesn’t get on base as much as Max. Adames is over-rated as a hitter. He hit .221 last year, struck out 179 times. His OPS is below .800 for his career. He does have a lot of power, and he is excellent defensively. As far as Devers is concerned, he is a terrible defender. His power is negated a lot in that ballpark. He hit just .236 with the Giants. I expect his BA will climb some as he learns the league. So, the Gnats don’t scare anyone one bit. They need more than just one new outfielder to be a real force.
Giants are irrelevant until they aren’t