Editorial Note – This was written before the massive Russell Martin deal went down, and I did not want to consider this post to be like Kemp, Puig, Wood, and Farmer and just dump it.
The written word is a strange thing. One reader will read comments one way and another reader another way, and yet the writer had a totally different reason for the comment. The most recent example is Brian Dozier.
Brian Dozier signed a one-year deal with the Nationals for $9MM. The comments were more along the lines of he isn’t worth $9MM and were glad that Freidman didn’t pay $9MM for Dozier. I was not on the Brian Dozier bandwagon. I never have been. But $9MM for one year for a 2B who was arguably the best power hitting 2B in all of MLB as late as 2017 is NOT too much. That is how FA works. A player gets paid more for when they are less productive. GM’s (or as some are now called President – Baseball Operations) look at WAR to determine if the contract is worth the dollars. 1 WAR is considered comparable to about $8MM in salary. I do not consider 32-years-old to be too old to compete and perform at a 1.1 WAR level. Now is he a fit for the team is the real question, not is he worth $9MM, because he truly is (IMO).
It is certainly arguable that Dozier was a fit for the Dodgers. It was a one-year contract for a potential 20 HR former GG 2B who played hurt last year. If you believe that Gavin Lux is a year away from competing for the everyday 2B job in 2020, then one year at $9MM for an everyday position player is not out of line UNLESS you have better options. Most think that CT3, Kike’, or Max are better options. One could make a solid argument for such a case. I see CT3 and Kike’ as utility guys like Marwin Gonzalez or Ben Zobrist. So, I would feel much more comfortable making those comparisons than to a permanent 2B. I wouldn’t even make a phone call to Marwin Gonzalez’s agent, not because he is not a good player, but because the Dodgers already have 2 of him.
So, while I may not think that Dozier is the right fit for LAD, I do think the Dodgers would be better with a full time GG defensive 2B. Someone say… like DJLM. But that is now moot. The Dodgers will be going with Kike’ or CT3 at 2B. Some will be happy. Others will not be. But NYY is stronger today than they were Thursday, and the Dodgers are not.
Where many of us get frustrated is not that Friedman did not sign Dozier, but that another team did to get better, and Friedman thus far has not. He still may. I have been advised that there are still a lot of days between today and March 28, but the options are running thinner. And someone please remind me of the last significant player personnel the Dodgers acquired in ST. Contrary to some, I can be frustrated with Andrew and still believe he has done a great job to get the Dodgers to where they are. Mark likes to say do not look at what a player has done in the past but look at what he may do in the future. Good theory, and something to follow. But that also goes for FO management. Yes, Friedman has done a fantastic job at rebuilding the minor league system while staying in contention, including back to back WS. In 2017, FAZ put together a team that should have won the WS. However due to their stars, including a future HOF LHSP, the team crashed and burned on the big stage. That is not on Friedman, that is on Kershaw/Jansen/Doc. I include Doc because of how he handled (mishandled) the pitching. He still has not figured Hill out. That is not a knock on Doc. Even if Doc does not consider it one, we all make mistakes. That is why God created erasers. I have a bunch. The hope is that we all learn from them. But I digress.
For the record, I am not as frustrated with Friedman as much as I am with the ownership group. I believe they are advising Friedman as to what his budgetary ceiling is. Friedman is trying to put the best team on the field with his budgetary constraints.
Instead of getting better for 2018, Friedman stood pat. Oh, he did trade for Scott Alexander to make up for the loss of Brandon Morrow. How did that work out? And he was able to get under the luxury tax threshold. Does that make the 25-man roster better? The two players I wanted most last Winter were Gerrit Cole (#1) and Christian Yelich (#2). I have said it so many times that most are sick of hearing it, but the Dodgers absolutely could have put together better packages for both players, and neither one would have presented a CBT threshold problem with some very easy maneuvering. But they stood pat and went backwards; unless you do not consider going from 104 wins to 91 as going backwards. They may have tried to make those trades but were unsuccessful. We will never know for sure. What we do know is that they were fortunate to win the NL West and they were fortunate that they were in a very lackluster NL, and still almost lost to a Milwaukee Brewers squad without great starting pitching, but a solid offense and a tremendous bullpen. The Dodgers were overmatched in the WS. No it is no longer important for me just to get to the WS. I want to win it.
I know some will say that the Dodgers lost because of the loss of Seager. I have certainly alluded to that. But with the addition of Machado, during the season most on here believed that the Dodgers should have pursued him on a permanent basis and moved Seager to 2B to make room for the great Manny Machado. Would Seager have made the difference in the WS? NO! The Red Sox were a better team. Would the Dodgers have been better with Cole and Yelich? Would they have been better with Cole OR Yelich. Would they have been better had they signed JDM instead of Boston? The answer to all three is yes. There was no chance of the Dodgers signing JDM because of the CBT threshold, but Cole and Yelich were in play.
So now we are on to 2019, and what has Friedman done thus far? Sign Joe Kelly to help the bullpen. I love this FA signing, and I believe the cost is fair. But the trade of Puig/Kemp/Wood/Farmer does not make the Dodgers better unless they replace them with ML players who can play better than that trio did. Some say that it was a salary dump. I say nonsense. It was a player dump. The trade turns out to be Puig/Kemp/Wood/Farmer to Cincinnati for Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray, and $5.45MM. That’s right, the Dodgers have saved in actual payroll a total of $5.45MM. When the Dodgers agreed to send $7MM back to the Reds for Kemp, that brought the total Dodgers payroll cost in the deal to $35MM: $23MM Bailey 2019, $5M Bailey option 2020, and $7MM for Kemp. They saved $40.45MM ($21.75MM Kemp, $9.7MM Puig, $9MM Wood). So, this deal looks more like ridding the team of three potential headaches vs. saving dollars. One positive thing that it did do is to save approximately $14.2MM in current year AAV. But that means nothing if it isn’t spent. Just think the Dodgers are paying Kemp $10.5MM to play for the Reds. So if this does not convince you that staying under the CBT threshold is important to this ownership group, then consider the Russell Martin deal on Friday. Bluto made a comment yesterday that made me scratch my head. It wasn’t JUST that the Dodgers were paying Martin $3.6MM plus trading two prospects, but the $3.6MM turns out to have a zero impact on AAV. Martin’s AAV is $16.4MM and that is what Toronto is including in the trade. It is okay to overspend on a player, as long as it does not impact AAV? Tell me again that the CBT threshold is not a factor in Dodger decisions.
While the Dodgers stand pat (and that is being generous), the Nationals have gotten much better with the addition of Patrick Corbin (LHSP), Anibal Sanchez (RHSP), Yan Gomes (C), Kurt Suzuki (C), Trevor Rosenthal (RHRP). They did lose Tanner Roark but did pick up a hard throwing RHRP in Tanner Rainey. They are also the favorite for Harper. They are certainly not one bit afraid of exceeding the CBT threshold.
The Cardinals traded for Paul Goldschmidt without hurting the 2019 team, and signed Andrew Miller. Andrew Knizner is a better backup catcher than Carson Kelly, so their catching is better. If you believe the Dodgers SP is deep, take a look at the Cards…Mikolas, Flaherty, Martinez, Gant, Gomber, Poncedeleon, Hudson, Reyes. That leaves former Ace Adam Wainwright in the bullpen with a full year of Chasen Shreve, and Jordan Hicks, and any of the SP not in the rotation. Many believe Flaherty is as good as Buehler. Dodger fans may not agree, but Cards’ fans believe he is.
The Braves have gotten better with Donaldson at 3B and McCann at catcher. They will find a replacement for Markakis, if not Markakis himself. They are also in on Realmuto, and they are in a much better position to meet the Marlins’ demands than are the Dodgers. They are also one of the favorites to land Kimbrel, making their biggest weakness a strength (at least for the next 2-3 years).
The Phillies have gotten better with Jean Segura (SS), Andrew McCutcheon (LF), David Robertson (RHRP), Juan Nicasio (RHRP), James Pazos (LHRP), and the loss of Carlos Santana allowing Rhys Hopkins to move to 1B. They already had a strong bullpen with Seranthony Dominguez as closer, and Hector Neris, Pat Neshek, and Tommy Hunter to handle middle relief. They have always been the favorite to land Machado. Now it appears to be a 2-team race…Machado and ChiSox. ChiSox will not go 10 years, but Philly will. They are also meeting with Harper on Saturday. They are bound to get one of them, if not both.
The Brewers are better because of the maturity of Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes in the rotation. Plus, the return of Ace Jimmy Nelson. Grandal helps that pitching staff. Ben Gamel is a better situational OF than is Domingo Santana. They are counting on Alex Claudio returning to his pre-2018 seasons when he was at times dominant for Texas. They are also in on Keuchel and Moustakas.
NYY – Re-signed Zach Britton, JA Happ, and CC Sabathia. Signed Troy Tulowitzki. Signed DJLM. Their offense was already solid (better than solid) and got better. Sanchez cannot get worse, and has proven that he can be much much better. Their bullpen is the best in MLB. They should be the favorite in the AL. With the DJLM signing, they are now $12.5MM over the CBT threshold. So, neither the Yankees or Red Sox seemed to be hampered by the luxury tax, but it seems to be a significant strategy for LAD. Now Andujar is a trade potential, making the signing of DJLM a luxury and not a need.
I could include the Mets, but with their improvements, I still do not think they are a legit contender in the NL East much less the NL. But they could certainly surprise with a rotation of deGrom, Thor, Wheeler, and Matz, and a bullpen of Diaz and Familia.
Again, it’s not that the Dodgers did not sign Dozier (or DJLM or Lowrie), it is that they have done nothing to improve while their competition (especially in the NL) has gotten better. It could be argued that the team is not as good as the one that took the field in 2018. I know that is refuted by those who think that the all of the Dodgers will have career years, while the other teams will go backwards. Dozier may not have helped the Dodgers, but he will the Nats. Ramos would certainly have helped the Dodgers, but instead he is helping the Mets. I am convinced that DJLM would have helped the Dodgers. Keuchel will not help the Dodgers, but he will the Phillies or Brewers or Reds. Corey Kluber would have helped the Dodgers.
So for those who advise that there is still plenty of time to spend that $24MM, please let us know who might be a target. Realmuto or Kluber? Not likely since neither the Tribe or Fish seem to want to come down on their asking price. There may be more urgency for JTR, but there are a lot of potential trade partners, several of whom will certainly be in a position to outbid LAD. I see another Cole/Yelich scenario. Pollock? Don’t think so since he would cost the Dodgers the #31 overall pick next draft. Harper? I still cannot see that happening, but you may be right. Castellanos? It will not be Verdugo because Andrew is not about to trade a 6 year controlled OF or a 1 year controlled OF. The Braves are also in on Castellanos. Kimbrel? Don’t think so. So while there still may be several weeks between now an Opening Day, the number of options to improve the team are dwindling.
Discussion (77)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Great article. One player is needed. Harper. The guy is a one man wrecking crew. Those who think not are smoking crack. Put Harper in this lineup and it is the new Murderers Row. Forget the whole Lefty Righty thing as it is overrated. HARPER. Sign Him for God’s Sake.
Thanks Mark for posting the WSJ article. Interesting read.
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I too prefer Bellinger at 1B, but
I also understand that there are circumstances under which he is more valuable in CF.
Interesting article on luxury tax, but I cannot see the luxury tax being such an impediment since very few teams ever exceed it. Last year the BoSox and Nats were the only two teams to do so. This year there are three teams that are already over the CBT threshold (Boston, Chicago Cubs, and NYY). The BoSox and Cubbies are well over it and have zero chance to get below it. NYY is about $5.7MM over, and can get under by trading Sonny Gray.The only other two teams that are in range right now are the Nats (under by approximately $7.2MM), and LAD which is approximately $20.8MM below after all the players avoiding arbitration have signed.
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The Mets at $176MM, Houston at $170MM, St. Louis at $165.6MM, SFG at $164.2MM, Colorado at $156.2MM and Philadelphia at $151.6MM are the only other teams in excess of $150MM, but not really in a position to exceed the CBT threshold. Philadelphia is still in a position to spend “stupid” money, but even they are $55MM below, and are well situated to sign either Machado or Harper. They will want to stay vigilant because they will want to be in a position in two years for Trout. But signing Machado should keep them in a position to woo Trout.
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with Atlanta only at $114MM, could they be the mystery team in on Machado? Could they go big and try to sign Harper to play RF for them. If they sign Harper, I think they could live with Vizcaino as closer and Dansby Swanson as SS. If Machado at SS they could probably trade Swanson for a RF. Atlanta is in a position to go big if AA gets his budget increased.
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IMO what hurts FA is the QO. I do not mind the QO, but a team should not have to pay a draft pick to sign him. That keeps the salary low for guys that may justify the QO but are not deemed good enough for teams to give up a draft pick and international money. Increase the QO amount, but no penalty. I have zero objection to any team that loses a FA to get compensatory draft picks no matter if a QO was offered or not for a FA above a certain level. It could be a higher pick for a player rejecting a QO, and then decreasing from there. You could limit it to 3 compensatory picks per team. There are a host of options if you eliminate the penalty for signing a FA with a QO. It will have zero impact on the number of teams who could realistically be considered viable landing spots for Harper & Machado this year, or Arenado and Rendon next year, and Trout the year after. But maybe Pollock and Grandal and others will not be hampered and teams that can spend in that range would not be hindered. There also has to be a salary floor as long as the teams participate in the luxury tax compensation. Last year Tampa Bay, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Miami were cited as not spending their luxury tax dollars. Not much has changed as all 4 teams are under $100MM this year and are joined this year by KC and SD. Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are less than $80MM.
OK, put me on sucicide watch and I am hitting anyone in the mouth who says anything bad about the Colts!
Patiently waiting for the Rams to prevail…
Bum, Rudy wouldn’t be upset, but like most of us, would want you piss-tested..
Any day now!!!
I’m still looking at ST and the Trade dead line…
Colts don’t seem to like the snow, Chiefs are marching up and down the field but it’s early yet. Tyreek Hill wore the right cleats today. Big game is Rams/Cowboys tonight, at least for me. And Chargers/Pats tomorrow, can’t root for Brady-ever!
I’m still in on Haniger. I’m thinking Seattle might consider Verdugo, Taylor, Maeda, Alvarez. Would the Dodgers give up that much? Rudy would be upset with me if I suggested Verdugo and Ruiz for Haniger but I would do it.
I agree with those of you who want Cody at first. To me it is not even a close decision. He makes everyone better. I would put Muncey in any trade package. He just does not fit defensively. Put Taylor at second and sign Pollack. That is all the Dodgers need to do.
In addition to the cost of signing AJ Pollock in $$, not only would the Dodgers lose the #31 pick, but they would also lose $500K in international money. I suspect the Dodgers value the international money as much as, if not more, than the draft pick.
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Mark, if you can post the content I would appreciate it. I am subscribed to the NYT and WAPO, among others, but not WSJ. Don’t care to subscribe to read one article.
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Read today that the Dodgers are still in on Kluber. Not sure if yet means anything or not.
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Still think the Dodgers could be in on Realmuto. I think someone up above suggested that the Dodgers might be able to work a deal if they agreed to take on Castro’s $12 million. I don’t know how realistic that is, but it’s certainly Something to consider.
If you can’t get it, let me know and I’ll post the content.
Great read:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-mlbs-luxury-tax-has-put-a-deep-freeze-on-spending-11547211630
Martin is a double play machine. He is often hurt and that probably doesn’t improve with age. It would be hard to see him any worse than last year. He might be more motivated, new league, free agent year, likely playoff bound, professional environment, not expected to be a primetime player, etc. he could serve as a good backup if healthy but exp.ensive for that role. A predictable move. You wait until most everybody is gone and reach for a washed up player who will spend most of his time on the dL or not.the trade is really a nothing burger unless the prospects end up being good(Brito) This buys a little time if a deal becomes available. I hope he doesn’t bring any bad habits with him now that he is returning to la.
Moura kinda likes the trade over on The Athletic.
I find it definitely “meh”
As a former 1B in my youth, here’s why I believe that defensive excellence at 1B is more important than at 2B.
First, the 1B handles far more throws from infielders than any other player and is responsible for more putouts than any other player, except possibly the catcher if there are a lot of K’s. These throws are made in great haste and may skip of the ground, go left or right of target, or fly high above the target at 1B and both speed and quickness are required. The 2B, on the other hand, only accrues putouts on the occasional DP, a attempted SB with a RHH at the plate our a runner attempting to advance to 2nd on a single to the outfield. As long as the 2B plays fundamentally sound BB, few PO’s should be missed due to the lack of speed.
Second, the 1B and 2B are both responsible for handling cutoff throws from the OF and making strong accurate throws to 2b, 3b and HP, but the 2B generally only takes the throws from RF and the SS takes those from both CF and LF so the 1B has additional opportunities for success or failure.
Third, any time a runner is on base, the potential for throws to the base will be there. While throws to second do occasionally occur, more often a feinted throw happens driving the runner back. Throws to first occur much more often and the ability of the 1B to handle errant throws in any direction has prevented numerous runners from advancing.
Fourth, pop flies in short RF and foul pop flies on the first base side of the IF are often pursued by both the 1B and 2B but greater speed is required of the 1B since he needs to cover both the short OF area and the entire foul area near the stands.
Finally, given the reliance on shifts in BB at this point, the role of the 2B is to cover the deep gap area between first and second for ground balls in the gap and short fly balls in the RF area to allow the RF’er to play deeper. the 2B has greater time to react and more time to get to these plays thus negating the need for as much speed. The shift also requires the 1B to assume greater infield responsibilities on soft ground balls to the right side out of the reach of the pitcher, making accurate throws to the P covering first and deciding what needs to be his responsibilities in a split second.
This completes my diatribe on the greater need for speed at 1B versus 2B and answers 59’s question regarding this issue.
AC nice article and I agree with all your points.I do believe that Friedman is still trying to find a way to trade for Realmuto without including Bellinger. The trade for Martin just might be one of the peaces Friedman is trying to work out. To get Miami to forget Bellinger maybe Friedman could take Castro and his 12M ( a reason why they did not go after JDLM) and trade Barnes, and whoever the Dodgers and Miami can agree on not named Bellinger.
I hope Friedman will still try and get Castellanos and even if it cost the Dodgers the #31 draft pick i would like to see Pollock in CF for the Dodgers.
So if Pollock is in center, Castro at second, and Bellinger at first, where is Muncy?
In Miami. Letś see what happens.
AC
Another outstanding job.
You could certainly make the argument that at this point, on paper, the Dodgers are not as good as the 2018 team. But you could also make the argument that a healthy Turner/Seager and a much improved bullpen, not to mention starting rotation, will make them better in 2019. As far as the trade, the Dodgers had a glut of outfielders and that probably would have created problems this summer. Verdugo was blocked and the Dodgers are high on him. Kiki and Taylor need to play somewhere. Roberts said he didn’t feel second base was a priority going into 2019 with those two and Muncy available.
At least one thing I feel certain of is we will get off to a better start than last season. With that I await to see if the ‘new approach at the plate’ shows what we all hope for. Offense was the biggest hole by far. And if the kids do better at the plate I think we’ll do much better than the gist of all fear. I am a bit worried about health issues and the DL. This team isn’t in better shape if injuries happen to any key players.
This is epic and says a lot by what it doesn’t say:
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“I’ve been around these guys for enough years now where I trust what they’re doing,” he said. “Our guys, they’re not pulling stuff out of left field. There’s a reason for why they do what they do. Obviously, they haven’t made a corresponding move yet, but I’m sure there’s something in the works.
“At the end of the day, I feel like when opening day comes, it will probably make a lot more sense to everyone than right now because I’m sure a lot of people are scratching their heads trying to figure out what’s going on.”
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I think some of the reason was the lockerroom. Maybe we learn more after the fact.
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We do know about Puig and that his teammates tolerated him, but I doubt any are sorry to see him go.
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We know that Kemp re-gained a lot of his weight.
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Now, I hear that Wood basically “went rogue” on his own and wasn’t receptive to coaching by Honey and Prior. That isn’t official, but I believe it to be reliable. I think it also involved his role or failure to accept such a role.
Good article in today’s LA Times about Justin Turner. Here’s a quote from Justin; I guess he attends that “Church of Andrew Friedman” as well:
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Of the salary dump that sent outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Cincinnati Reds, Turner acknowledged, “It caught me off guard, obviously.”
The Dodgers also traded left-hander Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer as part of the deal. In exchange, they received two prospects and right-hander Homer Bailey, whom they promptly released.
Turner said he doesn’t share the widespread concerns about the shortage of upgrades the Dodgers have made this winter.
“I’ve been around these guys for enough years now where I trust what they’re doing,” he said. “Our guys, they’re not pulling stuff out of left field. There’s a reason for why they do what they do. Obviously, they haven’t made a corresponding move yet, but I’m sure there’s something in the works.
“At the end of the day, I feel like when opening day comes, it will probably make a lot more sense to everyone than right now because I’m sure a lot of people are scratching their heads trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Asked if he is a fan of free agent Bryce Harper, Turner responded, “I mean, yeah.”
He laughed.
Awesome posts by everyone so far this morning covering both sides of our discussion/ debate. For the record:
1) I trust (but not blindly) Friedman and Co to put a team on the field March 28 that should win the NL West again
2) I trust Buehler to run away with the Ace-of-the-Dodgers job, and Urias to be a big impact come June to Oct
3) I do NOT trust Kershaw in Oct whatsoever until he proves it, but for the regular season he and our staff will be fantastic.
4) I do NOT think our catching situation is ideal, but I do expect Austin Barnes to be better than 2018 Austin Barnes.
5) We’re set at 1b, whether it be Bellinger, Muncy/Freeze, or JT (if we somehow bring back Machado)
6) I do NOT trust Kike with the starting 2b job; he’s had enough time to win a full time role and he’s never taken it. We have some solid options at 2b, however, so it’s not a back hole.
6) We have a stud at SS, but only GOD knows if he can be who he was pre elbow AND hip surgery! CT3 better be ready to pay some SS just in case. I say SS is still a question until we see how Seager looks in March.
7) JT, but for a fluke getting hit on the wrist in spring training in 2018, has been pretty durable for us. But at 34, he’ll need his weekly rest, so hopefully Freeze or someone else can be an effective fill-in 1-2x a week.
8) We have good options in the OF, but none of them elite, unless Belly is the fulltime CF. Verdugo is a rookie so will he be able to win the job? Did CT3 get contact lenses in the offseason so he can actually see the pitch??
9) I like our bullpen, and I like the kids who are on the verge of coming up for the bullpen.
Today’s team isn’t a World Series team yet. But it’s plenty good enough to win the NL West. And the longer Harper/Machado, Pollock, etc stay on the market, the better it is for us. In the meantime, I”ll wait to criticize management until March.
Oh, and go Rams!!
I would like a solid lefty killer bat in RF that plays good defense instead of Verdugo but I am content with the team as it is.
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I like CT3 and was probably the only one here that said he was a good fallback second pre-2017 if the Dodgers couldn’t trade for a stud second baseman. But he shouldn’t have had the troubles he had last year considering his age and number of years in pro ball. He has the range to play second base and should be better at second if given the work there in Spring Training.
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Kike’ is the utility player and potential platoon player with both Joc and Verdugo. I believe that if Joc only swung with power against righties and only tried to hit line drives up the middle against lefties, he would hit at least .240 against lefties with an OBP of .320+.
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Kershaw is the face of the Dodgers. They do not need a new or competing face such as Harper. Harper is eye candy, icing on the cake. It would be exciting to have him on the team. And if he were and the Dodgers could package Verdugo and Ruiz for something special and long term as a result of adding Harper, all the better. By special, I mean somebody like Blake Snell or Syndergaard. And yes, to get one of those types, the Dodgers would have to include at least Maeda and May.
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If the Dodgers are boring and win less than 85 games so be it. I will plat more golf and watch something else on TV.
You may be right.
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I may be crazy, but I just may be the lunatic you’re looking for…
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I think Max Muncy can be an adequate 2B, especially if you have Gold Glove Caliber fielders at every other IF position, namely Turner, Seager and Bellinger.
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The ownership and throw kasten in there. Regardless of what they spew out they are about profit. Kasten is comfortable in having a solid team, good farm, and a team that is competitive over the long haul. After all with the braves that is what he did. These people are business people who try to provide a good enough product to line their pockets. AC I think it was a great article. If nothing else Friedman understands finances. The ownership has to be elated that we are competitive, we are frugal, and we can stay relevant for awhile. Many talk about how we had such a high payroll. Sure that was to make us relevant immediately and now we are seeking the blue light special market so they can get healthy financially. Friedman is just following the desires of ownership. Under Friedman the dodgers have blown enough money in the international market, the Kazmir,Anderson , types to have signed a few quality players. In that respect he reminds me of McCourt, overpay for a mediocre player because no one else will sign them and then act like they are good. Chances are we could have been to another World Series but when it came time we lined up Anderson and McCarthy in the rotation. Yeah how did that go. Nobody does that if they seriously think they will win. While Friedman seems to be great at finances his trades for the most part at the deadline have been bad, or haven’t worked out like we hoped. Most of the trades leave you thinking what? Usually indifferent. He did sign fan favorites Kenley, turner, and kershaw. Turner is an overachiever who he got cheap relatively speaking about this market. Kershaw and kenley have not performed in the World Series and that is an understatement. I was surprised and in favor of signing machado but that just didn’t turn out but still the best option. I am grateful that the Dodgers are relevant and are in the hunt annually. The Dodgers organization and team are really good but not World Series good. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results Friedman has doubled down. We are not going to win a World Series unless we get a pitcher who pitches like an ace. We may have that in buehler but he has to be used that way. We need an ace. I really don’t see much changing here but what is here is very good but not….well you know.
Marky T, yes you are delusional to think that Munchy will be a second baseman unless he lost 20 lbs over the offseason and the Dodgers want yet another left handed bat in their lineup (Rios) because Freese is not a full-time first baseman.
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I’m not ready to agree with AC on this article until Harper and Pollock are signed. I think that CT3 is an every day player and should be just fine defensively at 2B. Stop looking at his DRS because small sample sizes are especially ineffective for defensive stats.
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I can try to argue that having Seager back, plus our players are on the upswing of their careers, new hitting coaches etc will make for a better team. But, I’m not quite that delusional. Over the course of a full season, we are worse without Grandal, unless Barnes returns to 2017 form. Kemp, Grandal and Puig all carried the team at times last year. Can Verdugo or Toles put up an OPS+ of 120? If so, we have the loss of Puig covered. Right now it looks like Kike has to be the right handed part of the Joc platoon. Is that going to be better than Kemp? Maybe, but that sure leaves a big hole in the utility department. So yeah, it appears that we are weaker at three positions and depth as it stands right now. But, our starting pitching is better with Ryu healthier by being further removed from injury, Hill’s blister problems solved finally with laser treatment, Bueller is a stud, and Urias after a month or so. The pen is better with Kelly and Jansen’s health and no “Slow Start aka (Lazy Spring Training). Maybe just putting Harper in Left and Verdugo in Right solves the loss incurred in the Farmer trade. If they do nothing, you are absolutely correct that this team is worse. Fortunately, the West is worse and there’s a ton of time before the trade deadline. And if we’re really fortunate someone from the farm bails us out, Lux, Rios, Ruiz, Smith, Peters? But, I don’t really think that’s going to happen.
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With that said, I will reiterate that I’m not giving up hope. JTRM hasn’t been traded, Harper, Machado and Pollock are still unsigned and all them were best fits for this team at the beginning of the off-season. Well, not Machado, but you get the point. The off season isn’t done yet. But then again, I probably said this last year and we wound up with Kemp.
I think AC summed up the current situation very well. I’m emotionally attached to Muncy, CT3 and Hernandez as much as anyone else, but if you’re thinking any of those three are a better 2b than JDLM you’re watching the game with your heart and not your eyes and brain.
What is mostly frustrating to me is every off season the fans comment on players they would like to see the FO acquire only to see them settle for nothing or some serious lesser piece acquired that causes us to scratch our head.
I’m not upset at Friedman as much as I
Upset at Guggenheim
For treating our mighty Dodgers, one of the iconic franchises in all of sports like a small market penny pinching operation. You would never see the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals etc act this way. We’re better than this we’re the freaking LA Dodgers!
I will be completely shocked if there are any more FA or trades made this off season, at least trades involving anyone with star power, but hey at least we do know Freidman is not done looking for the McCreerys, the Shultz’s the Scott Alexander’s of the baseball world. Underwhelming doesn’t even begin to describe my assessment of Friedman’s off season. Big time frustrating!
I have a question:
Anyone of you (I mean those who criticize Friedman) could secure which team among Nationals, Cardinals, Braves, Phillies, Brewers, Yankees, or even Mets will win the next World Series? I mean, since they made several hirings and trades, that makes them superior to LA? That makes them contenders, more than LA? That makes them sure winners of world series, more than LA? That makes them better teams, than Dodgers?
Tell me please, which player would make L.A OBVIOUS AND ASSURED WORLD SERIES WINNER??
No one can know that, do not you think it would be better to wait and see what the real need will be in the middle of the season? How many times have we seen several teams complain about having signed certain players to very high contracts, Greinke, Tulo, Wright, Cueto and many more (LA has seen it a thousand times before) and not win anything !!
But, this is just my personal opinion, you all know much more than me about this ….
Good post AC. We agree on a lot, disagree on a few and have a differet perspective on other issues. What the Martin trade does is give them flexability – they don’t have to trade for Realmuto. In fact, Diaz may be ready sooner than expected. The Dodgers still need a RH bat in LF like Castellanos.
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I honetly think that is all they need. Dealing Kemp, Puig and Wood frees up the salary for that bat. Could Friedman have moved those players another way? I’m sure, just as I am sure he talked to every other GM in MLB about it and took the best deal. Remember, that deal included what are now the Dodgers #7 and #16 prospects. Freidman continues to build the farm – that is a focal point.
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AC is right on about Dodger Ownership. I do not believe they will allow Friedman to go over the Luxury Threshold… and I think he is fine with that. I do not find it helpful to bitch about it. It is what it is. I have accepted it and the fact of the matter is that the team with the biggest payroll wins the World Series less often than other teams. I bitch about things that can be changed. Bitching about things that can’t be changed is neurotic. (This is not directed at AC – he isn’t bitching).
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Guggs and Company hold the purse strings. I think the Dodgers can play in that arena and field a World Series Worthy team. I do not believe Friedman is done building this team. I am also a huge fan of building with the youngsters. One only need to look at the Indianapolis Colts this year to see how young players have came together under a common goal. If you take away their kicker, Adam Vinatieri (46 years old), they are the youngest team in the NFL. The Dodgers will have some youngesters knocking at the door – it might be time to answer.
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AC mentioned that I might think the Dodgers will need players to have “Career years” and that is true. The Red Sox won the World Series with “Career Years” from JD Martinez, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts plus a lot of timely play by “role players.” You need that to win it all. A couple of players with “career years” and timely play is what the Dodgers have lacked.
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The trade of Puig and Kemp will reduce the logjam in the outfield and likely JOC Pederson will be involved in a trade for a RH bat. I think Friedman wants less platoons and this is an indication of such. Also, the introduction of a new Hitting Culture is at the forefront of what Friedman wants to do. Let’s not forget that the Astros went from worst to best in strikeouts in 2016 to 2017. Friedman would like to see a big improvement in that area… and we know it is possible because it has already been done with a team that is as big into analytics as the Dodgers.
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I take solace on knowing Friedman is not done.
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Final question: Am I delusional to believe that Max Muncy should be the Dodgers 2B in 2019?