Gold Gloves, Junkyard Dogs, MysteryTeams and Brain MRI s

I don’t get you DodgerRick. First of all, there is no Church of Freidman, yet I will go on record of being a supporter of him. Don’t know how many GM’s you’ve seen come and go, but I was around for Bavasi, Claire, Malone(There is a new sheriff in town!), the friggin douchbag execs at Fox who traded Piazza, our old pal DePodesta, who chased Beltre away, and last of all Uncle Ned, which I loved his book, but gave Kemp and Ethier huge contracts, signed Jason Scmidt after his peak years, and I wont even mention Brandon League. What other GM out there do you want to run the Dodgers? Freidman has done the best he can with what he has been allowed to do. It’s been well documented on this site the trouble brewing with Guggenheim. We all have no friggin clue about the length of leash Stan Kasten has on Freidman. Kasten also has a well known temper, so he isn’t exactly an easy going guy. Ok, fire Freidman’s ass. First of all, he wouldn’t last one week before another team swoops him up. Second,the new guy still has to answer to Kasten and the ongoing Guggenheim storm. Careful what you wish for, we could be alot worse off. Once again, let’s wait until opening day before we judge the dude.

How long are the Odds that the Dodgers catchers could be co-Comeback Players of the Year.

–

Miami still has not traded Realmuto because what they asre asking is ridiculus – maybe you want Friedman to made that deal so you can ridicule him? He’s not doing it.

–

Maybe he should just ride in and pay Machado $350 million or Harper $400 million?

–

The Indians are asking for the moon and stars for Kluber, he should just pay it?

–

In case you are a novice – I buy and sell for a living – I buy as cheap as I can (USA MADE) and sell it for as much as I can. You learn not to fall in love with a product (player) and overpay. When you are selling, you sell as for as much as you can get and then adjust your price to the market. I know how this game works. Friedman will make a move when the time is right.

–

If you want to be relevant, year-over-year, you can’t make dope-fiend moves.

–

Case in point: We are about a $12 million dollar company. I just hired a VP of Sales and Marketing from a competitor who is $250 million. How did I do that? He came to me. He is willing to bet on himself and take us to that $250 million plaueau. He wanted to come and help us grow and get paid on the back end. His idea, not mine. If I had went after him, I could have never afforded him. but he came to me. Sometimes, the best things happen when you don’t push. The Universe responds!

… and I might make the Cincy trade even if I did nothing else, but you can bet your a$$, Friedman is not done. Like last year, the market is slow. Call it that! Don’t try and tell Friedman how to spend. He’s playing chess and you are playing checkers!

After further review, that piece was worse than I depicted. Dustin is a good writer – he is a wordsmith, but being a great writer, actually a journalist, of which I am neither, carries a great responsibility to tell the truth, present the facts and have an argument that is not slanted to the facts.

–

I don’t worship at the church of Andrew Friedman, I do admire what he has accomplished, warts and all. If the past two season he has accomplished more than any team in baseball. In his eleoquent daitribe he holds up the Red Sox as an example of what the Dodgers should do and then he says:

Since the Dodgers reset their luxury tax penalty, they should be spending a little more than they have so far. Let’s look at the Red Sox last season.

–

Spending a little more than they have so far? $10 or $100,000,000 dollars? $10 is a little more. Look, the Sox would not pay JD Martinez what he wanted ($175 to $200 million), but using Nosler’s analogy, the Bo Sox should not have waited for him – they should have signed him for $200 million, instead of the $105 million..

–

My God, the Red Sox waited until almost March to sign JD and they did not trade for the World Series MVP (Pearce) or the or best pitcher (Eovaldi) until the trade deadline, and of course Rick talks about “waiting for players to have a career year” … like Betts and Martinez? Yes, they did!

–

The Dodgers lost their SS and their Ace and Closer coughed up hairballs. Dustin has a right to pen an article like that…. if the Dodgers don’t win the World Series… or get to it, but to write it now just caters to weak-minded people who buy that jibberish. It’s not even February, much less March or July, when 3 key pieces of Boston’s World Series Run were acquired. It is irresponsible journalism to write that the way he did.

–

Good writing can’t obfuscate bull shit! I refuse to try and be politically correct around such drivel.

–

There you go! I am tired of waiting and yet have a feeling Freidman is seeing if some dominoes fall and swooping in for a bigger move. How big may depend on who falls late. Gomez was a highlight reel in the OF not long ago and has a fire to his game. Adam Jones might do a 1 year prove it deal late. Pollock might take a short deal with an early opt out. Gulp-Harper might say get ‘er done Scott! I don’t see Machado coming back at all from either side but Kluber would get me excited.

Thanks dodgerrick for stating the fact that we are not as good as we were in 2017 due to fiscal restraint that maybe needed to take place in 2018 for the tax reset but surely in not in 2019. I am as loyal as they come to this team and I believe fair minded when it comes to facts. Yes Friedman has done a great job with what he has been given and that should be recognized however I don’t think we are using our one major advantage and that is money. We can build a farm and be a little reckless financially and be just fine. The fact that Guggs or Friedman or maybe a combination of both have chosen to tighten the strings this offseason does not sit well with me or many other fans. I believe Nosler is correct in his assessment and it is not just smoke for the average fan to eat up. We should be pushing 237 million this year now that we reset the tax and we will be just fine financially by doing so. Guggs can tell me otherwise but until they have full transparency I will believe it is just smoke. How that 40 million plus the 12 million luxury tax hit is spent is debatable, but it could be on Harper or a combination of a few others but this team needs and deserves this infusion. And we will be better for it, and I believe in a better position to end our 30 year drought. Crapshoots aside, better players put you in a better position to succeed, bottom line.

And all it costs is money not player revenue which can hurt you long term. However that 52 million will likely sit in the owners pockets, along with their other profits and massive equity they continue to build.

So yes commend the FO for being fiscally great and proving winners can be built without spending in excess, dumpster diving and moves around the edge. But don’t tell me this is necessary for this franchise’s long term viability and sustsinabiliry, just not true.

With all due respect, I’m not trying to attack or offend anyone, but…..

If any of you were in Friedman’s place…

What would you have done differently?

Which player would have given a contract?

How much money and years?

The signing of a certain player, would it make you feel satisfied?

There is not a single player that is guaranteed to win a world series !!

And you claim to be good Dodgers fans, it’s enough to be criticizing EVERY DAY…

It seems that nothing pleases most of you …

Why invest in someone, without first knowing if it will be necessary?

And do any of you already know what this team is going to need when the season starts?

Any of you can read the future?

Please then tell me what the winning lottery ticket will be !!

Yes, this offseason sucks for sure. Not what I expected. But, JTRM, and Kluber haven’t been traded. Harper, Machado and Pollock are unsigned. The 40 man sits at 39 and Brock Stewart is still on it. There’s still work to do. If Friedman comes up empty, I will be pissed. There’s no way that starting lineup will happen on opening day. If it does, I’m gonna cry.

–

Carlos Gomez comeback candidate? I mean, we did just TRADE FOR Russell Martin…

Mark, I am disappointed in your response to Dustin Nosler’s article. You can disagree without being disagreeable, as you have commented previously.

–

What is undeniable is that the Dodgers have lost Machado (partial season), Dozier (who didn’t perform but is capable of being pretty good), Grandal (whom you have consistently boosted as a top performer at catcher), Puig (a gold glove caliber OF who has hit well in the post-season and has supplied power, even though not always consistently), Kemp (arguably the Dodgers’ first half MVP last year), Wood (who started more games than any pitcher in the rotation last season) and Farmer.

–

In response, the Dodgers have received the corpse of Homer Bailey, a 36 year old catcher who hit .190 last year, a short reliever who might be good but has a long history of control problems, and the return of Cory Seager who hopefully will return to his pre-injury form (but we don’t know that) and they have made space for the untested Alex Verdugo.

–

There is no way to look at this picture and say that the team as situated is as good as it was last year, let alone in 2017. They have an apparent black hole in the lineup at the catcher’s spot, question marks at SS and 2B (we don’t know whether Seager is the Seager of old and we don’t know who the 2B is yet), and an untested rookie in RF. The rotation will be a strength again this year, but Wild Man Kelly is not capable of being the Bridge to Jansen by himself, and the bullpen was a weakness last season.

–

It is fair to say that the team has apparent resources to do better. Whether it is Friedman or Guggenheim pulling the purse strings tight, they are being pulled.

–

As situated, I don’t have faith that the Dodgers will be contenders for the Series. They should win the 2nd weakest division in MLB, but remember, the Rockies weren’t all that good last season and ended the season in a dead heat with the Dodgers. That never should have happened. There are plenty of teams in the NL who have improved since last season. The Dodgers are not among them. And as I am not a disciple in the Church of Andrew Friedman, I do not have blind faith that just because he is calling the shots, all will be well.

I missed it earlier but thanks to 59inarow, Bumsrap, and Bobby for the info. I appreciate it.

http://cpblstats.com/dodgers-sign-lin-hui-huei-sheng-pending-physical/

Where is Verdugo?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2815500-projecting-each-mlb-teams-starting-lineup-1-month-from-spring-training

Thanks Mark and c. Every bit of info helps.

From MLB Trade Rumors

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/01/international-signings-dodgers-cardinals.html

–

“The Dodgers appear to have a deal in place with Taiwanese right-hander Lin Hui-Sheng, with Liberty Sports reporting the news and CPBL Stats tweeting it along. It’s believed the youngster will secure a $300K to $350K bonus if and when he passes a physical. You can read more about this reputedly live-armed 20-year-old here, courtesy of CPBL Stats. Injuries seem to have interfered with Lin’s development to this point, but it seems the Dodgers will have an interesting new arm to work with.”

Mark – glad to hear we’ve got you for a few more years.

–

Quas – I know you’ve had a bad run of things, but you are strong!

–

Now Machado.

I was probably one of the only people on here who actually thought he did ok for us after his move.

I liked his arrogance, and he was one of the only Dodgers to show any kind of aggression in the Brewers series.

We would not have made the Post Season without him.

I think he is a much better fit than Harper as we don’t need another LH hitter, and Manny has some pop.

I think that it’s always hard the swap leagues at the TD, and added to the fact that was his first time either under the bright lights of LA or in the pressure of a Pennant Race, he will undoubtedly be better for the experience.

I think we should match the WSox offer.

We need a 2B – let Corey play there, far less stress on the rebuilt elbow.

Manny plays SS.

Infield this year

1B Cody / Muncy

2B Corey /Muncy

SS Manny

3B JT

2020

1B JT/Cody

2B Corey

SS Manny

3B NOLAN

How good would that Infield be…..for a number of years?

–

I’m happy as we are, but I really believe that if Manny returned, you would see a improvement in his hustle.

He is the RH bat we need.

I will be at ST again this year, March 16-20 and really enjoy the laid back atmosphere. If you want to watch practices you have to get there early, like 10 am. Park on the LF side of the park because Dodger practice facilities are all there (White Sox are on RF side of complex). Either that or park on the distant lots in RF and walk to the fields so you can get out quicker after the game. There are several fields they practice on and the minor league facilities are there also. The walkway from the clubhouse to the fields is a popular place to get autographs but is really crowded. Pitchers practice facility is a good place to see some action up close. However, we have found that the best place to get autographs and chat with players is to get seats on the 3B side near the Dodger Dugout and make your way down to the first row of seats as the players walk from the clubhouse to the dugout. Bring a good pen and something to sign (lots of people have baseballs)and always thank them for taking the time. Don’t think that they are going to spend much time chatting with you, they have too much to do. Sometimes if you are lucky you can catch a couple of guys working out on a back field and they will chat for a while. Notice that on the ticket sites they list some seats a “partial shade”. The sun can be brutal so bring a hat, sunscreen, water (not beer) and sunglasses. 1B side is visitors, 3B is Dodgers. Go to some away games because other parks are smaller and easier to get close to the field. We love the Rangers park in Surprise.

–

Eating— we get a motel that has breakfast, grab a dog at the park before the game, and eat wherever in the evening. Get a motel right now because they fill up fast. Go on travelocity and ask for motels in Glendale to get something close to the park. Lots more but I am tired of typing…

Here’s a comment from Dustin of TBLA (also of DD) and his take on the Dodgers’ offseason:

“The Dodgers have lost about 10 wins of production this offseason. They’ve lost Yasmani Grandal, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and added Joe Kelly, Russell Martin and a couple prospects who are a few years away from contributing. They opened up a spot for Alex Verdugo, but there’s no guarantee he’ll out-produce Puig in 2019. Because the NL West projects to be not great, the Dodgers could probably go out and win the division with the squad they have presently. But after having a championship slip through their hands in 2017 and being outclassed last year, you’d think the prevailing thought would be to go all-in. Instead, Andrew Friedman — via ownership mandate or not — is treating the Dodgers like they were his Rays. And that doesn’t work in Los Angeles.”

–

“Since the Dodgers reset their luxury tax penalty, they should be spending a little more than they have so far. Let’s look at the Red Sox last season. The World Series champs ran a $239.5 million payroll. They had to pay $11.95 million in luxury tax penalties. They paid that tax and ended up with a championship, but the Dodgers won’t even consider going over the tax again? That doesn’t seem right. Of course, spending money doesn’t automatically ensure a title, but it definitely doesn’t hurt, either.”

–

“If the Dodgers had won one of the last two World Series, this might be a bit more palatable. But as it stands now, the Dodgers aren’t the best team in the NL. They had to go to Game 163 to win the NL West last season. They might be OK to make the playoffs and we know it’s a crapshoot, but when the premiere free agent has either already played for you (Machado) or wants to (Harper) and you’re not interested because of some artificial/self-imposed salary restriction is the wrong message to send fans.

The Dodgers want to build the farm system and win that way. That’s fine. That’s a good strategy. But they don’t have any truly impactful prospects due up anytime soon. Verdugo is nice, but he won’t likely carry an offense. Keibert Ruiz is a stud, but there are questions about his power developing. Best-case scenario for him is a Grandal/Victor Martinez type. While good, those guys aren’t/weren’t true impact players. There is no Walker Buehler, Cody Bellinger or Corey Seager coming anytime soon. This is the prime time to supplement the lack of impact potential on the farm with one of the biggest potentially impactful free agents in recent memory.”

This year a friend and me are going to spend a few days at Camelback in Glendale. I have always wanted to go watch a few days of Spring Training but have never had the opportunity. But it looks like this is the year and I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions. We are driving from Fresno, California and are looking to be in Glendale 4 days. I am not so much interested in the games as I am interested in watching individual players practice in preparation for the season. Any ideas about lodging, how to organize the day, or where to eat would be appreciated. Thanks!

Mark – pleased they didn’t find anything with your MRI. It seems to be the season. My older brother is in the hospital now with complications – heart, diabetes. He is waiting for a transfer to Halifax.

From Houston Mitchell, LA Times:

The Poway home of San Diego Padres great Tony Gwynn, who died five years ago, has an unexpected visitor.

The Gwynn family lost the home to foreclosure last summer and it has remained vacant. In December, neighbors noticed people at the house, including one man who seemed to spend a lot of time there.

Turns out, an unidentified squatter is living there, officials with the property management firm responsible for the bank-owned property told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Efforts to evict him have been complicated by California’s complex “squatter’s rights” laws, but civil proceedings have been started to evict the man.

“We want to address the neighbor’s concerns, but we can’t just knock down the doors,” Poway Sheriff’s Lt. Christopher Collier said. “There are laws that we have to abide by and facts that have to be checked out.”

The sad part in all of this is the fact Gwynn’s house is in foreclosure. A street named after him runs nearby, and there’s a statue of him nearby. The home is valued at $2.3 million and while there are no reports I can find as to where his family is living now, let’s hope they landed on their feet somewhere.

I think that sums it up nicely.

IF (BIG IF), there is a mystery team, I would think that it would be the Braves. They could use a SS, and then flip Dansby Swanson for other needs. They have the cushion that can absorb the salary. It is closer to his Miami home. Sun Trust Park would be a nice home for Machado’s bat. I cannot understand why Atlanta wouldn’t consider Machado in the first place. I do not see him as a fit for the Dodgers.

.

With respect to Corey Seager, every athlete is an injury risk. Nobody seems to speak about JT’s fragile body. It always comes back to a freak accident with an inside pitch that took him out last year. Could happen to anyone, except JT crowds the plate and dives in so he is more susceptible. But for the last 5 years he has gone 109, 126, 151, 130, 103 games. That is an average of 124 games over the last five years. Most talk glowingly about Ryu, but he seems to always have some issue putting him on the DL every year, but this year is going to be different? Kershaw is one pitch from throwing his back and/or hip out. We can hope (and pray) the doctors are correct with Jansen and his heart condition. Will Dennis Santana fully recover from a rotator cuff strain? Yes, Corey’s elbow and hip are a concern, but his doctors say he is okay and can resume baseball activities (earlier than was originally anticipated), and yet many want to question Corey’s doctors and not other players’ doctors. If in fact the Dodgers were concerned about Corey’s ability to make a full recovery, I think they may have had interest in Jose Iglesias (not Manny Machado).

.

I do not see the Dodgers trading Hill and Maeda just so they could sign Machado. Before we anoint May and Gonsolin ready for The Show, can we at least see if they can maintain their excellence at AA and whether they can succeed in the hitter friendly PCL? Can we see Michael Grove throw one professional pitch before we can consider him a possibility? All three have potential, but that is all that it is right now. And while I as much as anyone is excited to see them continue their climb. It is not an easy climb those last few rungs. It will not be as easy as it has been thus far.

.

I have no idea what condition Urias’ shoulder is in, but I would think he would be ready to assume a possible rotation slot by June. The only word from the front office is that they believe that Urias, Ferguson, and Santana are still considered starting pitchers and will be placed in those roles as they start out the season. But that means AAA for Ferguson and Santana and extended ST (???) for Urias. Ferguson and Santana may end up in relief roles, but not in March/April/May. To me the more important decision will involve Ross Stripling. He has earned every right to be considered for the rotation, and yet he is not. Doc has already gone on record saying that Kershaw/Buehler/Hill/Ryu/Maeda is the rotation.

I’ve been in the tube and was very happy nothing was found in my head either. That’s the reason I agree with you about Machado. That is not a crazy idea, it is an empty headed idea. Let’s do it. If there is a Dodger Yankee WS, the Dodgers would not like to hit against Hill. But, the Yankees are the team I would think would want him most.

.

Would trading Hill and Fields for Stanton be the alternative to signing Manny? Or, can the Dodgers get a plus reliever if Hill were traded to the Yankees?

Mystery team if there is one, I do not think the Dodgers are the team.