Let's Get Real
You can defend it all you want, but even Ray Charles can see that Kyle Tucker, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Diaz were not the normal Andrew Friedman moves. What is an Andrew Friedman move? Well, there are three (3) types: (1) Free Agent Signings; (2) Trades; and (3) Waiver Wire Pickups.
I think everyone has a "superpower." Unfortunately, some people don't know what theirs is. Mine? Simple... I'm a realist! I bloom where I am planted. I change what I can and don't try to change what I can't. I am in touch with my strengths and my weaknesses. I am not the smartest, fastest, or best at anything, but as my youngest son says, "If you want to beat my dad, you have to kill him." That could be my greatest strength... and weakness! Today, I sent him a 30-page plan for the next 10 years of US Water Systems. I also told him that I could not pull it off.... "even a young Mark Timmons could not pull it off. But you can!" I know my superpower, and it's that I have very little of it!
Which brings me to this: You can defend it all you want, but even Ray Charles can see that Kyle Tucker, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Diaz were not the normal Andrew Friedman moves. What is an Andrew Friedman move? Well, there are three (3) types: (1) Free Agent Signings; (2) Trades; and (3) Waiver Wire Pickups.
Just so we are clear, Mookie Betts was a trade plus extension, not a free-agent signing; Tyler Glasnow was a trade plus extension; Roki Sasaki was an international amateur signing. I’m keeping those out of the core list, so we’re comparing apples to apples rather than apples to Japanese posting rules. Here's a typical Andrew Friedman move: Trading Carlos Duran for Kris Bubic... who may ultimately play a large role in the Dodgers bullpen.
1. FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
Andrew Friedman’s Dodgers free-agent signings
2015 Brandon McCarthy 4/$48M; Brett Anderson 1/$10M; Brandon Beachy 1/$2.75M; Dustin McGowan 1-year non-guaranteed MLB deal
2016 Brett Anderson 1/$15.8M qualifying offer; Chase Utley 1/$7M; Scott Kazmir 3/$48M; Brandon Beachy 1/$1.5M; Kenta Maeda* 8/$25M guaranteed; Joe Blanton 1/$4M; Howie Kendrick 2/$20M; Louis Coleman 1/$725K; Yaisel Sierra 6/$30M
2017 Rich Hill 3/$48M; Justin Turner 4/$64M; Kenley Jansen 5/$80M; Sergio Romo 1/$3M; Chase Utley 1/$2M; Franklin Gutiérrez 1/$2.6M
2018Tom Koehler 1/$2M; Chase Utley 2/$2M
2019 David Freese 1/$4.5M; Hyun-Jin Ryu 1/$17.9M qualifying offer; Joe Kelly 3/$25M guaranteed; A.J. Pollock 4/$55M
2020 Blake Treinen 1/$10M; Alex Wood 1/$4M; Jimmy Nelson 1/$1.25M; Jake McGee MLB minimum/pro-rated after Colorado released him
2021 Trevor Bauer 3/$102M; Justin Turner 2/$34M; Blake Treinen 2/$17.5M; Tommy Kahnle 2-year deal; Albert Pujols 1-year minimum; Cole Hamels 1/$1M; Shane Greene 1-year minimum.
2022Freddie Freeman 6/$162M; Chris Taylor 4/$60M; Clayton Kershaw 1/$17M; Andrew Heaney 1/$8.5M; Daniel Hudson 1/$7M; Tyler Anderson 1/$8M; Hanser Alberto 1/$1.6M; Danny Duffy 1-year deal; Jimmy Nelson 1-year deal
2023 Clayton Kershaw 1/$20M; Noah Syndergaard 1/$13M; J.D. Martinez 1/$10M; David Peralta 1/$6.5M; Shelby Miller 1/$1.5M; Jimmy Nelson 1/$1.2M; Alex Reyes 1/$1.1M; plus in-season MLB deals for Austin Wynns and Jake Marisnick
2024 Shohei Ohtani 10/$700M; Yoshinobu Yamamoto* 12/$325M; Teoscar Hernández 1/$23.5M; Jason Heyward 1/$9M; Joe Kelly 1/$8M; James Paxton 1/$7M guaranteed; Ryan Brasier 2/$9M; Clayton Kershaw 1 year + player option; Kiké Hernández 1/$4M; Ricky Vanasco 1/$900K; in-season Nick Ahmed MLB deal.
2025 Blake Snell 5/$182M; Tanner Scott 4/$72M; Teoscar Hernández 3/$66M; Blake Treinen 2/$22M; Michael Conforto 1/$17M; Kirby Yates 1/$13M; Hyeseong Kim* 3/$12.5M; Clayton Kershaw 1/$7.5M; Kiké Hernández 1/$6.5M; plus short in-season MLB deals with Chris Stratton and José Ureña.
2026 Kyle Tucker 4/$240M; Edwin Díaz 3/$69M; Evan Phillips 1/$6.5M; Miguel Rojas 1/$5.5M; Kiké Hernández 1/$4.5M; Andy Ibáñez 1/$1.2M; Jake Cousins MLB deal in March; Jonathan Hernández MLB deal in May, then technically another FA signing in August after electing free agency.
* Maeda, Sierra, Yamamoto and Hyeseong Kim came through international/posted-player mechanisms. I include them because they were negotiated free-agent contracts rather than trades or draft acquisitions, but they are a separate category from ordinary MLB free agency.
Important players who are NOT on the list
This distinction matters a lot when judging Friedman:
Mookie Betts was acquired by trade and then signed a 12-year, $365 million extension.
Tyler Glasnow was acquired by trade and immediately extended.
Tommy Edman was acquired by trade and later extended.
Clayton Kershaw's 2018 three-year/$93M deal was negotiated before he exercised his opt-out, essentially an extension/reworking rather than a trip into free agency.
Roki Sasaki was an international amateur free agent, not an MLB free agent. Spotrac likewise classifies Ohtani as a free agent, Yamamoto as a “Free Agent Foreign Professional,” and Betts as an extension.
What jumps off the page
There are really two Friedman eras.
From 2015 through about 2020, Friedman was remarkably reluctant to hand out enormous long-term free-agent contracts. His biggest commitments were Jansen at $80M, Turner at $64M, Pollock at $55M, McCarthy/Kazmir/Hill at $48M apiece. He lived on shorter contracts, value plays, reclamation projects and retaining his own players.
Then the faucet opened:
Player Contract
Ohtani $700M
Yamamoto $325M
Tucker $240M
Snell $182M
Freeman $162M
Bauer $102M
Jansen $80M
Scott $72M
Díaz $69M
Teoscar $66M
And that gets directly to the point I raised earlier about “Let’s be pigs.” Friedman spent his first six years behaving more like a hedge-fund manager hunting inefficiencies. After 2020, Friedman increasingly began buying at the very top of the market.
I went contract by contract. My grades are based on value relative to cost, regular-season production, October contribution, availability, and whether the decision itself made sense. For active long-term deals, the grade is necessarily provisional.
The Friedman Free-Agent Report Card
Year Player / Contract Grade Verdict
2015 Brandon McCarthy, 4/$48M D Tommy John surgery almost immediately. Eventually contributed, but nowhere near $48M value.
Brett Anderson 1/$10M B+ One of Friedman's classic value bets. Gave LA 180⅓ innings and a 3.69 ERA.
2016 Brett Anderson, 1/$15.8M QO F Five appearances. Total wipeout.
Scott Kazmir, 3/$48M F One mediocre season, then essentially disappeared.
Kenta Maeda, 8/$25M guaranteed A Brilliant contract structure. Productive starter/reliever and eventually became a valuable trade asset.
Howie Kendrick, 2/$20M B- Useful, not spectacular.
Joe Blanton, 1/$4M A- Excellent 2016 bullpen value for peanuts.
Yaisel Sierra, 6/$30M F Never reached MLB. One of Friedman's forgotten disasters.
2017 Justin Turner, 4/$64M A+ Monster win. Star-level production at a very reasonable salary.
Kenley Jansen, 5/$80M A Elite closer for most of the contract and centerpiece of multiple pennant teams.
Rich Hill, 3/$48M A- Injuries, yes, but excellent when healthy and important in October. Those three contracts alone represented $192M in commitments.
Sergio Romo, 1/$3M D Didn't work. Cheap enough that it barely hurt.
Franklin Gutiérrez, 1/$2.6M F Essentially no value.
2018 Chase Utley, 2/$2M C+ Almost entirely leadership/clubhouse value by this point. Tiny financial risk.
2019 Hyun-Jin Ryu, 1/$17.9M QO A+ About 5 WAR and runner-up for the Cy Young. A spectacular one-year return.
A.J. Pollock, 4/$55M B- Not nearly as bad as remembered. Awful first postseason, but productive later and eventually useful as a trade asset. His 2019 postseason, however, was ghastly: 0-for-13 with 11 strikeouts.
Joe Kelly, 3/$25M B- Maddeningly inconsistent, but enough high-leverage and postseason value to save the grade.
David Freese, 1/$4.5M A Terrific hitter in a limited role.
2020 Blake Treinen, 1/$10M B+ Regular season was uneven, but he became an important piece of a championship bullpen.
Alex Wood, 1/$4M C+ Limited regular season, useful October work.
Jake McGee, minimum A Classic dumpster-dive-turned-gold signing.
2021 Trevor Bauer, 3/$102M F The first true post-"pigs" catastrophe. He pitched well, 2.59 ERA in 17 starts, but the Dodgers paid an enormous amount for effectively half a season.
Justin Turner, 2/$34M A- Still highly productive and worth the money.
Blake Treinen, 2/$17.5M B Dominant when available, but injuries ate into the second year.
Tommy Kahnle, 2/$5.25M D Essentially paid him to rehabilitate.
Albert Pujols, minimum A- Exactly what a minimum signing should be. Bench bat, clubhouse presence, crushed lefties.
2022 Freddie Freeman, 6/$162M A+One of the finest free-agent contracts in franchise history. 6.2 WAR immediately in 2022 and ultimately 2024 World Series MVP.
Chris Taylor, 4/$60M D- Sentimental re-signing that aged terribly. His decline began almost immediately.
Clayton Kershaw, 1/$17M A Excellent season at a completely reasonable price.
Tyler Anderson, 1/$8M A+ Perhaps Friedman's quintessential reclamation project. Became an All-Star and rotation anchor for $8M.
Andrew Heaney, 1/$8.5M B+ Injured, but dramatically improved when healthy.
Daniel Hudson, 1/$7M B Excellent before the ACL injury.
2023 Clayton Kershaw, 1/$20M A- 13-5, excellent regular season. NLDS ending was ugly, but the contract delivered.
J.D. Martinez, 1/$10M A+ 33 HR, 103 RBI, .893 OPS for ten million bucks. Highway robbery.
Noah Syndergaard, 1/$13M F One of the clearer failures of the reclamation-project philosophy.
David Peralta, 1/$6.5M B- Fine role player.
Shelby Miller, 1/$1.5M A- Very good return on virtually no investment.
2024 Shohei Ohtani, 10/$700M A+ Absurd headline number, but already worth it. MVP seasons, historic offense, pitching value returning, enormous off-field economics, and two championships.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12/$325M A+ Looking better by the month. 2025 World Series MVP and already 11+ bWAR through 2026. His Game 7 relief work in the 2025 Series alone belongs in Dodger mythology.
Teoscar Hernández, 1/$23.5M A+ 33 HR, 99 RBI and a major part of the 2024 championship. Perfect one-year signing.
Jason Heyward, 1/$9M D+ Fell off sharply and was DFA'd.
Joe Kelly, 1/$8M D+ Injury and inconsistency.
James Paxton, ~$7M guaranteed C+ Ate innings before being DFA'd. Not pretty, but served a purpose.
Ryan Brasier, 2/$9M B- Reasonable bullpen value.
Clayton Kershaw D+ Injury destroyed most of the value in 2024.
Kiké Hernández, 1/$4M A-Regular season meh, October Kiké priceless.
2025 Blake Snell, 5/$182M B Availability has been lousy, but his pitching when healthy has been elite and his 2025 postseason helped win a championship. In 2025 he had a 2.35 ERA in the regular season and 3.18 ERA over 34 postseason innings.
Tanner Scott, 4/$72M C* 2025 was a disaster: 4.74 ERA, 10 blown saves. But 2026 has changed the picture considerably, with a 2.67 ERA, 1.7 WAR and 21 saves through early September.
Teoscar Hernández, 3/$66M C* The reunion hasn't matched 2024. In 2026 he's at .257/.323/.403, .726 OPS and just 0.2 WAR. Two-way risk because defense is declining too.
Blake Treinen, 2/$22M D+ Poor 2025, somewhat better in 2026. Too much money for the innings/value received.
Michael Conforto, 1/$17M F.1 99/.305/.333, 79 OPS+, -0.7 WAR. There isn't much lipstick available for this pig.
Kirby Yates, 1/$13M F 5-plus ERA territory and negative value. Expensive bullpen whiff.
Hyeseong Kim, 3/$12.5M A- Cheap, versatile, athletic and already produced meaningful surplus value.
Clayton Kershaw, 1/$7.5M A- At that price, excellent return in his final season.
2026 Kyle Tucker, 4/$240M F This is the elephant wearing Dodger Blue. Through early September, roughly replacement-level production with a sub-.700 OPS from a $60M-a-year player. There is still plenty of contract left, but Year 1 has been a catastrophe.
Edwin Díaz, 3/$69M F Even worse so far. 11.85 ERA in 13⅔ innings, elbow surgery, another IL stint and almost no return on the highest-AAV reliever deal in MLB history.
The really interesting part
The "Let's be pigs" thesis actually has something to it, although I would make one important distinction.
Friedman's original quote after the 2020 championship was:
"Let's be pigs, let's do everything we can to go out next year and do it again."
He was talking about an organizational obsession with winning again, not literally announcing that the Dodgers would start buying every expensive player available. In fact, I made that same distinction myself on LADT in January 2021.
But look at what happened afterward.
Friedman 1.0: The bargain hunter
His greatest weapons were:
Turner, Hill, Jansen, Maeda, Ryu, Tyler Anderson, J.D. Martinez, Treinen, Joe Blanton, Jake McGee.
He found undervalued players, structured contracts cleverly and generally avoided paying retail.
That version of Friedman was terrifyingly good.
Friedman 2.0: The whale hunter
Then came:
Bauer $102M
Freeman $162M
Ohtani $700M
Yamamoto $325M
Snell $182M
Scott $72M
Teoscar $66M
Tucker $240M
Díaz $69M
That's an entirely different animal.
And the results have become extremely polarized.
Freeman, Ohtani and Yamamoto: spectacular.
Bauer: catastrophe.
Snell: brilliant when physically present.
Scott: awful Year 1, strong rebound Year 2.
Teoscar: declining.
Tucker: disastrous Year 1.
Díaz: disastrous Year 1.
That is why I would not say "Friedman suddenly forgot how to build a baseball team." I'd say something more specific:
The Dodgers became so wealthy that Friedman could stop shopping primarily for value and start shopping for certainty. The trouble is that the most expensive aisle in baseball doesn't actually sell certainty.
And pitching has been the landmine garden. McCarthy, Kazmir, Bauer, Syndergaard, Scott's first year, Treinen's later deal, Yates and now Díaz represent a startling amount of money spent on arms that broke, collapsed or both.
My overall Friedman free-agent grade
2015-2020: A-
The guy was a value-creation machine.
2021-2023: B+
Freeman, Anderson and Martinez offset Bauer, Taylor and Syndergaard.
2024: A++
Ohtani + Yamamoto + Teoscar + championship. You couldn't draw it up better.
2025: C+
Snell's October heroics matter enormously, but Scott, Conforto, Yates and Treinen burned a mountain of money.
2026 to date: D-
Tucker and Díaz were supposed to be the filet mignon of free agency. So far they've arrived at the table looking suspiciously like Spam.
Overall Friedman free-agent grade: B+
And here's the kicker: without Freeman, Ohtani and Yamamoto, that grade falls off a cliff. Those three monumental successes mask a surprisingly large graveyard of bad free-agent contracts.
MORE TO FOLLOW...
OKC Comets 7 – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 4
In the 4th, 3B Ryan Fitzgerald singled. 2B Hyeseong Kim walked. SS Noah Miller hit a sac bunt moving 2 runners in scoring position. LF Chris Newell hit a 2-run single.
RF Zach Ehrhard hit a solo HR, his 20th on the season.
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LHSP Cole Irvin pitched 5.0 scoreless innings. RHRP Jake Cousins pitched a scoreless 6th, with a BB and a K.
In the 7th, RHRP Ben Casparius gave up a one out single and double. One run scored on a fielder’s choice and 1 scored on a SF.
CF Alek Thomas 1 out BB. Ehrhard singled Thomas to 3rd. Ehrhard steals 2nd, and both runners scored on a single from 1B Ryan Ward. Fitzgerald followed with a 2-run HR (14).
In the 8th, RHRP Paul Gervase gave up a 2-run HR.
RHRP Jonathan Hernández pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save.
· Zach Ehrhard – 3-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, HR (20)
· Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (14)
· Alek Thomas – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, double (18)
Tulsa Drillers 7 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 5
2B Taylor Young, LF Josue De Paula, CF Mike Sirota, and DH Jake Gelof each walked with Young scoring. RF Jake Myers singled with JDP scoring but Sirota was thrown out at home. SS Elijah Hainline walked to load the bases and 3B Logan Wagner walked the 3rd run in. Myers scored their 4th run on a SF.
LHSP Adam Serwinowski did not have his finest effort. In the first a single, a groundout, and a RBI single gave NWA a run. In the 3rd inning, Serwinowski gave up a double and single in the 3rd, and a triple and SF in the 4th.
In the 6th, C Frank Rodriguez doubled to lead off the inning. 2 K. JDP walked and Sirota was HBP to load the bases. Gelof walked for one run. Myers hit a RBI single, and Hainline drew a BB to plate the 3rd run of the inning.
RHRP Christian Ruebeck pitched a scoreless 5th. In the 6th, RHRP Kelvin Ramirez. A BB, double, and groundout brought home a run for NWA.
LHRP Evan Shaw pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th.
RHRP Carson Hobbs gave up one run in the 9th, but not enough to stop the Drillers win.
· Kole Myers – 3-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI
· Frank Rodriguez – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (8)
Great Lakes Loons 6 – Dayton Dragons (Reds) 0
In Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs, RHSP Tyler Gough did not dominate, but he did not allow a run in his 5.0 IP. 8 runners reached base in his 5.0 IP. 6 hits and 2 BB to go with his 6 K.
The Loons bats busted out very quickly. In the 1st inning, LF Charles Davalan led off with a double. CF Eduardo Quintero slugged a 2-run HR, and SS Emil Morales followed with a solo HR. 3 batters in, the Loons had a 3-0 lead.
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3B Mairo Martinus kept the longball going with a solo HR leading off the 2nd. Davalan drew a 1 out BB and moved to 3rd on a double from Quintero. Davalan scored on a SF for a 5-0 lead.
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The Loons picked up a 6th run in the 5th, 2B Nico Perez led off with a single. With one out, 3B Eduardo Guerrero singled with Perez moving to 3rd. Perez scored the 6th run on a groundout.
LHRP Cody Morse pitched a scoreless 6th inning. RHRP Robby Porco pitched a scoreless 7th. Going back out in the 8th, Porco walked the first two hitters on the inning. LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer struck out the first two batters he faced. Walked a batter to load the bases, but got the final out of the inning.
RHRP Dilan Figueredo pitched a scoreless 9th in a non-save situation, but preserved the shutout.
· Eduardo Quintero – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double, HR
· Nico Perez – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, double
· Charles Davalan – 1-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, double
· Emil Morales – 1-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, SF, HR
· Mairo Martinus – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR
Great Lake Loons have a 1-0 lead in the playoffs. Game 2 will be in Dayton, as will Game 3, if necessary.
Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 6 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 3
First game of the California Legue playoffs. Lake Elsinore scored the first run of the game in the 1st inning. A pair of BB to lead off the inning, and then a RBI single gave the Storm a 1-0 lead.
The Storm scored 4 unearned runs in the 4th. With one out, the second batter reached on an error. A HBP and single loaded the bases. A run scored on a groundout, that was followed by 2-run single and a RBI double.
In the bottom of the 4th, 1B Easton Shelton slugged a solo HR.
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In the 6th, RHRP Brady Pendley gave up a HR.
In the bottom of the 7th, Shelton led off with a single. With 1 out, SS Caleb Johnson hit a 2-run HR.
RHRP Jholbran Herder pitched in the 9th. He gave up a leadoff single, a BB, and a HBP to load the bases. A SF scored 1 run, and a 3-run HR gave the Storm 4 runs.
Down 10-3 in the bottom of the 9th, Johnson hit his 2nd HR. With 2 out, C Connor O’Neal, CF Kyeler Thompson, and 2B Kellon Lindsey all walked. LF Ching-Hsien Ko doubled home a pair, and 3B Joendry Vargas hit a 3-run HR. Down 10-9, Ontario had the right batter up, but Shelton struck out to end the game.
· Ching-Hsien Ko – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, double
· Easton Shelton – 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double, HR
· Caleb Johnson – 2-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 HR
· Joendry Vargas – 1-5, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR
Game 2 will be played in Lake Elsinore on Thursday.
Discussion (86)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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6 in a row!!!
Skubal was great.....3 clear of ATL for the bye....
I told ya stick with these guys!!
Yama tonight!!! Lets be PIGS!!! Never been a better time to be a LA DODGER fan.
Signed--The Easter Bunny!!!
Per Alden Gonzalez: News: The Dodgers are calling up their best prospect, OF Josue De Paula, sources told ESPN.
He will be with the team on Friday, for the start of a weekend series in Miami.
One thing not mentioned whatsoever is that our revenues also dramatically skyrocketed with the signing of Shohei in 2024.
Combined with him only actually taking home 2 mil per year for now, it gave the Dodgers an over abundance of spending power Friedman didn't have from 2015-2023. Of course management may have said "we have the cash now, let's go use it", but it I seriously doubt Friedman was coerced or forced to go spending stupidly.
With that type of cash, you don't go get 3 steaks from Sizzler; you go to Carlito's Gardel and get 1 expensive filet (for those who haven't been, Carlito's Gardel in W Hollywood is an Argentinian steakhouse and is my fave steakhouse in LA).
Whether this spending worked out or not remains to be seen, but they went shopping at South Coast Plaza, and not at TJ Maxx.
Add in the potential of a 2027 lockout and salary changes, 2026 was likely the last time we could go absurd spending. So we did. These guys plan a few years in advance, and they have known since 2024 when Shohei signed that the revenues would allow them to spend much more than they had been, and they knew who would likely become free agents.
A useful guide to every type of thrown MLB pitch: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/understanding-pitch-classification-in-the-pitch-tracking-era/
Eduardo Quintero, last 95 games...
428 PA .348 AVG .486 OBP .574 SLG 46 XBH 12 HR 43 SB (6 CS) 19.2% BB 18.9% K
For the season, he's getting on base 1.99 times per game.
We’re sitting here judging AF. What a joke. His peers rank him the best on the business. Enough said!
Bear and I both agreed that Dino sending Teo to attempt an inside the park homer wasn’t a bad play based on the situation. I described DeLa Cruz’s relay home as a laser.
It was perhaps better than that.
Ryan Canfield of Fox News reported: “During the Reds’ 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, De La Cruz uncorked one of the fastest throws in MLB history during an epic relay. De La Cruz caught JJ Bleday’s toss and fired a 105.3 mph strike to home plate. Reds catcher Jose Trevino fielded the throw and slid over to tag Hernández and record the out at home.”
105.3. Now that’s hard to believe.
We all know, and that included Dino, that De La Cruz has a cannon, but this is another level. But once again, if that throws off line, Teo scores. It was worth a try and not bad base running.
No Ohtani again. Sasaki throwing a sim game. On the Foul Territory podcast: Max Muncy said the Dodgers winning 110+ games this year wasn't necessarily realistic, "There's a lot of mileage on this team right now."
Every team has signed—and will continue to sign—players to both good and terrible contracts; there is no way to know what kind of season a player will have. Sometimes players leave for the money rather than for the organization, the city, or family considerations. The real test will come next season, when we’ll finally know if a contract is truly terrible—unless they win the World Series, in which case all the negatives will be forgotten.
No GM or front office leader is perfect. AF has had his hits and misses. His core is getting long in the tooth. Not many of his draft picks have made an impact. And a couple of his international signings were outright busts. Pitchers who are young seem to have a better chance of cracking the roster than position players. Teams like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the Reds, give the kids more of a chance to crack the roster than LA does. Bellinger was 21 when he broke in, so was Seager who was 22 when he won his ROY. Since those two, it has been very rare for a position player in his 20's to crack the starting lineup. Lux was 24 when he finally made it as the starting second baseman. They bring the kids along slower than some other organizations. At some point, this will have to change.
When spring training ended, all the stats and records were thrown out the window. 100%. When the regular season ends, all the stats and records will be thrown out the window. 100%. Bad free agent signings won't matter. They just want 26 high performance highly tuned men at peak body and mind. That's it in a nutshell. Hopefully most will be streaking with an up arrow. Ohtani. Skubal Freeman. Yamamoto Edman. Snell Betts. Glasnow Muncy. Scott Teo. Diaz Pages. Phillips Tucker. Vesia Smith. Henriquez Rojas. Treinen Kike. Sasaki Call. Sheehan Fedducia. Bubic
Who has the most star talent in MLB, according to the great Kiley M.
For this exercise, salaries don't matter and age isn't a factor -- but I'll round up on projecting young players (and down on older players) because I'm projecting/ranking teams for a two-plus-year period. Very few players in either level of A-ball are listed because they probably will contribute only at the end of 2028, if at all, even if they're a top prospect.
Open on www.espn.comhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49868687/mlb-2026-rankings-core-talent-locked-contracts-dodgers-brewers-red-sox-yankees-bravesGuessing the next FA we sign is an impact SS who shifts Mookie to 2b. Morales should be ready when Muncy leaves. No need for an OF with so many in the system. 1B could eventually be Tibbs or Harlan or JDP.
God I hated David Peralta
If the player is not on the 40‑man roster by Sept. 1, he cannot be in the postseason unless his club petitions the Commissioner and meets the injury‑replacement criteria. Otherwise, he is ineligible for the playoffs.
Ohtani to IL, soonest he could return is Sept. 23
Josue De Paula will get “the lion’s share” of starts at DH, but Dave Roberts left the door open for De Paula to play some outfield.
Just read that Jose de Paula is getting called up from Tulsa... So this should be fun. If he hits, he could stick for the postseason.
For crying out loud. Just walk the guy!
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 65
DeLa Cruz’s
10:10 PM ET
Reds (69-76) Dodgers (88-57)
SP Rhett Lowder R 6-9 5.43 ERA SP Y. Yamamoto R 12-8 2.67 ERA
Confirmed Lineup CF Tommy Edman S DH Will Smith R SS Mookie Betts R 3B Max Muncy L LF T. Hernandez R RF Kyle Tucker L C H. Feduccia L 2B A. Freeland S 1B E. Hernandez R
91° Wind 6 mph Out LINE LAD -291
NO Ohtani NO Freeman
Win was 10th in a row for OKC. Now in first place.
Wednesday’s Dodger Affiliates' Schedule 10:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) vs. Sugar Land (Jason Alexander) 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Aidan Foeller) at NW Arkansas (TBD)
One thing to remember about the upcoming playoffs. Snell, Glasnow and Skubal all missed considerable amounts of time this season. The Phillies starters, the Braves starters, the Brewers starters have not. Chris sale looked magnificent against the Dodgers. But! He’s 37 years old. Miseroski hasn’t pitched this much before. The Phillies starters have logged quite a few innings. Just something to keep in mind. The Cubs? Their pitching doesn’t scare me nearly as much as their offense. So being the one seed or the two seed may not matter as much, but they definitely want to be in the top two. I would like to be a fly on the wall in Doc’s office for the discussion about who pitches game one when they start! I’ve seen Skubal as the number one. Personally, I want Yamamoto in game one. Snell in game two. Skubal in game three. Glasnow in game 4 . I like Skubal on the road more than Yamamoto and Snell. Tanner Scott looked a bit better last night. Damn base on balls though. Henriquez was good. Tip your cap to Delacruz. Hell , he might be a Dodger next year! lol! Postseason bullpen? Got no clue except for Phillips,Henriquez, Scott, Vesia, Dryer. Treinan? I’m not counting on him. Diaz? Nope. ( but that’s just me). Sasaki? Probably. Trust him more than Diaz. Wrobleski? I just can’t see it. He was fantastic this year. BUT, the long ball virus has invaded his left arm! Diagnosis. Doc has his work cut out for him with the offense. His pitching staff is very strong. He just has to be “Doc” in the playoffs! You can do it!!
Awesome analysis of Friedman's moves over the years. Mark, I tend to agree with you that recently ownership seems to have encouraged AF to sign every big name possible. Any roster spot where there was an apparent need AF went right to the best available to fill that spot. Cost be damn!
If ownership did have a hand in signing these recent busts, then it's another example of the Steve Cohen way to NOT build a team. Mark Walter has the best front office in baseball, yet he still (assumingly) feels the need to override a highly successful formula that AF and his staff have developed. Money doesn't buy championships. But, it surely can help.
Mark, great work by you and AI!
Carry on.
After Alex Freeland’s recall, it looks like he won’t make the postseason roster. Kid plays fine defense. Offense? Just ain’t happening. Of course Kike ain’t knocking the cover off the ball either. If Ohtani isn’t healthy for the playoffs then the Dodgers could be in serious trouble. More than likely Teo won’t continue on his current pace. Call isn’t exactly red hot either. Tucker? 60 million dollar elephant in the room. Rojas at the moment looks like the only reliable bench bat, and he only hits left handed pitchers. All said the Dodgers are still the favorite in my opinion. With 4 starters such as the Dodgers have they should be able to score enough runs to get them back to the big show. Maybe Kike has one more “HUGE “ postseason run in him. Maybe Alex Call can provide some quality at bats , he is capable of having 8-9 pitch at bats. Feduccia has been surprisingly good at the plate. I still am not sold on his defense. I still think the front office didn’t do enough at the deadline, but it’s too late to cry now. One other thing that pees me off. I have been a past critic of Max. I was dead wrong. He has proven to be one of the best dodgers in their history. That being said said, why in the hell does Doc hit him in the eighth spot? Don’t care if it is a tough lefty on the mound. Max needs to hit behind some guys who might possibly get on base. Not behind Freeland, Call, kike etc. He’s more than earned the right to be in the top 5 in the lineup. Heck, in the last several weeks he should have been ahead of Ohtani!!! Just one of my rants, sorry if I’m in the wrong.