SponsorUS Water Systems
LA Dodger Talk

Odds and Ends

Just a few tidbits with which some certainly will be familiar. Gavin Lux: Folks Gavin Lux isn’t going anywhere. He has made major strides in the past two years and there is no reason to think he won’t continue to do so. Work ethic and character do count for something. At what position will he play at the MLB level? According to the Dodgers he provides more than one option.

By Mark Timmons5 min readJump to 73 comments

Just a few tidbits with which some certainly will be familiar. 

Gavin Lux:

Folks Gavin Lux isn’t going anywhere. He has made major strides in the past two years and there is no reason to think he won’t continue to do so. Work ethic and character do count for something. At what position will he play at the MLB level?  According to the Dodgers he provides more than one option. 

For now, Roberts would only say Lux is a possibility at multiple positions.

 “Gavin is in the mix,” he said. “He really came out of the gates and performed well. He struggled a little bit like a lot of young players do. … Right now, he’s in the mix, but we have a long way to go before we break camp. To look back on a year ago and see how much he’s matured, I’m very, very proud of him. He’s going to play the game at this level for a long time. But we’ve got a long time before we break camp.”

Mitchell White 

Some have speculated that soon to be 25-year-old right-hander Mitchell White will eventually move to the pen. He did so in the AFL after a so-so 2019 season. With a blister issue thrown in, plus starting pitchers ahead of him, relief seems like a very viable option. 

Late in the season, word came that the Dodgers were assigning the 2016 second-round pick to the AFL, giving him another opportunity to bounce back.

 “The idea for me was definitely to get a little experience in the bullpen because, potentially, that could be my role down the road and then also, because of those blisters, I missed a lot of innings,” he said. “I didn’t even realize how many innings, so I needed to build that count up, and those are the two main things that we’re working on here.””Pitching out of the ‘pen is a great [opportunity],” he said. “I don’t know if that’s ever going to come up in the future, but it definitely could, and getting a little experience here will not hurt.”

2020 Draft 

The 2020 First-Year Player Draft is about to take on a much more collegiate feel. 

The Draft will officially move to Omaha — the site of the College World Series — in 2020, commissioner Rob Manfred announced in a Winter Meetings press conference. The Draft itself will begin on Wednesday, June 10, in order to avoid any overlap with the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. 

Manfred added that all College World Series teams will be invited to attend, in the hope that more draft-eligible players will be able to celebrate their selections in the room where they happen. 

“The result we’re looking for here is that many of the players being drafted are going to have a much better draft day experience,” said the commissioner. “We’re going to have a much better draft day experience.” 

The First-Year Player Draft had been held at MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey since 2009. 

Rule 5

 There were no big changes in the Rule 5 routine this year although the collective bargaining agreement that set the rules for the draft is a few years old. There were a couple of tweaks. It eliminated the old Double-A portion of the Draft and upped the compensation for a Major League pick from $50,000 to $100,000. 

Carlos Sepulveda 

Speaking of Rule 5, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda was selected by the Dodgers in the Triple-A portion of the draft. He had been signed as an international free agent by the Cubs in December of 2014. The 23-year-old native of Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico has played five years in the Cubs system starting with the Arizona league Cubs in 2015 and playing with the A+ Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League in 2019. His best year was with the South Bend Cubs in 2016 in the Midwest League where he posted a triple slash of .310/.361/.373. 

After a good first year in  the AZL and a very good year in the Midwest League, things went down hill for the 5’10”/170-lb. left handed-hitting second baseman. He does throw right-handed. After 28 games with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2017 he suffered a shoulder injury which sidelined him for the balance of the 2017 season and resulting surgery claimed all of 2018.  

Sepulveda returned to Myrtle Beach  for the 2019 season working his way back from the surgery. Although he had a hot spell at the plate in July he finished the season with  a slash line of .243/.342/.285. His glove work didn’t suffer as he committed only two errors over 802.1 innings and 373 total chances. 

He was backed up behind middle infielders in the Cubs system but perhaps was seen by the Dodgers as infield depth who had cut down on his strikeout rate and has a possibility of showing off his stuff now that he is healthy. He is currently playing winter ball in the Mexican League and may well start the 2020 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes looking to make it the AA before season’s end. 

Winter League Ball 

The following Dodger minor league players are playing winter ball. 

Australia – Jared Walker, Eric Peterson,Yujo Kilagata 

Dominican – Christian Santana, Luis Vasquez, Shea Spitzbarth 

Mexico  –  Carlos Spulveda, Antonio Hernandez, Ricardo Hernandez 

Puerto Rico – Darien Nunez  

Professional Baseball Agreement 

A while back MLB announced changes it would like to make  with minor league  baseball in the new PBA agreement .At the recent winter meetings representatives from MLB and MiLB met  to discuss the proposed changes and  what they might look like across the total minor league spectrum. Following the meetings MiLB issued a statement of its own to correct, as they saw it, inaccuracies in the MLB working paper. 

This is a link to the statement;

https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/minor-league-baseball-issues-pba-negotiation-update/n-5580194 

MLB has responded to the MiLB statement with a statement of its own. 

Major League Baseball responded with its own public statement last night. But rather than publicly rebut Minor League Baseball’s claims, or to simply say, consistent with Manfred’s statement on Wednesday, that it preferred to negotiate in private, it threatened to simply drop any agreement with Minor League Baseball and, presumably start its own minor league system bypassing MiLB entirely. 

If the National Association [of Minor League Clubs] has an interest in an agreement with Major League Baseball, it must address the very significant issues with the current system at the bargaining table. Otherwise, MLB clubs will be free to affiliate with any minor league team or potential team in the United States, including independent league teams and cities which are not permitted to compete for an affiliate under the current agreement.” 

As for Minor League Baseball going public itself, one Minor League Baseball owner’s comments to the Los Angeles Times seems to sum up the thinking pretty well: 

“Rob is attempting to decimate the industry, destroy baseball in communities and eliminate thousands of jobs, and he’s upset that the owners of the teams have gone public with that information in an effort to save their teams. That’s rich.

Discussion (73)

Disagree, not disagreeable

Be civil — moderation is real. Links may need a moment of review.

  1. BoboDecember 18, 2019

    Wow, trash talking with two Laker starters sitting out the game and Pacers can only manage to win by 3.

    I wouldn’t be parading around too much about that but a win is a win. Hardly call it LeBron being kicked around though.

  2. Mark TimmonsDecember 18, 2019

    BOY. You Laker Fans are really quiet!

    I had four Laker fans sitting in front of me tonight who wanted to choke me to death. I made them leave… I can talk trash with the best!

    I took my friend “Fast Eddie” Brown and his wife to the game. He is a huge Laker fan. He’s waiting for a rematch.

    Boooooooo YAAAAAAHHHHH!

  3. Jayne CobbDecember 18, 2019

    Wow. My original comment reappeared. That was redundant. Probably should be my nickname.

  4. Jayne CobbDecember 18, 2019

    My comment disappeared, must have hit the wrong button or something.

    Don’t have time to hack it out gain so I will try to paraphrase.

    DJ Peters was mentioned. I think he plays more into the calculus for the Dodgers RH hitting issue than any of the pro sports writers believe. A Joc/Dj platoon could potentially produce ridiculous home run numbers. Like, 55+ HRs in a full season kind of ridiculous. I never believed a Lindor trade would happen. It’s just not AFs style to give away the farm on a player who has two years left and will likely demand a giant contract.

    I tend to think they will see how Pollack looks early in the season. Weigh that against how Dj looks in ST and early in the AAA season. They have been working on shortening Dj’s stroke. When your 13 feet tall and have the wingspan of a Learjet it’s normal to have a long swing. If they can get his SO% down below his OB%, he will produce.

    He’s also a great guy. He was absolutely loved by the clubhouse and stadium staff in Rancho. He grew up a massive Shawn Green fan about 20 miles from Dodger Stadium. Lived with his parents when he was with the Quakes.

    He was my son’s favorite player in 2017. Well, in the CA league he was everybody’s favorite player. His HRs disrupted air travel. He hit TWO off Mad Bum on a rehab. In the SAME inning. Probably saved a grandmother from a house fire at some point, idk. You heard stories.

    I remember he was always the last player out of the locker room. I’m assuming because it took a 30 minute shower to wash his 50 cubic yards of hair. He always signed for every kid (and there were always many waiting for him, my son included). I remember my son was waiting for Dj after a game so he could sign a team helmet he was working on (ended up an epic helmet). Yadier Alvarez came out of the locker room, signed for my son and walked to the parking lot. A moment later I heard the distinctive high pitched revving of a supercar of some kind ($15m signing bonus). The security guard and I were both watching him drive off. The guard asked who we were waiting for. I told him it was Dj. He pointed out the 6-10 year old economy car that was Dj’s. Which was a stark contrast. Dj had just won the CA league MVP and was driving back to his parents house in the same car, I’m sure, he drove in high school. While Yadier, who hadn’t really had a very good season, was driving something that you’d expect to see a bikini model laying across in a music video. I figured he got home by swing a hammer. But no, economy car.

    It’s really hard not to like a Thor doppelgänger who has an “awe shucks” demeanor, hits 500 ft bombs and is literally 15 feet tall and really nice to kids and puppies.

    All that aside, he’s on ADs mind for the RH bat issue. Guaranteed.

    Seriously, he’s 16 feet tall!

    Btw. As many have guessed.;“Jayne Cobb” was a dude. So am I. And I obviously suck at paraphrasing.

  5. DodgerBlueMomDecember 18, 2019

    Sorry Jayne, I did not know. No offense taken, I hope. I do greatly enjoy your posts and stories.

  6. James MoyaDecember 18, 2019

    Moneyball has never won a title.

  7. Jayne CobbDecember 17, 2019

    Some great discussions.

    I agree we DO need a RH bat. Badly. I am not terribly comfortable relying on Pollock, given his injury issues. For me the RH bat is a larger issue than starting pitching. I like the options we have with our young starters. Urias, May and Gray have solid stuff. We are the envy of every MLB organization with our SP depth on the 40 man and in the system. RH bat is another story.

    Others brought up DJ Peters. I think he plays into the calculus with the organization more than most people realize. He’s not just a 9 foot tall Thor lookalike who can mash. He’s very athletic. He runs great routs and has a cannon. It’s shocking he can even play CF in the minors. He certainly won’t be on the MLB level, but he is a plus defender. And did I mention he was 9 feet tall? I have a feeling the Dodgers are being careful with chasing a RH bat as they want to see how things progress before the trade deadline. Will Pollock be healthy? Will DJ force his way onto the 25 man before the AS break? I do believe DJ is the Pollock backup plan for the second half. A platoon of Joc and DJ could produce some crazy HR totals. I mean, like 55+ between the two in a full season.

    Hes also a very nice guy who was hugely popular among the management, staff and fans when he was with the Quakes. He is that kind of “awe shucks” kind of kid who won’t use profanity and always says “yes mam, no mam”. He also grew up a huge Shawn Green Fan about 20 miles from Dodgers Stadium. And lets not forget that DJ is the guy who hit TWO HRs off Madison Bumgarner, in the SAME INNING.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuJyi7HURkE

    And yes, that was Will Smith on 2B.

    The question with DJ is can they continue to work to improve his SO%, which has been at parity with his OB% most of his pro career. When you have the wingspan of a Learjet your swing tends to be long. I know they have been working with him to shorten his stroke, turn on inside pitches without reducing his raw power. However, DJ has always been very streaky. He reminds me of Yasmani Grandal in that respect. When the season is over you say, “those are some good numbers”. But the only thing you tend to remember was the three 1 for 40 slumps which were half strikeouts. If DJ impresses in ST and progresses in AAA I can easily see him getting platoon ABs with Joc by the AS break. If that doesn’t work out and Pollock isn’t tearing things up, I would expect AD to be heavy in the trade market before the deadline. That is if he doesn’t pull the trigger on something soon. I don’t see Lindor happening. Never really have. If AD makes a move it will likely be something from out in LF (pun intended) which nobody saw coming. But DJ likely plays more of a roll in the calculus than most pro MLB commentators believe.

    Minor League: I hate what MLB is proposing. The Dodgers would lose the Ogden Raptors, which drew 146,000 fans last year. From a city with a population of 87K. For perspective, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers High A) drew 162,000 fans last year, and they are 40 miles from Downtown Los Angeles (several million people within a 40 mile radius). That would be a deep blow to Ogden Utah. No other Dodgers affiliate would be effected. But the CA league would lose another highly attended team (The Lancaster JetHawks). I’m trying to wrap my mind around why MLB is pushing to shut down these teams. I can’t help but conclude it has more to do with money and control than most of the reasons given. This is not how you capture young fans. Minor league games are full of kids (mine included) where $20 can get you parked, inside and sucking down a hot dog. This at a time when going to a MLB game is increasingly out of reach to many families. $20 won’t buy you the cheapest parking at Dodgers stadium. I simply don’t get it.

    And btw, I am male. As many have already guessed, Jayne Cobb (the character) was a dude.

  8. BoboDecember 17, 2019

    Oh MT, and you were on such a roll.

  9. Mark TimmonsDecember 17, 2019

    I am sorry to report that I am leaving for the Pacer-Laker game and am going to watch the Pacers kick LeBron’s rear-end back to Cleveland!

    😉

  10. Mark TimmonsDecember 17, 2019

    The point is: Hoard those prospects.

    Some of you are eager to trade Downs and Gray, whom I think have very high ceilings.

    I would be fine with this rotation and I have attached my projected IP:

    1. Buehler – 200 IP

    2. Kershaw – 200 IP

    3. Urias – 170 IP

    4. Maeda – 150 IP

    5. May 170 IP

    Stripling is the swingman who can pitch 100+ innings and he always gets overlooked with his career 3.51 ERA which is half a run better than Andrew Miller.

    Gonsolin and Ferguson are capable of 70-80 IP in the pen.

    Baez is good for 60+ IP

    Kelly, Jansen, and Treinen = At least two will rebound.

    Gray, Santana, de Gues, and/or White are on the cusp… and there are a bunch of guys in the pen who could show out.

    This pitching staff can be VERY, VERY good.

  11. Mark TimmonsDecember 17, 2019

    IN July of 2010, the Cardinals, Padres, and Indians. The Padres gave up Jake Westbrook and another minor league pitcher to essentially get Ryan Ludwig.

    The minor league player the Padres gave up in that trade along with Westbrook had a 4.56 ERA the previous year. In 2008 his ERA was 4.90, so he seemed like a “throw in.” He struggled for 4 years and then was in the Top 10 for Cy Young in the AL 5 straight years… winning it twice.

    I’ll be the Padres would love to have Corey Kluber back.

  12. dodgerrickDecember 17, 2019

    Here’s an interesting link – the percentage of revenues spent on MLB payroll by team:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/a3e759/the_percent_of_revenue_each_team_spent_on_opening/

    The average team has revenue of $315 MM, spends $136 MM (43.2% of revenue spent on MLB payroll).

    The Dodgers? $522 MM in revenue (2nd to Yankees $619 MM), $187 MM in payroll (2018), 35.9% of revenue spent on payroll (10th lowest).

    While you can argue that the Dodgers have room to spend on their MLB payroll, what they are spending on non-payroll expenses related to player development and performance is not readily available. We do know that the Dodgers and Yankees are reported to have more “analysts” on their payrolls than any other team. There is anecdotal information that the Dodgers are on the cutting edge of nutrition, scouting, teaching etc. I have no idea what all of this costs. Does anyone else?

  13. Mark TimmonsDecember 17, 2019

    I do not believe 10% of anything in that article.

    I believe the Dodgers have talked to the Indians and Red Sox. Beyond that, it’s just the rantings of a guy whose bosses need to sell papers!

  14. sbuffaloDecember 17, 2019

    So now you have discussions between the Dodgers and Red Sox, which, apparently some execs think make sense. Yah, I could see that. The Dodgers get Mookie Betts and David Price and his remaining three years at $32 million per year. Call it Punto Trade 2.

    Maybe the Indians talks get revisited and certainly the Dodgers will be tied to Kris Bryant once the grievance gets resolved. At this point, I don’t even care. Whatever.

    Sign Ryu, maybe find another relief pitcher in the trade market, then move forward with a pretty good team. Let Gavin Lux play second. Justin Turner is fine at third, Max Muncy can handle first and Cory Seager at short. For anyone who has forgot, Seager is an All-Star shortstop. Pollock, Verdugo, Taylor and Bellinger make for a pretty good outfield. Just because a player has a bad post season doesn’t mean they won’t have a big playoff in ‘20.

    Starting pitching looks to be a strength with a lot of good young pitchers at the back end of the rotation, including Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin and another, Josiah Gray, sitting in AAA.

    In no trade would I be willing to give up Lux or May, not even for Lindor.

    So sit back and enjoy the Hollywood experience.

  15. BobbyDecember 17, 2019

    Dodgers, BoSox discussing Betts:

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/2675699001

  16. EricDecember 17, 2019

    So trade talks with the Indians have stalled. I hope that means trade talks with the Indians has ENDED. I have a different take than most here do about what the Dodgers should do this off season. I think the need for a right handed power hitter is over blown.

    Seager did not hit left handers at all last season, but before his injuries he did, so there could be upside there. The exact same thing for Lux and Smith potential upside there. DJ Peters lurking in the minors could bring a right handed power bat to the Dodgers this season.

    I don’t know which list of our prospects is best to use, but using MLB dot com’s top 30 Dodgers prospects list. I would be willing to trade from the top 10 listed, Gray, Downs, White, Santana, and then from the rest of the top 30 anyone except DJ Peters for a good established controllable starting pitcher. Because Ryu is probably the best starting pitcher on the free agent market available, but it would take a 4 year contract at least to get Ryu. But I’m fine with who we already have for starting pitching.

    Everyone knows this, I want an additional 2 proven relievers.

  17. philjonesDecember 17, 2019

    So what is Rob Manfred attempting to do with minor league baseball? I don’t get it and I’m still trying to digest the all of the information coming out of the winter meeting in the link that DodgerChatter posted above . My local community just dumped another 3 million in facility improvements to the A- ballpark. For all of the hard work and financial risk assumed by minor league owners (along with the possible elimination of 42 franchises) they now may be asked to provide additional financial subsidy to offset pay raises for minor league players? What, MLB can’t afford to pay minor league players a decent wage? The cost of 25 AAA player salaries for a summer is the cost of 8 Manny Merchado at bats.

  18. peterjDecember 17, 2019

    Dodger Mom – You asked…

    “Always wondered how much of an interest baseball is to a country where it does not seem to be its national game.”

    Mom have you ever seen a CRICKET GAME??? It’s like watching paint dry…

  19. WilliamDecember 17, 2019

    Here are some bettable early lines on the baseball season. To win the World Series, the Yankees are favored at 3.25 to 1. Astros surprisingly second at 5-1. Dodgers 6-1. Braves 8-1. Others behind that. For the National League pennant, Dodgers favored at 2.8 to 1, Braves second at 5-1.

    Odds do not necessarily presage results, but they are interesting. Dodgers still favored in NL, but Yankees clear favorites to win the title. If that played out, and we won the pennant and lost the World Series to the Yankees, would that be considered a successful season? Of course, we do not know the results of the entire offseason. If the Dodgers do nothing much at all, is that good, are we glad that they chose not to try to improve the team, while many other clubs did?

    My thought is that the Yankees are a clear favorite now to win it all, and may even add additional players. The Dodgers are still considered by the oddsmakers as the natural favorite in the NL, as they have been for the last few years. They were odds-on favorites to win the pennant almost all of last season, the odds at one point being around 5-8, which is a very strong favorite. But we did not, of course, and all that money was lost, as was all the money bet on the Dodgers to win the world title in the last few years. Before last season, we were second favorite behind the Astros to win it all. Now we are third favorite at this point. Still one of the favorites, but not the favorite. I don’t think we will get to the World Series, but we certainly have a reasonable chance. I will be very surprised if we actually get there and win it.

    As to Lux, I will defer to some of the comments by Jayne yesterday, and thus I think we should not trade him. It would mean that we probably cannot make any significant trade in the offseason, but at this point, we might as well just go with mostly the same team we had last year, minus defections, and hope that a bunch of players have their best seasons ever, or at least in a while.

  20. 59inarowDecember 17, 2019

    No Mark, offering a 300M deal to Cole is NOT driving up the price. He was genuinely interested. Maybe, it is just the obvious thing, you know, the thing he actually said. He’s gonna be aggressive, but not stupid. He sticks to his own valuations of players. He might go over a little, but not a lot. As far as Rendon goes, If you meet with a guy and he doesn’t show you that he’s all in, you don’t give him $250M. It’s very simple.

    As far as investing in player development goes, the Dodgers are obviously not cheap like some bozos on this site like to say, over and over and over again. They spend money in every way to make the team better. They spend on food and nutrition, they spend on stadium improvements, they spend on additional teams (Two in AZ and Two in DR). They spend on tools like VR, they spend on front office staff. They spend a ton basically on anywhere there aren’t restrictions on spending. Hell, look at all the money they blew signing all those Cuban players before MLB restricted international signing. If you think the team is cheap, you’re not paying attention.

    They’re very smart about a lot of things, but they need to do better at getting the top guys to want to come here. They need to do better at balancing the lineup. And they need to do better at making in game decisions when it counts the most.

    They better get a RH bat and someone to eat innings. If they stand pat this offseason and at the deadline, next offseason is going to be even more dissenting. Donaldson, Castellanos and Ozuna are still available in free agency. All of them are middle of the order RH bats. Hell, I might even consider a Puig reunion at this point. Betts, Bryant, Marte. Go get someone that swings from the right side! Then, go trade for another reliever at a minimum.

  21. DodgerBlueMomDecember 17, 2019

    Some very interesting points on your article DC. I have always been fascinated by a left-hand hitter throwing right handed. Kind of like eating with your left and writing with your right. Wonder why that is and which side is their natural side.

    If MLB drops it’s agreement with Minor League Baseball, how would that effect the Dodgers long term?

    Can you do some research on those Australian players? Always wondered how much of an interest baseball is to a country where it does not seem to be its national game.

    Thank you again DC. Your writing always make me think and learn.

  22. SCDodgerFanDecember 17, 2019

    Muncy, Taylor or Hernandez, and Maeda for Lindor and Clevenger. This clears space on the LA roster and saves Cleveland money. What about Seager playing 1B, Lux @ 2B, Turner @ 3B with Lindor @ SS? Either Taylor or Hernandez plays SS for Indians, the other is utility for LA.

  23. DodgerfanDecember 17, 2019

    You know Mark I agree with all you are saying about player development, couldn’t the FO do something with manager development. We could have a least two championship within the last five years.

  24. Singing The BlueDecember 17, 2019

    As I was thinking about my frustration in having no big moves happen so far, I was also thinking about something Mark just referred to and that is AF driving prices up on the deals that have been made by other teams. There are very few if any high end starters hitting free agency in the next 2-3 years but with the Yankees, Nationals, Angels and Phillies spending lots over the past couple of years, our path will be easier if we decide to make an all out run at Mookie next winter. Maybe that was the plan all along. Joc’s contract will be finished and Pollock’s will be one year farther down the line and easier to move. Those two alone should pay for half of Mookie’s annual salary. After the 2021 season there is very little committed in salary and we could certainly afford him. Of course, he might not like the Hollywood vibe……………………………………………………………I hear Mark Walter is exploring the idea of moving the franchise to Lincoln, Nebraska.

  25. Mark TimmonsDecember 17, 2019

    Maybe Friedman was not in on any of it. Maybe the Dodgers plan is to grow their own. As DodgerRick pointed out, no team is as successful… and they are spending big-time on player development and human engineering. Human engineering is a thing. Check this out:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XC9gnQ6TpM

    Sorry about the low energy vide. I had pneumonia when it was shot.

    Anyway, back to my point: Maybe AF never was in on Cole or Rendon. Maybe he just drives up the prices so that other teams can become hamstrung with boat anchor contracts. While other teams are breaking the bank for free agents, the Dodgers are building a Player Development Machine – they have more top prospects than 90% of MLB teams and as Rick pointed out, they are more successful at developing them.

    Maybe, just maybe, AF has NO INTENTION of doing those boat anchor deals. He’s not going to tell you that. He has to “sell” everyone that he is “in” on these free agents… but he is really not. They are spending huge amounts of money of player development -stadium and on-field renovations, Campos Las Palmos, fabulous facilities in the minors and now buying an analytics company.

    Maybe this is the new paradigm: The new Dodger Way. He’s only been doing it for 5 years, but in those 5 years he has won more games than anyone and if you add in the behind the scenes costs, the Dodgers are spending like drunken sailors, so they don’t have to pay stupid money to Cole and Rendon.

    In the next two to three years, the Dodgers have 20+ players who could see the Show. Some will be good, some not so much and others will be great. You can’t always predict who’s who, but the more you have, the better your chances. Who thought Lux would be great 3 years ago? Maybe the Dodgers see something in Kendall they think can change everything…

    Again, AF is going to say they will sign Free Agents, but this may be the new deal. He has rebuilt the team and farm systems while winning… and winning more than anyone in baseball and had the ASTROS not cheated, the Dodgers would be the team of the Decade!

    I will write more about this later.

  26. MushersPopDecember 17, 2019

    Latest rumors suggest Betances signs with either the Phillies or Mets.

  27. 59inarowDecember 17, 2019

    I’m with SCB. I would trade him in the right deal, but Lindor isn’t the right deal. Alex Bregman anyone?

    It seems like there’s a lot of people and players out there that are highly critical of Rob Manfred. This feud with MiLB is one example. Trevor Bauer had some choice words for Manfred on the subject. Plus all the rule changes.

    I honestly don’t know WTF the Dodgers are doing this off-season. On one side, I can see that they never had a chance with Cole or Stras, but on the other side, you can’t make excuses when you whiff on everyone. At some point you need to look inward, identify the problem, and fix it.

    One one side, we are a complete team. On the other side, we are very left handed and very young in the rotation.

    I’m not mad about the Lindor trade falling apart as I don’t want to move Seager off SS. If he’s 100% healthy, he’s a better pure hitter than Lindor. I never thought Mad Bum was a good idea, but I was warming to the prospect of signing him as an innings eater, but I don’t think he’s a difference maker.

    Right about now, I’m offering Ryu 4/80 and Donaldson 4/100 and I’m trading some spare parts between physicals and announcements, or cutting some bloat from the 40 to make room for them (Chargois or Floro/ T White or McKinstry).

    A lot of people talk about bringing Hill back. I love Hill, he served us well, but he’s way past his expiration date. His elbow is hanging on by a thread and his knee is another concern.

    I’m still mad about how they used Urias last year. If they would have obtained some help for the pen at the end of last year, they could have built up his innings for a starter’s workload this year.

  28. SoCalBumDecember 17, 2019

    I agree 1000%! You do not trade Lux in any of the deals that have been bandied about over the last few weeks.

More from Dodger Talk

Dodgers Food Trailer

I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…

By Mark Timmons · July 17, 202654

Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12

3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…

By Jeff Dominique · July 16, 202674

Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)

It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…

By Mark Timmons · July 15, 202652

Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor

I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…

By Michael "Bear" Norris · July 14, 202676