What's next?

Even though the Dodgers just got swept by the Brewers, my pride in this team hasn’t wavered one bit. Baseball is a game of highs and lows, and this season gave us plenty of moments to cheer, celebrate, and believe. Watching our players fight, even when the odds were against them, reminded me why I love this team — it’s about heart, resilience, and the bond we share as fans. Sure, the sting of defeat is real, but it’s only fueling my excitement for next year. Win or lose, I’ll be wearing Dodger blue with my head held high. We’ll regroup, rebuild, and rise again, because being a Dodger fan means carrying faith through every inning, no matter how dark the scoreboard looks. The season may have ended, but my loyalty never will.

Mark, I like your take. The team got old, they wanted to run it back. That's should have been the goal, a three peat. Things work, until they don't. Time for change, time to get younger where possible. If Friedman goes doesn't that allow Shohei to op out? Wasn't he tied contractually to Freidman as G.M.?I like Max, but it seems to me he comes up empty alot in the big moments. Anyway, like your potential changes, lots young guys, many deserving of a chance. Any, this was a no doubter series, the better team won. But, Go Dodgers!

Well I’m in Charleston South Carolina this weekend for my grandson 12 under baseball tournament. Sitting at the beach. Water is a little cold but great. 80 degrees, I think. My grandson’s first words this morning? Dodgers suck. I explained to him that being a fan means taking the good with the bad. And no , they don’t suck. They got outplayed. (Ok maybe they sucked a wee bit). Don’t jump ship! I(we) waited for 32 years for another championship, he’s had 3 in 5 years! It’s all about right now for him! Wouldn’t be surprised if Houston trades Jeremy Pena. If they make him available, look for the Dodgers to be all over that guy. He could solve either the second base spot, or shift Mookie back to second. Either way I like Pena. Gunnar Henderson is intriguing. Power, but that average doesn’t excite me at all. RVS probably ain’t helping too much with that . Ely DLCruz would be perfect. Play him at short, and when Max retires, slide him to 3rd. I know it’s way too early to start trading and signing. But it sure is fun. And being a little more like the Brewers would not be such a bad thing, would it?

Great column by the amazing Andy McCullough:

My grandson thought our post season was a result of the hundred plus win curse. Could be but in any case I am still thankful for the last two years. The World Series last year was one of the best of my life and it is indeed The Golden Age of Dodger Baseball. Looking forward to next year. I will be rooting for the Brewers in the series.

Game 4 was reflective of many issues that the Dodgers dealt with this season. Especially, in the last couple of months and in the playoffs. Hitting into double plays, poor execution hitting with RISP, inconsistent pitching by the BP, and severe slumps by once reliable stars.

The biggest threat for the team and all of baseball is the possible lockout by the owners. The "poor owners" should be thankful that there are owners spending crazy amounts of money on players. A specific player or players help create interest in the game. With the added interest the value of all teams increase. So, no on a salary cap. Yes, on a floor so the money that large market teams give to the smaller market teams go toward improved player development, scouting, or free agent signings. Far too long these greedy "billionaire" owners pocket the shared money instead of putting a better product on the field for their fans.

As for the Dodger team, if the schedule starts on time, what can we expect from the front office? With AF and BG there seems to a surprise signing or two every offseason. I don't expect a big contract FA signing. But, again, let's see what happens.

There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. At this time, too many to list here. I trust the front office to do the right thing to get some of the vets back on track while including some prospects into the mix. Or to use some of these prospects in trades. Let's hope baseball and the Dodgers have a successful offseason.

Carry on

Someone suggested they trade some of their minor league talent to the Orioles for SS Gunnar Henderson. They were beaten by the better team, pure and simple. Miggy Ro will get a job in the organization, perhaps coaching minor league infielders. Roberts was also classy in his praise for the Brewers who were well prepared and simply took LA out of their game. MLB's worst nightmare is happening though. No major market teams in the World Series. It will be interesting to see what the viewership ratings are.

Of course Freddie could be gone! Every single player could be gone.

The word could is very powerful, and Mark uses it quite liberally.

This was bereft of predictions and full of conditionals.

If you are going to predict something, use the word will.

Couldn't help but think back to Joe Davis's call at the end of last years world series when we beat the Blue Jays, "To be the champ, you have to knock him out". Well the Brewers knocked us out, granted they are not champs yet but I'd have to think they will be favored over the Guardians or Rays.

I will be watching the World Series but it's probably not going to do well with the T.V. ratings being 2 smaller teams. I am a baseball fan first and a Dodger fan second.

Will do it all over again when ever MLB gets the labor situation figured out. Who knows what that will bring. It will play out like a shit show like it always does. Millionaires VS Billionaires doesn't interest me in the least. Just figure it out.

Have to wonder where this Dodger team fits in historically. If they would have gotten the "Three Peat" they would have been considered one of the greatest. It's been a great run and not disappointed in the least.

I probably won't post much until the games resume and wish all the daily posters well. I will be reading the banter though.

Post-season baseball, IMO, is low scoring and best played with great defense and pitching. I would tweak the Dodgers lineup to increase defense and add some speed.

Something I haven't seen mentioned much here is how pathetic the Dodgers home attendance was during this playoff run. Are the fans just disinterested at this point and bored with this aging team? They didn't sell out any of their 4 home postseason games, and the atmosphere was as bland as I've ever seen for any playoff game. I know the 5pm start times didn't help but the top level looked half full even during the later innings.

I skimmed. I read "Freddie Freeman is in steep decline. Maybe he can DH for someone." That tells me the gist of it.

BLOW UP THE TEAM! Tear the whole thing down to the nubs and start over!

Sure, we can start with Roberts and his bonehead playoff moves? It's clear that one of the things holding the Dodgers back is the fact that Roberts is clearly out of his depth when it matters. The Dodgers need to start fresh, to move in a new direction, to really shake things up. But many here (the morons) will get upset, accuse me of blasphemy, or worse, and point to his winning record as evidence that he is the best best manager that has ever donned a Dodger uniform. They can SEE his .618 winning % as a Dodger manager - but they lack VISION. Even Ray Charles can see he needs to go. And if they tear the team down, including firing Roberts, and have have rookies playing everywhere and Tibbs or whoever at 1rst and have a losing record and miss the playoffs, just remember kids, progress isn't linear! And if you disagree, you're a moron.

See, I can do that, too.

Freeman is under contract through next year. He's not going anywhere. I honestly don't know what the team will look like, but you have guys under contract who are pretty close to being unmovable. Teo might be an exception. Maybe the Dodgers eat some of his contract to move him. I'd like a spot to open up in the outfield. I'd really like to see JDP in the lineup somewhere. If he can't play defense anywhere - and so far, from what I've read, he's a 30 field, which means he can't play defense anywhere - maybe you put Ohtani in left. Long shot, maybe, but he did play some OF with the Angels.

Just listen to Vin and feel better.

“If there is a season next year... there will be one, the question is How Long?”

A shorter season would benefit this group.

BTW... While I'm visiting Shanghai, I find the China's Great Firewall won't let me access the NY Times (and Wordl), Facebook or Gmail. Thank goodness I can get to LADodgerTalk! I do hope that Hong Kong never becomes fully integrated into China, as many fear. I'd miss a lot more than just Wordl.

It was a rough series with the Brewers. The boys just didn’t seem to have the moxie that they usually did or the look in the eyes like we’re going to win this no matter what. The team looked a little out of place- deer in the headlights.

There seemed to be friction within the clubhouse as well… that’s going to have to get settled in the off-season.

I don’t think it’s outside of the realm of possibilities that the Dodgers go after Skubal and keep him on. I like Glass and I think he brings a lot of personality to the team and in the dugout, but generally feel he’s gonna get moved on to a different team for next year. Because of the relationship that Skubal and Snell have, I imagine Blake will remain on the team for next year.

Sho- definitely too much drama at the end of the season with him. To be honest, I don’t know who was calling the shots at the end, but you could definitely tell he was injured and needed a break. His impact as a dominating DH is much more important than winning a couple of pitching games. Which is why I think he goes back to just being a DH and then we go after Skubal and keep him on for that dominating pitcher.

I hope the Dodgers work on keeping the Management in place. When you look at strong teams that have kept their managers you think of the Kansas City Chiefs and how they’ve just dominated with the group that they’ve had. Look at the Detroit Lions who just have not been able to get back on track after losing their offensive and defensive coordinator. The team should’ve worked harder to keep that core together and win a Super Bowl. I hope the Dodgers keep their core group, bring on Miggy as a coach and get things going for next year.

All of Mark's predictions seem plausible, but a few strike me as highly unlikely. Still, some interesting crystal-balling! I keep coming back to the uncomfortable matter of Kyle Tucker and his too big to fail contract--which is also too big to trade. Could he succeed Freddie at 1B in 2027? Plausible, but not likely. To my knowledge, Tucker has no experience at 1B, so this seems like a long shot at best. Bryce Harper made a successful transition to 1B, but it took time. (We remember the Joc Pedersen experiment, right? Not every outfielder can do it.) Now indulge me in imagining that JdP had been drilled and groomed for 1B for that past 3 years, logging Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery. If not mastery, I'd settle for competence. It might have made him competent 1B even if he still isn't a competent outfielder. But I digress.) All considered, if the Dodgers brass decides that Freddie is too damn old and declining to keep around--I'd place the odds at 50-50--then I think Tibbs would be the frontrunner to be his successor. Or perhaps Rushing, if he's deemed healthy. Or maybe--eventually--Shohei, depending on how his playing future unfolds. Anyway, I think it's very likely the Dodgers are stuck with Tucker in RF for the foreseeable future--meaning the contract that guarantees him another $180million over the next three years. If Tucker can ever find his old mojo and (at least) play like an all-star again, this could be OK. So assuming that JdP takes over LF, then perhaps Sirota competes with Ehrhard to the 4th outfielder.

Next up: The "shortstop of the future." Hey, remember when AF traded for Mookie and people started calling him the Dodgers "shortstop of the future"? Me neither. Mookie has certainly exceeded expectations--but we still expect him to shift to 2B eventually, right? But maybe not until 2028. So the SS of the future might be Emil Morales--unless he's the 3B of the future. If the Dodgers decide they really want that a new SS, it could happen sooner rather than later. I don't think they'll target at prospect like de Vries, simply because even top prospects are suspects until they prove otherwise. So a trade for a PROVEN high-calibre SS like Jeremy Pena makes sense. The boldest move would be a blockbuster for Elly de la Cruz. (The cost might include JdP + Freeland + an SP, but de la Cruz looks like an MVP waiting to happen.) Mark has Freeland in his lineup, but I don't see it. Player-born-with-a-clubfoot is an easy guy to root for, of course, but Freeland had plenty of opportunity this season to outplay guys like Rojas, Edman and Kike. Freeland had his moments, but he never showed that he'd be an upgrade over the old guys. In the postseason, Freeland was passed over for Kim. Yes, Freeland might succeed Miggy or Kike, but his best value for the Dodgers could be as a trade chip to help bring in a guy like Pena--especially if Davalan emerges as a 2B option in the spring. Alternative Freddie-less lineup and roster:

Shohei DH Mookie 2B Max 3B Pages CF Tucker RF Smith C de Paula LF Pena SS Tibbs 1B

Bench: Edman, Sirota, Kim, Feduccia

Oh, by the way, the Dragons beat the Canadian Academy of Shanghai 10-3 tonight, with my crafty centerfielder batting lead-off. He went 3-for-4, with a double, two singles, a stolen base, two runs scored and one RBI. Tomorrow comes the big rematch against Manila in the championship game. I'm hoping my boy, who took the L while throwing 100 pitches against Manila this morning, gets a chance to imitate the '25 Yamamoto tomorrow. His arm seems to made of rubber....

Freddie is under contract for another year there is zero chance he is not our starting 1B next year.

Disappointed? Absolutely. But not suicidal! 3 titles in 5 years ? I’ll take it every time! They ran into a team that played baseball the way all teams should aspire to do. Speed. Hitting. Pitching. Hungry! And by the way, outhomered the boys in blue by a whopping margin. Again, no shame in losing to the brewers. I for one will watch the World Series and enjoy it no matter which American League team wins. No padres? It’s all good! Freddie? I wouldn’t mind him coming back for one more season. He’s earned that much. Teo? Love him, but he does need to DH. I guess they could switch him and Ohtani! In my less than expert opinion, Ohtani should never pitch again. If he demands to, then make it with another team. I want the 40-40 version of Ohtani. Not the 8 win pitcher who ends up on the DL. Edman? I would rather have him than Freeland. But as a utility player, he’s not a starter. Kike? He’s done. Max ? Good regular season. Nowhere to be found against Milwaukee. I hope he retires as a Dodger. Tucker looks like he found it, although it was late. Mookie? He’s fine. Will smith? I’m a little concerned about him. The wear and tear of catching seems to be catching up to him. Second base? Pages? A light seems to come on during the playoffs. Did he finally listen to someone! The pitching? I would love them to sign Skubal. Glasnow? He may never be healthy. If he is healthy, his stuff is as good as anyone in the game. Yamamoto? This early exit could be a blessing. Well rested Yamamoto in 27? Sasaki? I have no idea! Diaz looked great except for one pitch. Then there’s Sheehan, stone, Wrobleski. Pitching shouldn’t be a problem for the next several years. One last thing. I like Your DeLacruz idea. More for the offense than for the defense. That would make the lineup much deeper and dangerous! Get it done! Time for college football and basketball! But I can’t wait for spring training, the winter meetings. Enjoy being a Dodger fan! Could be worse. You could be a Rockies fan!

I know Mark has a heart tug for Freeland and I do too, but we both know the Dodgers way is to buy a proven 2B or trade for one. He has value as a bench piece because he is a switchie but along with Kim, the Dodgers will let him rot in AAA.

Where’s Shohei in that “wild ass guess” proposed 2027 line-up. That line-up does Not make the Dodgers the prohibitive favorite for post season success.

Will there be changes?….yes but no Shohei, four rookies, with two of them in the starting line-up, Tucker at 1B and no Rushing (pure speculation but out for the year seems like a stretch). We all know your schtick is to create controversy with hyperbolic statements only to marginalize and berate others who do the same.

Mountain Mover you’re better than that.

I don't profess to be a doctor, but why hasn't Rushing had whatever medical care is needed earlier, so he can play some portion of 2027.