When the Dodgers traded for Matt Kemp, it was a salary dump, a bad attitude dump as well as the opportunity to acquire a young, power hitting catcher with mad framing skills. I embraced the trade for all the reasons it was made. While he could be charming, Matt Kemp was frequently a malcontent prima donna in the lockerroom. I felt he was a poison, so I was excited to…
There is a lot to unpackaged on the trade of Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Charlie Culberson for former Dodger darling, Matt Kemp. Whether Matt Kemp ever plays for the Dodgers again is in question. He could be flipped to an AL team in need of a DH. I think he has some value and I cannot just see him being released… unless his clubhouse demeanor is worse…
In case you have been living under a rock, you can appreciate (or maybe you don’t) that the Grand Old Game of Baseball is changing. Instant Replay has been implemented and will take an even more prominent role in the near future; You can’t kill the catcher or the guy at 2B anymore; Electronic Balls and Strikes are right around the corner; The Pitch Clock will speed up the pace…
Just because other teams make dope-fiend moves, doesn’t mean the Dodger have to. Look, they have been paying the luxury tax for too long and have paid about $300 million in penalties. It started with foolish, long-term deals to Kemp and Ethier and then came THE TRADE (Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawdad). The Dodgers owe Kemp $5.5 million over the next two year, but after next season, most of the obligations…
It was fun to dream: Ohtani, Stanton, Ozuna, Rivero, et al. – I did it to mask the pain from the loss of the World Series, but now I am sobered up and back to reality. Now I am going to tell you the truth: The Dodgers will be below $237 Million in salary… if only by $1.00. BET ON IT; The Dodgers will not sign anyone to a long-term…
OK, I’ll put down my crack pipe, if you put down yours. Stanton and Ohtani were crack! Just say no to drugs! This Team Is Still Pretty Special. The won 104 games and just missed winning the World Series by “that much.” Let’s start with this: The Dodgers are set at a number of positions with some high quality players, most of whom are young enough to improve even more….
I have reached the point that I don’t care where Stanton goes… so long as it is not in the NL West. Let the Yankees have him. I’m down with that… as long as the Dodgers get someone else. OK, I admit to having been a big proponent that the Dodgers should acquire Giancarlo Stanton. Especially now, that the Angels have signed Ohtani, it would really be nice to counteract…
There is so much talk about Ohtani and Stanton right about now, that there is not much buzz about changes to teams and the game of baseball itself. Rob Manfred is intent on speeding up play and will implement a pitch clock, likely as soon as 2018 but there will be other changes as well… maybe not all next season, but they are coming. Designated Hitter in the NL –…
Think about this: One of the first free agents signed last year was Charlie Morton by the Astros. Charlie was a 33 year-old journeyman pitcher who went 14-7 with a 3.62 ERA (1.193 WHIP) in the regular season and then put up a 1.74 ERA (0.581 WHIP) and was the winning pitcher in the clinching game of the World Series. What I remember is that “experts” from many sources ridiculed…
By the time Brandon Morrow got to the big leagues in 2017, the Dodgers were ready for someone to set-up Kenley Jansen on the back of the bullpen. Brandon Morrow filled that bill and while I would love to have him back, there are two problems: (1) He was healthy last year, but he has generally never been that healthy at any time in his career; and (2) some other…