Every year since Andrew Friedman took over as President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, I have been called a Suck-up, Homer, Kool-Aid Drinker, and probably other uncomplimentary things. There are some people who absolutely become “unhinged” whenever Andrew Frierdman’s name is mentioned. Some call him “Friedbrain” and other names which we cannot mention. Leading the charge against Andrew Friedman are two wordsmiths who evidently get…
My Not So Professional Analysis of the Trade Deadline
Well, here we go. The deadline has passed. Which teams improved their lot the most, and who fanned? The Dodgers, after their initial flurry of activity last week, were expected to be in on just about every good starting pitcher out there. What ended up happening was not what the fans wanted. The Astros get Verlander from the Mets. Although the Dodgers were thought to be in on Verlander, I…
Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make
Many years ago, there was once a first baseman who, three times in his career, had driven in over 100 runs. His career batting average was .281, and he has a .341 OB%. It was in a time when Home Runs were few, but he was almost always in double digits. In his eleven years with his first team, he played 1,488 games – That’s an average of 135 games…
The Bullpen: Change Is Constant
Over the course of time, the makeup of a baseball team’s bullpen has changed dramatically. Back in the beginning of the game, a pitcher who started a game was expected to finish it. If you look back at pitchers like Cy Young, their complete game totals are dramatically higher than those of pitchers who pitched after the early 1900s. For example, the only true modern-day pitcher who appears in the…
Who do you believe?
Nobody! John Mozeliak, the GM of the St. Louis Cardinals, now says that the Cards are not trading Nolan Arenado… and maybe they aren’t. However, don’t believe anything any MLB baseball executive tells you. PERIOD! Nolan has five years and $144MM remaining on his contract and could likely have beaten that deal if he opted out of his contract… but he did not! Arenado and the Cardinals seem to have…
Friedman could not fix Thor!
Of course, when the Dodgers acquired Lance Lynn, many Dodger fans went ballistic because of well… his ERA and all that stuff. Then, on top of that, they acquired Joe Kelly, of all people, and gave up Nick Nastrini, Jordan Leasure, and Trayce Thompson. Rumor has it that the trade was so lopsided that the trade simulator went up in smoke as it short-circuited. Fans were throwing rotten tomatoes, rocks,…
The Rumors are called that for a reason
Who predicted the Rosario-Syndergaard trade? No one saw that coming! Of course, the Dodgers weren’t really looking to trade for Rosario, but somehow, they found a team that wanted Thor, and they took the bait. I would have never believed it. Over the winter, the Dodgers signed Syndergaard to take the spot Tyler Anderson left when he signed with the Angels (by the way, he has been almost as bad)….
Is it Verlander Time?
I have consistently said that I do not think the Dodgers need bullpen help. Since June 20th, the Dodger bullpen has been the best in baseball, and if only two or three of the pitchers on the IL come back from injury, there is absolutely no need. I also think it is foolish to believe that two starters like Giolito and Stroman will help the Dodgers win a championship. The…
Dodgers Most of Us Have Forgotten
I like going back and looking at old baseball cards I have. Sometimes you see one and go, oh yeah, I remember seeing that guy play a time or two. We remember the stars and the fringe guys are often just not even thought about. Even though they might contribute at a critical moment to the team’s success. Beyond their moving to LA, I do not have many memories of…
Is Kike Coming Back?
Many people have scoffed at the idea that Kike Hernandez might return to the Dodgers. He will be 32 next month and is in the midst of what may be his worst season. He has a -0.6 WAR and is OPS’ing .599. However, if you look beyond the obvious, maybe he makes too much sense to ignore. First of all, we know that Kike was beloved by his teammates. He…