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…
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…
I continue to read that Dodger Ownership/Management wants to get under the luxury tax threshold THIS year. That is certainly a laudable goal, and under normal circumstances I can see why that should always be the goal. But is 2018 the year to draw the line? Sometimes you need to spend money to make money. In home building, finishes are upgraded to get buyers to sign. Buyers are visual…bling…
Yes, some GM’s have made “dope fiend” moves in the past… the recent past, but they eventually figure it out (or get fired), which is why I think the Free Agent Signing Market has been non-existent so far. The signings of Cueto, Samardzija, Price, Greinke and may others to idiotic, dope-fiend contracts has not been the pathway to success for major league teams. Houston won the World Series this year…
Anyone who really believes they know what the Master Plan is could be delusional. One thing I have learned is that one never knows in what direction FAZ goes. Did anyone truly believe that FAZ would have signed all three 2016 FA? Most did not even think Hill was a consideration, and that FAZ would only sign one of Jansen and Turner. I thought that Turner would come back (LA…
Lest we forget, the Dodgers were so close, so very close to winning the World Series last year and they were (for the most part) a very young team. The CF, SS and 1B were all under 24. The RF was 26 and the catcher was 27. Next year, they will be even younger after Chase Utley, Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez are gone, but that’s not to say they…
The Arizona Fall League Championship Game will be played on my birthday, November 18th, but of more importance is how certain Dodger Prospects are performing. Yusniel Diaz has played very well in the Fall League with a .303 Batting Average and a .356 OB%. To date, he has displayed excellent skills in all phases of the game… except power. That may or may not come, but the only question I…
OK, that headline brands me as crazy, right? Well, that’s old news! Everyone knows that Gioncarlo Stanton is going to cost almost $30 million a year right? Maybe over the life of the contract, but next year, he might be FREE. Here’s a really important fact: The Dodgers don’t need to do anything, but if they do, it should be significant and it should reduce payroll. I think the Dodgers can…
There has been a lot of discussion about pending ML free agents, but there are 572 minor league free agents, including 23 Dodgers. To qualify for minor league free agency for 2018, a player would have signed a minor league Uniform Player’s Contract (UPC) in 2011 and not be released from the terms of that UPC. Teams can renew a player’s UPC six times before the player is declared a minor…