2021 Hot Stove League ???

December 28, 2020

Editorial Comment – This post was written prior to the Blake Snell acquisition by the Padres. The longer this offseason goes without much movement, the more likely AF is going to get involved. The number of teams that want to jettison payroll is growing  and is undoubtedly going to pique the interest of teams like LAD.  While it will stress out fans who continually want to see something happen to…

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Financing in MLB

December 20, 2020

The financing of a baseball season is going under the microscope this offseason and potentially into next season.  There is no question that MLB lost several billion in revenues. According to Forbes’ estimates from 2019, as gathered by the University of Michigan sports economist Rodney Fort, MLB teams made a total of $9.9 billion as follows: REVENUE (IN BILLIONS) UNDER… CATEGORY NORMAL SEASON HALF-SEASON W/O FANS* Gate receipts $2.84B $0.00B…

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How the Braves Got To the NLCS

October 11, 2020

Most believed that the Reds were going to be a very dangerous Wild Card team to face because of their starting pitching.  Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo, and Sonny Gray.  The Braves never had to face Gray as they dispatched the Reds in two.  But it wasn’t easy.  The Braves needed to go 13 innings before Freddie Freeman had a walk off single to beat the Reds 1-0.  The Reds outhit…

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The Dodgers and 2B

September 4, 2020

Second base has been an enigma for the Dodgers for the last two decades.  The concern does predate AF, but he has not found the remedy for the position.  The opening day 2B for LAD during the AF era has been Kike’ (2 years), Logan Forsythe (2 years), Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick 1 year each.  The best bWAR during the AF era was Kike’ last year at 2.2.  It…

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Trade Deadlines

August 30, 2020

It was suggested that what the Dodgers need is a dominant closer and a dominant setup man.  No mention as to who those players should be.  But they better not allow a base runner as that is what is expected for Dodger relief pitchers.  Below is the pitching line for the top closers (in terms of # of saves) in MLB for 2020.  I dare say that if LAD fans…

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The Will Smith Era

July 28, 2019

The Will Smith era has officially begun.  In his first game as the primary catcher for the LAD, he caught Clayton Kershaw.  There were no noticeable miscommunications between the two.  Kersh got off to a rough start, but settled in nicely for still another QS.  Offensively, you could not ask for a better game.  3-3 with 2 doubles, a HR, sac fly, and 6 RBIs.  This new offensive threat for…

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Pitching – Depth vs Stars

March 24, 2019

I drove down to LA this weekend to visit a very close family friend and sharing in his surprise 75th birthday. At the hotel, I turned on the TV only to see SportsNet LA and watched Access Dodgers. I do miss LA for Dodger TV and Dodger Talk Radio. One comment I heard from Pedro Moura was that the Dodgers are not flashy and have a ton of depth but…

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NL West First Look – AZ DBacks

March 3, 2019

Pundits can spin it anyway they want, but the DBacks suffered huge losses this offseason. Patrick Corbin signed a big 6 year $140MM contract with the Nationals, AJ Pollock signed a 5 year $60MM contract with LAD, and all-world 1B Paul Goldschmidt was traded to the Cards. So three teams that figured to be in contention anyway picked up the DBacks top 3 players. How does a team that won…

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And the Magic Number is 5

September 25, 2018

The Magic Number is down to 5.  The Rockies do not look like they are going away, so the Dodgers are going to need to win this race.  I am more than fine with that.  On a night that showcased another of those all RHH lineups against a very good LHSP, the players came through when they needed to.  The team scored 7 runs with only one solo HR, so…

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What Happens After Corey Seager?

May 2, 2018

  What do the Dodgers do now? Personnel wise – NOTHING .  FAZ needs rely on what they have developed.  They have shortstops that can play at the ML level, although certainly not at the Corey Seager level.  Other than Francisco Lindor or Carlos Correa, there is no other comparable SS. There is absolutely no reason to make a trade for a rental like Manny Machado. But let’s be realistic….

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