February 18th: Pitchers & Catchers Report

February 10, 2021

I do think it is plain dumb and very short-sighted not to have the DH in the NL. MLP and the Players Association have until Opening Day to change that. I doubt there will be fans allowed into Spring Training, but I don’t know that for sure. The thing is: you never know what you might see at Camelback Ranch… sometimes an old lefthander might be playing catch…

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And Yet Another Trevor Bauer Post

February 7, 2021

Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday.  I am a much bigger fan of college football, and since my Packers are out of it, the lure of the Super Bowl does not hold a huge interest for me.  I will undoubtedly watch the game, and I have a lot of family in KC so I will have some allegiance to them.  I am not against Tom Brady as much as many I…

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Has San Diego Caught The Dodgers?

January 25, 2021

There has been a lot of talk by MLB fans in general how the Padres may have caught the Dodgers.  On the East coast, most in NY and Atlanta believe they have better 26-man rosters.  Dodger fans of course take offense at such a charge.  None of the four teams are finished completing their rosters, but I thought I would take a more in depth look at a Dodgers/Padres comp,…

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2021-2025 Payroll Projections (In Progress For Friday)

January 22, 2021

In a November 15, 2015 article authored by Matthew Moreno at dodgerblue.com, Andrew Friedman and Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten maintained that the extravagant spending for the Dodgers would not continue, and that the 2016 season would provide a small opportunity to make progress toward balancing the scale. According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly recently echoed a similar sentiment, going so far as to…

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The Pen: Better or Worse?

January 20, 2021

A little premature to know if AF is finished yet, but the Dodger bullpen has already been overhauled some. Knebel, Cleavenger, Kahnle, the new kids on the block. Kahnle will not pitch this season, and Cleavenger has never pitched above AA. Wood and Baez have gone to SF and Houston respectively, and McGee so far has not been signed anywhere. And the roster sits at 40. There are all sorts…

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The Case for Standing Pat

December 31, 2020

Sign DJ LeMahieu? That would cost the Dodgers a draft pick. Remember when, after losing Mark Teixeira to free agency and the Yankees, the Angels were awarded the 25th pick of the draft as compensation. And who did they use that pick on? None other than Mike Trout. Or look at it another way: Signing Mark Teixeira cost the Yankees Mike Trout.

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Sign Free Agents or Trade

December 30, 2020

There is always the debate as to whether prospects are meant to be held onto so as to build from within, or should they be used as prospect capital to acquire existing MLB stars.  Of course, these trades need to be made at the peak of the prospect trade value in order to maximize the return.  The Dodgers have had a perennial top 10 farm club since AF signed on…

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Great Lakes Loons – Dodgers High A Affiliate

December 15, 2020

Can you hear me now? Breathing, that is. When I first read J.P. Hoornstra’s breaking news that the Loons would no longer be a Dodger affiliate, I didn’t stop breathing but held my breath which is just as uncomfortable. J.P. likes to be out front on things – as we all do – and sometimes does just that. I wasn’t sure but felt it might be fake news after checking…

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The Marketing of Players

November 29, 2020

This is the time of year when we hear that teams will be listening on potential trades for Player A.  However, most of the time those proclamations are simply rhetorical.  The Brewers have said they are willing to listen to offers for Josh Hader.  The Rays will be listening on offers for Blake Snell.  The Reds will be listening on offers for Sonny Gray.  The Cubs are listening on offers…

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5 Out of 4 People Struggle With Math

November 28, 2020

There is still a lot of chatter that the Dodgers want Nolan Arenado, Francisco Lindor, or Trevor Bauer. I am of the opinion that at the start of the 2021 season, none of those players will be with the Dodgers. If the Dodgers were to trade for Lindor or Arenado, they would have to trade some pretty good prospects (actually… really, really good prospects) in order to get either one….

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