I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster. Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising players that they don’t have to protect. If they don’t, they will lose some through the rule 5 draft or have to DFA them.”…
It is August, and the annual let’s get crazy season has started. It never fails this time of year. Fans begin to lose their collective minds. Why? Well, I really have no clue. I just sit back and watch. What amazes me most is that fans who have followed the team and the game for years really have no idea how the roster is set up or how it is…
With the playoffs a full month and a half away (48 games), it’s a bit of a reach to try to predict what a potential playoff bullpen will look like. We’ll know a lot more once we’re closer to the finish line, but from the looks of things, September will be a tryout for October. Even more so with pitchers than position players. To make matters worse, or better, depending…
Actually, it’s past time. I am so done with Craig Kimbrel! Three letters: DFA! It’s over, done; stick a fork in him! So, who’s the closer? Let’s run down the list: Evan Phillips – Tell me he can’t. He has the stuff, and while he has never done it, he looks cold-blooded and calm in these situations. I think he can do it, but can the Dodgers depend upon him…
Behind 6-0, the Dodgers come back to win! That in and of itself was amazing, but the sub-stories are what it is all about. No pitcher has ever entered the All-Star Break undefeated and with an ERA under 2.00. Tony Gonsolin is still perfect… thanks to the Dodger’s comeback, but his ERA is now 2.02! He coughed up a hairball, but did not get tagged with a loss. Behind 6…
A couple of weeks ago, I made the short trek from Indianapolis to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to see the Great Lakes Loons play the Ft. Wayne Tin Caps. I have to say that the Loons front office was simply amazing. Chris Mundhenk (President and GM) and Brad Tunney (Announcer and Director of Communications) started by accomodating my request and making it all happen! Ben Schulman and John Nolan of the…
Squat, Zilch, Nada. For guys like Tomas Tellis, Andy Burns, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, and Stefan Romero, this is like a playoff game. They know that they have no chance… but who knows – it feels like it might (this is their thinking), so they are all in. In reality, they are “organizational depth.” They will be parked at AAA, just in case of a disaster. These are “salt of…
There is no denying that Freddie Freeman is one of the best players in baseball. He is a stone-cold hitter and would really help the Dodgers, this year… but at what cost? Freddie Freeman will be 33 this season. Do you really want him blocking 22-year-old Miguel Vargas who really could be ready later this year, but who really needs to play 1B in the majors? The Dodgers have put…
Now that the WS is over, the MLB calendar is set (maybe). Maybe because we have no idea what will become of the CBA after the current CBA expires on 12-1. Tentatively, the MLB dates: November 3 – 160 players were declared Free Agents. The Dodgers have 11. November 3 – 7 – Free agents can only negotiate with their most recent team. November 7 – Options must be exercised….
I know some of you are saying, “Please not another Dave Roberts post” I understand. But if you have ideas, write a post and get it to Mark and he will gladly post it. I was going to respond yesterday to Mark’s reference to Bill Shaiken’s article and some of the comments, but then as I usually do, I got long winded and decided to make it blog article. I…