CBT Threshold or De facto Salary Cap

January 27, 2021

There has been a lot of chatter about the cool reception the current group of FA’s are receiving.  DJLM got $90MM, but he is going to be spreading that over 6 years for a team favorable AAV.  George Springer turned a small bidding war between the two teams that figured to spend (Mets and Jays) into a Toronto overspend of 5 years $150MM.  That was about $25MM more than the…

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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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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 Status of the 2021 Free Agent Player

January 8, 2021

Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Carlos Carrasco, and the BIG MARKET name, Francisco Lindor.  These four have a chance to be top tier in 2021, with Lindor in the elite class.  And they have all changed teams this offseason.  The first two names have moved the Padres into a top three NL and top four MLB team, while the second two names have moved the NYM to a significant NL East…

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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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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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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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Agony and Anticipation

December 7, 2020

Agony and anticipation. That is what the winter meetings have always felt like for me. I am pretty sure many others feel the same. It has been more that way since the advent of free agency. Back in the day when players got no more than a one year deal and were tied to their teams by the reserve clause. For you youngins, that means that the team that signed…

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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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