I have always wondered about the predictability of having a closer and why teams have simply gone in the direction of having a 9th inning man, no matter what the situation was. If you really think about it, throwing that “stopper” out there for the final three outs night after night is probably not the best managerial strategy. It may be for teams with limited bullpen resources, but not with…
My apologies to the Wizard of Oz line, but it seems appropriate for me at this time. Please indulge me with a tribute to one of my all-time favorite Dodgers, Alex Wood. I do not know why I grew an attachment to Alex Wood. He has been someone I have followed since his rookie year, wishing that he could somehow find his way to the Dodgers. That was kind of…
Well we are now in December, less than one week away from the Winter Meeting, and the Dodgers have Kevin Quackenbush and Adam McCreery. So, I guess the Dodgers are all set. Andrew & Co. addressed the bullpen, what else can anyone else want? I have been scouring the internet to catch word that the Dodgers pulled off a trade for JT Realmuto or Corey Kluber. Or if Andrew…
I hope you all bear with me. I would like to somewhat continue the FAZ discussion from yesterday. And then to give one last autopsy report on the 2018 WS. As Mark indicated, FAZ took over a team that had a payroll in excess of $250MM. One would think that a team with that payroll would be loaded. However when they arrived on the scene, the team had only 3…
There have been a lot of speculative discussions on a potential trade for Baltimore SS Manny Machado. Bumsrap referred to a May 4, 2018 article from an Orioles fan’s point of view. If I am going to trade for a rental, it can only include players that are replaceable by others in the organization. Alex Verdugo, Mitchell White, and Jeren Kendall are all replaceable, but not Gavin Lux. If the Orioles…
It was actually an encouraging game for the Dodgers as a team. CT3 got on base on 4 of his plate appearances. Plus he actually got a stolen base. Puig had a 3 hit night. The Dodgers actually got a sac fly. After the third inning they stopped chasing Corbin’s slider and worked him to where he was gone after 5. Baez is proving to be a good low leverage…
What’s happening to this year’s crop of free agents? This is December 27, and out of the top 50 MLB TradeRumors free agent predictions, only 19 have signed new contracts, and one decided not to opt out (Masahiro Tanaka). Of the 30 unsigned players, none of the top 11 have signed new contracts (excluding Tanaka not opting out), and 15 of the top 20 are still unsigned. Of the…
If the Dodgers do nothing, this is what I would expect come Spring Training. 1B – Bellinger 2B – Forsythe 3B – JT SS – Seager LF – Kike’ and Joc/Toles CF – Taylor RF – Puig C – Barnes Rotation: Kershaw, Hill, Wood, Maeda, Ryu Bullpen: Jansen, Baez, Fields, Garcia, Koehler, Stripling, Avilan, Cingrani Bench: Grandal, 2 of Kike’/Joc/Toles, and Locastro Grandal and JT can relieve Bellinger…
Well this has been some Hot Stove League for the Dodgers thus far, right? The Winter Meetings went just about as most expected…the current 40 man roster is the same as before the meetings started. I don’t count Koehler because he was post Winter Meetings, and the signing is still pending physical. I never thought Stanton was an option, but it was fun to fantasize. My only disappointment is that…
I find myself in somewhat of a dilemma. I never believed the Dodgers would spring for Stanton. That is not what they do. It is not who they are. But yet I was getting excited about the chance of the ONE true game changer available this year becoming a Dodger. I was convinced that the Dodgers only entered into the discussion to get Stanton to say no to the Giants. I…