MY RANDOM THOUGHTS ON – THE WINTER MEETINGS ARE OVER – NOW WHAT?

December 15, 2019

●Mercifully, the winter meetings are over. Lot’s of questions unanswered, but the main one for me is: Now what? As I wrote few weeks back, keep her steady as she goes. Also, remember, it was December 21, 2018, when the Dodgers surprised us with the Kyle Farmer trade. There’s lots of time between now and the start of spring training. ● It looks like Pedro Moura, of the Athletic, was…

Read More >>

I Refuse To Yield To No Team

December 11, 2019

All off-season I have hoped the Dodgers would go BOLD.  Of course I was disappointed.  I thought this would be the year.  But unlike some here, I am not about to concede the WS to NYY (or LAA) this year or any time in the future.  NYY CBT is already at $245,341,667 with holes still to fill.  $2.5MM more in spending and they exceed the top penalty.  The tax is…

Read More >>

What Minor Leaguers Will We See in 2020?

December 8, 2019

Last year, the Dodgers had Nine (count ’em, 9) rookies on the roster in total. I did a hurried comparison and I think only San Francisco had as many rookies as the Dodgers. I could be wrong … feel free to do the research and get back to me. But the point is: The Farm System is productive and still a TOP 3 system. In fact, if the Dodgers just…

Read More >>

Dodger Ownership Playing Semantics?

November 27, 2019

Bill Veeck, Charlie Finley, George Steinbrenner were examples of owners that were bigger than life and wanted nothing more than to win (and put on a show). Walter O’Malley was cut from the same cloth. Peter was more of a pragmatic businessman who knew he could not spend to stay in the game, and got out. None of those early owners would let MLB tell them how to spend their…

Read More >>

What Can the Dodgers Expect From Their Existing Bullpen?

November 23, 2019

If in response to the above question, you said “Not Much!” I will say you may or may not be right. See, indecision may or may not be part of my problem, and no one knows what a bullpen guy will do from year-to-year, but I will say that you cannot look at the past and predict what a bullpen pitcher will do in the future. You can guess… even…

Read More >>

AC’s Random Thoughts

November 21, 2019

BRAVES AND THE PEN: Braves have now signed 3 pitchers who will serve as late inning high leverage relievers. On Monday they signed Chris Martin to a two year $14MM contract after signing Will Smith to a three year $40MM deal. Earlier this month, they signed Darren O’Day to a one year $2.25MM contract. They also have Mark Melancon in the final year of his four year $62MM contract. Thus…

Read More >>

Cooler Heads Will Prevail

November 17, 2019

Of course, I would like for the Dodgers to sign Anthony Rendon, Gerrit Cole, and Stephen Strasburg while trading for a bonified closer and a set-up man. .. and while I am at it, I want to look like Brad Pitt and be as smart as Jeff Bezos. Oh, and I want Bezos’ money too. The odds of all that happening for the Dodgers is about as likely I look…

Read More >>

Let The Games Begin

November 16, 2019

Well the first domino fell on Thursday when Atlanta signed LHRP Will Smith for 3 years and $40MM.  It is a little less than Craig Kimbrel $$$, but not much.  The Braves are in a position to sign multiple FA and still be well south of the CBT threshold.  I expect them to make a run at MadBum and Yasmani Grandal, and maybe Josh Donaldson.  Some prognosticators have suggested with…

Read More >>

Dodgers 2019 Organizational All-Stars – MiLB

November 13, 2019

Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players — regardless of age or prospect status — who had the best seasons in their organization. This is the list from MiLB – posted November 11 – with a brief review by Dodgers Director of Player Development Will Rhymes. Catcher — Connor Wong, Rancho Cucamonga (71 games), Tulsa (40 games): After a spotty April, Wong finished…

Read More >>

Who Would You Rather Have… And Why?

November 11, 2019

Enjoying a Veterans Day weekend in Atascadero, CA celebrating my youngest grand daughter’s first birthday.  Frankly, my thoughts are filled with her and not so much Dodger baseball.  Trade proposals have been flying around this blog with renewed fervor over the past few weeks. I admit those discussions have a certain excitement to them, much like anticipating that new toy you want for Christmas, all the while knowing that most…

Read More >>