The Case for Teoscar and Other Stuff

December 27, 2023

Teoscar Hernandez hit the jackpot last Winter, as the Seattle Mariners signed him for $14 MM. That was an absurd amount for a player who should be in a platoon. I can make a case that the Dodgers should sign Hernandez to platoon with Jason Heyward… but only at a much-reduced rate… perhaps about half of what he made in 2023. If the Dodgers could sign him to a contract…

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Can the MLB Owners and Players Come to an Agreement… Like Soon?

February 13, 2022

I keep hearing that “baseball purists” do not like some of these newfangled rules. Let me translate the term baseball “purist.” It means “grumpy old men who don’t like change and are adept at complaining when there is nothing to complain about except that change is what they hate… because of course, they do.” There is nothing as constant as change in human life. Nothing says the same. It always changes or it dies. The NFL and the NBA have changed quite a lot over the years. In the NFL, the rules have changed immensely over the years.

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LAD PROSPECTS – REAL OR HYPE

December 9, 2021

I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects.  Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does.  After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15).  Certainly not bad, but also not elite.  Just this week DodgerLover said the team needs to clear the deck for the next wave of prospect talent.  Is there…

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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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Dodgers and Top Prospects

August 22, 2020

As was discussed quite a bit earlier in the week, the Dodgers have a very prolific MiLB system even as far down the draft they have been picking from because of the continued success of the ML team.  That is true when also taking into consideration a few of the early draft pick busts they currently have.  2015: 1 – Walker Buehler – Starting rotation 1b – Kyle Funkhouser –…

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Do Deep Teams Have an Advantage in a Short Season

May 7, 2020

Much has been said and written about the Dodgers depth and how that makes them a very dangerous team.  I do not think that there is a question (at least not for me), that the premier builder of the 40 man roster is Andrew Friedman.  During his tenure, over the last five years in a 162 game season, the Dodgers have 485 wins, more than any other team in MLB. …

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Holding On To Prospects…Chess or Checkers?

January 18, 2020

One of the problems the Dodgers have of going “big game hunting” is that in order to get someone special, one needs to give up someone special.  More than most teams, the Dodgers are very reluctant to give up their top prospects.  Is it any surprise that teams are requiring Gavin Lux or Dustin May for an elite difference making pitcher (or Lindor or Mookie)? There is a big gap…

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Stealing From Theo…If Not Now, When?

January 4, 2020

It is time for a little Devil’s Advocacy.  I have been an unapologetic fan of Andrew Friedman and what he has accomplished, and just as critical as to what he has NOT accomplished.  I was critical when AF did not beat out the Astros offer for Gerrit Cole before the 2018 season.  The Astros traded a #5 SP in Joe Musgrove, a decent but unceremonious 3B, Colin Moran, a RHRP…

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Andrew Friedman and the LAD Top 30 Prospect Lists

August 3, 2019

This is AF’s 5th full year, and hopefully he will continue for several more years.  He is human so he is prone to making mistakes, but never has he made an error without a very good reason for making a change.  Most of us may not have understood the decisions, but they were always made to help the team.  And I recognize and appreciate that it was a rhetorical statement,…

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WE Fickle Fans

July 19, 2019

I have been working on about ten different ideas for what to write, and none of them came to a cohesive blog post. Maybe this one will not as well. There has been a lot of speculation as to who the Dodgers may trade for and who they may be required to include in a trade. It is a huge climb from AAA to MLB, and yet we are ready…

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