A Transition Year!
That is what Andrew Friedman told us at the beginning of the season, and I (for one) believe it. This is a “transition” year. Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, Julio Urias, David Peralta, Jake Marisnick, Max Muncy, Jason Heyward, and JD Martinez are all on one-year deals…
That is what Andrew Friedman told us at the beginning of the season, and I (for one) believe it. This is a “transition” year. Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, Julio Urias, David Peralta, Jake Marisnick, Max Muncy, Jason Heyward, and JD Martinez are all on one-year deals, meaning that the Dodgers have the ability to move on from each of them next year… if they want! The Dodgers have a half dozen other players who are only signed for this season, including Hernandez, Bickford, Vesia, Brasier, Almonte, and others, who are controllable, but there is no obligation for the Dodgers to sign them. Therefore, if you think Friedman is going to make a plethora of trades right about now, you are either not paying attention, or you are out of your rabbit-ass mind!
The Dodgers are engaging in a youth movement – they need to get younger, and they will. A lot of Dodger fans are convinced that Michael Busch is just trade bait (and I am not saying he won’t be traded in the right deal), but he is a gifted hitter, and the Dodgers could use him. If he could be used to bring a Nolan Aernado back, then so be it, but he will not be traded just to be traded! The “passing of the torch” can be painful at times. By season’s end, the Dodgers will have utilized 11 or 12 rookies on the MLB roster this year.
The fact that the Dodgers have the second-best record in the NL is amazing, and they just beat the team that has the best record in the AL, the Baltimore Orioles, in two out of three games this week! Of course, predictably, some Dodgers fans bitch that the Dodgers should have swept them! Yes, and Chickens should have lips too!
I would not be surprised if the Dodgers “stand down” at the trade deadline! This is a young man’s game. The farm system is loaded, and the Dodgers are evolving!
Are You a Moron?
It is disappointing that some people are so thin-skinned. Some have left this site so that they can go to other places and sing Kumbuyah. They do passive-aggressive “drive-by shootings” here and then cannot take the response they get from me. All I ask is that you have a take and do not suck! “Oh, my little feelings were hurt because you called me a “moron” and you should know that morons do not like to be called morons.” Bye!
A guy I respect but who does not always agree with me is Duke Not Snider. We disagree frequently, and I give it to him, and he gives it back to me. If you have thin skin, then don’t post here! He can take it – so can I – and we both dish it out. Now, I will not insult your mother or family, but if you say something moronic, then you might get called a moron. Get over it! I call myself a moron all the time. Duke called me one, too. I resemble that statement!
People who have left this site take themselves too seriously, and their skin is too thin. Now, there is a line that you can cross, and it becomes mean. It’s hard to describe it, but I know it when I see it. If you don’t like it, there are other places you can go, but none are as famous as LADT. I’m glad you are here!
Dodger News and Notes
- Ryan Pepiot threw 48 pitches last night. Oscar Mercado (yes, that Oscar) got him for two home runs, but otherwise, he is on track to get to LA by August 1st or so.
- Miguel Vargas watch: .304 BA/.962 OPS. Yes, he can hit in AAA!
- Diego Cartaya was 2-5 last night with his 12th HR.
- Rickey Vanasco pitched one inning for Tulsa last night and struck out the side while allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks. It was only his 4th game for the Drillers.
- Ronan Kopp started for Great Lakes and pitched three innings of no-hit ball. He walked two and struck out 4. For some reason, I see Andrew Miller!
- Rancho Cucamonga lost 18-0 last night – never speak of this again!
- Jim Bowden showed why he is no longer a GM by suggesting the Dodgers trade for Anderson, Graveman, and Giolito. Bowden is a standup comedian. Rojas is better than Anderson, and the Dodgers have several Gravemans. Giolito is a #5, and the Dodgers have those out the wazzoo! Come on, man!
- All of the Dodgers TopFour Farm Teams are WAY over .500!
R.I.P. Tony Bennett
Just a year ago:
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Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
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Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (152)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Well at least this moron knows that the Baltimore Orioles don’t have the best record in baseball! And yes, we should have swept them! Thanks Julio! And Michael Busch will not be a Dodger come August 2nd. From chicken lips!
RC is 49-38 d espite that massacre last night.
Tranistion year, Yes. For sure. But nice that the Dodgers are still leading the West and with a shot at a WS title, yet IMHO an outside shot if they do not improve at the deadline.
Speaking of: Youth movement is fine with me but we probably have too many youngsters to keep them all. Better to part with some of them bringing in help at the trade deadline.
If I would be in charge I do not trade Vargas, Cartaya, Bobby Miller, Sheehan, Bruns, dePaula, Frasso, Joelton Vargas, Rushing.
Guys like Busch, Nastrini,Pepiot, Grove, Pages, Hurt, Rivers, Ramos, Vivas, Mann, Leonhard should garner some interest in the right package or two.
Everybody else on the farm I would make available in the right deal.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark you’re right about Tim Anderson, I was dead wrong! I believe with Arenado at 3rd, Rojas at shortstop, Mookie at s second, Freddy at 1st the dodgers would have a top 3 defensive infield! If Chris Taylor is healthy he can spell the infield and not miss a beat! Would be nice to see Vargas back up and hitting the ball. I might put him in left field and leave him there. Bullpen is coming around nicely, but I still believe we need another starter. Tough series this weekend, be nice to take 2 out of 3, but don’t get swept, giants and diamond backs are not going anywhere!
During Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, Elly De Le Cruz launched a 99.8 mph throw to home plate to put an end to any hope Giants infielder Wilmer Flores had of scoring a run.
Tony Bennett remembered as ‘one of the greats’ after he dies at 96
The singer passed away in his hometown of New York
I was lucky enough to see him perform one of the last concerts at Shea Stadium with Billy Joel with 50,000 people. RIP Tony!!!
Don’t always agree with Duke (esp. about the political stuff), but he’s a good sport, has good baseball takes, and dishes it back to Mark. Though there’s a possibility an actual Mormon might take offense, I find Duke’s description of Mark’s diatribes as the “Book of Moron” to be pretty hysterical.
Yes, Badger and Bumsrap hang out of Jeff’s site and frequently make comments about “other sites” being “intolerant” …. yada yada. It’s tedious and immature.
Ran into our old friend Scott Andes over on Jeff’s site not too long ago. He’s still his unhinged self. I think he really misses having someone to talk to. It’s pretty empty over at ladodgerreport.com
Hey Scott! I thought of new way for you to monetize your site. Ya know, the government needs a place to hide all of it’s secrets from the Russians and the Chinese. Just have them post them all to your site. No one will ever see them. LOL.
Mark, thanks for the Tony Bennett video. He still had the great voice at 95.
Thursday scores
El Paso 12, Oklahoma City 6
Tulsa 8, NW Arkansas 2
Great Lakes 3, Lansing 1
Lake Elsinore 18, Rancho Cucamonga 0
Friday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Maddux Bruns) at Lansing (Mitch Myers)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Noah Syndergaard) vs. El Paso (Ryan Weathers)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Nick Frasso) at NW Arkansas (Chandler Champlain)
7:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Peter Heubeck) at Lake Elsinore (Henry Williams)
This is another excellent piece, Mark. I agree with everything about it. Fans keep pointing to the holes in the rotation; well, we have the core of a homegrown power starting five forming as we speak.
Miller looks untouchable and if we roll into next season with him as our #2 or #3 nobody should be surprised.
Sheehan has promise. I think we’d be pleased to see him in the rotation next year getting 25 starts.
Grove I like. He’s far from perfect but everything is there. Just needs a chance to go out there every five days.
Later this year we could see Knack get a shot. Next on the list are high-end guys like Nastrini, Frasso & Ryan. Hurt probably profiles as a reliever but he’s been stretched out too.
I think what Mark is hinting at is don’t view these guys as trade chips. View them as the future of the franchise. Will we cash in one or two in exchange for a veteran starter? Probably. I could live with Knack for Montgomery, for example.
Postseason shots are what this sport’s all about. Any move we make has to be with that in mind. Getting a guy you want to throw against ATL.
Define plethora. No, AF probably won’t make a Plethora of trades, but then again what GM not named AJ Preller does so? He will make one or two trades to better the margins of the roster, or he might go big and get a SP, but a plethora of trades probably not and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make such a bold and prophetic statement.
Transition?
Yes, lots of one year contracts, nothing unusual about that, flexibility and all. Yes, there is some movement toward youth. Some will step up, some won’t. The Dodgers and Dave Roberts do like their veterans. Heyward, Peralta and Martinez have all been major contributors.
I would want to keep Busch. He can hit. Next time up will be better for Vargas.
I still see the Dodgers pursuing pitching at the trade deadline. Giolito would make some sense. Won’t cost a lot. So they will make some deals, depending on prospect cost. You can’t keep everyone.
Most of the Dodger writers and baseball pundits believe the Dodgers will make a big play for Ohtani this winter. They are primed to make that deal. They will still seek bargains for one year deals in ’24.
If they sign Ohtani, they move away from Urias, who just hasn’t been very good. Even without Ohtani, I’m guessing Julio won’t be back. But Walker Buehler will return to top form. This might be the year that Clayton retires. Or not.
It will be interesting to see what they do with Muncy. So yes, this may well be a winter of transition. Some good young pitchers in the system and a couple of hitters who can make the jump.
Has there be any news how the operation of Dustin May on Monday went ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Drinking a Dr Pepper for the first time in years the other night (not bad), I couldn’t help but hum this tune:
I’m a moron
You’se a moron
He’s a moron
She’s a moron
We’s some morons
Wouldn’t you like to be a moron too?!?!?!
The amputa–I mean operation went fine. (Actually, I have no idea, but we won’t be seeing Dustin pitch for at least a year.) ….
I expect the much-maligned Max Muncy to be back in 2024, with the club exercising its $10 million option.
I also expect that Max will win back some of his critics. It puzzles me why so many fans have such little patience for a guy who has been so productive for the Dodgers over the past six seasons,, with multiple 35-HR seasons and two all-star selections while gamely covering three positions…..
Has Michael Busch turned 26 yet? He is not old, but he is not young for a prospect.
His best hope with the Dodgers is for a couple of key starters to get banged up and create an opportunity. He is blocked at every position he plays and the Dodger brass clearly hold Miguel Vargas in higher regard, despite his struggle–so Vargas is blocking Busch too. For all we know, Devin Mann might be better than Busch, if he’s given the chance to hit major league pitching. Coming up behind Busch are guys like Jorbit Vivas, Eddys Leonard and Austin Gauthier. It’s a squeeze play.
For Busch, I think it’s “play me or trade me” time. He may well thrive in Chicago or Denver or Anaheim or some other city that has a player who’d look good in Dodger blue.
Hell, if I was Busch, I’d be hoping for trade. His old OKC teammate Jamaih Jones opted out of the Dodgers organization–and landed a major league gig with the Brewers.
Looks like Dodgers will sign all the picks except for Jelkin and the QB. I haven’t heard one way or the other on Luke Fox, who I think was going to be a tough sign.
Google news reported that the Dodgers are not out of the Ohtani talks. Maybe someone in the Angel FO told Moreno, he could get a haul from LA for his star rather than just lose him and get nothing but a draft pick when he walks after the season.
Once again, no way will Ohtani be a Dodger. Dodgers should not make any deals, unless Arenado is brought in. The young pitchers are loaded with talent. The rotation could be set for several years. Dustin May….possible closer? I like the idea.
Atlanta is going to be tough to beat. Are they the best organization in baseball? Right up there.
2 out of 3 against the Rangers would be nice. Rest In Peace, Tony Bennett …one of the greatest crooners. Every time I hear “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, I flash on the 1962 play off loss to the F-ing Giants. Still hurts.
Roberts must have been reading LADT…
Muncy dropped to 6th in the lineup, behind JDM at cleanup and Taylor at 5th. Also, Mookie is back in RF with Yonny getting the start at 2B. DeLuca in CF and batting 7th in place of Outman.
Loaded up with righthanded bats to face Heaney. (Yonny is a switch hitter.) Freddie and Max only lefty
bats in the lineup
8:05 PM ET
Dodgers (55-40)
Rangers (58-39)
SPTony Gonsolin R
5-3 3.72 ERA
SP Andrew Heaney L
6-6 4.43 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Martinez R
LF Chris Taylor R
3B Max Muncy L
CF Jonny DeLuca R
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B Y. Hernandez S
In Domed Stadium
Next year like to see Matt Chapman in Dodger Blue Amed Rosorio as shortstop in dodger blue and Lux back at second base in dodger blue. Mookie goes back to right field and in free agency we get a left fielder or center fielder and that will determine where James outman plays in 2024 if he is the Leftfielder or centerfielder. Urias will be gone Kershaw will retire or go to the Rangers and we will have buehler Miller and Sheehan as are straters so there going to have to either trade for starters or sign free agents because down on the farm I don’t see anyone that could come up and be like wow look at this kid.
Total bonus pool: $7,274,600
MLB rank: 24
All Dodgers Draft signings
CB-A (36): Kendall George, OF, Atascocita HS
Pick value: $2,362,700
Signing bonus: $1,847,500
2 (60): Jake Gelof, 3B, Virginia
Pick value: $1,336,900
Signing bonus: $1,334,400
3 (95): Brady Smith, RHP, Grainger HS
Pick value: $705,500
Signing bonus: $703,000
4 (127): Wyatt Crowell, LHP, Florida State
Pick value: $516,800
Signing bonus: $647,500
4C (136): Dylan Campbell, OF, Texas
Pick value: $473,700
Has not yet agreed to terms
4C (137): Eriq Swan, RHP, Middle Tenessee State
Pick value: $469,000
Signing bonus: $466,500
5 (163): Joe Vetrano, 1B, Boston College
Pick value: $364,400
Signing bonus: $397,500
6 (190): Bryan Gonzalez, SS, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy
Pick value: $290,100
Signing bonus: $397,500
7 (220): Patrick Copen, RHP, Marshall
Pick value: $228,000
Signing bonus: $225,500
8 (250): Jaron Elkins, OF, Goodpasture Christian School
Pick value: $189,300
Signing bonus: $407,500
9 (280): Ryan Brown, RHP, Ball State
Pick value: $173,600
Signing bonus: $171,100
10 (310): Sam Mongelli, SS, Sacred Heart University
Pick value: $164,600
Signing bonus: $47,500
11 (340): Carson Hobbs, RHP, Samford University
Signing bonus: $150,000
12 (370): Noah Ruen, RHP, Tyler JC
Signing bonus: $247,500
13 (400): Alex Makarewich, RHP, Northwestern State
Signing bonus: $150,000
14 (430): Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, South Mountain CC
Has not yet agreed to terms
15 (460): Jordan Thompson, SS, LSU
Signing bonus: $197,500
16 (490): Javen Coleman, LHP, LSU
Has not yet agreed to terms
17 (520): Luke Fox, LHP, Duke
Has not yet agreed to terms
18 (550): Sterling Patick, LHP, South Hills High School (CA)
Signing bonus: $347,500
19 (580): Spencer Green, RHP, Richland High School (WA)
Signing bonus: $150,000
20 (610): D.J. Uiagalelei, TWP, Oregon State
Has not yet agreed to terms
Enough with the Rosario talk. The guy is not an upgrade. If they want a SS, I can think of several better options than that guy.
OK, want to go “all-in” this year? Here we go:
The Dodgers send James Outman, Michael Busch, Jonny DeLuca, Max muncy, and Nick Frasso to the Angels for…
Shohei Ohtani
Anthony Rendon
Mike Trout
It’s not much of a haul for the Angels, but they get out from under three big contracts!
Think about it!
Lineup:
1. Betts 2B
2. Freeman 1B
3. Trout CF
4. Ohtani DH
5. Martinez/Peralta LF
6. Smith C
7. Heywood RF
8. Rendon 3B
9. Rojas SS
Betts plays RF when a LHP is throwing and Vargas plays 2B.
The Dodgers average 93 runs a game!
Everyone talks and thinks that the Dodgers could get Ohtani and/or other good pitchers, only to end up getting someone like Kenta Maeda! Someone totally off the radar, cheap, who could help get the innings loaded … And it would make sense, since most believe the Dodgers DO NOT NEED TO MAKE ANY TRADE.
He never ever learned to read or write so well
But he roams centerfield like he was ringing a bell….
Go Jonny go go
Mr DeLuca