Change Is Coming

Change is coming, bank on it. Change in baseball is inevitable. There will be tweaks to the rules, from the looks of things, a lot of player movement, and somewhere down the road, expansion and maybe a team or two moving to a new city. 

     Rosters change every year. Just how much in today’s game depends on the number of free agents a team might have, prospects ready to crack the major league roster, and what kind of holes the team feels it needs to address. 

         The Dodgers at this point need some experienced starting pitchers. Right now you have four kids penciled in the starting rotation. Miller, Sheehan, Pepiot, and Grove. The only vet is Buehler. And just how effective he is going to be is a huge question. 

       There are two main ways to fix this. A. Free agents, and there are a bunch. B. Trades, and there can be a lot of options. But with so many teams looking for pitching, especially this year, your free agent options are likely to disappear while you are considering them. 

      Add to that a couple of very interesting Japanese imports, well, you can see that bidding this year is going to be exceptionally spirited. 

      The Dodgers have several talented kids in the minors, Frasso, Stone, they also have the shadow of Kershaw hanging over their heads. We all know Kersh had surgery but still wants to pitch next year. Will it be for the Dodgers or somebody else. That decision is up to Kershaw. 

     The Dodgers have left the door ajar for a return, but it would not be until mid-season at the earliest. We also know that neither May nor Gonsolin will be back next season. 

      I have to believe the path of least resistance is a trade and maybe signing one experienced starter from the free-agent pool. 

       The rotation at this point is RH-heavy. So they need a LH starter. Montgomery would be a great choice, but his agent is Boras, so I am scratching him off of the list. 

       Eduardo Rodriguez, who turned down a trade to the Dodgers at the deadline, is now a free agent and he says there are no geological barriers to keep him from signing with any team. 

      AF likes this guy, he is only 30, and I could see AF giving him a four-year deal. His last contract called for 49 million over the last three seasons of the deal. 

     I am also thinking his agents are going to be talking 5-6 years at close to or more than the Tigers were paying him. 20 million a year? Not sure Andrew is willing to pay that. 

     Snell is also a Boras client, and a 5 inning pitcher at that. He has had exactly 2 good seasons in his 8 years in the majors. He walks too many and is inconsistent. Hard pass. 

     AF loves reclamation projects and there are several on the board. Both hitters and pitchers. Giolito, Flaherty, are prime members of the we need some help group. And there are several veteran arms out there who could help most any team. 

     The rumor is that AF covets Teoscar Hernandez as a corner outfielder. I hope it isn’t true. Hernandez has decent power, but he whiffs way too often. 211 K’s this past year. That is 58 more than Muncy with less power. 

     Most fans want upgrades at SS and 3rd base. Lux is going to be the SS until he proves he cannot handle the job, only then will they consider a trade. They showed that last season when they did not re-sign Turner. 

    The only way I see that changing at all is if they had a trade with the Brewers for Burnes, and they had to take Adames as part of the deal. And if Milwaukee insisted on Wisconsin native, Lux as part of the trade. Otherwise, the Dodgers could keep Lux and his speed and move him to second. 

     The fans obvious choice for third is Arenado. Some problems, his huge remaining contract, diminished production as he gets to his mid-30’s, and the Cardinals having a desire to move him, which at this point they do not. 

    Next choice that I have seen mentioned a lot, Matt Chapman. Solid defender, definitely brings something to the dance there. .240 hitter, some good power. Only 30 years old, so he can probably get 6 years at least. Biggest roadblock to his signing with LA? His agent, Scott Boras.

    Many fans do not like the Dodgers in house rookie solutions to 3rd. Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch. Busch has more power, is older and also can play first and has logged a little time in the outfield.

    Fans were not impressed with Vargas’s debut this year. He hit .195 in 256 at bats. He did hit 7 homers and had 15 doubles and 4 triples. He struck out about 20 percent of the time, 61 in 256 AB’s. But in his defense, GM Brandon Gomes put the blame squarely on the broken hand he suffered in spring training. 

     I tend to agree with that. I do not think his showing is indicative of the player he could be. He has hit at every level. I will give him the benefit of the doubt in this. But I also think he is not a great defender at any position. He is going to have to produce offensively at a high level. 

    Busch is also an average defender. But I also believe with regular playing time, he will become more like a Matt Beatty type than a superstar. 

    I am not in the habit of making predictions, but I feel pretty safe in saying the Dodgers will definitely kick the tires on guys like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Imanaga, Giolito, Flaherty and Rodriguez for the staff and the DH. But they will most likely sign Heyward back. He and the team have a desire for him to come back. 

    They will keep their options open on Kersh and most likely JD Martinez. There will be some surprise signings too. I expect they will make offers to Brasier and Miller. But relievers are easy to find. Outside shot, they bring back Kike, and fan favorite, JT. Forget about Bellinger and Joc. Those ships have sailed into the sunset.