After the craziness of the past couple of days… we are moving on. I have my opinions, and I do not care if you agree or not. In fact, I put my opinions out there so that you can disagree. Disagree with them all you want, but if you have a take and do not suck, that is fine. If you want to misquote me or attribute things I did not say to me, or twist things, then we will have a problem. Dissent and disagreement are welcomed. That is the basis of Free Speech. I generally do not call people Morons, Idiots, or even Racists (for the record, I have never called anyone a racist). However, if you keep doing the same moronic things over and over, I am sure I will have something to say about it. Some changes have been made here at LADT:
- Evan Bladh is taking some personal time off – for personal reasons – he will be back;
- Bulldogs & Penguins is gone – he will not be back (I wish him well);
- Jeff Dominique needs some help at LA Dodger Chronicles after Harold Uhlman’s untimely death and Rob Schelling’s retirement, so Bear (Michael Norris) may be going to help him (I asked Jeff if that would help and presented it to Bear… although I keep threatening to retire. I think Bear wants to do it, but Bear also wants to try and continue to write here;
- That is all of our writers; and
- I am here… for now, although I keep threatening to retire!
It’s hard writing a blog for a year, let alone 20 years. I do it because I love the Dodgers and have acquired a lot of unique knowledge along the way. While I am fine with disagreement, I do not like antagonism, and I am a street fighter – I fight back. I don’t need that, and I will not tolerate that. Several people are gone, and while I wish them well, I am not going down that road. You don’t have to be a Dave Roberts fan, but you do have to have a modicum of intellect to post here. I do not tolerate fools very well. If you are looking at every comment for an opportunity to poke Dave Roberts or even Freddie Freeman. (After all, that bum makes an out almost 70% of the time.“) The fools are gone. Lets Ride!
Dodgers Spring Training 2023
Pitchers and Catchers First Workout – Thursday, February 16th.
Full Squad First Workout – Monday, February 20th.
I doubt that there will be any more trades by Andrew Friedman until well into Spring Training or later. Most of the writers who are closest to the team say that the Dodgers want to get under the Luxury Tax. I think that is likely what the plan is. MLBTR wrote this:
“New York is responsible for a $30.8MM tax bill, the second-largest tally in the majors, after paying the tax for the first time in franchise history. The Dodgers will foot the highest tax payment at $32.4MM, Blum writes. While Los Angeles’ $293.3MM CBT payroll trailed that of the Mets, the Dodgers were subject to higher penalties as a payor for a second consecutive season.
The Mets are sure to shatter their own record this coming season, as they’re currently projected for a tax number north of $368MM. The Dodgers have trimmed spending, reportedly in hopes of resetting their tax status this year in preparation for a more active offseason next winter. They’re narrowly above the lowest CBT threshold at the moment. Roster Resource forecasts the Dodgers at approximately $238MM, around $5MM north of this year’s $233MM base threshold.“
So, to discuss trades or free-agent signings is somewhat delusional. Let’s focus on reality… and reality is pretty good.
Despite drafting at the back of the pack, the Dodgers are actually Leaders of the Pack! The Dodger Farm System is about the best it has ever been, and like a fruit tree; it is ready to bear fruit. The Dodgers have ten players in their Farm System who could see action with the Dodgers THIS year:
- Bobby Miller – Some day (hopefully), the light will turn on, and he will be an Ace. When will that be? No clue! Not every potential Ace makes it, but he has four pitches and can hit 100+ MPH as easily as I can drink a cup of coffee. Closest comparison: Justin Verlander.
- Miguel Vargas – His time is now. He walks as much as he strikes out (that is rare) and is a guy who hits .300 with 25 HR (maybe not his first year) with great bat-to-ball skills. Closest comparison: John Olerud.
- Gavin Stone – I actually think he is more advanced than Bobby Miller, but Miller has a higher ceiling. Gavin can be an excellent #3. I think he is ready right about now. Closest comparison: Tim Lincecum.
- Mike Busch – He probably will not break with the team out of Spring Training, but he will be a factor in 2023. This guy may hit 40 HR some year. Closest comparison: Dan Uggla
- James Outman – While not a TOP 100 Prospect, he could advance above what is expected in 2023. He is fast, strong, and athletic, but he is not a smooth athlete, if that makes any sense. Closest comparison: Joc Pederson… with speed and not as fat.
- Ryan Pepiot – In limited time last season, he had a sub-4.00 ERA. Even Clayton Kershaw did not do that. Closest comparison: Mike Mussina.
- Dalton Rushing – This guy is otherworldly! While a slightly above-average catcher, he is an incredible hitter. He only played in Low-A last year, but his bat plays right about now at the MLB level. Closest comparison: Mike Piazza.
- Andy Pages – Andy has “light-tower power,” and while it is unlikely he will make the team in 2023, it could happen. He opened scouts’ eyes in the Arizona Fall League this year. He is likely a corner outfielder, depending on how devoted he is to his conditioning. Closest comparison: Marcel Ozuna
- Eddys Leanard – He is a poor man’s “Kike Hernandez.” He is a solid but not great defender and can play all over the field. Closest comparison: is Donovan Solano.
- Jorbit Vivas – The odds are long here, and if he makes it to the show, it is likely something tragic has happened. Closest comparison: Jody Reed.
NOTE: The “Closest Comparisons” are what I believe to be the player’s ceiling. I have been wrong frequently.
The thing is, the Dodgers under Andrew Friedman do not deal us in on any of their plans. That is very frustrating to fans… but it is also very smart. There is talk that Mookie Betts may play CF. We do not know if that is true. It’s also possible (but not likely, that Jason Heyward could be fixed and be an All-Star RF’er. This is going to be a very unusual Spring whereby just about every position (except C, DH., and 1B) is up for grabs, and the pitching is going to be amazing.
Someone was talking about trying to get Liam Hendriks (Godspeed for a speedy recovery) when the Dodgers have Evan Phillips, who is rated as the #4 reliever in baseball, as their closer, and Daniel Hudson in reserve. We don’t need any stinkin’ closer – we have one!
Discussion (40)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Yep, it’s a giant step from the minors to the show but that makes [t so exiting getting the chance seeing which rookies will meet the challenge with that ‘just give me the chance’ attitude. That’s what impressed me about Outman. His 1st up on the big stage was answered yardly (even though ‘yardly’ ain’t a word ) and that’s what refreshing is all about! Every player through their minor careers at least almost quit at times feeling their struggles won’t pay off so you can be certain that many greats have slipped through completely unsung. But the one’s that show us what opportunity really means is something I don’t want to miss because it’s what keeps my interest and confirms my loyalty to the team. It’s the Alpha-Beta to a sport.
Mark – I just want to say thanks for this “your” site. As I said before, I have learned more about Dodger ball, business and history on your site than the last 40 y ears combined. Thanks to all the rest of you positive writers. Luckily all the BS does not bother me. Reading about the Kids coming up and the trade ideas offsets it 10 to 1. A few years ago I visited my cousin in Fountain Hills and the Dodgers were visiting the Giants in Scottsdale spring training so I took him. We found it so bloody boring we left after the 6th inning. Had I had this site to read up on the kids who were playing we probably would have wanted extra innings. Chomping at the bit to get the year started.
Top ten players I’m excited about seeing this year:
1. Vargas–The next core piece
2. May–Welcome back, Big Nasty
3. Outman–Can he be a starter?
4. Busch–People are selling him short
5. Graterol–Time to level up
6. Pepiot–Give him a shot
7. Miller–Next big thing
8. Stone–1b to Miller’s 1a
9. Grove–I like his mechanics
10. Lux–Breakout candidate
Having been a Dodger fan for most of my 74 years, I can honestly say I have never seen such an extended period of excellent play and winning in all those years. 59-66 was nice because they won three World Series including the sweep of the Yanks in 63. They went to four. Losing to the Orioles in 66, which was Sandy’s last season and then struggling to even contend over the next several years was not an easy time. The 70’s and 80’s were better. And with all the ROY’s in the early 90’s, I thought they should have won at least one World Series. But it wasn’t to be. But new ownership erased the bad taste that the McCourt years had left in most fans mouths, I think we have come to expect too much and not really realize how hard it is to just get to the Series let along win it.
Personally I could use another championship. One with a parade before I go see the big dodger in the sky
This is the best time in history to be a Dodger fan.
OK, I am now reinstating the singing of Kumbayah.
I hope talking about this is not a bad thing, but most of it is a compliment and I hope he’s reading this. Bulldogs and I agreed on probably 99% of things that were about the Dodgers. Everyday that he posted about the Dodgers when I started my day reading everything here I was amazed at how much we agreed after reading his posts. Maybe I should have complimented him on that or maybe I did and I’m forgeting right now if I did. And by the way he is very good at getting his point accross and very articulate and good at writing posts, something I’m not good at and I will miss reading his posts.
But the 1% that we disagreed about we butted heads on it and eventually a personal attack or more came from him and then I countered and got resentful and said something here and there about his personal attacks. So I’m to blame too but the personal attacks came from him first (not to sound like a first grader).
And again I loved reading his posts everyday about the Dodgers and I was amazed at how much I agreed with him about the Dodgers. And by the way I agreed with him about Doc (nothing about race, I didn’t want to get caught in that discussion and I don’t want to now). I just think Doc is given more credit than he deserves and he doesn’t suck as a manager either.
So I hope Bulldogs is reading this, especially the good things I said about you and I’m sorry about the conflicts we had over 1% of things and I’m to blame too and maybe I didn’t use the right wording on some things when talking about things about the Dodgers and it was easy to misinterprate what I was trying to say and I wish you well.
SO, I RUINED THIS WEBSITE?
Did I?
Sources: #Dodgers are hiring Chris Woodward as a special assistant in the front office
Woodward was LAD’s 3B coach from 2016-2018 before spending last four years as Texas Rangers manager. Among his new responsibilities, he’ll do some roving instructional work throughout the org
The Dodgers have 8 TV broadcasters already, why in the world do they need another>>????? I do not see Orel’s name on the list. Perhaps he is gone??? We can only hope. Nelson is of Japanese American descent. He becomes the only person of Asian descent broadcasting in the MLB>
Chris Woodward comes back to the Dodgers!
Back to the BP list of the TOP PROSPECTS:
Just to put this into proper context and perspective… The Dodgers have one out of ten of every top prospect in the top 90. The other 29 teams (combined) have 1 out of the other 8!
Why was Bum’s comment to me removed?
What’s going on?
Don’t sleep on Pepiot this season. If he starts trusting his stuff and throwing strikes like Gonsolin did last year, he could be a huge surprise. Gonsolin stopped throwing his fastball down the middle and throwing his splitter for strikes. Pepiot needs to do the same with his fastball and start throwing that killer change tor strikes! Future star!
Miguel Rojas was on Chris Rose’s podcast this week. He did a great interview and sounds like a fantastic teammate and leader. He mentioned that he expects to play all infield positions and fit in where ever Dodgers need him. He also indicated he doesn’t expect to be the everyday SS like he was in Miami. Also he said his wrist will be healed by spring training.
Miguel was also great on David Vassegh’s show the night of the trade.
A great addition to the team!
Marlins trade Pablo Lopez to Minnesota.
There goes my July trade wish (for now)
I’ve been in love with dodger baseball for over fifty years. Grew up listening to vin, going to a game now and then and reading Jim Murray. Now can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to seeing what Stone and Miller can do facing big league hitters in a game that counts. If Vargas is the hitter they say he is. Could go on and on but I’ll stop there. After the toughest loss I can ever remember this off season seems longer than usual
You can see him on Intentional Talk on MLB TV. My opinion is he is very good and will add a lot to Dodger Broadcasts.
Anyone have thoughts on Stephen Nelson joining broadcasters? Can’t say I am familiar with him.
Yesterday I made a very negative comment about this site. Didn’t expect it to get posted but it did and now I regret saying it. Truth be told I really enjoy reading what my fellow hardcore fans have to say about dodger baseball and appreciate the effort put forth on a daily basis. I’m excited for the coming year and can’t wait to get started
Some comments were redacted because they went way over the line. You are not seeing them.
That’s all I will say about it because they are not here to defend themselves.
I would have rather had them here too, but when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change… you change… unless you are an idiot!
I’m borderline.
It pretty much started with a discussion about the likes and dislikes of Dave Roberts as a manager. Basically options based on personal assessments.
And just like that we are name calling and throwing dung at each other.
Wonder what Dave Roberts would of done, a lot better I think.
But now we move on.
Very disappointing few days here tbh.
Can’t help but think that all this could so easily have been avoided. There is blame on both sides as far as I can see.
I would like to thank B&P for his excellent contributions, and I am sorry that he will no longer be part of this community, and I cannot help but think that poor old Ted Raymond has been caught in the crossfire somewhat.
Having read back through the comments again, I’m not sure that any lines were crossed by anyone – just a few Egos colliding – as they have before, and will again.
Shame a bit of common sense couldn’t have prevailed and things couldn’t have been sorted out without such severe action.
For those that felt compelled to Email Mark expressing their concerns, this is a sports blog and you’re going to read things that you don’t like, and as Bluto so eloquently put – “ don’t take yourselves so seriously!”
There’s some strong characters and excellent contributors here – do we really want to stifle the banter and back and forth that has made this place so special, and what attracted so many of you here in the first place?
Uh o. All my comments are silly and trite
I just blocked Ted Raymond after he posted this:
Hey Mark. I just read your tirade from yesterday that included my name. I will accommodate your request, get off your front lawn and seize to post here in the future. It’s a shame that you singlehandedly ruined one of the best Dodger blogs.
Thank you, Ted. Have a nice life. I am not going to get into a battle of wits with you, and I will just leave it right there.
Bluto’s comment also fell off when we responded to Ted with “Don’t Post.”
I am not going to belabor it, but many people e-mailed me about B & P and said if he was here, they were gone. Many felt that way. I gave him a second chance… Good Luck to him too.
JR got it for calling me an Asshole. Maybe it takes one to know one, but I don’t need the grief. The pay here ain’t that great.
BTW, I was wrong above Evan Bladh. He is back and you will hear from him soon… and Bear.
Cease to post!
Well Ted, I do think it was Mark who singlehandedly started the best Dodger blog. One questionable take doesn’t ruin it for me. Heck even Dave Roberts makes a mistake now and again!
I enjoyed the comments of Bulldogs&Penguins as well as tedraymond. I think the site is better with a variety of opinions. But I understand that Mark puts a lot of time and effort into this hobby, while running a successful business. Mark has earned the right to remove or ban posters, but hopefully he reconsiders on these two in the future.
So the last post sounds like the Dodgers need Bryan Reynolds to be a great team next year. If they don’t! The Dodgers then have Outman or Thompson in Centerfield starting. I still say the lineup with Vargas in LF, Reynolds in CF Betts in RF, and Muncy at 3b, Rojas SS, Lux at 2B, and Freeman 1B and the Smith at C. That lineup is a world series contender. Why, they do not trade and do that trade before spring training. I know everyone will say they will go over the tax. So then trade Taylor or Thompson to another team and lower the tax the team has. I don’t know unless they think Outman can be a better hitter then Reynolds. But I see Outman as the fourth outfielder. So they could trade Taylor, Thompson,. Busch or Pages and they got plenty of pitching to do the deal to get Reynolds to the Dodgers.
Looks like 9 Dodgers made the BP top 101 list, including Nastrini, Rushing, Frasso and Pages who didn’t make Baseball America list. Cartaya, Miller, Vargas, Stone, and Busch made both lists . While Pepiot made BA list but not the BP list, probably due to service time in MLB already.
A lot of depth in the Dodgers system that can help the MLB team soon.
Don’t retire! I enjoy your site way to much. Thanks for listening.
A different trade idea to get under the cap….Muncy to Miami, they’re young pitching to Pittsburg and Reynolds to LA. They would be under the cap and Lux, Vargas and Rojas would have steady positions. Taylor could be what he is, a super sub.
When I saw photos of Lux working out at Dodgers Stadium on TrueBlueLA, it sure looked like he has been hitting the weight room. TBLA got a number of reactions like, “Where did those guns come from?”
We’ll see if the extra muscle translates into performance. I do recall seeing Lux himself, before last spring (or the spring before?), talking about how “jacked” Will Smith looked when he arrived to camp. Smith shrugged it off, saying he was the same weight.
Anyway, I think Lux’s extra muscle is an encouraging sign. If he was on a good workout program, it could turn doubles into HRs and add some velocity to his throws.
Might be wishful thinking, but I hope that if the brass trust him to play SS, it could improve his offense too.
Perhaps we’ll see a real breakout this year.
Thank you Mark. I think you know what I’m talking about. I even wish him well too after everything. That’s just me.
That’s a good list of rookies we may see this year. I would add pitchers like Frasso, Sheehan, Nastrini and Knack as possibilities given the way the Dodgers tend to churn the bullpen.
One of the former GMs on the MLB Network made an interesting point about Ohtani: If the Angels get off to a slow start, the bidding for Ohtani could start early–and the Angels would maximize his value by acting early.
Some people argue that Dodgers should just wait until Ohtani could be signed as an FA. The risk is that another team, like the Mets or Padres, could swoop in and show him the love and respect that could tilt the scales in their favor. Any suitor would have to come in with a strong opening bid.
Making a big offer wouldn’t just stroke Ohtani’s ego, but Ohtani would probably appreciate that he wouldn’t just be leaving the Angels with nada. Everything I’ve read and heard about Ohtani is that he’s a good guy with a strong sense of loyalty.
Probably no team is better positioned than the Dodgers to pursue Ohtani. Not only is he essentiall two star playes in one, but also international superstar marketing force that reportedly generates millions in revenue. Yes, he will command a contract of about a half-billion–and perhaps even equity in the franchise..
If AF is indeed engaged in Operation Ohtani, that might be one reason why we haven’t seen an extension for Julio Urias. So perhaps it will be adios, Julio, and maybe the 2004 six-man rotation is something like:
Ohtani
Buhler
Kershaw (old guy signs another one-year deal, because why not?)
May/Miller (whichever doesn’t get traded)
Gonsolin
Stone
But I still want Julio to stay.
I read here almost everyday, sometimes several times a day. I enjoy many of the posts and find some to be quite enlightening. I love when the conversation isn’t derogatory or demeaning. We are all basically arm chair GM’s since none of us are being paid by the Dodgers to do Friedman’s job. So the best we can do is guess what they will do and what they should do. That alone should bring a genuine sense of humility in our writing.
I love the aspects of putting a team together, all of the factors that are involved, and all of the variables including the fact that baseball players are human beings, albeit rich human beings, but since they are people they have issues they bring to the ball park other than playing ball and it is hard to factor that in when building a team. I love having the kids given a chance to play. It would have been nice to have been able to have Justin Turner here to help them in their transition to the the Majors but he did what he thought was best for him and his family at this stage in his career.
I don’t think I have been more excited about a Dodger squad in a long time.
Thanks Mark for doing the hard work of writing, and maintaining this site for us Dodger fans.
I just read where Outman was injured and out for two weeks after he was sent down last year with a broken toe. He came back from that injury and hit .462 the rest of the way including hitting two grand slams. I hope he plays like that in spring. He says he is healthy and he feels agile again.
Good post Mark. As I said on the last stream, a love of the Dodgers has brought us all together, and life is much too short to go through being pissed off all the time. We lost David Crosby and that hit home some. I was a huge Byrds fan and felt the same about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. We have lost many greats over the last couple of years. I am also looking forward to spring training. It is great seeing the kids get a shot at performing with the big club. A couple of years ago I remember Cody Thomas. He wowed everyone in spring with some pretty prodigious homers and I really thought he would help the Dodgers. I just did not realize he would be used in a trade. He went to the A’s with Adam Kolarek, who is now back with LA, for Sheldon Nuese and Gus Varland. Who will peak my interest this spring? I want to see how Vargas performs playing every day. Cartaya will probably get some time behind the dish with the WBC being this March and Mookie, Smith, Kersh and Urias all playing. I think Mookie is too so there will be some chances for the kids and non-roster guys. As for what Mark said about my writing some stuff for Jeff’s Dodger Chronicles, I got an email from Jeff and I told him I would contribute on subjects he would like me to write about. But I will also continue to write here.
Another player we could see, in addition to Andre Jackson & Michael Grove, is Nick Robertson, a huge RH reliever [6’5″ 265lb] who made it all the way to AAA last year but wasn’t taken in the Rule 5 draft.
On the position side, I’m not expecting to see DeLuca, but if he gets off to hot start he could force our hand. He has speed and some RH pop and can play CF, but he’s only made it to AA.