Debacle In Denver
On Monday, the Cardinals and Rockies finally completed a trade that sends All Star and Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado and 50 million dollars to the Cardinals for 5 players, only one who has MLB experience, LHP Austin Gomber. None of the other 4 players played baseball last year due to the shutdown of the minor leagues. Reaction to the trade by the fan base has been almost entirely negative .
On Monday, the Cardinals and Rockies finally completed a trade that sends All Star and Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado and 50 million dollars to the Cardinals for 5 players, only one who has MLB experience, LHP Austin Gomber. None of the other 4 players played baseball last year due to the shutdown of the minor leagues.
Reaction to the trade by the fan base has been almost entirely negative. Some expressed shock that the Rockies would even think of trading him. But the bad blood between Arenado and GM, Jeff Bridich, is a major factor in his being traded. And the fact that the Rockies wanted to get out from under his contract. So they paid the Cards to take him. What they got back was not much. Not one of the prospects is a top 10 prospect. Gomber was expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation in St. Louis. Now he will do the same in Colorado.
One fan lamented, we gave them the keys to our Ferrari and wound up with some burned Sears activewear. Another asked if all of a sudden the Rockies were the Houston Texans of the major leagues.
To his credit, Bridich took the blame for the failures of the franchise the last couple of years, and when asked if he had thought of firing Bridich, owner Charlie Monfort said no, but he had thought of firing himself. The problem was two-fold, financial, and the fact that Arenado had asked for a trade only 9 months after he signed his contract.
Arenado felt disrespected by Bridich, and he did not feel the GM was honest with him about building a winner in Denver. One of the writers for the Denver Post, Mark Kizla, said that one thing he had noticed about Arenado is that he is soft hearted. He dislikes distraction, especially when it gets in the way of him playing baseball. He felt he signed because he genuinely cared about his teammates. Oh the money was part of it and he probably felt at the time that he would finish his career as a Rockie. But after he felt underappreciated by Bridich, everything changed.
How does this affect Trevor Story? Well, Story looks at baseball with the eyes of a businessman. It is hard for anyone to imagine that he has not thought about the pros and cons of a potential exit from the Rockies. Most of the writers feel that if he is not traded at the deadline, he will most definitely leave via free agency next winter.
But the fan base? They could not be angrier. Almost all who I have talked to say they are done supporting the team, others have tried to get a fire Bridich website going. Some fans moaned that Monfort chose Bridich over the fans. It is hard to support an organization that lets it’s biggest stars go for what seems like nothing, and pay 50 million to boot.
Arenado himself is very happy about the change. He stated that as a kid, you dream of winning a World Series. And the Cardinals are the kind of organization that is committed to winning. His new deal is 7 years, 214 million, and he has 2 chances to opt out; 2021 and 2022. But he stated he has no intention of exercising the opt outs. Of course, if things get sour in St Loo, that could happen. But for now, he is a very happy guy. And he is going to a city with one of the better fan bases in baseball.
As for the Rockies themselves, they are definitely in trouble with their fans. This is the 3rd time a fan favorite has been sent packing. First was Matt Holiday, who was traded to the A’s for Carlos Gonzalez, and then Troy Tulowitzki. They have always had good hitters who rake in the thin air in Denver. Pitching? Not so much.
And now it seems that not only could Story be moved at the deadline, but other players also. There has been talk about pitcher Jon Gray. Fans are disgruntled and angry. As well they should be. Monfort’s steadfast refusal to deal Arenado to the Dodgers probably cost him some better prospects. The Dodgers could have easily given the Rockies a better package.
The real repercussions will not be known until later in the season. The Rocks still have some talent on the roster, but no ready replacement for their gold glover. 30 homers and 100 RBI s are not all that easy to replace.
Of course, like most of the franchises in baseball, no one really knows how much money the Rockies lost last year except the management. The good thing for the Dodgers is they no longer have to face Arenado 18-or 19 times a year. He did well against them in Colorado, but like most players, his numbers in Dodger stadium were not that great.
The Dodgers have their own free agent to worry about in Corey Seager. Do they try to sign an extension, or wait for him to try free agency. Some good ones on the market next season.
Some who wear the Purple and black, feel more like they are wearing black and blue. All of Arenado’s teammates had nothing but praise for him as a teammate. For the franchise, winning back the fans will not be an easy task. Most are convinced that the current leadership has no clue how to build a winning franchise. The lack of top 100 prospects is cited as one shortcoming.
Fans are calling Bridich all kinds of names, most of them not fit for print. And they point to longtime owner, Charlie Monfort as being someone who is not committed to bringing a winning team to the table.
Denver has never won a division title in their entire existence. Their only trip to the World Series came as a wild card entry. And they were soundly beaten by the Red Sox. Arenado has a much better chance of tasting, as Tommy would say, the fruits of victory in St Louis. Of course we all wish him well, except when they play the Dodgers.
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Discussion (172)
Disagree, not disagreeable
It would appear that everyone expects a full year of 1.73 ERA and 276 ERA+. That was an impressive 73 innings. It could be noted that the 68 innings before that his ERA was over 6. The last full year it was in the mid 4’s. I guess we’re counting on MLB not cracking down on the foreign substance rule. An argument could be made that pine tar is not foreign. As for his personality, I like it. Free speech from an out of the box thinker. He’s a fit here. Hell he’s from here. UCLA guy. I like that too.
Yeah Mark had it wrong. So did a lot of us. As for being pigs Mark was right. He said it’s about more championships. Better players means a better shot at that goal. Next up, sign Turner. Money? What about it? CBT? Who cares? We’re the Dodgers.
Carry on.
STB
Thanks for sharing the Joc post.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Makes you realise what a class organisation we support, and what a nice guy Joc is. Props to Bums who always had his back from day one.
Interesting about Chase Utley having such a huge influence over the whole Club.
Would be nice to see him back at some point.
Not only am I still a fan of Jansen, I’m proud of it. Just watch.
Time to cull some stock
I would not be surprised to see Kenley and Kelly both traded in the next couple of weeks for prospects. Then JT could be resigned without taking too big of a hit by the lux tax.
Sing it with me!…
Oh it’s such a perfect day
I’m glad I spent it with you
Oh such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
-Lou Reed
It appears that Joakim Soria had larger offers than the DBack offer. The Dbacks have told Soria he could close.
Dee Strange-Gordon is on track for a new team by the weekend.
Rangers due to sign Mike Foltynewicz on a one year Major League contract.
I guess it is a slow baseball news day.
Ozuna back to the Braves on a 4 year 65 million dollar deal.
Wow, I love it!!
I know we’re mostly into the Bauer signing today but for all you Joc fans (DBM, Bum, etc.), you absolutely have to read this article by him in the Player’s Tribune.
We all agree that he’s the world’s worst interview but this piece of writing absolutely astonished me. I wanted to share it with all of you. It is well worth the read and I now hold Joc in much higher esteem than I did before reading it.
Open on www.theplayerstribune.comhttps://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/joc-pederson-los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-baseballI think Bauer will be a huge influence on the younger pitchers and I think he’ll be especially tight with Buehler. To me, their personalities will mesh very well. Bauer is a teacher at heart and, at least where baseball is concerned, is very open minded about new ideas.
Alex Wood has already stated that he loved having him as a teammate and learned a lot from him. This could be a great signing, not only for what Bauer will bring to the mound.
Everyone is entitled to his opinion, but I’d like to give a gigantic to any Dodger fan who is judging this guy before he’s even put on a uniform.
We just added an ace.
I was thinking back to about 10 plus years ago when a great friend called me about what he’d seen that day. This friend and I go back to 8th grade and he was a super successful high school coach where he won multiple state championships. His son was a Gatoraid Player of the Year and ended up playing at Washington State. My fiend retired from coaching and was following his son and the Cougars around the PAC-12. He called me and said he couldn’t believe what he saw that day. 2 stud college guys each throwing in the mid 90’s on the same staff. He said both had turned down millions to go to UCLA. I thought bullshit. You might see one college guy like that in those days, but not 2. It didn’t happen, turning down that kind of money to go to college. Well Trevor Bauer and Garrett Cole did pretty well for themselves out of UCLA. They now are pushing a half a billion in salary. And I haven’t called BS on my friend since.
Talkative group today.
Like all offseason, it’s hard to imagine what AF will do next. I’m pretty sure that he isn’t done. He stated that the RH Bat and the Pen were top priorities. He fortified the pen with the Bauer signing by pushing 2 of Gonsolin and May to the pen. Along with all the other bullpen tweaks, he just has to concentrate on that RH bat now.
Sure seems like JT will sign soon. He makes too much sense. He probably has 2 productive years left and Hoese is expected to be 2 years away. There’s no way Justin is thinking about signing with another team after seeing that he’s got a chance to win another World Series. He was never going to Mets, the team that cut him. He’s from here, lives here, thrived with the Dodgers. Maybe he signs a deal similar in structure to Bauer. A three year deal, paying him fairly for the first two year and a third year at a discounted rate.
But, oh the possibilities. Freeing up a pitcher like Price, Gonsolin, or Gray in a package with the Cubs sure looks like it would be hard to pass up from the Cubs standpoint.
2 people to cut from the roster. Is Sborz worthy of a spot? Reck and Raley are redundant as is Rios / Beaty who play the same position as Muncy. I sure hope they can trade some guys, rather than having to cut quality players.
Can they wait until Spring Training before making a roster move for Bauer and JT?
MLB Networks says Dodgers rotation is alone at the top now.
AF’s MO is to be opportunistic.
Wow, you could knock me over with a feather after hearing the Bauer news. I too firmly believed AF would NOT exceed the Lux Tax Threshold. And certainly not by this much. I am stunned. And happy. What I learned today however is we are back to being first time offenders which saves some penalty money. I didn’t know that rule.
I’ve followed Bauer closely since his Reds days. I watched him when he started his unusual pre-game routine and use of his bullpen toys. As one of the first Driveline guys, he was ahead of the curve when it came to thinking out of the box and doing stuff his way. Now his methods have become much more commonplace and accepted. You can’t blame a guy for doing what’s best for him to be his best.
While he’s a different cat, I’ve listened to his interviews about his pitching views and preparation. He is extremely sensible with his approach and he’s well spoken when he explains his pitching. And what was radical a few years ago has now been adopted by guys you would have never expected. I really don’t foresee any problem with him fitting in with this veteran club and winning baseball games.
Bauer, Price and Kershaw are all Cy Young winners.
One could reasonably suggest Buehler, pending health, is more than likely to win one.
That’s not bad.
For some fans of certain teams (I don’t think I need to say which) who still say that the Dodgers shouldn’t have won, this answer was perfect.
Dude, you don’t know what you’re talking about…
1. Short schedule should’ve hurt the Dodgers more than any other team, They’re built for a long season; their greatest strength is their depth, hence the 8 straight Division titles. A short season hurts the Dodgers b/c any bump in the road, any short losing streak, or any hot streak by another team, like SD, puts the division title at risk. If this team played 162 games, they would’ve finished the best record in MLB…again.
2. The playoffs were tougher than any playoffs in the history of MLB. No other champion ever had to go thru a 1st rd best of 3… Baseball is a sport where any pitcher on any given night can get hot & be tough to beat. Alec Mills, mediocre journeyman threw a no-hitter last year. A long series balances the odds in favor of the better team (Dodgers), whereas short series makes things more of a toss up, which again hurts the better team.
3. The Dodgers did not have home field advantage in any series, other than the Wild Card series. True, the opposing team didn’t get to play at home either, but since the Dodgers had the best record in baseball, the team that was hurt the most by having to play on a neutral site was LA.
4. Universal DH helped the Rays in the World Series, not the Dodgers. In most WS, the AL teams have to adjust to playing w/o a DH, which gives the NL team an advantage in NL home games. AL teams either have to sit their DH, who likely was 1 of their middle-of-the-order hitters, or force that DH to play the field, which the DH may not have done much of in the season. It also forces the AL manager to manage his bench & bullpen in a way that he has not for most of the season. Yes, the NL team gets to use the DH, which is easier, but the new rules were implemented late into the off season, so NL teams were not necessarily constructed to have full-time DHs. The advantage clearly goes to the AL team.
REPLY
Well, I guess AF has had the last laugh here. And, apparently, February is AF’s favorite month as well Cassidy. I’m as shocked like most with this signing. I guess we now know what AF’s definition of being a pig is. Wow!!
So the Padres had their little time in the sun and now are in a position where they must produce on the field. We’ll see. They may be improved, but they’re not Dodger quality.
Many on this site have been complaining for weeks that the Dodgers were doing basically nothing to keep up with the competition (Padres). Except for several dozen washed up, injured relievers…nothing, We won’t go over the CBT threshold many exclaimed. Except when we can. And we did! I wrote a couple of weeks ago that the cost for the Dodgers to over it this year was not a deterrent. It’s a rounding error for the Dodgers. They should have no problem going back under it in 2022. So, for a $3.6M tax we get Trevor Bauer. AF is playing chess, etc, etc.
So, yeah, February is the magic month for AF. Let’s remember that next off season!
Gavin Lux now becomes the most important Dodger over the next 5 years. If he Is indeed a star and has a breakout 21 then in 22 we slide him over to SS and bring up Busch to play 2B. That saves us 35+ mil a year with Seager. Put that to use for a huge LF bat and maybe a DH
It is an interesting and rather unusual contract. It was obviously tailored to Bauer’s benefit. It is essentially a two-year deal, because $85 million is for the first two seasons, and then Bauer can opt out, since he would never stay to get $17 million, unless he were injured or ineffective the year before. So he gets an opt-out after the first year, which he is very unlikely to take, unless some team tells him that they will give him $60 million per year for two or three years. Assuming that does not happen, and Bauer is happy with the Dodgers, he is here for two years; and then if he has two fine years, the Dodgers would have to give him market value for a longer deal, supplanting the deal for the last year when he only gets $17 million. I would have preferred a deal for three years at $34 million per year, but this was structured to give Bauer a lot of money up front, and then the option to leave after two years. Still a very good deal for the Dodgers, and we can see what happens financially with Seager, Bellinger, Buehler, and then Bauer. Interestingly, this reminds me a bit of the offer to Bryce Harper, where the Dodgers were willing to pay a lot of money for a short-term deal,.
If we assume that AF will want to do something to cut the payroll after signing Bauer and possibly bringing back JT as well, these are some of the possibilities:
Player Lux Tax Value $
Kenley $16MM
Pollock $ 12MM
Price $15MM
Kelly $8.3MM
Some other, although more unlikely possibilities:
CT-3 $6.7MM
Muncy $8.7MM
Seager $13.8MM
Bellinger $16.1MM
And the most unlikely possibilities:
Kershaw $31MM
Mookie $25.6MM
We can be pretty sure that Mr. Friedman is not done with his roster yet. Will he get the righty bat and not care about the tax? Will he make a trade or two that surprise us even more than the Bauer signing?
Stay tuned.
February is now my favorite month!
Fun stuff gere, people. Enjoy it.
Dustin May looking like a closer to me now. At least for this year. And no way if healthy is Kersh retiring after this year. Next year maybe he and Seager will swap salaries