You have to love fans. They are the original naysayers of doom. To read some of the posts and remarks by Dodger fans beginning when free agency started, you would think the Dodgers are doomed to finish 40 games out.
As spring rolled on, and they lost Lux to injury, the moans grew louder that they should have signed one of the premier free agent shortstops in the winter. We as fans like to think we know better and could do a better job than those who are paid and paid very well to make those decisions. We can make trades, sign players, and get the superstars we want. Trouble is that those guys actually cost real money.
As of today, the Dodgers are 13-10-3 this spring. And that is despite having some of their best players away playing in the WBC. The regulars that are here are not really lighting up the scoreboard. They have won some of those games in the late innings when the scrubeenies are in the game.
The player with the most RBIs this spring is a AAA catcher, Hunter Feduccia. Freeman is right there with him. Freeman has the most homers, with 3 Heyward and Outman have 2. No one is really tearing up spring training pitching.
So, there is a lot of uncertainty heading into opening day next Thursday in Los Angeles. And fans are already pulling their hair out. One reason is the performance of Trea Turner in the WBC. He hit three homers in the last two games, one of those a grand slam. So immediately on social media, they started blasting the Dodgers for not re-signing him.
Most of us realize he was never going to re-sign with the Dodgers. He wanted to go back to the east coast, and that is where he ended up. The reality is those free agents got some huge deals this winter, including the three major shortstops on the list. Turner got 300 mil plus, Swanson around 175 mil. Correa got a 10-year deal for around 200 mil if he meets all the goals.
The Dodgers chose to go the other way and promote their own to the starting shortstop position. Lux’s injury put the bollox on that. But they had traded for Miguel Rojas to backup Lux, and he has stepped into the starting role. Some think he does not hit enough to be the starter and is better suited to be a backup and cannot understand why LA does not at least trade for one or sign one of the remaining free agents. The only one of note is Andrelton Simmons, who, for the last couple of years, has not been the player he was when he first came up.
Then there is the pitching. Gonsolin rolled his ankle and sprained it. The Dodgers have no set closer and seem to be committed to using a closer-by-committee system with Phillips, Hudson, and possibly Graterol filling that role, possibly even Vesia.
The starters are set. Urias, May, Kershaw, Syndergaard, and Grove or Pepiot in the five slot until Gonsolin is ready. Both could see starts in that role since it is unlikely they will push Gonsolin’s return. The back end of the pen has several suitors. Miller, Bickford, Almonte, Nelson. I do not see any of the non-roster pitchers making the team.
But I still see a lot of negativities on blogs and social media. Twitter is, of course, the worst. Some of the comments there boggle the mind. I try not to get caught up in all of that. I also try to realize that what I see during a game is not exactly what the person next to me is seeing. We all look at and judge ballplayers from different perspectives.
You can look up and down the Dodger roster and then talk to every poster on this blog, and you are rarely, if ever, going to get the same evaluation of that player from two people. Now, superstars are a different story. Everyone, and I mean every Dodger fan I have spoken to, loves Freddie Freeman. You will not hear negative comments about Freddie. You don’t read many, either.
Mookie is another, although some have pointed out that his stats as a Dodger, while good, are not the kind of stats you expect from a 300-million-dollar-plus player. We also note the fact that the face of the franchise, Kershaw, is reaching the end of his run.
Then there are the kids. Myself, I would accept a season or even two where the team would give the kids a chance and see what we really have prospect-wise. As they stand right now, this team is old. The only starters under 30 are Smith and Vargas. Also, Outman as he has made the squad.
They lost some speed when Lux went down. So, there are few base stealing threats on the team. Some, like Freeman and Muncy, have decent base running skills. But the team speed itself is not that great. Then the question becomes, how close are those prospects to making an impact at the major league level? On the pitching side, four guys could possibly make impacts this year. Pepiot, Grove, Jackson, and Stone. Not far behind is Bobby Miller.
Fans wanted to see more of Michael Busch. He struggled at the beginning of spring training and was just starting to hit the ball and hit it hard when he was sent back to the minor league camp. Eddys Leonard impressed some people. I can see him as a viable infield option even by the end of this year. But 2024 seems more likely.
They will shed a ton of salary after this year. No one knows if they will re-sign Urias or not. Kersh will be a free agent again. Only Freeman and Betts are on long-term deals. Muncy has an option, and Taylor will have two years left on his contract. There will probably be more competition for roster spots next season than we have seen in years.
So have a little faith. The view from the top of the bridge is frightening.
Discussion (22)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I’m really happy with these final roster decisions.
Outman was obviously deserving–but for weeks it looked like the brass might send him to OKC.
Andre Jackson has been grinding for years–and always seemed overshadowed. Frankly, I was hoping the Dodgers would trade him to give him a chance elsewhere. He must be thrilled to make the roster .
Pepiot was expected. A few weeks ago I read a wonky report that showed Pepiot’s internal stats were actually much better than his ERA would suggest. Grove would have been fine, but Pepiot seems to have more upside.
Of course, neither Pepiot or Grove have shown the potential of Gavin Stone. He’ll get his chance soon given all these fragile SPs.
Putting Pepiot and Jackson on the OD roster probably enhances their perceived trade value. Over the first few weeks of the season, the Dodger brass will get a better idea of how the position players will shake out. The roster still has a surplus of outfielders.
The Dodgers have a talented roster, and should compete for the division. However, after losing the division by 22 games last year, the Padres have definitely closed the gap. The Padres have added so many big name players since last June including Soto, Hader, Boegaerts, Tatis, Carpenter, Cruz, Lugo, and Wacha while not losing much.
Alternatively, the Dodgers have lost some big names including Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Lux, Anderson, Bellinger and Buehler with only modest additions to offset these losses.
Many experts are picking the Padres to win the division. Just today, Steve Phillips predicted the Dodgers would miss the playoffs, and Jim Bowden picked the Padres to win the division.
As opening day approaches, I am optimistic that the Dodgers will find a way to win the division again and make a playoff run. But I expect it to be a challenge.
Pepiot named the # 5 starter. Grove and Gonzalez optioned out.
Tommy Time.
Light a fire under ownership.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvDo6ay/
ENOUGH….jeez! The season hasn’t started yet and when it does start it’ll likely be a slow start but I’m willing to put up $200 that MY 2023 Dodgers win the division AGAIN. Any takers here? The 2021 Giants beat us by a single game with a team that wasn’t as good of a team as what this team is. And if changes are needed changes will happen but big changes won’t be needed. Yeah I’ll give the field of the division for a $200 vs $200 bet and I’m poor. Take the bet and we’ll work out details of who holds the funds payable to the winner. Then you can cheer for all those teams because you’re not really Dodger fans. CHEERS!
What if Todd Boehly spent as much on Dodgers as he does with Chelsea FC. $600 mill new contracts & major renovations on Stamford Bridge. He’s visible at matches and is really stirring up the wage wars with the oil teams.
Like him or not SAC is attempting to buy a 5-6 year run of excellence with Mets. Same for Padres. Do we let the bean counters dictate our rebuild? If we miss out on Ohtani – how can we keep up?
These kind of rants wake me up at 3 am. Hoping to hear some good news so I sleep better tonite. We’re drifting out of top level ball. Help us Todd Boehly – break open the wallet.
I wouldn’t call the rotation a strength better than average maybe. Julio Is good. Kearse’s great years are behind him. May is hit or miss. I see Thor a 500 winning percent type. Gonsolin can’t stay heathy for long. There unwilling to use buying power and the farm system is always a big question mark if can make real good big leaguers or not and could only do so much this year other than trade bait. Got some depth with stone and miller but there unproving
Ya, I have very low confidence in Max Muncy lasting the whole year at 3b. He is just not that good over there.
Bear sounds like your saying let’s go get even more players others don’t want. Got a self full of them already hanging on for dear life
The problem I have with the Dodgers this year is they didnt do anything like in years past like get a LF or a better third baseman. There relying on Thompson Taylor and Muncy to have these big seasons. When in years past they went and got a player that would improve them. Rather then wait and see how a player does. And as you look at AAA there’s not a player like wow can’t wait for this third baseman to get here or left fielder. If Taylor and Muncy sputter and say Pepiot that might be your only players to improve and get better players from other teams. I am sure the Phillies would love to have those two players and pitcher after Rys Hoskims how’s down at first base. They could plug in Muncy at first base and Taylor at thirdbase. If say they would give the dodgers Blom or an outfielder and maybe a reliever that’s just an example of what they could do now. But now we have what we have and wait and see. Just never had so many questions as how third base shortstop left field and centerfield will be for a Dodgers team. Because usually in the off-season. They go and get the players they want.
I’m trying hard to be optimistic about this year but it’s not working out well. We just got to many players on what looks to be opening day roster that just aren’t very good. We got plenty of weaknesses and very little strengths
Julio Urías named Dodgers opening day starter for 2023
Left-hander will start on Thursday, March 30 against the D-backs at Dodger Stadium
4:05 PM ET vs Brewers at Glendale
SP Julio Urias L
1-1 1.35ERA 6.2IP 5K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
DH J. Martinez R
3B Max Muncy L
CF T. Thompson R
LF Chris Taylor R
2B M. Vargas R
C A. Barnes R
SS Miguel Rojas R
Clear-day
0% Rain
60° Wind 9 mph Out
Looks like the Opening Day Lineup without Will Smith catching and Outman in CF
Roberts is going to throw Urias’ arm off this year.
Badger, in case you were wondering, when you hit the water you were going in excess of 40mph. Ouch.
I went off of the diving platform at Brookside Park. 30 feet up. Felt like I broke my ankle when I hit the water. Patch, they won 8 in a row before the Giants won the title in 21. 9 of the last 10 though. Braves won 14 in a row and one World Series in their best run with a trio of Hall of Fame pitchers, Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, leading their teams. So the Dodgers with only one title in their run show just how hard it is to just get to the series let alone win.
A lot of what Jeff said makes sense. I see a lot of holes, and more questions than answers. One huge problem last year was the number of strikeouts. But yet, the team was the best in the majors at scoring runs with two outs. I think they will miss the leadership of Turner, JT, not Trea. He was their glue. But they still have several good clubhouse guys. I think the banning of the shift is going to help Muncy’s BA a lot. He has not shown a whole lot of power this spring, but he has hit a lot of balls right on the button. I think his elbow had as much to do with last seasons showing as anything.
I have to believe that they are going to be okay this year, but this is for sure not the same type of team that it was last year. The rotation has the potential of being very good or a disaster if they have any more injury’s. They do have 3 guys very close to being ready to step in if any of the big 4 go down. But just how well they will replace the starters is a question. I also believe they will need to make a deal at the deadline. Maybe a power hitting outfielder, or even a starting pitcher. I think they have more than enough solid backup bullpen pieces.
Padre fans slow rolling it so far. They come up here weekends & front colors around the pier on Saturdays. Small groups sticking together & no trash talk. Makes me nervous, do they actually believe we’re their dogs now?
The New Era of Friars? Busted dreams coming? Think so. We need to slap them back – last year didn’t prove anything but they got lucky.
What bridge? Where?
On a bet I jumped off a bridge into Whiskeytown Lake in ‘75. I was told it was 75’ off the water. Water is damm hard when you jump on it from that far away. I wouldn’t do it again. Made $45, which at the time was a half month’s rent.
I’m still stuck on the cap issue. I thought for sure it was a reset year. If not why did we get Rojas and let Bogaerts go to our rivals? I think we are one Taylor-like dump away from resetting and would not be surprised if something like that happens in preparation for Ohtani’s $40+ million a year for 10 years. Of, maybe they can do that anyway with expiring contracts. Or maybe this ownership group doesn’t much give a rat’s ass about paying taxes.
At any rate, I don’t expect much out of this year’s team. Maybe they will surprise me.
It was only a couple of years ago that the Dodgers were stacked. They signed Bauer as the highest paid AAV in the game to join an already loaded starting rotation just to rub it in to the rest of the league. They were pigs coming off their WS win.
Entropy is inescapable. The Roman Empire eventually crumbled. The Dodgers have won the division for, what? Ten straight years? Everything comes to an end, and maybe the Dodgers are in a transition period where they are not the juggernaut they were.
A big part of the offense last year was TT’s production. He was as catalyst in so many ways. You can replace him potentially in the aggregate, but so far I’m not seeing it, especially now that Lux is out.
Last year Gonsolin made the AS team, Tyler Anderson was a career 4.00 ERA pitcher who became a 2.50 ERA pitcher and the team’s most dependable starter. Heaney rebooted his career. Kershaw pitched well. Urias became the ace of the staff and one of the best starters in the game. Everything went right last year, in spite of Buehler going down. Everything has to go right this year. So far it isn’t.
The only constant is change. Don’t overreact if the Dodgers struggle a bit this year, miss out on winning the division and perhaps get bounced early in the playoffs. If this happens maybe they do something big and sign Ohtani.
I think Ohtani is going to get a 500 million contract. I think he’s worth it. The only places I see him getting that is with the Yankees, Boston, Dodgers and the Mets if Cohen is truly out of his mind and wants to set his money on fire.
Just watching a little bit of Taylor, it appears as if the league knows about his huge gaping hole in his swing. I see pitchers throwing him a steady diet of sliders and fastballs on the low outside corner. They’re not even trying to get him to chase pitches off the plate. They’re aiming for that corner of the strike zone because they know he can’t connect with that pitch. Baseball made a big deal about launch angle the last few years, and Taylor reinvented himself as a player by reinventing his swing. He has a pretty extreme pull/uppercut swing path. That works if you wait for center cut pitches, but if it’s a breaking pitch low and away, there’s very little chance of making contact if you’re swinging pull/uppercut. He’s not adapted.
Good write-up, Bear.
Is Mookie a superstar?
Not really. But he is a very good player. Is he worth a $300 million plus contract? No. But most players are overpaid when you evaluate production versus cost. For the Dodgers to sustain this season, Mookie has to dramatically improve his offensive production.
The Dodgers will definitely miss Trea Turner. The speed, the ability to change a game with his legs.
I’m not sure we should think a team is old just because some of the players pass 30. Lot of production in the 30 to 35 crowd.
At the same time, I’m happy to see James Outman and Miguel Vargas making the club this year. Some good young pitchers will get an opportunity this summer.
I’m still amazed that Cody Bellinger was unable to turn it around. Incredible talent, his bat imploding. It’s happened before, but to watch Cody suddenly become so dysfunctional was stunning.
Hi Bear,
I’ve more or less given up posting here or anywhere else regarding the Dodgers on a daily basis but I still follow what you guys are talking about on occasion and am certainly a fan that watches almost every game. I’ll add my 2 cents and probably disappear as usual as it is too repetitive to read and post daily.
When I heard the Dodgers would let Trea Turner walk, I was dismayed but not dejected. That guy was the best thing that happened to us beside getting Freddie. I understand the need to shed big contracts and getting under the cap and trust AF to do what’s best. No choice there in any case. When they announced Gavin Lux as his replacement, I thought to myself, ‘are they fucking crazy?’ I liked Lux last season but I would never equate him with the talent of a Trea Turner. I’m not a believer. Now, I could be wrong about this, but that remains to be seen for the future. When Lux got injured, AF had Rojas to slide into SS. This may turn out to be a bit of good luck as Rojas is capable but still no substitute for TT. So trying to reevaluate the positional players and keeping an open mind, I still cannot see how we could be as good as we were last season. We had two superstars, Trea and Freddie. Now we have one. Mookie is no longer a superstar and maybe never was. His time here has fallen short of what most fans expected from him and the money we are paying for his services. Unless he steps up this year, we might not even win the division because of his injuries and substandard bat that should be much better than it has been. I’m calling him out. Indeed.
We got rid of Bellinger, finally. I’m happy to give some of the homegrown minor leaguers a shot at replacing him. It will not take much to do that and Outman and Vargas will probably be better producers than Cody has been. I’m good with all that.
Chris Taylor does not belong on the squad as well as T. Thompson, brother of one of my basketball heroes. Neither produce consistently and strikeout much too often. Seeing them in ST only confirms my feeling about them. Let the young guys have a go. They can’t be worse.
Max Muncy is the biggest question mark for me. For the better part of 2 years, he has not produced the magic we all thought he had. He comes to ST out of shape. How does a professional player get away with this? It’s enough for me to pass on him. However, I do believe he really tries as we see him get on base often with his walks and good reads on the pitching. He just can’t hit any longer. Will that change this season? I hope so. His fielding has definitely improved. I will give him a temporary pass until the summer. His ST numbers are not hopeful.
Along with the above thoughts about the team, I am even more concerned about the pitching. This looks to me like a very weak rotation due to injuries and the so-called depth of the replacements. Beuhler out all season. Kershaw nosediving in ST and will inevitably miss time due to some injuries. Gonsolin not able to perform. Thor, a big big??? And our bullpen without a closer. This is the worst rotation I can remember in many years. I have no problem with Urias and I truly hope he remains a Dodger after this season. I am undecided whether May can regain his control that he had before his surgery. To date, he has not. We lost Anderson, big numbers last season. Who is going to regain those numbers? Our so called young arms from the farm still look unready to be plugged in from what I’ve seen of them in ST. All this leaves me feeling that the Dodgers will be experiencing something they have not experienced for quite some time, not being in first place in the division. This is not to say they will descend to be a cellar dweller. I don’t think they have the talent to be a championship contender any longer. I’m also saying that things may or may not be so rosy as some fans like to imagine that the Dodgers can do no wrong. I hope for the best and I’d love to see some big surprises this year from folks who have either joined the team or have been promoted from the farm. But players like Thor and Heyward have huge hurdles to overcome and their performances in ST have not brought joy to my heart.
This metaphor doesn’t work for me.