Enjoy it While You Can!

This is a republish of a blog I wrote on January 16th. Some of it has held true... other aspects are not or in flux. I thought it would be fun to look back. Enjoy...

It was both surprising and not surprising to me that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker. If they can make it work, it is a tribute to the true genius of Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman. Personally, I don't see it. He's not a difference-maker. I think it's a mistake! Enjoy it while you can, because it will end soon. In the upcoming CBA and talks among owners, MLB will implement what we may call “The Dodger Restriction.” I cannot tell you for certain how it will be structured, but it will include the following:

• A Salary Cap – While it may not be called that, it will effectively limit what the Dodgers can spend on players. This could result in a prolonged lockout.

• More Revenue Sharing – You can hate this all you want, but the Dodgers possess the greatest buying power in MLB, even higher than the Yankees. Yes, some owners are cheapskates and penny pinchers, but the Dodgers may have 10 times their resources. The Dodgers and other strong teams in MLB will have to share revenue. Not fair? You can’t play and win without having other teams. It smacks of Socialism, but it has to happen.

• Eliminate Deferred Payments – Shohei Ohtani’s payment deferral is the ultimate smart deal. I think MLB will insist that teams be fiscally responsible and require payouts in the season they are playing.

The baseball team owners are going to insist on an overhaul of the game’s economic system to include a salary cap. Signing Kyle Tucker is the icing on the cake. Player leadership has indicated it won’t even consider a capped system. Be prepared for a Lockout that could last the entire 2027 season and even longer.

It is somewhat embarrassing to me that the Dodgers can so flagrantly taunt other teams with their financial strength, but they are playing within the rules. However, the rules are about to be changed because of them. What’s done is done. As hard as it may be, I look for the Dodgers to win the 2026 World Series. Three in a row may be it, as I can see a scenario whereby there is no World Series in 2027.

Once the new CBA is implemented (by 2028), here is what the Dodgers will face:

• Freddie Freeman will be gone.

• Mookie Betts will be 35 and in decline at 2B.

• Kyle Tucker will have a couple more years on his deal and be playing 1B or LF.

• Will Smith will be 33 and will have to rest more.

• Shohei Ohtani may be a freak, but he will be 33 in 2028 and may decline from the 1.000+ OPS he has put up the past three seasons.

The good news is that the Dodgers' farm system is strong and should be producing prospects. This could be the lineup in 2028:

C- Smith/Rushing

1B – Tucker

2B – Betts

SS – Morales

3B – Wagner

LF – Quintero/DePaula

CF – Sirota

RF – Pages

DH – Ohtani

The farm is loaded, so the Dodgers may continue to be the envy of MLB, however, there will be major changes after next season. Bet on it!

OKC Comets 5 – Round Rock Express (Texas) 2 – 12 innings 

This was an 8-pitcher bullpen game.  RHSP Landon Knack started and completed 2.2 innings, 44 pitches (27 strikes) before being lifted for RHRP Ryder Ryan.  No explanation in the game notes, so I am guessing he was on a strict pitch count, as a just in case he is needed next week.  

In the 4th, Ryan hit a batter with one out.  He stole 2nd and scored on a single.  That was the only run in the game until the 9th inning, when LF James Tibbs III hit a leadoff HR (28) to tie the score. 

LHRP Kris Bubic pitched another scoreless inning.  RHRP Jonathan Hernández and RHRP Jerming Rosario pitched blanks through the 9th.  

3B Ryan Fitzgerald was the placed runner in the 10th.  C Eliézer Alfonzo singled to score Fitzgerald.  

RHRP Nick Robertson inherited the placed runner on 2nd.  A flyout moved the runner to 2nd and a SF tied the score.  

OKC went down quietly in the 11th.  LHRP Garrett McDaniels relieved Robertson.  The placed runner moved to 3rd on a sac bunt.  McDaniels then struck out the next batter and finished the inning with a groundout. 

In the 12th, 1B Matt Gorski was the placed runner.  The first batter K’d.  Fitzgerald doubled to score Gorski.  With 2 outs, Alfonzo surprised everyone with a 2-run HR (2) and a 3-run lead.  

LHRP Ronan Kopp looked good in the 12th with a clean inning for his 2nd save.  

·      Eliézer Alfonzo – 2-2, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (2)

·      James Tibbs III – 1-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (28)

·      Ryan Fitzgerald – 1-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (31)

·      Chadwick Tromp – 1-3, double (1) 

This is a head-scratcher.  Not JDP, not Mike Sirota, but Chris Newell. 

Box Score 

Tulsa Drillers 7 – Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) 4 

RHSP Christian Zazueta continues to shine at AA.  This was his 11th start for Tulsa.  He went 6.0 innings, allowing a pair of runs on 4 hits, 0 BB, and 7 K.  In the 2nd inning, he allowed a 1-out single, and a 2-out run scoring double.  

Tulsa tied it in the 3rd when 1B Joe Vetrano led off with an opposite field HR (11).  

Wichita took a 2-1 lead in the 4th on a HR off Zazueta.  This was the 8th HR he allowed while with Tulsa.  That is a part of his game he is going to need to work on.  

In the 5th, CF Kole Myers had a 1-out single.  LF Josue De Paula followed with a single and Myers to 3rd.  Myers scored the tying run on C Griffin Lockwood-Powell’s game tying SF. 

After Zazueta set the side down in order in the 6th, completing 84 pitches (65 strikes), the Drillers broke it open in the bottom half of the inning.  2B Taylor Young and SS Elijah Hainline opened the inning with a pair of BB.  3B Logan Wagner hit a RBI single.  Up stepped Vetrano who unloaded for a 3-run HR (12) his 2nd of the night.  With one out, Myers walked, stole 2B, and scored on a double (36) by JDP. 

LHRP Christian Suarez pitched a scoreless 7th with a BB and 2 K. 

LHRP Myles Caba relieved Suarez but allowed a 2-run HR cutting the lead to 4-2.  

RHRP Lucas Wepf pitched a perfect 9th with a K for his 3rd save. 

·      Joe Vetrano – 3-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI, 2 HR (12)

·      Josue De Paula – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (36)

·      Logan Wagner – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Kole Myers – 1-2, 3 BB, 2 runs 

Box Score 

Great Lakes Loons 9 – Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 0 – Game 1, 7 innings 

This was Game 1 of a DH that could put the Loons into the playoffs.  GL did not score in the 1st.  They did put up 5 runs on 2 hits in the 2nd.  2B Nico Perez started the innings with a single.  He reached 2nd on a WP and stole 3B on a K to the batter.  Perez scored on a groundout.  With 2 outs, RF Jose Meza and C Victor Rodrigues both walked, and 1B Anson Aroz was HBP. DH Eduardo Quintero came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam (12). 

In the 5th, Quintero led off with a BB and SS Emil Morales singled.  LF Charles Davalan walked to load the bases. Quintero scored when Perez walked.  CF Jaron Elkins hit a 2 run single with Perez moving to third.  Perez scored the 9th run on a groundout. 

LHSP Sterling Patick was pitching arguably his best game of the season.  He completed 5.0 IP allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and 6 K.  

RHRP Joseilyn Gonzalez and RHRP Dilan Figueredo each pitched a scoreless inning. 

GL had a total of 5 hits, with no Loons batter with more than 1.  Besides Quintero’s 12th, Rodrigues hit his 12th double as the only XBH. 

Box Score 

Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 5 – Great Lakes Loons 4 – Game 2, 9 innings 

Between games, the Loons learned that West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) lost, dropping the Loons magic number for the 2nd half Midwest League East Championship to 1.  

Great Lakes struck first in the 3rd.  With 2 outs, LF Charles Davalan doubled (29) and scored on CF Eduardo Quintero’s RBI single.  

Lake County took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd.  RHSP Brooks Auger pitched a pair of scoreless frames.  In the 3rd, he allowed a single, triple and SF for a Captains 2-1 lead.  

The Loons tied it up in the 5th with a HR (4) from C Gio Cueto. 

The Achilles heel for the Loons could be considered the bullpen.  However, LHRP Cody Morse, RHRP Davis Chastain, and RHRP Nicolas Cruz, combined to throw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, no walks, and 5 K. 

In the 9th, 2B Nico Perez was the placed runner at 2nd.  He moved to 3rd on a WP.  DH Jaron Elkins drew a BB.  3B Eduardo Quintero singled to score Perez, while both Elkins and Quintero took an extra base on the fielding error on the hit.  After a K, RF Samuel Munoz reached 1B on a fielder’s choice as Elkins was thrown out at home with Guerrero moving to 3rd.  Guerrero scored on a balk.  

With a 2-run lead, the Loons were looking to clinch the 2nd half championship.  But the bullpen raised their ugly head again.  Cruz went back to the bump in the 9th. With the placed runner, Cruz walked the 1st batter.  He got the next batter, but a pair of doubles brought home 3 runs and a Lake County victory. 

·      Eduardo Quintero – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

·      Gio Cueto – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (4)

·      Double – Charles Davalan (29) 

Box Score 

Ontario Tower Buzzers 9 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Seattle) 6 

For the first 6 innings, the Quakes would score and Ontario would match it. 

On this night the two Luis’ did not pitch as expected.  RHP Luis Carias pitched a scoreless 1st.  In the 2nd, 1 hit and 4 BB scored 2 runs. 

In the bottom of the 2nd, 3B Oswaldo Osorio started the inning with a single.  With an out, CF Kyeler Thompson singled and C Connor O’Neal walked to load the bases.  A passed ball scored Osorio and a WP scored Thompson to tie the score.  

RHRP Accimias Morales gave up a leadoff HR in the 3rd.  

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, SS Caleb Johnson hit a 2 out single and stole 2nd.  He now has 9 of 10 SB.  Johnson scored on Osorio’s double (6). 

The other Luis, RHP Luis Gamez, relieved Morales in the 5th.  He pitched a scoreless 5th and 6th with 5 K.  In the 7th, he ran into some trouble.  A walk, double, K, single, and another walk scored a run and left the bases loaded for RHRP Camden Wimbish.  Wimbish struck out the 1st batter he faced, but walked the next two, forcing in two runs.  

In the bottom of the 7th, DH Ching-Hsien Ko drew a 1-out BB.  Johnson singled to move Ko to 2nd.  Osorio singled to score Ko with Johnson moving to 3rd.  Osorio continued to 2nd on a throwing error.  LF Jose Gonzalez hit a 2-run single to tie the score.  But this time, Ontario was not done.  Gonzalez stole 2B. With a 2nd out, O’Neal drew a BB.  RF Abel Lorenzo hit a 2-run double (6) and scored on a double by 2B Kellon Lindsey (9) for a 9-6 lead. 

Wimbish and RHRP Brady Pendley pitched scoreless 8th and 9th innings, with Pendley got his 1st save. 

·      Kellon Lindsey – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (9)

·      Caleb Johnson – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs

·      Oswaldo Osorio – 3-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (6)

·      Kyeler Thompson – 2-4, 1 run

·      Abel Lorenzo – 1-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (6) 

Box Score