The Arizona Fall League is officially winding down. The Championship games will end on November 16th (two days before my birthday). Zyhir Hope, Sean McLain, Eriq Swan, and Jake Gelof did not make anyone believe they will be superstars, but they did show promise of being useful players as they mature. Of course, Hope has the tools, being a 5-tool player, but at 19, he’s still hard to project.
It’s officially the beginning of the hot stove league… where anything can happen. As usual, Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes will be kicking a lot of tires. Speaking of kicking tires, I put the Dark Horse up for sale. I have been offered $25K over what I paid and with less than a 1,000 miles, I am going to sell it. It’s only a damn car! I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Back to Dodger baseball: Of course, as fans we concoct all kinds of trades. I am sure a lot of Dodger fans are trying to figure out how to get the player who used to be Nolan Arenado. The problem is, he is a shell of himself. He can still play defense, but his power is gone. His HR totals have went from 41 to 34, to 30, to 26, and to 16 last year. Miggy Rojas had a higher OPS than Nolan. That ship has sailed… Nolan is no longer a good player. The Dodgers have Max Muncy for this year and next (if they want him) and he OPS’ed .852. I do not see him slowing down this year. Third base is solid.
First base is also solid and the Dodgers have three more years of Freddie. I can see him retiring after the 2027 season. That leaves 2B and SS. Mookie can play either position, but the Dodgers would rather sign a longer-term solution for SS and let Mookie play the position he loves – 2B! The way I see it, the Dodgers have several options at SS:
- Miguel Rojas and maybe Alex Freeland (later in the summer) could man the position;
- The Dodgers could keep Gavin Lux and play Mookie at SS for a year (I think this is the most unlikely scenerio);
- The Dodgers could trade Lux and sign Willy Adames; or
- The Dodgers could trade Lux and sign Ha-seong Kim.
I would guess that #3 is the most likely, but it all depends upon the Benjamins! I throw trade scenerios out there all the time, but in reality, most will not happen. Garrett Crochet si one of the best young, lefty arms in baseball. Some of you look at his record of 6-12 and 3.58 ERA (1.068 WHIP) and yawn. That is unfortuneate. He is a lot more than his record. Garrett has a total of 219 IP at the MLB level and 146 of them were last season! He has started 32 games in his MLB career and ALL OF THEM WERE LAST SEASON!
He pitched 54 innings in 2021 out of the bullpen and then missed all of 2022 with Tommy John and was limited to 12 innings in 2023 due to shoulder inflammation. Is he injury prone or did he just come back too quickly? He has a big, strong worhorse body (6′ 6″/245 lbs) and of course, is LH. He may not be the equal of Skubal… but he is close. Guys like this are rare. Andrew Friedman covets him and he will cost a lot. If any team trades for him, it will be an overpay and the Dodgers would have to include DePaula and/or Rushing in any deal. I would say the odds are against it.
I think the odds are that Teoscar will be back and this will be the lineup next season:
- Ohtani DH
- Betts 2B
- Freeman 1B
- Teoscar LF
- Muncy 3B
- Smith C
- Edman CF
- Adames SS
- Pages RF
Bench, Kike, CT3, Rojas, Barnes, Rushing will be in the mix as the subs are a combines 350 years old! I see Lux flipped for a prospect… but there are a lot of tires to kick! Who will take Clayton McCulloughs’ place as 1B coach? How about Travis Barbary?
Shadrack will be 6 months old on Saturday and he is already over 80 pounds. He’s still a big goofy puppy!
Let the hot stove burn!
I just got this 30 x 24 Canvas and am having it framed. I’ll take of photo of it when it is hanging in my office:
Discussion (23)
Disagree, not disagreeable
“Brusdar Graterol underwent right shoulder surgery on Thursday, with the procedure performed by Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
He joins Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers players who have undergone shoulder surgery this offseason. Ohtani’s surgery was necessary due to a subluxation of his left shoulder that included a labrum tear.
Graterol revealed news of his surgery through a post on X, formerly Twitter. Graterol mentioned dealing with plenty of frustration and pain throughout the 2024 season, but did not share details of the shoulder operation”.
Graterol is one of five pitchers on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster who are expected to miss all or a significant portion of next season after surgical procedures, along with Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone. That doesn’t include Clayton Kershaw, who will return but hasn’t yet re-signed and had surgeries on his left foot and left knee on November 6.
The Dodgers outrighted Connor Brogdon to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster. Brogdon who missed much of the 2024 season with a foot injury will remain in the organization as relief depth. The 40 man now stands at 37 with 3 openings for player protection of the Rule 5 Draft on December 11 or free agent signings.
How bout we bring JT back on a 1 year deal. He can DH when Shohei pitches and spell Munc at 3B.
In 2026 he moves into a coaching role with the Dodgers….who says no?
yay! Bradley is back!!! Kenley? nope ! O’neil? nope! Burnes at 6 years? nope! Don’t know why, but i’m getting this funny feeling that Blake Snell is going to be a dodger! 3 years at say 90 million? wouldn’t surprise me!
The Dodgers want Treinen back and I am sure they will pay him $10-12 Mil. The problem is that some other team may do a second year. AF won’t do that… nor should he. Sadly, this is a business and I think there is a good chance Treinen gets 2 years!
Burnes will get over $200 Mil and his velocity and spin is down. No way, Jose!
Adames, Teoscar, and Sasaki remain the best possibilities. I see Teo at 3-Years/$75 Mil and Adames at 6 Years$150 Mil.
Once Juan Soto signs, remaining free agent dominoes should start to fall into place. The Dodgers are suppose to meet with Juan Soto, but I have a hard time seeing anyone beating out the Mets. They have a rich owner and an organization in need of a bonafide superstar. However, if Soto’s priority is a winning environment, as Boras has indicated, no other team can beat the Dodgers in that department.
My concern is that whichever NY team comes up short in the Soto sweepstakes will likely end up overpaying for Teo. I don’t foresee the Dodgers overpaying for Teo. I believe the Dodgers are very interested in Adames, but an official offer to Adames likely hinges on what takes place with Soto. In the unlikely scenario the Dodgers sign Soto, you have to believe both Teo and Adames are no longer viable options.
It will be interesting to see how free agency shake out. I have a hunch we’re in for some surprises and it mostly has to do Juan Soto. Once he is off the market teams should have a better idea where they stand with the remaining free agents.
Go Dodgers!
I think they go after Corbin Burnes get there ace. If they don’t get him then go after Max Fried’ next go after Willy Addams to be the every day shortstop. Then put Betts at second base and Pages in right field. Now you have centerfield covered with Edman Kiki and Taylor. Left field Teoscar they get him he is there if they don’t they will have to get a free agent outfielder someone like O’Neal or Kepler or Santanderman someone with some pop like Teoscar and pair that guy with Rushing who could play there or first base sometime and even catch oh and there going to need to bring in a reliever to replace Treinen which I would say Jeff Hoffman. So this is the new dodgers Burnes Hoffman O’Neal Adammes Kenny Jansen and they lose Teoscar Treinen Buehler Lux Outman Miller all won’t be back but Kiki will Barnes Taylor Rushing Rojas. Your starters catcher will smith first base Freddie freeman second Betts shortstop Adammes third base Muncy left field Tyler O’Neal centerfield Edman right field Pages and DH Ohtani.
you don’t think they would include Miller in a package for Crochet? just curious.
you guys are right, shouldn’t forget about Miller. I do believe it’s 50-50 whether he stays a dodger. if he stays, it’s as a starting pitcher. I don’t see him in the bullpen. nor do i see him going back to the minors. if he’s not a starter, i see him possibly in a package with Lux and others for a high level starting pitcher, and or an outfielder. i’m hoping he returns to 2023. bobby miller. …. Couple of writers predicting Walker Buehler to the cubs onna 3 year deal. Really hope not! it could be a big time mistake to let him walk! But as we all have said, there won’t be a shortage of starters come spring training if they are all healthy . Emphasis on”healthy “. wish someone in the American league would hurry up and sign Soto! preferably the Blue jays!!!
Bobby Miller has not been forgotten by the Dodgers. A lot of fans have called him a “head case” and said other things. This is just a young pitcher who got injured, got his mechanics out of whack and was very frustrated. Sometimes, the harder you try, the worse it gets. I look for him to be in the rotation next year.
Don’t forget about Bobby Miller.
This guy could come back and easily be a front of the line rotation guy for us.
A few comments on Mark’s fine article.
I don’t see Freddie Freeman retiring after 2027. He will probably be within 200 hits of 3,000 at that time, and leaving that milestone unreached would be a travesty. His grand slam cemented him in Dodger lore forever and I believe his HOF plaque will show the interlocking “LA” on it.
My heart strings long for re-signing of Teoscar, Treinen and Striker. I think they get all 3 done, but wow, this ball club is starting to get old. Will we regret those moves in 2 seasons?
Sasaki would be such a valuable get. The possibility seems almost too good to be true. We’ve had a lot to cheer for this year, can things continue to get better?
I’ll be blown away if the Dodgers sign Soto.
Teo would be a good signing. I can see the Dodgers making a trade or two.
Let the fun begin.
sure. he walked what, 75% of those on base at bats? Never said he doesn’t have value as a 3rd baseman, He walks a lot, but he strikes out a whole lot too! Home run, base on balls, strike out. the 3 results you get from Max. if he’s the 3rd baseman of course i root for him. i’m gonna make a way too early prediction on Max for next year. 208 batting average. 23 home runs . 77 rbi’s . 18 errors. i hope i’m low on offense predictions, and high on defense predictions! Thats my way too early prediction for Max . 1 more. Mookie Betts ain’t the shortstop next year! By the way, in my early morning post i left out one vert important piece. Ohtani pitching!!! stupid me!
the Max we saw in the world series? not good. just wondering if AF would kick the tires on Bohm? Adames needs to be a dodger! i hate to see Lux go, but Mookie, Adames, and Edman up the middle? that’s a win win situation.
The Dodgers’ website has already announced that Mookie is returning to the infield so I assume that will happen. That gives the Dodgers Pages, Outman, Edman, and Taylor who can play OF (and if they elevate Dalton Rushing to the 40 man, he has played a total of 31 games in LF in his minor league career). I can’t see them going into 2025 with this being the universe of OF available, so this becomes a priority.
I expect that the Dodgers liked what they saw Pages at the end of the season when he was mostly a platooned guy. He isn’t a CF and so should play RF with his good arm. His platoon splits were extreme last year – .213/.277/.371/.647 against RHP vs .357/.396/.520/.917 against LHP. We don’t yet know if he is really a platoon player or not but last year he was. If so, he isn’t an every day guy.
Is James Outman done with the Dodgers? Last season was painful. And he’s already 27. As Mark has previously observed, he also has pretty extreme platoon splits. He is a CF though and the Dodgers don’t have a bunch of them.
If the Dodgers have Mookie at 2B and Rojas and/or Edman at SS, who plays OF?
On the other hand, Edman isn’t really a SS – he doesn’t have a great arm. Rojas is, but he’s 36 and really should be a part-time player.
And what do they do with Lux? I think that the Dodgers are satisfied that he isn’t an every day SS at this point and is best at 2B, and if Mookie plays there? He is surplus and a trade chip probably.
Luis Robert Jr has had 2 really good years out of 5 seasons in MLB. He is a free agent after 2025. He has had more than 400 PA exactly once in 5 years. I don’t see why the Dodgers need to trade for a guy who will be a free agent after one season who can’t stay on the field. Yeah, they need a CF, but his history doesn’t inspire confidence.
So – sign or trade for a corner OF, install Edman in CF, sign or trade for a SS?
Another scenario could be moving Mookie to short and keeping Lux at 2B in a platoon with Rojas. Lux had a .739 OPS against righties and a .394 OPS against lefties.
Treinen is worth $10m AAV. Pay the man.
As for Lux, I’m not “giving up” on him either. But I am trading him because Mookie will be the second baseman–and Lux lacks the versatility of guys like Edman, Taylor and Kike.
Lux would have a better path to big success on a team that would play him at 2B daily, and bat him near the top of the lineup. If he figures out how to hit lefties, Lux could be an all-star and make more $$ than he’d ever get as a bit player on the Dodgers
I saw a Dark Thunder last week – it is an impress car and sounds the part, definitely a throwback to the 70-eras.
On Trienan, I saw the same thing where Sporting News has him going to the Phillies for a 1-yr $10M.
If the amount/years is correct – what are your thoughts on the Dodgers matching it?
His stuff is filthy and he missed 2- years so even at 37 it’s not like he has a lot of mileage of the arm. I for one think he is worth an outlier move by AF from his normal approach to relievers.
Since every publication says that Crochet being moved – I can imagine anyone out-bidding the Dodger’s and they have the assets to do so. Plus, agree with Dodgerdad and others from previous post, that some of the arms noted above will need to be traded.
CT3 has a big bounce back year.
And IM not giving up on Lux. If someone wants to overpay for him, fine, but Id be fine rolling him out next year….
Speculating is fun. Having a little foresight is way more engaging than spewing hindsight. It’s funny how we all go bonkers trying to figure out the opening day lineup.
Here is the outfield 3-31-24
Teoscar
Outman
Heyward
Here is the outfield 10-31-24
Teoscar
Kike
Mookie
7-9 in the lineup sucked in April, but raked in October. So I guess the reasons we do this is twofold. It’s boring as hell in the offseasons. And it’s fun to guess who’s on your team in April. That being said……I’ll take Fried, Teo, Striker, Kike ,Kim & Robert Jr. And Sasaki.
Book em
good morning from va.! i like your 2025 lineup mark! i don’t particularly like the bench! unless someone can fix Chris Taylor’s swing, AF should try and move him! If kike and rojas both stay there is really no need for Taylor. Kike can play 7 positions. Rojas can play every position in the infield. An outfielder with some pop, and an average over .250 would be just what the doctor (doc) ordered! or as you proposed earlier, a Robert trade would allow Edman to be the super utility player every team would love to have! That bench will hit a collective .210. and strikeout 40% of the time! it’s a below average bench to say the least. …. i still believe the Mets sign Soto . Good! the dodgers don’t need him! … Does Andy Pages become the Dodgers every day right fielder? possibly, but with Mookie moving back into the infield, right field takes a big step backward. Pages can be a good right fielder, but in no way is he close to Mookie! Center? Edman is a gold glove caliber player. Left? Teo is average, but sneaky better than he gets credit for. Kike? excellent outfielder. Evev though Taylor is a liability at the plate, he’s an excellent defender anywhere in the outfield. Outman? good outfielder. i just believe he’s playing somewhere else next season. it’s fun to speculate what the dodgers will do! Sasaki, Fried,Burnes, Snell, Crochet, Skrubal, Buehler? Lots to choose from, who knows? But a healthy Glasnow, Yamamoto at the top? A very good start! Knack, May, Gonsolin,Sheehan? someone probably has to go. i’m going on record and saying Gonsolin will be in the dodgers rotation. May? probably bullpen or traded. Sheehan? minors in the beginning. Knack? this one intrigues me. he’s on the verge of being a very good starter in the league. He could be the next Jack Flaherty. Blake Trienan would be a big loss. But, AF seems to find a way to replace guys without spending a fortune. And he’s 37 years old, so they won’t get in a bidding war for him. Seeing phillies as favorites for Trienan. Speaking of the phillies, Bohm is supposedly on the trade market. AF interested? young , talented, and has power. could be at 3rd for a few years! Just throwing that out there.
Teoscar’s estimated contract (based on four major sports outlets) ranges narrowly from 3y/$60m to 3y/$72m.
We should be able to strike a deal quickly and move on to what’s next.