Getting Ready to Rubble
Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on March 26 is approaching sooner than later. Except for 2B, which ultimately seems to belong to Tommy Edman, who will start the season on the IL, all the positions are set… barring injury… and there will be…
Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on March 26 is approaching sooner than later. Except for 2B, which ultimately seems to belong to Tommy Edman, who will start the season on the IL, all the positions are set… barring injury… and there will be injuries. Won’t there?
Breakout candidate: Christian Zazueta is a RHP who is 6′ 3″ and very skinny. He came to the Dodgers in the Caleb Ferguson deal with the Yankees. He has recently added 17 pounds but needs about 30 more. His fastball tops out at 98 MPH and has a killer changeup. He is working on a sweeper/curve, but he is a strike thrower. Last season, between Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga, he was 7-2 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. In 67 IP, he struck out 81 and walked just 16, so he has incredible control for someone so young. He will start at Great Lakes, but he could move rapidly and could possibly see the show by fall. Watch this kid:
Players most likely to be traded: I am going to preface this by saying, “If he has a good spring.” The player is Hyeseong Kim. He is essentially Alex Freeland with less power and not able to hit from both sides of the plate. I can see him being traded if he has a hot spring. Oh, and if Freeland has a good Spring. Kim really isn’t the type of player the Dodgers seek. I prefer Freeland, and Kim has some real value to certain teams.
Some fans will say Miller or Knack, but that would involve selling low. We know that Graterol and maybe Snell will be late to the dance, along with Edman and Kike, so some pitchers will get an opportunity early. I think that after the World Series of 2025 and the long season, the Dodgers will slow-play a lot of the staff. Look for Wrobleski, Casparius, Stone, Sheehan, and Ryan, along with Knack, to get opportunities.
The Lineup:
Right about now, it looks like this:
- Ohtani DF
- Tucker RF
- Betts SS
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Muncie 3B
- Teoscar LF
- Pages RF
- Kim/Rojas 2B
Bench: Rushing, Call, Freeland
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Discussion (110)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Hall of Famer, Bill Mazeroski has passed away at age 89. Spent all 17 of his years in the majors with the Pirates. Best known for his walk off homer in game 7 of the 1960 World Series against the Yankees. RIP Maz.
i’m still at a total and complete loss to whatever point you might be making or insinuating, but if others get it, it’s cool. I often don’t understand the point of posts!
Kim doesn’t need to hit for power. He needs to get on base. His OPS in ’25 was .699, compared to .601 for Freeland. Kim’s slugging % and OPB were higher. While both struck out too much, Freeland’s K rate was higher, with 35 in 97 plate appearances. Freeland needs to have a fantastic spring and/or an injury to a teammate to make the roster.
3:10 PM ET Dodgers (93-69) Angels (72-90) SP Y. Yamamoto R 0-0 .00 ERA SP Jose Soriano R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L LF T. Hernandez R CF Andy Pages R C D. Rushing L 3B S. Espinal R 2B Hyeseong Kim L SS A. Freeland S 1B Ryan Ward L RF Zach Ehrhard R 67° Wind 5 mph In
I am going to address a discussion held yesterday. I am not going to rehash all the stats and theories, but I feel that there is a decent chance Kim gets traded. Of course, many disagree, which is fine. It was proposed that the Dodgers knew all of the stats and still signed him, implying that they may know more than I do (which they do). My response was that they also signed Conforto, which led to this question: “What the fuck does Michael Conforto’s signing and situation have to do with Kim’s?” What one has to do with the other is simply that the Dodgers are not always right about a player. Kim is a nice player, but Conforto was a disaster. That’s it. My opinion. Others have different opinions. Cool. I have no problem with that. The fact that you fail to understand what my point was in comparing Conforto and Kim is your problem. Time will be the great revealer. I do not dislike Kim – I love his speed and his defense – I just do not think he has the bat the Dodgers need. I hope I am wrong. I root for him every at-bat and respect your right to even have him as your favorite player. I did not steal your lunch.
This is a small-sample analysis. The least you could do is add Japanese hitters to the mix. Now let’s see your AI-powered argument for Alex Freeland. Did it occur to you that you are making an argument with your heart?
Also, Fedducia is supposed to start down in Florida. Maybe there’s hope for Ryan Ward after all…
There is a big difference between Japan and Korea is projecting hitters. We have had many players from Japan who have matched what they have done in Japan. The KBL is a couple of notches below the NBL. In EVERY case, the Korean Players have always seen their OPS frop by at least 140 points. That’s a fact. I am not saying that Freeland will be better than KIM, but he is younger, a switch hitter, and certainly has more power.
Surprised a little that Tony Gonsolin has not been signed by any team to this point. Even Buehler, who was pretty bad last year got a deal.
It’s hard d not to be Tommy Lasorda regarding the kids. Tommy had a hard time giving playing time to prospects, but in his defense he never had a situation like Roberts has where he KNOWS he will be in the playoffs. Freeland, Kim, and Rushing need playing time. Rushing most of all given his ceiling. I hope Doc finds him the ABs. I know the Dodgers know best. My smartest clients were the ones who listened to me because they knew I knew my business and they did not, so I’m not second guessing the pros, but I sure hope Rushing gets enough time to figure out major league pitching. It’s hard to do from the bench.
Wish I could watch. Daughter’s away at college and manages all my subscriptions! I don’t even know our wifi password.
I missed this. You were right on Lux!
New MLB Rumors Reveal Proposed Salary Cap as Owners Keep $2B in ‘War Chest’ for Potential Lockout “MLB owners will reportedly push for the implementation of a salary cap as part of the next collective bargaining agreement. According to Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the “initial” sense is that the cap floor for a first proposal would be between $140 million and $160 million while the ceiling would fall into the range of $260 million and $280 million. It would have to be “grandfathered in for a few years.” MLB owners have also funded a “war chest” of approximately $75 million per team in order to provide financial protection in case of a work stoppage, per Heyman and Sherman. The ownership fund contains a total value of over $2 billion. The MLB Players Association has a “significant” war chest as part of a standard preparation for a possible lockout as well, via Heyman and Sherman. The MLBPA will enter CBA negotiations with Bruce Meyer as its interim executive director following the resignation of Tony Clark. Heyman and Sherman reported Thursday that players remain “adamantly against” a salary cap and have expressed a “strong expectation” that a lockout will occur when the current CBA expires. Substantive discussions between both sides have yet to begin. The MLB and MLBPA reportedly held a preliminary meeting in Nov. 2025. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the league could pursue the addition of a “hard-cap” model based off the NHL instead of the NBA’s cap system that includes tax and apron thresholds. Owners are willing to discuss significantly increasing the current minimum wage of $780,000 and lowering the service time required to reach arbitration and free agency as “bargaining chips” if they can receive a salary cap in return, per Heyman and Sherman. An MLB work stoppage hasn’t occurred since 1994, resulting in a shortened 1995 season. The current CBA expires on Dec. 1″.
The new head of the MLBPA is reputed to be a real hardliner. Well, it’s actually not a rumor!
Gonsolin underwent an internal brace procedure and flexor tendon repair on his right elbow in August 2025. This surgery was a revision of his previous 2023 Tommy John surgery. His recovery is estimated to take 8 to 10 months. 2026 Outlook: He is expected to miss at least the first half of the 2026 season, with a potential return unlikely before August or September 2026.
Millionaires fighting Billionaires. Let’s see how long it takes to get a deal done.
Play Ball! It’s been a long winter. I’m soooo ready for some baseball. The announcers just confirmed what I have always believed: Kike Hernandez said that he would NOT have caught the ball Andy Pages bulldozed him on in the World Series.
Kim could really impress right about now!
BANG!
Dodgers To Claim Jack Suwinski “The Dodgers are claiming outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Pirates designated Suwinski for assignment earlier this week to open up a 40-man roster spot for Marcell Ozuna. The 27-year-old Suwinski has struggled mightily over the past two years, following a breakout 2023 campaign. The outfielder began last season on the big-league roster, but didn’t make it through April. He ended up tallying 59 games with the Pirates and 56 games at Triple-A. Suwinski mashed in the minors to the tune of a 150 wRC+. He managed just a 55 wRC+ in 178 MLB plate appearances”.
Kim is making the most of it.
He has NO minor league options remaining.
Give Kim a chance. He might surprise all of us. I’m positive his work ethic is definitely there.
My eyes say otherwise. I’m going with first hand observation.
Kim will be there in the beginning, but what happens when Kike, Edman, and Rojas are on the team, and what if Freeland steps up? It’s possible they send him to OKC knowing that Rojas and maybe Kike will not be back in 2027.