I am extremely grateful that Mark has asked me back. I always enjoyed writing here. This has been a great season for Dodger fans although the last 2 games of the World Series had a few cardiac moments. In the end, it was one of those moments you will remember forever.
I am old enough to have seen all of the Dodgers World Series wins. In 1955 I was a 7-year-old who was just learning the game. When the Dodgers moved to LA, my birthplace and home in 1958, I was 10 and just starting to collect baseball cards and play the game almost every day I had the chance.
I will really try to select topics that I think you will enjoy! If you have any ideas, please feel free to post them. The hot stove season is getting ready to start. This week is awards week. Two Dodgers, Ohtani and Yamamoto are up for MVP and the Cy Young respectively. I believe Ohtani will win the MVP. Yoshi has some serious competition in Skenes and Sanchez.
Bochy is back with the Giants in an advisory position. Just one managerial vacancy remains The Rockies are the only team yet to hire a new manager. Paul DePodesta just took over as President of Baseball Operations, so he is probably making a list of potential candidates right now.
Justin Turner has said he wants to play in 26. Not sure how many teams will have an interest in JT, he is little more than a DH at this point in his career. Miggy Ro has said he wants to play in 26, but only for the Dodgers.
Many Dodger fans want the Dodgers to pursue Kyle Tucker in free agency. Tucker is primarily a right fielder. The Dodgers biggest needs are in the bullpen, and bench in my humble opinion. I think they have too many bench guys who are better suited as utility players with little power.
The starting lineup will probably look the same except for a new leftfielder. Ohtani, Betts, Smith, Freeman, Teo, Pages, Muncy, and either Kim or Edman at second. I think second is Edman’s best position. He should be starting there. That would mean a bench of Kim, Rortvedt or Rushing, Rojas and Call. Except for Rushing, not one of those players have that much long ball potential.
They have 12 possibilities for starting pitcher, but the rotation will probably be Ohtani, Yoshi, Glasnow, Snell, Sasaki and pick em, Sheehan, Stone, Ryan, Knack, or Wrobleski. Wrobo showed a lot in the series as a reliever, so that could be where his calling lies.
The bullpen will have the usual suspects, and probably a new face or two. I would like to see them target Robert Suarez in free agency which would give them two closers, one left and one right. Treinen will be back in the last year of his contract along with Vesia, Graterol, Banda, Casparius, Stewart, Dreyer and Klein.
As he does every season, Freidman will load up on minor league depth. Whoever does not make the 26-man will be available at OKC. Most likely there will be several minor league free agents added to that roster as well. It remains to be seen who in the system already gets moved up a notch or two.
The next couple of months will show us in which direction the team is leaning. Other than maybe a reliever or two, I do not seem to think they will target any big-ticket player. They need to get younger sometime soon.
I believe that process will begin sometime soon, hopefully with a couple players this year. Not sure who they might be, but there are several young guys ready to step up as pitchers. Position players who are MLB ready are not a large commodity.
This time around I am going to try and be as impartial as I can. Sometimes I let my ego get the better of me. I don’t know it all and will never assume that I do. A lot of what I post is based on watching AF work over his tenure as President of Baseball Operations. If I have learned one thing about the man, it is that he never makes knee-jerk moves. Go Dodgers!
Discussion (23)
Disagree, not disagreeable
“Fresh off their World Series triumph, the Los Angeles Dodgers are casting a long shadow over Japan’s preparations for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.Japanese media reports indicate the Dodgers may restrict or outright discourage participation from key Samurai Japan stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, citing injury risks and fatigue following a grueling postseason”.
not in that clubhouse!!! no way! might as well bring johnny hustle ( manny) back too!!
Yamamoto
Ohtani
Sasaki
Sheehan
Glasnow
Snell
Wrobleski
Stone
Ryan
A ton of depth and a ton of talent. Would anyone be surprised if one or two of these guys were traded? I enjoy making people roll their eyes so how about Glasnow and Pages for Tatis? Add players as needed.
Not a surprise, but somewhat formalized:
Brandon Gomes recently confirmed that the plan is for Roki Sasaki to be a starter next season.
Good for Shohei, sorry, but I think Raleigh got robbed. A catcher with 60 bombs?
i don’t see him making regular starts all season. i know he’s a stud, but it’s hard to imagine he will hold up to the grind for 162 games. i personally wish he would do one or the other. imagine him starting 30 plus games without having to worry about hitting. or imagine him hitting 60-70 homers and playing right field! just me!
Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on his 4th MVP!
His offensive numbers are likely going to take a hit as he pitches a full season in 2026 but could end up becoming a serious contender for the NL CY Young award next season. The two way talent is off the charts.
Go Dodgers!
ohtani does it again! judge does it again! repeat manager’s of the year! repeat world series champs! Probability it happens three years in a row? if ohtani and judge stay healthy, probably a 90% chance they 3peat! if the dodgers stay healthy, and upgrade their outfield, probably an 80% chance they 3 peat! Managers? not a high probability they will win it again. Feel bad for Cal! But the numbers Judge put up were hard to make a case against. If Cal had won, the same argument could have been made. Personally, i would have given it to Cal by an eyelash simply because of the position he played. not one passed ball during the regular season. 60 homers, the rbi’s. tough call! Ohtani? no question. of course if he hadn’t pitched, then Kyle S. had an opportunity to steal it. wonder if there was just one winner in the game, judge or ohtani? probably very close, ohtani would be the one! i guess Doc is a victim of his own success! As far as the CY YOUNG award. Can’t penalize Skeenes for his overall record. the numbers are extraordinary. Skrubal? no arguments here! But!! that little guy in Chavez Ravine? Maybe not quite the same as Orel Hershieser’s 88 run , but DAMN he was outstanding! That guy who ridiculed the Dodgers for signing him? shove it buddy!! And for all the haters who cry about the dodgers spending money on him, i’m pretty sure at least 2 teams offered as much and maybe more than the dodgers. It’s going to be hard to dethrone Skeenes for the Cy Young award if he stays healthy, but Yamamoto has nothing left to prove! Speaking of Cy Young award winners. Look for Blake Snell to be in the running next year season! His performance in the world series is not indicative of the talent he possesses! If Ohtani did not hit, he would probably give Skeenes a run for his money. And i firmly believe that Glasnow will have a healthy season in full next season! I’m just bubbling over with excitement for this rotation next season. Sasaki or Emmit? Maybe Stone? Ryan? Maybe a trade or signing? Framber Valdez? probably not. But as Mark stated earlier, they may want another lefty in the rotation. As far as the bullpen goes, i stand by my prediction of pete fairbanks becoming a dodger. Suarez ? i absolutely agree with Bear. he could be one they covet. Pass on williams and diaz. What’s the odds Graterol comes back healthy for an entire season? probably not the greatest odds. I’m really hopeful Evan Phillips is healthy and can get back to his self. Really like that guy. As far as position players, the more i think about it, the more likely it is that they acquire Kwan than sign tucker or bellinger. Could Teo beca part of that deal? He would be a perfect fit in cleveland as the DH. One last question. Could the dodgers be interested in Byron Buxton ?? Health? yes a concern. But, what a great addition to center field he would be! A package headlined by Sheehan, Ward, and more? you never know!
Szymborski Chat
TameImp: Is it safe to say that if Fairbanks had no takers at $11mm then Devin Williams probably isn’t worth $22mm for one year?
Dan Szymborski: I’d definitely be surprised if Williams got that
Oaktown Blues: Which of the 2000 Zyhirs Hope had the most surprising projection to you?
Dan Szymborski: Well, the one in which Zyhir Hope projected to 7 point something WAR. That’s a lot for Hope
Keith Law chat:
davealden5 What a remarkable four innings in Game 3 from Will Klein! Fluke or does he have a future?
Keith Law He’s never thrown strikes consistently enough to have the kind of future you might be envisioning. It’s high-leverage stuff, and if he has a Kimbrel-like leap in control, he’ll be an elite closer or setup type. Very low odds of this happening.
Chris Hi Keith! This will be my first year cooking a thanksgiving turkey and I want to go the spatchcock route. I did a search on your site and found a 2022 Twitter live stream you did, but do you have any go-to recipes or other resources you can share?
Keith Law Serious Eats is probably the best bet. I don’t use baking powder, just salt, because the baking powder always left a bit of a weird texture on the skin. Also definitely make sure you have at least a cup of water in the sheet pan to prevent the rendered fat from hitting the hot pan and smoking.
Crew Do you think the Dodgers should go into another year of planning to use Rushing as a back up C/fourth OF?
Keith Law Seems like a poor use of the player.
Henry In thinking about the Dodgers robust baseball ops system, why haven’t other teams replicated their model of hiring as many top professional development staff as they have to support their players? Even if you were a small market team, that would probably be my biggest priority in developing talent.
Keith Law I don’t understand why more teams haven’t replicated some of their org structure, or just hired away a Galen Carr or an Alex Slater to be a GM and bring their institutional knowledge.
Jason With the number of OF prospects the Dodgers, should they pursue Kyle Tucker given the term/salary required? Are they better off looking for a 1 to 2 year solution before their prospects are ready?
Keith Law I know the Dodgers are just linked to every good FA, but I don’t think Tucker is a great investment for them. They do have a ton of OF depth coming, and I’m more concerned about the age of their infield.
Welcome back, Bear! Looking forward to your posts.
Welcome back Bear!!
I have always appreciated your posts.
I agree that the Dodger’s need to get younger, so it is hard for me to see how Kiki stays with the team.
I do think a trade from Kwan is a possibility, while it is true you can never have enough pitching it is almost absurd how many quality arms the Dodger’s have and since they all cannot play here, they can be great trade capital.
As to 2nd – I think the Dodger’s are set with either/both Edman and Kim. With a full year behind him I think Kim may surprise the lot of us next year – he definitely has the skill sets the Dodger’s need, contact hitter, fast, defense and youth.
I think Suarez would be a good fit – but a part of me wants to see Klein and Henriquez given a long-opportunity to succeed after their Game 3 performances.
Great news on Bear.
Ward probably won’t get a chance but I wish he would just to see how he performs and increases or decreases his trade value. I think we need a RH 3B to replace or spell Muncy. How about making Miggy a player/coach? I also think the Blue should focus on some better D in the outfield, meaning replace Teo, despite the power. Keep Call, Pages’, Kim (IF/OF), try Ward, By June they will know what we got. would Belli go back to the OF? Fans would love it! Man, I can’t wait for Spring training.
The great Craig Goldstein versus Conforto:
https://rememberthatguy.beehiiv.com/p/craig-goldstein-vs-michael-conforto
Unbelivably great piece on Will Klein on Dodger Digest.
Welcome back Bear! Looking forward to reading posts young man.
while most rumors have the dodgers pursuing diaz, i believe they are far more likely to sign pete fairbanks, possibly even robert suarez. Diaz is 31 and looking for 5 years and in the neighborhood of $110 million. Fairbanks fits what the dodgers love, versatility. he can close, setup, or pitch in long relief. 3 years for him would sound about right. …. Looks like Boston is looking to make a big splash. this offseason. pete alonzo, freddie peralta just 2 that they are looking to acquire. of course there’s dbag bregman. I’m in the mindset he joins ole AJ Hinch in Detroit. Bang the cans! …. The pirates are supposedly going to spend some money this offseason! That’s all well and good, but it’s not enough to skeenes in pittsburgh long term. ……. Mad Max to San francisco? might happen. …. Dbacks considering trading Marte? now there’s a second baseman who would look good in blue! Won’t happen though. …. Padres rumors swirling around tatis. how would dodgers fans feel about him in LA? i’ll pass! …. Bellinger to the mets makes sense if they can’t resign Alonzo. Cody is a fine first baseman. ….. Will the Rockies spend any money this offseason? doubt it. they may be even worse this upcoming year!……. reading several teams wants to be in on bichette. not all of them need a shortstop. i guess he’s open to playing second base. Now him in LA, very intriguing! …. The Marlins are rumored to be in the spending mode. They could be a very solid team if they do! …. And the Angels. it looks like they are going to spend. the problem is they don’t ever get any bang for their buck! They will go down in history as the team who wasted Mike Trout. Maybe some team like the yankees will pry him away from the angels (doubtful), and give him a chance to play in the playoffs. Rendon. anyone? …. Looking forward to your posts Old Bear! I appreciate your knowledge and perspective regarding this beautiful game. Heck, maybe ole Bradley will come back and give you some of his trade proposals! i always get a smile on my face when he does his deals!
Glad to have you back here Bear, where you belong.
I guess we won’t know for a while. But what are the plans for Ward. Will he get a shot or just be trade bait
It’s funny to see how many Dodger fans had lost faith in Rushing and had him traded… only to find out how the Dodgers felt about it. Rushing is not getting traded. Rortvedt was in the right place at the right time, but I doubt he makes the Reds 2026 26-man roster.
Always appreciate a new dispatch from Bear…
Regarding the bullpen, I admit to a fondness for bringing Kenley back. He was terrific for the Angels, saving 29 in 30 tries. But perhaps Roberts and the front office aren’t as fond of Kenley as I am.
Suarez and Devin Williams both seem like good targets. That said, I also like the idea of River Ryan as a potential closer. (And I’m still rooting for Bobby Miller to get his mojo back.)
Under the radar a bit is Taylor Rogers, the submarine thrower who in ’25 led the majors in inducing weak contact and ground-ball rate. I’ve always heard the Dodgers like to throw different “looks” at rivals, and Rogers would certainly be that. A great guy to have when you need a double play.
Two other priorities should be defense and youth.
For those reasons a trade built around Teo for either Steven Kwan or Wilyer Abreu could make sense. Both are gold glovers, and both are about 5-6 years younger than 33-year-old Teo. Dodgers could add Miller as a sweetener….
Welcome back Michael! Looking forward to your contributions again. Love you historical Dodger pieces. Great reads for the off-season!
The Dodgers won’t have Rortvedt on the bench. He was claimed off waivers by the Reds today.
Freeland should be on the bench unless he’s traded.