Why do I dislike it so much? Well, the dearth of baseball news except for the period of the winter meetings and the flurry of movement during free agent signings. Then usually after the holidays start, things are really slow as most of the big-time stars have found new homes.
There will be the occasional pre-spring training trade, or as is usual all years, a lot of minor league deals for depth in the team’s system. This year it has been exceptionally quiet in Dodger land leaving us fans wondering if Freidman is still alive and kicking. The Bauer fiasco gave us a burst of energy in both directions. Negative for some, positive for others. But the fact still remains that most fans on this blog and many others do not consider the Dodgers as having improved the team all that much after so many key players have left.
Most think they know what is best. All of this of course based on no actual data. One thing is for sure, it will be very interesting to see how the new rules, and the new players, fit into the picture. JD Martinez as the full time DH is an upgrade. You look at the overall production that the Dodgers got from the DH spot in the order, and it does not come close to what he did in Boston. The primary DH was JT. He played 4 more games at third than he did at DH. He hit 13 homers overall and drove in 81 runs. Martinez was the DH in all 139 games in which he appeared. He had 16 homers and 62 RBIs with a mediocre offense in Boston. He will more than adequately replace Turner. And he brings a solid veteran leadership into the clubhouse.
Lux takes over at short barring a trade or a late signing of a veteran SS. Now the Dodgers can also look at slick fielding Jacob Amaya and see if he can hit enough to keep Lux at 2nd. If not, Muncy and Busch will duke it out for second base, and Vargas will be the primary third baseman replacing Muncy who got the most starts at the position. Freeman is a lock at first and could get an occasional day off with Muncy available to spell him. But I would think Freeman plays in almost every game. That is just the way Freddie is wired.
If the Dodgers decide on a left field platoon, they have several to choose from. Same thing with center. Outman is penciled in as the starter. Taylor and Thompson, share left, and of course Mookie is in right. Again, barring a late free agent signing, those will be the primary four outfielders on the roster. You have Heyward, Zimmer and Duggar in on minor league contracts. At this point, the only infield sub is also an outfielder, Taylor. I do not expect Yonny Hernandez to even make it through spring training.
Another thing that is going to affect signings is the 10 players they have eligible for salary arbitration. The Dodgers have been very good over the last several years at signing arbitration eligible players without having to go to a hearing. Last two Dodgers to have a hearing, Pedro Baez and Joc Pederson. Pedro won his, and Joc lost. Four of those players are Super-Twos. Gonsolin, Buehler, who they are going to pay not to play, Urias and Even Phillips. Urias will most likely get a big bump in salary. He made 8 million last season. I look for him to get upwards of 12 this year. They can exchange numbers beginning the 13th of January. The other players eligible for arbitration, Ferguson, Almonte, Smith, May, Thompson and Graterol.
I guess I will always dislike the offseason. The main reason being I really miss baseball, and favorites always leave. Some via free agency, and some via trades.
Discussion (15)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Boston was looking for a SS also. Trevor Story, who was set to take over for Bogaerts, is injured and might miss the entire year. I think they have the solution right there on the team. Kike is a defensive whiz, he can play SS with the best of them. Craig Stammen signs a minor league deal with the Padres. Hanser Alberto signs a minor league deal with the White Sox.
By going over the cap on this deal, it makes me think they might have a trade lined up for Bauer. Since CT3 will be spending a lot of time in the Outfield, Rojas because a utility guy, and a possible platoon partner with Lux. Lux isn’t an experiment, he’s the primary Shortstop.
“The club is expected to give Gavin Lux a chance to move from second to short and become the club’s long-term solution there, but having Rojas on hand gives them a veteran fallback plan who can also potentially impart his veteran wisdom to the younger player.”
The Rojas trade should put an end to the Lux at SS experiment. Miguel has developed into a decent SS. Definitely not Seager or Turner, but he can make a play and not be a complete liability with the bat. I like the move.
They traded Blake Treinen the Dodgers did and only got Trevor Rogers. Wasn’t Blake going to be the setup guy for Phillips. That’s good they got a veteran Shortstop feel better now. Now if Lux goes to second and Muncy to 3b. Does that mean Vargas is an outfielder now?
Dustin Nosler’s solution to stay under the threshold is kinda fun:
Proposal
To MIA: OF Bryan Reynolds, RHP Blake Treinen, RHP Landon Knack, C Samuel Escudero, Competitive Balance Round B draft pick
To PIT: 2B Michael Busch, RHP Max Meyer, RHP Gavin Stone
To LA: LHP Trevor Rogers, Competitive Balance Round A draft pick
I can’t see the $5mil 34 yr old being a straight up trade for Amaya ( who they thought WAS Rojas) , there’s gotta be more to it.
Dodgers line-up last time Rojas was in it:
(the team has come quite a ways)
Barney 2B
Puig CF
Gonzalez 1B
Kemp RF
Crawford LF
Ellis C
Rojas 3B
Arruebarrena SS
Greinke P
Wow, what a bummer for Amaya. I hate this move. I thought Jacob Amaya was Miguel Rojas, worst case scenario. This is the move that puts them over the cap? So much for dipping that toe under he?
I like Rojas, but not at the cost of Amaya.
I hate to say it. (No I don’t) but I told you Lux was not a SS. CT3 will soon be traded.
Well, my thoughts are they don’t trust unshifted Muncy play @ 2B much more than Lux play @ SS and Vargas @ 3B.
So Rojas will play SS, Lux 2B, Muncy 3B and Vargas LF.
I hate it. Now delete it.
…
Actually, it’s a pretty fantastic essay. It’s a long one – I’m about halfway done – will finish when I have a little more time this evening.
It’s a little meandering, but I think that’s simply because the author is struggling to make sense of inherent contradictions, which we should struggle with – because they’re inherent contradictions. The universe is full of them.
A lot of great points/themes in his essay, but just to touch on one them: intellectual diversity. There will always be tension between learning intended to maintain stability – to teach in order to reinforce an established order; and diversity of thought, true creativity, and intellectual curiosity – which is often is disruptive. Intellectually repressive societies, without a safety valve for accommodating creativity or addressing its contradictions, becomes unstable as a result. Excessively permissive societies become unstable because their is no undergirding intellectual framework or shared cultural beliefs. It devolves into chaos. People become less free, more trapped, more miserable as result.
I recall an aphorism from William Blackstone. I forget it now and don’t know where to find it. His premise was that the law, and a strict adherence to the law and it’s tradition of jurisprudence, were essential for human liberty. This is true.
Was reading Roger Scruton yesterday. He made a similar point when writing about Burke’s and Adam Smith’s arguments about the concept of liberty which, to them, was more than simply the belief in total individualism, that every person is sovereign. There are also the collective beliefs and traditions, which then manifest to individual freedoms … but also individual obligations. Individualism without the passed down collective wisdom of tradition and a culture’s history, leads inevitably to the excesses of the Reign of Terror, where beheadings were made in the name of liberty.
Dodgers on the verge of trading Jacob Amaya to Miami for Miguel Rojas.
I don’t think anyone thinks Busch will play CF.
I like it because you can say stuff and then see if your predictions are right. So if my predictions are wrong. Vargas Outman and Busch are all going to shine this year and hit over 250 with each having around 20 homers. You will have a outfield set of Outman in LF Busch in CF Betts in RF. A infield of Vargas 3b Adames at SS because Friedman trades Lux to the Brewers the Muncy at 2b and Freeman 1b and Smith at Catcher. Your DH JD Martinez has a big year and Heyward is a nice pinch hitter of the bench and gives outfielders a day off when you can have him play some days. That’s what the off season is all about hoping for this to happen and if it doesn’t then we have a bad year. A good manager I would say the Dodgers could get and would really piss off the Giants and Padres. That would be Matt Williams. One he has been a manager and two he has managed with Bob Melvin who end up in playoffs every team he has managed. So Matt has learned how to manage a clubhouse. Plus a guy won’t get out of line with that guy as manager.
Plus the days are shorter and the nights longer along with my wife’s honey do lists.