Is It Joe Maddon Time?

No, Meddon no, he is no a good manager either.

Oh shit, is this really the “Trade Seager” off-season? I remember that Beltre couldn’t hit a slider until he could. Maybe he isn’t “the guy”, but he is a very good offensive shortstop. Hell, he’s a good defensive shortstop. He missed a whole year and was still pretty damn good this year. Seager and Belli only have 3 years in league and they both came up very young. Springer, Altuve, Rendon and Betts were all much older when they broke through and were ready to lead in the post-season. As a matter of fact, they were all around Muncy’s age.

Doc is the biggest change we need to make. It was criminal to put Kershaw in that spot. Kershaw has blown more post-seasons than probably anyone in the history of post-season baseball and we’re talking about getting rid of Seager. Doc, AF and Kershaw’s finger prints are all over this failure, much more so than Seager.

Doc is uncanny at making moves that everyone thinks are wrong. Kike batting 3rd last year? Benching Kemp all last offseason? Pulling Rich Hill too early, going back to the well too often with Morrow, keeping Clayton in too long.

AF has NOT made a deal to put us over the top. We are the Dodgers, not the A’s, not the Rays. You don’t have to win every deal. You need to win a Championship even if you need to overpay from time to time.

Kershaw is a forth or fifth starter now. He is not a shut down guy. He is NOT an Ace.

I’ll say it again. The biggest mistake they made was not getting Urias built up as a starter at the end of the season. They went with their hearts instead of their heads by putting Hill on the roster.

They have too many left handed bats. Mark’s right, Castellanos would have been huge. Same Abreu. Friedman did NOT do his job at the deadline.

Stan Kasten is turning us into the Braves.

Yeah Nats are inferior. But they have a game Friday night. bwa hashaha

McCullough sounds it up well at The Athletic:

Roberts appeared to act through feel rather than logic, through emotion rather than analytics. He trusted Kershaw in a moment when he should not have. He allowed a sterling ninth inning from Kelly to cloud his judgment for the 10th. He let the fear of having Maeda face Washington slugger Soto place a wrench inside his planning. He seemed to have lost all faith in Jansen, the erstwhile closer, who did not pitch until the outcome had been decided.

Not since Gerry Mac left Buckner in for no reason but emotion have we seen such poor decision making.

I can’t see how Roberts can return. That said, Maddon was pretty wretched this year. Why him?

I have no real interest in Betts for a single year, and worry about Cole already past thirty. Rendon however would be an interesting fit.

Three days ago I was called an idiot because I questioned where do we go from here with Kersh.

Critics are a joke to me. Second guessers always know better. Actually they are just miserable critics who come to the battlefield after the battle and shoot the wounded. Oh what a difference a day can make!

Unless a player or two had a career season, a different manager with the same players is pretty much the same manager.

How many managers have the dodgers had since the fluke 88 championship?

Special players created these so called genius managers and coaches, not the other way around.

Some have lifetime job opportunities because of it….ie joe torre, just to name one!

I could not believe it when TBS returned from the commercial break to see Joe Kelly on the mound for a second inning of work. I just knew the game was over at that moment. I posted last night and mentioned I was surprised Ryu wasn’t mentioned at all about going one inning. At least a good one inning performance through the heart of the Nats line-up extends the game and gets your team a chance in a walk-off in the tenth inning. Even May, Baez or Stripling but please no Joe Kelly.

So many unanswered questions:

1. Will AF be back?

2. Will AF stay with Roberts as the manager?

3. Does CK and Seager remain Dodgers or are they traded.

4. Does KJ opt out (we could only hope for the $$ savings this would provide).

5. Will the Dodgers be aggressive in FA signings.

6. Does Ryu come back?

7. Does Hill come back?

8. Does Honeycutt come back?

9. Does Geren stay as the bench coach?

I think it’s time to do a “blow-up.” Trade Seager for pieces and give Lux the SS job. Hope for KJ to opt out and I think it might be time to see if we can get the Rangers to take CK. Trade AJ Pollock for two dozen baseballs and go go big and acquire Cole and Rendon. Oh yea, one more thing…………let Doc have the Padres managerial job!

Well now it is time to perform that LAD autopsy. I wrote an article 2 years ago about AF being the best in MLB at building a 40 man roster and organization that is built for a grueling 162 game season, but lacks the clutch star power to win it all. As it turns out, I am still right about that. However, I was wrong when I thought Belli and Corey would some how clutch up, but they did not even come close. I was hoping that CK could show that he could come up big in a playoff game, even if as a reliever. I was wrong there as well. That is what happens when we fans get emotionally invested in players.

Sure the bullpen was once again an eye-sore. I never thought that the starters moving to the pen all of sudden gave the Dodgers a good bullpen. If it were not for Kenta Maeda, the bullpen was MIA once again. This is becoming a never ending saga for AF teams. That is not nearly enough to even consider jettisoning arguably the top baseball executive, but he is going to have to think a little more aggressively when it comes to the bullpen.

I mentioned it after Game 163 last year that the Ace torch was passed from CK to Buehler, and the only thing torched was me. Most thought that Clayton was still the Ace at that time. Buehler after all was only a rookie. At least that is what I was told. I love Clayton but it appeared to me, that Walker Buehler had shown that he can pitch in big games (Game 163), and continued to do so in the playoffs in Game 7 against Milwaukee and Game 3 in the WS. Both starts in the 2019 NLDS were exceptional. He has ice water running through his veins. If he gets tagged, it will not be because he choked. Make no mistake, Walker Buehler is now the Ace of the Dodgers. It is not even close. I hope Clayton finishes his HOF career with the Dodgers, but he can best be used as a #3.

As bad as the bullpen was for me, it was not the bullpen that beat the Dodgers. It was the lack of clutch hitting, principally by my favorite Dodger player, Corey Seager. He had the chance to become a hero multiple times in Game 5 and send Strasburg to the showers down at least 5-0, but came up waaaay short. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto came up BIG in the series. I have no doubt that Corey will spend the winter getting stronger rather than rehabbing after two major surgeries, but even if he puts up an MVP season, it will mean nothing if he goes 3-20 with no runs scored or RBIs in a playoff series again. The same is true for Cody. You cannot win if your stars do not come out to play.

IMO, there needs to be a change in the direction of this franchise. AF has done his job at rebuilding the Farm and keeping the team relevant, but he lacks that elite set of shoulders for the team to jump on. Where would the ’88 Dodgers have been without Orel and that ONE AB by Kirk Gibson. I like grinders and junk yard dogs, but the Dodgers need that Bulldog. Would the ’77 and ’78 NYY won the WS without the “Straw that stirs the drink”, AKA Reggie Jackson? Cocky, arrogant, A-Hole? Most would say yes, but I like to call him 5 time WS winner from 72-78 (first three with Oakland). He may not be able to take a ton of credit for the 72-74 run, but he knew how to win, and when he got to NY, he carried those teams.

Madison Bumgarner. Cocky, arrogant, A-Hole? Sure. But he carried the 2014 SF Giants to a WS victory and was a part of the 2010 and 2012 WS teams. His team’s record in playoff games he has pitched in is 13-3. His team has never lost in a WS game he pitched in (5). He even won the 2016 WC game and Game 3 of the 2016 NLDS.

You do not have to like Reggie Jackson or MadBum to respect what they have meant to their teams. Apparently, that is not who Cody and Corey are. Max may be, but he is not that elite player that can carry the team. JT is getting a little long in the tooth. Joc is an incomplete player being restricted to batting against RHP. But all three would be good complimentary pieces to that one guy who can carry the team offensively.

I think this team needs to throw caution to the wind and get out of their comfort zone and perhaps do a couple of dope-fiend moves. I am hopeful that they will pull out all the stops and make a great offer to Boston for Mookie Betts. Yes, I know it is only for one year, but as the July 30 2016 LA Time Sports Column stated: At trade deadline, Cubs ask ‘If not now, when?’ And the Dodgers? We Dodger fans are still asking that question. That trade for Chapman is not what has hurt the current state of the Cubs. It was the Jason Heyward FA contract, the Jose Quintana trade, the Yu Darvish FA contract, the Craig Kimbrel FA contract.

Betts will be on a contract year, and maybe he can be that straw. He will be 27 for next season, and has a 6 year career slash line of .301/.374/.519/.893. He is going to cost both $$$ and prospects. His will be on his final arbitration year, and should surpass what Arenado signed for before he signed his monster extension…$26MM. He has already made it known that he will not sign an extension, and looks forward to the chase by MLB teams in FA frenzy. I am nowhere close to being comfortable hypothesizing a package that Boston would accept. But I know it will hurt.

I would not stop at Betts. I would not be outbid by any team for Gerrit Cole. There will only be a handful of teams that will be in a position for him and the strongest bids should come from NYY, LAA, San Diego Padres, and maybe the Nats, especially if Stras opts out. I truly believe the Pads will go after him hard. If Cole finds his way to SD, I think that makes them a legit contender to the NL West. For LA, it only costs $$$ and a draft pick and if the billionaire boys do not want to play, then it is time for them to sell the team and go count their coupons. I want ownership that values winning even if it means a large luxury tax. How great would Mookie Betts look in a Dodger uni at the AS Game at Dodger Stadium next summer. Dope-fiend move? Perhaps. But if not now, when?

But why stop there? I have been haranguing about this bullpen for the last several years. I would meet with KJ right now, and tell him that they will be looking for another closer. If KJ cannot accept that, then he should opt out. If he stays, he needs to accept a much less visible role. Probably more along the Andrew Miller role. I would be aggressive with Will Smith and Will Harris in FA, and I would even look to trade with Toronto for Ken Giles. He is at least worth a gamble. After all, all trades are gambles. Sometimes you win, sometimes you do not. If Giles performs as he can, that lifts the bullpen to a level that can win. If not? It’s not like we fans are not used to coming up short, but at least most of us would accept that there was effort to change. I would also immediately meet with Kenta Maeda and his agent and re-work his contract for him to accept a bullpen role. I might even make Brandon Morrow a hugely incentive laden offer (which he would likely not accept). Bottom line, rethink and restructure that bullpen…with proven relievers, not repackaged starters.

I have no problem with Dave Roberts. Every manager makes mistakes, but he was not the one who hit into a DP and struck out 3 times with a chance to make a difference. He is not the HOF pitcher that served up two gopher balls to tie the score in the 8th. He is not the one who walked Adam Eaton on a 3-2 pitch, gave up a 2-strike ground rule double to Rendon, an intentional walk, all preceded by a zero out Grand Slam by a former Dodger. How do you win when your MVP cannot drive in one run in a five game series? Would Joe Maddon have won with this roster? We will never know. Is it the roster or the manager? It seems that question is asked every year. The roster is good, just not good enough. If the Dodgers do make a change it is possible that Dave Roberts will find his way to either SF or SD.

Here’s a thought. Maybe tongue in cheek, maybe not. Perhaps the Dodgers need to look at the Michigan State University roster and see if any of them are also on the football squad. It worked with Steve Garvey and Kirk Gibson? I think Magic has the contacts to check into that. I have no problem with a football mentality on a baseball team. But ownership and/or AF needs to turn the page. They not only need new life, they need elite new life.

I am very sad this morning and still stunned and shocked at how the game ended last night. I so hoped and believed that this would be the year the Dodgers went all the way to win . I could barely watch the game after the 8th inning but did. I still love my Dodgers and always will, but last night’s loss was hard to take.

Donald Trump to Doc Roberts :: You are fired !!! I actually like Doc but he is too arrogant and dumb as a rock. Roberts is dumber than Barack Hussein Obama

Dodgers organization FO and Roberts have disrespected players such as Brian Wilson (who compared to Kelly was not as bad ), Adrian Gonzalez situation , AJ Ellis, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick that now took revenge , Puig and the list goes on. Instead Friedman and company have brought mediocre players like Josh Reddick, Forsythe, Kelly, Pollock , Barnes. Is time for Rich Hill , Freese to go.

Another Twitter from Kevin Kennedy !

Kevin Kennedy

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@KevinKennedyMLB

10h10 hours ago

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I really don’t believe it myself.

Getting 3 outs from Kelly last inning was much more than I expected. Honestly at this point not to have Kenley in a tie game at home especially after walk to Eaton, I’m blown away+do not agree nor understand Docs strategy!

That is all on DOC

This year’s Dodgers was a great team. Sometimes the best team doesn’t make it. We started out well enough last night, but we quit and didn’t pile on. That was a very disappointing and bitter end to a magical season.

I was concerned that the band wasn’t playing together down the stretch of the season. They really didn’t look hot during this series.

I was completely infuriated that they didn’t transition Urias to the rotation at the end of the season.

The bullpen was a problem all season and they did nothing to address this.

The team is too left handed, still too many changes to the lineup on a daily basis.

Doc is a bad manager and a bad driver. His W/L record doesn’t matter – see Don Mattingly.

Hoarding prospects does not win Championships. You need to sell some in order to put you over the top.

The two managers that I don’t want to see are Joe Maddon and Bruce Bochy. I would rather see them bring Scioscia home for a few years.

Stop shifting with a runner at first. Play a normal double play defense.

I don’t think we need to blow this thing up, but we do need to make some changes. We have a great young core of talent to build around.

Last night’s loss is squarely on Doc and CK’s shoulders. It was just a stupid decision to bring him in there to face the meat of the lineup. I saw it coming from miles away. Doc had a lead and a full bullpen and went to the guy who gives up homers like they’re going out of style and can barely touch 91 against a team that hits lefties well and doesn’t hit the fastball heat well. Maeda dominates his inning and he gets pulled after 1, but they go to two guys that already sucked for us in the same series? Kelly had a nice inning, don’t press your luck. Kershaw was just a dumb move on so many levels.

I hate to say it, but I’m happy for the Nats. If not us, it might as well be them. They’re hitting through the holes in the shift. They have table setters at the top of their lineup and a powerful left/right combo in the middle. They steal bases and play small ball when needed. They aren’t analytics only.

I really don’t know about Kershaw. He’s a legend, but clearly isn’t a shut down pitcher anymore. He should have got surgery on his back the offseason after he initially injured it. I feel really bad for him. I don’t want him to pitch for another team, but I don’t want him to cost us yet another post season.

Top offseason priorities…

Fire Doc

Sign Rendon and Cole

I do think Doc has to go. I am not mad at the players. Baseball is a hard game game to play. Yes we had some players that did not play well. However we played well enough to win. Doc and Jansen cannot exist together. One has to go. Doc showed no confidence in Jansen. Why was Kolarek not used in the 8th? That is what he is on the roster for. He has been successful pitching to good left hand batters. That could of won the game for us. I am not mad at Kelly. He did not pitch much in September due to injuries. The most you could expect from him is one inning. Asking him to go two was stupid.

We need somebody new. I have seen the same horror movie now for four years. You cannot get rid of all the players. Doc has what we call “brainfarts” or “senior moments”. He is brain dead in the playoffs.

At least they’re not a gutless group like Lebron and the Lakers that takes orders from China..

I feel like I was just in a terrible auto accident. I make an ill-advised left turn across traffic in my 1975 VW Beetle and notice the car bearing down on me. It seems it’s all happening in slow motion. I step on the gas, but I am driving Hitler’s revenge and it has no acceleration – just noise. I think to myself, “That car is going to hit me! That car is going to hit me!”. And then Bang! “That car just hit me!” It’s all glass and crunch and my head goes bouncing against the window frame. Then it’s just quiet – quiet and angry and mournful. Right now I want to fire everyone including the locker-room attendant. How could he let this happen?

I don’t like to second guess, but I can tell you that when Roberts put in Kershaw, I said to my wife, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. (That car is going to hit me!) When he struck out the batter for the 3rd out I took a breath, but when he came out to face the heart of the lineup the next inning, I had that bad old feeling again. (That car is going to hit me!). When Joe Kelly came out, I recalled all of his blown games. He started out fine, but as the inning wore on I could see he was starting to lose his location. (That car is going to hit me!) Then “Bang” it hit me and the rest of the Dodgers and their faithful fans. All that is left is quiet and angry and mournful.

Friedman or Doc Roberts have to go or both ! Friedman is responsible for signing 2 mediocre players to huge contracts that are overrated. He did not address bullpen situation and if it was not for huge seasons from RYU ,Bellinger, Muncy, Smith and others the team would not have won as much games and team advanced because the NL West is worst division of all baseball apart from AL Central. Dodgers need to change , owners have been cheap and passive on spending and not signing the big names instead going with mediocre overpaid players. Get a Mookie Betts , Cole, etc. People here disrespect the Wild Horse but did brought his game on postseason not like Seager , Kershaw ,Pollock and company !!!

Kevin Kennedy

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@KevinKennedyMLB

9h9 hours ago

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I understand the Kershaw move as bad as that turned out but trust Kelly more than your closer Kenley Jansen. I don’t have an answer for that..does Dave? Got to be kidding me. Kelly was a disaster this yr+ he’s had shoulder issues! Doc has to answer for that

Could not agree more !!

Kelly and Pollock were disaster signings by Friedman and to trust a guy that was a wreck all season and after pitching a great inning expect him to pitch another inning was a dumb decision as guy has not been in good shape . Total disrespect for Kenley Jansen. Doc lost clubhouse there !

Is this the same Mark Timmons who wrote an article yesterday? Who said its on the players not Friedman and Roberts. WOW!

Gallows Humor–Kelly retains his nickname as Dodger Killer for one more year.

Plenty of young guys in the pipeline. But will Kelly and Stikeout Pollock jam them up. As for Seager I would say it is time to move on for him also. He is not 21 years old and has shown what he can (cannot) do in playoffs enough times