Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects

I was just writing a post on this! Because I hate letting my work go to waste, and because I have the link that Mark elided over: The quite talented Keith Law’s top 100 is out. ($$$$$) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6985939/2026/01/26/top-mlb-prospects-2026-keith-law-konnor-griffin/ Quintero is the top Dodger at #9: I regret to inform you that the Dodgers are at it again, as they signed Quintero in 2023 out of Venezuela for a paltry $297,500 bonus, and now he’s one of the best prospects in baseball… DePaula at #20 He still had an impressive year for a player who turned 20 in May and spent most of the year in High A, batting .263/.406/.421 at that level with almost as many walks as strikeouts. He’s incredibly disciplined, swinging at pitches in the zone 68 percent of the time, while only chasing pitches out of the zone 14 percent of the time — and that drops to 8 percent on pitches well out of the zone…. Hope at 36 Sirota at 51 Ryan at 55 Morales at 65 and Freeland at 87 He has above-average power, but takes more of an all-fields approach, so it shows up as much in the doubles column, with exactly 32 in each of the past two years, as the power does in home runs. He’s played shortstop, and could probably be a fringe-average big leaguer there, but he’s best suited to second or third. … he would be a regular on at least 25 teams right now. It’s too bad the Dodgers aren’t one of them.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had plenty to celebrate Saturday night, but the biggest surprise did not belong only to Shohei Ohtani. After claiming another NL MVP, attention shifted to Decoy and a brand-new honor called Most Valuable Dog, giving the Dodgers an unexpected second reason to cheer. The BBWAA unveiled the playful award at its dinner, and Decoy walked away with history. Baseball crowned its best player, and the canine world crowned its first champion on the same stage.

Wow, as i I wasn’t excited enough. I still think Ferris is underrated.

During an appearance on “Dodger Talk” with David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said agents have been reaching out to him about players’ interest in joining the team: “I think the way that the Dodgers’ organization and our staff take care of players and families is getting around the league. We’ve had agents reach out and say, ‘Hey, I know you haven’t called, but our player would really like to play there.’ So we’re feeling it way more over the last three-four years. That’s the ultimate, because obviously winning is everything, but you win by creating that environment. And by creating that environment, you get your own players to want to stay, you get players from other organizations wanting to join on, and that’s how championships are won. It’s not something we’ll ever take lightly and put our feet up and say, ‘OK, we’ve done it.’ It’s kind of a living organism that you have to continue to nurture and enhance, but I feel like we’ve made a ton of progress on that front. And it’s something that is very real and tangible and playing out in free agency.”

We are the BEST run organization in all sports from the ownership group on down.

During an appearance on WFAN Sports Radio, Manfred credited the Dodgers for excelling on the field and with generating revenue while operating within the constructs of the current CBA. “I admire what the Dodger organization has done on both sides of the house. They’ve done a phenomenal job on the revenue side and they’ve made great baseball decisions. And, you know, getting those two together is harder than you think. And everything they’ve done, completely within the rules.”

Keep your foot on the gas. Full throttle push for threepeat. Exhaustion/age/injury are likel to be our biggest enemies this year. We need tons of support from our young depth.

Jack Dryer was picked as Baseball Digest’s Rookie Reliever of the Year. Go figure. They liked his .295 ERA. Do we have room for him?

The Giants and free agent outfielder Harrison Bader are in agreement on a two-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal between San Francisco and Bader, a client of Vayner Sports, is still pending completion of a physical.

Jackson Ferris regressed last year. I do not think it is fatal, but it is concerning. His control regressed. His ERA went from 3.20 to 3.86. His WHIP went from 1.18 to 1.46. And… teams hit .246 against him last year vs. .202 the year before. His strikeouts also dropped. In April, May and June, he had an ERA of over 6.00. He got better in July, backslid in August, and had a good September. This year will be very important to him. I hope they leave him in Tulsa,

YES

YES

The Mets are expected to sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The agreement includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Kimbrel will earn a $2.5MM base salary if he makes the team, notes Will Sammon of The Athletic. The veteran right-hander is represented by SportsMeter.

You guys read the River Ryan mini-essay by Keith Law? He LOVES him.

River can keep on rolling if he stays healthy. That’s the key.

$20.5 million over the 2 years.

There is a very good article by Tim Dierkes here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/is-mlb-parity-possible-without-a-salary-cap.html

Yu Darvish has not made a final decision on retirement. Why? I am sure it has to do with the $46 Million he is owed. That is real money.

It’s puzzling to me why fans would side with owners on the salary cap issue. A salary cap benefits the owners, in particular cheap owners who prioritize the bottom line over investing on players. Make no mistake, the players come out on the losing end if a salary cap is imposed. As a fan, I want to see my team invest on free agents. If the owner makes or does not make money is not a priority for me. If an owner can’t afford to compete in a competitive arena, let the market dictate the outcome. In the case of Frank McCourt, he went bankrupt and was forced to sell the team. Anyone would be hard pressed to make a case against the current Dodgers ownership group! The message to cheap owners should be, if you can’t compete under this construct, sell the team to someone who can. Imagine how destiny would’ve been paved if MLB would have found a way to bail out the McCourt family. 🙁

It is interesting. I struggle with it. To me, people earning the most they can is the fairest and best system. I think one thing that is in play here (pun) is that salaries are so out of relation to average middle class wages that it’s psychological. Think about some of the reaction to Ohtani’s deal, “that much to swing a bat and throw a ball.” It’s reductive, but the amounts are so high they are well past a “rich person’s salary” not to mention the salaries of teachers or policemen. Then there’s the imagined knock-on effects. People here have railed against the price of hot dogs or parking, and there’s an unsaid, imagined correlation between those prices and the salaries the professional teams pay out. Finally, and this may be out of date, but there was an article a while about about “Outcome Certainty” or something. Basically when fans go into games thinking there’s no way their team can win because the opposition’s payrole is 5x the others. Then the fun and entertainment begin to be lost. Potentially forever.

I think he’s a junkyard dog. Throw him out there and watch him cook, like my real dog Wrobleski.

Talking #1 or #2 potential. I’d love a hybrid year of relieving and starting and being counted on bigtime in 2027.

No lockout in baseball 2027 1. If there is a problem you have to deal with those few teams who are playing with Monopoly money. 2. Significantly increase the financial penalties for going over the luxury tax numbers in the contract. (2x, 3x) 3. Require a floor for spending on salaries such that at least 50% of revenue goes into players salaries. 4. Using 2024 team Revenue numbers and 2025 Payroll +Taxes there were only nine teams that spent 50% or more of revenue in payroll and taxes. (Dodgers were second and spent 73%) Eight more teams spent between 45% and 50%. (Miami spent 27%) 7. Penalty to include at the highest luxury tax numbers relinquishing all draft choices for the following year and relinquishing all international signings for the next year 8. If a team goes over the amount for two years, they relinquish both drafts and international signings for two additional years, etc., etc. I would also suggest the following: 1. Require all teams to provide low cost seating for each game for example 10% of the seating in each game cannot exceed $20. 2. Reduce the number of years of initial team control of the players

These are valid points; however, I would rather see revenue invested on the field than stashed in the owner’s bank account. I highly doubt MLB and its owners are going to pass along any savings to the fanbase. To me, it’s not that complicated. The question is where do you want to see the money you spend on a hotdog go? On the field (players) or higher profit margins (owners)? As a side note, I highly doubt player salaries are going to return to a level where they are relatable to middle class salaries. That ship sailed a long time ago.

So the Dodgers’ farm system keeps improving with each new report. From 4 Top 100 prospects to 5 and now to 7! Cool. But when I think about these particular Dodgers, I’d rate them differently. Who do I, as a Dodger fan, value the most? River Ryan is my Numero Uno for the simple reason we’ve already seen him demonstrate excellence at the major league level. He’s no longer a “suspect.” Now he’s a potential ace-quality pitcher coming back from TJ surgery–and many have done so successfully. It doesn’t bother me that he’s 27 because he’s good to go right now–and many pitchers perform well into their late 30s. Maturity can be a plus. As for the hitters on these lists, we have to wait at least a year, maybe two, to see if they can shed “suspect” status. After Ryan I’d put Morales for the simple reason that the Dodgers will need someone to replace Max before they’ll need an outfielder. Plus, he looks great on video. Then come the four outfielders, because their value is a bit diminished by the redundancy. Over the next four seasons, the Dodgers OF will likely have just one opening, when Teo’s contract is up. Tucker and Pages should hold two OF jobs for at least the next four seasons, and DH job is occupied. Like others, I hope de Paula starts playing 1B because Freddie eventually will need a successor. At least one of these guys will be shipped to Detroit in the Skubal blockbuster.