The only question is where he has punched it to. So far, he has 31 ABs with nine hits in Spring Training. He has two doubles, two home runs, and 4 RBI. He is hitting .290 with a .389 OB%, a .578 SLG, and a .937 OPS. Of course, that is a small sampling, but he did nothing but improve his Prospect Value, which was already high. He can play a credible 2B and 1B, and I am confident he could learn to be credible in LF. The question is: Is his trade value more than his value to the team?
He is a player without a position… at least for the Dodgers. However, with the right team, he might be another Rookie of the Year Candidate. If he stays a Dodger, next year may be his big debut, as there is no position now. JDM is the DH, but if he exits after this season as expected, the DH opens up for someone. Peralta will be gone, and someone can move to LF – Vargas or Busch. Lux may be back at 2B… or LF – He will unlikely be a SS again (just my opinion)… or Busch gets traded!
However, think about this: Let’s say the “Worst” happens, and Chris Taylor, Jason Heyward, and Tyayce Thompson all bomb. Then what? Next man up… that being Pages, Busch, LeDuca, Leonard, et al… or they are trade bait. Let’s say Peralta and Outman tank; do you think the Dodgers would hesitate for a minute to dip into their system to possibly trade even Diego Cartaya? If they thought it would help deliver a title, they would press the button.
What if Arte Moreno decides to sell the Angels, and they are out of contention at the All-Star break? Maybe a new buyer would want to clear payroll. The Dodgers are one of the few teams that could afford to take on Ohtani, Trout, and Rendon in a salary dump. Rendon is untradable as he is always injured, but to get Trout and Ohtani, he would have to be a throw-in. No other team (maybe other than the Yankees) could take on that money, and the prospect capital would not be that high. If the situation were right (and Moreno had the team back up for sale), the Dodgers could trade Bobby Miller, Diego Cartaya, Mike Busch, and Jonny LeDuca, and maybe another player for Rendon, Trout, and Ohtani.
Could it really happen? The stars would really have to align perfectly… It’s a long shot… But you never know. This falls into the category of Dreaming… Still, it’s fun to dream… That is a far-out trade scenario, but stranger things have happened. Right? Well, maybe not. One site suggested trading for Ohtani and Rendon (as a salary dump), but why not get all three?
Finally, to the Dodger fans banging the Drum that our $300 Million-Dollar RF’er who hit .269 last year is a real superstar, how many teams do you think would take that contract… straight up? Mayhbe none. I am not saying he is not a good player. All I am saying is look at what he did in 2018 whe he was the MVP:
- .346 BA
- .438 OB%
- 1.078 OPS
- 47 Doubles
- 32 HR
- 30 SB
Last Season:
- .269 BA (the year before it was .264)
- .340 OB%
- .873 OPS
- 40 Doubles
- 35 HR
- 12 SB
Only a TRUE IDIOT would think the Mookie of 2023 is anything close to the Mookie of 2018. He is a great defensive outfielder and a journeyman hitter… unless he can step up his game. He is no longer a superstar. He is a nice player, but the Dodgers would have to throw in cash to get someone to take that contract.
OK, play ball! Clayton’s last tuneup is tonight.
Discussion (22)
Disagree, not disagreeable
There sure is a lot of pounding on the chest,going on around here.As much as people forecast things you would have to get some right.Anyway it is not becoming to Ladt fans or writers.
I question whether any explanation would suffice, so I will not try.
Wala. You know who with a home run.
Does tonight’s performance calm the what’s wrong with Kersh camp?
This lineup is temporary. Unless it works.
Oh seeing Muncy and CT3 homer is such a good sight to see!!
The Astros are favored by most Sport Books to win the World Series and the Dodgers are 2nd. Yes, AF is dumb… like a fox!
Unlike many here, panicking isn’t a problem for AF. Can we at least wait until June and see where we stand before trading away our young talent.
I do not think that AF would pull the string on the trade that Mark proposed. Too much to give up and too much salary to gain. I do think that a major trade of some kind is imminent. There are too many holes.
There’s some chances that can be taken that just aren’t very smart in the first place. Gallo was one of them, afraid Heyward could be another. I know some on here love to put Friedman on a pedestal and I think he’s done a really good job all in all but he’s made some big blunders to. Some seem to want to believe he’s not even capable of that and I just don’t understand that type of thinking
They only won one game when it really counted
How good would the Dodgers be without Betts and Freeman? NOT!!
What makes them different from the rest of the position players? PAYCHECK.
The Dodgers passed on Correa, Swanson, Turner, Bogaerts. Didn’t want to pay the price. Can they win without one of them just like they can’t win without Betts or Freeman? I know it wasn’t just about salary.
Unless a team can get a superstar before they reach free agency, they are going to have to pay up.
Muncy is a DH/first baseman. Is there another team that believes he can again hit 35 home runs? If so, there is trade value. Is it too late to move Vargas to 3B and Betts to 2B?
Just as Muncy is best suited for 1B or DH, Rojas is best suited as a backup infielder which would allow the Dodgers to trade/release Taylor.
Mark opened the door for crazy in his trade ideas with the Angels so how about a trade with SD for Tatis? Urias, Muncy, and Busch for Tatis? Add any players you think would be needed to make such a trade fair. Jake Cronenworth, Grove?
9:10 PM ET vs Angels at Dodger Stadium
SP Clayton Kershaw L
1-1 5.11ERA 12.1IP 9K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
DH J. Martinez R
3B Max Muncy L
LF Chris Taylor R
CF T. Thompson R
2B M. Vargas R
SS Miguel Rojas R
C A. Barnes R
Partly-cloudy-day
0% Rain
67° Wind 8 mph Out
Because after Gallo showing no improvements were happening after the trade and striking out at a fifty percent rate they were determined to keep playing him no matter how much he hurt the offense. One thing about this front office they refuse to own up to any mistake made in judgment I call that stubbornness
Just took a peek at OKC’s roster, they are loaded. Right now they have 9 outfielders on the roster, but that will change. Stone is at AAA. Cartaya and Taylor are the catchers at AA Tulsa, Frasso is also starting the season there. Vivas and Leonard on the AA roster also. Outfield is Pages, Ward and DeLuca. Rushing is at high A Great Lakes.
It doesn’t make any sense to me to have Outman and Heyward both on roster and Outman clearly deserved a shot over Heyward when a utility infield type be much more valuable. Heyward to me is the front office stubborn Gallo thinking all over again. Felt from the onset only way Heyward wasn’t making the team is if he struck out 80% of time in spring training. Honestly it chaps my hide lol
Andre Jackson earned the last bullpen slot. Rotation, Kersh, Julio, Code Red, Thor and Pepiot. Bullpen, Vesia, Ferguson, Phillips, Almonte, Bickford, Graterol, Jackson, and Miller. They will go with 5 outfielders with Taylor being the only infield backup, Peralta, Outman, Betts, Thompson and Heyward. Martinez is the DH and Smith and Barnes the catchers. That is the 26-man to open the year. They had better hope no infielder goes down during a game. Little thin there. Jeter Downs, one of the main pieces in two trades, sent down to AAA by the Nationals.
It wouldn’t even take two hands to count the position players I’d take over Mookie on my team down years or not. Even with a 260 BA he’s a huge reason the dodgers have increased their winning ways since his arrival. Seems his teams win wherever he plays and that’s the stat that means the most
So the sky is falling for many at LADT if the Dodgers only win 95 and make the playoffs. PS If it wasn’t for Mookie’s defense in 20’s post season, the Dodgers don’t win a WS
I’m going to go on record as saying that everyone here is an idiot and all of your opinions are dumb. That’s my official position. (sarcasm, Bear)
Mookie hasn’t been bad the last couple of years. Everyone is looking at his 2018 year and lamenting that he isn’t doing that every year. He had a 10.5 WAR that year, which put him a full run ahead of Mike Trout. Yeah, I’d like to see him do that again, too, but if he continues to produce the kind of season he had last year – 144 wRC+/6.6 WAR/ better than average defense in right – then the Dodgers are getting their money’s worth from that contract. 6.6 WAR was his 3rd highest of his career and his 144 wRC+ was his second highest offensive year if you don’t count 2020, which I usually toss because nearly everyone has a career offensive year that year. Am I slightly let down by Mookie’s performance compared to my expectations and excitement when the Dodgers traded for him and signed him to a long contract? Sure, a little, but he’s not a bust, either. I think the trade for Mookie in 2020 was instrumental in them winning the WS that year. That almost makes the contract worth it.
Superstar? We know we’re in the dog days of Spring training when we’re having an argument over that definition. Are you basing it on objective numbers or more subjective intangibles? I guess I’m leaning towards the subjective camp. A superstar player is a household name, recognizable to baseball and non-baseball fans alike. If that’s the case, then it’s hard to be a superstar unless you play for the Yankees or the Red Sox, because the bias for those teams the past several years by ESPN has been ridiculous. If you watched Sports Center you’d a thought baseball was a two team league.
A-Rod was a superstar as much for his stats and his play, but also the coverage by the NY press – who he was dating, when he charged the mound, etc. Aaron Judge is probably more of a superstar than Mike Trout will ever be because of where he plays.
I don’t want to trade Busch. He’s young and controllable insurance in case Max Muncy turns into Chris Taylor. Max has a buyout next year, and I think the Dodgers really like him – hence the extension they gave him, but if he has a really bad year again this year, the Dodgers could buy out his option and insert Busch as a DH. Busch could replace Muncy’s left-handed production. He needs to learn how to play left field. I think Vargas, if he plays well this year, could be a permanent addition at second. Actually a good move to switch him to 2nd. I didn’t see that coming, assumed he was going to play 3rd, but it was smart thinking by the Dodgers. Busch will have to learn how to play LF if he wants to increase his stock value.
Your trade scenario with the Angels is pretty dope fiendish, but dope feels so good sometimes. I kinda like the Rendon part. He was one of the best 3rd basemen in the game with the Nationals, and the Dodgers reportedly made him a solid offer, but he didn’t like the political culture of LA. Assuming his injuries the last couple of years are behind him, he’s a good bounce back candidate. He’s still just 32. The Dodgers are gonna need a 3rd baseman. Muncy is not a long term solution there.
I am relieved to discover after all these years I am a TRUE IDIOT.
I guess everyone I’ve ever met in my life is wrong.
See ya.
Mark, good luck with the back surgery. Prayers and thoughts are with you. What’s your prediction on how many wins the Dodgers achieve in 2023? Do they win the NL West?