Well, here we go. The deadline has passed. Which teams improved their lot the most, and who fanned? The Dodgers, after their initial flurry of activity last week, were expected to be in on just about every good starting pitcher out there. What ended up happening was not what the fans wanted.
The Astros get Verlander from the Mets. Although the Dodgers were thought to be in on Verlander, I never really got the sense that he wanted to come to LA. I also thought that the vesting option, which would guarantee him 35 million dollars in 25 if he pitched 140 innings next season, was a sticking point for LA. The option became a player option if he reached 140 innings.
In the end, the Astros sent their two best OF prospects to the Mets for Verlander. But the Mets are also paying 54 million dollars off his contract. It is a win for Houston, who gets a veteran ace to lead their young rotation.
The Mets kept busy and sent Max Scherzer to the Rangers for Ronald Acuna’s little brother. The Mets also sent a lot of money to the Rangers to cover at least a large portion of Scherzer’s 43-million-dollar option for 24 that he exercised when the trade was announced. Starting pitching has been a weakness for the Rangers, and they picked up a couple, also getting Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals, who traded a few players away.
The Mets sent Tommy Pham to the D-Backs for minor-league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez. The Mets were in full sell mode, also sending Dominic Leone to the Angels. They traded Mark Canha to the Brewers. Most of the moves brought back minor-league players to help replenish the Mets farm system. Then late in the day, they acquired Adam Kolarek and Phil Bickford from the Dodgers for cash.
Miami was busy, trading Garrett Cooper and minor league lefty Sean Reynolds for Ryan Weathers. They also sent Jake Eder to the White Sox for Jake Burger. And in a last-minute move, they got Josh Bell from Cleveland for Kahlil Watson and Jean Segura. Bad day for Segura as the Guardians announced he would be released. The Mariners will also release Kolten Wong. They acquired reliever Eduard Bazardo from the Orioles.
The Cardinals, who earlier sent Montgomery to the Rangers, cleaned house some more, sending DeJong to the Jays for a minor league pitcher, and then they traded Jack Flaherty to the Orioles for three minor leaguers. Both pitchers had been on the Dodger’s radar.
Other than the trades they made last week for Hernandez, Lynn, Kelly, and Rosario, the Dodgers were expected to be very busy. Well, it did not work out that way. I never felt they wanted Scherzer back. They were very interested in Verlander. In my mind, I always felt one of the other starters, Giolito, Montgomery, Flaherty, made more sense. As the deadline approached, it became clear that they were targeting Eduard Rodriguez of the Tigers. I thought they might have an interest in Lorenzen, but he ended up in Philly.
An hour before the deadline, the news broke that the Dodgers and Tigers had a deal in place, and then Rodriguez exercised his no-trade clause, which had the Dodgers as one of the teams he would not approve. That is his right; it is in his contract. Most Dodger fans think he is nuts, wanting to stay in Detroit rather than come pitch in LA. But he cited wanting to stay closer to home and family on the east coast.
This, unfortunately for the Dodgers, left them with very little time to pivot and find another option. So, just after the deadline passed, the Dodgers announced they had traded for Ryan Yarborough of the Royals. A lefty, he has a 4-5 record in 14 games. Seven of them were starts. He has won four of his last five starts. Overall, his ERA is over 4. But in his seven starts, his ERA is 3.08. The price for him was Devin Mann and Derlin Figueroa. The Dodgers then sold Eddys Leonard to the Tigers. Yarborough has a very low walk rate. He was injured earlier this year when he was hit in the face by a Ryan Noda line drive.
As far as their division opponents go, all of the Western Division teams made deals of one kind or another. The Rockies unloaded some players, sending Grichuk and Cron to the Angels. Then they traded Brad Hand to the Braves. They also purchased Justin Bruihl from the Dodgers.
The Giants picked up AJ Pollock and Mark Mathias from the Mariners for cash. They were said to be pursuing some other RH-hitting outfielders, but nothing materialized. They have some issues with their rotation, as DeSclafani has an injury.
The Diamondbacks were very busy. They got Pham from the Mets at the deadline. They traded Chafin to the Brewers, receiving Peter Strzelecki in return. They also picked up Paul Sewald from the Mariners. The Padres also were very busy. They got Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi from the Pirates. Then they got Garrett Cooper from the Marlins. Cooper cost them Ryan Weathers, the only major leaguer they gave up in any of their deals. Then, after the deadline passed, it was announced that they had received Scott Barlow from the Royals.
The West is a tight race as it stands right now. None of the contenders made what could be considered a franchise-shifting move. It seemed to me that all of the teams who are in the race made what I would consider depth moves. Barlow has an ERA over 5. But he also has 14 saves for the woeful Royals. A right-handed option for Josh Hader. Although the Pads have little hope of catching any of the front runners, they obviously feel that they can make it to the playoffs via the Wild Card.
The Diamondbacks went for depth. They had little, but that has changed some now. Pham gives them some pop off of the bench, something they lack. They also picked up Jace Peterson from the Brewers. Sewald, to them, is obviously a better option than Chafin. The Giants, in my humble opinion, did nothing to improve the team. Pollock is probably having the worst season of his career. Mathias is nothing more than a backup infielder.
The AL East, maybe the best division in baseball, saw Toronto and the Jays make major moves. The Jays went out and got Jordan Hicks and then Paul DeJong from the Cardinals. The Rays traded their top 1st base prospect, Kyle Manzardo to the Guardians for Aaron Civale, bolstering their starting staff. Boston picked up a utility infielder, Luis Urias, and then DFA’d Jorge Alfaro. Baltimore picked up Flaherty and traded Bazardo. The Yankees picked up a couple of relievers after the deadline passed.
Overall, there was more movement than most expected, but some who were expected to be traded were not, including Tim Anderson, Eduard Rodriguez, Tyler O’Neil, and Dylan Carlson. Other than Verlander and Scherzer, you could say no real star players got moved despite all the rumors that said they would.
Teams are now locked in roster-wise. They get to add two players come September 1st. There will no doubt be some players who will not be on the rosters come playoff time. There will be injury replacements and players who will get released.
The Dodgers added two starting pitchers, a relief pitcher, a utility player, and a SS/2nd baseman. The cost was several prospects and the DFAing of Bruihl, Bickford, and Eddys Leonard. I want to see how the new additions perform before I pass judgment. Hernandez and Rosario have had decent starts to their tenures. Kelly had a successful first inning. Lynn goes tonight. Yarborough will no doubt get a start next week or this weekend when they meet the Padres. Saddle UP!
Discussion (48)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Still a long way from the playoffs, but as of now, it is up-for-grabs as to who will be this team’s 3rd playoff SP after witnessing Gonsolin’s shaky performance tonight.
Lynn, Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, “committee?”
Gonsolin’s velocity is down tonight!
Gonsolin has left several very comfortable pitches for hitters
Gonsolin’s now a five-and-dive starter.
Oh by the way. Wasnt there people that said. No, we shouldn’t get Amed Rosorio. And guess what home run tonite. Now what you think. And now Migel Rojas home run tonite in the same game oh my the shortstop and the second baseman both hit home runs tonite for the dodgers. Has that happened yet this year? Bear just loves when I bring up Rosorio and being a Dodger now.
Life would be fantastic if Dodgers would face Athetics all the time.
Looky looky who just got his first dinger! Finally! And Freddie is just out of his mind right now! Baseballs best bargain!
If only we got Cease or Giolito! Maybe this kid Friedman knows what he’s doing!
Hunter Pence has been playing for the Savanna Banana’s
Watched Montgomery pitch for OKC today. Looks like he is rounding into form. Devastating breaking stuff. He has up until today pitched only around 40 innings. He could make an emergency start or two. They were lamenting the loss of Devin Mann on the broadcast. Busch with another bomb tonight, #19. Ward has one too. Got news late this afternoon that one of our picking on the porch members had passed away this morning. One of my favorite people. Del played bass and was a native Coloradan. He loved his country music. At one time he was the mayor of the little town of Williamsburg which is about 8 miles southeast of me. RIP Del.
Good on Outman putting the ball in play with 2 strikes and hustling up the line to score another run.
Maine is a beautiful state, Portland a wonderful city. The Portland Sea Dogs play there. Their a double A
affiliate of the Red Sox.
Anxiously waiting for the Ryan Yarbrough Era to start!
Seriously, I am. My 13-year-old son, the crafty southpaw, needs some more modest-velocity role models.
While there was no big-name acquisition, I still think this first-place team has improved its chances for the stretch run and postseason.
Why? For starters, Lynn is a lot better than his ERA suggests. His career, while not in the Scherzer/Verlander stratosphere, is better that Giolito’s and Rodriguez’s. He’s a few years older that those guys–and a few years younger than S/V–but could be just a few tweaks from being his not-so-old self. (The more Giolito pitches for Anaheim, the more I prefer Lynn.)
I choose to be optimistic about Kershaw, Miller, Urias, Gonsolin, Sheehan and Yarbrough. And Brandon Gomes suggests that Buhler really could be back in September. That could be a big boost.
I am saving my pessimism for the position behind the plate.
Will Smith needs to stay healthy to he can play. But the more he plays, the more chance he has of getting hurt.
I’m ok with the deadline because hung onto our prospects.
Liam Hendricks of the White Sox needs TJ surgery. Padres hammered the Rockies 11-1. Now one game under .500 at 54-55.
Seager looks just like Jamie on blue bloods! Love that show! Grandsons first birthday this weekend, so had to come to New Hampshire this weekend. Hope to come up to Boston soon and watch Dodgers. Love your takes Mark, agree with 95%, but can’t agree about Barnes be a great defender behind the plate. Never had impressed me . BUT, I will say he is better than Grandal any day! He’s not the worst of last 5-6 years. Gary Sanchez anyone? That Gary! He’s Scary! As tha absolutely horrible John Sterling used to say! Should be fun watching Doc figure out pitching rotation! Any many miny mo. Yarbrough, Sheehan, Miller, Clayton, Julio,Tony, Lynn, and Grove! Have fun Doc!
Tuesday scores
Round Rock 4, Oklahoma City 2
Wichita 3, Tulsa 1
Fort Wayne 10, Great Lakes 5
Fresno 2, Rancho Cucamonga 1
Wednesday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Ronan Kopp) at Fort Wayne (Henry Henry)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Mike Montgomery) vs. Round Rock (Owen White)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Orlando Ortiz-Mayr) at Wichita (Pierson Ohl)
6:50 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Gabe Emmett) at Fresno (Mason Albright)
10:10 PM ET
Athletics (30-78)
Dodgers (60-45)
SPHogan Harris L
2-5 6.07 ERA
SPTony Gonsolin R
5-4 4.25 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
2B Amed Rosario R
3B Max Muncy L
DH Chris Taylor R
CF James Outman L
LF E. Hernandez R
SS Miguel Rojas R
76° Wind 11 mph Out
Time out to Ponder this….
1. Mookie
2. Seager
3. Freddie
4. Bellinger
5. JDM
6. Will Smith
7. Max Muncy
8. Perralta/ Kike
9. James Outman
If only we had gotten Giolito!
It’s not the velocity. It’s the Pitch Movement!
According to Baseball Savant, here are the averages of Tony Gonsolin’s fastball over the years:
2019 – 93.6 MPH
2020 – 95.1 MPH (anomaly – short season)
2021 – 93.8 MPH
2022 – 93.8 MPH
2023 – 92.5 MPH
So, he is down 1.3 MPH over past years. That is not a lot. But Wait!
In his last three outings, the announcers and Doc have said that he has experienced an “uptick” in his velocity, so I went back and counted the pitches in his last start. Here is what I found:
21 pitches over 93 MPH
6 Pitches over 94 MPH
3 Pitches over 95 MPH
I think it is either his mechanics, release point, grip, or the space between his ears. Maybe all three!
If you go here you can see he has less movement:
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/tony-gonsolin-664062?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb
@bluto
about Gonsolins dropped velo :
https://www.truebluela.com/2023/6/13/23758925/tony-gonsolin-scoreless-dodgers-home-runs-white-sox
Again, I would not be surprised if the Dodgers remove him from the rotation or put him on IL .
Go Dodgers!!!!!!1
Just keep winning games and series and stay slotted in the #2 seed. Sure would be nice to get Pepiot built up, could be a big weapon.
For all that wanted Giolito:
Gave up 9 ER in 3.3 innings vs the Braves today. Got hit like a rented mule.Literally.Lol
Braves definetely are the team to beat this season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that Gelof dude for Oak/LV looks legit.
God willing, his brother has similar talent and progression to the bigs. We have an opening at 3b waiting for him.
Barnes ,and Kiki becomes the backup catcher! Funny huh? Getting on a plane tomorrow for New Hampshire wearing dodger blue! In-laws are Red Sox fans! Have a lotta fun with them! (Despise Cora) go Dodgers!
OK. I agree lets leave the ‘trade deadline’ in the rearview mirror and concentrate on the next two months a get ready for playoffs. A good start would be sweeping this terrible Oakland team
Is there like a statute of limitations on how long some posters here get to whine about what they think should have been and act like somebody stole their crayons? Can we now move on to baseball on the field?
Last night’s game was fun. I think Lance Lynn did a great job. I love his mound presence. I think he did exactly what Syndergaard couldn’t to. Except for a few instances, he stays out of the middle of the plate. I guess we already have him featuring more breaking balls and different sequencing. I’ll take what he did last night every outing. 7 strong, 93 pitches, 7 K’s, 3 earned and 1 BASE on BALLS. I’ll live with the 3 solo homers. Seems to me exactly what we needed without all the $ and fanfare.
Once again Mookie and Freddie carried the club. They were 6 for 10 with a homer, 2 doubles and an SB. They’re pretty good. the rest of the order 1 for 23.
That’s where I’d focus my attention instead what pitcher we didn’t get.
When can we expect all the sobbing about what didn’t happen to die down and we can continue to try to win the Division? I think we are in good shape.
“I believe that Friedman did very well at managing the trade deadline. He tried to get the high profile players, but refused to overpay and gut the farm system in the process. Thank goodness he doesn’t consult the chat rooms when contemplating a trade. The acquisitions he made all seem to be solid players, and it was done without hurting the farm. Kike and Lynn came through well last night.
To me who the Dodgers called aboard feels like they’re an addition of some needed grit. They appear they want to be part of this thing that are the Dodgers. I feel a new energy and I welcome the returns. Fun times ahead, This is a team to cheer for.
Personally, I did not expect them to land a big star pitcher. I would have liked to have seen Flaherty or Giolito. Cease would have been great as would Civale. But at what cost? Mets are throwing in the towel not just on this season, but 24 also. They as much as told Scherzer that as he went out of the door. Nobody in the division landed what I would call a franchise changing player. Padres addressed weaknesses. Giants did bupkis. Az added some depth. Dodgers did the same. Rosario and Kike ad depth to the bench. And neither cost much. Jury is out on Lynn, and Kelly. Most of us have never seen Yarborough pitch. I think the Dodgers have enough to win the division. I also think it is going to be a dog fight right to the end. The Dodgers biggest advantage is experience for most of the roster. Especially playoff experience. It is going to be one hell of a ride.
Nastrini was the only real prospect loss.
Robertson will potentially stick as well.
Great win, lets do it again tonight!!
Only 2 teams in the NL with 60 wins.
I believe that Lance Lynn will benefit from another five days around Prior, McGinnis, Kershaw, and others and will deploy his pitches differently next start. He can potentially be the best deadline pickup of any starter if you want to think about it logically and not emotionally!
There’s a difference between intellectual and smart. A plumber is smart, they know how to do a skilled and effective job on the task at hand. Intellectualism isn’t about practical results, it’s a passion for exploring what others have said, though this approach is sometimes misused to make others feel uninformed or to stall.
If you want to know what the scholars have written, ask an intellectual. And if you’ve got a problem worth solving, it might pay to ask a smart person. Dylan Hernandez is certainly not an intellectual and he is absolutely not a smart person. Here is what he says about the Dodger today:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-08-02/dodgers-trade-deadline-hernandez
It will be funny if the Dodgers get to the World Series and while they’re not the favorites, I would not bet against them!
Add Plaschke to the list of Naysayers:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-08-01/column-trade-deadline-debacle-dodgers-andrew-friedman-fail-to-improve-starting-pitching
Hernandez and Plaschke need a lethal dose of Dumbass Vaccine!
Miguel Vargas was 1-4 with his 5th HR since his demotion. He drove in the only two runs of the game for OKC. BA – .313/OPS – 1.022.
Pepiot – 4 IP/3 H/1 ER/4 Ks
Gus Varland ERA – 2.15
On the fingers crossed list is is injuries. Kershaw? JDM? Smith-4Ks from his first game back from ‘minor’ injury.
Can someone enlighten me here…..I thought LA was on Rodriguez’ no trade list. Which tells me he didn’t want to play on a west coast team. So why did LA invest so much time and effort to acquire him, knowing he didn’t want to play for them?
Jorge Alfaro was released, i understand he doesn’t hit, well, Barnes doesn’t hit either, but at least Alfaro is a much better defensive catcher, he could be a good option, what’s the worst that could happen?
Most people are incredibly disappointed and that’s understandable. They had high hopes of landing Verlander or Arenado or one of the slightly better than average pitchers available in trade. Maybe even Rodriquez.
One of the great things about low expectations is your seldom disappointed. I never thought we were getting Arenado. That was a pipe dream. Verlander seemed too complicated, too much money and too much contract. What the Mets did somebody pointed out was historic — the term they used, underwriting those trades with millions and millions of dollars. No one has ever seen anything like it. Still, the remainder of the contracts were still expensive. The Mets? Apparently focused on 2026.
The Dodgers got outbid by the Angels for Giolito and they apparently weren’t willing to increase the prospect package to make the deal. Maybe that’s a statement of what the Dodgers were thinking. No, we’re not doing it. We value our prospects more than your pitcher.
Hey, I won’t disagree. I wouldn’t include Sheehan or Miller for Verlander. So did they write off the season? Is this actually a transition year?
Well, no they are still in first and Lynn pitched seven innings last night. I think Ryan Yarbrough is interesting. Pitched well as a starter.
I do believe the Dodgers intend to go all in on Ohtani this winter and they are the favorites to land him. They had no real interest in big contracts cluttering up the financial future. They have money coming off the books and lots of it. They have Walker Buehler back, Miller, Sheehan and more coming up.
No one is quite certain what Kershaw (I hope he’s back) will do and Urias may leave as a free agent or he could return on a short term deal to rebuild his value.
But the Dodgers seemed primed for next season. They can create a pretty good hybrid version of a six man pitching staff.
As for now, they really need Urias and Gonsolin to pitch better, Kershaw to come back healthy.
They would seem to have enough to win the division. The rest is a crapshoot.
Lynn relies too much on his fastball and it’s not that great. His success depends on increasing his off speed stuff and locating it. I thought Sheehan’s off speed stuff looked much better last start and that’s the key for him. Our season depends on Kersh being healthy and Urias and Gonsolin returning to form. Maybe Pepiot surprises us. I like him. And Miller looks like bulldog 2. I’m hopeful. Atlanta could pull an us from last year and give us a chance. Never know.
Lynn’s pitching performance didn’t inspire me with a great deal of confidence. Yes, he went seven innings but the three solo HR’s to a bad hitting team is of concern. I guess if he can limit runs allowed to solo HR’s he might be serviceable, but HR’s with runners on board will continue his ML leading era and HR’s allowed.
He gave the BP a bit of a breather, but the Dodgers will go as far as CK and Julio can take them. TG is not a difference maker, Miller is a rookie who might be up and down with his starts and Sheehan is a question mark with his two pitch mix.
Would have liked the FO to acquire Giolito, Montgomery or Flaherty but it takes both sides of a trade to match up and apparently we didn’t have the pieces to match up or the FO was reluctant to part with certain talent desired by others. Love our offense and BP, but the SP is suspect and of concern for the pennant race and post season.
I agree with Jorge….we are a better team now than before. I feel better with the two new starting pitchers than I do with Sheehan and Grove. I don’t have much confidence in Gonsolin so I’m hoping he can maybe go pitch one inning out of the pen. I actually think that might help him instead of pacing himself for 6 innings.
I love Kike, so that was a huge pickup for me…have no real desire for Rosario to play SS because I think Rojas is a great fielder and I can live with his .220 bat if all the other guys are mashing as they should be.
I’m not sure how the new Pads will be, but I suppose they have improved as well. I have a bad feeling about them rising up enough to make the playoffs, but not first place. I just hope we can at least split with them in this 4-game series coming up. We shall see….
Who knows how this season plays out. If Dodgers go to San Diego and lose4 or 3 of 4 the WEST is up for grabs! Have a feeling the Pads are about to make a run. Very disappointed with the acquisitions yesterday. I’m positive Michael Busch was hoping for a trade somewhere else, as he looks to be caught up in the Dodgers never ending minor purgatory! Looks like we’ll head into next season with another “loaded” farm system and the usual rhetoric. Would Dylan Cease have cost more than 3 top prospects? I know Friedman is a genius, so I’ll hold my tongue! Maybe Clayton is healthy. Maybe Walker makes it back. Maybe. Julio gets his sh***. together. If all three of those guys come back, we’re ok! 7 hits last night and Freddie had 4 of them! Looks like Kiki got out of the Boston doghouse and stepped pretty much into a full-time roll. Doc loves the guy, so he plays! Just not the lineup I envisioned or hoped for aft yesterday. Maybe it all works out, I sincerely hope so.
I don’t know if the trades made are enough or not, but this team is better than the one from a week ago, and it was already a good team, now is not the time to worry, LA has had very good teams, it has had the best teams and nothing, none, nobody can secure a championship. Let’s give them a chance and enjoy the ride, this isn’t over yet!
Well, deadline has come and gone.
I am a little disappointed, but just a little.
But AF tried his best and not his fault that Rodriguez envoked his not trade clause. Tigers should have cleared that up with the player before engaging into trade talks with AF. But it is water under the bridge now.
The trade for Yarborough is a low cost risk. If he pitches like the last two month the Dodgers got a good deal.
Will be interesting if he slots in the rotation or goes to the pen.
Lynn did exactly what could have been expected. 7 innings with 3 Hrs given up. Got the win and ate some innings.
So far so good but lets see how he does vs the better lineups.
Key for us now: Get Clayton back healtyh and Julio to right his ship.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know what AF was think no Bednar no Keller and you watched Hill go to the Padres for basically not much then they get Barlow and Cooper. And you didn’t want to give up prospects to help this year but wait until next year. Next year your hoping Lux comes back and Muncy another year at third base and no every day second base man or left fielder and play this rotating players around playing different positions like high school baseball. Some teams have to have four guys that play every day and can hit lefties and righties and they have Freeman Betts Smith that’s it they need a fourth guy. If its Otani okay so when he pitches he bats and when he doesn’t pitch he DH. So next year Muncy becomes your DH when Martinez has been producing better. I think they go after a starting pitcher and Soto to play Leftfield and don’t go after Ohtani. Being back Muncy and Martinez as your DHs find a back up catcher that can hit with Smith doesn’t play either it’s Rushing or Cartaya. If they get Soto in free agency that give them four every day starters in the lineup plus Martiniz as the DH so five guys in the the lineup everyday. Outman should be the centerfielder and this off season he learns to be in the lineup you have to bat against lefties and righties to play every day. Now that leaves second base so Lux comes back at shortstop do you try then to sign Rosorio to be your every day second baseman and then Muncy at third base. Right there you have a pretty decent lineup next year. But what starting pitchers will we have all you know is Gonsolin Miller Sheehan for sure don’t know about Kershaw and Urias and we hope Buehler comes back. So if you have Buehler Gonsolin Miller and Sheehan your going to have to have a ace. Have to see what pitchers will be free agents but that looks like the starting rotation next year. An the lineup by adding Soto signing Rosorio and Lux comes back would look like this.
Betts Rf
Freeman 1b
Soto LF
Smith C
Martiniz DH
Muncy 3b
Rosorio 2b
Outman CF
Lux. SS
That’s your 2024 every day lineup
With Rojas on bench and who? Maybe Busch. Rushings Peralta Deluca and a free agent get rid of Taylor and Barnes.
The Dodgers are a first place team that picked up some depth in pitching and position players. If everybody gets and/or stays healthy they have a competitive playoff team. I’d they have significant injuries well, that’s baseball. Then they’ll have to channel the ‘88 Dodgers.
Yeah, the Braves are a powerhouse yadda yadda yadda. So were the Dodgers last year. Get to the playoffs, get hot and viola!
I love my Dodgers win or lose. Have faith and enjoy rooting for a team that is always in the playoffs.