Next Man Up!

irrelevant I’m just details of the proposal

One of those came off of Josh Hader. That is impressive. He was the DH today and they had a catcher playing 1st base. Ward must have already left the team.

You have to know the players will never agree to this.

Yes, over years so the high spending team wouldn’t be singularly disadvantaged

It will never happen. MLBPA will never agree to a cap. They have said that from the first time it was mentioned. Gradually?

Non Dodger game news, but Orel Hershisher has opened a Chevrolet dealership in Chino, CA. Hope his new endeavor goes well. Some may not like his color commentary, but he is a great Dodger and a good guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VQOlPLZr_A

Tibbs has hit two 3 run hr, both to CF, so far today.

It would be gradually implemented.

A $245MM hard cap makes no sense. current luxury tax starts at $244MM and it’s not a hard cap.

When negotiating you start low and work your way up but if you don’t want the other side to be insulted, you have to at least make it a viable offer. This number is crazy.

Dodgers CBT payroll is $420 MM. they would have to slash $180MM from payroll and obviously that isn’t going to happen.

Players and owners are working on a new labor deal ahead of the current one’s expiration on December 1. In the owners opening economic proposal to the players in New York on Thursday.

For 2027, the first year of the new labor deal, the league is proposing a salary cap of $245.3 million and a floor of $171.2 million, with a 50-50 split of revenues.

Seems like a reasonable starting point without details on a bunch of other issues.

We all know that the Player’s Union has made it clear that they will never go for a salary cap, as Bear reminded us earlier. But I never say never. Maybe with a floor and ceiling, it’s time for the players to rethink their stance to avoid a long and expensive lock out, if they get other concessions

Missing from the league’s proposals, however, were changes to the minimum salary and baseball’s overall “reserve system,” which governs how long players have to wait to become free agents.

Also the Dodger’s feelings about TV revenue sharing with the league will be interesting.

I’m glad they are discussing details now and not waiting until the season is over.

It’s anticipated that the Players won’t ever accept a cap. In that case it could be a long time before baseball next year and of the fans wondering why rich people would kill the Goose that laid the Golden Egg.

MLBPA is not going to accept a cap. Last time MLB proposed a cap was 30 years ago, and it led to the longest work stoppage in MLB history. Not happening.

Yes when you get on the 40 you earn more and join the union!

The MLBPA’s statement also states:

“The last time the owners made such an explicit push for a cap — over 30 years ago — it led to the longest work stoppage in MLB history. For generations, our members have fought against cap systems because they harm players at all levels, erode or eliminate contractual guarantees, pit player against player, lead to more work stoppages, not less, and get worse for players over time. Caps don’t lower ticket prices for fans, eliminate tanking or ensure teams are run with equal competence. They suffocate competition by offering owners an all-purpose excuse for inaction and mediocrity.”

I too, haven’t understood the dislike or respect for Kim. I really enjoy his play in the field (great arm) and on the basepaths. And you’re right Badger, the Dodgers need a bunting instructor if one isn’t available. Is Brett Butler around? Sure, Kim has had some difficulty with velo and pitch recognition. Look how reluctant the front office is to bring up a prospect from AAA, let alone AA. Korean baseball is considered between AA and AAA talent level.

Add to a big jump in talent level he is adjusting to a new country, city, new team, teammates. and doesn’t speak the language. With his plus defense and baserunning I believe it helps to compensate for his understandable issues at the plate. And as Badger pointed out he is still doing as well as some of the established stars on the team.

I want the Wards taken care of. There should be a healthy minimum for anyone on the 40.

Maybe average paid attendance times $X could create a salary cap which would create unique caps for each team. That’s more creative than realistic.

I was thinking that as well. Call to be the regular in LF.

MLB’s first off is a 171.2 million floor and a 245.3 million hard cap. Revenue sharing of 50/50. A centralized fund for all local media revenue shared by all 30 teams. It didn’t address free agency or arbitration in its proposal.

Very aggressive rankings

They are calling up Ward. Kike admitted during an interview that he knew he was injured. Now if you think about it, his MLB career, especially with LA is at risk.

I’m headed to Dayton. If I am not back in three days, send out the dogs.

6 in the Top 28 is NUTS.

That list still doesn’t include Davalan or Morales.

If Teo really is out for 2 months, I’d rather see what Tibbs can do (either for our future or for trade bait purposes). If Teo is out a few weeks, then sure, let Ward/Call/Kim/whatever play out there.

Badger, I with you! Kim is a great defender, has speed and has a higher avg. than many of the veterans! He has speed on the bases and seems to be clutch in many ways, either getting on and being driven in or driving in runs himself.

Thursday’s Dodger Affiliates’ Schedule

2:30 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) vs. NW Arkansas (Hunter Patteson)

Game 2: Tulsa (Payton Martin) vs. NW Arkansas (TBD)

4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jakob Wright) at Dayton (Jose Montero)

5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (River Ryan) at Sugar Land (Ethan Pecko)

6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Visalia (Jesus Escobar)

Obviously I’m interested but Andrew doesn’t let me make trades anymore.

I think this is a reward for Ward rather than who may be best to temporarily replace Teo. I think they had many options, but none that stood out to be a difference maker. So reward the guy who has been in the organization for 8 years now. Ward has been a loyal soldier, although he did not have much choice. Maybe MLBPA can address free agency length, both MLB and MiLB.

Updated to a significant tear in the hamstring. out 6-8 weeks or more.

He has played 422 games in the outfield in the minors. .975 fielding pct. 294 of those games came as a left fielder. 16 assists and 12 errors.

Same here.

According to Sonja Chen, Ward is being called up. She posted that on her X page.

I like the MLBPA proposal.

I’ve been saying that for a few months now. Nobody seems interested. Maybe I should contact Andrew directly. Mark, what’s his cellphone number?

Actually both Tyler and Ryan are playing a lot OF at OKC. Tibbs III has been playing a lot of DH. Tyler is on the 40-man with Ward and Thomas. They could move Snell to the 60-day IL to purchase the contract of Suwinski or JTIII or Ryan Fitzgerald if they choose.

I like Suwinski as the option because of his power off the bench as you stated. While he can play all 3 OF positions, he is not a good defensive OF. More Teoesque.

This might be a good place to insert Ward. He has paid his dues. He would be a good LH hitting option to platoon with Call. But as always, will he help the team win games? More than Suwinski? Both are LH hitting. Ward can play 1B if that is a consideration.

I do not think they will start the clock on JTIII, Too many other options, and they do not want him sitting.

Are the Dodgers looking for continued defensive diversity (either of the Fitzgerald’s) or just an OF (Suwinski, Thomas, Ward)?

I think a lot will depend on the severity of Teo’s injury..

“Roberts spoke to members of the media after the game and said Hernández will hit the injured list and probably miss at least a few weeks, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Ardaya later added that Ward will be recalled as the corresponding move”.

I think it’s time to include Hope in a trade, sooner than later. AF and the gang need to start deciding which of the outfield prospects have the greatest potential and start moving the others in trades.

Offering a #28 MLB prospect should bring back something worthwhile and even if we’re not entirely certain that Tibbs will be a strong MLB outfielder, Quintero, JDP and Sirota added to Pages are already one too many to find a place for, even assuming that Tucker isn’t here forever.

Sirota was a shortstop when he was drafted. Might think about handing him a 2nd base mitt.

Is he all that much worse than Teo? I guess we’ll find out shortly.

Let us remember that the horrible 1994 strike was over the owners’ insistence for a salary cap, and that as soon as strike insurance ran out that they came back to the table and gave up on the idea. The 1990 lockout was also primarily over the issue.

MLBPA will never agree to a cap. If the owners are intransigent then I can see the possibility that the ’27 season could be lost completely.

So called small markets like Tampa are not small at all (Tampa is 11th largest in the US), while San Diego (2nd in MLB in attendance) is the 30th. The real issue is fan engagement. Revenue depends on fans watching games on TV and in person. And corporate sponsorships. If fans don’t go to Rays’ games then move the team or contract the league.

Keith Law has published his revised top 50 prospects. The Dodgers have SIX of the top 28!!

#11 OF Eduardo Quintero

#13 OF Josue DePaula

#18 OF Mike Sirota

#19 SP River Ryan

#24 OF James Tibbs III

#28 OF Zyhir Hope

There are a lot of SS on his list. Maybe in the future the Dodgers might be able to package some of the OF prospects and pitching to acquire soon be ready SS to replace Mookie. Right now and in the near future there will be only one OF spot open. Don’t “Ryan Ward” these young men.

If that’s true about Kiki, then shame on him. For a team chemistry guy, a selfish move by him. To think he could “push through it” with an oblique is delusional.

Good info on wanting Suwinski promoted. I wasn’t aware of his defensive flexibility. Checked out his MLB stats with Pittsburgh. Has shown some good power numbers. Along with that comes the strikeout issues.

Let’s see what happens

According to Sonja Chen, that is the move that is being made. Sorry, I don’t like this one. Ward is at best a mediocre outfielder.

Per Gonzalez:

Kendall George, the speedy Dodgers prospect who injured his knee while evading a bat dog, did not sustain ligament damage, according to an initial MRI. There is hope he might avoid surgery. But he and the Dodgers are still awaiting a second opinion.

Per Passan:

The best pitching in the NL this season has been utterly ridiculous:

Shohei Ohtani: 0.82 ERA, .447 OPS against

Cristopher Sánchez: 1.47 ERA, 44.2 IP scoreless streak

Jacob Misiorowski: 1.83 ERA, 100 K in 64 IP

Chris Sale: 1.89 ERA, 38% chase

Chase Burns: 1.96 ERA, 34% whiff

No thanks. They need someone who is also a solid defender.

MLBPA will NEVER agree to a cap period.

Tyler when he played for the Giants got some time in LF. He hit .280 with 15 bombs in 24.

40 man roster moves are easy. Kiké to the 60.

Its so rare I doubt any young slugger will come up and OPS at league average. The learning curve from AAA to MLB is just too steep. Look at the guys the Dodgers have had try it the last few years. Pages is the best they’ve had and it took him over 400 at bats to figure it out. Rushing, Freeland, both .900 OPS guys in the minors. They haven’t figured it out yet. Our “top prospects”, of which 5 are outfielders, aren’t even mentioned here.

It appears late Spring/Early Summer might be a challenge for this aging Dodger team. I think many of us were kinda expecting something like this.

Is that the question? It’s either that, or:

Do you think the owners will go for no cap and being the only major sports league without one?

MLBPA is an amazing union. I’m not sure I’d bet against them.

If he’s not on the 40, it would be somewhat anathema to how Friedman has used the 40 in situations like this. Friedman doesn’t just think about how the move to the 60IL opens a spot, but also how to handle it when the player returns from that list.

Say Tibbs comes up and does well. Then it’s easy. But what if he does poorly, or somewhere in between. Now you have someone on the 40 who you are unsure about and whose MLB time clock is ticking and his options start expiring.

You’d do all that for a “few weeks at a minimum?”

Ward is on his way

I like JT3, but I don’t trust his power numbers in the PCL. Suwinski can hit them out anywhere.

But, I’m down with Tibbs 3 too.

Ward has mostly been playing 1B and is OPSing .797.

Suwinski is OPSing .962 with 12 HR and can play all 3 outfield positions.

Did you know? Suwinski is a year younger than Ward!

Call and Suwinksi would be a nice platoon in LF.

The only problem is that Suwinksi is not on the 40-man. Someone has to go to the 60-day IL or be DFA’ed.

If Kike goes on the 60 day IL then Dodgers can bring up Tibbs. Anyone can play LF. Give the kid a shot!

Ward has mostly been playing 1B.

I’m assuming his defense has improved. Bring in Call or Kim later in games for defense.

Do you really think the players will go for some type of cap? I don’t

Ward makes sense

I like Kim but he shouldn’t be starting in LF. I don’t really think Call should either. Would like a full-time LF to replace Teo. Give Tibbs, Suwinski or even Ward a chance. Sleeper is Fitzgerald. I forget which one.

Jorge Castillo on the MLBPA’s initial offer, MLB is expected to, he writes, respond with their first proposal today. Expect a cap.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48893571/mlbpa-makes-1st-proposal-collective-bargaining-negotiations

“The proposal included sharing more local television revenue than the current CBA stipulates, a “competitive-integrity tax” for low-spending teams that mirrors the competitive balance tax for top-spending clubs, a raise of the base competitive balance tax threshold from $244 million to $300 million and nearly doubling minimum salaries.”

And he will be back in AAA as soon as they activate Edman in about 3 weeks.

He is not on the 40-man, calling him up now might not be the best idea. He still strikes out a lot, and he is basically a right fielder.

Kike supposedly knew he was still hurt when he was activated and he tried to push through it. Second time in two years that a no-hitter was broken up with Scott on the mound. Happened last year in one of Glasnow’s starts. Ohtani’s ERA is 0.82. My two cents about a call-up, I prefer Suwinski. Reason? He can play all three outfield positions and plays them well. He is a definite power threat, something the bench does not have.

“Kim can play there, but he does not have a bat“

He’s hitting .260. You know who isn’t hitting .260? Will Smith, Max Muncy, Kyle Tucker, Alex Freeland, Dalton Rushing , Mookie Betts. In 43 games, 131 at bats, Kim has .6 WAR. Compute that over a full season. You know who else has .6 WAR? Will Smith. In about 50 more at bats. You know who doesn’t have .6 WAR? Mookie Betts.

Yeah, I know, it’s a long season.

Kim is the best defender on this team, the fastest runner on this team, and with only 277 sporadic at bats in his career is still trying to figure this league out. With Maury Wills gone apparently there is nobody in this all or nothing organization that can teach him how to bunt or he’d be hitting .280. He’s a backup player and the Dodgers are lucky to have him.

Now that I’ve said all that watch him go 0fer every game this week.

I don’t think handedness matters. Just bring up the best option. My prediction is Suwinski.

My favorite nugget in Jeff’s always-excellent farm report is the improvement shown by Zach Root. Also nice to see that Emil Morales continues to progress on the path to eventually succeed Max.

As for (temporarily) replacing Teo, the OF will often read Call-Pages-Tucker. My guess is that Suwinski will be called up, but it would be more fun to see what Tibbs can do. Alex Thomas is on the 40-man now (I think) but he’s been sent to Arizona to work on his hitting. Teo bats righty, and both Suwinski and Tibbs bat lefty. Either could platoon with Call, if that’s how it shakes out.

If Pages keeps hitting, he may bat right behind Shohei for the rest of the season.

Could Tibbs Wally Pip Teo? Cmon, give the kid a shot! Like probably going on 60 day IL

Amen. I read em all. Great job Jeff!

Damn MLB blackout. I’m snowbirding I in NEPA and the Phillies games are blacked out. Planning to drive down the turnpike on Sunday and see the game and grab some soft pretzels, maybe a cheese steak at Pat’s or Gino’s.

What a shame that Kiki’s return was so short lived. With a torn oblique he might have strained it the first game back. If that’s the case, then why didn’t he notify a trainer or coach about the issue? I can understand him not wanting to being that he just returned from a long recovery from surgery. But, an strained oblique doesn’t get better with continued play. And, because of his possible bad judgment, it may have lead to a tear. I can see his season being over or maybe an appearance in the postseason at best. A strain is bad enough as we have witnessed in the past with Max, but a tear? I wouldn’t be surprised if Kiki’s career with the Dodgers as a player may be over.

With Teoscar, it could be a case where an aging player is prone to have hamstring or other muscle injuries. He can into the season in good shape and had dropped some weight hoping to avoid this type of injury. That’s probably why he was so upset in the dugout. There has been no announcement of the severity of the injury, but from his reaction I’m not optimistic. Being older the recovery time is going to be longer than it would be for a younger player. And this happens just as Teoscar is breaking out at the plate.

Two devastating injuries in two days. It’s not only their baseball skills that will be missed, but their clubhouse and field presence and leadership. The Dodgers have enough veterans who can help fill that void. I hope AF brings up one of the three OF at OKC and not go bargain hunting in the free agent market. I’d like so see JT3 or Suwinski get a opportunity to platoon with Call in LF.

Carry on.

Kim may not be a LFer but made an excellent athletic play over the wall. Despite his average hitting (.260), he can play litterly anywhere with his speed, glove and arm. Probably the best defender on the team but he expendable because he doesn’t hit homers and has options available.

It appears the Dodgers are getting younger whether they want to or not. Teo, Kiki, Mookie, injuries forcing the Dodgers to get young guys on the roster. I wrote yesterday (disappeared on me, didn’t post) the fact that slumps (like Rome) weren’t built in a day. AND slumps don’t end in a day. Let’s hope Mookie’s prolonged slump ended the other night and was not a “Blind Squirrel ” apperation. I truly am a Dodger fan, but I’m a realist, and although pulling for Mookie one night doesn’t end the slump, unless it did. The criticism of rookies is that they lack consistency! The same must be applied to older players, maybe more so as they have experience. I believe when many here and on podcasts and articles lobbied for Mookie to move down in the lineup it wasn’t to move him to cleanup.

I think a standing ovation is in order! I have said it for years that Jeff provides us with the best Dodger MiLB player analysis and game breakdowns that can’t be found on any other blog. I have no proof of that, but I can’t imagine another team blog providing better coverage. I don’t believe any of the national reporters can match Jeff’s talent as well.

So, with Mark providing a outstanding platform for Dodger fans’ thoughts, Jeff’s prospect and MiLB coverage, and Bear’s incredible historical Dodger profiles, I ask you…..who has it better than us Dodger fans? NOBODY!!

I would like to see a left handed bat from Oklahoma City get promoted to platoon with Call that is defensively proficient,NOT Ward who is basically a first baseman.

Jeff,you’re the BEST in reporting Dodger minor league game actions and summaries.NOBODY better!!

Agreed.

Btw, I’m hearing a lot about Ward or Thomas or Fitzgerald but I want Tibbs or Suwinski.

Nice to see Kim can handle LF in a pinch but don’t really want to see him starting there

Let’s hear a round of applause for Jeff Dominique – His minor league report is spectacular!