Now This Would Be An Andrew Friedman Move

The Francisco Lindor rumors had barely died down when the media begin circulating another rumor. You all do know that unless sports writers have something to write about, they are out of a job… so if they have to resort to poetic license ) a nice way of saying “making s___t up”), they do it. The chances of Lindor getting traded to the Dodgers are slim and none and the changes Nolan Arenado is traded to the Dodgers are even less than that.

Right about now, the Rockies owe Nolan $199 Million through 2026. He can opt out of his deal after next season, at which time he would be walking away from $164 million – GUARANTEED! I have been wrong many times, but one thing I have learned is that while professional athletes may love the game, it is also about the money. Unless he wins the Triple Crown and the NL MVP, there is no way he opts out. He will be 30 in 2021 and 31 in 2022, when he can opt out. There is almost no chance any team will give a 32-year-old third baseman that same amount of money.

So, some of you my think the Dodgers will trade for him and maybe the Rockies will kick in some cash. The first obstacle is that neither team wants to trade with a team in their same division for obvious reasons. The second obstacle is the number of prospects that need to be included. If Colorado trades Nolan, they will have to do the same with Blackman, Gray, and Story – they will be in a full rebuild mode (and that’s OK, but its going to cost a lot of prospects). Lux and Ruiz just gets you into the room to talk. It’s going to take a lot more than that.

The next obstacle is that in Coors, Arenado OPS’s .985 – he is Superman there! Away from Coors, his OPS is .793 and it’s even worse in Dodger Stadium. You can rationalize it away by saying “Well it’s worse because of the Dodger’s superior pitching.” You can say that, but it is what it is. You may think that he will hit better than the .793 road OPS he now has. I may think he won’t do better, but neither of us can prove that! We simply don’t know! Wht we do know is that he is what he is: A .793 Road OPS’er! That may be what you get if you trade for Nolan!

Mookie Betts was the beneficiary of playing in Fenway Park which is also known as a hitters park. For his career, he OPS’ed .931 at Fenway, while OPS’ing . 861 on the road. He OPSed .927 for the Dodgers and actually did better at Dodger Stadium with a .950 OPS there. However, Mookie is a lot different hitter than Nolan. I cannot see how Nolan can be the offensive player he is if he comes to LA. I think that Arenado’s chances of coming to LA are very much below slim and none. However, if somehow he does become a Dodger, I will be all in on him. I just do not believe AF will take on a $199 million contract AND cough up the requisite prospects to make the deal. That sounds like a dope-fiend move!

By the way, some of you should be playing Fantasy Baseball because getting Judge, Torres, Lindor, Arenado, or Snell is pure fantasy. However, if you like to concoct up will trade schemes that will never happen, have at it. It does provide for some great comedy!

The Andrew Friedman Factor

Andrew likes to buy low and right about now, Kris Bryant’s stock has tanked. He is a former All-Star, Rookie of the Year and MVP who will be 29 next season. It has been rumored that the Cubs might consider non-tendering him, but that won’t happen if they find a trade partner. I don’t know what it would take, but it would be a lot less than Lux and Ruiz and others. Maybe Matt Beaty, Zach Reks and another mid-level prospect would get it done. Maybe it would take Ruiz… I am not sure what the Cubs value most.

Bryant has had some injuries and I think he is tired of playing in Chicago. He’s from Las Vegas so he may love to play in LA. 3B has been his primary position, but he’s no Gold Glover… although he could get better. I would put him in LF and let him rake. Pollock becomes the 4th outfielder. Bryant could put up a monster season… and I would still try and sign Turner. If the DH stays, the Dodgers would be set.

1. Betts RF (R)
2. Seager SS (L)
3. Bryant LF (R)
4. Muncy 1B (L)
5. Turner/Rios 3B (R/L)
6. Bellinger CF (L)
7. Smith C (R)
8. Pollock/Raley DH (R/L)
9. Lux 2B (L)

Bryant can be a Free Agent in 2022 – maybe the Dodgers sign him… maybe he walks, but he might be a key cog in another World Championship! This is what I would call an Andrew Friedman-esque move. This is also a move rooted in logic. Other teams will want him too, but $18.6 million for one season is do-able for the Dodgers.

Dodger Press Release

DODGERS ADD GERARDO CARRILLO, ANDRE JACKSON, EDWIN UCETA AND ZACH REKS TO 40-MAN ROSTER

LOS ANGELES – TheLos Angeles Dodgers added right-handed pitchers Gerardo Carrillo, Andre Jackson and Edwin Uceta as well as OF Zach Reks to the 40-man roster. The 40-man roster is at 36.

Carrillo, 22, spent the 2020 season at the Dodgers secondary site. In 2019, he made 21 starts and tallied a 5-9 record with a 5.44 ERA (52 ER/86.0 IP) and 86 strikeouts with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. The right-hander has been with the Dodgers since signing as a non-drafted free agent on July 5, 2016 out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. In four combined seasons at the minor league level, he has posted a 14-12 record with a 3.57 ERA (77 ER/ 194.1 IP) across 50 games (41 starts).

Jackson, 24, finished his fourth professional season in the Dodgers’ organization at the secondary site. The right-hander owns a 10-7 record with a 3.45 ERA (70 ER/182.2 IP) and 217 strikeouts in 43 career minor league games (42 starts). In 2019, he went 7-2 with a 3.06 ERA (39 ER/114.2 IP) and a 1.28 WHIP in 25 starts between Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga. The Arizona native was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 12^th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Utah.

Uceta, 22, finished his fifth season with the Dodgers organization after going a combined 11-2 with a 2.77 ERA (38 ER/123.1 IP) in 26 games between Double-A Tulsa and Rancho Cucamonga in 2019. In four minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he is 20-12 with a 3.72 ERA (137 ER/331.0 IP) and 362 strikeouts in 76 games (66 starts). He was originally acquired by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2016. Reks, 27, has been with the Dodgers since being drafted in the 10^th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky. In three minor league seasons, across five different levels, he has hit a combined .300 (272-for-908) with 35 homers and 145 RBI. In 2019, he clubbed 28 homers in 121 games.

Dodger News

• The Rockies signed Conner Joe – Good Luck and Good Health to you CJ – The Dodgers just had no place for you.
• It’s a sad day that forces the Dodgers to cut ties with the Ogden Raptors. It is reported that the Dodgers will replace Ogden with Spokane and that Spokane would be High A and Rancho Cucamonga would be Low A.
• MLB is looking to keep around cities that lost their MLB affiliation for “other baseball projects” whatever that means.
• MLB announced the Appalachian League — a league similar to the Pioneer League — will be converted to a summer circuit for the country’s top underclassmen college players.
• There are reports that the Dodgers are going to cut ties with the Great Lakes Loons as well, but yesterday afternoon, the Loons President Mike Hayes said that was false. “From everything we can determine, it’s false,” Hayes said of the rumor. “The Dodgers don’t agree with the article, and, frankly, neither does Spokane. The reporter at that paper just got some wrong information.” Somebody’s got it all wrong – Hoornstra or the Loons President! We shall find out who. It does make sense logistically, for the Dodgers to move to Spokane, rather than Midland, Michigan, but we shll see!
• The Dodgers have three vacant spots on their roster… most likely for their own free agents. I say JT, Kike and Woody! I think Baez is gone and Treinen is iffy. It’s interesting that there are no Joc Pederson rumors out there.
• I wonder how Andrew Toles is doing?

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