On Track For 100 Wins… AGAIN!
The Dodgers are on pace to win over 100 games this season… again… for the fourth year in a row. No has EVER (in baseball history) EVER done that, but were it not for the COVID-19 short season, the Dodgers would have won 100 games six years in a row! Let that sink in! No team has…
The Dodgers are on pace to win over 100 games this season… again… for the fourth year in a row. No has EVER (in baseball history) EVER done that, but were it not for the COVID-19 short season, the Dodgers would have won 100 games six years in a row! Let that sink in! No team has ever been this dominant for this long… EVER! Yet, I think some Dodger fans would trade two championships for a losing seasons the other five years, and that only proves that they value being miserable over continued excellence. Well, it also proves that they do not even come close to comprehending what a crapshoot having twelve teams make the playoffs makes it. I have to admit that most are old and only remember how easy it was to win when only two teams made the playoffs. They cannot comprehend why it is statistically more difficult to win now, so they continue to say, “Friedman can’t build a team for the playoffs.” I have to deal with that level of comprehension daily, and it wears on me. This is a broken record that plays over and over again every year… over and over… over and over! It could be that they suffer from a treatable disease:
I’ve posted this before, but Al Yellen wrote the best Essay entitled: “With MLB’s new playoff system, it’s impossible to ‘build a World Series team’“ I am publishing it in it’s entirety:
It’s been said by many that teams who want to succeed in Major League Baseball should build a “World Series team.”
I’m here to tell you that’s basically impossible now that MLB has 12 teams in its postseason. This year, we have a World Series between the No. 7 seed and the No. 12 seed (that is, if all the teams were seeded by record, which they aren’t).
This doesn’t mean the playoffs aren’t entertaining. The first couple of rounds this year were a bit less than compelling, granted, but both LCS had entertaining moments, interesting games, great pitching and hitting and a walkoff win. If you want to enjoy October baseball — and if you’re here, I assume you’re a baseball fan who does — you simply have to accept that the World Series is no longer an attempt to crown the best team champion. It’s simply a tournament played over four-plus weeks’ time that results in a winner. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good and enjoyable baseball.
Even in the “olden days,” the World Series didn’t always crown the best team champion. Take, for example, the Cubs, who won 10 N.L. pennants in the 40 seasons between 1906 and 1945. That’s really good! They won just two World Series in that span, in 1907 and 1908. They had the better regular-season record both times. But in the other eight, all losses, the Cubs had the better record five times, including being 22½ games better than the White Sox in the only all-Chicago World Series in 1906. Two great pitchers, Ed Walsh and Doc White, shut the Cubs down and the Sox won the Series four games to two.
It. Happens. All. The. Time. And it’s more likely to happen now when we have more postseason series — and when MLB expands, perhaps by the end of this decade, we’ll likely have even more. I’m fully expecting MLB to have a 16-team postseason when there are 32 teams.
Too many? That’s an argument for a different day. Today I want to examine what this all means to the Chicago Cubs as they currently stand.
JD said it right: “Oh, no.” If Dansby Swanson catches that ball, the Cubs win the game — and presuming everything past that went just as it did in reality, the Cubs are in the postseason and the Diamondbacks are not.
That’s how much of a crapshoot this all is.
So what do the Cubs now need to do in order to give them a chance to be in that postseason crapshoot every year, or nearly every year?
The Mets outspent everyone last offseason. What did that get them? Twenty-six fewer wins, and one of the guys they previously spent big money on is in the World Series — for another team, with the Mets paying a lot of the contract. I assume you don’t want that for the Cubs.
Go on a spending spree like the Padres did? They spent a ton of money on Xander Bogaerts, and the Cubs got the better shortstop for less money — and next year Bogaerts might be asked to move off shortstop. Interestingly, the Padres wound up winning just one fewer game than the Cubs did, but they had to win 14 of their last 16 to do it, and now they’re looking for a new manager after Bob Melvin and A.J. Preller reportedly clashed amid “institutional failure.”
The Cubs don’t have that. They’ve got a President of Baseball Operations who did a pretty good job putting together a contending team in 2023 and a manager who they like (even if some of you don’t). Yes, they have just lost a key executive to the Red Sox, but I suspect they can carry on without him.
The Cubs will have to spend money, no doubt about it. Job 1 is re-signing Cody Bellinger. You know, a couple of years ago Phillies owner John Middleton said the team was spending “stupid money” and regarding Bellinger, they might have to.
But beyond that, and also locking up Justin Steele to a long-term deal, the Cubs already have a pretty good core signed for reasonable terms. Swanson, Hoerner, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are all signed for at least three more seasons. That’s a pretty good core to build around. The Cubs found out late in the 2023 season that a bullpen made of used chewing gum wrappers wasn’t going to cut it. That’s where they should focus after re-signing Bellinger, and not necessarily spending big money on that, either. “Intelligent spending” was mocked by many when Jed Hoyer used that phrase a while back, but it does actually seem like the right thing to do.
To circle back to the headline, you can’t build a “World Series team.” Teams that appeared to have done that this year — Dodgers, Braves in particular — are watching the World Series at home with the rest of us.
Build a team that’s good enough to get into the October tournament and withstand injuries. That is, in my view, what the Cubs have to do to be able to get in the playoff conversation every year, or nearly so. Do that and it should work out in a championship or two, eventually.
So, this brings me to the crux of what I want to discuss today: Will the Dodgers make a BIG MOVE at the trade deadline? Before I answer that, I want to remind you of what Andrew Friedman said when he took over for the Dodgers. He said this, according to Jon Weisman:
— Andrew Friedman (via Jon Weisman)
“It’s an incredibly exciting day for me, coming into a franchise with such an historic history, occupying the same seat held by legendary baseball men like Buzzie Bavasi and Branch Rickey, is both challenging and humbling. Baseball would not be where it is today, without the Dodgers, and I have to say it feels great to be a Dodger today.
“Baseball is great when fans care deeply, and no team has better fans than the Dodgers. They expect their team to compete deep into October every year, and so do I. The fans know that baseball’s best when you win, so I’m looking forward to working with the many talented people in this organization to help us get to where we want to be, which is bringing a World Series championship back to L.A.
“I will focus on process, and I will be as open and disciplined in our thinking as possible. Success requires an entire team of people who are on the same page and who trust implicitly in the processes we implement together. I look forward to working with the many talent people who are already here in baseball ops and adding dynamic people from the outside as well.
“Most of all, we will create a culture of trust throughout our entire organization. An environment of trust and forthrightness breeds a healthy and highly functional organization. And I want our players to know that we will communicate openly and take care of them at all costs.
“I fully recognize the magnitude of the job ahead of me. This is a world-class organization with world-class expectations.
“It’s important to be able to supplement your major league team and it’s important to be able to use certain guys to go out and get things that you need, whether it’s in the offseason or in July.
On the relevance of team chemistry:
“It’s a much longer answer than we have time for right now, but if you are a team that wins 70 games and you have great chemistry, I don’t want those 25 guys. Those aren’t guys that I necessarily want to be in the trenches with. A lot of those stories about chemistry from the media come after the fact — it’s a narrative after the fact. … I’d rather win with what you determine to be bad chemistry than lose with what you determine to be good chemistry.
“We look at scouting reports. We look at the different metrics. We look at who they are, their makeup. We do a lot of digging on the people we are going to acquire.”
On communicating with players:
“We’re gonna communicate. We’re going to talk to guys. We’re going to be very open and honest and forthright. People are going to know exactly what we’re thinking. I think it’s important that whatever conversations we have with players behind closed doors, that we have with the players, that they understand what we feel like our their strengths, what we feel like are their goals and things they need to work on, so that line of communication is open and guys know what the situation is and where we stand.”
“It’s an incredibly exciting day for me, coming into a franchise with such an historic history, occupying the same seat held by legendary baseball men like Buzzie Bavasi and Branch Rickey, is both challenging and humbling. Baseball would not be where it is today, without the Dodgers, and I have to say it feels great to be a Dodger today.
“Baseball is great when fans care deeply, and no team has better fans than the Dodgers. They expect their team to compete deep into October every year, and so do I. The fans know that baseball’s best when you win, so I’m looking forward to working with the many talented people in this organization to help us get to where we want to be, which is bringing a World Series championship back to L.A.
“I will focus on process, and I will be as open and disciplined in our thinking as possible. Success requires an entire team of people who are on the same page and who trust implicitly in the processes we implement together. I look forward to working with the many talent people who are already here in baseball ops and adding dynamic people from the outside as well.
“Most of all, we will create a culture of trust throughout our entire organization. An environment of trust and forthrightness breeds a healthy and highly functional organization. And I want our players to know that we will communicate openly and take care of them at all costs.
“I fully recognize the magnitude of the job ahead of me. This is a world-class organization with world-class expectations.
“It’s important to be able to supplement your major league team and it’s important to be able to use certain guys to go out and get things that you need, whether it’s in the offseason or in July.
On the relevance of team chemistry:
“It’s a much longer answer than we have time for right now, but if you are a team that wins 70 games and you have great chemistry, I don’t want those 25 guys. Those aren’t guys that I necessarily want to be in the trenches with. A lot of those stories about chemistry from the media come after the fact — it’s a narrative after the fact. … I’d rather win with what you determine to be bad chemistry than lose with what you determine to be good chemistry.
“We look at scouting reports. We look at the different metrics. We look at who they are, their makeup. We do a lot of digging on the people we are going to acquire.”
On communicating with players:
“We’re gonna communicate. We’re going to talk to guys. We’re going to be very open and honest and forthright. People are going to know exactly what we’re thinking. I think it’s important that whatever conversations we have with players behind closed doors, that we have with the players, that they understand what we feel like our their strengths, what we feel like are their goals and things they need to work on, so that line of communication is open and guys know what the situation is and where we stand.”
On autonomy:
“I’m a big fan of collaboration. I think that anyone who thinks there’s one person making all decisions, it’s naive.”
On payroll:
“We’re gonna solve for winning, and I think the payroll part of it will be a byproduct of that. A healthy, highly functioning organization has a lot of good young players you’re interjecting with veteran star players and (being) able to do that in a way that allows you to remain competitive, that’s our challenge. That’s the thing that will drive us every single day in what we do.”
Andrew also stated that he wanted to build a sustainable team to win year after year, not win for a few years and then tank. He also said something very wise:
“I don’t believe the best team wins the World Series every year. I think the hottest team wins the World Series every year.”
— Andrew Friedman
Here’s another wise quote:
“Making sense of MLB’s postseason rollercoaster is a fool’s game.”
— J.P. Hoornstra
Will the Dodgers Make a Blockbuster Trade?
While anything is possible, I would not predict that he will make a Huge Splash. The Dodgers are still running away with the division, and many players will be back in the next six to eight weeks. Dave Dumbrowski will not hesitate to gut the Phillies’ farm system, while Friedman will not do the same in the Dodgers system. However, it does not mean that the Dodgers will stand pat at the trade deadline. I think that what Friedman has done in the past will predict what he might do in the future… and he seldom does what any of us predict.
I think that Tyler Rogers of the Giants would fit in well in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Rogers has a 2.92 ERA in a majors-leading 40 appearances this year, with 27 strikeouts and only two walks. The 33-year-old righty with the submarine delivery is affordable ($3.2 million salary this year) and controllable through 2025 as well. He has not allowed a run in 10 of 11 appearances this month. Rogers has a career ERA of 2.96 and has led the league in games pitched in two of the past four years. His submarine delivery would play well with all of the flamethrowers in the Dodgers ‘ bullpen. Friedman can deal with Farhan and could get Rogers relatively cheaply.
As I have said, I think Garrett Crochet is a waste of collateral. By the All-Star Break, he may have 120 innings. In 2023, he had 12 innings and in 2022, he did not pitch due to injury. In 2021, he had 54 innings and just 6 innings in 2020. I cannot see him helping during the stretch run or in October. I can see Wrobleski doing it, however. I suppose the Dodgers could have an interest in Jack Flaherty…
Jazz Chisholm is a player that the Dodgers might value because he can play IF and OF, but there is a lot of bad blood between him and Rojas. Randy Arozarena could be had for LF, but I would rather keep Miguel Vargas. Taylor Ward of the Angels could be in play and would not cost a ton. The Dodgers almost signed Tommy Pham before they decided to sign Teoscar, so they do like him, but they had two opportunities and declined both times.
With Gavin Stone, along with Glasnow, Knack, Paxton, and the choice of Kershaw, Miller, Buehler, Wrobleski, or maybe Casparius, Hurt, or Ryan, the Dodgers seem stacked at starting pitcher. Of course, you can never have too much pitching. The Bazooka may also return in August!
I think we simply have to wait and see how this all shakes out with the current lineup. In about a month, we will know a lot more, and Muncy may be ready to return.
X-CITES
Finally…
I am taking a few days off, and I may or may not be back. I have reached the conclusion that I will not allow the childish, little idiots who live to criticize me because they have never built or run anything themselves in their lives (except their mouths driven by their small brains)… I will not allow them to take away my joy and happiness. I have better things to do than read what these dimwits write… and if I am such a stupid/bad/make-shit-up kind of guy, why do they even read here in the first place? If/when I do come back, I may thin the herd of the idiots that don’t even rise to the level of morons. If you are not one of them, I’m sorry, but they ruin it for everyone. If you are one of the idiots, I am sure you don’t comprehend that either.
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Discussion (137)
Disagree, not disagreeable
A thirdbaseman to play until Muncy comes back. Who plays good defense and can hit lefties and righties. Hmm. Where is Ron Cey when you need him isn’t it funny how back when it waa Cey Russell Lopes and Garvey and Yeager. It didn’t matter if it was lefties or righties they just played. Here is a name and player I heard of Jesse Winkler OF and and is it CJ Adam’s SS from the Nationals. It seems like the Dodgers always trade with them. Do they have any pitching this year. I haven’t watched to many Nationals games.
Very entertaining game.
I would prefer they sign Bichette sooner, while Muncy is still out.
That moves Rojas to 3rd base for now.
And no more Biggio, and very limited reps for Taylor and Kiki.
That improves your defense and offense now with Rojas, Bichette and Lux.
When Mookie comes back Lux sits and either Kiki or Taylor goes.
When muncy comes back either Vargas goes down or who is ever left between Taylor and Kike gets released.
Your bench is Barnes or Feducci, Lux, Rojas and a Vargas / Hayward platoon.
This move is happening because I just don’t see Rojas being able to hold up playing full time with almost 78 games left.
Go Dodgers!!
7 Eleven!
Hurry back Max. Can’t take it any more!
true dat bradley
Biggio sucks what big leaguer can’t lay down a bunt. They need to do something about a third baseman Lipsicus was having a good year and they didn’t call him up. For this guy. Only becaue he bat’s lefthanded. I swear every time lux biggio Kiki and taylor are up. I just know they will strikeout and even the bench knows that.
Nice comeback. No big hits, but great situational hitting. Biggio should have not bunted. Glasnow did not have it today.
Damn! Biggio ?? it’s time to go!
7:15 PM ET
Dodgers (51-32)
Giants (40-43)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
8-5 2.88 ERA
SP Erik Miller L
2-2 3.79 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Cavan Biggio L
66° Wind 10 mph Out
NO Vargas against a left handed pitcher and Biggio,Heyward and Lux starting against a left handed pitcher, Giants must be having a bullpen game.
Taylor Ward and Refigo and Anderson I am telling you all three of those guys would help improve the Dodgers. Angels I am sure would like Lux Cartaya Outman and pick a pitcher in the minor leagues. Add Anderson with Paxton and Glasgow and Stone and Knack that’s five good starters until like Buehler or Yosemoto or Keeshaw come back. Refirgo can be an upgrade at third until max cones back and taylor and Kiki can play second with Rojas at shortstop until Betts comes back. And Taylor Ward can be your every day Centerfielder with Pages Teo Hernadwz and Heyward platooning in leftfield and rightfield
Muncy (oblique) took swings off a tee, fielded groundballs and did some throwing Friday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Muncy’s progress from a Grade 1 right oblique strain has been slow to the extent that he was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 21. However, the third baseman appears to be beginning to ramp up, and the Associated Press reports that his next step will be to take live batting practice before potentially beginning a rehab assignment. Muncy isn’t expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup until after the All-Star break”.
What’s happened to Maddux Bruns?
Saturday schedule
4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jackson Ferris) at Lake County (Trenton Denholm)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Orlando Ortiz-Mayr) vs. Amarillo (Dylan Ray)
5:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Luke Fox) at Lake Elsinore (Miguel Mendez)
6:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Justin Wrobleski) at Reno (Chris Ellis)
With the bottom of the order starting to show signs of life after a horrid start with Max Muncy and Mookie Betts on the IL, and with Will Smith mired in a slump, the Dodgers are still within a handful of runs of leading the league in runs scored. They are #2 in all of MLB in OPS and #1 in OB%.
Cool your jets!
James Outman is in a huge slump – he’s down to .277.
Diego Cartaya is hitting .154 after 3 K’s yesterday.
It looks to me like he is trying to pull everything.
What really bothers me is the Dodgers are running a billion dollar plus operation in payroll. and there is no left handed infield position player better than Cavan Biggio in their entire minor league system that can replace Max Muncy at third while on the IL. One solution is to start drafting quality position players rather than pitchers in the first round whenever that pick may be. Right now the organization is top heavy in pitchers and not very many quality position players.
something missing in that offense, and not just mookie and max! Guess Rojas streak comes to an end. ………. Can’t blame lack of rest for Hudson and Trienan last night. …….Score 3 runs off Webb you should be in line for a win! ……..Knack looked good for the most part!………Sure miss #22 out there!……..Still believe Bichette is a Dodger by August 2nd!
Well Treinen got bit, it happens. My takeaway is at least the Dodgers came back to tie it late in the game in the road instead of folding the tents. Baseball just happens sometimes, we move on to Saturday, pretty good old school National League game, lots of good pitching.
MiLB has almost reached the 1/2 way point of there season.
The Dodger minor league affiliates are playing .500 ball so far.
Quakes : 33-37
Looms : 36-36
Drillers : 36-36
OKC : 41-37
First time in a bunch of years that the cumulative records of this group is only around 500 ball.
I believe the Dodgers had the best cumulative winning % in MiLB last year. And have been at the top for years.
Records of course are not import in the grand scheme of things in the minors, development is.
But it seems we have been very aggressive in promoting some of our top kids.
That’s a good thing, hope we continue to push the envelope.
The 3 clubs in Arizona and Dominican rookie leagues are doing well.
Some very good young talent , especially position players , performing well.
Mostly all 17-19 yr olds.
Let’s hope they develop over the next few years. There off to great starts
Go Dodgers !!
06/25/24 Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent RHP Gregg Ferrera to a minor league contract.
Friday schedule
4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Payton Martin) at Lake County (Carter Spivey)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Jacob Meador) vs. Amarillo (Billy Corcoran)
6:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Alec Gamboa) at Reno (Logan Allen)
6:45 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) at Lake Elsinore (Ian Koenig)
10:15 PM ET
Dodgers (51-31)
Giants (39-43)
SP Landon Knack R
1-1 2.10 ERA
SP Logan Webb R
6-6 3.16 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Cavan Biggio L
60° Wind 8 mph Out
I’d include Vargas in the deal.
Rendgofi from angels could play 2b and othee positions like third base and Turner Ward can play all three outfield positions and they have a starting pitcher that used to be a Dodger Anderson. Thats my take on Dodgers and Angles make a trade Lux a outfielder and a pitcher for those three angels. It’s simple. Like every one says doesn’t break the bank like everyone is worried about. Gives dodgers some better hitters and Lux a new start somewhere and ship Miguel Vargas down there so then Mark can root for the Angels.
On track for the 100th shutdown….AGAIN!