QUESTION: “Bellinger’s hitting is “Suspicious” How in the hell does he re-become a 300+ hitter after being soooo friggen terrible? The first memory of being a Dodger Fan is sitting in a barber shop in Van Nuys getting a Butch and on the TV Maury Wills stole his 82nd base. I’m sure there are a few examples of players getting dumped by the Dodgers and becoming MVP material including a few idiotic trades. What happened here? Was he advised by his ahole agent? Does he secretly hate LA and therefore purposely tank? Was he betting on other teams? WTF?”
ANSWER: Everything cannot be quantified. It was likely a combination of injury, bad habits, and the fact that maybe the Dodgers’ coaches did not fully engage with him for whatever reason. Sometimes a player has to hit rock-bottom in order to recover, but I assure you that he did not tank on purpose. Those two bad (horrid) seasons cost him millions of dollars. I am happy for him, but wish he were still a Dodger. I also do not blame Andrew Friedman for not resigning him.
QUESTION: Will the Dodgers try and sign Shohei Othani?
ANSWER: Absolutely! A better question is: Will they SIGN Shohei Ohtani? That is a little more complicated. The smartest thing Shohei could do right about now is to go ahead and get the Tommy John Surgery NOW. That way, he could be ready to DH by April or May of next year. He should not pitch at all in 2024. It’s possible that the Dodgers would try and sign him to a split contract. In 2024, he would be paid (let’s say) $40 Million, and maybe it’s a three-year deal, but there are incentives for pitching, like maybe a Million dollars per start of number of innings pitched. I’m just spitballing, but Andrew Friedman will try and seize the day now that the paradigm has changed. It would also be with several opt-outs. This could be very interesting.
QUESTION: What is the likelihood that Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch will both be on the team in 2024?
ANSWER: I think the odds are very good. Both players are still highly valued as prospects, even though Miguel Vargas flopped in his first season. His skills are very apparent, although he would not be the first player to fail to make it while having the requisite skills. Vargas has bounced back and is now hitting .301 at OKC. Michael Busch hit his first MLB home run last night, and Vargas played 3B for the 5th game at OKC. He has played 27 games at 2B and 2 in LF. Gavin Lux will be back in 2024 and those three players could make up a great “core” moving forward. I thought Vargas was ready this year and so did the Dodgers and other baseball scouts. However, progress is not “linear” and we can never predict when the light turns on. If someone thinks a player who hits .191 in 303 ABs won’t become a very good MLB player, they have not watched the game (or Cody Bellinger).
QUESTION: Where will Gavin Lux play in 2023?
ANSWER: I did not think that Gavin Lux could play SS at the MLB level, but evidently the Dodgers did. Do they still think that? Well, there are some who think that playing that position after his gruesome injury is a lot to ask and there are some who think as I do – that he is not a SS. He has the speed to play in the outfield, and he is a solid second-baseman. Forget that he did not look good in the OF in 2022 – he had never played there! If you want to put him in LF or CF, then give him an entire Spring Training there. Where Gavin players will likely be dictated by where Shohei Ohtani signs. The short answer is 2B, SS, LF, or CF. He could also be traded… especially if Milwaukee values him like I think they do.
QUESTION: Where will Mookie Betts play in 2024?
ANSWER: He will play for the Dodgers! Oh, you mean what position? I would love to see him at SS, and I think he would be the best SS in baseball! The Dodgers may think otherwise. He could play 2B or RF as well – maybe he will bounce around, but the offseason will be interesting! Peralta and Heyward love being Dodgers, but they may get better offers. If I had to guess, the Dodgers will do what they are so adept at doing – rotate players around to other positions to exploit matchups. If you are looking for a set lineup every day, you had better switch teams!
QUESTION: Will Austin Barnes be the backup Catcher next season?
ANSWER: Very likely! I put it at 75%.
QUESTION: What is wrong with the Texas Rangers and their seven-game losing streak that threatens to have them miss the playoffs?
ANSWER: Obviously, Bruce Bochy is an idiot! I mean, that is what Dodger fans say when Roberts loses seven in a row! Actually, no matter what some say, Bruce Bochy is not the “Zen master.” His reputation was made when the Giants won three World Series in five years because his players executed, and he rode on the back of Mad Bum in a performance for the ages. In his 26 years as a manager, he has a .499 winning percentage. The Rangers spent money like a drunken sailor this season and last offseason, and they are still in danger of not making the playoffs. He is not an idiot, and neither is Dave Roberts!
Dodger News & Notes
- Landon Knack, Shelby Miller, and Ken Giles all pitched for OKC last night (with varying degrees of success, but they are all being prepared to pitch in LA this season. Blake Treinen is not far behind.
- RHH Austin Gauthier is hitting .324 with a .943 OPS in the minors this year. He is a 2B/SS/Utility-type who will be 25 next May. Watch him! He is a baller!
Standings
Discussion (33)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Another scrapper performance from Lynn. He held the fort till the reinforcements arrived to win the day. He’s doing exactly what AF was hoping from him.
Alb 9 Okc 8 NW Ark 7 Tulsa 0 Great Lakes 6 Fort Wayne 1 Rancho 6 Lake Elsinore 5 bottom of the 6th inning.
Just an exciting game, with all the backstory’s going on
The protagonists on both sides, making major contributions, good and bad
(Wong). We got lucky with that base running mistake.
Definitely didn’t want Verdugo to be able to celebrate a win.
Paralta and Hayward probably make dodger fans nervous when a ball is hit their way.
Uffff. Thanks You Red Sox’s runners
I’m shocked again. Did Roberts go to Manager’s school. Once again, he left his starter in the game until he tired and lost effectiveness. Then he went to the bullpen before any real damage occurred. After managing 1000 games it looks like Roberts might be getting the hang of it.
I believe one could make a good case to have three catchers on the roster. Barnes has another year on his contract and despite his offensive woes he has a great relationship with the pitching staff and the team in general. I
If we get to a crucial part of the game and Barnes is due up, it is a gamble to pinch hit for him, If Smith gets dinged up we have no catcher. Getting a catcher that can play other positions will allow a pinch hitter for Barnes without taking a risk on Smith getting dinged.
Realizing that each spot on the roster is important this third catcher could be someone like Salvador Perez (I don’t think the Royals would trade him) but he would be a great DH.
Just food for thought.
Not gonna let $6.99 stop me from watching the dodger game.
The game is not that important to us, but you never know when something special might happen in the game, and I wouldn’t want to miss it.
I replied to Zeke a couple of hours ago, but for some reason my comment is not showing
Maybe it will be because I put some links where I see the Dodgers games
I’m watching the game, and I think the ovation for Mookie was so boring, like it was forced, I didn’t like it…..
Apple effing TV again? This crap is getting old. How many games a year are they going to sell off to other people so I can’t get it on MLB?
7:10 PM ET
Dodgers (78-48)
Red Sox (68-60
SP Lance Lynn R
9-9 5.60 ERA
SP Kutter Crawford R
6-6 3.66 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
LF D. Peralta L
CF E. Hernandez R
RF J. Heyward L
DH M. Busch L
SS Miguel Rojas R
53% Rain
69° Wind 13 mph Out
Checked the Boston weather. It has stopped raining but it is supposed to start again at 10 Boston time.
Sorry Zeke, I have the night shift and I went to sleep, but here we are… Regarding the game on Facebook, I just type in the search engine “Dodgers live” and several options appear.
Or there are also several links where I always see all the games
http://tv.worldcupfootball.me/mlb-stream
https://www.vakeourbano.com/transmision-en-vivo-beisbol-mlb-baseball-online/
https://masdeportesonline.com/mlb/
https://beisbol2k.com/mlb-en-vivo/los-angeles-dodgers/
I found this interesting. From CJ Wilson, one of many of Arte Moreno’s dope fiend contracts that busted. He is commenting on how cheap the Angels organization was when he was there.
Like the lineup, but agree with Bear, 2 of the 4 you named need to go! Keep Kiki and throw the other three in a bag and last one to fall out gets to stay!
Does anyone have a hack to find the game if it’s not rained out on Apple TV? Jorge never answered my question up above.
How about this lineup:
1. Betts RF
2. Freeman 1B
3. Ohtani DH
4. Smith C
5. Outman CF
6. Vargas 2B
7. Busch 3B
8. Lux SS
9. Peralta or Heyward (pick one)/DeLuca LF
Resign Julio for 8 Years/$250 Mil
Trade Muncy for Prospects
Bench: Rojas, Taylor (last year), Hernandez, Barnes
If Clayton wants to return… fine… $20 Mil)
Rotation:
1. Buehler
2. Urias
3. Kershaw
4. Miller
5. Pepiot (Lynn is too old and expensive)
Grow your own bullpen arms. Do not sign a closer… especially Hader.
I have been thinking about this all day:
Shoehei Othani’s UCL must not be totally torn or he would not be DH’ing. There are other alternatives to Tommy John Surgery. What follows is an overview of the Internal Brace Method.
https://www.caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-news/tommy-john-surgery-research-reveals-surgery-realities-success/
Nick Frasso of the Tulsa Drillers had this procedure done a couple of years ago.
At his age, Shohei Ohtani should go for the internal brace and be back next year as just a DH. I could see Andrew Friedman signing him to a 5-year/$250 Million contract as a hitter and giving him opt-outs after year two if he wants to negotiate to become a two-way player again.
If he just focused on hitting, he might hit 70+ HRs a year!
It’s raining in Boston right now
Thursday scores
Albuquerque 6, Oklahoma City 3
NW Arkansas 10, Tulsa 7
Great Lakes vs. Fort Wayne, ppd. (rain)
Lake Elsinore 5, Rancho Cucamonga 3
Friday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jerming Rosario) vs. Fort Wayne (Dylan Lesko)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Kyle Hurt) vs. Albuquerque (Noah Davis)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Orlando Ortiz-Mayr) at NW Arkansas (Noah Cameron)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Gabe Emmett) vs. Lake Elsinore (Braden Nett)
Indy used to be a very safe city. When I went downtown, I only carried one gun. Now I carry two. This defund the police movement has been a rousing success. (Sarcasm) Indy has fewer cops than in 2020 and no one wants to be one.
On a sad note, there was a fatal shooting yesterday at a bar that I used to frequent back in the day. Cook’s Corner was known as a biker bar, but it was not a rowdy place. They would have country bands in there quite often. I send out prayers to the families of those who were wounded and killed. Shooter was an exe-cop. He went there to kill his exe-wife.
Not sure if brought previously but any thoughts on bring in Amir Garrett since he was just waived. With our LH bullpen situation – bring him in, cant be any worst then what we’ve seen lately. Might be shot in arm we need.
* Long day of baseball yesterday, but two nice wins. When the sun came out I was waiting for the tarp crew to hurriedly cover the infield so there was no sun damage. What a joke.
* It is a daily treat to get to watch Mookie and Freddie do their thing. It’s unbelievable what those 2 are doing at the top of the line up.
* We have 4 quality shortstops and Kike isn’t one of them. I’m happy with him playing. Just not at SS.
* Pepiot looks great. He just fills up the strike zone. I don’t know what the plan is for him but he’ll make a nice bullpen piece for the playoffs. I see him in the rotation for now with Kershaw, Urias, Lynn, and Miller.
* What about Yarborough taking some high leverage innings in short relief until Fergie gets squared away, instead of his role as a long-man?
* The HPU, Bruce Dreckman, was horrible. He missed 5 pitches in the top of the 4th alone. His strike zone is a rectangle rotated 90 degrees. He expands both rivers east and west and misses spikes up and down. It’s a coin flip way too many times.
* Steven Kwan is a nice player. I love the increasing emphasis on contact guys. He was part of that great Oregon State run with current big leaguers Adley Rutschman, Trevor Larnach, Nick Madrigal “Nicky Two-strikes”, another contact guy who’s being wasted by the Cubs, Wade Meckler, and Drew Rasmussen. Pat Casey had some great teams and players and Kwan was one of the under the radar stars.
* A night doesn’t seem to go by lately when I’m not uttering profanities at the TV watching Muncy try to hit. He picked up a cripple RBI finally in the 8th, with a 6 run lead, after failing to produce in the 5th with the bases juices and the 6th with 2 on. He walked with 2 guys in scoring position in the 3rd, after taking another fat fastball, again. Oh yeah, I forgot; a walk is as good as a hit. Only a hit would have driven in 2 runs and a walk passed the responsibility off to Heyward, who grounded out.
I’d amend that to say, a walk is better than a strikeout. I enjoy a nice walk. But I like RBI’s out of the 4 hole guy a lot more.
Max has 29 home runs, 10 doubles and 30 singles. How do you have 30 singles in 361 at bats?
When you subtract his homers scoring himself he has only knocked in 49 other guys, including the guys that scored on his homers. And as we know he’s batting .194. That’s after his injury comeback 2022 season where he batted .196. It would appear he’s about a .195 hitter.
The order just plays around him, hoping he can occasionally do something productive in the 4 hole.
Rain out tonight? Hope so as game is on Apple TV….
Dave Roberts says Treinen is a “long shot” to return in September, mainly because it was a shoulder injury. That in this morning’s LA Times.
So what about Ohtani? Ken Rosenthal thinks he will still get a contract of $500 million or more.
That seems totally nuts. Yes, he’d make a great DH, maybe teach him a position, outfield or first base. But the Dodgers have Freeman. It’s likely he won’t pitch next year and even in 2025, what would you be getting on the mound?
Maybe this enhances the Angels chances of re-signing him. No doubt the Dodgers will engage in discussions, but they also have to determine whether they offer extensions to Urias and Buehler.
If Urias continues to pitch well and if Buehler bounces back, it might make sense to ink both.
I agree Max Muncy might get traded this winter. Of course they could just decline to pick up the option. I think the Dodgers need to give a real shot to Michael Busch and I’m guessing Vargas sticks in 2024. Busch definitely has some power.
Not sure how the injury will impact Gavin Lux, but Roberts apparently believes Lux can play short and will in ’24.
Mookie will be the right fielder, but will probably move around, playing some second and a little short.
If he continues to play well through September and I believe he will, Betts will be the MVP. Definitely raised his game.
Okay, I would have liked to have kept Bellinger, but it was a tough call and Friedman made the decision, no doubt based on what he was seeing on the field and that made it easier. Yes, he’s bounced back, good for him, but it wasn’t like the Dodgers didn’t give him plenty of opportunity.
No question, the Ohtani injury has changed the landscape. What will they talk about at the winter meetings? Maybe resurrect Arenado trade rumors.
The series with the Red Sox should be interesting. Good article in the LA Times today on Mookie’s return. He’s very happy in LA.
And, I mention Soto only because some here mention Ohtani. At least mine is not a fascination for a certain player
You’re partly right about Soto, the good thing is that in Dodgers there are no stupid retards like there are in SD, so it wouldn’t be the same, but I understand the reasons why it’s better not… And so far, all the games that I have seen from Apple (at least the ones that I was interested in seeing) I have been able to see them on Facebook without any problem
Soto ain’t sniffing the dodgers! Too much of an ahole for that clubhouse! He’ll look at the padres, they are a total mess . Haven’t heard bob Melvin Bragging about this being his favorite team ever like Roberts did earlier! On paper they’re more talented than the dodgers 1-40 some say. But are there any dodger fans out there willing to trade teams with the Friars? Keep Soto away. Wouldn’t object to ohthani now as DH if JD is done. I really believe it’s time to move on from muncy. Vargas or bush would be ok, still would like Chapman though . Tonight game on Apple, what’s the point of buying the mlb package and then they put games on apple? Coverage sucks ! My son hooked me up last time they were on Apple. Don’t know if I’ll even bother tonight. All the best to Justin turner but to hell with Alex Cora. He and hinch should be flipping burgers! (No offense to fast food workers)
Sign Ohtani only as DH and wait to see if he can pitch at a good level again? I prefer Soto, younger and can play outfield, not at the gold glove level, but does the job.
He’s a jerk, but his bat between Mookie, Freeman, JD, Smith… Wow.
He would come to replace Muncy’s left-handed bat.
JD Martinez returns next year, Muncy will be traded to another team.
RC Dodger…… I think he is 30 years old, in 2025 he would be 32
The unfortunate injury to Othani will open up many contract options for all teams. But the most likely option to me is a short term high AAV contract that allows Othani to opt out after one or two years. Othani could make $30 to $40 million the next year or two and then opt out once he has proven he is healthy to pitch again in the 2025 season. He would be 30 or 31 and could then still get a huge payday at that point if he wanted to max out his guaranteed money. He would fit in perfectly as a Dodger DH the next year or two and have a chance to win a World Series. And if he recovers to be an elite pitcher, the Dodgers would be the front runner to retain his services. My impression is that Othani is more concerned with winning and competing than just maximizing his compensation. And Friedman has been very open to creative short term deals with high AAVs.
Some creative thinking by Mark here with regards to a potential Ohtani signing. A lot of posters yesterday were hyperventilating over his injury. “The Dodgers dodged a bullet! He’s damaged goods! Don’t touch that scrub with a ten foot pole!” … I paraphrase.
His injury means the Ohtani Aura and the hysteria surrounding his potential contract has been punctured somewhat. Is his career over? Of course not. He’s simply no longer a potential 10 year/50 million AAV contract. What that means in actuality? Who knows? Maybe an 8/300? Or, as Mark proposed, a shorter deal? I still think he’ll get a long term deal, and I think for whomever wants him, locking him up long-term is in their best interest.
For all of you arm chair GMs talking about return on investments and allocating too much financial capital into one player, yada yada, let me ask a hypothetical. If Ohtani turns out to be an overpay, or his performance declines or he gets injured towards the end of his contract, BUT, the team wins a WS or maybe two, would it be worth it? For me, that’s an unequivocal, EF YEAH! For many of you, you object to signing Ohtani on principle. Winning the WS (without hamstringing the organization) is the only thing that matters.
Money is an issue for the Dodgers ONLY as it relates to the CBT. If the Dodgers can pay (or overpay) for Ohtani and still have the reasonable expectation of resetting the CBT every other year or so and still signing a decent free agent or two and paying Will Smith or Buehler, why wouldn’t you do it? It’s not the money, it’s the draft position. The Dodgers have a fantastic scouting and development system, but it gets dinged by the draft position penalty imposed by being a repeat CBT offender.
Right now the Dodgers are hypothetically under the CBT by 137 million in 2024. A lot of money is coming off the books after this year. I’m sure AF will do his due diligence and do a lot of financial forecasting several years into the future. “What will a potential Will Smith contract look like at his age 31 year in 2026? What will he likely get in his ARB years?” etc. etc. He’ll apply that to all potential roster players, both currently on the team or in the system, and any potential free agent signings – and he’ll do this several years into the future. He’ll determine if he can sign a player like Ohtani (or Soto) and still retain enough financial flexibility to determine if he can dip under the CBT and maintain draft positions and a sustainable and healthy development system.
You people have sight. AF has vision … which is why he’s paid the big bucks and we’re bickering on a blog.
The Dodgers are gonna need a DH next year. JDM is done. You want Muncy? Really? A lineup with Freddie, Mookie and Ohtani would be one for the ages. It won’t matter if Miguelito can hit.
… Mookie is now .8 WAR ahead of Ocuna. A month ago I would have said Ocuna was the overwhelming favorite to win the MVP. Mookie’s wRC+ is now much higher than Ocuna’s, he has more RBIs and more HRs and he plays better defense. Mookie is now the MVP front runner.
Interesting happenings in the AL West. Seattle has been on a tear. They have tied in the standing with the Trashstros. Both 1 1/2 games ahead of the Blue Jays in the wild card and 1 game behind Texas for the division. Astors got demolished yesterday and have lost 6 of there last 10. There is a chance the Astros and Texas play themselves out of the playoffs. Seattle is getting hot at the right time.
Seeing the Astros sit at home for the playoffs would be beautiful.
The Othani injury has changed a lot as far as his future is concerned.
If he needs TJS he will pitch again when he is almost 32 years old. Lots of mileage aready on an arm who will have had 2 TJS in 5 years. IMHO his days as a starter are over, just about the same as Dustin Mays.
There is an article on ESPN that suggest Ohtani should be a closer when he returns. Makes sense to me , same for May. Both have the stuff to be elite closers. Worked with Gagne .
Ohtani probably has lost 100 -150 millon with this injury. Just be glad the Dodgers did not trade for him . Imagine trading away the farm and then see this happen.
OTOH the Angels probably are slapping themselfs for not trading him at the deadline.
Back to the Dodgers; I would pass on Othani now for sure. Resign Julio, sign Hader and Chapman and Snell.
Dodgers have about 137 million to work with and still stay within the luxury tax. So they could bring in those 4 players. That is the advantage when you have so many young and cheap guys on the roster who are doing well.
I am positive Busch, Vargas and Lux will play a big role next season with the Dodgers.
Future looks very bright for the men in Blue.
Cartaya yesterday 1-3 with 2 BBs. He is showing some life at the plate flnally.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!