If it’s a fact that spending money does not result in winning Championships, and that IS a fact, then why do many MLB teams spend money like drunken sailors? On the other hand, why would any free agent take fewer years to sign with a team? As I have said before, the MLBPA (of which all players have to be members) is the most powerful union in the country. Behind the scenes, overtly and covertly, they will flex their muscles, and unless the money is close, players “understand” that they have to take the best deal. Players also hire agents who get between a four and ten percent commission. If the Mets or Giants offer Ohtani 10 years and $600 million, does anyone with half a brain think he would sign with the Dodgers for six years and $300 Million? You would have to be clinically insane to believe that, and Shoehei and his agent would both be lunatics to accept that!
Maybe Ohtani would accept $580 Million over ten years from the Dodgers, but that is $20 Million less! That is real money. Even that small of a difference would incur the ire of the MLBPA. In 2022 the Dodgers were second to the Yankees with total revenues of $581 Million. The Angels were ranked at $371 Million. I have no clue how much money Ohtani would bring into the Dodgers, but you don’t pay $50 million a year to make $20 million. Do the math! Believe me, the Dodgers will do the math, and if it makes sense, they might sign him… but I do not believe it for one minute! That’s all I will say on the matter. We all have to wait and see what happens.
“A Transition Year”
That’s what Andrew Friedman said this would be: “A Transition Year!” What does that even mean? The Oxford Dictionary defines “transition” as: “The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” So, the premise is that beginning this season, we are going to see the Dodgers go from one model to another. Of course, that plan was somewhat short-circuited by Gavin Lux’s injury and the failure of Vargas and Busch to thrive early in their MLB careers.
It would be a mistake to lose hope in either Vargas or Busch, and I think the transition continues into next season and beyond. While I do not agree with the Dodgers that Gavin Lux is a shortstop, I think they will try him at SS again next season… I hope they are right, and I am wrong! I guess the biggest question is whether Mookie transitions to the infield or not next season. The Dodgers will need to make room for Vargas and Busch… and maybe De Luca next season. That’s the transition part! Busch, Vargas, Lux, and Betts can all play 2B, and Busch and Vargas can play 3B. Maybe one will end up in LF!
JDM is likely done with Max Muncy taking over as DH and Smith slotting as DH more. The Dodgers could carry three catchers next season. Could Feduccia be protected, or will they trade for another catcher? We shall find out. If I had my choice, I would sign just one free agent – Cody Bellinger and bring him back to the team he broke in with (that is, if he is not too pissed). They say you can never go home… but maybe Cody can. I would love to see this lineup next season:
- Betts RF
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C/DH
- Bellinger CF
- Vargas 2B
- Muncy DH
- Outman LF
- Busch 3B
- Lux SS
Message to Michael
OK, let’s go with your premise: The best team always wins. How do you explain why the best team does not go 162-0? If they are truly the best team, they should never lose! No matter how you answer that you lose the argument. Think about it!
Change Up?
Clayton Kershaw threw several changeups last night… maybe more than he has cumulatively thrown in his career. And he was very effective with it. If he masters the change-up – Look Out!
Discussion (23)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I talked to someone who is a friend of a friend close to Cody and he believes there is too much water over the dam for Cody to come back to LA.
OK.
Seeing players play with a look of defeat and resignation all over their bodies — like those on the Rockies.
Their body language says it all. ..Sad, a downer to watch.
Why is JDM day-to day? why not give him a rest and put him on IL?
Since July 14th, Vargas’s first game back at AAA, these are the BA / OBP / SLG for Vargas and Busch in the same time frame of 7/14 until today:
Vargas – 282 / 387 / 495
Busch – 355 / 434 / 710
Make of it what you will.
If only Busch was a RH hitter
Thursday scores
Tacoma 4, Oklahoma City 3
Amarillo 7, Tulsa 4
West Michigan 6, Great Lakes 2
Inland Empire 5, Rancho Cucamonga 3
Friday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Peter Heubeck) vs. West Michigan (Garrett Burhenn)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) vs. Amarillo (TBD)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Jared Karros) vs. Inland Empire (Walbert Urena)
7:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) at Tacoma (Kyle Hart)
10:10 PM ET
Rockies (45-70)
Dodgers (68-46)
SP Austin Gomber L
9-8 5.40 ERA
SP Lance Lynn R
8-9 6.11 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
2B Amed Rosario R
3B E. Hernandez R
CF James Outman L
DH Chris Taylor R
LF D. Peralta L
SS Miguel Rojas R
74° Wind 9 mph Out
I guess we can all talk about next year now that we have the Western division wrapped up! Where is everyone who had the Dodgers winning 85-89 games and the Padres running away with the division? What do they do this off season after this fiasco? Back to building a top farm system. AGAIN!
I’m a bit over the Ohtani debate. What will happen will happen.
That said, after watching the games since the trade deadline I had to go back and look at some of my comments when the Dodgers were knocked out of the playoffs last year. After I had a few days to cool off from the Padres simply humiliating then in 4 games.
In essence, I said they played with no fire. No enthusiasm. No energy. I felt something needed to change. And I hadn’t a clue what had might be. I was even for potentially replacing Roberts if it fixed that problem.
Well, AD did fix that problem. He brought in guys who have not only produced but have been important in the clubhouse. And he got them cheap. JDM and J Hayward. And then he brought back Kike and Joe Kelly. He saw something in Lynn that, so far, looks like it might work. This team is playing with more energy than I have seen in years. They are having fun. They just need to maintain this going into the playoffs. Walker coming back could help. He plays with that same fire in the belly that we were missing in the playoffs. Mookie and Freddie seem to feed off that. Or I should say…. Feast off of that.
I don’t expect the Dodgers to play .900 baseball the rest of the year. I’m sure we will have another slump. And we have to end the season with a bunch of games against the Giants. They won’t go down easy. But keeping the motivation and energy high is what will give us a real shot in the post season.
All five of the deadline acquisitions have made a significant contribution to wins.
If the players union makes players take the biggest offer it seems simple, if we want Bellinger back just offer him the biggest contract. Personally I think money is very important but other factors come into play also.
RIP Bobby Morgan. Backup infielder for the Dodgers in the late 40’s and early 50’s. He passed away at age 96. One of the last living Brooklyn Dodgers.
Great for Cody, but he pisses me off, actually. We had to watch his ridiculous, disjointed, complicated and hapless swing for three years because he was too damn stubborn and uncoachable to make any meaningful adjustments. It took him being non-tendered to finally pull his head out of his ass and clean up his approach … and Dodgers are supposed to fall all over themselves trying to get him back because he’s turned it around – this year?
Talk about a risk in signing someone to a long-term deal! You know he’s gonna ask for a 25+ AAV for multiple years, right? If the Dodgers give it to him who’s to say he doesn’t just revert back to swinging out of his shoes, with the elaborate series of hitches and timing movements, and his head swinging around on his shoulders like a bobblehead and him winding up halfway on his ass in the dirt? His swing before the ball reaches the plate is like watching an oil supertanker trying to parallel park. It was agonizing to watch.
Let the Cubs and Yankees get in a bidding war for him.
I keep in hearing that it’s a transition year. What does that even mean? A transition from what to what? Yeah, I think the Dodgers want to see what their vaunted farm system is producing and want to plan for success with cheap and controllable talent for the next several years, but there’s a difference between integrating young and cheap talent with core and veteran talent and going with a full youth movement.
I read a post by Bear yesterday basically saying, “what the heck! Just play the kids! It worked out for the Braves.”
That’s not a plan. That’s basically throwing your farm system up against the wall just to see what sticks – playing kids for the sake of just playing the kids irrespective of whether you have an actual competitive team.
Remember, you have probably 2-3 more years of Mookie and Freddie at their primes before they start to decline. Do you want to squander that so you can play around with Sheehan, Pepiot and Grove as your starting rotation? The Dodgers gave Miguelito a long runway to see what their top prospect could produce at the MLB level. HE’S A BUST!
Integrate rookies when you can, but this organization is too talented, with expectation too high not to compete for a WS every year.
Get Ohtani! Do it! DO IT!!!
My hunch is that Buehler’s a non-factor this year. If he’s reportedly throwing 92-94, that’s pretty far off the 98 MPH high spin FB that made him successful. He got by through throwing straight gas, which is probably the main contributing factor to his second TJ surgery. He’s gonna have to learn how to pitch. That’s going to be long-term process.
I’m more hopeful about Treinen. If he’s at 97 in mid August, he’s looking good to regain his 98 MPH FB and his video game slider. Plug him into Almonte’s spot and the bullpen is looking pretty good for the playoffs.
I’m not a platoon fan for the most part. I think it can be overdone and frequently is. I like a predictable lineup where guys know their daily roll and routine. Often reverse splits are ignored in favor of a set, predictable, pattern, that becomes mundane. But I have grown to really like our lineups vs LHP and RHP.
This Dodger team now has remarkable versatility. I know Kike played a so-so SS for the Red Sox but he now looks like a million bucks at 3rd base. Between Rosario, Rojas, CT3 and Mookie, the middle is solid with Outman in center. I was never much of a Heyward fan as I didn’t watch the Braves much. I’ve become a big fan. He’s been great on the field and maybe even better in the clubhouse. He put any ego aside and seems happy to be Dodger with any roll. I’d like to see him return. Same with Peralta who was I liked as a D-back. Even CT3 got a knock last night and I hope he gets it going but his value as a defender, anywhere. is important. (15 million important, could be debated). I love that Doc/the Wizard stuck with Outman and didn’t put him on the shuttle.
This team is fun and they bring energy and spirit to yard. You hear it a lot but these guys really do play for each other, which is what the Padres lack. I think Freddie’s influence on this team is understated.
I occasionally have my bitches with Doc and his in-game moves but not much this year. But managing the Clubhouse is his strength. Who knows how this season will turn out but I really enjoy this team and Doc deserves a lot of credit.
* I know that Kershaw is ultra competitive and wants to pitch. But I can’t help believe he was agreeable to taking a mid-season “vacation” to resolve any physical stuff but mainly to reduce his innings and work-load. He was perhaps capable of coming back earlier but they extended his “vacation” to be fresh for the stretch and the playoffs. Our position leading the division and playing as well as we have made that possible. I might be full of poop on this one but the rest, stress-free work out time and bullpens kept him sharp while being off a big league mound, will pay dividends. Now just stay healthy, please.
Muncy has 12 hits (8 HR’s) against left-handed pitching. I’d love to have Muncy back at about half the salary he’s getting now. I really hope the Dodgers give Busch and Vargas a legitimate shot next year to hold down third and second. Lux will be the comeback player of the year and Ohtani signs with Seattle. 🙂
Well this winter will be wait and see time. It is going to be one interesting winter.
Oh my gosh, I’m so tired of hearing about baseball and money.
No Mark, if a player like Ohtani is getting $580 million and he could get another $20 mil somewhere else, it’s not “real” money. In what world would that matter? You can’t begin to spend $580 mil, what’s another $20 mil. It’s nothing really. Won’t make a difference in your life. Maybe you can hire a good therapist to try and figure out why you feel miserable even though you have “wrath of God” money.
I would rather play here, but the union tells me to forget all that. It’s about every last dime. Yah, that works. Even Scott Boras admits that some of his clients choose to play for a team that offered less.
But okay, we should consider why you would pay a player $50 to get $20 in new revenue streams? First of all, if the player is valued at $35 million, now you’re acquiring his skills and abilities for $5 million less. Hey, it’s a deal. That is, if any baseball player is actually worth $30 million or more. Or even $25 mil.
Baseball players vs. what they can actually deliver are way overpaid. It takes at least 35 players or more to get through a season, injuries and all. Is any player worth more than Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman?
So cutting to the chase, Mark and Bear are correct. Shohei Ohtani is not worth $50 million or even $40 million, unless, of course, he generates a lot of additional revenue to the club that signs him. That’s the only way any of this works.
As to Ohtani, he also makes a great deal of money from his endorsements. He’s a baseball version of Taylor Swift. He will probably make more playing in a big market and near the Pacific Ocean, the gateway to Asia.
Then again, who created the $500 million value anyway? Somebody studying MLB economics? No, it’s the media, the pundits who stoke the flames to have something to talk about. They can’t wait to get to winter. Ohtani already dominated the trade deadline talk and he wasn’t on the market. Imagine this winter.
Didn’t Friedman recently say it’s not really a transitional year? Whatever any of that means.
Maybe all it means is we’ve got some pretty good prospects and we need to take a hard look to see who can make a difference. Then again, they apparently offered Verlander $40 mil a year for two years so there is that. How does Verlander fit into transition?
Many people thought transition mean’t spending less and saving money with a full youth movement. Some may have thought the Dodgers were focused on ’24, yet here we are with Dodgers winning the NL West again.
I would rather have Chapman to play 3b than Cody n CF. Outman will be just fine there for much less money.
Great to see Clayton back and dealing.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cody may be a Yankee next year, they will offer him a large contract. He might see NY as a bigger stage than LA.
Ohtani, just might be a different type of cat. He might not want to take an insane contract that would be almost impossible to live up to. Especially if it means playing for a team that wasn’t his first choice and living in an area he did not want to live in for six months of the year.
If he really wanted to play for the Dodgers, he might not be the type of guy that would let the union influence his future for the next 10 years
From what I understand He’s gonna make 35 million in 23 for endorsements alone a 66% increase over the year before, so no reason to believe that will continue to increase
So no matter what contract excepts he’s set up his family for generations down the road .
From what I understand he’s a religious man, and very humble. So he might just think his happiness is more important than bowing down to the union
I like that lineup Mark. Cody could be holding a grudge about being released or he just might want to come back home. I have no problem with Andrew giving Cody a big contract. He has proven to be winning player who is clutch on the big stage. He is healthy and is likely to be himself going forward.
Spending money wisely can help win championships. Spending money like a drunken sailor (Padres/Mets) does not.
Mark,
When you say JDM is ‘done’ do you also mean for this year? With this big lead he should go on IL to ‘rest’ for a while.