Sooner or Later?

More moves by Andrew Friedman… that’s what! Will they be sooner… or later? I smell a big one coming very soon! I think that by the weekend, Friedman has to decide if he is going to pull the trigger on Yamamoto, Burnes, or Cease. I believe that it is critical he gets one of the three… sooner, not later! This can all happen very fast! Stay tuned!

So, the Giants ended up with Jung Hoo Lee. What are the odds that LF for the Dodgers (Vargas or Busch) produces a better OPS than Lee? Freidman was never in on Lee, because Lee is a slap-hitter without a lot of power. I’m bettering that Vargas or Busch is at least Lee’s equal… or better. Actually, as I said yesterday, I hope it is Vargas as the Dodgers need an RH bat in LF. CT3 is the backup plan, and I am still hoping for Burnes and Adames to come back in the deal with Milwaukee. I am offering the Brewers Busch (1B) and Lux (2B) along with Knack and one other RHP – Stone, Ryan, Frasso, et al. Of course, Andrew Friedman did not approve that deal… so there is that!

Yes, I am trading Gavin Lux – not because I don’t like him. I like him a lot… but as a 2B, not a SS. In LA, he is a man without a home. If you did not read the Fangraphs Article on him yesterday, perhaps you should read it today. Mookie is the 2B, and the Dodgers need a SS. Adames makes perfect sense as a higher-caliber SS. If Milwaukee demands Vargas over Busch, I would do that as well. With Adames, the Dodgers would have seven players who could hit 30 HR. I am saying that they have the power… not that they will.

1. Betts
2. Ohtani
3. Freeman
4. Muncy
5. Smith
6. Adames
7. Outman

Vargas or Busch could also be there someday, but not in 2024. However, the rumors are rampant, and I do not put much stock in them. The Glasnow/Margot/Arozarena trade seems a bit much and would eat up a lot of the $54 Million the Dodgers have to spend. Margot makes $10 Million. Arozarena will get $7-8 Million, and Glasnow will get $25 Million. Unless LA wants to blow by the Lux Tax Threshold (and they just might), there’s no room for Yamamoto, whom I believe they will put the “full court press on.”

Either way, if they get Burnes and Adames or the package from Tampa Bay, they will be over the threshold… again. I hate giving up Pepiot – I think he will be a solid #3 or #4, and the Dodgers need a Championship Caliber SS – that is Adames. The Dodgers meet with Yamamoto today, and since he knows Ohtani and was a Dodger fan as a kid, I have to believe there is a good chance the Dodgers will also sign him… with a quickness!

There is a lot that can happen VERY QUICKLY! No naps today!