The Last Laugh
I don t know about you, but it is my opinion that the Dodgers bullpen is not a need right about now. They signed Machine Gun Kelley and have a plethora of options in 2019 including Therrien, Ferguson, Santana and many others. The starting rotation is 8 deep and while it would be nice to add a Kluber or Bauer, the reality of the situation is that Cleveland has not traded
I don’t know about you, but it is my opinion that the Dodgers bullpen is not a need right about now. They signed Machine Gun Kelley and have a plethora of options in 2019 including Therrien, Ferguson, Santana and many others. The starting rotation is 8 deep and while it would be nice to add a Kluber or Bauer, the reality of the situation is that Cleveland has not traded either one… and it seems unlikely to me that they will. Starting pitching is a strength of this 2019 version of the Dodgers and I am not prompting the need of another starter, Some disagree…
As much as I championed Yasmani Grandal, he never became the player I thought and it was time for him to move on. I wish him well, but I did not want him back. The same with Brian Dozier, who will be 32 next year… is he in decline and is he a big improvement over Kike, Muncy or CT3? Not to me. Some players wilt under the bright lights of LA and I think he was one of those guys.
Sports Illustrated ranked the TOP 50 Free Agents at the start of the offseason. Here’s the Top 10:
- Manny Machado
- Bryce Harper
- Clayton Kershaw
- Patrick Corbin
- Craig Kimbrel
- Josh Donaldson
- Dallas Keuchel
- Michael Brantley
- Nelson Cruz
- Charlie Morton
Six have signed, with the Dodgers signing one of the six and four still remain. It is rumored that the Dodgers are still in on Bryce Harper, but I don’t believe it and I don’t think they should be. I would be all in on Mike Trout, but Bryce Harper is no Mike Trout and try as you might, Bryce is not a fit for the Dodgers, in my humble opinion.
Friedman is working on Castellanos and Realmuto, but the last we heard, the Fish wanted Bellinger and that was/is not happening. So, it’s overpay or wait. I say wait. There are more moves to be made and it could be today, February 18th or the trade deadline. In the meantime we wait and wonder if the Dodgers’ new hitting culture with Robert Van Scoyoc will be a resounding success, monumental flop or just a thing?
Getting rid of Puig and Kemp opens up spots in the outfield. Are they committed to Verdugo in RF? Could they possibly think that RVS could make Alex even better? It would seem to me at this juncture, the Dodgers are considering moving Bellinger back to 1B and going with CT3 in CF? That leaves Muncy at 2B and Kike platooning in LF with Joc.
I’d rather have Castellanos and/or Realmuto, but I think with the Dodegrs starting pitching and bullpen being a strength, this lineup is nothing to sniff at:
- Taylor CF
- Seager SS
- Turner 3B
- Bellinger 1B
- Kike/Joc LF
- Muncy 2B
- Verdugo RF
- Barnes C
I have already said that I expect a big bounce back by Barnes and Smith and Ruiz are getting close. I think that lineup is good enough to win the NL West, but not the World Series. That’s why Andrew Friedman is not done. Forget Realmuto, but add Castellanos to the mix and that is a well-balanced strong lineup. Yes, Casty only has one year of control, but you can re-sign him or give the QO and take another pick. For the 2019 version of the Dodgers, I’d rather have Castellanos than Harper or Machado.
Since Andrew Friedman arrived, many of you have been beating me up but every year. the team has gotten better, the Farm System has gotten better and the past two years, he has gotten then to the World Series. I am of the opinion that if a team is good enough to get there, they are good enough to win. Those losses are team losses, but like Clayton Kershaw said “Maybe we just need to play better.” Clayton nailed it and he came back to try at least three more times.
Then I read stuff like “The Dodgers should sign Harper for their fans.” That’s ill-conceived. The Dodgers should try to win for their fans and I see nothing that disuades me from believing that they are not doing just that. You can keep beating me up for sticking up for Friedman, but at the end of the day, I believe I will have the last laugh… AGAIN!
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Discussion (138)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Fu%k yeah! Bringing back Martin this year is almost as good as bring back Kemp last year. Good move. Now we can send Barnes back to Miami for his triumphant return in the JTRM trade. Looks like the off-season is really coming together, boys! Looks like Bryce is gonna be the check mate move now that all the good second baseman are accounted for. We filled the catching hole and the setup hole, now we just need one outfielder out of Bryce, Pollock or Castellanos. Maybe we get two of those, but judging by what’s already been done, we wind up with trading for a former Dodger at the end of his usefulness.
Ronny Brito and Andrew Sopko going to Jays
Open on bleacherreport.comhttps://bleacherreport.com/los-angeles-dodgersBrito and Sopko going to Toronto
Russell is still among the best catchers in baseball, for blocking pitches.
Let’s project a little more. Miami wants a ML catcher in return for JTR, and consider Barnes to be more than acceptable. Could this be move one of two?
Just trying to remember I think if Toronto pays 10 million of Russell’s contract only the 10 million the Dodgers pay counts towards the CBT. Does anyone know for sure
Didn’t see that coming…speculated a couple minor league players going to Jays and they eat at least $15M of his $20M contract. Some estimated $16 to $18M paid by Jays.
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Arbitration settlements should be dropping any time now, predicting all Dodgers reach agreement avoiding hearings.
Our Leader will be happy
Martin hit 194 overall last year, and hit 184 against righties, and OPS in high 600s.
His defensive numbers look good, but his War was 0.6
How much of the twenty million he gets this year, will we have to pay?
RussellMartin coming home
Dodger Rick, there you go, Russell Martin to the Dodgers.
I wonder how much we are paying on his salary because he is making quite a bit.
Quite possibly the Dodgers passed on Lemahieu because they didn’t want a repeat of the Forsythe/Dozier syndrome – painful watching those two with a bat in their hands. Kiki at 2B is not the answer either. In my opinion Kiki is not the answer as a regular at any position – he’s great as a sub, leave him there.
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Hope your right Mark that something will happen, but we still need a 2B, C, RH bat….time is getting short, while Andrew waits.
LeMahieu to Yankees, 2 years, $24 million.
You know anything about this jt rlmto 5.9 million settlement mean??
The situation at catcher is even worse. I am re-posting this from last night:
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This is from an article in The Athletic on contending teams and their biggest holes and how to best fill them with available free agents:
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“Los Angeles Dodgers
2018 Finish: 92-71, lost World Series
Biggest need: Catcher
Top FA Target: Martín Maldonado
The Dodgers balked at retaining Grandal after his pitch-blocking yips in the postseason, but also failed to land Wilson Ramos, Kurt Suzuki, Robinson Chirinos, Jonathan Lucroy, or Brian or James McCann. So, now they’re down to Maldonado, who is effectively Jeff Mathis with occasional pop, as a best available free agent beyond hoping that Austin Barnes can rediscover his 2017 form. That’s a big drop-off at the plate for a team that just traded a pair of 120 OPS+ outfielders for prospects. So, when does the Bryce Harper signing happen?
It’s disappointing that DJ is signing with NYY. He is a gold glove 2nd baseman that can hit. The Yanks got him for 2 yrs 24 mil. WTF, I thought we were the LA Dodgers with some money? Lowrie is gone now also. Marwin Gonzales is the only guy left that’s worth having. I sure hope Kiki and CT3 plan on making some contact in 2019 and not swinging from the heels every at bat. Oh yea, there’s Muncy who has the range of Daniel Murphy at best. I wasn’t as concerned yesterday but today is a different story. Andrew had better have some Aces up his sleeve.
I would have liked to have DJ , especially for a short term deal. But I also didn’t expect anything close to his Colorado numbers if he were to become a Dodger.
Granted in Ny he may put up some nice numbers
Well many of you have to be extremely relieved now that DJLM has signed with NYY and not LAD. You all will get your wish that Kike’ or CT3 will be the everyday 2B. Kike’ was so much loved at 2B last year that the team went out and traded for Brian Dozier…the same player nobody wanted.
59, I really like the reasoning you gave for signing Harper. Our friend with the inside sources noted in the last thread that Bryce will sign in LA next week. If that happens, I’m buying that person a drink (and no, no some nasty beer; a real drink!)
Mark, I know you pick your Colts this weekend. I”m also rooting for Indi, because if the Chargers can pull of a win in NE, the AFC title game would be in LA. Same reason I”ll disgustingly root for Philly Sunday, so the NFC title game would be in LA, after the Rams beat up on Dallas.
For disclosure sake, I’m a Bears fan, but thanks to our defense not showing up when it mattered, and our kicker aiming for crossbars all season, we’re out. So Go Los Angeles!! (both of them)
Lotś of opinions,sooner or later we will get some answers.
I think it’s time to trust your player deveolpment. I learned that from watch the Colts this year. Sports without steroids are a young man’s game and I think many players will step up if given the opportunity.
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If the Dodgers are in on Harper and sign him, I will be happy, but I happen to think there is a lot of internal growth that can happen.
Mark, right on except for Casty. Dodgers are projected to have the third highest wins next year and most in NL.
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The Dodgers probably want to give Smith more time to work on hitting at OK but all seem to agree he is ready for the Show now defensively. Catcher is a defensive first position. I want to watch Smith and can’t while he is in OK. I therefore want to give him the backup catcher in LA to start the season.
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It does not take long for a player to wear out their welcome with poor defensive play. It gets old quickly.
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Something to watch with Verdugo is his need or tendency to set his feet or even take a hop before he throws. Puig didn’t do that and he was accurate. A strong throw can take away one runner’s step but if the thrower uses it to make a throw, that strong throw is neutralized. A throw three feet wide of the bag will give the runner at least half a step advantage. But with all that said, everybody knows I was ready for Puig to move on to add safety to other players.
I find it odd to say the least that Bryce Harper isn’t a fit, but Casty is. Both are bad defensively, Harper has a better arm. Harper is a better hitter. Is it just because one is right handed and the other left? I would rather the Dodgers spend some of my ticket and beer money than prospects, so for me Bryce is the guy. I actually agree that the Dodgers should sign Bryce for their fans. As a fan, I think the Dodgers should go out and get that top talent free agent every so often. Looking at the current roster, there is nobody that was once a top free agent. I’m not talking about resigning our own guy, but getting someone from the outside that is a perennial All-Star. Bryce fits that bill. Talk about a guy that won’t wilt under the lights of LA, Bryce is that guy. He’s been under the spotlight since he’s been a teenager. Forget about WAR, an imperfect that weights unreliable defensive statistical measures to judge overall performance. Forget about the fact that he’s only had 1 100 RBI season. I remember a guy with similar stats through his age 25 season, similar left handedness, similar strong arm, but not good enough defensively to play CF or RF. His name is Barry Bonds. He turned out just fine. Let’s throw a bunch of money at Bryce, throw a bunch of prospects at Miami for JTRM and win the offseason and then the WS. Nobody remembers the runner up. Vice presidents don’t get libraries. We need to be bold or we will always be bridesmaids. I’m freaking sick of waiting.
The Dodgers will not be able to make a QO to Castellanos. Not as a player traded one season before he becomes a free agent.