These are now Friedman s Dodgers
It s hard to say if the Dodgers would have been making the moves they are and saying the things they are if Farhan Zaidi was still General Manager, but my opinion is that they would not. I think Andrew Friedman has decided not to fill the GM s position because he wants to make sure he gets his way which makes perfect sense to me. I think Andrew gave Farhan a
It’s hard to say if the Dodgers would have been making the moves they are and saying the things they are if Farhan Zaidi was still General Manager, but my opinion is that they would not. I think Andrew Friedman has decided not to fill the GM’s position because he wants to make sure he gets “his way” which makes perfect sense to me. I think Andrew gave Farhan a lot of latitude and he was really the GM, but now he wants to make some changes that are necessary in light of two World Series flameouts. Friedman has decided to change the following:
- Hiring Robert Van Scoyoc (RVS) as (what?) Hitting Coach, Brant Brown as “Hitting Strategist” and Aaron Bates as Assistant Hitting Coach in an “Effort to Pursue a Dynamic Hitting Environment.” Andrew wants to cut down on the strikeouts and have the players hit out of the shift more. Zaidi be damned!
- Signing a “setup man for $25 million/3 years? Well, at least Kelly can’t beat the Dodgers again. He has always had the “”stuff” and maybe at 30, he’s getting the control… finally. He could be a great bullpen piece. Hopefully, he can find the consistency that has been missing from his game.
- Friedman is wanting to cut down the platoons (maybe just one or two) to get guys more consistent playing time. The platoons were a Zaidi thing… and Roberts bought in. I think part of the holdup in Roberts deal was that Friedman wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
- The Dodgers are still in on Realmuto and Wood, Puig, Kemp and others are in play. There are a lot of moving parts, so I can’t speculate what will happen. I really can’t see Tucket Barnhart in Blue. He’s part of the reason the Reds pitching is so bad. Homer Bailey? Maybe. He might thrive in the pen if he changes his mindset! I would say he’s a “poor man’s Brandon Morrow” but with his salary, he is a Rich Man’s Brandon Morrow.
- Then today, we read in The Athletic that the Dodgers will beat the shift in 2019 by bunting and hitting the opposite way more. I TOLD YOU THIS WEEKS AGO! Friedman is going to make sure this team cuts down it’s strikeouts:
At this week’s Winter Meetings here inside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, manager Dave Roberts issued an edict: His players will bunt against the shift more often in 2019, starting in spring training.
“It should be important enough to get on base to be able to manipulate the bat and hit the ball the other way or to lay a bunt down,” Roberts said. “As far as offensively, philosophically, for us this year, we’re going to get better at that.”
There are lots of moving parts here and deals being bantered back and forth. It could gtake shape this afternoon as the dominos fall. The cover photo of Blue Dominos is for Hawkeye. They are starting to fall and they might end up falling on Bryce Harper if Friedman can perform some magic in reducing payroll. I am relatively certain that they will exceed the LTT this year if Harper is involved. I am not a big fan of Harper, but he could be a big plus the first half of the contract (and a boat anchor the next half).
The Rule 5 Draft is today. The Dodgers will likely lose some players. Maybe Christain Santana, Drew Jackson, Stetson Allie and another own or two … When the Farm is loaded with talent, you are bound to lose some. I can confidently say this: The 2019 Dodgers will be vastly different than the team that lost back-to-back World Series.
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Discussion (73)
Disagree, not disagreeable
1. The Dodgers are at full capacity on their 40 man. Who is going to be DFA when Kelly is announced? The Dodgers cannot pick up anyone on the Rule 5 because they are at roster capacity. Drew Jackson is a real threat to be drafted. Maybe Stetson Allie or Connor Joe. But I am still not convinced that a team is going to draft Cristian Santana. He is just not ready for MLB. I don’t know if he is ready for AA. I just cannot see a team drafting him and keeping him on the 25-man roster for the full year. Maybe a team like the O’s, but still doubtful.
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2. No on Tucker Barnhart. Catcher is a defensive first position. Barnhart is not a good defensive catcher. He was near the absolute bottom for framing, which is a key metric for Andrew. I would much prefer to have Barnes and his defense behind the dish and hope (there’s that word again) that his offense improves. The reason I am optimistic is because he has hit everywhere he has played, except last year. Go ahead for Realmuto if it does not empty the farm. Otherwise sign Maldonado/Hundley/Lucroy/James McCann/Caleb Joseph/AJ Ellis for one year until one of the two kids is ready.
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3. I have no doubt that Friedman is trying to rid payroll (and maybe one or two OF and one or two SP). I would agree with all of that, if he can generate enough savings to make a significant acquisition with a high price tag. If the Dodgers want to sign Harper they could be offering 9 years and $327MM with two opt outs. That is more than Giancarlo Stanton’s top dollars and the $36.33MM AAV surpasses Greinke’s top AAV. I think he would sign today if that is offered. I am not advocating doing that, it is just my guess that if Friedman wants Harper he could get him.
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4. The Dodgers are now at $198MM projected payroll, and with Maeda in the rotation that could get to $203MM with the current roster. They are going to need to divest themselves of some combination of the Kemp/Puig/Wood/Fields/Joc salaries to sign someone like Harper and a FA catcher.
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5. I am convinced that one of the platoon positions will be 2B. LAD has more than adequate range and defense with CT3 and Kike’. Muncy does not have the range but he does have the bat. If CT3 can get back to 2017, the 2B job should be his and Kike’ can go back to doing what he does best. None of those players will block Lux if he continues his quick trajectory to MLB. The Dodgers still see Lux as a SS so it will be very interesting to see where Lux gets most of his playtime.
I think Bellinger will thrive with the new hitting philosophy.
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If the Dodgers trade Hill, Wood, Kemp. and Puig and get a net savings of $45M, the odds are going up on Harper being a Dodger.
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If Harper is signed, Verdugo plus X could add Kluber.
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Still would a righty bat.
All week (offseason) long all I read is forget about Kluber and Harper. The Dodgers need relievers, a catcher, and a 2B. Then they go out and sign Joe Kelly for 3 years $25MM ($8.33 AAV). A reasonable price for a guy who can throw 100. And the reaction has been mostly negative, and not because of Hanley.
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Some are complaining that they didn’t wait and sign Zach Britton for 3 years $25MM. Like that is going to happen. Those same people would have complained that they waited too long to sign a reliever believing Andrew could sign Britton for 3 years $25MM, and now all of the quality relievers are gone.
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Some are complaining that he got 3 years, pointing to only Colorado offering 3-year contracts for relievers last year. That could be because none were worthy. This year (based on last year), it is projected that relievers expected to get 3 or more years: Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Miller, Zach Britton, David Robertson, Jeurys Familia, Adam Ottavino, and Joe Kelly. Familia signed for 3 years $30MM with the Mets, a team he did not want to leave. BVW brought him home.
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David Robertson has no intention of coming out west. He was brilliant in being noticed interviewing with the Dodgers, a deep pocket team needing a late inning reliever. His negotiations with those east coast teams probably amped up a bit. Unfortunately for David, LAD removed themselves as a viable alternative.
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Some say the Dodgers should sign Adam Ottavino (another east coast guy). Yet most of those people never heard of Ottavino before last year. He will sign for more than 3 years $25MM.
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Cleveland is not convinced that Andrew Miller’s (yet another east coast guy) injuries are behind him. However, they may look to re-sign Cody Allen hoping for a bounce back year, which is where he wants to go.
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Then there is Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel is looking for 6 years $100MM+. I understand that is just posturing, but you can bet his eyes are set on 5 years $90MM. This tops Chapman for most $$$, and Wade Davis for AAV. That is what he is looking for.
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Joe Kelly is not Jose Leclerc, but who is. 3 years $25MM is not too much for a FA late inning reliever if he works out. That is about an average of 1 WAR per year. That is not unreasonable for a 30-year-old who can hit 100.