What's next?

Hmmm. Interesting.

RISP was obviously a huge issue, but a bigger factor was that the Brewers have become a really good offensive team.

The Dodgers have had longer seasons, traveled the most, played in other countries, and will finally get a deserved and longer breather.

Other teams might complain about the Dodgers payroll, but they don't complain about ticket sales when they are in town.

2027 LF. Sirota or Tucker CF, Pages or Sirota RF, Tucker or Pages

Congratulations to the Brewers. They are a very good team and have shown it the entire season. I love the way they play and put pressure on defenses. Murphy is a very good manager and I love their approach to the game. Gawd it seemed like every walk or single turned into a run, with a steal of 2nd base and a timely base hit. I suspect they will celebrate a World Championship.

It will be an interesting off-season between the CBA and the Walter's situation but when the dust settles I would like to see a new left side of the diamond; Muncy had a good year but time to move on. Better to move a year early than a year late and I think Max will only decline. I see a new athletic shortstop and left fielder. Freddie needs a quality back up to get him off his feet more that can provide outfield help and some pop. Thanks to Kike and especially Miggy who has a year left but time to move on.

The pitching will be interesting. I don't see Skubal signing but I'd like to keep him. Ohtani needs to pitch. Glassnow gone and some new faces in the pen. I think Henriquez is the closer in waiting.

I'd like to see a pitching philosophy that emphasized trusting your stuff and stop nibbling so much. 0 and 2 turns into 3 and 2 way to much and with a couple of foul balls makes for 8 pitch at bats. I find it interesting that fans and players have no problem anymore with strikeouts but if a pitcher gives up an 0 and 2 hit, it's a huge mistake. I disagree. Trust your shit and avoid 2 or 3 non-competitive pitches before we're forced to come in the zone. Hitting is hard; challenge hitters. I still like quality fastballs in advantage counts. Tech has promoted too many walks on off-speed stuff when a guy has 98 plus in his bag. Quality, well located, fastballs are still the best pitch in the game, but we want o trick hitters.

I would like to see a renewed emphasis away from Slug. I kept hearing about how homers win playoff games but when you don't, you lose, as we showed. We need more speed and ways to score, besides slug.

I don't anticipate, sadly, of any of these changes in the Dodger's philosophy.

To me, it was a very long and frustrating year but a year that should have been much more entertaining. I expect a lot which is good and bad. I need an off-season and a reevaluation of my attitude.

See you next year.

I don’t see wholesale changes coming. Some internal movement and bargain shopping for relief pitchers. I also don’t expect any big free agent signings or trades for big salaries. Graterol, Bubic, Trienen, Lauer, Skubal, Kike’, Phillips, Call and Vesia could be gone. I think it’s going to be a very conservative offseason until the Walter situation is ironed out.

Everyone is saying the Dodgers need to get younger. I could see Teoscar traded to the Mariners or Reds for relief pitching. That puts JDP in left. Call will probably be traded for whatever they can get. That would put Ehrhard on the bench as the fourth outfielder. I think Freeland will get another opportunity at second base, that frees up Edman to be the super utility man.

It’s not exciting but I just don’t see a spending spree this offseason. This we have a lineup looking like this: Ohtani Betts Freeman Smith JDP Pages Tucker Muncy Freeland Bench of Feduccia, Edman, Tibbs3 and Ehrhard. Feduccia catches twice a week, Edman fills in around the infield, Ehrhard spells the outfield and Tibbs3 spells Freddy at least once a week plus anytime Ohtani pitches he’s the DH.

It’s boring as hell but until the Walter situation is resolved I don’t see any big spending. The minor league is going to have to produce.

I definitely agree that it’s time to move on from Kike, Rojas, and Treinen. Too bad about Bazooka. He can’t be given a contact that shows any reliance on him. Phillips? Depends on the price. I imagine Vesia will go the way of Banda. Time to move on unless he gives a real friendly deal.

Time to deal Teo to a team that needs a DH. His defense has become to big of a detriment and he’s blocking young guys who are ready. The dearth of RH bats at the deadline tells me some team will want him. I’m hanging on to Edman unless he’s needed as part of a bigger package. Tommy spent much of the offseason and into the regular season rehabbing. He’s still valuable as a utility guy.

Freddie isn’t going anywhere. The Dodgers will be good again next year. He’s going to have to rest more whether he likes it or not.

What I would like to see is Skubal brought back and Ohtani made into an OF so JDP can DH. Based on Ohtani’s postgame interview he’s not ready to give up pitching so let’s hope JDP can pick up LF

Im hanging on to Quintero, Morales, and Zazueta but I would use some of the blocked minor leaguers to go after Elly and move Mookie to 2B. Dodgers need to add a couple ascending players and speed to the lineup.

My crystal ball tells me to relax and whatever the front office wants to do. Prediction the Dodgers trade at least one top prospect and perhaps more for a name young middle infielder. Do not block Morales!!! If it’s a shortstop Mookie plays second and if the player is a second baseman Mookie plays short. At the beginning of the season DePaula and Teo will rotate in someway in left if Teo isn’t traded. With this front office mojo the starting rotation and the bullpen will revolve throughout the season. Muncy and Freeman will be there and produce. They need to insist on Freeman taking more days off. I could see picking up another catcher. Will struggled through the playoffs (like most of the lineup.)

Well no more Dodger baseball until Feb 27’ (maybe) but here is the question. The Dodgers supposedly have the top farm system in baseball yet our top prospect (DePaula) cannot be trusted to play left or right field?!? How can that be very difficult to believe. Is his defense worse than Teoscar Hernandez?!? Very frustrating but very thankful for a masterful run up until this year. Hopefully we can course correct and get younger, faster, and hungrier. Hopefully the Tahlane boy in the Dodgers frt office (Friedman) can work his magic! Lets Geaux Dodgers!!!

Mark, as I previously have said, being new to this site, I appreciate everyone's opinions and perspectives. I like your current analysis of where current players end up and potential lineup for next season, if there is a season. I hope Tucker comes around, otherwise he was a wasted contract. I would trade Snell and still not sure about Glasnow, because he has a history of being hurt. The only area I disagree with you is on Roberts. I know you are trying to balance the naysayers but I am starting to think you are either his PR guy or on his payroll. His claim to fame is that he stole a base for the Red Sox and scored the tying run and he touts that he was a protege of Maury Wills. I know he played ten years in the majors ,for five or six different teams but his stats are mediocre at best and he averaged twenty something steels a year. I my opinion, the best mangers are ex-catchers. I think The Dodgers need a new manager and pitching coach - never a fan of Mark Pryor, another mediocre player/pitcher. My solution is to move Roberts up in management, maybe as a PR guy, new manager, who picks his own pitching coach. I like the current first and third base coaches but not sure about the bench coach. Let's hope there is a baseball season next year, with a new look for the Dodgers. Thanks again for your work!

I would like to thank you, Mark, Bear and Jeff for a great blog this year. It was always fun and informative and a great read. You guys have great insight into the Dodgers,far more than I could ever have, so I always enjoyed reading what you had to say about the team whether I agreed with you or not. It didn’t really matter because I always enjoyed your take on things

As for the team, it just reminds me of the old movie Rocky III when Apollo Creed takes Rocky to the gym where they’re a bunch of young,, hungry boxers, and he tells Rocky to look at look into the eyes of the boxers and see ask him. what do you see? Rocky‘s a little bit dumbfounded. Apollo says it’s the eye of the tiger Rocky. You have to have the eye of the tiger that’s one thing the Brewers had that the Dodgers didn’t. I guess it happens when you’ve already won three World Series titles and you’re trying to repeat It’s hard to stay highly motivated and hungry.

That is a huge change in attitude from the article from yesterday!