Early on, the so called “Dodgers Insiders”, and click bait bloggers, were saying it was signed sealed and delivered that the Dodgers were going to sign Kyle Tucker. Interesting how a couple of weeks have changed their outlook. Now there is far more smoke that the Dodgers will not go big in the OF. The undercurrent discussion is that the Dodgers are hoping for one or two or three of their top 100 OF prospects to break out this year, and possibly be in a position for a late season callup.
The belief of many “Insiders” is that the Dodgers are just looking for a bridge to those players. Some believe that the bridge is indeed Ryan Ward and Alex Call in LF, Andy Pages in CF, and Teoscar in RF.
For me, there is more credence to the latter belief than the former. Why did the Dodgers purchase the contract of Ryan Ward? To piss him off and not play him when he could have been a free agent and sign with any team? For me, the tea leaves are saying that Ryan Ward, who bats LF, will get a long look. He is 5’10” with slug, and improving plate discipline.
In 2024, Ward led the PCL and all of AAA, with 33 HR, and was #2 in MiLB only behind Deyvison De Los Santos, corner infielder (primary 1B) with Miami, who had 40. De Los Santos had 14 in AA, 26 in AAA. His power took a step back in 2025, as he only hit 12 HR in 460 PA almost exclusively in AAA (444 PA).
While De Los Santos took a step back (with power), Ryan Ward built on his 2024 season. In 652 PA, Ward slashed .290/.380/.557/.937 with 36 HR, most in MiLB. Because of his improved plate discipline, his K% dropped to 18.7%, and his BB% rose to 12.7%,
Ward crushed RHP last year batting .319/.402/.636/1.038 in 463 PA. He hit 31 of his 36 HRs against RHP.
In 207 PA, he hit .314/.420/.535/.955 wRISP. He had 20 XBH, 33 BB (15.9%), and 44 K (21.3%).
He plays an adequate defensive LF and 1B. He will never win a GG, but he will not make a lot of mistakes. With Pages in CF, Ward would at least have an aggressive CF for support.
He is not going to remind anyone of Cody Bellinger or Joc Pederson or Yasiel Puig as Dodger prospects reaching LAD. But he deserves a chance, and would have got one with another team. So why not LAD?
OTOH, Alex Call hits LHP better than RHP. He is a better defensive OF. He has good plate discipline, even though his K% was the highest it has been while playing for LAD. Is that really a surprise? Alex Call is an excellent #4 OF and would be an excellent platoon partner with Ward.
Then of course there are those who still believe that Dalton Rushing should be the LF.
So while some LAD fans expect All Stars at every position, including the bench, and to also get younger, I am fine with LAD giving Ryan Ward a long leash, with Call as his platoon partner in LF.
I prefer to give Ward and Call the LF job than trading for Steven Kwan. Not because the platoon would be better than Kwan, but because of the prospect capital it would require to acquire Kwan. I do not believe that Cleveland will trade Kwan this winter without a significant overpay, but if they fall out early enough next year, they will dangle him at the deadline. If the platoon does not work out, Kwan or other LF options will be available. The Dodgers will also have a better gauge as to which of the OF prospects are knocking on the door of the LAD 26-man, and which of those who might have slipped. I do not think the Dodgers are sleeping on James Tibbs III, a possible mid-year promotion if he has a good year in AAA.
I do not expect a lot of LAD activity early on for position players, as I think the team will be waiting for all of the top pitchers to sign and then look for a team that needs rotation pitchers and has a young CF (or 3B) to trade. We have already discussed the usual suspects. But how about a trade for Texas CF, Evan Carter? Texas will need controllable pitching and the Dodgers have plenty of that. The chances are probably less than 5%, but one never knows. Or maybe they can induce Miami with a deal to acquire Jakob Marsee. Again very unlikely. Why would teams want to give up their prized prospects? Especially those that have at least established themselves at MLB, even if not at an All Star level.
I do think the Dodgers could be on pitchers early. I think that AF/BG would prefer to sign pitchers rather than to trade for them There are plenty to peruse and pursue.
We have no idea what AF/BG think of Hyeseong Kim as a CF. Or whether they believe that Tommy Edman can play on grass sufficiently enough after ankle surgery.
They could trade for Jacob Young, but maybe AF/BG think that LAD is better with Pages in CF and Ward/Call in LF. I am a fan of Jacob Young and if the cost is not too much, I would prefer him to Harrison Bader.
None of us have had discussion with LAD about where Teoscar is with his health. While he was never going to be a GG OF, he also did not misplay as many balls in the OF as he did last year. Most of last year’s misplays were a result of him pulling up on catchable fly balls. He is not that old that his play craters in one year. But after a very hot start, he had a groin pull that may have impaired him all season. IMO, the misplays were more of a result of the injury. I am sure the Dodgers have had those discussions.
For those who are so gung-ho on Byron Buxton, whose defense is regressing in CF, because of his offensive output last year, why is it not possible that he will regress offensively as did Teo last year. He is certainly not a bastion of health, and his history seems to indicate that he will not make it through a full year. If Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Dodgers, who are you willing to trade to for him. You are not getting him for Bobby Miller or Landon Knack or two former starters who might be better suited for relief, Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski, or any combination.
I fully expect to see Pages in CF and Teoscar in RF. In LF? I will not be disappointed if it is Ward and Call. At worst they will be better than Michael Conforto was last year. At best, the combo will be a productive LF with the glove and bat, with a combined OPS+ > 100.
Rockies have re-signed Warren Schaffer as their manager. All of the openings are now filled. I think Ward deserves a shot. He should hit 20 bombs in the bigs easy.
I envision Ward as the Max Muncy of left fielders. I really hope they give him a shot of at least a platoon job next year. I’d rather play him than trade him because I think he might just disprove all the doubters and, as you said, how could he be any worse than Conforto?
In the previous post, Sam had a quote from Imani saying that he would welcome going to a team without Japanese players. Made it sound like they would act like a crutch for him and he’d rather work his way through adapting to a new culture and everything that goes with it.
Then there’s another quote where he says that playing with Ohtani, YY and Sasaki would be fun, but he’d rather take them down.
This guy is going to be great for baseball if he can back up his quotes with excellent pitching. Seems very unlike the normal Japanese player. His personality seems more like Max Scherzer’s than the normal polite guys we’re used to seeing come over.
Those quotes will certainly tell the Mets and Yankees that he doesn’t have the slightest concern about playing in New York. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out.
I think everyone knows that MLBTR publishes their top 50 FA and projects where they will sign and for how much. There is a contest every year with the MLBTR readers to pick the teams they expect the FA to sign with. I have done it in the past, but I did not do it this year. I was in the process, but did not finish to submit in time.
I would have selected a lot of the free agents that seemed destined to sign back with their teams.
· Bo Bichette – Toronto
· Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia
· Cody Bellinger – NYY
· JT Realmuto – Philadelphia
· Josh Naylor – Seattle
I would have also pegged Harrison Bader back to Philadelphia, where Bader did receive the most votes to sign with. Makes too much sense.
FWIW (not much I know), but the Dodgers were targeted with 8 players that they would sign.
Not surprising, most selected LAD for Kyle Tucker (39.9%) while NYY was #2 (17.8%). However, also not surprising, 4 were relievers (Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams, Roberto Suarez, Pete Fairbanks), 2 Japanese 3B (Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto), and one Japanese SP (Tatsuya Imai). For the record, I listed Suarez and Imai as those the Dodgers would sign.
The three Japanese players must sign early. Murakami must sign by December 22, Imai must sign by January 2, and Okamoto must sign by January 4. It appears that Murakami is a pass as he is not good at hitting high velo, and far better suited for 1B/DH. It was telling that some think Murakami is a Joey Gallo clone.
I still believe that Imai makes a ton of sense for LAD, and while Okamoto makes more sense for LAD than Murakami, I think the Dodgers will pass.
Bader is still high on my wish list. He’s just a proven veteran and a clean fit to create a Teo-Bader-Pages defensive alignment. I see him as either an everyday player or a busy 4th outfielder if the brass dares to make a bolder move.
But I suspect that Bader will be seeking a 4-5 year deal, and the Dodgers might offer no more than two years with a higher AAV.
Some good points are being made here about how much Edman and Kim might help in the OF. (For that matter, will Rushing really see some action in LF?) But Edman’s ankle is a concern, and Kim still has a lot to prove on offense.
I’d have no problem if we did NOT sign any outfielder to a multi year deal, and instead, let Ward/Call/Rushing/etc play in LF. Who knows, maybe Hyesong Kim has been working his butt off to become a good CF. Maybe Edman will be fully healthy to handle CF.
Maybe Kim/Edman takes over at 2b. Maybe Quintero, Hope, DePaula, George, Sirota impress in spring so much that they’re in Doc’s eye to come up later in the year.
Watford, Man U is nonsense. That was a pathetic loss. Thank god the Bears, Rams, Lakers, Kings, etc are all doing well so far this year!
It was a terrible loss.
I too am a Man United fan. After that match, I am done watching for awhile. That was difficult to watch and an embarrassment.
Shohei Ohtani has hit 11 postseason homers as a Dodger. Just 2 behind JT for the most homers by a Dodger in postseason play. He has done it in just 2 years. He has tied Duke Snider who hit all 11 of his in the World Series, including 4 in a series twice. Only 3 of Ohtani’s homers have been hit in the World Series. All of them this year. He also has struck out a whopping 45 times in 129 at bats. If the guy had any plate discipline at all, he would be even better than he is.
So Snider 11 Ohtani 3
Yep. Snider still has more World Series homers than any Dodger.
Interesting and I don’t necessarily disagree but I find it unlikely we’d go into a threepeat season with Ward/Call in LF
Yeah, that was my initial reaction as well. With Conforto invisible and the Dodgers tanking this summer, where was Ward? Felt to me he was the last resort reserve for when Kiké, Edman, Call, Ruiz and Kim were all injured at the same time.
I think the team will go with proven veterans, and hopefully an every day thumper in the outfield.
Or Bo Bichette at 2b 😉
Or that.
Sure. Sign Tucker and Bichette, and trade Pages, Sheehan, and the farm for PCA (CF) and Junior Caminero (3B). Pick up a couple of veteran FA closers, and that should do it. .Of course they would lose their 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th draft picks, and their first draft will drop form #30 to #40. That would give them 2 of the top 130-140 players in the draft, with their next pick around 225, and no bonus $$$ to pay for them. They would also would forfeit $1MM in IFA bonus $$$. Of course that would piss off the other owners so that there will bound to be a work stoppage for 2027.
I am tired of signing mercenaries. The Dodgers won last year with most of their starting rotation on the IL for at least half the year, their three prized FA relievers were a bust, they lost their former closer to TJ surgery, their prized LF FA was a bust, Mookie was a shell of himself offensively for almost the entire season, Freddie never really got untracked (not like Freddie), Edman, Muncy, Smith, and Kim were hurt for good chunks of the season, and after a fast start, Teo was hurt and was never the same. Yet they still managed to win back to back WS.
They do not need Tucker or Bichette to win. And currently, most pundits do not believe the Dodgers will sign either. I also do not believe that other teams are jumping at the opportunity to trade with the Dodgers. Who was the last big trade for a player that did not involve a team wanting to get out from under a contract or trading for and extending a player a year before the contract is up (Mookie and Glasnow)? Or players on the periphery (Edman, Call, Miggy Ro, and three-four non-high leverage relievers). Although Edman did have 1.5 years before he was a FA, before he signed an extension. Who was the last player traded for with 3+ years of control? Alex Call, a #4 OF. Who before that. Maybe Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol, Will Klein?
The Dodgers do not trade for players like Byron Buxton, Luis Robert Jr., PCA, Junior Caminero, Corey Seager, They will trade for rentals, but more likely at the trade deadline.
I will be fine if the Dodgers sign a couple of high leverage closers and hold for the trade deadline.
We need offense though. We were outclassed by Toronto’s lineup. That can’t happen again.
And yet they beat Toronto, They beat Milwaukee, andother offense fans want to emulate. They beat Philadelphia. If you say it is because of pitching, then make pitching even stronger.
Yes to what Jeff said! Give Ward & Call a shot; maybe sign Fairbanks for the BP. Tanner Scott has to be better next time around. Tucker & Bellinger are not worth what they are asking for. Let it ride.
You sound angry.
Not angry. Frustrated. Commenters want the team to get younger, and when they make a move to get younger with Ryan Ward, he is just not good enough. I do not know how good a player has to be. Led AAA two years running in HR. Brought his K% down and oushed his BB rate up. There are so many out there that want to just curiosuly put Rushing into LF when they have a very capable LF in Ryan Ward. Maybe he doesn’t cut it. Move on, option him to OKC, and find an OF at the deadline. But give him to the deadline.
Kyle Stowers was 26 when he broke out in Miami. Ward will be 28 this year. People are giving up on him before he even gets a chance.
I get frustrated because if Ward does not get the chance, then why did the Dodgers purchase his contract? Just so they could option him 3 more years? It is one thing to just slow play their prospects, it is another thing to take a player who is about to become a FA and then put him on the 40 man if they have no intention to giving him a long leash. The Dodgers screwed Ward by signing Conforto last year. Are they going to screw him even more this year by trading for a too often broken down CF, or signing a RF to a $400MM++ deal, thus pushing him back to OKC?
I am on Ryan Ward’s side, not Kyle Tucker’s.
I agree totally with that. Ward should be given a shot. They gave Outman a lot of leash his last season with the team and eventually traded him.
Nice take on Ward Jeff. It would be great if he did well. Hopefully he plays with the Dodgers or another MLB team, maybe doing what Busch did for the Cubs.
The Dodgers need a left fielder. Yes three maybe four people have suggested playing Rushing there. That’s not a consensus. Ward could be our Lew Johnson. He could help the Dodgers keep their payroll lower and save our best prospects.
Between Ward, Call, Edmond, and maybe Kim the Dodgers don’t have to make forced error with a trade or free agent. That said, I love the idea regardless of how likely it is that PCA be the Dodger CFer.
Thanks. I am not naive. I do not see Ward as an All Star, but if he does not deserve a chance, then why does everyone think that Hope, De Paula, Sirota, and Quintero will get a chance. The Dodgers track record for prospects reaching MLB with LAD is not very good.
As far as PCA, I just cannot think of any scenario where Chicago would trade him, much less to the Dodgers. He has five years of control, and will not be arb eligible until 2027. He is a super two player, so he will have 4 years of arbitration. The Dodgers have a better chance at trading for Owen Caissie (RF) or Matt Shaw (3B) from the Cubs. Even Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ who have one year of control left. There is zero incentive for Cubs to trade arguably the best CF in MLB.
“Overview:
A Sports Illustrated headline from November 23, 2025, predicted that the Dodgers would sign Kyle Tucker to a $427 million deal. Another Sports Illustrated article from earlier in November reported that multiple insiders predicted the Dodgers would land Tucker, referring to him as a “potential $400 million superstar.”
And Nosler has a convincing piece this morning about why Tucker may not be worth the $400 million he’s projected to get. He says Bellinger might be a better addition, which I won’t argue.
No mention anywhere I can find that Bichette is moving west. I think he stays back there somewhere.
Interesting time of year isn’t it.
Oh well, for the time being it’s Rams and Lakers season. USC will going to lollipop bowl, UCLA remains an embarrassment, so, Go Oregon.
The thought of Teo stumbling through another year in RF is frightening to me. And I’m sure for our pitching staff as well!
He won’t stumble if he is healthy. To stay healthy he probably needs to play half or more of the season as DH.
All teams need slug, just not throughout the lineup. I think Max will provide slug in a third of the season, slump a third, and miss a third.
The Dodgers can’t count on Teo and Max providing slug for enough games.
Given their injury history’s a tandem of Muncy and Royce Lewis could work.
And as far as Buxton, he’s only 31. Yes he’s a bit of a gamble with his injury history but we’d only need him for the two years left on his contract. We have a lot of minor league depth that will never see Dodger Stadium so put it to use and also give these young guys a shot with another organization. Maybe Buxton has regressed some defensively but were much better off with him in center, Pages in right and Teo in left. How many opportunities do you get to three peat? Go for it. We need another big bat that’s not signed to a mega deal contract. That’s our greatest weakness
Buxton will be 32 in December, and has three years left on his contract. He is a FA in 2029. I am not advocating it, because I have made my point that I am in favor of giving Ryan Ward to the deadline to establsh himself, but why not Jarren Duran for three years over a too often injured Buxton? Duran is 3 years younger.
Duran was more than an acceptable CF in 2024 with +17 DRS Last year in LF he was +11 DRS.
Buxton was -5 DRS last year in CF. He has not been a plus defender in CF since 2021.
I would trade for Duran, 10 times out of 10 over Buxton.
I agree 100% on your last sentence
Rangers have non tendered RF Adolis Garcia.
García had a decently productive year despite failing to recapture his 2021-2023 glory. He accumulated 2.7 bWAR (versus 0.3 in 2024) for 28 doubles, 19 homers, and 75 RBI, and he dramatically improved his defense in right field, going from a -12 OAA in 2024 to +1 in 2025. He’s not an elite defensive player by any means, but he’s still worlds better than Teoscar Hernández.
García would be much cheaper than Tucker and Bellinger and a potentially high-reward bat if the Dodgers could fix him.
Adolis Garcia has not had a good year since 2023, his only year with a .800+ OPS. His last two years have been a sub .700 OPS. His career line is .237/.293/.444/.734.
OTOH, Teo has has 4 full seasons with a .800+ OPS, including 1 .900+ OPS. His career line is .261/.316/.484/.800.
Career wRISP – Teo – .283/.351/.521/.872; Garcia – .265/.318/.473/.792.
There is a reason why Texas non-tendered him. It was not because of $$$. Garcia made $7MM last year. MLBTR projected his arb $$$ to be $12.1MM. That is a 1.5 fWAR value. For the last two years combined it was 0.6 fWAR. OTOH, for th elast two years Teo has been a 4.0 fWAR.
Teo may be overpaid, but he a a better all-around RF than Garcia. And Teo is only 4 months older than Garcia.
According to Baseball Reference, Garcia has a +3.0 WAR the last two years. Teo at +5.8 WAR the last two years. I was not saying we should sign him, just putting the info out there. He would be an improvement on defense in RF over Teo and is the type of player the Dodgers have gone after in the past. I hope they give Ward a real shot.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers hitting coaches don’t usually “fix” anybody (see Conforto, Bellinger, Lux).
I want to see improved defense next year.
I might add, we all know the Dodgers won’t add every player we drool over but it’s still fun to drool. Jeff, stop with the sarcasm and exaggerations with your replies. It makes you sound angry and depressed.
I like this Ohio but could another Conforto signing. I would roll dice for 8-10 mil on 1 yr. If doesn’t work always make mid-season trade if Garcia,Call or Ward dont work
Boston just acquired Sonny Gray from StL, sending back a couple prospects, including Dick Fitts.
Yes, that’s his name
Excellent argument for a Ward/Call platoon… although it doesn’t solve the Teo-in-RF problem. (Teo’s range is unlikely to improve, right?)
If Ward succeeds in the majors as a late bloomer, it would be one of the feel-good stories of the season. I’m rooting for him.
I guess that it would happen with another team. We all expect the Dodgers to land another OF starter–perhaps even Tucker or Belli. Any new OF starter would make Ward the odd man out, as he lacks the versatility of the classic “4th outfielder.”
It’s not hard to see Ward packaged with pitching in a big deal, or flipped to a needy small-market team for a prospect. A lot of teams need power and could fit Ward into their LF/IB/D mix.
Just learned that the Red Sox landed Sonny Gray from the Cardinals.
Both of those teams have players who might interest the Dodgers: Brendan Donovan, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran…
The trade market is heating up.
Is anyone else getting a strange HacklinkBuy notification when signing in here?
We got hacked I think. It is working right now.
Giris Yap Panel 21
Never mind. I’m clearing history
Jake Fraley signed with the Rays for 1 year. MLB deal.
I always liked Fraley, he has never quite clicked, but shown moments here and there that have been really good. Hope he gets it together with Tampa