In March of 2012, much to the delight of Dodger fans everywhere, Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers to Guggenheim Baseball Management for the sum of 2.15 billion dollars. At the time, the highest amount ever paid for a professional sports team at the time. McCourt also agreed to sell the land surrounding the stadium for an additional 150 million to the same group. He would retain some economic interest in the property. According to Guggenheim, he would have no control or influence over the land but could profit from the potential development of it. Also, they agreed to pay 14 million to rent the parking lots around the stadium from an entity half owned by McCourt.
The sale officially closed on May 1, 2012, ending McCourt’s turbulent era as the Dodgers owner. Ownership left most of the baseball people they inherited in their positions. Colletti was still the GM and Don Mattingly continued as manager. The day they took over the team, they were in first place by 4 games.
They beat the Rockies that day 7-6 behind Ted Lilley. One of the things the new owners pledged was to always try to field a championship caliber team. Magic Johnson, Laker legend was one of the new owners and he was seen several times at Dodger games after the sale.
It was only natural for the group to sit back and evaluate personnel after the sale before making any changes or suggestions. But one thing was for sure. Colletti would not have to worry too much about adding salary or getting rid of it. This group had plenty of financial clout.
There were several home-grown stars and players on the team, Kershaw, Loney, Gordon, Kemp, Gwynn, Van Slyke, DeJesus, Eovaldi, Lilly, who had been drafted, then traded and the reacquired, and Kenley Jansen. There were some veterans who had been signed or picked up off of waivers. But they were playing well.
Around the 11th of June, the wheels began to fall off of the wagon. From that date to the end of the month, the team went 4-14 and went from 4.5 games in front, to 1 game back. At the end of July, they were still one game out of first. The June draft, conducted by Logan White, netted them some players who would spend some time with the team, Seager, Paco Rodriguez, Ross Stripling, Onecki Garcia, Daniel Coulombe. A couple others would later be used in trades, Cotton, Sweeney.
On June 12th, they dipped into the international market and signed a young Cuban player named Yasiel Puig. On the 25th of July, Colletti pulled the trigger on his first trade. He sent Eovaldi and a minor leaguer to the Marlins for SS Hanley Ramirez and LHRP, Randy Choate. He then traded two minor leaguers to the Mariners on the 30th for reliever Brandon League. At the deadline he made yet another trade. This time he sent Josh Lindblom, Ethan Martin and minor leaguer to the Phillies for Shane Victorino.
With the September 1 deadline for roster additions that would be eligible for the playoffs, on the 25th of August, the Dodgers were 11-9 for the month and two games out of first place. Colletti got the ok from ownership and pulled the trigger on a blockbuster. The Dodgers sent, James Loney, Ivan DeJesus, Allen Webster and two players to be named later, (Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands), to the Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto and cash.
Nick Punto
Crawford was injured and would not play until 2013. Punto was light hitting good glove man, but LA fans fell in love with the guy, especially, Danny DeVito, who was seen often at the Stadium wearing a Punto jersey. Beckett was brought in to bolster the starting staff. A former WS MVP with the Marlins in 2003, he started 7 games and went 2-3. Gonzalez was brought in for two reasons. He was a power hitting RBI machine, and he was Hispanic. He had spent a little under two full seasons in Boston and hit over .300.
But he gave the Dodgers something they had not had in quite a while, a star who would appeal to their large Hispanic fan base. Gonzalez made his debut as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium on the 25th and did not disappoint. In a game started by Clayton Kershaw, with 2 on in the first inning and Josh Johnson of the Marlins, he hit a 3-run homer into the right field seats. Ethier and Mark Ellis also homered in an 8-2 Dodger win.
It did not help though as the Dodgers would lose 12 of their next 16 games and fall out of the race. They would finish 8 games back in second place and miss the playoffs. They have not missed another since. That trade was a precursor to the best decade in Dodger history.
Critiquing the trade, it breaks down like this. On the surface, it is a Dodger win, big time. But as with all trades, you have to look beyond the players received. DeJesus only played 8 games for Boston and that winter he and Jerry Sands were packaged with Mark Melancon and a minor leaguer and traded to Pittsburgh for Brock Holt, and Joel Hanrahan. Holt would spend 7 years with Boston and was a member of the 2018 team that beat the Dodgers in the World Series. Sands never played a game for Pittsburgh. Hanrahan was gone after 9 games with the Sox.
James Loney, who was probably traded because he was a free agent at the end of 2012, left the Red Sox after the season and signed with the Rays. He was part of a playoff run with the Rays in 2013. Webster pitched in 19 games over 2 years for the Sox, starting 18 of them. He was then traded to the D-Backs along with Rubby De La Rosa and a minor leaguer for Wade Miley. De La Rosa played in 30 games for the Sox before the trade. The trade for Boston was pure and simple, a salary dump.
Beckett over his three years with LA was ok. He did have a no-hitter in 2014 against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Kersh would get his against the Rockies later. Beckett was injured and out most of 2013 when LA made its first serious run at the World Series, only to lose the NLCS to the Cardinals.
Crawford was injured a lot; he did not play at all for LA in 2012. He played 116 games in 13. He hit .283. He played 105 games in 2014. He hit .300 and stole 23 bases. Injured most of the year in 2015. He played 69 games and hit .265. Unable to trade him, and with well over 40 million owed to him, the Dodgers released him on June 13th, 2016.
Punto also played only one more year in LA. He was a valuable utility player. He played in 116 games and hit 2 homers. He batted .255, which was 10 points higher than his career average. He left as a free agent after the season.
Adrian Gonzalez was the jewel of the deal for the Dodgers. Adrian spent 6 years with LA. He hit .280, OPS was .793. He had 101 homers, but more importantly, he drove in 448. He was as Vin said, the Dodgers butter and egg man. In his last year, injuries hampered his production, and he went on the IL. Forced to make a move, the Dodgers brought up Cody Bellinger, and the kid just kept on hitting. He would earn the ROY that year. After the season, the Dodgers, in a salary dump of their own, sent Gonzalez, Culberson, McCarthy and Kazmir to the Braves, and brought back old favorite, Matt Kemp, who would have an inspired first half and help LA get to the World Series. Matt would hit the Dodgers first homer of the series in a game one loss.
Guggenheim is now Guggenheim Partners. Mark Walter is the CEO. Freidman is still the President of Baseball Ops, and Stan Kasten, despite the wishes of some fans, is still the President of the team. There have been some additions to the ownership group, including tennis legend Billy Jean King. But the focus is still winning the big one. They really feel like they need a full season Championship to validate their statement that they wanted multiple titles. Fans really want this too. If for no other reason than to quit having to hear that the 2020 title is not legit.
Minor League Scores:
Great Lakes won their game, 15-3. Copen went 5 innings and got his 3rd win. He gave up 2 runs and struck out 5. DePaula went 2-4 and drove in 3 runs. Newell hit his 23rd homer. Gelof had 3 hits, drove in 2. One of his hits was a homer. Campbell also had 2 hits. Tulsa lost 5-2. Ramos had 3 hits and an RBI. Wepf took the loss as he gave up 4 to Springfield in the top of the 9th. OKC beat El Paso 7-6 in 10 innings. Gauthier drove in the winning run on a fielder’s choice. Lipcius was 3-5, Trejo, 3-5 with an RBI. Gauthier drove in 3, Davis was 2-5 with 2 driven in. Choi went 5 and gave up 5. He struck out 4 and walked 1. Dreyer got the win with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Rancho beat San Jose, 4-3. George had 2 hits and scored a run. Osorio also had 2 hits, one being his second homer. Gutierrez got the win with 5.2 innings of relief. He struck out 9. And Cabrera got his first save.
Bad series for LA. All of a sudden, they cannot win on the road. Outfield production for this team is about as bad as I have ever seen. It has been two months since Pages hit a homer. Heyward is not the same player he was last year, and Outman, well, he needs to be back in OKC. Kopech was a bright spot. I have a ton of respect for Blake Treinen. He stood in front of the cameras and took total responsibility for the blown save. The mettle of this team is going to be tested. Whether or not they are a much better team than they have shown is going to come out sooner or later.
Pages is the only other RHH OF to Teo. We need him.
Edman and Rosario can both play the outfield. Edman is a switch hitter. Rosario kills lefties. Pages is a liability in CF, not too bad in right. But with all the infielders they now have, Mookie could move back to right for the team. They do not need Pages. What they need is consistency at the plate. Pages is not quite ready for prime time yet.
Whoa hold your horse on Pages. This is his slashline against LHP .317/.353/.456/.809 He’s been batting against a lot of RHP lately and that’s why you’ve seen what you’ve seen. So far in his still small sample(small sample for Outman too), Pages is looking like a platoon player. Heyward’s slashline against RHP is .200/.296/.385/.681 and we know he’s a platoon player. Heyward is why I wanted AF to get another outfielder in the offseason because I anticipated Heyward’s production to go down from last year. What I didn’t anticipate is what happened to Outman. I wanted Rooker as you know, but it didn’t happen. I respect your opinions Bear, but your outlook on Edman and especially Kiermaier is WAY too rosy. Check their stats again, Edman has fell since his rookie year and Kiermaier has been nothing or below average since 2017 except last year when he was actually average, he’s Kike Hernandez 2.0. We got a BIG PROBLEM in the outfield. Pages is the least of our worries in the outfield, actually he’s no worry if he stuck to being a platoon player and probably the reason why he’s playing against RHP is what I said the other day, we have a bunch of misfits that play the outfield and when you move around shitty parts from the infield to the outfield and back you get the same results shitty parts.
You mentioned improved speed from what we got at the deadline, but this team (Doc or whoever because some people think the front office calls all the shots) didn’t use any of the speed that was already on the team before the deadline. Do you expect that to change? I don’t. But I already said Rosario is a good pick up, although he’s another platoon player.
Put Mookie back into RF and outfield problem solved.Lux at 2b and Rojas (if back healtyh) or Rosario at ss.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
All platoon players. Not Betts. I don’t know if you saw me post Pages slash line against LHP, and it’s good, problem is he’s a platoon player. We have enough of them on the team. Who platoons with him and the defense only people here will have a problem with Pages in CF. Unless you’re satisfied with Kiermaier in CF. The pitching is looking bad, it might turn around I’m not a crystal ball reader and if you want no hitting Kiermaier plus Lux every day and either Rosario or Rojas every day, you have 3 holes to fill right there with the pitching we currently have.
Rojas is probably done Ram.
I haven’t read that “Rojas is probably done” anywhere but here.
He’s on the 10-day injured list. Is there a bleaker report out there?
I actually read on two different places, cannot remember which, since I am old and losing my mind, that the injury was more serious than reported. The last update said sometime in August. But he is not even throwing yet. He has been eligible to come off of the 10 day for a while. Flexor strain can be anything from mild to extreme. It could also be a precursor to TJ surgery. At his age, I doubt he would want to miss a full year.
Thx…We’ll see.
A serious injury could explain the aggressive moves for SS options. Rosario brings offense and Ahmed defense. Edman is an option, but might be better used at 2B, 3B or CF.
Bear
The last paragraph of my post got deleted, probably because it was controversial. In that last paragraph I said: I started out pointing out Pages stats to you against LHP and one thing led to another and I went on a rant. Then I appologized to you about my rant and then I said I do respect your opinions I’m just frustrated about about the underwhelming players at the deadline considering all the injuries and I’m frustrated with something else. That something else was the controversial part I guess and it had nothing to do with you.
I did not delete it, and Jeff is in the hospital, so I don’t know, I will go on the dashboard and check. Not to worry, I respect your opinion. Look Eric, one thing you need to understand, and I think you are intelligent enough to get this. A. You see who is available for trade, and from that you evaluate which players will complement or improve the team you have. B. Negotiations with the team having the rights to that player begin and you see what will satisfy both parties. C. You find the right fit and the trade is consummated. The Dodgers got the best players who were available to them at the time. They improved the bench, got a power arm for the pen, and picked up a starting pitcher. And they gave up two major league players and not one of their top prospects to do it. No, they did not get Tanner Scott. And the Padres paid a hefty price in prospects for him. But the Dodgers were in the deal until SD went over the top. Rooker was not really available, and he wasn’t dealt. Arozarena, who I really wanted, was traded early on to the Mariners. Winker went to the Mets. De La Cruz and Eloy Jimenez, who are both more DH types, were also traded to other teams. But you look at the outfielders who were dealt, outside of Arozarena, none of them are huge difference makers. Soler went back to Atlanta, but the Giants never would have traded him to LA. You get what you can that could possibly help your team.
Arozarena would have been fun.
I think Lane Thomas would have been an upgrade. His splits suggest a platoon–but he also brings a power plus a great arm and stolen-base speed.
Guardians got him for three prospects the NYT described as “high-risk, high reward” types. One lefty, two infielders.
Whoa hold your horses. If Pages plays only against lefties, he hardly plays. He totally sucks against RHP, and he is a defensive liability in center field. He has had 79 at bats against LHP and 248 against right handers. Since the majority of pitchers in the major leagues are right-handed, by your own admission, he should sit against those guys. The Dodgers do have an outfield problem, and I am not saying that Kiermaier and Edman immediately make it better. But Edman hits .261 against RHP. That is his career BA. You want a .217 hitter out there or Edman? Edman is not bad against LHP, .277 is very respectable. Kiermaier’s career splits are pretty even. But even at his age, he is a defensive wizard. They got the guy for his glove, not his bat. And late in a game, that could make a huge difference. Heyward, Kike, Outman, they are pretty much all the same guy right now, terrible. Heyward is a gold glover. If he was hitting like he did last season, he would be a huge asset. I think and totally believe, his time on the IL affected him adversely. But he is also an older player with diminished skills. They got what they could at the deadline. They have been targeting Edman for several years. I think we all should withhold any kind of judgement on the guy until we see how he performs on the field. I am pretty sure, had the right power bat full time outfielder been available, AF would have tried to make the trade. By the way, very few players except the superstar elite type, improve every year. Yes, Edman hit over .300 his rookie year, and since has settled in the .260 range. But he is a career .265 hitter and has a gold glove to his credit. And like I said Eric, there are times you look past the stats and look at the player. The kid has grit.
Grit is good. Hope he gets going quickly. He’s been sidelined a very long time.
I was about to say the same thing about Pages and LHP. I was also going to ask why wasn’t Kopech used the night he arrived but someone else beat me to that too.
The Trade. I got into it with Timmons about that. He hated it. I thought it was a good trade. And he still owes me 500 push-ups on Crawford.
Kiermaier, Rosario, Flaherty. Get them in there. Same with Edman as soon as he is ready. And as far as I’m concerned, give Kopech the 9th.
I think we will be fine by mid August. I could be wrong though.
Kike can also play OF and bats righty. Taylor too–but will he be back?
Fully agree that Pages is not a good centerfielder and would be better off in an RF platoon with Heyward.
I find it odd that anyone who suggests moving Mookie back to RF would reject the notion of him playing CF. He’s done it before and did it well. Roberts and the rest of management have a challenge in figuring out the best use of these versatile resources.
If Max gets back, what is the best possible offense alignment? If Mookie plays CF, then Rosario could play SS with Lux at 2B. The best defense might have Keirmeir in CF, Edman at 2B, Ahmed at SS.
Has Outman been optioned to OKC yet? I assume that will happen to accommodate Kiermaier. Biggio seems to me like the most likely to be DFA’d.
Possible no-Max lineup:
Mookie CF (yes, CF)
Shohei DH
Freddie 1B
Smith C
Teo RF
Lux 2B
Rosario (Ahmed) SS
Heyward/Pages RF
Edman 3B
Late defensive subs: Keirmaier in CF, shifting Mookie to RF. Ahmed to SS, with Rosario moving to bench.
Clealry the Dodgers still played pretty well with one of the “Big Three” out. But losing two has made a big difference.
Kiermaier was activated today, and Hunter Feduccia was optioned to AAA. Outman will now likely be sent down when Freddie returns. No news on that yet, but I am hoping by the next homestand.
Are we viewing the last of Clayton Kershaw? He was god-awful tonight. Rusty or washed? Playoffs? Dream on. We won’t be able to stand in the playoffs with our pitching staff and underachieving hitters. Perhaps this iteration of Dodgers will finally break the hold that the FO, along with Roberts, has had on the organization. Most of the posters are happy with the team, but when you don’t see the storm coming, it blows you away and then the fans will really suffer. The slumping hitting is something that cannot be tolerated and we are watching them tumble rather quickly now as SD and AZ seem to have found their grooves.
I did not watch the game, so I really cannot say how well or bad he pitched. But the three errors did not help. CK is not the same guy, and I think anyone who expected him to be is just dreaming. I do not think there is a single person in the front office who is in danger of losing their jobs. Old saying, shit rolls downhill. Roberts is definitely vulnerable if this keeps up. The injuries have taken a huge toll on the psyche of this team. That they have stayed in first place as long as they have is amazing. I think there is a certain amount of rust in Kershaw’s game. He misses all of spring training, he has only pitched in a handful of games. But to be fair, after only two starts, I believe it is just a wee bit early to say he is done. They still have two rookies in the rotation. I believe they are more concerned with the pen right now than the starters. The two kids have pitched well. Glasnow was good enough the other night. We will see what Flaherty can do on Saturday. The real concern is lack of consistency out of the offense and the rising number of strikeouts has to be concerning. I mean the whole team is in a slump. Lux is the only player really hitting the ball hard. Even Ohtani has had his bad at bats. Look at the last 5 games. Friday, 15 Ks. Sat 16Ks, Sun 11Ks, Tue 13Ks Wed 11Ks. That is a total of 66 wasted at bats in 5 games. Unacceptable. Staff has given up 8 homers in 5 games. Also, not good.
We have been striking out at an alarming pace. And Smith is mired in a huge slump. Without the defensive lapses, the game Wednesday would have played out much differently. We may not have won but it would have not been a blowout. Kersh did not pitch as bad as the line looks and he deserves at least a couple of more starts. The errors and unearned runs changed the whole complexion of the game.
I posted about that yesterday. 55 strikeouts in 5 games. Unacceptable. 55 wasted at bats.
Not a recipe for success.
No, it certainly isn’t and back in the day, strikeouts were a very bad thing.
Are you kidding me.
We do not have Mookie and Freddie and Muncy. Yes we are slumping but had we also not blown the 5 run lead Tuesday its a totally different feel right now.
You dont win or lose a title in August. This may be just what this team needs…
I’m not pushing the panic button yet but it’s getting close. The talking heads think the Dodgers will be fine once they’re healthy. It’s easy to see what happens to a team when they are crushed by injuries. Look no further than Atlanta they are missing Strider,Fried, Acuna, Albies and Harris They’re grip on the first wild card has become tenuous at best. However injuries are no excuse you play the cards your dealt. Obviously the team is going to struggle running Biggio, Heyward, Outman, Pages, Keke, Ahmed and Lux out there every night. Maybe Rosario, Kiermaier Edman can help but it’s Freeman, Betts, Muncy and Rojas who are desperately needed asap. The bullpen is worn down by the self fulfilling results of the 5 and dive mentality. Also the great fear of facing a lineup for the third time. The bullpen has virtually no options for rest. The only two guys in the pen with options to be sent down are Vesia and Kopech. Any of the others on the 26 man will have to hit the IL to get rest. Maybe that’s the plan for Phillips, Trienen and Hudson when Brazier, Graterol and Grove come back. With the schedule coming up in August it could galvanize the team into a possible championship or it could be a bloodbath and the Dodgers fall completely out of the race. Bear if you’re desperate for an article everyone knows about Vin Scully maybe do a little bio on Jamie Jarrin
What is your problem with Lux ? Has been the best hitter in the league since the ASG. Yes, he made two errors yesterday but for the entire season his defense was fantastic.
Game went just as I expected. Pads hit CK hard and we could get nothing going against Cease. Blowout from the get go.
It pains me to say but CK probably is already over the finish line for his career. Dodgers are in a three team dogfight now for the division. I do not think you can roll him out every 5th day and let him work on his comeback attempt. The stuff simply is no longer there. I would rather have Wrobleski in his spot.
Got to hope that Bobby Miller can find his groove again. If he does he could be a weapon out of the pen like Urias was in 2020 playoffs.
Big Dodger in the Sky knows we could use a guy like that desperately.
Kopech was excellent. He got closer stuff. Hopefully Pryor can unlock all that talent.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t have a problem with Lux but he’s a platoon player. God damn we have enough of them on the team. lol
Lux hits lefthanded. Since the majority of pitchers are right-handed, he is going to play a majority of the time. Whoever replaces him against lefties is technically the platoon player.
I think they would both be platoon players.
My hope is that Lux’s power surges would get him more starts against lefties. But it’s getting late in the season so I expect a platoon will continue.
I think if Kershaw has one more and at the most two more outings anywhere near this when he feels physically fine, he should do the right thing and just retire.
Supposedly a chiropractor has helped, but I remain pessimistic about Max getting his game in shape, assuming he does return.
1-4 on the current road trip.
But if we had a reliable closer we could easily be 3-2. Game 2 in HOU and game 1 in SD were wins right there for the taking. And that with all the injuries.
Shows how good this team still is and shows also what our biggest weakness is. No reliable closer. Cost us in past seasons , especially postseason, will cost us again.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kopech to the rescue? ..maybe ..hopefully.
Well, the last 2 years we coasted to the division, and we embarrassed ourselves silly in October.
Maybe we need a tough Aug/Sept to get us ready for October.
At least NFL football is on tonight!
I think it would be a hoot to be the first or even the second wild card team in the West and then end up kicking the Padres asses in the playoffs.
If our big 3 come to play no reason that cant happen. Glasnow looked great and if Flaherty and Yamamoto can follow suit we are gonna be just fine.
Gotta score eigh…….
Never mind.
Dylan Hernandez nails it this morning. The Dodgers have needs that weren’t met at the deadline. At 5’10” 176 can Yamamoto stand up to the demands of MLB? Is Kershaw done? Are Miller and Buehler gonna make it back this year? Or ever?
The Dodgers needed plenty and only added more bench players. They might help, maybe they are better than the bench players the team is currently fielding. Kopech looks like real deal and maybe Flaherty’s back will hold up.
I told my wife last night Kershaw is 36 and already made $300 million in his 17 year career. He’s got 4 kids at home, maybe he should just go home and stay there. Her response? “36 and $300 million?!”
The Dodgers will remain at or near .500 as long as so many starters are out and so many relievers pitch poorly. Maybe that will be enough to make the playoffs and by then the team will be at full strength. Maybe.
Hold on. The bumpy ride may continue.
As far as pitching:
Flaherty missed a turn with Detroit due to the trade deadline. He says he feels great! He has been good this year. Hopefully, he feels good but how will missing a turn play out. Help or hurt?
Glasnow pitched a good game against SanDiego. One bad inning and the home run ball again. He actually got better as the game went on.
stone-regressed lately
RR looked impressive with very little wear on his arm
kershaw, Buehler, miller- all 3 have hurt the Dodgers badly. They have burnt up the bullpen and can’t get anybody out. Kershaw should never have come off the dl. All 3 need to be in triple an and work there until they can pitch 7 innings and get outs. All the excuses why they can’t perform in the minors should be ignored. Pitch better or stay out. Too late for Kershaw unless they put him back on the il. I would do that. Bring Wrobleski back.
the bullpen:
I mostly lean toward AF not providing Roberts players. But he had Kopech rested with a 2run lead in the ninth and wouldn’t bring him in. Why did we trade for him and not use him. Nobody knows how that would have worked out but I was pretty sure what would happen when Treinen came in.
vesia and Treinen to dl. Both are burnt.
Hudson has been good all year as has Banda
phillips was throwing with more urgency last time just no results
honeywell is the new Ramírez he will be burnt out in a couple more weeks.
bring up Grove and Brasier. Brasier and Kopech need to be tried in high leverage.
graterol has to prove he can get outs in the minors and is healthy.
Ohtani came over to get in the playoffs. That is not a given at this point. Roberts still does not know how to handle the pitching staff. Unless he has been told what to do. His positivity has helped but he is outmanned. Preller has been trashed but he makes moves that give the padres hope. Getting Scott, Arraez, matsui, solano and more. He has outmaneuvered AF in my opinion.
Good analysis Therealten. ( Mind if I ask – what does that mean?)
I don’t trash Preller. I think he’s done a great job there. That team is solid. I just wonder how that organization keeps coming up with the talent to trade.
Thanks Badger,
not sure if I know what your asking. If your talking about the moniker therealten I can share.
Preller had a higher payroll before the San Diego owner died. Told to reduce payroll he has made great moves this year to put the Pads in contention. He accumulated a lot of prospects when they were picking high in the draft and trading Soto. Plus these draft picks have performed. He does seem to have an abundance. One terrible trade by him was River Ryan for Beaty. At least at this point it is looking that way. Akin to AF trading Yordan Alvarez.
The Real Ten.
Yes, the Pads picks over the years, including trades, have worked out well for them. That’s a good team. They’ve been a good team for a while now. I won’t be a bit surprised if they catch the wounded Dodgers this month. I fully expect once healed we will win the Division.
the reason my moniker is therealten is a little fun with my daughter who was quite an athlete and a Dodger to the bone. I played on a state championship basketball team and in the Illinois hall of fame as a baseball coach. My number has always been ten. Everything my daughter played she used the number 10. I always reminded her that I am therealten. We laugh about so I just use it as a reminder of my daughter and our relationship. I still teach and coach at a private high school and all the kids just laugh about it. If requested I have let some of my players use the number although I remind them that I am therealten lol
Great story. Thanks.
You are in the Hall of Fame? Wow. I’m impressed. I will now pay more attention to your posts…. not that I wasn’t paying attention before.
Ten, congratulations on being a HOF’er in Illinois. That’s quite an accomplishment. You must know your baseball.
Thanks Phil,
I always look at your post to c if I can learn something and mb incorporate it with my team. I love the fundamentals of the game and love teaching. That’s why guys like u and Badger peek my interest. I can read and your posts help me sharpen my understanding.
thanks for the compliment Ten. That’s very nice.
He is asking about your moniker!
Treinen, Hudson, Kelly all have a lot of mileage on their respective arms. Can not overwork them the way Roberts has done this season. You can not treat the kids with kid gloves and trot out old Clayton and mentally distressed Buehler and Walker only to have them taken out early because of inefficteness and save the “old” arms at the same time.
You will have to die one death.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What has SD won EVER??? They had a parade for winning the wild card round in 2020. They flamed out last year and didnt even make the playoffs.
They won a 2 game series in July, great hang a banner.
This is a 162 game MAR A THON. Just look at the Phillies, they are going thru it now as well and don’t have near amount of the guys (STARS) out they we do.
Its everyone’s World Series when we play them and that’s fine but its not sustainable for 162. Watch SD go on to lose 10 of 15 now.
“Watch SD go on to lose 10 of 15 now.”
I’d take that bet.
They have been to two World Series, the last one in 1998. Their franchise is still 663 games below .500 in their history. Outside of beating the Dodgers in 22, they do not have a single thing to brag about. Even the Diamondbacks, who I despise, have won a World Series.
The Pads have dominated us all year. Right now I think they are the better team. They beat us in their last playoff appearance. They are very dominant in their bullpen. Their offense has been very potent and they have a number 1 pitcher. Like you said it is a marathon so we shall c. We have a lot of stars out but probably won’t be back for 2-3 weeks. I hope you’re right that they will go on a losing streak. I am not as worried about them as us. We need to win but it is a real struggle with the group we are putting out there.
As we all know, dominating a team during the regular season does not mean you are going to beat them come playoff time. We owned SD in 22, and Arizona last year. Mets owned LA in 88.
100% correct. The playoffs are absolutely a crapshoot.
Great write up about “The Trade” Bear. Thanks. I was against the trade and did not like it when it happened. However, after reading your review of it, it does not seem so bad to me. The only real problem with it that I had was taking Crawford. We really didn’t give up anyone of consequence in the trade. Just came down to money and Guggs had plenty of that. Overall, I get why they did it and aside from Crawford I was OK with it.
Thanks. I liked Crawford as a player. I just wish they had gotten the uninjured version. When he was healthy, he played well for them. Jeter Downs, who was part of the trade for Mookie, well he just signed to play in Japan. Has been a free agent since the Yankees cut him loose about a month ago. Also, Jamaii Jones, another exe-Dodger was DFAed by the Yankees.
Crawford hit .283 and .300 his first two years here. (I won a 500 push-ups bet on that .283). We could sure use that bat now. He was overpriced but so what. He hit .300. Who does that these days?
Bear what precipitated your comment to Ram that “Rojas is probably done”?
Is that based on his forearm tightness being more severe than reported or because the Dodgers don’t want him back?
I’m unapologetic about my fondness for Rojas. Yes, I am aware that he is 35. He has provided leadership and improved hitting to go along with his plus defense. I’ll take his .271/.722, with that glove.
I like Ahmed but figure he was a stopgap until Miggy got healthy.
What’s behind that statement?
Based on a report that the tightness was more severe. I also love Miggy. I think if he could play, they would definitely want him back. I also think when he retires, he becomes a coach, at least an infield coach. I know he would like to manage. But they traded for all that versatility for a reason. And Miggy not being able to return would be part of that.
Thanks Bear. I’d like to see him back. I too think he would be an excellent coach and Manager some day.
And to your point about the trades for versatility and utility guys, that led to my suspicion the Dodgers aren’t excited to keep Miggy Ro. I hope that’s not the case.
Keep in mind that the guys they got at the deadline, Edman and Rosario, both play outfield as well as infield.
I think they’d be thrilled to have Miggy back, both this year and next (they have a team option on him) if his health permits.
I really liked Rojas as well when he first came with the Dodgers. He made an incredible play to help keep Kershaw’s no hitter in tact. He was kind of a throw in with the trade to Miami. I was sad to see him go to Miami. He became a plus SS/3B and solid hitter. I was happy on his return to the Dodgers. Hopefully, his current injury isn’t career ending.
Hearing alot of talk about moving Mookie back to RF.
Just talk right now. If you watch the videos of his practices, all of his reps have been at SS. Doesn’t sound or look like he is playing anywhere else.
It only counts if you’re hearing it in the Dodger clubhouse or front office.
If you’re hearing it on blogs or from pundits, take it with a grain of salt.
That said, even though Mookie has stated his preference for staying in the infield, they may find themselves forced into moving him back. It may all depend on how Edman, Kiermaier and possibly Rosario perform when playing the outfield.
Mark posted his goodbye on LADT. I think he means it this time. He is 70 now and wants to spend more time with his family. With a brand-new house, his son running his company, he has the time. I wish him the best. He got me started doing this writing thing and I am thankful he did. 👌
lolz, he’ll be back in a few weeks.
Yup he can’t stop himself loves the attention. Don’t even pay attention to it.
I really do not think so Scott. There is a different tone from him now. It seems very sincere to me, of course only time will tell. If in a couple of weeks, one tries to get on the website and it is gone, then I would really believe it.
well, I wish him the best. I really do.
I see a touch of OCD in Mark, which can be a very positive trait in a lot of ways. (My wife’s OCD has helped make her very successful in her career.)
Why run a blog for 20 years if you don’t enjoy it? He could have said he didn’t tolerate idiots and morons years ago–but obviously he did tolerate those he insulted.
At any rate, I wish him the best, both offline and on.
I suggested to Mark that he offer his two cents here once in a while. No need for heavy lifting.
Probably, a few days.
Our long national nightmare is over.
Cute
I think I’ve resigned myself to wait and see here the Dodgers are at toward the end of this month. Otherwise, between now and then, I’ll probably waste a lot of energy and emotion on a team that is not healthy, fielding a AAAA offensive lineup most nights, and watching a BP give away games much too often.
By the end of the month the Dodgers should have a good evaluation of Kershaw, Yamamoto, Buehler, and Miller. They should be OK if two can return to the rotation and be effective. Calling for Kershaw’s retirement is a bit premature. Is he ineffective because of the lack of pitching or that he can no longer pitch? If only one or none of the above are able to return, then not only won’t they win a WS they could miss the playoffs. Yikes.
Freddie and Mookie should be back by then and getting into to rhythm for the playoffs. They should know whether it’s a yea or nay on Muncy.
Finally, the BP participants should be much clearer. If all the pieces come together I would think it would be a major plus for the Dodgers’ playoff hopes.
So, by September 1 the Dodger team for the rest of the season and postseason will be what it is. No more trades. Maybe, a waiver wire addition? But, other than that (and good health) the fans will know what kind of team they will have to cheer for.
Carry on.
My question about Kershaw is did they rush him back before he was truly ready. I read somewhere that Robbie Ray had 10 rehab appearances. He looked rusty in the first inning then settled in quite well. Kershaw had 2 and he looks like he’s struggling to find his rhythm. I know the competitor in Kershaw wants the ball but maybe he’s better served going back to OKC for a few more starts. Flaherty is here and bringing back Wroboleski would give Kershaw the leeway to go back to OKC.
Personally, and I said so at the time, I feel they brought CK, Miller and Buehler all back too soon.
From what I’ve read, Kershaw’s velo is higher than it was last year, so I’m not ready to hang up his spikes for him yet. Unfortunately, the way they’ve been playing means we can’t just let him go out there every 5-6 days and not care if we win or lose.
If we could build up the lead to 7 or 8 games again, I’d be happy to see how he’s doing a month from now and then make some decisions.
Bear, thanks for the write up on the trade. The thing that always amazed me when this went down was, that they got that many players through wavers, I know there was a gentleman’s agreement, but with that many players I thought someone would have thrown a wrench in the gears.
With the new wave of GMs, and the way FOs have changed the way they operate, I don’t think a trade like that could be made today, if we did have a waiver trade period.
All of the players Boston traded except Punto were under long term deals, so the chances they did not make it through waivers was pretty slim. They still had the September 1 deadline to be on a roster for the playoffs back then. Loney was the only major leaguer in the deal. De La Rosa, Sand, DeJesus, and Webster were past the top prospect level. Sand had played a little and so had DeJesus. Neither was very successful. And not all that desirable to other teams.
A pitcher with Kershaw’s experience knows whether he has it or not. He was only marginal against an inferior offense last week, only throwing 72 pitches and4 innings and a week later he surely didn’t have it fooling no one in 3.2 innings. And, I doubt he has it next week. To go out there hoping you get some breaks is just wrong and he knows it. I won’t be surprised to see him dropped from the rotation. I think he should be.
Ryan and Wrobleski, step up and step in.
Totally agree with that Ray pitched in 10 games, Kershaw two after missing all of spring training and only throwing BP sessions. Buehler gets the start for OKC tonight on MLB.TV.
Bear, was Jeff’s surgery today?
I think it was. Not sure. I know he will be out a while
Thanks Bear. I’m wondering how it went. If all was well, he may be up and walking with a walker tonight. They get you up and going as soon as possible these days.
I’ve had 4 replacements and all but one, I was up the same day.
I look forward to some news.
thanks
Roberts said they left the decision up to Kershaw–and he said he was ready. Perhaps he and the Dodgers were just hoping for the best.
Hmm…
Would Kershaw accept another rehab assignment? Perhaps that would be for the best.
What if the brass have an abundance of respect for Kershaw but now little faith in his ability to get batters out.
If he isn’t–or can’t–pitch well, it would be better for him to bow out gracefully sooner rather than later.
Ted – Getting one guy back to form in the rotation between, CK, Yamamoto, Buehler and Miller would be nice. I think Kershaw could be an effective one inning bullpen piece if another start or 2 go poorly. I think his competitiveness and his slider and curve can get him through one inning. It would be a concession on his part but he might be willing to do it for the team. He can’t be worse then Vesia and Phillips lately.
His presence has value.
Unless he winds up in the postseason rotation, I think River Ryan would be terrific in the bullpen.
Pretty ard to forecast the BP now. So many possibilities, with some of the “sure things” like Phillips, Treinen and Vesia not looking so sure lately.
I am here Bear. yeah finally to talk about the deadline. How in the world did the Dodgers not get Lane Thomas and he was out there and ends up in Cleveland.
Did you see what Cleveland gave up to get him? Clemmy is one of the top lefties in the minors. He immediately becomes their 6th ranked prospect. Ramirez becomes their #22. Tena is an excellent contact hitter and is under control until 2030. Thomas is an excellent fielder, and he hits lefties very well. But he hits almost 100 points lower against RHP, so in many minds, he is simply another platoon player. He has hit as many as 28 homers, which he did last year, but the injury this season has not allowed him to get back to that level. Maybe the Dodgers felt that the price was too high for a player not playing at a high level. Welcome to Dodger Chronicles.
Hey Bradley. You can start working on trades for this winter. Be sure and send Friedman a copy of your list so he’ll have it at the winter meetings.
Well the dodgers need to get three outfielders that hit both lefties and righties pretty well snd stop this platooning crap. Hernandez I hope signs in winter then they will need two outfielders and then Pages so that should be your four outfielders no Heyward no ke ke and no Chris Taylor and if they can let Baenes go and bring up the rookie catcher from triple A since yiu didn’t trade him. And I think they trade Muncy and pitching and try to get a third baseman Muncy gets hurt now the last three years. So like to see who the free agent outfielders are and get two of them.
Welcome Bradley. I’ve missed your imaginative trade suggestions.
Well Juan Soto will be a free agent. He will be 26 years old and only cost money. They would then need to either re-sign Teo, or trade for someone like him. Is Pages good enough to be a #4? That is a huge question. He has had a very up and down rookie season. Muncy is not going to be traded unless they decide to get a full time third baseman. Muncy has a very team friendly deal for next year. With one year left on his contract, Taylor could possibly be dealt. They might have to pay half of it. Kike and Heyward will be gone. as for Barnes, his resurgence at the plate might give the team a reason to activate his team option for next year at 3.5 million. They still love what he does. Feduccia is rule 5 eligible this year. I think he might get traded before that happens. Orioles DFAed CF Christian Pache today. 26-year-old former 1st round pick of the Braves has not lived up to the hype. Very good outfielder, very limited bat to ball skills.
I don’t know Bear I think Pages was ticketed for a full year at OKC. If Heyward doesn’t get hurt and Outman and Taylor don’t tank Pages is still in OKC. He was kind of rushed up and stuck in the fire. He started fine and now he’s struggling to adjust. Not sure if the front office will platoon him with Heyward or not. When Freddy, Kiermaier and Edmond get back I can easily see Outman, Feduccia and Pages on the way to OKC.
Kiermaier was activated today and Feduccia optioned to AAA. Outman will most likely be sent down when Freddie returns. Who gets sent down when Mookie comes back? Biggio is a DFA candidate. I do not really trust Pages at this point. He has done some good things, but lately he has not hit all that well and with Smith mired in a slump, they need some RH pop, and they are not getting any except from Teo now and then.
I wouldn’t go after Soto nope he is a cancer in the locker room remember the Padres days now the Yankee days his head is two big he wouldn’t want to be the fourth option talked about on the dodgers he wants to be number one. He comes to LA where they talk about Ohtani and Betts and Freeman first he wants to be number one like its his team. I see him going to Atalanta and watch out for him going there with Acuna Olson Riley and the pitching the Braves have. Tell me other free agent outfielders and I will pick two that would be good Dodgers that play like Kirk Gibson and have the fire of a Steve Sax that’s what the need in this team. Kind of was hoping Tommy Pham because he would have given that attitude they needed who is that on this team. Keke is he the guy tha gets in people faces and says let’s go boys.
I know all about what happened in San Diego, but a lot of that was the influence of Tatis and Machado, both showboats. He has been fine with the Yankees, and no one can deny the kids natural ability at hitting a baseball. I doubt very seriously that he even considers Atlanta, and the Braves have never ponied up the amount of money he is going to command. At his age, 500 million is not out of the question. Which leaves three real contenders for his services. He can return to the Yankees; the Mets will have the finances to do it with Alonso becoming a free agent. Or the Dodgers. It is my belief, that if he were to come to LA, being around players like Betts, Ohtani, Freeman, all really professional players and people, would benefit him immensely. And I do not think he would be a problem at all. Just my opinion mind you.
I agree with you Bear. Maybe he would be open to an Ohtani type deal.
A good platoon is not a bad thing, especially with Ohtani as DH. Platoons allow players to get time off. Putting a guy on the bench doesn’t keep them out of the game. They enter as pinch hitters, pinch runners, defensive upgrades.
Platoons are not created equally.
I wanted Lane Thomas too, but to match the Guardians, the offer might have had to start with Wrobleski or Jackson Ferris, then add two quality infield prospects like Alex Freeland and ??.
On another note, Mike Trout tore (re-tore?) his meniscus.
He’s out for the year. Again.
That’s a sad thing for baseball
Yes he did and he has to have another surgery.
Also:
https://x.com/mikedigiovanna/status/1819144222328737817?s=46&t=9NWx-kmBe0wF8N9YYpyAlg
Beyond a doubt Freddy Freeman is where he needs to be hope he returns soon. Thoughts and prayers for him and his family
Thank you for posting that RFF I’ve been wondering how Max is doing but hadn’t found anything.
As someone who lives with an autoimmune disease in the house, they are no joke.
I hope Freeman gets a hearty ovation if/when he returns.
New story on Google news said that when the Padres saw how interested and close the Dodgers were to trading for Tanner Scott, they upped the ante to players Miami felt they could not turn down. Dodgers did this after being rebuffed in their attempts to trade for Minnesota’s closer, Duran.
Had heard that Padres acquired Tanner Scott by topping Dodger’s offer at the finish line. With Scott being a rental and the Padre bullpen already having Robert Suarez, Jason Adams, and Joel Estrada, the acquisition cost seemed crazy. Tanner Scott does give them a lefty to go with Morejon. I think the Padres roster is on a level with the Phillies and a healthy Dodgers team. For all of the aggressive trades that Preller has made (Soto, Cease, Adam, Scott, Clevenger, etc.) the Padres system provides them with Jackson Merrill this year and still has two very young but highly rated position players in Ethan Salas and Leodalis DeVries. Like another poster asked – when do they run out of prospects? Preller has been aggressive for sure and has assembled a team that could be a handful come October. Their starting rotation seems to be an issue, however. Cease at the top is fine but King and Waldron have both surpassed their maximum number of innings pitched, Musgrove is returning from injury and Darvish is on the IL. Going to be a great three team race in the NL West.
Considering AF’s statement that trading for relievers at the deadline was his least favorite thing, I guess it’s no surprise that Preller outbid him.
Tanner Scott is a free agent this winter but Jayson Adam has another 2 years of control, so we might as well get used to seeing him. At least they don’t still have Hader.
I’ve been an Adams fan for a couple of years, he doesn’t get much notoriety but he is a sold BP arm, I would have loved to have him here, but Pads gave more for him than I thought a set up arm was worth.
I wouldn’t have turned that deal down either if I’d been the Marlins, I think they did well with that trade.
Up above, Bradley said we needed to get 3 outfielders this winter. Can’t say as I disagree with you Bradley.
I took a look at the free agent list. It looks like we’d better re-sign Teo because there isn’t a huge selection out there (unless AF wants to trade for an outfielder). I’m assuming we won’t spend the money to sign Soto but I’ve put him on the list.
These are some of the outfielders who will be available as free agents:
Teoscar
Soto
Bader
Verdugo
Santander
Conforto
Kepler
Winker
Profar (I doubt the Pads will let him get away)
O’Neill (Red Sox might want to bring him back)
Bellinger (he may decide to opt in to the next 2 years @ 50 mil)
Time will tell if Pages can be an everyday player. He almost certainly could play against lefty starters in a platoon situation.
Teo and Soto the only two I would go after.
Kepler would be a good one to get or Winker and maybe a Harrison Bader he can play centerfield. Two of those guys with a Pages and Teoscar right now I would take a outfield of hernandez Bader and Winker and be like okay thats competitive with Pages as fourth guy.
Kepler is primarily a right fielder. He is merely a platoon piece. Little power, OPS below 800 by a lot. OPS+ barely MLB level at 101. He will be 32 next year. Winker is primarily a left fielder. He has some pop, his OPS+ is good at 130. His OPS is just under .800. But not a guy I would give more than a couple of years to. Same with Kepler. It is going to take at least a 3- or 4-year contract to bring back Teo. He will be 32 when next season starts. His OPS+ is lower than Winkers at 125, his OPS is .801 because he does not walk much. I would wait and see who is on the trade market, and I definitely would kick the tires on Soto. Youngest and most talented outfielder out there.
Just watched inning 1 of Buehler pitching. Scoreless 24 pitches walked 2 90-91 fb touched 94. Didn’t have much velocity and very little command
2innings 3 runs 60 pitches. He is not fooling anybody. Mostly singles n a few strikeouts. Still very shaky command. In my opinion unimpressed.
I had it on as well, and he is nowhere near ready to come back up. Stay down there and figure things out please.
Jayson Stark looks back (already!) at the trading deadline @TheAthletic ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5673477/2024/08/01/what-we-learned-from-this-mlb-trade-deadline-and-the-execs-who-drove-the-market/
Andrew Friedman is the Leopold Stokowski of GMsIs there anyone in any front office who loves a fun-filled three-team deal more than Dodgers maestro Andrew Friedman?
…
“Andrew always knows how to find a way to extract the talent that he’s looking for,” said one NL exec, “even if the match isn’t quite there with the team he’s trying to extract the talent from.”
Those quotes, for those who aren’t reading the article in full, are particular to the 3 team deal. There obvs more in the article but I like how it highlights the ability to get a specific player or skill, in this case Edmon, even if there’s no obvious trade fit or path.
On a positive note down on the farm:
Jackson Ferris today: 8ip, 0 hits, 4bb, 6k. This guy looks big time. Wonder how much longer till he gets pushed to AA.
Ferris seems to be improving each outing. Highly unlikely he could top this or anyone else at his level. Mb fewer walks? I would hope they move him to Tulsa.
Bear, this is a reply to you about a post way up at the top of the comments. I do respect your opinions, we just have to agree to disagree and that’s fine nothing wrong with that.
1) I understand about available players and packages needed to trade. 2) You’re putting in a lot of stock on BA and ignoring the rest of the slashline and you’re looking at career stats only and not recent stats and I don’t mean just this year. Mark did the same thing with Kike and I argued with him about it and it turned out I was right.
My point is we have a big problem in the outfield because we need Rosario and Edman (when he gets activated) in the infield because they are upgrades over the misfits we already had before the deadline, Edman is a platoon player who is above average against LHP since his rookie year, but with falling stats. Pages so far is very good against LHP which makes him a good platoon player in the outfield because we only have 1 true everyday outfielder and that is Teo, we need Pages, and from there where do we go with the outfield? or you put the misfits in the infield and Rosario and Edman in the outfield, but now you have a big problem in the infield. All of what I’m saying is right now before Betts returns and Muncy hopefully returns and if Muncy doesn’t return we’ll have to settle for a downgrade. If Keirmaier is ONLY used late in the game AND HE SHOULD BE considering his stats since he’s on the roster, then he’s pretty much taking up a spot on the bench waiting for his time to be useful late in a game because according to flawed defense stats he’s a defensive wizard. My opinion is AF shouldn’t have traded for him, it’s a wasted roster spot, we have outfielders that are fine defensively.
And god help us in the playoffs. Plus Doc is the manager and Doc does Doc stuff, stupid stuff.
I didn’t even talk about the pitching, but we have relievers returning. I haven’t read details about something with Flaherty and an injury, he was a good pick up, but I don’t know what the chatter is about him and an injury. I’ll read about it later.
Edman and Betts are not going to return before mid-August. Muncy, if he returns, will be later in August if recent optimism holds up. In the meantime, the line up is still going to have some holes. These trades were made with the knowledge that Betts, Edman,and maybe Muncy will be back.
Until then, I would use Rosario at second and play Ahmed at short against lefties. Rosario and Lux would play against right handers. Platoon Hernandez and Biggio at third. I would play Teo in left, platoon Pages and Heyward in right with Keirmaier in center. Keirmaier is an outstanding center fielder – by far the best defensive outfielder on this team. I disagree that our outfield defense is fine. Bottom line, there are going to be holes in this line up until mid-August. No matter how we move players around.
I know you resent Keirmaier because when he is activated it is likely that Outman goes down but Outman has been completely overmatched this year against left and right handers. Although Outman is an above average center fielder, he is not in Keirmaier’s class. We got Keirmaier to improve center field defense which was an issue for this team. I don’t buy your conclusion that it is a wasted roster spot. Until we get Edman back, it is worth giving Keirmaier two weeks to see what he has left.
Kiermaier was activated today NH and Feduccia was optioned. Outman will go down when Freddie comes back, hopefully next week. I think they keep Biggio until Betts returns.
I agree Outman has sucked this year, I’ve said that before. My whole point all along was Outman has upside and Keirmaier doesn’t. I won’t be surprised if Outman is sent to AAA.
You said this:
“Bottom line, there are going to be holes in this line up until mid-August. No matter how we move players around”
Yep I said that in my post and I totally agree. I was trying convey that to others.
I have no problem with what you have said. And I am not relying on his BA except his career mark. Both he and Kiermaier are MLB average players with an OPS+ right around 100. But my point about Edman, is what you do not see on the stat board. It is what my eyes have seen when I have seen him play. He is a gamer, a real baseball player. Not the most gifted, but he makes the most of his skills. That is my main point. Playing on a contender has to be a boost for both Edman and Kiermaier. Rosario is who he is. As for Flaherty, he missed one start with some back stiffness. He has said he is fine. The Yankees did not like the fact he had that problem and pulled out of the bidding.
I believe you about Edman and a gamer and you too believe he’s an average player. I’m good with him platooning against LHP and if we are so thin that he needs to play against RHP then so be it. He’s an upgrade at least.
I think we need to start looking for Dave Robert’s replacement. Who would be a good manager for these Dodgers. I’ve always said I would get Dave Martinez from the Nationals why because he won a World Series and gets the most out of players. So basically get a new Dave to manage the Dodgers. They could just trade the managers. Or could it be Nomar Garciaparra the tv analysis could he be a possibility.
Roberts has a World Series win too. Martinez’s teams have never finished in first and he has been to the playoffs once. 2019. His career record is under .500. He is exactly the same type of manager Roberts is. He is well liked by his players, and he is a company man. He doesn’t do anything special. He did not even win the manager of the year award when they won in 2017. Don’t give me that short season stuff either about the Dodgers 2020 win. They had to win more postseason games than any other team ever had to that season. 13 wins, 5 losses in the post season, and they had to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the LCS. Dave has one year left on his deal. If they do not win it all, or if they do not win a series, then you might see a change. But there are very few managers out there who are available. Martinez also has a contract through the 2025 season. If they changed, my choice would be someone with no experience, but who was a bulldog of a player. Chase Utley.
What do you suppose Roberts’ record would be if those several players AF signed hadn’t ended up on the IL, many for months at a time, some of them for years at a time? What if the Asstros hadn’t cheated and Scherzer hadn’t run out of gas in the playoffs. None of that, NONE of that, is on Roberts.
The Dodgers are lucky to have him. He’s going nowhere, unless he chooses to.
Badger, you and I are old school where the players had to earn their contracts each and every year. There were no egos to be managed back then. Players did what the manager said and played when he wanted them to. The front office let the manager make the in game decisions. A player could have his contract reduced by a significant amount of money if he did not perform. Superstars were not immune. I still remember and have seen and heard the video many times of Tommy Lasorda reading Doug Rau the riot act on the mound in the World Series against the Yankees. He told him several times to shut up and Rau kept talking. The conversation continued in the dugout. Had Daves players done their jobs, and at least played to the level of play expected, they would not have lost the last couple of playoff series. But you cannot win when your two biggest superstars go 1-21 combined.
Really? There were no egos to manage? So, the ego must be a new creation. Can you tell us when it first appeared?
Ego was probably the wrong word. Players then were fighting for their jobs every year. They didn’t make millions, moat had off season jobs and usually just did what the manager told them to do. I would imagine though, that managing guys like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, would have brought a lot of challenges.
Here, here Badger. Doc never gets any credit, but heaven forbid we lose two in a row, then the calls for his head start appearing. We are missing the heart and soul of our team with Betts, Freeman, Max, Glasnow just got back from missing a couple of weeks, Yamamoto, Buehler, Graterol, Brasier, etc, etc, of course we’re struggling a little.
Yep those are the kind of things that are NOT on Doc, I agree. But there are others that are. Bullpen decisions that go against stats, mishandling some homegrown young players to name a couple.