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Everyone thought once Soto signed, the flood gates would open.
So let’s get this week started!
I really hope we bring Teo back, and I REALLY hope we don’t lose Walker Buehler!
Boras having quite the off-season.
The Yankees went from $47.5M x 15 years ($712.5M) to 16 years ($760M) after Boras asked for new offers early Sunday evening.
Then Juan Soto took the Mets’ deal.
The in-depth story of how Soto’s sweepstakes happened, by Rosenthal, Mooney and Will Sammon: ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5932790/2024/12/08/juan-soto-mets-free-agent-deal/
NOT much, if anything, on how involved (or not involved) the Dodgers and Red Sox were.
Rosenthal on his podcast expects a 3 year deal for Teoscar to actually happen:
Also says (!!!!) Dodgers ARE in fact looking at high end relievers.
That surprises me, I’m ok with whatever way they go in the BP, but it’s not AF’s usual operating mode.
With the signings of Conforto and Treinen the Dodgers now need to turn their attention to resigning Teo. The price probably just went way up with the Soto contract. I don’t think the money is the big issue with resigning him. I think it is more the length of the deal. Dodgers don’t want to go over 2 or 3 years and I believe he and his agent are seeking 3 to 5 years.
What are the alternatives if we whiff on Teo????
Free Agents:
Santander
Bader
Grichuk
Profar
Verdugo
Possible Trades:
Bellinger
Suzuki
Roberts Jr.
While I’ve been pining for the Dodgers to take a gigantic swing for Luis Robert Jr., a big swing for Suzuki might make more sense.
Maybe a lot more sense.
Last season Suzuki played in 132 games, hit to an .848 OPS with 21 HRs and an impressive .366 OBP. His OPS against both lefties and rights was over .800, and it was over .900 on the road. He could play full-time in LF, bat near the middle of the order.
Robert is coming off a terrible season, but his talent and power is considerable, and he’s an excellent defender in CF.
But Suzuki may be a safer bet and cost less.
What’s on the Cubs’ shopping list?
I agree that Suzuki is a great choice. Unfortunately, Cody Bellinger has generated “real interest” on the trade market, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. A trade involving fellow outfielder Seiya Suzuki would be unlikely if Bellinger is ultimately moved, per Sharma. Seattle and Houston also are inquiring on Bellinger.
The Dodgers may have a better chance of getting Luis Robert Jr. from CWS (if they choose to overpay, which AF does not) over Garrett Crochet. Boston is very much involved in trade discussions with CWS for Crochet, and they are rumored to be willing to include uber SS prospect Marcelo Mayer (#10 overall prospect). LAD cannot match that. Mayer would not be the only piece in that trade package, and Boston is willing to pay it. It will not be another top 25 prospect. The BoSox have 2 of MLB top 10 prospects (per Baseball America), and 4 of the top 25, including #1 overall OF Roman Anthony.
For comparison, the Dodgers top prospect is #26, Dalton Rushing.
I have lost interest in Robert Jr.
A banner on MLB Tonight read: Mookie working out at short this off season.
Dodgers could top that RS offer easily with a a package involving Miller, Lux, Outman , Fiduccia IMHO. But I do not want Crochet. Want Robert jun.
Good news the Dodgers are willing to aquire high leverage relievers. Wise decisions. We all saw how far a lights out pen can take a team in the postseason.
Tanner Scott would be huge.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It appears you overpay with money or you overpay with prospects. And if you are unwilling you will be uninvolved. Most teams in MLB can only stand and watch. At least the Dodgers can throw multi-million dollar darts.
If we can’t get Robert Jr, Crochet, Burnes, Fried or Hernandez we be sure to grab Sasaki and then go with what we got, which looks pretty good to me.
I know Friedman says he wants to build the team now so he doesn’t have to make changes in July (or something to that effect), but I doubt that actually occurs.
We always try adding a bit in July, because you never know about injuries or poor first half performances from guys you were counting on.
I find it hard to believe AF will be satisfied with just adding Conforto to the outfield. I would hope that if he has to he will increase the years of the contract offer to Teo to 4 years. I can’t envision anyone offering him 5 years; the strikeout problem he has will not age well making even 4 years a risk.
The Soto signing for $765 million further confirms the value of the Ohtani deal that seemed crazy last year. As hitters, Soto and Ohtani are comparable with Soto having a slightly higher career OPS. Soto has the better OBP and Ohtani has more power. Soto is much younger and plays OF, but Ohtani is a much better base runner. Just as offensive players only, the Ohtani contract at $700 million is better than Soto contract at $765 million. Of course, Ohtani is also an all star pitcher, his contract has $680 million in deferrals and NPV of $460 million, and the additional marketing revenues probably pay for his whole contract. Maybe the economics of MLB have changed forever, but it seems that the Dodgers are better off not signing Soto to that deal.
The Conforto deal at $17 million is peanuts to the Dodgers, but unless there are deferrals, it seems like a slight overpay for a 32 year old platoon player who is injury prone with OPS of 759, 718 and 729 the last three seasons he played. But Friedman is a genius so it will probably work out.
Great to see Treinen back again with the Dodgers. He was crucial to the Championship and played for only $1 million in 2024. He is a bullpen leader and when healthy one of the best relievers in the game. Important to retain and reward the players who sacrificed to win a World Series title. And Blake was one of the most important contributors.
I read somewhere that there are deferrals in the Conforto deal
Phillies agree to sign RHRP Jordan Romano to a 1 year $7.75MM deal pending physical.
What if Betts starts the season in RF and Lux at 2B? That solves, at least at the start of the season, the infield and outfield situation, and at trade dateline and depending on the situation, move Lux and return Betts to 2B.
The front office has made it pretty clear that Mookie will not be going back to the outfield any time soon.
They haven’t made it quite as clear that he’ll be at 2B rather than SS, so that option might still be in play, although I’d still put my money on Mookie at 2B on opening day.
I don’t buy it. We are a better team with Lux at 2b and Mookie in RF. Unless Lux is traded I will continue to believe that will be the lineup. Defense matters.
Who should we believe, the Dodgers’ front office or 77Dodger?
Professional sports teams NEVER lie about their plans. I’m not claiming to know he’s staying in the outfield either. Just doesn’t make sense to me to move him until Lux’s contract is up.
This is true!
could be another Dee Gordon situation!
could be!
And why would Lux be traded? And I’d love to see Outman get another shot at CF especially against righties.
I’m standing firm on this issue. Moving Mookie to short is a mistake. He wants to play second, put him at second and figure out the other up the middle positions
How do we know he wants to play second base?
From his 2023 transition to 2B.
Mookie is a middle infielder who was “forced” to RF by Boston, because of Dustin Pedroia. He is just a great athlete that he became a GG RF.
Does anyone think for a minute that Betts has told management that he wants to play RF, but Gomes is telling everyone Mookie is going to the infield despite what Mookie wants? Mookie is the face of the franchise, and he gets to push where he wants to play.
Will Mookie move back to RF if he was needed to? Of course. He is the consummate team player. But as Betts has said, he is a natural middle infielder.
I have no idea what plans the Dodgers still have. The team still has 2 months before they report to ST. So who knows for sure what the team will look like when they head to Arizona.
So if Mookie wants 2B, AF/BG is not going to move him to RF just to keep Gavin Lux.
What if Mookie returns to SS? That gives us our best offensive lineup
I must say I have been upset with the way the Dodgers have handled the Teo hernandez situation .We could have signed during the season .We could have signed him after the World series
I am very outdone.But it doesn’t matter.
Dave Roberts seemed to indicate on MLB Network that Mookie is going to SS, and Lux will play 2B. Mookie will have all of the offseason to prepare for SS. Now the cynical me understands that Doc is not going to say Mookie is going to play 2B, and Lux is going to be traded. I will let AF/BG decide what happens with Lux.
Doc also indicated that Edman is ticketed for CF.
Still have 2 months to finalize a roster.
So does playing shortstop prolong your career. Is it easier on your legs.I sure don’t know.
It’s not just the manager, Per Jack Harris:
Brandon Gomes said at the Winter Meetings today that the Dodgers’ plan is to play Mookie Betts at shortstop next season
That means Tommy Edman will primarily be in center field next year
No way should Mookie play SS. Put him at 2B and trade Lux…it’s that simple. As for our OF….it is solved in one move…. get Teo back and then all is well.
LF…..Teo
CF…..Edman
RF……Conforto/Pages
Outman can make the team if he shows something in the preseason.
To paraphrase Casablanca:
I am shocked – shocked – the fans think they know better than GMs and players.
Oh, one more point….when Edman plays SS to give Rojas a rest, Outman or Pages can play CF, depending on the pitcher.
That has to be team posturing, if Doc comes out and says Mookie is playing second everyone knows they have to trade Lux, and that would deminish his value if we “had” to trade him.
Alex Bregman back to Houston is gaining traction. Bregman is happy in Houston. Can Houston afford both Bregman and Kyle Tucker? Probably not. However, there is no urgency in moving Tucker now, especially in a weak AL West.
I’d love to have Tucker here, I think he’s an underrated player, if he was in LA or NY we would all be hearing his name more.
Conforto only signed for a year….
Muncy and Taylor coming off the books….
😀
I’m just tuning in here and have not read today’s comments on the previous thread yet. I have thoughts on Soto signing with the Mets. I think the Mets were given assurances that if they were the high bidder Soto would sign with them. Otherwise if the Mets were not given that assurance they could have said they were out of the Soto contest and Soto’s offer from the Yankees would have been much lower.
Conforto was a good signing, I guess. Boring though.
As of today?
DH Ohtani
SS Betts
1B Freeman
C Smith
3B Muncy
CF Edmand
2B Lux
LF Conforto
RF Pages/Outman
That’s not bad.
Against lefties, Pages should cleanup: His OPS against lefties in ’24 was over .900.
Also, Taylor and Rojas could get starts in place of Max and Lux, depending on their performance.
Seems like we are all pessimistic about Teo returning now.
I’m remain intrigued by prospect of a deal for Robert Jr. or Suzuki.
I’d bat Lux or Edman 9th in the hopes they’d be on base for Ohtani.
Seems like a big hole there where Teo used to be. If Smith continues to hit like he did last year, he can’t bat cleanup.
Yep I think Lux would do real good batting 9th for the White Sox
Lux is gonna make you eat those words next year
As of today, that seems likely. The bench would be Pages/Outman, Barnes, Rojas, Taylor
I know the rule states you can only have 13 pitchers on the 26-man roster. How does Shohei factor in to that rule? Does he count as a pitcher or position player?
Shohei is not considered a 2-way player initially in 2025. He needs to pitch 20 innings in 2025 to regain that status. Once he does regain 2-way player status, he can pitch as a position player, and keep the pitchers only on the roster at 13.
Thanks Jeff and Bluto for that info.
Glad to see that once Shohei meets the requirement, we’ll be able to carry 8 bullpen guys.
Two-way players are able to pitch in any situation but don’t count toward the active roster’s pitcher total.
Right now, Ohtani is not a 2-way player. He lost that status. He needs to pitch 20 innings in 2025 to regqain 2-way player status. By May?
As of today? There are a few months to go in this off season. There is plenty of time to trade Lux. Put him in a package for Robert Jr or Crochet. Chicago is right down the street from his hometown. Time to move on.
Do you guys really feel Betts can play a great SS much like Rojas? Or can he even be a solid good fielding SS who won’t embarrass us?
It seems to me he was found wanting this past year when playing SS. Am I wrong in saying this?-TM
You are not wrong. But I am also not convinced that Mookie will be SS on opening day. There is no benefit whatsoever to say Mookie is going to play 2B, thus minimizing any trade value for Gavin Lux. My point is that no matter how much fans may want to see Mookie stay in RF, he does not want to. He sees himself as a middle infielder. Doesn’t Mookie deserve to play where he wants?
It is WAAY too soon to label Mookie as a bust at ANYthing. Last Spring he was suddenly asked to learn the position at the big league level – which is essentially impossible. Athletically I would put nothing past Mookie Betts. That said, he’s 32 so even if he does quite well, even if he managed to perform to an All Star level how long can he be expected to be there? Not having to make the long runs, throws or diving for balls WILL extend his career so I can see why they want to do it. I just hope Mookie is truly happy doing it.
I’m still in the “Mookie ends up at second” club.
Astros apparently are willing to listen on Kyle Tucker.
They really want to bring back Bregman and won’t be able to keep both guys.
Since Bregman will probably get in the 170-200 million range this winter while Tucker might get twice that much next winter, they’ve decided Bregman is the way they want to go if possible.
So what are we prepared to give the Astros for one year of Kyle Tucker? Next year will be his age 28 season.
He is not represented by Boras and was willing to talk extension with the Astros this year, so it’s possible we could extend him without his going to free agency.
I do not know who the Dodgers have that Astros covet. Lux is not one. The Astros already have Altuve at 2B. The Astros do not have a single top 100 player on the BA most recent top 100 list. It probably takes Rushing, plus, plus (Bobby Miller?) (James Outman?). Can they get him for a Mookie type return? Doubtful. Maybe a Scherzer/Turner return (LAD #1 and #2)? This is where AF shines.
I would think Tucker would cost less than Soto did last year in his trade, but not a ton less.
i would be ok with giving up a lot for him, but he still doesn’t play center field.
As Snell’s deal is proving, as Ohtani’s proved, as Betts’ trade proved…
Dodger’s don’t like to pay top of the market prices. Dollars or prospects.
I would think Rushing Miller and Outman would get it done especially if AF took on Ryan Pressley’s or Rafael Montero’s contract in the deal. Might be able to keep Miller if they took on Jose Abreu’s contract
Per Doug McKain:
Andrew Friedman says that Roki Sasaki is a major priority for the Dodgers:
“He is someone that obviously is a major priority for us and we’re going to do whatever we can, and know that there are a lot of other teams that are going to do the exact same thing.”
Friedman went on to say Sasaki is capable of being the best pitcher in the world.
Major League Baseball conducted its third annual draft lottery this afternoon at the Winter Meetings. The Nationals won the lottery and will pick first overall. They’ll be followed by the Angels and Mariners. Washington had just above a 10% chance of securing the top pick, the fourth-highest odds.
Here’s the top 5:
NationalsAngelsMarinersRockiesCardinals
Per Ardaya:
Andrew Friedman on Teoscar Hernández: “I know that he has talked about wanting to (re-sign), I know that we have talked about wanting him to…But it’s not everything. He and his family get to go through the interest and figure out what makes the most sense for them.”