The Dodgers want a franchise type SS. They had one in Corey Seager, and decided to let him go to Texas on a 10-year $325MM deal. Trea Turner did not re-sign with LAD after 2022. He gave every indication that he wanted to play on the East Coast and signed a $300MM deal with Philly. Gavin Lux was supposed to be the SS for 2023, but he tore his ACL and missed the season. Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor were the primary SS for 2023.
The Dodgers determined very early on in 2024 that Lux was not going to play SS, and Mookie Betts started the season at SS. After getting injured, Miggy Ro stepped in and played SS most of the rest of the way. Tommy Edman also played SS for LAD in 2024.
AF/BG has said they are looking for that franchise SS. At 36, Miggy Ro maybe has 2 years left and he is probably best used as a reserve. Tommy Edman – is he SS or CF or super utility? Are the Dodgers going to let Mookie play there? Throw in CT3, and SS is covered as a Plan B.
IMO none of Miggy Ro, Tommy Edman, or Mookie are the franchise SS the Dodgers might be looking for.
I have already gone through the potential SS for LAD ad nauseum. The Dodgers are already at $309MM AAV plus another $51MM in luxury tax. They are going to need to sign Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen (or similar high leverage late inning reliever). Teoscar?
Do they really have the budgetary ability to sign another $25MM SS? If so, maybe they do sign Willy Adames. But by the time all the offers come in, he might be more.
Now comes for the real controversy. There are multiple reports that the Dodgers and Twins are talking about Carlos Correa. The Twins have cash problems and are looking to sell the team, and want to get out from under the remaining term of his contract.
I acknowledge that Correa is persona non grata with LAD fans, but apparently not with the Dodger players. Mookie was on board 2 years ago when Carlos signed the longer term deal with Minnesota. I believe Clayton Kershaw, Austin Barnes, and Chris Taylor are the only Dodgers remaining from the 2017 team. Before AF gets too deep into any negotiations, he needs to speak with the three of them, especially Kershaw.
Correa if nothing else is a playoff clutch player. In 358 PA, Correa batted .282/.352/.508/.860. He has 18 HRs with 63 RBI.
He is a GG and Platinum Glove defender at SS.
The Dodgers need to find their own Masyn Winn, CJ Abrams, Gunnar Henderson Bobby Witt, Jr., Ezequiel Tovar, Geraldo Perdomo, Anthony Volpe, Jordan Lawler…I have no idea if Alex Freeland is that guy. But I think the Dodgers can learn more about his game this year. Bo Bichette will become a FA next year, and there could be more potential trades opening up. The Dodgers can put off the franchise SS for another year.
Emil Morales, Joendry Vargas, and Kellon Lindsey are still years away. Austin Gauthier and Noah Miller are utility players.
I am not advocating the Dodgers trade for Correa, but there is a lot of smoke on this one, and I would like to know how everyone else feels. Because regardless as to whether the players are okay with Correa on the LAD roster, the fan upheaval may be too much to ignore.
I am sorry for the delay, but I am not feeling well, and I needed to shut everything down. This has not been a good year for me health wise.
Correa can pound sand. Wait for Bichette or sign Adames.
Hope you feel better soon, Jeff. Take all the time you need. We can always write and discuss under the older article.
From me a big hard NO on Correa. If the Dodgers and players are okay with so be it.
But the 2017 WS still very much a thorn in my side.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you feel better soon.
Take care of yourself, Jeff.
Thanks for the hours of fun I’ve had on your site. I’ll be checking in now and again to see if things are back on track.
As for the SS question, I’d prefer Adames to Correa. And I’d prefer Correa to Bichette–so maybe I don’t hold much of a grudge.
I figure that at least one of those four young SS prospects–Freeland and the teenagers–will eventually succeed. By then Max will be gone and Adames will be playing 3B.
Today’s rumor mill suggests the Dodgers and Teo are close to signing a new contract.
Dodgers apparently aren’t among the four finalists for Soto, and I think that’s good news.
Jeff maybe we all get rooms in the same old folks home and we talk Dodger shxt all day long on the patio! Hope you feel better soon.
Re SS we can cover it this year. I’m always for doing trades so I would like to see us trade for another almost ready young SS and let our young guys battle it out.
I’m a hard no on correa, to old to last much longer, concerning injury issues and that picture of Clayton sitting in the dugout holding his head trying to figure out what happened is etched upon my brain. Cheating can mess with more than the score.
Sorry to hear that you’re feeling poorly Jeff. Appreciate the site which you have really grown into something to be proud of.
Id take Correa in a heartbeat because he’d make us better. Gotta let things go sometimes.
Duke, I can’t understand why we’d be out of the Soto running when we are the Club that would guarantee him a good chance of a Ring every year and we are prepared to pay over $600m to give him that opportunity.
This is is why I have zero sympathy for Mike Trout. He could have signed for anyone and got paid and he chose to resign for the hapless Angels who haven’t looked like contenders for a decade! That’s on him. He could have trusted the waters but decided to stay put and play 162 meaningless games every year. If Soto really does wanna win then he’ll sign with us.
$600m, $650m, $700, does it really make any difference? That’s more money than he’ll ever spend plus all the endorsements.
If he wants to be a Dodger he will be.
Per Feinsand:
https://www.mlb.com/news/willy-adames-free-agent-backup-plan-yankees?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share
Yankees and Mets most likely destinations for Soto.
Adames also mentioned with Yankees (and Giants)
He also says the dearth of catchers could make Rushing a hot trade piece.
We just won a World Series with Miggy, CT3, Edman, etc playing SS.
On paper (as much as that means), we look even better for 2025. Why do we need a “franchise SS” when we have already have a franchise player at 2b (Mookie), 1b, DH, numerous ones on the pitching staff, and All Stars all over the place?
The teams who have “franchise SS” lack in other areas, so it all balances out.
Carlos Correa can go F himself in the Minnesota snow with his trash can.
I say let’s wait till midseason: let’s see how our 5 SS’s are doing. Let’s see if Alex Freeland shows he belongs or doesn’t belong up here. Then, if need be, let’s see who’s for sale in July.
We won in 2024 without Seager/Trea/Machado at SS. We can do it again in 2025.
Hey Jeff. Sorry to hear about your health issues. A many have stated above, take care of yourself. If necessary, LADC can self propel for a while. It’s the offseason, so daily articles aren’t really needed to encourage opinions. Not to speak for Bear, but he has done a fantastic job helping you out. I would hope he wouldn’t mind continuing to contribute to this site in a way that would work for him.
To a speedy recovery.
As to signing Correa, I say no f’in way this should happen. I realize there’s only three players from the 2017 WS team still around, but there are hundreds of thousand fans to consider. Add his salary and injury history, no thank you!
My solution to the SS issue has been to find a young prospect that’s ready to play in the MLB or one that already been playing and has been successful. The Dodger farm system is full of many good to excellent prospects that will never play for the Dodgers.
Matt McLain of Cincinnati is one that comes to mind that could be a trade possibility. Jeff has mentioned him in the past. With De La Cruz established at SS for the Reds, McLain could be available. As with most teams, the Reds could use pitching prospects or ones that have had a few starts. There are no guarantees, but a trade of a few prospects by the Dodgers could solve their SS issues for the next decade. McLain had a very successful rookie season in ’23, but was out for the ’24 season recovering from shoulder surgery. I would think there are options out there for the Dodgers to consider. It could help them get younger and give them some payroll relief (although that doesn’t seem to matter with the Dodgers).
Carry on.
First of all, let me add my wishes to those above for your quick recovery, Jeff. I don’t know if you realize quite how much you’re appreciated around here.
Correa – looks like we’re somewhat evenly split here on whether we would want him to become a Dodger. I’m leaning “no” but mostly because of his injury history. That said, if Andrew and the players are OK with his 2017 stuff and he wound up here, I could handle that.
David Vassegh said yesterday that the Dodgers are getting close to a deal with
Teo. He is right more often than wrong, so if that is the case, I’d be fine with installing Edman as this year’s SS and going out to find someone who can play centerfield. Using Tommy in CF against LHP with MiggyRo at SS and moving him to SS with a new lefty hitting centerfielder against RHP works for me.
With Mookie and Max missing so much time last year and the starting rotation spending most of their combined year on the IL, it seems to me we’re already a much better team for 2025.
Someone mentioned Matt McLain as a possible trade candidate. I’d be great with that. He’s supposed to be the Reds second baseman this year but he could certainly become the Dodger shortstop. How about Lux, Miller and Rushing for McLain? Lux is now superfluous, Miller has dropped so far down the depth chart that we could certainly lose him and Rushing would be the piece to make it hard for them to resist. They might take Rushing plus Lux or Miller but I’m feeling generous this morning.
We really need Outman to rebound and play like 2023. At least against righties. Edman can play CF against lefties with Rojas manning SS.
I would roll with Rojas and Edman at SS. Give Outman another shot at CF with Edman. Freeland can be given an opportunity in spring training to see if he is ready.
Bluto, if you’re still gracing us with your presence on this “Siilly” site, I thought you might find this illuminating ~
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5967592/2024/12/03/juan-soto-signing-update-600-million/
Not sure if you consider the New York Timed a credible source, but three writers have put their names to this article.
Dodgers say that Freddie Freeman underwent surgery on his right ankle, which included removing some loose bodies from the are.
“Freeman is expected to be able to participate in baseball activities during spring training.”
I am back. Thank you all for your well wishes. I had a scare Wednesday morning around 7:00 AM. I walked into my Starbucks office and started to write when my heart started pounding out of my chest for no reason. I looked at my fitbit and my heart rate was over 140. I went home, back to bed, but my heart rate remained elevated until around 9:30. But then my blood pressure began to rise. I called my doctor. He told me to stop everything I was doing, rest, and drink fluids. He order an EKG which I had done today, and increased my blood pressure medication.
My doctor was more concerned about my elevated heart rate, but since that was the first time it happened, he just wants a baseline to monitor. I have heart issues in my family, and I do worry about it. My doctor is not nearly as concerned about my heart. All previous EKG’s and stress tests came back positive, and I do get routine tests.
Now back to baseball. I have zero idea whether Alex Freeland is a legit consideration for the every day SS on a team that is yearly considered a WS favorite. Both Seager and Lux reached MLB at 21. Both hit a lot better than Freeland at AAA. That does not mean Freeland will not hit AAA pitching, he just hasn’t yet. He needs more development in AAA before anyone can determine if he is legit.
If the Dodgers have to do an overpay to get Matt McLain, then I say Git-R-Done. Gavin Lux would fit in nicely at 2B for Cincinnati. Cincinnati has exactly 1 catcher in their top 30, and he is 18 (turns 19 in January). Tyler Stephenson is 28 and was a -10 DRS at catcher last year. Maybe Rushing could play in Cincinnati.
As far as Correa goes, I am not as much of a hard pass as many because of the cheating. I figure if Clayton Kershaw is over 2017, then I can be as well. Maybe more than any other player, Kershaw was impacted most by the cheating. I am opposed because I am just not certain he would be a fit with the Dodgers personality wise, and I am concerned that the plantar fasciitis is worse than it is being reported. Two teams declined to sign him because of foot issues. My son was forced to retire because of a ruptured plantar fascia. It was so bad that the 1st baseman heard the pop when Andy hit the bag. Foot injuries tend to hang around a long time.
The A’s found a pitcher willing to pitch in Sacramento. RHSP, Luis Severino agreed to a 3-year $67MM deal with an opt-out after the 2nd year. Severino got an overpay and Oakland is staying true telling everyone they want to spend this year. The face of that franchise is soon to be SS Jacob Wilson. And no Bums, the A’s are not trading Wilson.
An OKC fan favorite, Drew Avans, was granted MiLB free agency and is now signed with The Athletics.
And here is one of his 2024 ST highlights
I wish him luck with the A’s.
Interesting note at MLBTR.com this morning, saying the Cubs are determined to trade Belli OR Seiya Suzuki.
If we can’t get Teo back, Suzuki would present an interesting alternative. He has two years left on his contract at $19MM each and is two years younger than Teo. Their stats are not all that different. Both are good offensive players and not the greatest defensively. Suzuki had an OPS+ of 138 last year and for his career he’s at 128. His lifetime OPS is .824 and he was at 3.5 bWAR last year.
He has a no trade clause, but I can’t believe he’d say no to coming to the World Champs and playing with 2 (maybe 3) of his countrymen.
Don’t know what it would take to get him but we could start with Lux and go from there. I would think the Cubs would prefer to move Belli and he seems to be getting some interest from other teams, so maybe Suzuki is just a fall back position.
Baseball America looks at the draft classes for the NL West:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baseball-america/id201539011?i=1000679457917
As usual, bullish on the Dodgers and padres. But also took a shot to the Giants draft class.
Shane Bieber has re-signed with Cleveland for one year with a player option for 2026.
Made it to LA on Tuesday evening. I was having trouble with my left ankle on the way out he, but Wednesday it blew up like a balloon, so I have not been very mobile since I arrived. Probably going to the VA tomorrow to get it checked out.
Soto. He knows where he is going to sign. Just do it so the rest of dominos can fall.
Oregon Penn State. Who you got?
More fun at the Winter Meetings!
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42833289/sources-roki-sasaki-expected-posted-winter-meetings
NYM has reportedly increased the offer for Soto to 15/year $700MM. They have to be getting close to the end, because there are also reports that both NYY and Boston are making significant offers to Teoscar Hernández. Toronto is also known to covet Teo.
Jeff Passan has reported that the decision will be made no later than Monday.
Plunkett has an excellent piece on deferred money (ironically, it’s paywalled)
“I mean, it’s just a lever,” Friedman said. “We’ve talked about this. We’ve done deals recently that don’t have it (most prominently Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal). We’ve done deals that do.
“In a negotiation I think it’s always challenging and so you’re looking to any lever you possibly can to help get to a point where there is overlap…It’s been a useful tool for us. … We just like to get deals done.”
Later on there’s a nod to another old Popeye character…
On the surface, a billion dollars in deferred salary sounds like a dangerous strategy – akin to the old Popeye cartoon character, Wimpy, whose ravenous desire for instant gratification combined with his constant lack of funds led to his catch phrase, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
Bleacher Report: Per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, the Dodgers have made a “highly competitive” offer to Soto even though they are “not looked upon as favorites” for the four-time All-Star.
It’s unclear what constitutes a “highly competitive” offer to Soto, but it’s safe to assume it probably starts at least around $600 million. Even in that case, it may not even be close to the top bids he is receiving from other teams.
Willy Adames will NOT be the Dodgers new shortstop.
Going to SF, 7 years, $182MM