Well gang, it is that time of year again. Of course, what I mean is spring training is just around the corner. College Football championship game is coming up. NFL playoffs are in full swing.
But very soon, the big semi’s will be loaded with baseball equipment and begin their journeys to spring training sites in Florida and Arizona. There is still some work left for the Dodgers to do. But we should know shortly where Sasaki will go. LA will also start to fill out their non-roster list.
We know for sure that David Bote will be one of the players on that list. He will get some reps in spring. According to the roster of the OKC Comets, he will be joined by pitchers, Sam Carlson, Julian Fernandez, Giovanni Gallegos, Joe Jacques, Justin Jarvis, and Matt Sauer.
Position players signed so far, Justin Dean, OF, John Rhodes, and Bote. Rushing is currently the only catcher on OKC’s roster, but he will probably be joined by Feduccia barring an injury. I expect LA to sign a couple of infielders and an outfielder at least, and maybe a backup type catcher. Of course, they will sign some more pitching depth.
The big news will come in the next few days when Sasaki makes up his mind where he wants to go. Some big stars, Alonso, Bregman, have still not signed, and there are several other talented players who are still free agent. Harrison Bader is one, so is Dylan Carlson, who if memory serves, is only 26 years old.
There are not a whole lot of holes in this team, what is left to be decided is exactly where each will play, and the final batting order. The Kim signing allowed them to trade Lux and open a spot in the lineup. I have a gut feeling Kim is going to be the opening day second baseman. But they could pivot to a number of options.
I have said all winter that they won’t resign Kike unless something unexpected happens with Taylor. I know that there are at least a couple of teams who are interested in Kike. LA has enough utility type players as it is and do not really need another.
I believe most of the questions are going to surround the pitching staff as a whole, and the bullpen in particular. And also, a bench player or two. Barnes is locked in as the backup to Smith for at least another year. Rushing will be doing a lot of catching at AAA.
The Dodgers will have a new affiliate in A ball. The Quakes were sold and will be the affiliate of a different organization. The Dodgers new affiliate will be in Ontario. No name listed yet.
There was some indication that Sasaki would make his decision this evening, the 16th, but it is the 17th in Japan and morning is just breaking. If he goes elsewhere, there are still a few free agent options the Dodgers could use, or they could pursue a trade. I know AF would rather not have to fill a big hole like starting pitcher come the deadline. So, let’s get ready for the crack of the bat. I can smell the hot dogs and beer already!
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Fantastic news to wake up to with Sasaki joining the Dodgers!
Now bring in Scott and we are set for a run at a back to back.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Good video to the (possible) roster crunch .
A potential trade of Knack, Outman, Bruns for Robert jun. would solve a lot of those potential problems and improve the roster even more.
Trades of Brasier and or Banda a possibilty too to make more room for a Scott.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You keep beating the Robert Jr. drum. Where then do you play Edman and Kim? Edman is a gold glove caliber second baseman, and Kim did the same thing in Korea. Robert Jr. is a huge injury risk. Great talent when healthy, but he hasn’t been healthy in two years and only one time has he played more than 100 games. And I think it would take more than Outman, Knack and Bruns to get him from the Sox anyway. I seriously doubt Brasier or Banda get traded.
Scott would be a great acquisition, but I doubt they want to pay that much to a reliever. Haven’t done it since Jansen’s last contract.
With Robert jun. you can move Edman to 2b where he will give you gold glove D.
that way you improve your up the middle defense immensely with Robert jun. and Edman.
Yes, injury history with Robert jun. is not good but the upside is worth the risk IMHO. Especially looking at his cost friendly contract situation.
Plus you open up a couple of roster spots witth that trade.
I would be willing to include another part in that kind of trade if necessary.
Scott is that good to pass on him only because the Dodgers have not signed a reliever to a big contract since Kenley. Friedmann also said he does not want to trade at the deadline, wants to assemble the roster now.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s a thought – put Mookie at second, Kim at short and Edman in Kiké’s role. And let all three move around a bit. Should be fun for them. There are enough innings and at bats to keep everyone happy.
That may eventually be the alignment, but Mookie wants to play SS and the brass supports him. He wants the challenge, and it would not surprise me if he winds up with another MVP.
I think Kim’s ability to play SS was a big reason the Dodgers signed him, as Mookie will eventually shift to 2B. As a SS, Mookie has four backups: Edman, Rojas, Kim, Taylor.
Getting Luis Robert Jr would make the lineup younger and more powerful, but a deal now would be a real shocker, A healthy Robert is like a younger, faster Teoscar who plays great defense and has even more power. Perhaps the brass has decided the price and risk are too high.
Re CF: While Edman is penciled in, I saw an interview in which Roberts said the “Outman and Pages are very much alive.” CF might provide the only real competition in Spring.
Perhaps we’ll see a platoon or two: Outman/Edman, Kim/Edman, Conforto/Pages…
Well said Duke, and for the most part I agree with you.
The one rather large question I have concerns Mookie “wanting to play shortstop”. I don’t know that. What I read into it is that he is willing to play that position if it will help the team. AF wanted Adames. He didn’t get him. So Mookie volunteered.
In my crystal ball I don’t see a 32 year old Mookie switching positions, again, and switching to the most demanding position facing the plate. I don’t see an MVP season out of Mookie anywhere other than the right side of the field, and that is second or RF. Again, my humble opinion.
Third baseman 2026 or sooner depending on when the oblique happens.
Comes to a little under 18 homers a year and 49 driven in. He has had one outstanding season, there is nothing in his resume that says he can do that again. Yes, he is only 27, but with down numbers like he had last season, his trade value is low. Sox would be crazy to trade him without him being close to peak value.
I’m only addressing what the Dodgers could do if they got Robert and he went on the IL.
Edman would move from 2nd back to CF and Kim would play 2nd. Basically reverts to the lineup without the Robert trade.
I see Edman playing everywhere, giving rest for those who need it during the dig days. What an incredible asset to have.
AF will be trading at the deadline. Stuff happens.
Last season at the deadline, he picked up Flaherty, Kopech and Edman. That worked out pretty well.
He hopes he does not have a need to trade at the deadline.
My humble opinion, AF won’t trade for damaged goods. Especially not a player who has not proven he can do it year after year and be healthy. Guy has a ton of talent, but he is injury prone. The same reason I read post after post about Matt Kemp and how he was injury prone and LA needed to dump him. Robert Jr. is Buxton 2.0. No thanks.
The Roberts drum is not a bad one to beat.
The Dodgers are so strong right now it’s hard to find room for improvement. The rebuilding White Sox probably should deal Robert. He’s a injury risk, yes, but when healthy he might be a top-ten position player. Plus, he’s young.
The Cards are still trying to deal Arenado, apparently. He is not young and not an obvious fit for the Dodgers–but I’d probably prefer having Arenado on the roster to Taylor.
Could a swap of bad contracts be worked out? Arenado could be the thin side of a platoon with Max, and also serve as a late-inning defensive replacement. When Freddie sits, Max could take 1B and Arenado could handle 3B. (I expect that Roberts will schedule more rest this season for veterans like Freddie and Mookie)
I’m not saying the Dodgers should go after Arenado…. but what if they can get him at a bargain cost?
Hmm? First you downplay his worth then say Outman,Knack and Bruns wouldn’t be enough to get him. But I agree we don’t need to get him. Edman can play cf w Outman as a backup if Edman is needed to play infield.
The Sox want to sell high. Their asking price has been high. They want MLB ready players now, and LA doesn’t have many of those to spare. Miller, Knack, Outman and one other player maybe, but why would they want Bruns who is more than a couple of years away.
No need to trade Banda.
Kike wants to be a Dodger and AF wants Kike to be a Dodger. Perhaps this notion is preposterous, but I strongly think both sides have a handshake agreement to re-sign and will do so once the Dodgers can clear 40 man roster space when pitchers/catchers report to ST.
It’s entirely possible.
Doubtful Their 26 man is going to have these 13 guys barring a trade of say Taylor. Taylor, Betts, Ohtani, Teo, Freddie, Edman, Pages, Conforto, Rojas, Barnes Smith and Muncy. There is no room for Kike unless one of those guys gets traded. Pages and Conforto platoon in RF.
You’re missing Kim. Of course Kim/Pages could start in the minors and once Ohtani officially is a 2 way player one of Kim/ Pages is recalled.
Yes,I missed him, Ohtani can be carried as a pitcher.
Both Harris and Hernandez have columns about Sasaki this morning. Both are suggesting cautionary approaches to the development of this young man. He’s 23, so it’s not like he’s a teenager, but he comes with history of injury that no doubt is because as a teenager he was throwing 100 mph just to get noticed. Well, it worked. The Dodgers took notice. Now what?
I suspect the early message to him will be “no more 100 mph pitches” in the coming months. And, depending on what the no doubt intensive medical examinations say, he may not be throwing for a while.
Development. That’s the go to word this morning. And what exactly does that mean? I believe it very well could mean we won’t see him in the rotation until after we see Ohtani in the rotation. It could mean we won’t see him until Kershaw is in the rotation.
Flaherty anyone?
Dodgers have enough depth in the rotation already. Don´t need Flaherty. I want Scott to make the backend of our pen even better.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After the WS, Roberts says he wanted a pitcher and a reliever. The Dodgers got the pitcher. Scott would make sense as the reliever but he will cost 50-60 million. Then you add the luxury tax so it’s really 110-132 million. Will the Dodgers really do that?
Doubtful.
Rather have Scott. We don’t need any more starters to win the West. Just 4 healthy starters for October. Baby them along. We have enough depth.
Looking at our current staff of starters I see no thoroughbreds. I do see potential, but as was mentioned by Jeff the other day, there are no 150 inning pitchers on this staff. As currently constructed, there may not be any 130 inning starters. That portends a lot of bullpen innings.
Most of the current starting rotation including Snell, are big strong guys but all of them have a history of injury. The one who doesn’t? Flaherty. 144 innings in ‘23, 162 innings last year.
This team plays as many, or more, games per season than any team in MLB. To finish strong through November, you need a team of horses. As I see currently see it, many of those horses will be back ups. I think it remains to be seen who will be instrumental in finishing this coming season. The point of all this being, in my opinion, you cannot have too many starting pitchers.
We have enough.
Badger hope you’re good.
I couldn’t believe how big Snell is when I saw him at his Dodger Presser. He is a beast, and I’d never noticed it until then.
You make interesting points about the lack of innings from our Starters. It appears to me that AF and the Brainstrust have developed a different philosophy towards the season having had their fingers burned on a number of occasions in the playoffs.
They are using their financial muscle to secure a.number of aces, knowing that the chances of them all being available come October are slim. By stockpiling a number subsidiary Startling Pitching, mainly cheap, controllable home grown players, they can navigate the 162 regular season,games, while controlling the innings counts of the Aces, allowing them to
peak at the right time.
This is a huge advantage over the rest of the field and with the quality of the Offence, it will have to a big effort from any other team to down the Dodgers in 25.
Is Scott hoping for too much?
I can see a trade of some of the surplus players and Robert Junior makes a lot of sense.
I hope we do have a rotation using 6 guys. I would like to think the extra day rest between starts is a good thing and rejuvenates the broken down tissue more. I hope….
Thanks W!
I was good, but now I’m slowly slipping into below average.
Snell is listed at 6’4, 225. Then there’s Glasnow, 6’8”, 225, Gonsolin, 6’3”, 205, May, 6’6” 180 (I think by now he’s heavier), Miller, 6’5”, 220, then the two Japanese starters, neither of who look the part. YoYama is 5’10 and Roki looks like a high school kid. And as for the half dozen backup starters, I honestly don’t know but a reasonable guess is none are 100 inning starters.
Robert Jr does make a lot of sense. Considering the what ifs of the starting rotation it doesn’t seem illogical to me to have an offense that scores a lot of runs. Robert Jr would help with that, AND bring up the middle defense to the equation.
https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-chances-of-repeating-as-world-series-champs?partnerID=web_article-share
Will Leitch: 1. They still might not have enough starting pitching.
Bums, I read that first thing this morning and I absolutely concur.
However, I’m not sure any other team in my recollection has put forward a Playoff Rotation potentially as good as Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Sasaki (if he adjusts to MLB standards).
That doesn’t even consider the possibility of Piggy Back type of use of CK, Shohei, Gonsolin, Miller or May. To beat us 3 and then 4 times in the Post Season you are gonna have to bring your best, best stuff.
There is also the possibility of getting some help at the TD should we need it.
One thing I would do is get Rushing involved and have him catch at least on game a week, if not more. We won’t miss Will’s bat if the second half of 24 is anything to go by.
What a great time to be a Dodgers supporter!!
Don’t sleep on Kershaw
Without being crude nor snarky, what is a thoroughbred in this context? What is a horse? What is a backup?
Are they defined by performance, by usage? By stuff?
If I worried about my arm’s health i too would try to get more money from my team of choice.
Who wouldn’t? Now that Roki is signed for multiple years, his 6 year plan will be to secure that lifetime contract before age 30. He won’t accomplish that by following the paths of May, Gonsolin, Buehler, Miller, Stone, Ryan, Sheehan, Hurt… who am I missing?
David Bote reference!
This will be his year.
Jonathon Mayo’s scouting report on Roki Sasaki:
“The 6-foot-3 Sasaki will pitch all of the 2025 season at age 23 and is more than three years younger than Yamamoto, around the same age as Ohtani was when he made his big league debut. He’s been scouted continuously since he made his NPB debut in 2021 and especially since his World Baseball Classic coming-out party, with international scouting departments wanting to make sure they were ready when the right-hander was posted.
“He’s as good as advertised,” one international scouting director said. “He has an ideal projectable, lean and athletic frame. He has excellent arm action and delivery, with three plus power pitches with control over command. He has No. 1 upside.”
Throwing out that “No. 1” label is not something scouts do freely, but that director was not the only one to do so.
“In my opinion, he’s a top-end starter,” another director said. “I wouldn’t say he’s Ohtani, but from a pitching standpoint, it’s very comparative. I’ve been seeing him since he was 19, and saw him on the national team. It’s an explosive arm.”
“He reminds me of Noah Syndergaard when he was fresh,” a third international scout said.
Fastball
It’s at least a 70 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, and depending on when you saw it, it might get the rarely spotted 80. It’s been up to 102 mph in the past and averaged 98.8 mph (96-100 more often than not) in ’23 with some armside run. In 2024, it averaged 96.8 mph (95-99 most of the time). Some evaluators said it was a little straighter than the previous year, perhaps a reason why it missed fewer bats (13.1 percent whiff rate vs. 24.0 pct in ’23), but as long as there are no lasting injury concerns, this isn’t too much of a worry.
Splitter
Throwing the pitch in the 88-90 mph range, Sasaki kills spin with it, and it comes out of his hand looking like his heater until it falls off the table. It produced an absurd 57.1 percent whiff rate in ’24. The Major League average whiff rate on the splitter this past season was 34.5 percent
Slider
This is Sasaki’s “third” pitch but some scouts grade it out as above-average, if not plus. Even though it also was down a tick or two this past season, Sasaki still missed bats with it at a 40.7 percent rate, throwing it in the 83-85 mph range
Conclusion
While teams may have had questions about Sasaki’s small downtick in velocity, it certainly didn’t keep many from being interested. He is, after all, a starter who finished last season with a 2.35 ERA, 10.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 rates at age 22.”
My comment:
It’s kind of funny. Was the “downtick” in velocity due to arm problems or was he just gearing it down on purpose? That’s exactly what many of us are suggesting; not maxing out on every pitch. But it seems like when a kid may be is doing this, scouts shit their pants.
I hope he’s learning to pitch without max effort.
Jonathan Mayo is an outstanding talent evaluator. This is very encouraging. I especially like that some believe that the downtick in velo was planned by Sasaki.
IMO, the Dodgers are not necessarily looking for Sasaki to be a panacea for the LAD rotation THIS year. They have signed him for 6 years of control. This is not one of the Dodgers signing a pitcher to give them a one year makeover situation. This is not Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Noah Syndergaard, James Paxton…If they get at least 100 IP out of him at 23, they will gladly take that, and build for the next year(s). Command over velo.
Yes. Sasaki is only 23. He needs to be developed further and needs to mature.
Keep the short-term expectations mitigated.
I completely agree Jeff. With the arms we have, there is no hurry.
Checked the projections for Robert Jr. on baseball reference. ,452 AB, 20 homers, 55 driven in, 128 K’s OPS of .755. I am not giving up a whole lot of talent for that production.
Geez-Loise, I wish we would forget about Robert Jr. He is not needed. For all the reasons we’ve been stating for a couple of months now.
Some did the same damn thing with Adames. In his case for a couple of years.
We have a nice group of outfielder and there is zero reason to take on more luxury tax, or give up valuable prospects for a guy who can’t stay on the field.
Move on!
“Move on!”
In Hindi: increase, amplify, magnify, raise, elongate, prolong
I’m for all of that!
But, that said, no, he probably isn’t needed.
I totally agree.
“I am not giving up a whole lot of talent for that production.”
May not need to.
For the record, Composite gives him 29 home runs, 83 runs, 82 RBIs, 27 stolen bases. And that’s with the White Sox, where he won’t have to be pitched to.
I know we probably don’t need him, but anyway we can deepen the lineup while improving the defense I’m all for it. I don’t even look at tax implications. The rich don’t pay taxes. The people who make them rich do. In this case, the fans.
I think composite is being overly generous. I think baseball reference is also overly generous. The stats he has complied just do not add up to that kind of production. He does LA no good being a part time player. If he can’t play at least 130 games, he is not needed at all.
I think you and I are looking at different stats buddy. From age 23 to age 25 he averaged 3.57 WAR. In one of those years he put up 3.6 WAR in 68 games. He put up 5 WAR in ’23. He was injured last year or he would have done it again. Hes 27. In his prime. Obviously I’m a fan. You are not. I don’t expect to see him in Dodger Blue. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to see it.
The fact is that he has played exactly one full season in the majors. The other four he has been injured. I don’t care what his supposed upside is, he can’t stay on the field.
I do realize a countdown for Spring training has begun, but playoff professional football is just beyond compare.
To football fans maybe, I like the college game and am more interested in the National Championship game on Monday than any of the pro playoffs.
If LA were to trade Taylor by some miracle, then I could see them brining Kike back. But I think his playing time would be diminished with all the middle field options the team has. Not much time for him in the outfield either with Conforto-Pages in right, Teo in left and Tommy E in center.
I’ve got a question – and I feel a little dumb for asking it because I really only have an interest in the Dodgers, and little interest in anyone else.
How good a pitcher is Ohtani? I really don’t know.
where would he fit if we were starting the Post Season tomorrow? Is he potentially the Ace, or the 4:5 starter? or is he somewhere in between?
He has pitched for 3 years. 481.2 IP, 3.01 career ERA, 1.082 WHIP, 608K (11.4 K/9), 3.04 K/BB, ERA + 142. He was #4 in CY voting in 2022. But perhaps the biggest comment came from John Smoltz who says that as good of a hitter that Ohtani, he is a better pitcher. Hard to believe, but he is a gifted pitcher.
Excellent read over at the Athletic regarding the backstory of the recruiting/signing of Roki. Waiting to hear more of the process and how Yoshi actually contributed with the alleged phone call between he and Roki. Interesting to see how much Ohtani actually contributed and how much he was a part of the process. It was he who confirmed the signing to the Dodger brass even before Wolfe informed them.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6071231/2025/01/18/roki-sasaki-dodgers-inside-signing-selection-process/
As many may know, I am a huge Packers fan. But my son is getting a great opportunity to see his favorite football team live in Pontiac, Michigan. He has been a Detroit Lions fan since Barry Sanders was drafted in 1989. My daughter-in-law is a top executive with Ceaser’s and one of her responsibilities is to make sure the high rollers are taken care. This week Ceaser’s has a box at Ford Field, and she was allowed to bring both Andy and my granddaughter. He was hoping for a pre-game field pass so he could meet his idol Barry Sanders as well as USC and Lions QB, Rodney Peete.
Boy their season ended with a huge thud. Underestimated the Texans for sure. If the Rams luck out and beat the Eagles tomorrow, they are going to have their hands full.
This is cool ($$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/dodgers-land-joseph-deng-first-player-ever-signed-from-south-sudan/
The Dodgers signed a 6’7″ 17 year old from South Sudan.
“Deng already has a big fastball for his age, reaching 95 mph. At 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, Deng has an extremely lanky, long-limbed frame with tons of space to fill out and continue to add velocity once he gets stronger. He has enormous physical upside and attacks hitters with a fastball/splitter combination.”
Another reason to love the Dodgers… They might find the first star from Africa.
From MLB.com:
… While Sasaki was the jewel of this year’s international class, the Dodgers made another significant international move on Saturday, signing 17-year-old pitcher Joseph Deng, the first player from South Sudan to sign a professional baseball contract.
Deng, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound right-hander with a 95 mph fastball, is the second player to be signed from Africa this year, joining infielder Armstrong Muhoozi from Uganda, who signed with the Pirates.
At just 17 years old, Deng has plenty of time to fill out his tall and lanky frame, meaning that his impressive fastball could very well become even better, perhaps reaching triple digits in the years to come…