Tulsa was the least successful LAD affiliate this year. They were 63-74, good for 6th best record in the Texas League. Maybe that is why it has taken me so long to do this write up.
The Dodgers have three top 30 prospects on the Tulsa roster at the end of the season: LHSP Jackson Ferris (#4), RHSP Jared Karros (#22), and SS Noah Miller (#25). Outside of Jackson Ferris’ 7 games, there was not much to write home about with this group.
2024 Tulsa Drillers no longer in the organization:
- Brandon Lewis (3B/1B) – 4th round draft pick from UC Irvine in 2019 – Released
- Brendon Davis (3B) – MiLB free agent
- Donovan Casey (OF) – MiLB free agent
- Michael Martinez (RHP) – MiLB free agent
- Cristian Santana (3B) – MiLB free agent
- Juan Morillo (RHP) – MiLB free agent
- Jorge Benetiz (LHP) – MiLB free agent
The toughest to lose of the bunch was RHP Juan Morillo. To make matters more difficult, he signed a MiLB deal with Arizona. Not saying he will, but he does have the potential of an Edgardo Henriquez.
Tulsa players who also played for OKC and were covered in my OKC autopsy report:
- Diego Cartaya (C)
- Dalton Rushing (C/1B/LF)
- Alex Freeland (SS)
- Austin Gauthier (Utility)
- Justin Wrobleski (LHP)
- Ben Casparius (RHP)
- Edgardo Henriquez (RHRP)
If I had an untouchable, it would be Jackson Ferris. LHSP are gold, and Ferris is a good one. Ferris will turn 21 January 15. He is 6’4”, 195 pounds. He has four above average pitches: fastball (60), curve (60), slider (55), and change (55). His fastball sits at 92-95 and touches 97 with carry. Everything else will works around the fastball. He does need to harness his control (don’t all LAD prospects).
For 2024:
- A+ – 20 GS, 98.1 IP, 3.39 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .198 BAA, 119 K, 43 BB, 4 HR
- AA – 7 GS, 28.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .216 BAA, 26 K, 14 BB, 2 HR
Under AF/BG, the Dodgers do not like to push their pitching prospects (or any prospect?), so while other organizations might push him to AAA to start 2025, Ferris will probably start off in Tulsa where he had good success in his 7 starts. But I do think he gets increased exposure in hitter friendly AAA, hopefully earlier than later.
I am a Jared Karros fan. He was my 2024 darkhorse prospect. Maybe it is because he is a Dodger legacy. While he did pitch well in 2024, and moved to AA, he did have an injury (unknown), and did spend time on the Development List (also unknown).
Karros is 6’7”, 195 pounds. He just turned 24, so he is not a young prospect. He gets good extension making his fastball seem livelier than it is (sits 91-93, tops out at 96). His money pitch is his changeup. He has a workable slider. He repeats his delivery and throws strikes. MLB Pipeline sees him as a back of the rotation starter. That pushes him into the longshot starter and long reliever category.
- A+ – 7 GS, 34.0 IP, 1.59 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, .174 BAA, 36 K, 7 BB, 1 HR
- AA – 8 GS, 33.2 IP, 4.01 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .248 BAA, 38 K, 15 BB, 3 HR
The third LAD top 30 prospect on Tulsa’s roster is SS Noah Miller. He just turned 22, and is another Wisconsin middle infielder. Miller is from Fredonia, WI which is 70 miles due north from Kenosha, WI (Gavin Lux). Miller was drafted as a CB-A pick in the first round of the 2021 draft by Minnesota.
Miller is a glove first SS, who won a MiLB GG at SS in 2023. The Dodgers got Miller in a February 2024 trade with Minnesota for OF Manuel Margot and infield prospect Rayne Doncon. He is light in the bat, which makes his profile more defensive utility player than regular SS.
- A+ – 454 PA, .251/.336/.332/.668, 6 HR, 20 XBH, 66 K, 49 BB
- AA – 136 PA, .225/.257/.264/.521, 0 HR, 5 XBH, 28 K, 6 BB
Others:
José Ramos (OF) – 2nd full season with Tulsa – Turns 24 on January 1.
- 506 PA, .221/.308/.388/.696, 17 HR, 38 XBH, 172 K, 57 BB
Ramos was #6 in the Texas League in HR, and 13th in the Texas League in XBH.
Damon Keith (OF) – Keith turns 25 in May – First year at Tulsa
- 318 PA, .259/.340/.496/.836, 16 HR, 33 XBH, 94 K, 32 BB
Keith was #10 in HR in the Texas League. He is Rule 5 eligible, but only reaching AA and not dominating, it is unlikely he will be selected this year.
Griffin Lockwood-Powell (1B/C) – Turns 27 in February. Signed as an UDFA in August 2021 out of Central Michigan. I refer him as GLP.
- 469 PA, .231/.303/.369/.672, 14 HR, 30 XBH, 108 K, 40 BB
Taylor Young (2B) – 26 years old – First full year at Tulsa – 8th round pick in 2022 draft by LAD.
- 547 PA, .236/.333/.329/.662, 4 HR, 34 XBH, 138 K, 59 BB
Young’s strength is his base stealing. He stole 46 bases in 2024, #1 in Texas League
Chris Newell (OF) – Will turn 24 in April. 13th round pick in 2022 draft by LAD.
- A+ – 413 PA, .212/.338/.465/.803, 23 HR, 39 XBH, 140 K, 60 BB
- AA – 113 PA, .162/.248/.253/.501, 2 HR, 5 XBH, 37 K, 11 BB
Another in the three true outcome hitter.
Yeiner Fernandez (2B/C) – Signed as an International Free Agent in 2019. He is 22 years old. First full season in Tulsa. No, he is not the next Craig Biggio.
- 419 PA, .245/.337/.335/.672, 3 HR, 27 XBH, 56 K, 39 BB
Love contact hitters. He hit better wRISP – .258/.361/.371/.732. I hope he starts the season in OKC.
Jerming Rosario (RHP) – Most know by now that Rosario is a favorite of mine. He signed in 2018 with Diego Cartaya, and he reached AAA as a 22 year old; albeit for one start. He is Rule 5 eligible.
- A+ – 10 G (6 GS), 36.2 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .198 BAA, 38 K, 11 BB, 3 HR
- AA – 16 G (16 GS), 67.0 IP, 4.70 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .200 BAA, 77 K, 56 BB, 3 HR
- AAA – 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .188 BAA, 5 K, 6 BB
Yes, he has a control problem. He is a long way from MLB, but he is only 23 years old (in May).
Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (RHP) – Will turn 27 on December 6. Was the only Tulsa pitcher to accumulate enough IP to be considered qualified. He was one of 9 qualified pitchers in Texas League.
- 2 IP, 4.71 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .253 BAA, 108 K, 60 BB, 18 HR
Want more information?
Tulsa hitting stats for 2024 – https://www.milb.com/tulsa/stats/?playerPool=ALL
Tulsa pitching stats for 2024 – https://www.milb.com/tulsa/stats/pitching
Texas League Standings 2024 – https://www.milb.com/tulsa/standings/
Next up – A+ (Great Lakes – Midwest League)
Teoscar we need to sign and play rightfield and I think Jesse Winker to play leftfield and I think Adames if they don’t then Edman moves to shortstop and they sign keke and keke and Pages platoon in centerfield but if they get Adames then he is at shortstop and Edman is in centeefield and yiu have Pages and Rushing as the two platoon plays with Taylor Barnes and Rojas
Winker is ok, but not sure he is even on their radar. No chatter about him at all. As long as Taylor, Rojas, and Edman are all under contract, Kike is not coming back. He is redundant. And he is now 33 and turns 34 next season. They need some youth. Outman if not traded will get another shot at CF/ Adames has a QO attached to him. Not sure AF wants to lose the prospects.
By the way Bradley, after signing Snell they have only 3 spots left on the 40 man so there is no way they could get all of those guys unless they trade some roster space
Stopped for the night in Gallup NM
Famous for the Indian restaurant at the truck stop!
Pretty country
I’d love to visit Gallup, Santa Fe, Albuquerque areas one day. I hear food there is amazing.
So it looks like the Arenado rumors merit discussion after all.
If nothing else, Arenado’s social media post featuring the tune “Dodger Blue” suggests that Arenado is signaling that he’d waive his no-trade clause if he could come to LA. (The post was “liked” by his ex-Card teammate Tommy Edman, btw.)
Certainly Friedman and Gomes have to give this serious consideration.
Replacing Max at 3B with Arenado would be a big defensive upgrade–but Max has outslugged Arenado over the last two seasons.
Could Arenado revitalize his bat with the Dodgers? Maybe.
FWIW, Arenado, who was raised in OC, is one year younger than Max. He is due $21 million for ’25, compared to Max’s $13.5m. To the big-spending Dodgers, the difference may be negligible–but not to the Cards.
Part of me hates to contemplate this deal. I don’t like the idea of Max getting screwed over for his loyalty to the Dodgers. Nobody bleeds Dodgers blue more than Max, a grinder who was on the verge of quitting baseball before he took a minor league deal with the Dodgers. He turned himself into a solid first baseman and gamely moved to 3B to make room for Freddie. In a lot of ways, his story is similar to that of Justin Turner. Max would have done well as a free agent but accepted team-friendly deals to stay with LA. But just as JT eventually left the Dodgers, it may be time for Max to move on. (Yes, I am talking myself into this….)
So what might a deal look like?
In a straight-up swap, the Cards would save about $8 million and lose a player who evidently wants out. They’d probably have Max succeed Goldschmidt at 1B and use him as DH as well. Goldie is a FA now, and the Cards have a couple of young players who can shift to 3B. On defense, Max is much better at 1B than 3B. He’d add thump to the Cards attack.
But straight up is boring.
Perhaps the Dodgers and Cards would try to expand the deal, because the Cards need pitching. The Cards are rumored to be shopping closer Ryan Helsley, who could upgrade the Dodgers already strong bullpen. I’d inquire about young SS Masyn Winn, who could be gold glove contender for the next decade. Probably untouchable, but who knows? How about Bobby Miller + Alex Freeland to get Winn?
So maybe there’s a blockbuster in the works…
Someone suggested that the Dodgers could add Arenado and simply move Max to LF. Pundits giggle at the possibility, mostly because of Max’s husky build. His best position is 1B, clearly. Max’s foot speed is below average, but he’s faster and more athletic than he looks, and his arm would play fine from LF.
In many ways, Max is like the Dodgers version the Phils’ husky Kyle Schwarber, who played LF before he shifted to DH.
So just for fun, consider this Arenado-ized lineup:
Shohei DH
Mookie 2B
Freddie 1B
Arenado 3B
Max/Taylor LF
Smith C
Outman/Edman CF
Pages RF
Edman/Rojas SS
I see a few problems with kicking Max to the curb to bring in Nolan:
1) Max had more bWAR (which includes defensive metrics) than Nolan last year in half as many at bats and his OPS+ was almost 50% higher than Arenado’s.
2) You were comparing CT3 and Nolan’s salaries next year but Arenado has two more years after next year.
3) Not sure where you got the salary number of $21MM for next year on Arenado. Baseball Reference shows the following – 2025/32 mil, 2026/27 mil, 2027/15 mil. The Rockies are on the hook for 5 mil of his salary in 2025 and again in 2026, but that would still leave the Dodgers with 64 million in salary for a player who was barely a league average hitter last year and whose defensive numbers were far below what we’ve come to expect of him.
Andrew doesn’t have my phone number but if he were to somehow come up with it and decide to call me, I would strongly advise against bringing Arenado here.
Your suggestions of Helsley and Winn, on the other hand are worth considering, but I would much prefer to do that without having to take on Arenado’s contract.
Winn is very impressive (and that’s why the Cards probably won’t consider trading him) and Helsley would make a great closer to finish up after Kopech and Phillips and (hopefully) Treinen).
Fansided writers had a trade proposal of Arenado and Helsley for Rushing Frasso and Gauthier. Too much of an overpay for me. If it was 3 or 4 years ago I’d be all in for Arenado but now I’m happy with Muncy instead. Arenado,s bat speed is way down and you can’t really fix that at his age.
Not so fast there Jefe. Maybe you missed my post yesterday, Arenado projects 2.8 fWAR while Muncy projects 2.1 fWAR. It is true Max is not an everyday player and Arenado is, and it is true Max is older than Arenado. Arenado is more expensive than Max, but maybe that could get softened a bit in a trade. I think Arenado would be jacked to come play here and could be an upgrade at 3b for at least 3 years. That said, I agree with Bluto, this isn’t likely to happen.
Max is an injury waiting to happen while Nolan has been relatively healthy the past few years. Arenado is miles ahead of Max defensively; offensively I would bet that he’d have a resurgence batting in that lineup. But, unless the Cards include Helsley & pay down Nolan’s salary significantly I don’t see this happening either.
The swap also swaps a righty bat for a lefty bat. That helps Outman get a spot especially if Lux is traded.
Outman has been given a spot.I don’t understand this situation with Arenado.If Max is left without a position I will definitely not understand. But Max is one of my favorites.
Spotrac was my source for salaries. (I’ve noticed the contradictory info from various sources.) And it was a contrast of the salaries of Arenado and Max, not Taylor.
I’m a Max fan and would be reluctant to trade him. But the point of the exercise here is to ponder what AF and the rest of the brain trust might be thinking when a player of Arenado’s stature seems to be signaling that he wants to join the Dodgers.
Do you ignore the signal?
I don’t think so. I think you seriously analyze all the pros and cons.
Do you assume that Arenado is in irrevocable decline? Perhaps you consider the possibility that joining the Dodgers–being surrounded with all that talent– could rejuvenate him.
Is it possible to land Arenado and maybe Helsley without losing Max? Perhaps. Maybe offer Taylor + Bobby Miller + Wrobleski or ???
Would Max be serviceable in LF?
Not ideal. But Teo’s defense was not that great. And now the Dodgers are considering Rushing, who is built like a tank. And we don’t yet know if Rushing can handle major league heat.
I really don’t think Masyn Winn is a possibility. He’s just seems too critical to the Cards rebuilding effort.
But I was surprised when AF got Trea Turner in the Scherzer deal. Never hurts to ask.
There’s even less of a chance of a trade for Arenado than there is for the team to sign sign Adames, or sign Soto.
There’s nowhere for him to play, and no reason to take on the salary.
I think Arenado makes more sense for the Phils and Yanks–but Arenado would have to waive his no-trade clause. (Maybe he’ll do another Instagram post featuring Sinatra belting out “New York, New York” this time.)
If the Yanks get him, Jazz can move to CF and Judge to RF… with Soto probably in RF for the Mets.
An ex-player has said that Alec Bohm, while talented, is not a popular guy in the Phils clubhouse. Questions about his work ethic. His name is getting kicked around in a lot of trade speculation.
Teo and Adames still make the most sense for the Dodgers, but neither seem close to being done deals. Seems like everybody is waiting for Soto’s decision, and then the dominos will start falling.
If the Yankees lose Soto, they could pivot to Teo and Alex Bregman. Houston and the Mets are interested in Adames to play 3B. The Red Sox and Blue Jays also have their contingency plans.
Et cetera and so forth.
At least Max is in the trade news here. I no longer feel so lonely.
I would rather try to get younger at third if Max were traded. Maybe it’s Freeland that gets the Dodgers younger at third.
I want Outman in center but if the Dodgers had that in their plans, I would think they would have had him on the playoff roster.
This is great information. I love following players up thru the ranks and seeing them in Spring Training! Thanks Jeff!
Sasaki, Treinen and Teo and call it a very good off season! Depends on what the Dodgers think of their up and coming young SS’s.
Rojas at short? He will play maybe 100 games at best. Who is there for the rest of the games? And if it’s Edman, who plays center?
In my opinion the Dodgers need an every day shortstop. They also need an every day third baseman. And an every day center fielder. Also an every day left fielder. The alternative is utility players all over the place with utility players on the bench to rotate in. Is that what Friedman wants? I don’t think so but we know he loves him those utility players.
And we wait.
With the current roster, Edman could be an everyday SS.
Centerfield would be handled by a platoon of Outman, Taylor or Pages. (But I’d prefer to keep Pages in a corner.)
The other option is for Edman to do an SS job share with Rojas, and a CF job share with Outman/Pages/Taylor. Like Mookie in recent times, he’d shuttle between the infield and outfield.
I think the Dodgers LOVE what Roberts calls “optionality.” Max was a pretty good first baseman before he shifted to 2B and 3B after Freddie’s arrival.
Mookie has proven his UT chops even though he is a superstar.
Outman is just a sophomore jinx removed from a .790 OPS while providing quality defense in CF. He finished 3rd in ROY balloting.
He’d be an everyday player on most teams, but might be best used in a platoon with the Dodgers.
Pages hit to an OPS of over .900 against lefties in ’24; Outman was about .830 against righties in ’23.
I get it. That’s how I see it too. All of that is exactly what I meant by using utility guys all over the field, including third base because I believe Muncy is an oblique waiting to happen.
Platoons at two of the most important defensive positions on the field is not what I believe Friedman would want. It isn’t what I want, that’s for sure. I want everyday All Stars at all our up the middle defensive positions and third base. Arenado at third, Adames at short and Robert Jr in center. Make it so Andrew.
Atenado is no longer an all star
8 times in 12 years, including ’23. Works for me.
Thanks, Dave. MiLB is a passion of mine. I am not sure how many find these reviews meaningful, but I write them because I want to know.
Question about escrow:
I know the Dodgers have to put say $46 million into escrow for Ohtani this season to “cover” his salary.
But does this have to be in cash? Can it be in appreciating assets like bonds, crypto or even equities?
Common sense tells me it has to be in American dollars. The point of having an escrow account is to guarantee the monies are available at the time of disbursement. Appreciating assets that you mentioned can also be depreciating assets. This would defeat the purpose of an escrow account. I don’t know the actual rule on what can and can’t be put into escrow. So, again, common sense on what I know about escrow accounts.
The intent is for the funds deposited into escrow to grow at a rate enough to equal the amount of the deferred total. Ohtani’s present value of his contract is equal to $46,081,476 annually for 10 years. The Dodgers pay him $2MM per year, so they need to deposit $44,081,476 every year beginning before the end of year 2. That $44,081,476 is invested so that the principal grows to $68MM each year. Based on some rough calculations, that is about a 4.5% return compounded annually. Mark Walter would not be a billionaire if he could not get a 4.5% return on $44MM investment.
4.5%? That’s barely above inflation. Guggenheim has to be able to do better than that.
Of course they can. That is why deferrals are perfect for the Dodgers, and why every team can do the same thing if they want.
What gets deposited is what he gets paid with. The funds will be invested in whatever Mark Walter and Guggenheim believes is both lucrative and safe. Something that will grow more than the discount rate used in the present value calculaiton. With someone as investment savvy as Walter and his staff, that should not be a problem. With his investment knowledge, that is why deferrals make so much sense for the Dodgers.
Explain this further please:
What gets deposited is what he gets paid with.
The word “with” can do a lot of work in that sentence.
lets say, for simplicity, Ohtani is owed $100 and .01 bitcoin is worth $100 today. Again the contract is in dollars.
the deferment is due in 5 years.
in 5 years .01 bitcoin is worth $10,000. Who gets the delta of $9,900?
is Ohtani paid in dollars only? Can escrow be in a currency/form different than the contract? Is payment only in the currency states in the contract (the answer to this is assuredly yes.)
What player gets paid with bitcoins? They get paid with US Dollars. US Dollars is what is deposited into escrow. Those funds are then invested to get a return at least as much as the discount rate (around 4.5%). I am sure there are regulations as to what the funds can be invested in. You can get get money market rates > 5.0% today. I profess not to understand bitcoin investment, but I am sure that it is not nearly as safe as money market rates. If the player wants to invest in bitcoins with his $$$, okay. But I doubt the team can. However, I really do not know what the rules for investing are.
Ah, so the deposit has to be USD. That was my primary question.
Wait! The player gets to choose the investment vehicle or the team?
No, you are talking about personal investment.
Got this from a Fangraphs chat, where Ben Clemens got it from Google Gemini:
That second bullet point makes me think they could set aside the money in Bitcoin, which would be super interesting.
I have to admit that I was wrong as to what form the deferred compensation escrow deposit can be in. I have never heard that it could be in “cash, stocks, or unencumbered assets”. I personally know of only one player who had deferred compensation, and his was in cash. I never thought to ask if he could have had the deposit in any other form. His deposit was before the new CBA agreement came out, and I also do not know if the current CBA made changes.
That being said, I am not sure what advantage a team would have with depositing the deferred compensation into escrow in anything other than cash vs. depositing the cash and then investing in any approved form. As I said, I have no idea what the approved investment vehicles are.
It is also apparent, based on the above Ben Clemens comments, that the investment decision is the team’s to make. There are approved investment vehicles, but anything out of the “norm” could be approved by the League and MLBPA. It makes total sense to me that the team is going to invest the funds in whatever vehicle they are most comfortable with. I have no idea if Dodgers management or Guggenheim have sufficient knowledge of crypto currency. Guggenheim offers a wide range of investment strategies, primarily in the form of mutual funds. Here is their product list:
https://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/mutual-funds/products
Thanks for the information.
To prove how out of my depth i am, i thought you were (are?) totally correct.
Whatever difference is immaterial and i appreciate your knowledge!
Think of it as a team forced savings account until payment is due to Ohtani. If there is a shortfall the team makes it up, if the investment outperformed the 4.5% needed, the team keeps the extra money.
It’s safer for Ohtani vs trusting that Gugenheim will have the $68mil every single year starting in 2033.
Smart move by everybody. Win win for everybody. I”m looking for a company to defer a few bucks for me as well.
Don’t forget the 1 to 2 percent Guggenheim investment firm will charge the Dodgers for managing that money every year. That’s another bonus back to Guggenheim.
Another LHP has been signed. LHRP Aroldis Chapman signed a one year deal for $10.75MM by Boston. At least he is not a Bora$ client.
Texas has signed free agent catcher Kyle Higashioka for 2 years, $12.5MM. They have a $7MM mutual option for 2027, with a $1MM buyout. That leaves San Diego with Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan as the two catchers. The Padres are not enamored with Campusano’s bat and he is arguably one of the worst defensive catchers in MLB. Fangraphs has him with a -17 DRS for last. Sullivan (31 years old for 2025) has a total of 103 career PA.
Their top catcher prospect, Ethan Salas, turns 19 this year, and spent all of 2024 in High A. The season did not go nearly as well as they had hoped. They only have one other catcher in their top 30. 24 year old Brandon Valenzuela who is graded as a backup catcher.
Danny Jansen and Carson Kelly are the top two catchers remaining in FA.
Makes no sense as to why San Diego did not re-sign Higashioka, unless their cash flow problems are worse than have been reported.
The Snell signing just keeps getting better. The deferrals are actually $13.2MM annually. The present value of Snell’s contract is now at $150.336MM per MLBPA caluclations as reported by Bob Nightengale.
There is also a $10MM club option for 2030, if: Snell hasn’t been assigned to another club and has 90 or more days in a row on the injured list due to specific injury.
This brings the LAD AAV payroll to approximately $309MM for 2025. They could approach $350MM this year. At $309MM, the tax is $51.056MM.
Speaking of our newest player, the Blake Snell press conference is at 2:30pm today.
It will be on AM 570, the Dodger tv network, and I’d bet the MLB network.
I assume the following will be met with mixed reactions here:
Andrew and Farhan are talking about a reunion, exact job description unknown.
I’d be OK with it because I think part of his lack of success in SF was simply that players didn’t want to sign in SF, whether that be because of the weather, the ballpark (in the case of hitters) or the general state of the city during those years. That wasn’t his fault.
Does anyone here know which players Farhan was responsible for “discovering” while he was here?
Muncy and Taylor. And he was bullish on holding on to Seager and Bellinger as prospects. The guy is brilliant and would be welcome addition in any capacity
I think Andrew and Farhan were very tight when he was here, not only as baseball collaborators but as friends. I’d be very surprised if AF doesn’t find a way to make a spot for him.
More talent the better, even if in the front office
I saw on another board that some considered Farhan to be a conservative influence on AF.
I just shrug.