This is a pure guessing game. Ohtani had a monster season for the Dodgers, then got injured in the World Series and was not a major factor other than his presence in the Dodger lineup.
The clear star was Freddie Freeman, with a huge assist by the Dodgers bullpen corps, which shut down almost all of the Yankees attempts at comebacks. Max Muncy and Gavin Lux had very forgettable series.
I really believe that Max is going to have a bounce back season. He can deliver a lot of offense when right. To me he has a lot of reasons to play much better. But I do not expect him to be the player with the best year. Just not in his DNA.
I also do not expect Shohei to have the same type of year. Oh, I believe he will crush at least 40 homers and drive in 100 or more. But I think his stolen base total comes down some. If he is indeed pitching every sixth day, he will certainly be hitting also leaving LA without a DH if he is removed from the game if I have the rules right.
I also expect more of the same from Teo. Not having to worry about a contract and knowing he is here for a while will give this guy peace of mind. He loves playing in LA and he loves his teammates, and he especially loves winning. I expect close to or a little higher number from him this season.
Mookie is Mookie. He is 32 now, so he will probably slow down a little. I do think he will hit 20 plus homers as long as he stays healthy. We will have to wait and see how playing SS everyday affects his body.
I expect two players to improve upon last year’s numbers, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman. Smith had a stretch last season where he was unstoppable and just as suddenly, Will could not buy a hit. He is just too good of a hitter to struggle at the plate that long.
Smith is a .248 hitter at home over his career. He fell to .220 last season. He was hitting .272 his first 80 games. He hit .206 the rest of the way, also losing much of his power production. He hit only 5 homers in his last 48 games. His overall OPS dropped 66 points from where he was in 23.
But the guy I believe will have the best season is Freddie Freeman. Freeman had an un-Freeman like season in 24. First off, he missed 15 games, mostly because of his son’s illness. He hit. 282, his lowest average since 2015.
His slugging percentage dropped below .500 for the first time since 2015. But because of the type of hitter, he is, and the way he prepares himself, I expect Freeman back over .300 with a little more slug this year. Who is your choice?
Hard to know what to expect from the new guys, Kim and Conforto. Edman will be Edman, playing all over the diamond when he is not in CF. I hope we see improvement from Pages. He did have some moments when the promise showed.
If Chris Taylor is indeed still with the team, and healthy, I think he improves on his numbers some. He should be closer to his career avg of .250, of course he will still strike out a lot, but his solid defense is what the team covets. Barnes will probably not hit .260 again, but if Smith improves as much as I believe, he won’t need to.
Next time we will see how you guys feel about the pitching staff.
According to CBS Sports, the Dodgers are still very interested in re-signing Kershaw. According to Gomes, Kersh is still not throwing off of a mound yet. LA looks to re-sign him when he is finished with his rehab.
I would love to see Outman come into spring training with a vengeance and put the centerfield question to bed moving Edman to SS & Betts to 2B. Other than that it would not surprise me if Conforto had a big year hitting in that lineup.
I like that.
The way the rule was explained to me on the pitcher who is the DH is removed as the pitcher can still be in the lineup as the DH. I could have that wrong.
Just looked it up: the “Ohtani rule” was implemented in 2022 to allow the removed pitcher to remain in the game as the DH.
I was looking at the lineup the other day and I have a feeling that next year, Taylor will be back on a one-year deal, maybe with an option for a second year.
Knowing who will definitely leave the team next year, a good utility will be needed, especially for the outfield.
Taylor has an option for next year. He is under contract this year for 13 million. His option is a team option for 12 million with a 4 million dollar buy out. I am guessing if he is still a Dodger, they will buy him out. He will be 35 and they have Kim.
One odd notion I’ve seen is that the Dodgers would DFA Taylor if he agreed to re-sign a minor league contract to play in OKC. He’d become a well-paid depth piece, while Kike would be signed to take his place in LA.
More likely, I think, is that Taylor’s salary (or most of it) will be dumped in a trade that includes a solid ML-tested arm like Knack or Wrobleski. Or maybe a potential star like Bobby Miller.
I’ll say it again: The O’s have a surplus of good young infielders, and the Dodgers a surplus of good young pitchers. Perhaps something could be worked out.
Most likely, I think, is that Taylor will simply remain a Dodger.
True but Kim doesn’t replace Taylor. Taylor plays 2b,SS,3b,Lf,Cf, Rf. And all really well. Kike and Edman can do that but isn’t Kim primarily an infielder?
Kershaw is 32 K’s short of 3000. He needs to accomplish that in a Dodger uniform. Profar signed with Atlanta because of all the turmoil in Padre’s ownership. Sasaki did the same. Are the Pads in serious trouble?
Andy Pages is my pick to take off this season. Why? I don’t know; maybe it’s this red wine I”m having.
Either way, I’ll be rooting for Washington and KC today. Again, no reasons but friends root for those teams so I’d be happy for them. Also I find all things Philly irritating.
Wine is as good a reason as any other. Pages is a raw talent, if he learned the K-zone a little better, he could be a monster.
Pages’s biggest problem so far has been his weakness against right-handed pitching, which of course is most of pitching.
If Pages can fix that, he can be a star. If not, a role player.
Who will have the best season for the Dodgers?
I’ll go with Mookie. I predict that Mookie will be Mookie.
He’ll prove his competency at SS and it won’t affect his offense in a negative way. He will prove the naysayers wrong. The position change may make him even more engaged, more of a leader. He’ll make the all-star game at SS (along with Lindor) and wind up in the top 5 of MVP voting along with Shohei.
I’m also bullish on Conforto, who I think could return to the all-star levels of his glory days with the Mets. His best season was 2019, when he produced an .857 OPS with 33 HRs. Last season, he was a much better player on the road, so getting out of SF and joining the LA powerhouse should help. The simple fact that the LA brass targeted him and signed him early in the postseason gives me good vibes.
It should be noted that Conforto has struggled in Dodgers Stadium–but that was probably more a matter of him facing Dodger pitching.
Cubs finalizing a trade with Houston for closer Ryan Pressley, who waived his no-trade clause. Seems like the Stros will send some money to offset his 14-mil pact. Stros will receive at least one prospect in the deal. Eagles crushing DC. I can’t wait until spring because they you find out every players #. They currently have Conforto wearing #30. That is Roberts #.
Conforto wore #30 with the Mets. Maybe he’s going to give Doc a Porsche so he can have that number. Of course, he isn’t making as much as Shohei so maybe he’ll give Doc a Kia.
Trevor Bauer is going back to Japan to pitch for Yokohama next season. Pitched there in 2023 and then in Mexico last year. Now back to Japan, which I guess you could consider a promotion.
If he has a good year over there, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if some team gave him a shot back here in 2026. As with everything else these days, half the country would hate him and the other half would say no big deal.
Interesting political take.
Maybe Bauer could make his comeback with the A’s–on Opening Day in Vegas.
Remember it’s only 29% that would hate him. 28% would welcome him back, the rest don’t give a sh*t. Me? I never thought he should have been banned.