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Qualifying Question: Should The Dodgers Bring Back Yasmani Grandal?

Yasmani Grandal

The biggest news of the Dodger’s offseason has of course been the recent Clayton Kershaw extension. We’re all super relieved that Kershaw is staying in Los Angeles. But that isn’t the only piece of news coming out of Dodger Stadium this winter. The Dodgers have issued qualifying offers to two of their free agents. One of those players is left handed pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu, and the other is to switch-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal. Few players bring out the ire of Dodger fans like Yasmani Grandal.

That leads me into the premise for this article today. Should the Dodgers bring back Yasmani Grandal behind the plate? Or should they go in a different direction? Since Austin Barnes, the backup catcher was one of the worst hitters in baseball in 2018, the Dodgers have three choices. They can go with Grandal again as the primary catcher in 2019 and find someone else to pair with him. They may go with one of their promising young catcher prospects like Will Smith, or Keibert Ruiz. Or they could bring in someone else from outside the organization.

The qualifying offer in 2018 is 17.5 million dollars. Grandal and Ryu both have ten days to make a decision. If they accept the offer then they will earn 17.5 million dollars on the one-year contract for 2019. If they refuse then they become unrestricted free agents. If either of them sign with another club then the Dodgers are protected with a compensatory draft pick for compensation.

When talking about Grandal, most Dodger fans become quite passionate one way or another. Some love him. Some hate him. Either way, he’s been quite a productive catcher, one of the best in MLB. However that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his warts.

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When talking about Grandal, you have to play to his strengths. Those strengths are power and pitch-framing. When you talk about those two skills, he’s one of the best in MLB. Surely we know that Grandal hits a lot of home runs. For a catcher, this is quite impressive.

Grandal hit 24 home runs, second in MLB among catchers. Only Salvador Perez slugged more round trippers. In regards to wRC+, Grandal’s 125 was also second (J.T. Realmuto 126) and in on-base percentage Grandal’s .349 led MLB. Not only that, his BB% (13.9) tops in baseball. His WAR of 3.6 was second among all catchers and he led all catchers in slugging. According to Stat Corner, Grandal is the second best pitch-framer in all of baseball. His RAA (runs allowed average) was registered at 13.8 in 2018. Only Jeff Mathis had higher marks. If you were wondering, Austin Barnes came in at third.

He’s got his issues though. He led MLB with 26 passed balls from 2016-2017 and then had 9 in 2018. That’s a total of 35 passed balls over the last three seasons. We all know that Grandal not only has trouble hanging onto the ball but he also has problems blocking the plate.

A miserable October soured many people on Grandal’s abilities to be behind the dish. The Dodger management had to bench him after he had an unprecedented four errors which included two passed balls, and a missed catch error in game 1 of the NLCS against Milwaukee. We saw Grandal but in a more limited capacity for the remainder of the postseason. Maybe this has soured management somewhat on his skills. However it’s important to note that Grandal still knows the Dodger pitching staff better than anyone.

The catching market is pretty limited right now. It may be in the Dodger’s best interests to use another season of Grandal behind the plate. I know Grandal is a horrendous postseason hitter (career .107 average) but let’s not forget that Grandal has smashed 89 home runs for the Dodgers in the regular season since 2015. This season he hit 24 and drew 72 walks. He’s still one of the most productive catchers in baseball. I would probably be ok with him coming back, but I think the Dodgers need to find a better companion to pair with him. What do you guys think? Should the Dodgers bring back Yasmani Grandal? Sound off in the comments, and try to be rational about it.

Scott Andes

Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic

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Scott Andes
Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic
https://ladodgerreport.com

45 thoughts on “Qualifying Question: Should The Dodgers Bring Back Yasmani Grandal?

  1. Howard pretty much nails it.

    It’s pretty easy to say trade for Realmuto, but the kid is perhaps the best catcher in the game, on a good contract.

    I don’t see the Marlins trading him, and CATCHING IS SO BAD I don’t see anyway it’s not a bidding war.

    Next to land wars in a Asia, I’d recommend not getting into a bidding war for a catcher.

  2. Scott,

    Now that the Dodgers have announced qualifying offers to both Ryu and Grandal. We can only guess what will happen next. Will Grandal risk the market and hope to get at least $20M, or will he gladly take the $17.9M? I think Grandal would be dumb not to take the offer. I think Ryu will take the offer. The $17.9M will be a substancial increase in salary for both… way more than what they are currently worth, in my opinion.

    Both take the offer, thinking they will be remaining with a contending, first class organization, and have a chance to prove their worth to the Dodger Organization and Fans, just as Kershaw chose to remain and finish the score here in LA. But, in doing so, the Dodgers will lose a compensation pick. For both.

    Now, stuck with Grandal and Ryu, I think the Dodgers will have an opportunity to build up an interesting package to deal with Miami for Realmuto. A good trade offer would be to package Grandal, Ryu, and Wood and/or Pederson, for Realmuto and some prospects or draft picks.

    I think both Pederson and Wood need a change of scenery. I would hate to lose Pederson, but if the Dodgers continue to waste him away, sitting him on the bench, they might as well let him go and hopefully get him more playing time, and get something in return at the same time. As far as Wood, I would not miss him at all.

    We will find out in a few days, what Grandal and Ryu decide to do.

  3. It is now out of their hands. The decision is on Grandal. Consider this. 93 players have received qualifying offers over the last few years and only 5 have taken them. This is Grandal’s first shot at free agency. He is 30 years old, youngest free agent catcher on the market with the best hitting skills. He will get a higher offer from some other catching poor team. That I would bet on. The only Dodger ever to take the qualifier was Brett Anderson, and remember how we all hated that one. Plus the fact Twinkle Toes injured himself in spring and pitched in only a couple of games and earned over 10 mil. Another brilliant move by FAZ. As for Ryu, I would say Hyun Jin will take that. He is much better at Dodger Stadium than most anywhere else and I doubt any team gives him a multiyear deal. And Blue, Miami would want prospects more than those guys you mentioned. You have to remember their manager is Mattingly, so he knows the Dodger system and would most likely want some of the top prospects for a guy like Realmuto. And here’s one for the books. Some analyst on MLB.com said that he thought the Dodgers would sign Harper to a 13 year 420 million dollar deal. Works out to a 30 mil per year average. That guy is eating too much loco weed.

  4. Michael & Package,

    I agree. Definitely “Noooooo”!

    You know what gripes me? Why a Player that bombed this year. and especially during the playoffs, deserves a qualifying offer, almost doubling his salary of last season. This is what is destroying the game, and ripping off the Fans, who ultimately pay their salaries. And to make matters worse, their probably will be some idiot owner who will offer him over $20M.

    1. It’s a market economy and he’s the best player at a position of need.

      If you think that’s destroying the game, perhaps you’d like to go back to the time of reserve clauses and no player movement?

      1. Bluto
        Back in the day at least I could identify with my team and have a hero that likely would be there year to year. Compared to what we have now with stupid owners and managers who only think about money and are not even loyal to their own team. Plus they use numbers that they dreamed up that are not always true. Shameful!!

        1. Totally true Package, but that “identification” and “hero” came at a serious economic cost to players and boonfall to “stupid owners” who think only of money.

    2. The good news is Blue, that considering the fact that he is 30 and that most players have turned down the offers anyway, he most likely passes. 5 of 93 over the last few seasons is a pretty low percentage and only 7 were offered the QO this year. I definitely think Ryu accepts and Grandal declines. I think being booed at Dodger Stadium, well deserved of course, really bothered him. But free agency is what it is. The other system was basically servitude with no way out unless you were traded. All the major sports have free agents and there is really no way that MLB could do it any other way. If the game has suffered, I think, at least it is my opinion, that it is more because of the analytics used to set a players value and skills. The game is over 150 years old and has evolved a lot. More players today are not simply ball players, they are fine tuned machines. Babe could drink a 6 pack, eat a bunch of hot dogs, and hit 3 homers. These guys take much better care of themselves. Todays medicine fixes things that ended careers 30 years ago. Drysdale had to retire at 32 because of a torn rotator. Today, he would still be pitching. They could not have fixed Koufax’s arthritis, but most things that ended careers are repaired today. Tommy John should have never been able to pitch again, but after the surgery if memory serves he pitched close to 10 more years. But there is also a downside. Players today get injuries that were not prevalent all those years ago. Pulled groins and hammy’s. Strained quads and injury’s to the abs. Pitchers throw harder, and they throw less. Guys who do not have instant success are relegated to being platoon players. More muscles mean less flexibility. One writer brought that up in a conversation on whether the Dodgers should try to sign Puig to a contract longer than 3 years. He is arbitration eligible now. The writer said because of how muscular Puig is, it usually will lead to problems in his lower body, especially his legs. Grandal will most likely get a deal for about 3 years and say 55 million dollars. Not from the Dodgers, but somebody out there takes that leap. One pundit said he thought 3 and 40, but that’s only 13.3 a year. Good money, but probably not what he wants. He will get what the market dictates. As for the Dodgers, they will probably, if he walks, go for either one of the older free agents for maybe a year until either Ruiz, or Smith is ready. Ruiz is a switch hitter. They could also trade for a guy like Francisco Cervelli of the Pirates, or even take a run at Realmuto, although the Marlins are saying he pretty much is not available. And yes, the fans are footing the bill and I have no doubt the Dodgers, at least this ownership, will raise ticket prices again and the TV package will still not be available to a large portion of the fans. The game is what it is. Saber metrics and analytics have changed the way players are valued. The old days are gone for good, and we are left with a game that is a lot more boring that it ever was. Sometimes it is downright unwatchable. Which is one reason that when I go to California, I go out to Rancho Cucamonga and watch the Dodgers A farm team play. Cheaper, and definitely entertaining. Those kids trying to get 30 miles down the freeway have a lot of heart and talent, and watching them pursue their dream can be a lot more fun than watching the millionaires club up the road.

  5. Totally agree Package,

    The game has changed for the worse. Steroids, ANAL-ytics, guaranteed contracts, millions of dollars in payroll. Owners don’t care, the avid Fans end up footing the bill.

    One other thing that gripes me is the way they hinder the advancement of these young players.

    Look at Pederson, Puig, CT3, Toles, Verdugo, Urias, Stripling, Ferguson, Muncy. These kids can play ball, no doubt. The only doubt is from the FO. All this platooning, matchups, limited innings, etc., are stunting the growth of these players. These kids want to play, not waste away on the pine or in the farm. They are labeled with all these restrictions, and never given a chance to really prove themselves, and bloom their careers. These kids did not make it this far by not batting against righties or lefties, or being limited to 80, or so pitch-counts.

    Let these kids play. Get four or five solid years out of them, then move on and bring up a new crop. Longivity only leads to rediculously high guaranteed contracts which owners soon regret and get stuck with.

    I cannot feel sorry for these kids if they fizzle out after 5 years, because they will get paid well enough for 5 solid years of production. If they have the ability to continue their careers for another 5-7 years, then more power to them. Don’t just shovel money at their feet because they have to.

    1. Fans have always footed the bills.
      Owners have always been in it for the money.
      Guaranteed money is a great thing. Everyone should have guaranteed contracts!
      Analytics make the game much more digestible.
      Nutrition, medicine makes the players better, not worse.

      You guys are so cranky.

      Life is great.

      1. Well Bluto, we all have our beliefs. I am not against players making a lot of money. They are basically entertainers, which is why I do not have favorite players anymore. As for making the players better? Well that’s all in how you look at the game. I do not think for one minute there is a player on the field in todays game who comes close to being as good as Willie Mays. I can say that because I saw Mays play. Many times. I also do not think there is a pitcher out there better than Steve Carlton, or Randy Johnson, or even Greg Maddux. They might be more physically fit, but that in no way makes them better. If you want further evidence, check Ted Williams career slash line and show me one player today who even comes close.

        1. Ah. Michael there’s the rub.

          Stats like WAR are meant to make statements like “who comes close to being as good as Willie Mays” or “I also do not think there is a pitcher out there better than Steve Carlton” more open to discussion.

          These stats help isolate a player’s performance and make objective discussions possible. So it’s not just opinions thrown around like spaghetti.

          For the 100th time, at least, I am not arguing that modern day baseball is more fun to watch or even fun to watch. That’s a different discussion.

          1. Both Mays and Williams career WAR makes discussion pretty one sided. Same with any of the pitchers I mentioned who all have WAR’s over 100. Kershaw and even Verlander are 40 points below that. No top player of today comes anywhere near what Mays and Williams did. Williams career OBP was close to .500. Nobody even approaches that. Plus the guy hit over 500 homers and had a career batting average over .340. So discussion over. Machado’s career WAR is a little over 30, and Harper is under 30.

        2. Michael
          Don’t worry, you won’t have to convince Bluto that this stuff is bad for baseball when people quit going to the ballpark and watching it on tv. There will be no money to pay these stars what they have been making. That will be the beginning of the end. I believe it is not too far off either. The game is boring. I used to never turn the channel or turn off the tv when things did not go right but now it is so slow and with idiots running things it is easy to turn it off. It used to be more fun to comment on blogs but so many believe anything as long as the FO says it you cannot win. This year’s TV ratings for the WS is as low as it has been in years and years.

      2. Bluto
        Yes, fans have always footed the bills but Sabermetrics and platooning and other boring things have caused fans to lose interest. The past World Series was one of the least watched WS in history because the game has become boring. If they do not change they might lose the fan’s interest forever.

        1. That’s quite a statement to make package.

          There’s validity to what you write. To me, the bigger case is that all TV ratings are down. We can’t blame platooning for that? Nor sabremetrics? Too many choices and other entertainment options.

          But there is something to it. FanGraphs took a great look at this, here’s there conclusion (and one that picks up on some of the things you suppose.)

          Just because World Series ratings mimic overall television trends doesn’t mean MLB shouldn’t be concerned. In this case, however, it shouldn’t be too hard to find reasons why the 2018 version looks a lot more like 2006-15 (9.3 rating) or 2012-2015 (8.4) than 2016 (12.9) or 2017 (10.6). There are a lot of possible reasons for the low ratings this year, including but not limited to:

          A lack of star power.
          Length of games.
          A lack of balls in play (i.e. too many strikeouts).
          The abundance of relievers.
          Start time of games (too late).
          The Dodgers’ lack of a local broadcast for regular-season games.
          The use of cable networks like FS1 for early-round games.

          1. The big thing for me is the lack of activity in general in games these days. Simply put, there are no baserunners anymore. Nobody puts the ball in play. Yes launch angles and too much analytics are partly to blame but the game’s philosophies have shifted. I think the game goes in cycles. And eventually the launch angles and massive strikeouts will decrease when the next big thing comes up. Pitching dominated the 50s and 60s. Stolen bases dominated the 80’s. Steroids and home runs were prevalent in the 90’s. Now these days it’s launch angles, home runs and strikeouts. I wonder what the next big movement will be?

          2. Bluto
            I don’t just suppose that it is sabermetrics or platooning among other things that you have described like abundance of relievers or length of games. All of these things are causing people to lose interest. Just when the game gets good some managers pull the pitcher or maybe some fan’s favorite player so the fan turns off the tv or changes the channel. Now some want a electronic strike zone. Wrong. You need umpires to keep up the drama. Right is not always right. Some think baseball needs more change but I say it needs less change. Think about it, they changed the catcher rule when Posey got hurt so now they play like wusses. No action there. Sabermetrics, platooning as well as many other things have made this game very vanilla. You noted too many strikeouts . What do you think caused that? That’s right Sabermetrics. You heard me complain constantly about not playing Kemp but in reality it was caused by platooning. Who ever heard of sitting an All Star to platoon. That is crazy. All in all if they don’t stop doing stupid stuff the game is doomed.

  6. Well said Michael and Package.

    I’ll leave it at that. We will never be able to convice Bluto that the days of exciting games and real ballplayers is gone, almost forever. What Bluto finds entertaining and what I feel is entertaining is like comparing apples and oranges, but he is entitled to his beliefs, as you and I are.

    That is what makes these discussions fun.

  7. Catching is tough! The tools of ignorance as Vinny would say. We could definitely do a lot worse than Grandal…Barnes yikes!!!

    1. With the offense the Dodger have had, they can afford 1 weak bat in the lineup as long as he is good defensively. Barnes is not as bad as he was this year. I think he more someone in between. Probably a .240 average with maybe 7 to 10 HR’s. But his pitch blocking and defensive skills are better than Grandal’s. He does not throw out many runners, but he also has never had the job full time. A couple of years ago, Hernandez was in there against lefty’s because he hit them so well. But overall, Kike was a lousy hitter. But this year playing a lot more, he got his average over .250. Ruiz and Smith are both said to have very good defensive skills with Ruiz probably the better hitter over all. That does not include the other 2 top notch prospects in Wong and Catanya. So not having Grandal and his streaky bat and weak defense is not going that big a deal. They can get someone on the free agent list or in trade to hold down the fort for a year.

  8. Stats are that, just stats. What it all boils down to is:

    1) What are you doing for us NOW!
    2) How are you feeling TODAY!
    3) How does the player look in warmups (in the cage? in the bullpen? mentally?)

    Does not matter much, how you did over a 5 year stretch.

  9. Bluto,

    Three of your reasons for low ratings are a result of Sabermetrics.
    The other four are flat out corporate greed, so they can afford to overpay these overrated (by Sabermetrics) primadonnas.

  10. These are all very interesting and pointed discussions about analytics.

    Couple of things that are very much overlooked:

    Every team uses analytics and most of the best best teams, especially out in the AL, uses it a lot.
    The FBZ is just not as good at it as the best clubs. I said it a long time ago that they’ve been passed. Now I worry they don’t know it. There’s no improvement in their approach. Their style is obvious and predictable, just like some our hitters, and if I were an opposing FO I would know exactly how to pitch to them.

    To me our FBZ are just hanging on to their old swings out of pride. In contrast Puig and Peterson have improved dramatically over the same span. Maybe we need Turner Ward to train the FBZ.

  11. Scott,

    The FO has created a situation where it’s not up to them. The decision is all on Yasmani Grandal.

    I’m in the camp that thinks Grandal will not get a contract that averages $17M per year. Does he want to return to the Dodgers for another year? The FO is betting he doesn’t.

    The QO to Ryu is even more baffling. Why wouldn’t he take that? I don’t see any way possible that he would get anything close to that. This will be a very regretable decision.

    Why? Greed for draft picks? They couldn’t sign their 1st round draft pick this past year.

    If both Grandal and Ryu accept their QO’s…..what could that $35M had bought you in place of?

    How about a Bryce Harper for year 1 of his contract. Wouldn’t Harper do a lot more for the offensive woes than Grandal and Ryu? I think so.

    Only 2 more years would the Dodgers have a $31M AAV Kershaw and Harper. After that Harper is very affordable. Kershaw’s money would then go to Seager, Bellinger, etc.

    We’ll see how this plays out .

    Because the Dodgers will have limited funds I’m predicting that Bryce Harper will wind up either with the Nationals or the Cardinals.

    1. They do not want Harper. Trust me, if they wanted him they would find a way to get him. But he does not really do that much for them. His defensive metrics are worse than Puig’s. He had a terrible first half and he is going to probably get 10 plus at close to 400 million dollars. This ownership is happy they got under the tax. Harper would get them back in tax territory again. He has power, and he is young, but I am not sure his image plays well in LA.

      1. Didn’t they have inconsistent offensive woes throughout the season? Didn’t the FO lay the WS woes at the feet of offensive production or lack thereof?

        So the answer is ‘we don’t want Harper.’ We/(they) didn’t want Stanton either. I bet they won’t want Arenado either.

        So we are going to have the same team as last year except Freese from the start. Ok. More of the same. Sounds like an egotistical FO to me.

  12. So if Harper didn’t suck the first half would he be getting almost $450M over 10 years?

    Ironically here’s how his ‘bad’ end of the year numbers would rank on this years Dodgers team.

    Hits….2nd
    Home Runs…2nd (1 less)
    RBI’s…..1st
    Walks….1st (51 more than 2nd)
    OPS….3rd
    SLG….3rd
    OBP….2nd

    That would help this offense!

    Guess we’ll see whom the FO picks up to improve the offense.

    1. Chili, it makes no difference what he did in either half because this ownership and this front office does not sign guys to contracts like that. If he was getting 350 million for 10 they would not go after him. Most experts think he will wind up in Philly, or even St Louis. Nobody really thinks the Dodgers will even kick the tires on him or Machado. They can find offense through trades, and what they need more than a 300 million dollar man is a change in hitting philosophy. Less going for the downs and more situational hitting. If they went after him I would be totally surprised. If they got him I would be even more surprised. I think some team is going to throw so much money at him that he never even thinks about LA. Huge free agent contracts, especially those for the years these guys are going to command are not in this teams modus operandi. That’s the way they work. They would have liked to have gotten him as a rental, that we know because the talked to the Nats about it. But there is even an outside chance he stays in DC. The Dodgers might have the means to get someone like that, but not the guts to pull the trigger. They like being below the tax, and you as a fan should know how they work. The guy was a 1.3 WAR player this year. He is not worth the kind of money he is going to get. Matt Kemp was a 1.1 WAR player. Machado on the other hand was 5.7. So why would they give all that money who was worth less wins above replacement than Machado? And they have no intention of retaining him. Common sense says they do not do it. They try to get rid of big contracts for offensive players, not give them out. Turner is the only offensive player they have signed to a large multiyear deal.

      1. Michael,

        I realize how our current FO operates. And as most already know it’s not necessarily how I would run the team.

        There are multiple ways to discuss signings, trades, etc.

        1.) One can assume that they are Friedman/Zaidi and predict what they will do based on historical data.
        2.) One can opine that they finally step out of their comfort zone (or realize this is not the LA Tampa A’s.)
        3.) Or one can discuss from a position IF they were the GM/President of Baseball operations what would they do.

        You always argue from the position that everyone is thinking along the line of Friedman/Zaidi. Trust me, I know how they think.

        I’m just bringing to everyone’s attention the fact that I believe that Ryu (for sure) and Grandal (possibly) might accept their QO’s. If they do than how does that help the financials? So $35M potentially gets sacrificed for what, an attempt to get 2 compensation picks after the first round. Hell they didn’t sign their first round draft pick last year.

        Offering Ryu a QO was dumb. I can at least understand why they would consider offering Grandal a QO.

    2. Oh yeah, there is one other major problem with Harper, his agent is Steve Boros. Most teams despise the guy. He always wants the most he can get for his client, and I doubt the FO believes he is worth what Boros thinks. Friedman has never signed a free agent to a 9 figure deal, and I do not believe he will change spots just because it is Harper.

      1. I’m not a huge Bryce Harper fan but if I was a GM of a team that needed offensive help (Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies all come to mind) I would definitely take a hard look at him. In fact I would be almost glad he had a down year last year. His price tag went down a bit because of that. He’s 26. He is just now entering his prime. He could explode. I don’t have those same warm and fuzzies about Manny Machado as I think Baltimore’s ball park inflated his numbers.

        1. You might not have to worry about Zaidi. The Giants are going to interview him for their president of baseball operations position. I hope he takes it. They just spent 31 mil, plus incentives a year on Kershaw. They have Jansen and Turner pulling down close to 20. Kemp is on the books for 19. So that is close to 100 mil on 4 players. Does not leave a lot of wiggle room. They will no doubt try to move Matt and most likely end up paying a large portion of his salary if they are successful. I just do not see them forking out over 60 million dollars on just 2 guys. If Grandmal and Ryu both were to accept, there would be another 35 million gone. With Puig and a few others in arbitration, there is not very much wiggle room at all.

          1. I think this is accurate, although nobody knows what budget the team operates under.

            The stadium attendance and local TV deal still throw off tons of money. The CBT is addressed and lots of money comes off the books in the near-term (Kemp, Hill, Grandal, Puig) so that should create wiggle room.

            I guess.

            All that said, what does the team really need? Bullpen? Sure, but nobody spends money on the ‘pen. A top flight starter? Always, but unless it’s a trade with Cleveland there isn’t one. Harper? I’d be thrilled, but then lots of bodies need to be moved.

  13. Chili,

    Looks like much of the same as the last two years.

    The two qualifying offers to Ryu and Grandal were somewhat expected. A big gamble by FO, hoping that Ryu and Grandal would reject it, and they would get two compensation picks. They would have been better off putting the $35M on the crap table.

    I would not be surprised if they both take the offer. Both almost doubling their salaries, and I doubt they could get a long term deal to their liking, in the FA market. FO will have to then go to Plan B, what ever that is.

    So, unless they strike a big deal, the Dodgers will have basically the same team, and same sabermetrics. A team with the same host of average starting pitchers, many of which are coming off disabled list. The only hope is if the Dodgers. cut the umbilical cord on Buehler and Urias, and hope Kershaw can shed his demons. A team with basically the same offense and defense. The only hope is that Seager comes back ready to contribute. Lot of “Hopes”, and big holes at Catcher, Second Base, and starting rotation.

    1. I believe Grandal will reject the offer. I am pretty sure he and his representation feel in this climate they can get a better deal. Ryu, well he will probably stay out of a sense of loyalty since the team stuck by him through all of his injury problems. In any case, if Ryu stays, expect at least 1 or maybe even two starters to be offered in trades. Right now the starters on the 40 man roster are Ferguson, Kershaw, Wood, Hill, Maeda, Buehler, Stripling, Urias, and Santana. And they also have Stewart who is on the AAA roster. The new top 30 prospect list is out. Verdugo still #1, and Ruiz is #2. They have 4 catchers in the top 16. Wong, Cartaya, Smith and Ruiz. May is #3 and Lux is #4.

    2. Bluefan,

      I agree. Not real sure about Corey Seager either. Having multiple surgeries is never a good thing especially for someone that plays the most challenging position (other than catcher). We do not know how he will throw, run or swing a bat. The Dodgers need a completely healthy Seager just to offset (actually probably improve upon) Manny Machado as I definitely would not offer him a long term, high price deal. I’m predicting Machado ends up in Philadelphia.

  14. Michael,

    …no wiggle room at all. Really not much left to make a real blockbuster of a deal.

    They could probably only affford a box of band-aid fixes (again). So based on that, I can only expect to see much of the same old song for next season. The only hope they have is if the “IF’s” pan out. “IF” Seager comes back strong, with no setbacks. “IF” at least two of the glass menagerie of so-called “Starters in the Wings”, can earn their keep. “IF” Kershaw can re-invent himself. “IF” Jansen can regain his dominance as the closer. “IF” they can dump Kemp and/or Kiké to make room for Verdugo. “IF” they give catchers Diaz or Smith a spot on the roster. “IF” they can just assign CT3 the job at 2nd and leadoff, and let him run with it… no platooning. Let Seager and Taylor meld into an error-free, dominant middle infield . “IF” Turner Ward will change the hitter’s approach at the plate… dump launch angle and swinging for the fences, and stress productive, situational hitting. The Dodgers hit a lot of HR’s but it did not help them win the WS…. causes way too many KO’s and pop-ups, and wasted scoring oportunities.

  15. Rosenthal has a off-season preview of sorts @The Athletic.

    https://theathletic.com/633974/2018/11/05/rosenthal-harper-machado-and-shifting-dynamics-in-the-market-will-make-the-offseason-a-parade-of-crazy/

    Mentions most expect the Dodgers to spend $ now that they’re under the CBT. Also mentions that he’s cooled on the Dodgers to trade for DeGrom bit (as he’s cooled on Baumgartner to Yanks and Kluber to Braves) but think a package led with Ruiz could get it done.

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