Adrian Gonzalez was once a fixture in the Dodger’s lineup. The last remnant from the 2012 blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox had never spent time on the disabled list in his entire career before the 2017 season. Gonzalez was an iron man never appearing in less than 156 games during his Dodger career. He was also the rock of the Dodger lineup. Gonzo smashed 101 home runs for the Dodgers during the regular season over his five-years as a Dodger.
Until this season when his back gave out. Gonzo appeared in only 71 games and collected just 252 plate appearances in 2017. He slashed .242/.287/.355 with 3 home runs, 30 runs batted in and posted a .642 OPS. Gonzo garnered just 20 extra-base hits. So in late April Gonzalez was officially placed on the disabled list. In the meantime top prospect Cody Bellinger was recalled from Oklahoma City and eventually took over the everyday first base duties. Of course Bellinger would go onto slug 39 home runs and have one of the greatest rookie seasons in Dodgers history.
While Bellinger was setting records, Gonzo found himself in an odd position, as a cheerleader. Gonzo would return in May but was less than effective at the plate. The veteran’s return pushed Bellinger back to left field for a while. Eventually Gonzo was unable to perform because of his faulty back and he returned to the disabled list.
When Gonzalez came back in August, the Dodgers inserted him back into the lineup as he returned to man his position at first base. Gonzo’s numbers continued to dip. He batted just .214 in June, and .191 in August. He also hit just .191 against left handers. He had just 8 extra-base hits in the second half. This was a tell-tale sign of the severe back problems that have plagued him not only throughout the 2017 season but also over the last several seasons.
On September26, Gonzalez hit his third home run of the season in a 9-2 win over San Diego. Immediately after the game the Dodgers announced that Gonzalez would not be on the postseason roster and would be sent home for the rest of the season. It was shocking news for Dodger fans who have been so accustomed to seeing Gonzo in the middle of the batting order.
Gonzalez was on a family vacation when the Dodgers won the pennant and reached the World Series for the first time since 1988. However he did reappear before game 2 joining Orel, Joe, Nomar, and Jerry in the sportsnetla studio.
Gonzalez’s 154 million dollar contract expires at the end of the 2018 season. Gonzo will become a free agent before the 2019 season. Gonzalez has hinted at possibly retiring once his contract is over, but could the Dodgers move him before that happens? Gonzo earned 22.3 million dollars this season and is due to earn 22.3 million dollars in the final year of his contract next season.
Does Gonzo have a place with the Dodgers in 2018? With the emergence of Cody Bellinger and the lack of positional depth for Gonzo (he can only play first base) probably will signal the end of Adrian Gonzalez’s Dodger career. No other player in recent years has impacted the Dodgers like Gonzo has. His power, clutch hitting and solid glove were a driving force for the Dodgers since 2012. His quiet leadership set the tone for younger players for years to come. Do you think Gonzalez has a place with the Dodgers in 2018?
AGon’s career in LA is over. There is no room on the roster for his existence on the team. The team should eat most of his contract and ship him to the AL in my opinion.
It was weird because Friedman said Agone would be an everyday player, next year.
And Friedman also said they are hoping Corey’s elbow will heal with the treatment, and rest, in the off season.
He also said Toles was hitting off a tee, and he would be ready for spring training.
But he said he didn’t know what Tole’s work load will be at the beginning of spring training, but he should be ready by opening day.
And he also said, Urias projected time to be back, would be in the second half, of next year.
Package they are going to have to work with Agone, because he has full no trade rights.
Well, if they cannot trade him then maybe he should go the way of Carl Crawford? Guess what? No room for Toles either. With Joc, Taylor, Kiki, Puig and probably Verdugo, do you see any room? Also, Friedman has been know to lie so we don’t know what we will end up with.
If AGon shows up healthy he would play. The reason Crawford hasn’t is because he became useless. For $22xxl they will give Adrian every opportunity to prove he can still hit. Bellinger can go to the outfield. That said, Gonzalez is on a short leash. His contract is a concern, but if we ate some of it he could possibly have some DH PH value somewhere.
As far as I’m concerned Kiké and Joc can be shipped. With Toles healthy Joc just isn’t necessary. Or maybe Toles isn’t. Kiké has value as he can play everywhere but ….. we still have a crowded house and Culberson has proved himself as having utility value. Options will be explored all winter. And it could be a long, dull winter.
Badger
I think the fact that Kike can play all over, and he hits lefties well, will keep him on this team, unless the front office gets a deal they can’t turn down.
But that is probably the truth about all of the players, except the untouchable players.
But until they know for sure, about Corey’s elbow, I don’t think they will do anything with Kike.
Remember at one point they said Corey’s elbow doesn’t bother him, when he is hitting, but he barely hit above 200 once he came back, after being out for his elbow.
But it doesn’t sound good, that they are hoping the off season and treatment, will heal his elbow, what do you think his injury is?
What do I think?
This from 19 September:
“Seager had an MRI on the elbow in late August and said it showed issues that he would need to “address more” in the offseason.”
I think he may need surgery and if so he should do it now. If not, somebody from the media needs to get an answer to the question “what exactly did that MRI expose that ‘needs to be addressed more in the off season.’”
Friedman said that they were hoping Corey would get better without surgery. To me, that’s a huge warning sign. Get it now, in November so it will be well on its way to healing by the time February rolls around. Sounded a lot to me like he may have some bone chips in there.
Badger
Your right about it being, one boring winter!
Awwwww come on MJ! Thanksgiving is coming, the winter meetings are 4 weeks away, and we got our first snow last night! 3 inches and my dog loved it.
I think AGon can still hit. Just not nearly as well as yesteryear. The question then becomes, do you play him for the sake of that contract or put someone out there who is a better player. For instance, if Verdugo, Toles or someone else can hit better than AGon would you play AGon? Not me. AGon is not worth it. Get rid of him!
I agree he probably can still hit Package, question is even a little close to what he once was? Doubt that. But getting rid of him is not that easy. He would have veto rights on any trade. They are not going to do the Carl Crawford thing and just release the guy. I think they will wait and see what he has in spring. Then make their decision. Of course if he is having trouble staying on the field, he may just retire.
Michael
I must admit, hearing about your little dog, made me feel a little better!
Thanks Michael!
Pacakage
Toles has as good of a chance, and he probably a better chance, then Joc does!
Joc has still not proved he can hit consistently, and he showed up to spring training, way out of shape this year.
Joc is forty pounds heavier, then he was, in his first major league season.
You are dead on there MJ, but Toles has a better shot at starting than any of those guys. He has shown he can hit, has some power, a decent arm, especially for LF, and of course the guy can run. I do think this will be the last shot for Joc. He will have to show marked improvement this spring, and then again, he could be traded.
Michael
Really, they all are going to have to earn there way, including Toles.
Badger and Michael
I am concerned about Corey too.
I don’t like when any of these pitchers avoid having a surgery, when they have a torn rotator cuff.
It never seems to work!
I am surprised that the Japanese pitcher on the Yankees, is still pitching.
Interesting since Gonzo said earlier this year that if his back is not totally healthy he would retire. But you can bet, at least judging by what FAZ said in the interview, that they expect Adrian to be healthy and ready for spring training. That signals to me that he will not be traded this winter and that no decision will be made on his Dodger future until the spring. Lets speculate a little. Say he is totally healthy and having a great spring. Well, we all know he can only play one position. Here comes the quandary. Now Bellinger is forced into the outfield pretty much full time. So who do you trust out there? Puig is a lock, unless he does something totally stupid this winter. I still like Taylor in the infield more than center. But if he is the full time CF, you have Bellinger, Toles, Joc, Kike, Thompson all fighting for time in LF. To me it is a no brainer then, Bellinger by default because he is a better defender than any of those guys and of course the power he brings to the lineup. But I would rather see him in CF if he was out there. Corner outfielders have been jinxed with a lot of injuries these last few years. And the buzz is friends, that the Dodgers are looking for a RH hitting outfielder with power. Lots of questions. Roster is at 40. Of course that will change with non tenders, trades and such. Morrow expressed a desire to return and FAZ has not ruled that out. First free agent signing goes to the D-Backs who resigned former Dodger Rubby DeLaRosa to a minor league deal……
The key will be the health of A-Gon. If he shows he’s healthy come spring training I can see them being able to trade him if they pay down his contract. If he’s not healthy then the where will Bellinger play talk doesn’t matter because A-Gon will be on the DL.
Michael
One thing we do know, if Cody is in the outfield, Package is not going to make it through the season!
Thank you for your vote of confidence MJ. Ha!
Package
What do you expect, you barely made it through ten days.
And you were linking Roberts, to a conspiracy theory.
What you just described is what I meant by a crowded house. AGon plans to be back on the field. Until further notice I don’t doubt him. If he isn’t, the outfield house is less crowded by 1. If he is, my pick is Bellinger in center as he apparently is the fastest guy on the team. That puts Taylor in left, but flipping them would be ok too. Then Toles, Pederson, Thompson, Kiké and Culberson are slugging it out to see who goes to Oklahoma.
Let’s say Gonzo is hitting around .200 and the other outfielders including Cody are much better than that. Say .250 or better. Do you play Gonzo because he is Robert’s bud or do you play the others ? I submit that Gonzo will play more than his share. He will be a starter, just like the so called injury to Belles last year. We all know that defensively Cody is better. Cody needs to play 1st base. Gonzo is slower than just about everyone on the team which means more DPs. He is not worth keeping in my opinion.
What about Verdugo??
Good question Package. He did about what I expected when he was called up. I did not expect a Cody like performance from him, but the kid has skills. More of a contact hitter than any power. But as loaded as they are in the outfield, he is a serious trade chip. He has decent range. As for Gonzo, like it has been mentioned before, he and his contract are not that easy to just get rid of. And from all the comments the front office has made so far, he will be given every opportunity this spring to prove he is healthy enough to be on the field. He would not play every game, that is a given, those days are gone, but if healthy, he would be at first most of the time, say 130 games.
Verdugo. Add his name on the mailbox of the crowded house.
What matters about Gonzalez is if he is, or if is ain’t healthy. He could be at 90% and still be good enough to hit 20 home runs and knock in 90. Can Toles do that? Can Verdugo, Pederson, or Thompson do that?
AGon will be 36 next year. For some guys that’s a problem. For others, not so much. I’m hoping he’s 100%. If he is it shouldn’t matter he hits .200 in ST.
With Agone, if they don’t play him everyday, he might consider going to another team, to play everyday, and the Dodgers will pay a lot, of his contract.
Package
My take on Verdugo is, that they thought enough of him, not to trade him.
But they didn’t give him many at bats, or much time on the field, to really see what he could do, so I think he plays another season at AAA, unless someone gets hurt!
Fact, Yasiel Puig and Jayson Heyward had exactly the same dwar. Fact Yasiel Puig played 25 more games in RF than Jayson Heyward. Fact Yasiel Puig had 1 error and Heyward had 2. Now how in the world do you figure that Heyward was the best fielder this year? Fact….Yasiel Puig was robbed.
I just watched a video of Halladay’s plane just before the crash. Some of the witness’s said it looked like he was show boating. He was making some pretty aggressive moves. Rob Thompson, Yankee bench coach to interview for the Yanks managerial position. Halladay’s plane crashed in about 6 feet of water. It nosed over,
Michael
I heard that Jerry Hairston was one of the candidates for the Yankees manager too.
I read that Halladay’s plane was like a jet ski with wings.
They had David Freeze as one of the gold glove candidates over Turner, so that award is not truly based on saber metric numbers.
The Cards and the Angels, would take Freeze out later in games, for a defensive replacement.
I had also read about Jerry. Thompson interviewed today. I have heard the ICON 5 described as a sports car with wings. It could land on water or land. There is a picture of Halladay after he got the plane.
I read this morning that the Texas Rangers can offer Ohtani the most, about 3.6 million. The most the Dodgers can offer is 300,000. And he would be limited to the major league minimum once he got to the majors. It would be 2020 before they could offer him a long term contract. Kind of shoots that in the ass doesn’t it.
I am not so sure Michael. Previously, non-restricted teams could offer US$10m or more in signing bonuses, which would have killed our chances. A 3 million difference actually benefits LA. Look at it this way, Ohtani will also be stuck with a minimum contract until 2020 no matter which team he signs with. I think the FAZ will probably try to sell Ohtani on the idea that he will make more in advertisements both in the US and in Japan, and have a better lifestyle, by playing in LA.
I think it is going to come down to how good a relationship the FAZ has with Ohtani’s agent, and where Ohtani’s significant other wants to live.
Yes, In Otani’s case, there’s the posting fee ($20mm I think) and many teams, such as the Dodgers the Rangers or the Yankees, would bid the maximum $20 million to have a shot.
However, also via the current CBA, because the 23-year-old Otani is under 25, he would be subject to international signing pools and must sign a minor league contract. Teams currently have anywhere from $10,000 to offer Otani to the $3.535 million of the Rangers, according to figures reported by the Associated Press.
The Yankees, who badly want the ace/slugger, have the second most to spend at $3.25 million. The Mets have $105,000. The Cubs, Dodgers and Giants — all expected to be eager pursuers — have just $300,000 each to offer.
Here is my exit review on A-Gon. Again I am aware of a lot SABR stats on these guys, but I don’t want to dwell on them since a majority of blogs out there already put out a lot of SABR stats. I am just stating my own observations and recollections of these players over the course of the year, with more focus on their performance during the playoffs (where applicable), and lastly how they could help the team next year.
A-Gon. A-Gon was hurt from the beginning of the year (even during the World Baseball Classic) and should be healthy for spring training. Recall that he hurt his forearm or elbow from doing too much lifting (which I thought was just pro-sports speak for a more serious injury than he was letting on). His swing just did not look right from the get go, and I recall getting worried about his defense during the first few months of the year. It just seemed like he was laboring. And we simply cannot have A-Gon and Grandal in the same lineup anymore. That is two GIDPs waiting to happen; ideally our 2018 lineup will not have either. The funny thing is, from time to time I missed him during the NLCS and the WS. I think we win Games 5 and 7 with him in the lineup and Bellinger in left. I am raising this point not because I want him to play every day, but barring another injury, a retirement or a trade where we eat most of his contract, he is going to be around unless his defense falls off a cliff. It will be a real test for Roberts (and A-Gon himself) to see how this plays out, and I think there was probably some words between the two good friends which resulted in A-Gon taking as much vacation as he did during the playoffs. There is some intrigue going on there. Anyways I think we need to clear up the clutter in our roster, and while I think A-Gon is a great guy, he is a proud man and I think this situation could blow up in Robert’s face. I also think the risk of A-Gon not doing much at all, and Roberts waiting him out, is a real risk. Overall I would hope the FAZ realizes this and ships A-Gon off to an AL team (while eating most of his contract). A-Gon still has value as a DH and a vet first baseman for teams that need it – for example is Evan Gattis really that much better a hitter or a base runner than A-Gon? The other possibility is that A-Gon takes the 2017 Ethier route – he comes down with some injury in pre-season and then preps himself for a September and post-season role. I am not saying the Dodgers are gaming the system, but things like this do happen.
My thoughts exactly
Here’s an outside of the box way of looking at A-Gon’s contract. Stop looking at it like $25 million deadwood, which you have to pay anyways if you cut him. If you trade him and pay $22 million of it, look at the $3 million as the equivalent of shaving $3 million off the deadwood that is Kazmir, and you might even get an international signing slot or a low level lefty utility guy for your trouble. Like Grandal, AGon very likely has more value to many other teams, just not the Dodgers, as opposed to Kazmir who is totally deadwood at this point.
I was reading an article that said the most money that can be offered to begin is about 4.2 mil if I am remembering correctly. In terms of what can be made over a career it is very little meaning that other things could be more important to a players career for instance the Japanese population is bigger in LA there than anywhere in the US. I have not given up yet but I get your drift. I also read where Otani looked up to Darvish so I remain hopeful.http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post/_/id/17635/shohei-otani-is-still-mlbs-biggest-offseason-question
Package, that is the only way we are going to be able to land Ohtani, so it makes things easy in a way. Ohtani’s agent is Ethier’s agent. I had thought this was not a good sign, because Ethier was probably not too happy with his role with the team. However, Ethier did get a huge contract, so if this was the same agent that got him that contract, maybe his agent is very happy with the Dodgers and willing to push “the bigger picture” to his client. If I were the FAZ or his agent, I would be saying, look you are leaving US$100m+ on the table, and you will be playing for the same team until 2020, so you have better think long and hard about where you want to live, from now until then. And guess what you also have a baby before 2020, so think about how that is going to work out. Ohtani is only 23/24 – unless someone points this stuff out to him, he won’t know what to think.
YF– I agree he needs to lean on someone reputable that will help him the most with his choice as it means really his life.
Package. ESPN reports that the Rangers can offer the most in bonus money. 3,535,000.00 dollars. The Yankees can pay 3.25 and the Twins 3.24. Those teams and Pittsburgh, Miami and Seattle are the only teams that can offer him a 7 figure bonus. His representatives are meeting with the MLBPA to figure out a deal between MLB and the Nippon Ham Fighters so that the fighters would receive a 20 million dollar posting fee like they used to get. They are working on a new agreement that changes the signing rules that are in existence now.
My mistake on the figures. I forgot to change them when I found the article to post. Sorry.
no big deal, I just happened to be reading the story.
The more I look at this, and read about it, the more I’m inclined to say ….. 2019.
Yeah, I know. I said often 2018. But things have changed. Some of them I already mentioned. $50 million comes off the books after next year. Machado is in play after ‘18. We can add incrementally until then. FAZ likes low risk high reward. I googled low risk high reward mlb players for 2018. Names like Fister, Chacin and Tillman came up. Chacin and Tillman are from California. Eduardo Nunez could be signed. He would fit here. He’s better than Kiké. I think we can avoid big moves, take care of those who got us 104 wins and still make it to the NLCS. If Otanhi wants to play in LA he will. If he wants the $3.6mm now, and to live in Texas instead of Southern California, then adios kid. Say howdy to all those cowboy fans.
This is a very good team, provided everyone stays in shape and remains motivated. I think it likely FAZ does it the same way they’ve done it since they got here. Will the dominoes fall our way in the NL again? Maybe. But what we could leverage in ‘19? And the young talent we have that could be contributing then?
No big moves this winter. Low risk high reward. Keep your head. Stay balanced. I’ll call it…. FAZmanian Level.
seem like most famous people die in small planes or boats.. sure glad i am not famous
Jerry
We probably hear more about famous people dying in these type of accidents, because after all, they are famous people.
And most famous people have a income to buy these kind of toys.
Gonzalez’ 5&10 rights are a killer.
That said, I think Bellinger is so adept defensively and the OF jam already thick. (Thompson is out of options FWIW)
I can see Gonzalez agreeing to a trade if the Dodgers re-affirm (privately, of course) that Bellinger will be the 1B.
Hey Guys(all of us plus the Front Office)–lately it seems we’ve been going nuts trying to add veteran presence to our team (Gutierez, Utley (who you gotta love, but he’s still gotta produce in the tight so make him a part of the “organization” already, ) and especially Grandson(who I also love, but he’s gone). There’s one guy out there we can add for very little that can produce, probably for several years–and even run! Ichiro. Let’s say that one more time, Andrew and Zaidi. Ichiro. One more time: Ichiro. Just do it–and let’s move on to more important things knowing we’ve done our due diligence to general management wisdom.
That’s is a great idea. Ichiro could also be the ticket for us to land Ohtani. What Japanese star wouldn’t want to hang out with Ichiro, Maeda and Roberts!
Keep those great ideas coming Emerson!
Okay, man. Do my best.
There is and I would bet on it, no way in hell that FAZ signs Ichiro.
No room for him as a player. Both he and Utley as coaches works for me.
If he’s the real deal, Otani will make a lot of money no matter where he goes. It’s his choice where he wants to live and work.
Yeah Ichiro will never happen with the FAZ, who is most likely to stay put, but it’s a good idea nonetheless !
If we’re going to celebrate good ideas that will never happen, I shall continue to pound the table for Mike Trout.
Max scherzer
Corey Kluber
What exactly are you comparing to those ridiculous ideas?
Wow. Just read that a top international prospect in the Red Sox system just passed away from cancer. 17 years old catcher with Sanchez-like power. Daniel Flores is his name, and signed with a $3.1m bonus out of Venezuela. So sad.
YF
That is just terrible what kind of cancer did the kid have?
He didn’t get much time to spend that money, let alone, to live life.
Wanna know why Puig did not win the Gold Glove this year? Because of the use of a sabermetric called SDI. A stat developed my math geeks. Another reason that sabermetrics don’t always reveal the truth.http://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-yasiel-puig-responds-to-not-winning-gold-glove-award/2017/11/08/
http://sabr.org/sdi/2017-final
Package
I didn’t read the article you posted in Dodger Nation, but the defensive index, was only 25 percent of the gold glove equation.
The other 75 came from coaches and managers.
The Cubs shortstop had the top defensive index, in the National League, and Corey was second, but Brandon Crawford won the gold glove, and he was ranked fourth in defensive index, for shortstops.
But the fact that Heyward was platooned, should go against Heyward, like they penalize pitchers.
Because if a pitcher pitches less innings then another pitcher, that has about the same numbers, the pitcher that pitched more innings, will win the award.
And that is why Scherzer will win the Cy Young this year.
MJ I hope you are wrong about Scherzer but that definitely could be the case. 25% of the overall score is definitely enough to change the winner. Where is it written that total innings give the award to a certain pitcher?? It used to be said that wins determined the winner.
Wait, where does it say that SDI is the reason that Puig didn’t win it? Nowhere. It’s speculation by a third-rate writer.
Seriously, could that article have been more poorly written? I’m glad to be informed what “Beisbol Frank” thought of the outcome. He’s a great thinker
IMHO, the reason Hayward won is he’s more popular than Puig.
It is all specualation by everyone but they do say that the SDI counts 25% of the overall score to give the gold glove away. I think that was enough to do in Puig. I will agree, however, that some of the popularity contest you refer is also true. I don’t believe that Heyward would have won if not for the SDI.
If you look at Fangraphs defensive numbers, Heyward and Puig, are not as close, as some of these sabers, want to say.
They have the exact same amount of DRS, but in every other stat, except one, Puig has better numbers.
Bluto
Good choices, you probably just picked the Cy Young award winners, this year.
Gold Glove? Other than the winners, who cares? Ethier won one and Matt Kemp won two. Obviously they are meaningless awards.
What matters these days are defensive runs saved. How did our guys measure up with that stat.
Read this yesterday –
Dodgers get: Stanton
Marlins Get: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Brock Stewart, RHP Mitchell White, LHP Caleb Ferguson
Ok. Do it.
Keep reading, Badger!
It stimulates the mind and the imagination.
Does that mean the Dodgers get Stanton’s entire contract too??
I do not think the Dodgers would take on his entire contract. You and I both know they are trying to cut payroll, and FAZ has never taken on any significant salary in any deal. And I think also that Jeter will want someone to take on the major portion of what is left on his deal. Miami might pay some of it.
Yep. The hole thing.
Reading is what I do Bluto. I know it’s not for everybody, but it works for me. Most of what I’m reading about the Dodgers says they will remain linked to everything but won’t do much.
Bellinger wins players choice top rookie award. Precursor to him getting the BBWA ROY. Kid had an awesome season. I love that line you wrote Scott, the last remnant of the 2012 block buster trade. Makes A-gone sound like an old shirt you are saving as a rag. Not sure what type of cancer the BoSox prospect died of. But 17 years old? That’s just not right. Kid never had a chance to really live. Not much going on in the world of baseball right now. Of course that is what is there for us to see. Lots of back room stuff though and tons of speculation from the media types. I read on today who thinks the only FA the Dodgers retain is Brandon Morrow. 2 years with an option year is what he said Morrow would do. Would not be a bad idea. All sorts of trade rumors out there. And a lot of scribes are saying the Giants are in hot pursuit of JD Martinez. There is also a story that says Martinez wants 5 years and 200 mil….keep on dreaming, Upton got 105 for 5 years.
Michael
JD Martinez will be scary in that big outfield, if his defensive metrics, are truly that bad.
I just read the ESPN story about the BoSox prospect who died. He died from complications caused by the treatment he was receiving. He was a catcher and according to scouts and management was a very skilled kid with a great work ethic……very sad story.
Dodgers top 30 prospects as of today Buehler, Verdugo, Alvarez, Kendall, Diaz, Ruiz, White, Smith, Lux, Sheffield, Heredia, Santana, Estevez, Oaks, May, Rios, Peters, Jackson, Abdullah, Marinan, Ferguson, Brito, Cooper, Rincon, Farmer, Wong, Santana, Raley, Robinson, Beaty…….11 pitchers, 1 who is a lefty, Ferguson, 4 catchers, 8 infielders and 7 outfielders. 6 of the infielders play multiple positions.
Upton is a good comparison. 31 year olds are risky without steroids. 5 and $115mm front loaded is fair. None of them are going to be as good at 36. You could add some incentives but the union hates those. They want money, not incentives.
I thought so. Both power hitting outfielders. Upton played CF some in AZ> But Upton is obviously better defensively than Martinez.
Michael
I think JD Martinez is a much more complete hitter, then Upton, but Upton must be better on defense, now.
But his defense didn’t impress me that much.
He was ok out there. He had 9 assists for the year. That’s pretty good, his dwar was 0.8, Martinez on the other hand had a dwar of -0.5. Over their careers, Martinez has a higher BA, and OPS and slugging average. But Upton has played a lot more games than Martinez as his OBP is higher. Upton has 104 more HR’s in his career and over 300 more RBI’s. Martinez and Upton both turn 31 next August. Martinez being older by 4 days. All in all they are pretty evenly matched, but there is no way I see any team paying Martinez the 200 million he is asking. Jay Bruce is seeking a 5 year deal in the 65-80 million dollar range.
Okay gang, there are 10 names on the HOF ballot this year…….who gets in? 2 exe Dodgers on there, Garvey and Tommy John. Plus Jack Morris, Alan Trammel, Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons, Luis Tiant, and the only non player in Marvin Miller. Not sure any of these guys is HOF material. Murphy was a pretty good player, ended up with 399 homers. Parker was a beast. Trammell and Morris were team mates in Detroit. TJ wound up with 288 wins, which puts him close. Garvey as good as he was still falls short to me. I always liked Simmons, he was a very good hitter. Mattingly was great for 6 years. After that his injuries really hampered his career.
The best MLB free agents from 2012-2013 should be a sobering reminder for everyone.
Via MLB Trade Rumors:
1. Zack Greinke
2. Josh Hamilton
3. Michael Bourn
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. B.J. Upton
6. Nick Swisher
7. Edwin Jackson
8. Dan Haren
9. Hiroki Kuroda
10. Kyle Lohse
BONUS #11 Angel Pagan
Bluto
It is hard for us to forget bad free agents, when we are still stuck, with McCarthy, and Kazmir.
And who’s idea was it, to put McCarthy, on the World Series Roster?
LOL
That was a joint decision by the FO and the manager and coaching staff… many have said that was a wrong move.
Many.
Still think Roberts makes good decisions? That one was poor if he had input. I am sure most of the Roberts lovers will blame FAZ, or maybe they will think it was a good decision.
Package, I think Roberts is a good manager. He is better than Mattingly was. I think there are times when he does make bad moves, but there is not a manager in baseball who is not guilty of that. But the final roster decision comes down to the FO simply because they are the ones who submit the rosters for each round. Basically the entire coaching staff and the FO are guilty on that one. No way you can pin the entire thing on Roberts. And since I go wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back, I will name a couple of well respected Dodger managers who made decisions that cost the Dodgers pennants. 1962. The playoff against the Giants. Game 3, Dodgers up 4-2 going into the bottom of the 9th. Don Drysdale had volunteered to pitch in the 9th. Duke Snider went to Alston and said Big D was ready to go. Alston said he needed Drysdale for the 1st game of the series, totally forgetting you have to get there first. Stan Williams came in and gave up 4 runs. Dodgers go home for the winter. 1985. We all know about Tommy having Neidenfuer pitch to Jack Clark with first base open. Result 3 run homer and bye bye World Series. What ever issue you have with Dave, most of us have seen this dance before. You can blame his decisions on the loss, you can dislike him as a person, insult his intelligence and it still will not change the end result because it happened, it is over, and no amount of discussion is going to change that, nor is this ownership and front office going to up and fire Dave Roberts. I really hated Walter Alston after that 62 playoff. I wanted that guy gone so bad. But they kept on giving him 1 year contracts until he retired after the 1976 season. By all accounts Alston had players who swore by him and players that swore at him. But he still remains the most successful manager in Dodger history.
Package
Roberts wasn’t the manager when the front office signed McCarthy.
And Roberts had to put a lot of time in the minors, before he made it to the majors.
Do you really think Roberts, is really big on McCarthy, who has been sitting on the bench, tweeting on Twitter, making witty statements, most of his contract?
I don’t think so, because Roberts had to work hard to get to majors and to stay in the majors.
I can’t believe that if Roberts did not want McCarthy on the roster he would have been forced to put him on the roster.
Agree Package. Roberts blew it on McCarthy and I blame Honeycutt too. But I still think we ride it out with Roberts and Honeycutt until FAZ is gone too (maybe after 2020).
Here’s a juicy fan fiction rumor that I came across:
Pederson and Grandal for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Also according to Vegas, the top 5 Otani landing spots are the Mariners, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, and Yankees. Winning legacies with strong Japanese communities in town.
Finally good look at the Dodgers framing surplus:
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-dodgers-framing-surplus/
Here’s a juicy fan fiction rumor that I came across:
Pederson and Grandal for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Also according to Vegas, the top 5 Otani landing spots are the Mariners, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, and Yankees. Winning legacies with strong Japanese communities in town.
Finally good look at the Dodgers framing surplus:
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-dodgers-framing-surplus/
Good article but the conclusion doesn’t fit, which happens about half the time with Fangraphs. Grandal has a lot of value and is a borderline all star in an average year (top 5 catcher in a good year), whose playing time and value is about to get slashed big time. You trade him now.
The electronic strike zone cannot get here quickly enough.
Look at how far from the strike zone the catcher and ump actually are. The catcher has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STRIKE ZONE !!!
84% accuracy is unacceptable.
Yeah it’s long overdue. Maybe it’s a union thing. Seems to me that the umpires union and the players union would be united to keep things the way they are.
Don’t you think the fans have had enough? I would think the umps would be tired of being exposed on tv every night. Maybe they are worried about becoming obsolete. I don’t believe that will ever happen. Not in my lifetime anyway.
I agree that the time to trade Grandal is now. He isn’t really needed and it will clear enough payroll to pay Stanton for a couple months.
YF
We will still have the same amount of umpires in games, so I don’t think that would be a problem.
I am tired of these umpires making to big of a difference in these games, in the post season.
When that one ump was so bad, that favored the Astros much more then us, because the Astros hitters are much more aggressive, then our guys are.
Our guys made pitchers throw there pitches in the strike zone, and that is a disadvantage when an ump is not consistent, and doesn’t have a good strike zone.
I think that eventually there will be some form of electronic strike zone, but they will never take the human element out of the game. There will always be umpires on the bases and they will make mistakes and bad calls. They have been part of the game since its inception and there is really no way of replacing them. Replay has helped turn around some bad calls, but balls and strikes have always been an interpretation of the strike zone. There is no universal umpiring method. Different umps set up in different locations giving each of them a different view of the strike zone. In the old days when the umps wore those huge chest protectors then tended to set up outside the catchers shoulder. Now most set up inside, when they are calling pitches on the outer half, they are really not seeing the actual place where the ball passes the plate. especially when the pitch is in the lower half. Because there is no universal training on these guys, you are always going to have a fluctuating strike zone with each different ump. Consistency is a big problem. If the umps were more consistent there would be less griping from the bench. I have heard more than one interview with players and managers expressing that exact feeling. What it comes down to is what do the MLB and the Umpires Union agree on. Which most of the time, is not much.
Corey wins his second Silver Slugger award. Only Dodger to get one.
Mr. Norris
I don’t know why but when you comment, there is not a place to reply sometimes. I don’t know if that happens on your end or here. In regards to your response about Roberts and the other managers. I remember those games too and yes I was upset when Alston did not put in Don but the difference is Smoky took the blame, not blame anyone else. I was at that game so I remember it well. Roberts remains quiet and lets everyone shoulder the blame. Nice, political way to keep his job and never be accountable. When he makes mistakes he never takes the blame but when he pulls pitchers he does it like there is no other choice. BS
For some reason Package, after a few comments at the end of a post, there is no reply button. I have never seen Dave duck responsibility in his post game interviews. And back in the day, they did not interview after games as much as they do now. I do not remember Alston saying a word except that he did not use Big D because he wanted him to pitch game 1 of the series. I know the Dodgers were in a bad place in 62 because they lost Koufax to injury. They blew a huge lead down the stretch and ended up tied forcing the 3 game playoff. Considering what happened we all expected Alston would get canned. But he did not. But your continued vitriol against Roberts in my mind is very unfounded. He is using the parts he is given, he buys into FAZ’s plan, so yeah, he pretty much does it in a way that none of us understand. All we want is results, and the results were 104 wins in the regular season, and 1 win short of the Championship. No one bitched during the two playoff series prior when the Dodgers were 7-1. He loses the world series and all of a sudden he is a lousy manager? Yeah, he made some on the field moves that were very questionable, and he overused a couple of guys in the pen. But he did not have the final say on the roster and everyone except perhaps you seems to understand that. Who knows why McCarthy, and for the sake of argument, Fields were even on the roster. Only the FO and the coaching staff know why those two were there and they are not saying. That’s no excuse it is a fact. None of us fans will ever know who makes the final decision or even how much input comes from the manager. Judging the results after the fact is easy. Making the decision in the heat of the moment is a lot harder. He is keeping his job whether you like it or not. He got the job because he was amicable to using the same analytics the FO uses. They got the man they wanted, and he has won the division back to back, and over 190 regular season wins. Why you keep hammering on about how he is not taking responsibility is just inane. And it serves no purpose because there is just no way it changes anything. Roberts is who he is. He connects with his players, and he even talks to them in game. He has the respect of most of the team and the support of his bosses. You are in reality one of the few fans who I have seen berating the guy on any post. Is he a great manager? That remains to be seen. He has been the guy for 2 years, and he is still learning. I am sure he takes what happened this year and learns from it, because no matter what you or I or MJ, Yueh anyone thinks, he is the manager of the Dodgers for the foreseeable future. That was chiseled in stone in an interview that Zaidi and Friedman had the other day, so suck it up and learn to live with the guy, cause he is going to be there unless there is a total collapse or mutiny by the players.
MJ
Your reply button doesn’t work sometimes either. In regards to Dave Roberts working in the minors before becoming manager it appears that is not true as after he retired from playing he spent 1 year in broadcasting and the rest coaching in the majors. Roberts spent some time in the minors as a player but not as a coach or manager. Being in the minors as a player is not abnormal.
Hi new thread up for Seager. I’ll post my exit review on him.
I think there is only a limited number of replies you can do to a post for this blog. So if you cannot reply then just post a new comment and say to whom and what you’re replying to. It’s still a bit confusing but I get the idea. I use my mobile phone a lot and too many replies screws up the formatting and you end up not being able to read the later comments because they’re all “vertical”.