The winter meetings wrapped up this week and as usual the Dodgers and Andrew Friedman did nothing. Just as I predicted. The only thing they accomplished was reportedly reaching agreement with reliever Joe Kelly, although the deal has yet to be formally announced by the club or finalized.
It’s hilarious but I can read Friedman like an open book. I know exactly how he operates now after four years of running the Dodgers. Simply put, he refuses to sign any marquee free agents or participate in any of the typical channels for market discussion (like the winter meetings), and the only trades he will ever make are needlessly complex three-team trades that you have to squint your eyes to even make sense of them.
The Dodgers were rumored to be in on every player under the sun, and as I predicted nothing came to fruition. The Dodgers were in on Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, DJ Lemahieu, A.J. Pollack, Wilson Ramos, Francisco Cervelli, in on-going trade talks with the Reds, and on and on and on. None of those players are Dodgers right now, nor will any of them likely be by next year.
The Dodgers checked in on Wilson Ramos to talk a one-year deal, but he wants more years, per source. Ramos was here in Vegas this week.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) December 13, 2018
Friedman struck out again. He didn’t just strike out, he never came to the plate. All the Dodgers really need is a second baseman and catcher. There are several decent to good backstops available via free agency. There are others that can be had via trade. The Dodgers still have not done anything about this situation. Once again Friedman waits too long until all of the good players are off the market. Then some whacky three-team trade gets announced, or he signs some sub-mendoza line hitting utility player, boasts of his abilities and then said player gets platooned into the starting lineup. Rinse, lather, repeat.
The catcher situation should be the most important aspect of the Dodger’s offseason agenda. What could be more important than making sure you have a starting catcher? I don’t know why the Dodgers just don’t take the most logical solution to the problem. Why don’t they just resign Yasmani Grandal? He knows the pitching staff, he hits well, and he’s a good framer. They know him well. We know him well. He won’t cost any draft picks, or prospects via a trade. Just pony up the cash and get him signed. The Dodgers could also sign Wilson Ramos, or a veteran like Nick Hundley. Let’s all accept reality that J.T. Realmuto will never wear Dodger blue. This is the Andrew Friedman regime folks, and we should all know how he operates. The hot stove league marches on and the Dodgers are still without a catcher.
Finally someone who gets it! You’ve got this guy nailed. Been saying the same thing for years. What a shit show.
As I said on the ‘Trying to move Puig/Kemp’ article, a BIG reason, among others was that NO FA who is a regular starting player would want to come to this Dodger team only to be made into a marginal platoon player. Those players on other teams that are on the trade block also may not be in too big a hurry to want to be a Dodger as well for that very same excessive compulsive platoon situation.
It’s an ego thing for Friedman. He prides himself in finding those broken down reclamation projects and finding some hidden unnoticed gem. It can’t be anything else, he doesn’t have to deal out of the trash but yet he insists on it. Make no mistake, it is totally Friedman’s ego behind it all.
John Heyman reports the Indians have dumped enough salary so they’re no longer in a hurry to trade a starter. Puig and Wood for Kluber never made sense from the Indians’ point of view; the whole thing seemed like a dog-and-pony show, like signing Harper to a mega-deal.
Every GM strikes out at times, but like his players Friedman all to often strikes out looking.
At least this site does not make excuses for Friedman like other sites do.
Just ‘yesterday’ the FAZomaniacs were commenting how great Zaidi is as a GM. Now since he is gone, he was the reason for the ‘3 outcome hitters’ and the poor offensive showing in the WS.
We all remember how when he stated that the Dodgers just needed to start hitting more HR’s and then when that happened the blow hards on the other sites commented that ‘he was right.’
But now with Friedman in charge, as if we’re to assume he wasn’t already, the 3 outcome hitter, exit velocity and launch angle will become a thing of the past. ‘As if there are now real baseball people running things.’ Please. Can you say hypocrites?
I must ask, who hired Farhan Zaidi?
The Joe Kelly signing. I hope none have forgotten how Friedman always drive up salaries. Yeah right. Well Dombrowski, the 3 time WS champion, snookered Friedman, 14 years and counting without winning a WS title, into overpaying for Joe Kelly. It has been documented that it was between the Sox and Dodgers and the Red Sox said no to 3 years. In addition to giving Kelly 3 years Friedman offered a higher AAV as well. He got taken to the cleaners.
Now the FAZomaniacs want to renew Ryu’s contract because the Dodgers need salary relief to stay under the LT . No one questions why the FO made a dumb decision to offer the QO in the first place. No one was ever going to give Ryu anything close to $17M per. Another bone head decision.
I pretty much agree with ya here except that for the Dodgers, it’s going on 31 years since their last WS title.
Yes, 31 years for the Dodgers but it’s 14 years and counting for Friedman. Some have placed him with the Epstein’s of the world.
Thats a slap to baseball people that have actually won a title.
I see, so yes, in Freidman’s case he only got the Rays into 1 WS but really nothing more. and believe me Chili, Freidman is far from being any Epstein for sure.
He left the cupboard bare when he left. The Rays are just now revitalizing their organization from all of the poor drafts that Friedman had while there.
Whatever Chilli was saying or attempting to say, I think I agree with most of it, or some of it. Okay, I’m confused with most of it or some of it. You go Chilli, I’m with you, I think.
True Blue, it has been said by many a fan that Freidman cannot shake his small market philosophy he had while GM of the Rays. What Chili mentioned was that early in 2018, the Dodgers were being out homered by their opponents and it made it difficult to win those close games. That is what Zaidi was referring to. How many HR’s were given up in the later innings that cost Dodgers those games early in the year? Many, but don’t have exact number. Dodgers eventually caught up to their opponents and for the year ended up with 235 HR’s and the opponents hit 179. But like in 2017, Dodgers were out homered in the WS where it mattered the most. In the 2 WS combined (12 games total) Dodgers were out homered by a 23 to 16 count. HMMMMMM…..
Catching market going great for the Dodgers. Ramos takes the Mets out of the picture.
Grandal and JTR, the two best catchers, are still out there. With the Rays and Dodgers seemingly the only buyers.
I’m probably wrong and there may be other teams….
As per Joe Fisaro:
This week will be telling if a trade is made or not. All along the Marlins have maintained they don’t have to do anything. From what I’ve gathered that stance remains
JTR has a team. He is not a FA. Marlins do not have to trade him.
Weren’t you the one that said Grandal was going to get a contract in excess of $17M AAV?
Didn’t say he was a FA, nor did I guess about what he’d get in return.
That said, that # does seem low to me. I have no clue though.
What do you think he’ll get?
I never thought Grandal would get a deal with an AAV of $17M plus. Personally I would not even sign him at $10M AAV but I think he might get a 2 or 3 year deal with an AAV of somewhere in the 10 – 13M range.
I think the Dodgers may be trying to wait Miami out. Our two top prospects is too high a price for two years of JTR. Maybe they would take Joc and Will Smith, but as Chili says, they don’t have to do anything. I just hope no one deals for Cervelli and leaves us holding the bag.
That bag you speak of would be Grandal. And to some the bag itself would have more worth.
Agree with Chili, Grandal is a great consolation prize if Realmudo can’t be acquired.
Great.