I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas. I know I sure did. For the Dodgers it was analysis by paralysis. We’re approaching New Years and the Dodgers have done little to nothing this offseason. The largest market club and richest in baseball is dumping salary and cutting corners to save money. Andrew Friedman’s strategy this winter is to cut payroll, dump salary and hope for something to work out via trades with other clubs. It’s a pathetic plan that surely ensures the Dodgers come into January with holes on the roster.
The shopping season is almost over and the Dodgers continue to sit on their hands while the other teams make bold moves to improve their rosters. The Dodgers merely need to plug a few holes, and you would think that would be doable for the richest biggest market club in MLB. While Friedman sleeps and hopes for the best, I’ll give you my Dodgers Christmas shopping wish list. I know Friedman won’t deliver but maybe Santa will give me what I want. I know I have definitely been on the nice list.
- A good hitting, pitching-framing defensively sound catcher.
If Santa is listening, I want a good catcher. A catcher who can hit, consistently make contact and block the plate well. He doesn’t have to hit .300, but I would love it if he was at least slightly above league average. He has to be able to pitch-frame well but also be able to call a good game. He must have a good throwing arm and above average power. It’s Christmas time so I can dream.
- A contact oriented second baseman with great range and a strong bat
How about a strong second baseman who can hit with runners in scoring position. Someone who makes contact and doesn’t strike out while also provides some pop. He’s got to have great range, a solid glove and good plate discipline. Please have this Keystone god still be in his peak years but old enough to have some experience. This second bagger should be able to bat at the top of the order and be a great base runner too.
- A true bridge to Kenley Jansen
How about a bad-ass setup man? Someone reliable that can come in and pitch the seventh and eighth innings and hand the ball to Kenley in the ninth inning. A righty or lefty, doesn’t matter, but someone who can come in with different looks to confuse opposing hitters. This setup guy must have a blazing fastball, but also wicked off-speed pitches. A knee buckling curve, bugs bunny changeup, and a jelly leg slider. Perhaps someone that can pitch multiple innings, and even start a game or two in a pinch.
- A marquee impact bat
How about another middle of the order power bat? Yes preferably a right handed hitter who strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. A true superstar and pure hitter. Someone who bats .300, gets on base a lot and slugs 30-40 home runs. A guy who draws 80-100 walks per year and can swipe a bag or two. Perhaps someone who’s name rhymes with Larper, or Tarper, but you know nobody in particular.
- A matchup and platoon free 2019
It’s ok to platoon and play matchups sometimes. It’s perfectly ok to bring in a lefty specialist in the late innings to retire a tough lefty, or to pinch-hit a lefty masher off the bench to get a hit late in the game. You and I both know that constantly playing match-ups throughout every single game and never using a set lineup is just a bad idea that leads to losing. When you bring in a reliever because he’s left handed despite the fact that he’s horrendous, that’s a bad idea. When you sit a hot hitter only because of handedness in favor of a guy who can’t hit above the Mendoza line, then that is also a really stupid plan.
All I am asking here is for some balance. I would like to see more of a set lineup in 2019 and no more benching hot hitters. I would also love to see relief pitchers used based on talent, experience and skill sets rather than just brainless lefty/righty matchups. There is no guarantee that any of that stuff ever works, and no stat that tells us that it does. Matchups are supposed to be used sparingly and usually only when there is an extreme split on either side of the ball.
I just hope that Santa brings me at least one of those things on my Dodgers wish list because we all know that Friedman certainly won’t. Oh and a World Series win please! I can always dream….Can’t I? Happy holidays everyone!
Thank you Scott. I appreciate the sentiment. I got a few surprises. A package from my sister came on Christmas eve. Had the normal goodies in it, some cocoa mix from Trader Joes, some salted caramel mix. My brother sent me 2 Dodger bobble heads that were given away this year, Chase Utley and Matt Kemp. Which was fine with me even though neither is a Dodger anymore. I also got a talking Donald Trump pen. Pretty funny. My friends got me some fishing tackle, accessories for my guitar, some insulated jeans, which the way the weather is going to be the next week or so will come in handy, and a Santa Claus bobble. So all in all a pretty cool Christmas. Had a nice meal that day, and watched the blu ray I got of the movie Venom. As usual, Uncle Andy got us nothing. Just a lot of rumors, none of which has materialized so far. Plus according to reports, the Padres are now making a concerted push to try and get Kluber from the Indians. Last off season was pretty much the same. He traded all that salary, signed one free agent, Koehler, and missed out on every big name out there. I know that Machado is not on their radar. Harper seems to be a target, but not for the 10 years Boras would like. If you believe all the tweets on twitter, Harper is a done deal and will be announced this week. I sense that is not at all the case, and I doubt ownership, not Friedman, wants to go over the CBT again. We all have to remember that Ol Andy might be running the show, but he has people to answer to. it is not all up to him. If the Guggs folks say stay under the CBT, he really has no choice. Of course, somewhere down the road the players are going to yell collusion again. So far the additions are the 2 kids from the Reds, Kelly, Quackenbush and a couple of lower A signings. The subtractions, Kemp, Puig, Wood, Farmer, Grandal, Utley, Venditte, Hudson, Axford, Liberatore, Madson….all those guys are either free agents or trades, or in Utley’s case a retiree. They also lost Segedin. I sincerely believe that Harper, although he is a young and very talented player is not the answer to getting them over the hump and a series title. I do think adding Kluber would be a huge plus, and strengthening the bullpen would also be a good thing. A RH hitter with some pop, and a catcher who has more than just framing skills. And I would love to see a guy playing second every day. To me, you weaken the defense putting Muncy at 1st. Look, I like the guy, but I do not think he can repeat last seasons offensive numbers and he is not good enough defensively at any position to play every day. There was also a story in Dodger Blue I think it was where Andy said the platooning was a good road to success as a team. I can’t handle much more platooning. Anyway, the way it looks it will be into the new year before we see what we have down in Glendale for spring training. Hopefully it looks a lot better than it does today. I forgot Dozier and Machado….
Scott,
The really sad thing is that those very things you mention have been on my christmas wishlist for several years straight.
I would add that the team do a better job at giving young players more MLB at-bats to develop, and not squander it by blocking them with fringe players. Verdugo is a great example of this. They refuse to trade him AND they refuse to play him. They block him with a parade of converted infielders playing out of position.
Here is Mark Dimmon’s lineup for next year. If you guys don’t hear from me soon, it may be that I have died laughing. Please remember me.
Verdugo RF
Turner 3B
Seager SS
Castellanos LF
Bellinger 1B
Taylor CF
Hernandez 2B
________/Barnes C
He makes fun of this site and their opinions, then posts this.
Ah Pedro Phile strikes again. Maybe one of the biggest blowhards to disgrace the planet.
Is the goal to win the off-season or the post-season (WS)? If we sign a player that is going to help the team does it matter if he signs the first day of free agency or the first day of spring training? I’ve seen a lot of comments about how we haven’t made a splash. The Marlins tried that when they signed Reyes, Buehrle and others. It didn’t work out. The Washington Redskins would always win the off-season but never during the season. JD Martinez signed February 26th. I’m not big on Castellanos defense but if he’s the RH bat we need then great. For whatever reason Kemp seemed to fall out of shape as the season went on. I’ll miss Puig but if they weren’t planning to re-sign him then trading him for something now is better than letting him walk. Would I have liked more of a return? Yes, but if the money they saved and the prospects we got back allow us to trade for Realmuto, Juan Abreu, a Mets pitcher or sign Harper then the trade looks a lot better. It also opens up a spot for Verdugo. At this point the team needed to play him or trade him. Sending him back to the minors would have been wasting an asset. Will the Dodgers sign Harper if it means going over the salary cap? That would be an ownership decision and Friedman will have to abide by that. The bigger question is should they sign him. I can’t say I’m on the sign Harper bandwagon. I could be wrong but I worry it won’t be long before he needs to be limited to 1B or DH. Do you want to be paying him 35M a year if that happens? As a comparison Harper rated a -3.2 dWAR in 2018 compared to Castellanos -2.4 dWAR.
Kemp did not fall out of shape. Right after the all star break he went into about a 10 game slump, something that every player does. From that point on he was no longer starting each day. In August which was his worst month he only hit .214, BUT, he only 70 at bats. He was being platooned with Pederson. But in September he totally turned that around. He was still being platooned but he hit .339 with 16 RBI’s. He was almost averaging an RBI per hit. Where he had over 250 at bats before the break he barely had 200 the rest of the way. Kemp was a huge reason they were in a position to catch the D-Backs and Rockies. Look, we all know they were trying to get rid of Kemp almost from the moment he was reacquired. We also know he was the comeback player of the year, made the all star team. Led the team in RBI’s even though he was reduced to being a part time player most of the second half. He also was the teams top hitter with RISP. So, to say he got out of shape the second half is totally bogus.
When I see him in the playoffs and he looks noticeably heavier than he was on open day I’m going to think he’s not in as good of shape. I don’t recall saying anything about how he hit.
Well Jimbo, I still have MLB .com and can look at games from all during the season. I looked at Kemp in April and in September and he looked like the same player. He did not look out of shape at all. So personally I think your analysis is all wet. Pederson looked a little heavier but Matt looked like he did early in the season. And you do not hit like that if you are out of shape. What might have happened was he got a little tired. But he sure bounced back well.
Wow Scott,
What a list…. I hope you were a good boy.
I see the Dodgers did not add any players that would fill your tall order, so I guess that matbe you were not that good. On the other hand, it could be that Santa did not have room in his bag or sleigh, and he sent them to you via Amazon ot USPS, and you were a victim of Porch Pirates.
I hope you got your wish, and they are just late… we will have to wait and see. At least you can’t “Shoot Your Eye Out!” With any of those gifts.
Kemp was a victim of a conspiracy by the Dodger FO.
He was not even expected to make the team in 2018. Kemp wound up to be a big surprise and Dodger savior while JT was out. So big, in fact, that he earned an All Star birth.
Th FO was not about to be pressured into keeping him for 2019, and possibly forced to offer him an extension. Therefore, they decided to sit him the second half, and let him wilt away on the bench, allowing him to be dumped without any media or fans pressure to question their decision.
You just do not sit an All Star and Comeback player of the year without an ulterior motive.
Kemp could have been instrumental in helping the Dodgers win the WS, and even been more valuable in a trade. In the end the Dodgers just dumped him and his salary, and got absolutely nothing in return.
A typical FO blunder.
Bluefan4life, I totally agree 1,000% if that’s possible. How they handled Kemp and most of the others through that obsessive compulsive platooning was the factor for their downfall for sure! As far as Scott’s wish list for 2019?…. that horse is already way way down the road but stay tuned….
Conspiracy!
As far as conspiracies go, BlueFan4Life’s is very creative too.
As far as aholes go, Brutus is chief among aholes. You and Pedro Phile deserve each other, both total a**holes. Run away Brutus, just run away.
25 words.
3 of them are A**hole(s).
3 of them are fake names.
1 is an abbreviation for pedophile.
Keep contributing great content True!
I guess you are starting to understand that I don’t like you, you fn a**hole.
You get off being an ahole, you must have gotten your a kicked often in HS, and now your revenge is being a prick on the internet. Nice contribution to society, a**hole!
True,
I care about as much what any person on this board thinks of me, or of my fake name about as much as the Dodgers management thinks about our discussions. Zero.
Speaking about numbers.
47 words.
ZERO about the Dodgers.
FOUR were “ass” or “ashole”
ONE was an abbreviation for another curse word.
Keep it coming!
The same people thought it was a good deal to take on his salary are the same people who celebrate his salary dump.
Culberson (1.2WAR was traded the year our shortshop was out for the season), Kazmir, MCarthy, Gonzalez, Wood, Kemp, Puig, Farmer. All of this netted two prospects who slot in #7 and #16 in our system and $16million in salary relief. (That could have been saved by just non-tendering Wood and Puig, who are projected to make over $20 million in salary)
1.2 WAR is barely above replacement level. It’s a AAAA player.
I’m even more confused about the final statement. Obviously, money could be saved by non-tendering players, but by doing so you aren’t getting prospects. The fact that one is #16 and was #7 in the Reds system is A GREAT SIGN. A sign of team depth.
What’s wrong with accumulating prospects instead of simply cutting players?
They traded a serviceable shortstop the year our starter went out. They made two deals over two years involving tons of players to come out with a very light haul. That is a lot of busy work as opposed to cutting players which takes anywhere from 5-10 seconds.
If they never made the Kemp trade with Braves, the cost saving this season would have been the same. They swapped years instead of money. Forcing them to make another deal to get rid of Kemp’s second year. It created a chain of events that is an illusion for the fans that they are making the team better.
Bluto. Ask yourself a serious question. Do you think the front office is trying to construct the far and away best team in the MLB? The FAZ quotes that are out there seem to indicate that they are just trying to get the the playoffs, then see what happens. Don’t believe me? I can dig out dozens of quotes that speak to this from Freidman, Zaidi and Katsen.
Lack of big signings, working around the fringe, platooning are all signs of small market mentality. These executives were hired to “get us over the hump.” They are no longer under normal scrutiny at this point. They are evaluated on that alone. Which they have failed in my opinion. The EXACT same weaknesses from the previous regime still remain. Weak late inning relief and failing to hit well with RISP. They have got spending under control, but that is about it.
This is just silly.
The Kemp trade was material, because it got the team under the tax threshold and eliminated repeater penalties. You and I can argue that billionares shouldn’t care about the repeater penalties, but they do. Or they say they do.
Of course this front office is trying to construct the best team in the MLB! They’re the only team to get to the World Series the past two years. THE ONLY TEAM. In some circles, not mine nor yours, that could equate to being the best.
Every smart front office knows the playoffs are crap shoots. Players get hot (Pearce, Madison Baumgartner.) Players get cold (Grandal, Javy Baez.) Players get hurt, players get healthy. I can dig that quote out of EVERY front office. It’s common knowledge. It’s how the Dodgers won in ’88.
Let me repeat what is evident to everyone else (except, it seems, this board) this team is remarkably good and well-run. They’ve made it to the World Series in back to back years. That is VERY hard. They have maintained a very good farm system despite signing limitations and drafting near the bottom of the draft (not to mention not signing every pick.) They have gotten under the threshold for the team’s “financial health” (no laughing.) And their front office and managerial ranks are perennially poached for talent.
Will everyone be happier if the win the World Series, yes they will be. But it’s pretty great right now.
Then why are they trying to fill the same holes as when they got here? Responses like the one you just made make me think you don’t even believe what you are saying.
Last offseason consisted of trading for Matt Kemp (that turned out great) and trading for Scott Alexander (meh). When coming off the world series the year before, this is what they do? CBT? Then why offer Forsythe 9.5mil?
If you were honest, which I am doubting, then you would admit that you can take out a piece of paper and write down all the players FAZ has signed or drafted (FA only not re-signs) and marvel as you can take a red pen and cross out 90% of them as a pointless waste of money. (good ones include: Buehler, Muncy, Morrow ) Trades have fared a little better, but you can cross out 70% as useless fluff. (good ones are Taylor, Hill, Watson, Cingriani, Grandal, Wood) Marvel at the whiffs on Rollins, Anderson, Alex Guerrero, all the Cubans, Matt Latos, Jim Johnson, Manny Machado, Ryan Madsen, Chris Hatcher, Logan Forsythe, Brian Dozier, Brandon Beachy etc… I could go on for days….
I have heard this particular song before and it still hits sour notes. Great? That’s one mans perception, yours. Good, yes. Great teams win Championships, good teams get close, but do not get married.
No, that’s not an accurate portrayal of my perspective, but I bet it is of yours.
Will Venable, Franklin Guttierrez, Chris Heisy, Chin-hui Tsao, Carlos Ruiz, Josh Reddick, Bud Norris, Jopsh Ravin, Scott Kazmir, Casey Fein, Louis Coleman, Pat Venditte, JT Chargois, Grand Dayton, Trayce Thompson, Micah Johnson, Alberto Callaspo, Yu Darvish, Brett Eibner, Curtis Granderson, Sergio Romo, Mike Freeman, Erik Goeddel, Daniel Hudson, Zac Rosscup etc…
Well, when you put it that way…ah,ha ha ha ha! Genius!
And here we get to the worst part of your argument. This is the reality for EVERY MLB team. They sign a bunch of players who are inconsequential. THis team’s record with acquisitions is really insanely great. CTIII, Kike, Grandal (for Kemp! WHo has NO VALUE), Muncey, Morrow, I could go on.
But your list? Are you really lamenting taking a flyer on Romo? On Granderson? Really? What did most of them cost if not money. And if only money, doesn’t that go against your “small market” nonsense?
But, if you want to play:
Grandal, Chris Taylor, Brandon Morrow, Max Muncy, Rich Hill, Manny Machado, Alex Wood, Kike Hernandez, Friese, etc.
Fewer hits than misses, but the misses cost nothing. I’d even argue that the hits cost nothing (CTIII for Zach Lee, Muncey, the Hill trade.) It’s really a great front office, no matter your laments.
Didn’t I list all of those in my post as the good ones? (I missed Freise , but cannot agree that Hernandez is anything but a cancer on this team, far more than Puig ever was) Every other one I mentioned.
I give people their due. However there are not many good deals these bozos have made since they arrived. Without the previous regime drafting and free agent signings where would they be? (kershaw, urias, turner, jansen, bellinger, puig, joc, verdugo, stripling, ferguson, baez) Sure Colletti saddled us with some bad contracts, but they also populated our team with almost all of the talent we have today.
That’s what GOOD MANAGEMENT does!
You don’t burn down a house that has good “bones.” You keep what’s good and build on it!
You guys bad mouth the front office for not bringing in top talent (while ignoring when they do), and then bad mouth the talent for holding onto (or utilizing) existing talent.
Colletti’s list of inconsequential and consequential bad signings will be jaw-dropping.
Bluto.there is a group of fans who are very passionate as well. You may see them as negative but they are the ones the management hears and fears. They aren’t going to listen to the ones who agree with them. With the team so close to the promised Land this management NEEDS to be pushed to get us there. Any pressure on them is a good thing. You have to admit that they were not very active last off-season. There is no lack of sites that love this new management style. They aren’t going to move the needle on pressuring the team to get better. This site is. That is why I defend this site from those who wish to muzzle and trash this kind of website, like mark timmonnns. Keep that in mind and don’t let anyone run you off of here. You deserve to have a voice on this website. Also this website does a service to the fans of this team who want the best for the team. Just not everyone agrees freidman is the one to get us there. He hasn’t done it yet.
If you think management gives one iota of thought to what a blog with 7-10 active members cares about you have serious delusions of grandeur.
I like the community here. I like it at 1-3 other blogs that I participate in.
But I don’t think for a millisecond that Ownership or management cares about the discourse I participate in.
They care about the team’s performance (really great of late), the gate reciepts (phenomenal), the TV deal (great for revenue, not so great for viewing) and the short/medium and long term value of the team (great.)
They don’t care what a bunch of people posting under fake names say. Not in the least.
I forgot what a chore it is to talk to Bluto.
I’m done.
You win. Andrew Freidman is great and 2nd place is awesome.
It shouldn’t be this hard to win that. It’s the easiest argument I’ve had to make in quite a while.
2nd place is awesome. There’s only one place better!
I’m sorry it was a chore though.
I quite enjoyed it.
Have a great weekend.
Edward Paredes, Zach Neal, Tim Locastro, Wilmer Font, Daniel Corcino, John Axford, Scott Alexander (I changed my opinion on him when I looked at his stats…BUST!) etc…
Far more failures than wins. Also, even as hard as it is to get to the WS back to back, Atlanta went 4 years out of 5 including back to back twice and won 1 World Series. They won 14 division titles in 15 years. They dominated their division and the National League for most of that time and yet won 1 World Series. They are more remembered for their epic failure to win more than the fact that they were so good. The Dodgers well run or not are on the same path. The Dodgers have dominated the west for 6 seasons. In 2018 they won the division by having to play a 163rd game. That’s not dominance. That’s pure luck. Had they lost that game to the Rocks, who knows what would have happened. 2017 they cruised to the title. I think they will probably when all is said and done win again, not because they are so great, but because their two most heated rivals and competitors have decided to re-tool. And do not write the Padres off yet. They have a young hungry team with some pretty talented kids. They are not going to be pushovers. At this point it seems to be a 2 team race with LA and Colorado. But the Dodgers are far from being the best team in the NL at this particular time.
Don’t encourage Brutus by responding to him/her. He/She gets off being an a**hole and any correspondence with him/her is a victory for him/her. It is pretty obvious how I feel about the prick, so I will follow my own advice and refrain from responding to his/her idiotic, narcissistic pleasure.
Can you imagine what Colletti would have been able to do with ownership that actually spent some money? Sure Colletti made some bad deals but he made many more good moves and picks that have been conveniently forgotten about by many.
Brutus Siberian Hell
I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I hope it is better for everyone.
How can the Dodgers be considered a great team when they have not won a Championship in over 30 years? Is getting to the Series good enough for you fans? Is winning 6 division titles in 6 years good enough for you? Or does being the 2000’s version of the Atlanta Braves tickle your fancy? Sorry, I think, and yes Bluto, this is my opinion, which matters not to the team ownership, and in fact I care less what they think, that they are a good team who has continuously failed to finish the job. You list Machado as a good deal for the Friedman team. Ok, he was okay, but he was no where near the player that he was in Baltimore. His BA dropped close to 45 points and his K rate increased. He was as much a distraction as Puig or Kemp were perceived to be. His lack of sportsmanship not with standing, he totally bombed in the playoffs. So I for one do not consider him a smart pickup. You gave up 5 players for a guy who was supposed to help you win the Series. As it was they barely won the division.
Fair enough. Don’t agree, but it is your opinion.
We rarely agree Bluto. My idea of baseball and yours rarely mesh. But that’s cool. Everyone has their own opinion of what is good and what is not. Considering the amount of innings they have gotten for their money, I believe the Dodgers have drastically overpaid Rich Hill. But that’s just me. I also do not believe there is any way the Dodgers pay the price that Scott Boras desires for his client. I also believe that CK is not worth the 93 million he will receive over the next 3 years. If he was the same guy he was maybe 5 years ago, yes, he would be worth all that money. Been around a while, have seen a lot of baseball. Do not care for saber metrics or the guys who rely on that for a majority of their player evaluations. But like I said, that’s just me. I think the way they evaluate players makes it difficult for the average fan who is not into all that saber geek stuff. You have a Happy New Year and I hope it is a good one.
Yeah, I just love Hill. So I admit I have bias there.
I’m also now understanding that you are speaking in terms of contract overpayment for Hill, not the trade components. I haven’t thought to that end, but will check out his performance to cost metrics.
We’re not doing much for New Year’s. It’s not my favorite holiday by far.
Cinco de Mayo is.
This was easy. Here are the starting pitchers (only) earning around what Hill did:
Cueto 3 Wins, 1.2 WAR, 3.23 ERA 1.13 WHIP
Zimmerman 7-8, .6 WAR, 4.52 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
Hamels 9-12. 3.8 WAR, 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
Tanaka 12-6, 2.9 WAR, 3.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
Shields 7-16, 1.4 WAR, 4.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
Porcello 17-7, 3.3 WAR, 4.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
Bailey 1-14. -1.5 WAR, 6.09 ERA, 1.64 WHIP
Samardzija 1-5, -0.7 WAR, 6.25 ERA, 1.63 WHIP
Wainwright 2-4, 0 WAR, 4.46 ERA, 1.46 WHIP
Leake 10-10, 1.6 WAR, 4.36 ERA, 1.3 WHIP
– HILL – 11-5. 1.3 WAR. 3.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP
Strasburg 10-7, 2.7 WAR, 3.74 EA, 1.2 WHIP
Kennedy 3-9, .5 WAR, 4.66 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
Cobb 5-15, 1.1 WAR, 4.90 ERA, 1.4 WHIP
Duffy 8-12, .8 WAR, 4.88, 1.49 WHIP
Keuchel 12-11, 2.6 WAR, 3.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
Hill’s definitely not at Porcello’s level, but he’s not nearly below average in this salary bracket.
45 days until pitchers and catchers report. What will the roster look like then? Happy 83rd to the best pitcher to ever don a Dodger uni. Sanford Koufax!
Scott
Thank you for the good article. Love the tree. Happy New year to you and all.