I know this isn’t thrilling news and quite a few of you don’t even like the following players, but it is news and it gives us something to write about over here. There hasn’t been a lot to write about with the lack of player movement this winter. There was one big trade and then another smaller trade and that’s about all from the Dodgers this offseason. The signing of Tom Koehler notwithstanding of course. Anyways, I’ve digressed. The Dodgers have offered one-year contracts to catcher Yasmani Grandal, and reliever Pedro Baez (two of Badger’s favorite players) avoiding arbitration with both men, Bob Nightengale has reported.
Good day for catchers: Yasmani Grandal signs one year , $7.9 million contract with #Dodgers, avoiding arbitration
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 11, 2018
Pedro Baez, who will have to worry about a pitch clock this year, gets $1.5 million from #Dodgers
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 12, 2018
The deadline to tender contracts to anyone eligible for salary arbitration is Friday and the Dodgers beat the punch with Grandal and Baez sending Badger and Bluto into a frenzy. I joke, but Grandal will earn 7.9 million dollars in 2018. The switch-hitting catcher batted .247/.308/.459 with 22 home runs in 2017, 58 runs driven in and finished at the top of the pitch-framing leader boards. He’s still considered one of the top framers in MLB. He’ll get the lion’s share of the catching duties as he splits time with Austin Barnes again in 2018. Grandal can file for free agency in 2019 and is 29-years old.
Meanwhile slow poke Pedro Baez will receive 1.5 million dollars to make us cringe again as he will provide the Dodges with the primary middle relief innings out of the bullpen. The right handed Dominican fire baller posted a 2.05 ERA in 66 appearances in 2017. Baez struck out 64 in 64 frames while issuing 29 free passes and posting a 9.0 K.9 rate. Baez was left off the postseason roster for all of October based on his long and established history of sucking in the playoffs. These signings should make Badger extremely pleased. NOT.
I think Baez at $1.5 million is a bargain. He is very excellent for eating up the low pressure 6th innings. I just don’t want him sneaking or leaking into the 7th and 8th innings. And please start him off with a clean inning please.
Grandal at less than $8 million is a still a (barely) tradeable asset. Maybe with the price now fixed, for him, a deal can be made. I hope.
Figured Granny ground out would sign. Now jettison the slug. If Baez can be the guy he was the first half of the year all year, that would be great, but do not hold your breath……
I’m neutral on these signings. They both had to be signed, as does Pederson, Wood, Kiké, Cingrani, Fields and about 20 other guys.
I’ve actually liked Baez and his stuff for some time. It wasn’t a great year for him but his ERA was good and his ERA+ was great. Grandal is what he is, a blind squirrel at the plate and a passed ball machine that continues to backhand pitches in the dirt. It’s lazy and drives me nuts. But he’s a framer. He made a little more than was projected but he remains a tradable asset and I still think he will be moved before he hits free agency. Then again, to FAZ framing is more important than actually catching the ball so who knows, maybe the team extends him. Frankly I look forward to Ruiz behind the plate, but he isn’t expected until 2020. Will Smith could be ready by ‘19 and what about Farmer? Is Farmer a framer? We are thick with catchers so it’s just a matter of time and timing with Grandal.
Totally agree with that assessment, and now they could put him in a deal with Miami who is going to need a catcher with Realmuto wanting out of Dodge. I’ll take Yelich any day over our options in LF, but I would put him in CF, move Taylor to second and use a platoon in LF. Forsythe would be the relief guy all around the infield. Spring will answer a lot of these questions, but no matter what anyone says, they need another quality starting pitcher and I do not mean some 5 inning slug.
I think that is a reasonable plan but getting Yelich brings two things to mind: Pederson/Toles is redundant and if Forsythe becomes Zobrist then why do we need Hernandez?
I think everyone would welcome Yelich. But that is a LH heavy middle of the lineup, which doesn’t really bother me because they can all hit, but I know it bothers saber dudes. You know what would fix that problem? A big right handed hitter in left field. Any ideas?
Well had the been able to trade for Ozuna, the problem would be solved. Now if Trayce Thompson is healthy, and that is a big if, he does have power. And he is a plus defender. I trade both Joc and Grandal prior to the deadline. And in actuality they have 3 pretty big RH bats in Turner, Taylor and Puig. All 20 plus homer guys. Then you have Cody, Seager and Yelich as the lefty’s with Barnes the regular catcher who should hit about 10 if he plays every day. You can rotate Toles-Thompson, or Toles-Hernandez. Of course if the keep Kemp that makes Hernandez and Thompson expendable or AAA fodder along with Verdugo. I think Toles can come close to double figures HR wise with some consistent playing time. Your best defensive outfield would be Puig, Yelich and say Thompson. Toles is a pretty good defender. I am basing this on Kemp, Pederson, and Verdugo not being on the 25 man roster. Forsythe has played almost as many positions as Kike. Except he cannot catch. But if they keep Farmer as the back up catcher, he also, like Barnes can play multiple positions. And we all know how much the Fazmaster loves those kinds of guys. I personally believe they are still looking for BP arms that can both start and relieve.
Donaldson, Blackmon, Machado sign one year deals. Still no major movement in the free agent market. Big guns still available.
No big guns for FAZ. More like water pistols.
I totally concur. Pop guns would also be appropriate……
Speaking of pop guns, who’s the country slicker.
Tom Mix?
That is Tom Mix. One of his many dress outfits. According to history, he had 16 automobiles. Most of them very expensive for that time period.
A cowboy with 16 cars. How many cows? And he died in one of those cars.
He had a ranch and some cattle. He was killed just outside of Florence Arizona. There is a little monument there where the accident happened and the place is now called Tom Mix wash. He was driving a 37 Cord when he died.
Yikes, we are stuck with The Seizure for yet another year. He better be the back up catcher and not the number 1, or there might be a riot among Dodgers’ fans. My recollection is that only The Molester has been high on The Seizure.
Badger, here is a picture of Tom Mix’s Duisenberg.
Real cowboys don’t wear white.
Is that the car he rolled?
No…he died in a 37 Cord. That one is at the museum in Oklahoma.
That was just a suit he wore when he was doing publicity. In his movies he wore darker clothes.
A little more info for you on Mix’s death. He was heading north out of Tucson and did not notice the signs that a bridge was out over a wash. His 37 Cord rolled into the wash and he was actually killed by a metal suitcase he had on the back seat. It hit him in the neck and he was killed instantly. The suitcase is in his museum in Oklahoma and his Cord has been restored.
Wood signed for $6 million. This is substantially below his projections. Interesting.
Joc signed too, amount unknow but probably around $2.2 million.
According to Eric Stephen Dodgers are under $180mm. That’s plenty of room to do something, especially if it involves moving Joc or Grandal.
We can get better, and more interesting. Make it so FAZ!
In the meantime I’ll be sitting here counting the days.
Dream on Badger, Dream on.
Sometimes Package, dreams are all we have. Been a long time since that Championship banner has flown in Dodger Stadium. Too long considering the hated ones from the north have done it 3 times. Even the Angels have one in that span. The Royals, D-Backs and Marlins twice. The Blue have not had the privilege for a long time. Once more before I die….I would like that…..there are Cubs fans who never knew the fruits of victory.
It’s not dreaming Pack, it’s vision!
Now that the arbitration season is over my first vision is that of a new left fielder, and not a 1 year patch job, but a fixture there for years. And a local boy at that:
Grandal, Forsythe and Joc for Yelich and Castro. Miami will do this because it saves them a few million, Joc is team controlled and could step right in to left field, Grandal is a 3 WAR framer and Forsythe is a gamer. Also, every one of those guys can be deadline trade pieces that will net what Miami really wants – prospects.
You don’t want to trade the weak hitting Forsythe for Castro? Probably because Castro costs $3 million more? Cheap FAZtards. Ok then, Grandal and Joc, plus a young arm for Yelich.
Frankly adding both Yelich and Castro, two opposite side hitters, to our lineup looks damn imposing to me. That is one scary lineup. Almost as commanding as the Yankees.
Is the Castro you are referring to Starlin Castro? Guy has always had a good bat. But I thought he was strictly a infielder. But I would like to see him and Yelich in the Blue if it gets Grandal out of town. Marlins signed Scotty Van Smack to a minor league deal with a spring invite. Guess DM wants some of his old guys around.
Castro for some reason doesn’t project as well as I thought. Maybe he’s injured. He’s a 4 time All Star at age 27. Sounds better than Forsythe – never an All Star at 30. They both project about the same at fgraphs. Castro is a much better hitter but loses points on defense. That’s interesting. I would’ve thought a converted SS would project better. Maybe he has a subcilial scroinge in his quadroplesiac. I think that would explain it.
I never said I didn’t like the idea, I just don’t think FAZ will pull the trigger on something that makes sense. They will do the unexpected in hopes of hitting paydirt. This really helps their egos and that is what they live for.
Nice Jon Luc Picard reference there Badger…..Make it so #1. Now reality will set in. They will start getting the non roster guys signed. The might make a deal for a back end reliever, but expecting a solid bat or starting pitcher, not so much. I still would like to see a deal involving Yelich but not sure the FO has the same idea. Exactly 1 month until pitchers and catchers report. Yanks made Darvish an offer…..looks like all our arbitration guys have signed.
Keith Jackson, the broadcaster passed away. He was a great broadcaster. Remember many games he called during playoffs and World Series. He also did college football. RIP Keith, I have many fond memories of your broadcasts.
“Whoa Nellie!”
That guy broadcast just about everything.