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Please come down to Youtubeville and watch LADRs first offseason video. You won’t want to miss this one, because we’re offering a free prize just for watching. Gwan, take a chance! It’s free!
And I’m reviewing EE-tah IPA from Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Enjoy!
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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Archer, Arrietta and Stanton
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2744086-one-yolo-risk-that-could-skyrocket-or-destroy-each-mlb-contenders-future
Interesting, but Stanton has said he would not waive his no trade for either the Red Sox or Cardinals.
I know it’s the off-season. But this blog has really dropped in # of participants.
Bring ’em back!
Dodgers supposedly close to signing Banuelos.
Sickels new Top 20 is out:
https://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/11/16/16652008/los-angeles-dodgers-top-20-prospects-for-2018
Summarized thusly:
A deep system with considerable mid-range depth. I will be around in the comments to answer questions, elaborate on the other C+ guys, etc.
I read that earlier. My first thought was “yep, FAZ guy.” They found his name on the IR wire. We’ve seen several of these guys over the last few years. Low risk. Might work.
As for that list, last I looked I thought Kendall graded higher.
Yeah I had read that article too from Sickles. Keibert Ruiz at number 3. Will Smith just had a great AZL and he’s 22. We have a surplus of catchers. Grandal really needs to be traded and I think Kyle Farmer too, though maybe not this year. Smith may fetch more value.
Gavin Lux dropping … his numbers don’t look good. We need another SS prospect as Seager will take over at third base once Justin Taylor’s contract runs out.
Pretty sure you mean Justin Turner not Taylor, he’s the other guy….the Dodgers have 4 SS in their top 30 prospects. Lux, Drew Jackson, Ronnie Brito and Errol Robinson. So far Robinson seems to be the better hitter in the bunch, little power, but a good glove. Jackson rates as a plus defender too. But I would not really bail on Lux yet, remember, he was drafted last year…..and this is his first year in pro ball…so he is just a baby baseball wise.
I don’t mind when they sign these obscure guys, as long as that is not the only means they use to better the team.
I was glad they signed Turner and Kenley, and a lot of people didn’t think they would do that.
But I was surprised they signed Hill first, but since his blister problem seems to be in the past, I am glad they signed Hill.
He is not like those other three free agent pitchers, they signed.
And if they bring Stanton to the team, I won’t be concerned about the deal, because they will only bring him to the team, if they get a good deal.
And the Dodgers have the advantage over the other teams that want Stanton, because Stanton first choice is the Dodgers.
The Dodgers will have to pay a penalty in 2018 anyways, even if they didn’t get Stanton!
But after the 2018 season, the payroll drops way down.
And I don’t want Manny Machado or Harper, and I think they will probably cost even more then Stanton.
Machado has already had knee surgery on both his knees, and Harper has had trouble staying on the field too.
I rather have Stanton who is a Southern California guy.
Here is a nice article summarizing and projecting how much each team could spend in FA this offseason. Notably the Nationals don’t seem to have much room and the Astros are projected to spend more.
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/an-estimate-of-every-teams-payroll-room/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12Fdcz-v1dHv7WUA6N73JhLNL7cZ-JCaUSRyh8LQvG7A/pubhtml
$211mm.
Wonder if Miami would accept Pederson and Grandal.
4 SS in or system? Is that at least partially because we have one on every team in the minors? Lux is the highest rated at 50. Brito looks all glove, Jackson is 24 and doesn’t hit. Trade them all for Simmons.
Actually I forgot about Taylor who’s a natural SS. He could work nicely.
After Turner’s contract runs out, then it’s Seager at 3rd, Taylor at SS, Barnes at second and Bellinger at first. Ruiz and Will Smith at catcher. That’s a great infield.
No Badger, I said 4 in the top 30 and none of those guys played above AA ball. Culberson played most of the SS at OKC. Mejia played 1 game there.
Would be more fun to read if fangraphs made them easier to read….could hardly make out the initials at the bottom of the graph. Says the Dodgers have around 40 mil to play with, I wonder if they factored in the expectations of what the arbitration guys will get.
They did. It’s listed under Arbitration-eligibles – $30.8mm.
OKAY…missed that….but vision is not what it used to be……
YF
I am surprised about the Astros, because it took them a while, before they got Verlander this last year.
I guess I still wish we would have gotten Verlander, because I think we need a pitcher like him, to help us win it all.
But we did come really close, even though our top two starters let us down, and that is why I don’t think it is on, our young players.
Corey didn’t do much because he was hurt, but even Corey had two big hits.
We would never rate a hitter, on what they did in seven games in the regular season, because we know that is not much time, in the long baseball season.
We are only talking about 28 at bats.
And when you rate hitters, from what they did in seven games, I am sure we would see extremes, at both ends of the spectrum.
Timely hits, are what helps a team win in the post season.
And I think we did get timely hits, in the World Series, and the post season, but pitching more then anything, is the thing that can be dominant in these short series.
MJ I had floated the idea of Cole Hamels with Joc Pederson and others in a trade.
I think we can get another impact vet starter by trade with either Grandal and/or Joc. I’d start by looking at every team that was .500 or slightly under.
You’ll have to use somebody else YF, I already traded Joc and Grandal.
There are some on the rebound type FA starters we could get on the cheap. Don’t remember all of them but Chacin, Feldman, Tillman, Lackey, Cahill – these guys all have FAZ appeal.
Not enough impact for me but I guess some innings eaters would help.
Speaking of innings eaters, the Bluejays have a couple of starters on their last contract year that could play up at Dodgers Stadium – J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada. I’d still prefer Coke Hamels, but J.A. Happ is a fastball sinker pitcher these days and doesn’t walk much. Estrada had a down year in terms of ERA but can still miss bats. Going from the Jays’ ballpark and the AL East to the NL West will give both a boost.
Chatwood of the Rockies is a free agent also. Buchholz, Cahill, Cashner, Fister, Gallardo, Jaime Garcia, Hellickson, Iwakuma, Miley, Nolasco, Pelfrey, Pineda, Sanchez and Vargas would all be pretty cheap. I read a story today on Dodger Blue where Zaidi said the Dodgers were looking to get an elite impact player. He said it would not be easy, but that is what they would like to do. Whether that means a pitcher of a position player was not specified. Sounds to me like they want to make the big push in 2018 and get this done before CK can opt out.
Badger
It would probably be easier to sign someone, but I think we need to sign a better quality starter, if we can.
Because the free agent market, on starting pitchers, in the next couple of years, is not that good.
Although Bumgarner becomes a free agent, after the 2019 season.
YF
I don’t know much about what Cole Hamels did this year, except that his era is over four.
But you must know more about why Hamel’s era went up this year, then I do.
Unless you are looking for Hamels to rebound this next year.
YF
I still hope we can get Ohtani!
I looked at Happ’s numbers, and his era isn’t bad for the division he plays in, but he did give up 18 HRs, in less the 150 innings, so that would be the only negative I saw with him, being a sinker ball pitcher.
But I know he had a really good year in 2016, and your right, he will pitch much better at Dodger Stadium.
I am not afraid of Kershaw opting out, and going to, the Rangers.
I don’t see Kershaw pitching in, that hitter’s Park, especially after all the HRs he gave up, this year.
That park would be a nightmare, for Kershaw to pitch in.
Trade Grandal, sign Castillo to be Barnes backup, the guy can hit. Bring back Morrow, and sign one other BP arm, or trade Fields and Baez. Get an everyday CF and move Taylor to second, Forsythe becomes Chase Utley and get 1 more stud starter. Either by trade or free agency. I like Arietta because the guy has a bull dog mentality. You can tweak the bench as you go and mix and match the bullpen until you find the right combo out there. Banuelos is getting a minor league deal according to the reports, so not on the 40 man. Next up is deciding who they will protect on the 40 man that they do not want to lose. #1 candidate would be Trevor Oaks.
When I was reading the free agents list, I was really surprised at how young some of those guys are. Brett Anderson is only 29. I thought he was around 37 the way he moves. One other reliever I would target. Brian Shaw who pitched for Cleveland. The guy is a stud.
Trade Grandal.
Ok, but who you get for him could change what you might do next. Send him to Pittsburgh for McCutchen and CF is set. Or put Bellinger back out there if AGon gets whole.
The rest of that stuff is interesting but Forsythe is our second baseman and I think Farmer has earned a look at backup C. I think Buehler will have an impact – as in 40 apprances 20 holds, or even 5-10 starts – and 50-60 IP. I think we may not see Urias at all and I’m good with trading for Hamels. Trevor Oaks? Forgot about him. Is he the second coming of Stripling?
Anybody ok with trading Kiké and giving Culberson the utility role?
Read a report yesterday that Urias may be back by May. I think that is pushing it, but according to the FO staff, he is way ahead of where they thought he would be. Since the Dodgers are hot for Britton, ship Grandal to the Orioles who do not have a decent catcher right now, maybe get a O’s prospect back. I doubt the Pirates need a catcher, but we might send Joc and Kike over there for Cutch. That would be ok with me. I still like Taylor at 2nd over Forsythe.
Badger
Buehler is suppose to be a starter next year either on the AAA team, or on the major league team, later in the season, depending on how he pitches.
But he probably will be on a innings limit, since he just had that TJ surgery a year or two, ago.
I hope we get Ohtani, because he will be fun to watch pitch, and hit.
He does have Oh in his name, just like the Japanese Babe Ruth did, and he is only 24.
Fangraphs has Buehler in the pen but I like him as a starter too. Yes, he will be watched closely.
Urias ahead of schedule? Pitching in May? I hope not. Shoulder capsule is serious business and what I read said 12-14 months. The history of pitchers who have had this surgery has been checkered. Pineda missed two years. Santana was never the same. I hope they take their time bringing him back. 14 months is September. I prefer to plan accordingly.
I like your ideas Michael. You know who might be a good fit in Pittsburgh is Kiké. Grandal to Balmore, Joc to Minnesota fin exchange for international $$ for Otani, Kiké and whoever for cutch.
I think May is too early too. But Dodger Blue was quoting sources in the organization. I see no reason to rush the kid. They have pitchers up the gazoo…..