First, this is not a sky is falling thread. I do not think the sky is falling. I think it is April. Crazy shit seems normal in April. Instead, I thought I would offer up a scenario that would hopefully make a few people think and offer their thoughts. Again, the sky is not falling. This is just for sparking thought. Scenario: The Dodgers are 10 games out on July 27th. Do you go all in and trade from outstanding farm for a stud ? Do you go partly in and trade for decent with less leaving the farm and hope? Do you trade away certain veterans (paying as much or as little is needed) to acquire young upside players? Do you trade all veterans --even studs--to get the very best young upside players available? Who are you building your team around? What time table are you giving for a WS berth? What other thoughts do you have?
When I saw the thread title and saw it was created by sdf, I was expecting something WAY different. I thought it was one of those games where someone posts... "Would you rather the Diamondbacks move to the AL, or VRP be banned from this site forever?" Then someone else replies... "VRP banned! Would you rather see Kershaw pitch a perfect game, or Puig traded?" Then someone else replies... and it continues...
10 games out isn't enough to hit the red button for me, have seen them make crazy comebacks in the standings before, so I'd let it ride and see what happens in that scenario. But if they were say 15 games out on July 27th..that combined with not being able to get over the hump in the post season with many of the same guys the last 4 seasons would mean I start getting rid of most of the big money vets, popular guys or not..nice returns or not. Would keep Corey ( of course), Joc, Toles, Yasmani, Forsythe, Trayce, Barnes, CK, Dayton, Avilan, Stripling and Wood from the big club. Everybody else from the big club goes. Bring up Bellinger and Urias for good. Basically just start prepping the payroll for a Machado/Harper/CK chase in the winter of 2018
Trade a group of prospects that does not include Cody Bellinger or Yadier Alvarez. For exactly what we need. offensive powerhouses at positions we are weakest in that smash left handed pitching. That is Braun and Villar. For Toles, Calhoun, Buehler, Stewart, Stripling. 2B Villar SS Seager LF Braun 3B Turner RF Puig 1B Gonzales/Logan C Grandal/Barnes CF Pederson/Trayce Drop Utley, SVS and Kike to make room. Your bench is Barnes, Logan, Ethier, Gutierrez, Trayce
I have to say that is a nasty lineup. And given Belinger and verdugo are in places where they can replace the aging, esta' bien
So your ideal situation increases our payroll $20 million per year, costs a bunch of prospects, has the league leader in strikeouts leading off for us, and has a bench consisting of 3 guys on the DL and a guy who is 0 for the season? :notquite:
First off, I hate this scenario and question. 10 games out? I go partly in. No point going all in for a team that isn't quite there. And no, we aren't sellers at that point. 12-15 games out? I think that's the tipping point. Also might depend on who is in first and how I see them holding up over the second half. But at a certain point I would sell. But I only trade away certain players. This isn't a rebuild job. Players with contracts up after 2017 can all go, and the list is pretty short: Utley, Gutierrez, Romo, and Ethier. Really the only interesting player in this scenario is Adrian Gonzalez. If we are out it gives us an excuse to move him, plus we could get a decent prospect or some salary relief. Forsythe goes in the maybe column, but most likely he's a keep. There's also the list of guys I would consider trading regardless of whether we are sellers or buyers: Puig, McCarthy, Ryu, Kazmir - but they aren't that interesting because I have them on the block already. What time table for a WS berth? Insane question, IMO. 2018. The next season. There is no way this is a rebuild job. Not remotely close. We have a crazy payroll, a good young core in the majors, one of the best farm systems with a number of guys knocking on the door. Honestly, if anyone really thinks this is a full rebuild past 2018, they might as well put Kershaw on the block and make a blockbuster trade.
Would you rather... - Listen to an entire U2 album - Watch a psychic medium cold read idiots - Watch the 2017 Dodgers - Die I'm thinking option #4
I still remember the day Apple downloaded U2 to everyone's iTunes automatically. It was like a Frank Costanza military flashback. A dark day.
I actually have an alright story about Bono. Because of it I don't really hate the guy, just hate his music. During a tour of N.Z in the 80's he met and became really good friends with a Maori man when in Auckland named Greg Carroll. Bono was struggling to adapt to our Timezone, so Greg took him out to show him Auckland, including a trip up One Tree Hill, a significant Maori and Auckland landmark. He then became a personal assistant and was very close to Bono and his wife. A couple of years later he got killed on a motorbike running an errand for the band. He was flown back home, and his tangi (Maori funeral) was at his home Marae (essentially birthplace) which is ten or so minutes from my home in Wanganui. Kai-Iwi Marae. So, basically it was the absolute height of U.2 fame. Bono travelled all the way to Wanganui (my town) for the Tangi with so little publicity and fanfare. He was so low-key and respectful of the Maori ways, he listened and learned the heritage and ways of the local people. Including getting a history on the Whanganui river, which runs through Wanganui. He followed Tangi protocol, and sang at the funeral. So the song One Tree Hill is about his buddy in Auckland, and the river in the song is partially about the Whanganui and its lore. But what impressed me the most, is the absolute lack of publicity he seeked. Nowadays celebs would milk this shit for all it's worth. A guy that big coming to our town should be a big deal, but it wasn't. And that's pretty damn cool. It was all about his mate.