Never thought we'd come off losers in a swap involving Bolsinger, but yeah....this Chavez guy makes Hatcher look like prime Rivera.
Again, I know it's easy to praise the Nerds during the good times and rip them during the bad times. I'm aware of the fickle nature of it all. With that said.... Ugh. A lot of their deals I really like their thought process. Selling high on Dee, getting multiple pieces back...okay, cool. Turning Olivera into Wood and Peraza...okay, cool. Peraza into Montas and Thompson...okay, cool. Maeda was a great value deal. Trading Kemp for Grandal ( and open up CF for Joc). Letting Hanley walk to open up SS for Seager. Really transforming the middle of the diamond. Many other moves where I get the thought process and they generally have worked out. But haven't most of the deals really just spun their wheels? Even the good ones I mentioned. Something also has to be said about the Kazmir, Mccarthy, Anderson (I get he had a good season and accepted the QO), almost Iwakuma, dumpster diving type deals. For all the unproven Cubans. I praise them for depth but who created a situation where we need so much depth? The Nerds. It doesn't work. It's worked for 130 games, but it's on the brink of collapse. Kazmir sucks. Mccarthy wasn't worth a 4 year deal. A lot of these bargains aren't bargains. I didn't want Cueto in the off season but the Nerds should've gotten him. We spend so much damn money on players not to play for us. We spend millions on failed or unproven Cubans. Why couldn't we have gotten Cueto? Do they have to be "creative" on every move? Just do the obvious once in a while. I also feel they're ruining Urias. We're spinning our wheels. No improvement. I try to tell myself this is just a transition phase and in 2018 when the prospects graduate to the big leagues the Nerds will invest $ in proven pieces. But I'm starting to think they won't. I'm starting to think we're transitioning into the Los Angeles Rays/A's.
We joke about Ned, and he made some bad deals like EVERY GM...but he had a lot less to work with and captured the imagination of Dodger fans. Put together some of the most fun teams I've ever watched. Hearing him on SNLA, he's not stupid. There are things the Nerds do better but there are things I'm sure he did better, too. So say what you will but I don't think it's out of the question to miss Ned. He got us a broken rib away from the World Seres. We were the best team in baseball. And it was a hell of a fun ride in all of his post season runs. 2008 and 2013 in particular. Dodger Stadium was electric. 2014 is when it just felt like a change was needed.
I get a lot of what you're saying, but also, isn't it kinda easy in hindsight to say "Hey, they should have gotten Cueto!" just cause he's pretty much the only big free agent pitcher signing thats worked out? Sure, it would have been great if they got Cueto but the team would also be in just as bad of a spot if they would have gotten Price, Greinke, Zimmerman, or Samdrjizjizzijza. It would have been bad to have them as well. And, like I said, some of the injuries should've been counted upon (McCarthy, Anderson, Puig, Ryu) but some of the others have been out of the ordinary. If in 2013-2015 Kershaw, Puig, Ethier, RYu, and a couple others get hurt, we're not close to winning shit cause we'd have Fausto Carmona coming in. It hasn't been a great set up of a roster and its been ugly and BORING. They have legit things to be blamed for, especially Urias and the Cuban market, but just feel like it's easy to say "Should have done this" in hindsight. A lot of the free agent starters didn't work out and it's easily argued that Maeda was the 2nd best one signed
Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox starter, has an ERA approaching 6 and I'll be surprised if the Dodgers score more then 2 runs.
i do think the team can be boring though. Thats more of a "beyond the box score" type thing and probably is mostly attributed to our best player (Seager) being absolutely amazing with the bat but very professional and quiet. As is Howie, Utley, Adrian, and Turner. Just personally enjoy some life and emotion and right now only Grandal shows that. I guess that is secondary to simply winning and some people prefer a more professional looking approach from a team but I personally enjoy some flair
Haven't been paying much attention other than checking scores and the occasional watch. How are they ruining Urias?
Truthfully, it's on the brink of collapse because of ...INJURIES. This team has been patching it together all season, not just lately. If not for the depth we'd already be looking up the Rockies ass. The fact that the depth was in place is what has kept us out of 3rd place all season. Disagree. The kid hasn't turned 20 yet. They are not ruining him, they are conditioning him, and I wholeheartedly approve. You are correct. However you are wrong about spending dough in 2018, ...well, not mega dough, anyway.
I like that they are coddling Urias less. He us gonna be a phenom like Seager. Playing all star level baseball at 21 years old and getting mvp\cyyoung votes at 22.
McCarthy will pitch tomorrow instead of Hill. Hill felt a blister on a different part of his hand yesterday and is day-to-day. lol pathetic
What...the...fuck...... That acquisition is such an absolutely bizarre and paradoxical method of addressing consistency in the rotation. I mean really...just astonishing to think about. And when Zaidi explains the moves he strikes me as an out of touch drone.
Also, we're probably going to set the all time DL record and we are still competing for 1st place. Sure they signed some injury prone guys but a number of the injuries this year came from guys who arent traditionally injury prone (dre, CK, joc, etc.) or guys signed under a previous regime (puig, Ryu) Cueto would've been nice but there were injury concerns with him too.
Yes, it's easy to write they should have done this or that or got that one or this one...perhaps even easier for fans who have waited 28 years for even a world series appearance. And mentioning other teams as examples of why it's OK as a comparison is just more weak shit, imo. Their FOs aren't geniuses, either, right...like ours? I don't think it wrong or unworthy to complain about moves or non moves the FO has made/not made. They will gloat if we win...why not the opposite? These guys get paid a lot of money to do what they do, and were preceded by a stellar reputation. How long do we say " hindsight is 20/20" and similar loser bs? Forever? A good friend of mine in FL, who is familiar with Friedman& Co., when they arrived, told me exactly what he would do, and he has done it to a T...competitive team on the field, but no sense of urgency at all, even if the failure continues as always. A championship would be fine, but if not, that's fine, too. If you're OK with that, then you are loving these guys, big time. It will continue status quo for many seasons. We are always going to get the Reddicks and the Kazmirs and bring up the depth...but the real difference makers...the costly ones...? Forget it for a long time. Even though we have the big $. And going out and signing Cueto or Greinke, no matter what happened to them, is not the same as Kazmir and Norris and Chavez signings...remotely. Like we are reminded from time to time...it's a business...out to make money...and as long as there is enough meat in the seats to turn a profit, you've got the LAD. Yup.
