MLB NEWS/RUMORS Thread

Urias won't be a prominent part of the rotation until late 2019 at the earliest and most likely not until the following year. Nerds are going to treat him like a precious gem.

 

Ok...
So then, we definitely need a reclamation project.

 

Looking forward to a likely Braves matchup, they only have 1 LH starter (Sean Newcomb).

 

If the Phillies sign both they will win 100 games next year.

 

Billie Jean King...um ok lol
she's competitive thats for sure

 

We've got Magic and a couple of hagged out carpet munchers. Who's next?? Chef Merito? The majority of our base would like some representation.

 

Kershaw is still far from a lock to opt out. I am still under the impression that if he does, he will not get close to the $35M AAV he would be getting over the next two years and would probably be doing the Dodgers a favor. Yes he has been good this year when healthy, but his FB velo is gonna scare a lot of teams off to signing him to anything beyond 2-3 years, imo. I'd expect a fair amount of trades this offseason for the club for one they have a ton of MLB talent on the 40 man still under control and the only FA's to be are:

SS/3B Manny Macahdo
2B Brian Dozier
C Yasmani Grandal
LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
RHP Ryan Madson
RHP John Axford
RHP Daniel Hudson(60 Day DL)
2B Chase Utley(retiring)

So you are taking off 7 guys from the active 40 man roster and another that is on the 60 day DL. 4 of those guys will not be on the post season roster unless something changes in the next 2 weeks. Players on the 4o man that you could DFA and not probably miss are:

C Rocky Gale
SHP Pat Venditte(but the club supposedly really likes him)
LHP Zac Rosscup (the team also seems to like him a lot as well)
RHP J.T. Chargois (never healthy, but a solid ROOGY when he is)
RHP Josh Fields (Don't think they DFA him, but if they're worried about the shoulder, they could)

After that you need to look at the guys who are coming back from the 60 Day
SS Corey Seager
RHP Erik Goeddel
RHP Tom Koehler
RHP Dennis Santana
RHP Brock Stewart(Apparently looked really good when back on regular schedule)

So you are losing 7, but immediately get back 5 and that does not include the guys that are eligible for the Rule 5 this year and the club has I believe at least 4 players they will most definitely want to protect(I can't find the info on that now). So what does this all mean? The Dodgers still have a ton of depth and honestly are only losing one everyday starter that has made an impact this year(Yas) and one starting pitcher(Ryu). So what kind of depth does that leave us with at SP?

SP's: Kershaw, Buehler, Hill, Maeda, Stripling, Wood, Ferguson, Santana, Stewart, Urias (with May, Gonsolin and White knocking on the door)

I think that takes the club out of the SP market, even in the unlikely scenario that Kershaw walks or in the even more unlikely scenario that he walks and goes somewhere else. Whether we believe it or not, that is still a really good rotation even if it is Kershaw leading the charge or Buehler takes the baton. And no, Urias is not going to probably be expected to jump into the rotation. I honestly wouldn't be shocked if he gets phantom DL'd right out of camp and periodically throughout the first month of the season so that the club can avoid potentially using his last remaining option. If Santana is healthy, there are a lot of folks around baseball that think he is going to be a monster.

So we move to your comment about Machado. The hope and feeling probably is that at a minimum, Seager can at least replicate the production that Manny has put forth since joining the club this season. Manny has put together an OPS of .803 since joining the club, equating to an OPS+ of 116(and some very feeble AB's in clutch situations). That is lower than Seager's injury plagued 2017 that saw him put up an .854 OPS and 126 OPS+. Would guess the team feels they have a chance to be better at the SS position going forward. If they do sign Machado at this point it would be a bit of a surprise as there is not room for him(and his career splits are bit more revealing after what he has done since leaving Camden), unless the club plans to go forward with an IF of 3B Turner, SS Machado, 2B Seager or Muncy, 1B Seager/Muncy or Bellinger.

I could see the Dodgers taking a similar approach to last off-season, quiet on the FA market outside of probably re-signing/QO'ing Yaz, likely making a Matt Kemp trade(Kemp for Martin is an idea), making some trades to fill holes in the bullpen and probably waiting until closer to the trade deadline to see if a hole presents itself and filling the spot then. If Kershaw does walk, then things may get a little more interesting, but it does not seem like he will at this point. Spending big in free agency is not what the successful teams are doing anymore as it has continued to show that the value is just not there 9 times out of 10.

 

I was at the game when the lesbians were ejected for kissing in 2000. Now they own them. Progress.

 

I will add to my write up, the Dodgers are probably going to QO Ryu and Grandal. Both on 1 year $18 M contracts would at worst be an ideal situation since both play positions of considerable depth in the organization that is going to start looking MLB ready around the halfway point of next season. If both leave, the Dodgers would have a lot of money to play with in the upcoming draft.

 

Great post.
The one factor I would comment on would be what Machado has done while on LA, as opposed to his overall numbers.
His overall stats are not average, run of the mill. And looking down he road, if we do post season, he may shine brightly. Things could still be alive as far as a LA/ Manny hookup, but maybe not that likely.
We'll see.

 

yeah i'm not sure why exactly the Guggers wanted another partner unless it was straight up about publicity
has to be a figurehead only thing doesn't it?
but geezus why did they have to leave the stink of spank mccourt festering in that overpriced parking lot?

 

Thanks, I kind of tried to touch on Manny's overall numbers, but there is something of note. Throughout his career he has only had one season where he was really really good away (2016) and aside from that has been relatively good/average or in couple of cases, downright awful (2017 and a SSS 2014). His numbers over his career have largely been bumped by him raking at Camden which is the most hitter friendly park in baseball(yup, more friendly than Coors). So it leads me to think that the club is going to note that(plus his good, not great time with the club) to assess that he is not worth the $300M+ contract that Boras is gonna seek and someone will pay. Now this could all change if he just absolutely goes off in the playoffs, but that remains to be seen. This is not to disparage Manny as he is still a great all around player and the move to LA has improved his status defensively, but I could see the club shying away from the 10+ year offer that he is looking for if the AAV carries into the over $30M threshold which it almost certainly will. Also, we have no idea what Seager will say to all this. If he says he is a SS and not ready to move off the position, then everything is probably dead then and there. Doesn't help that he is represented by the same bloodthirsty agent either.

 

The Cubs Addison Russell has been put on administrative leave after reports resurfaced today of domestic abuse on his now ex-wife. MLB says that the investigation has been ongoing since last year even after Ms. Russell failed to cooperate with investigators. Yikes, not sure why she didn't want to talk last year and I wonder what came up that caused her to go off this morning.

 

Maybe she found Russell might be next up if Kavanaugh doesn't get confirmed.

<D. Feinstein nods her approval>

 

The Rangers let go of head coach Jeff Bannister. Always love when a FO puts together a shit roster and cans someone generally regarded as a pretty good coach when the team sucks. OKC Dodgers coach, Bill Hasselman is regarded as a potential successor. His name is likely to come up throughout the offseason.

 

It could be interesting to see how the club handles Haselman going forward. I know the org loves Woodward, but the guy is a fucking mess at 3rd(though he has improved). If they're worried about losing him, they could offer to use him at 3B next year.

 

An uppercut to the solar plexus will do that...

 

maybe a conversation about side bitches?