DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS Thread

The possible “year one type shake up” had me intrigued because it made me wonder if a Turner, Kershaw, or Kenley could be moved (like Kemp, a fan favorite was moved), especially if they wanted to free up money for a Rendon, Betts, etc type move. I’d say it’s unlikely any of them get moved, but I wonder if there is a real effort to clear payroll for something else.

As far as Lux, he seems like the most logical piece to build a trade around if they go for Lindor. I’d think Lux plus a high-end pitching prospect is in the ballpark.

 

Have I undervalued Seager? Why is he reportedly available at all if that's the case? Why trade for Lindor and pay him instead of just keeping/paying Seager? Because of course, we all know Lindor is an upgrade. That's not solely based on the postseason either, as I mentioned how 2017 was the last time we saw the consistent level of play that would have Seager far from being available this winter. Granted, Lindor raked against the Astros last postseason - it's not a deal of valuing that postseason play more than FO's, at least not for me. However, there is additional value in being able to handle good pitching, which is what you see in the postseason. If you're a team that makes it to the postseason a ton like the Dodgers, you would put a check in that box. But not every team has that box among other boxes.

And I just got done saying how the injury excuse isn't necessarily one to lean on..it can actually be a detriment to Seager's value in talks. Obviously, there's the TJ surgery..then the hip surgery..then the back troubles..then the recurring hamstring..and what's next for a big guy like that with such a violent swing? There's no real certainty that Seager is on his way back from all this stuff, so " the last 100 games " or not..the next 100 games could be spread out over the next 2 seasons with this guy. Of course, there will always be teams that are willing to take a shot that he will bounce back (LAD apparently not one of them?), and that's why they won't have to give him away. They'll be able to round a decent amount of teams together and get some bidding going on a guy that's still young and serious about his profession. Why not? Don't we imagine that there were multiple teams interested in oft-injured Pollock last offseason? Dodgers just happened to be the idiots to win that derby. The thing for me in all of this is, I'm adhering to all the Rendon/LAD smoke and assuming there's going to be a strong run at adding him. We have Turner saying he'd move off 3B for Rendon, so the reports would seem to have legs. Well, if that's true, and then it's also true that LAD wants to add Lindor, then I'm just not overly sensitive in where Seager ends up and what we get for him, got me? Fuck it. Rendon and Lindor would mean we're moving on when it comes to the left side of the infield and somebody else gets to find out if Seager can bounce back - maybe his bro's team Seattle?

As for Lux, once again, let's say they've signed Rendon and are angling to pair him with Lindor on the left side, and that they don't have to trade Muncy or Turner..what the hell would they be holding on tight to Lux for when one of Turner or Muncy is going to slot in @ 2B? We have no place for Lux, anyway, unless we think Muncy is moving to LF? I mean, it's obviously armchair GM'ing because none of this is likely to happen, but in a scenario where we land Rendon, and have kept Muncy/Turner..I'd rather keep Ruiz over Lux. The infield would be set with Rendon/Lindor/Muncy/Turner, and of course, Belli would slot into 1B on occasion to help out, allowing Verdugo to move over into CF. So yeah, I'd rather keep Ruiz and Verdugo in this scenario and just move on from Lux. He has great value, and Lindor will draw a bit of a bidding war on the market, so drop Lux into that bidding war and win it without adding a gang of other talent

 

And don't we always get that report, after a big trade, that team X wanted the Dodgers to pay a ridiculous price..for Verlander..for Stanton, etc...don't we? So when do we go ahead and pull the trigger on these trades and land our fuckin Fred McGriff already? A guy in the middle of the lineup with staying power. And what's really messed up is, right now this org is deep enough in talent to pull the trigger and be just fine.

I'm with irish 110%..there should be one untouchable player no matter what..Buehler. The rest of these SOBs should be able to had under the right circumstances

 

Is it that you are not all that keen on Lindor? Or you just think that the packages are too heavy?

 

I think the shake up is more of the secondary type guys and they will keep some of the younger guys that they have built up through the farm system. I should also clarify that the list I put out was not my preferred list to stick with, just what the FO is likely to do. I think moving Kershaw would be insane. Would I be happy? Yes. Would a chunk of this board be happy? Probably. Would the overall fanbase like it? Hell-fucking-no. I still talk to family in LA that think he is the greatest player in Dodgers history and trading him would be a sin in their eyes. They are also not alone. Venture on over to the Dodgers Reddit page that has a lot more actives on there over us and they are still very pro Kershaw. I am over the dude and would love to see his pussy ass shipped out, but it will never happen for multiple reasons, another of which is that he has a full no-trade clause so I don't think he would accept a trade to anyone except the Rangers.

I think Turner gets a shot at 1B this year and if his defensive metrics rebound from the move across the diamond, he probably stays a Dodger for the remainder of his career where he eventually falls into a Freese type role. His offense is still great and he has been nothing short of fantastic in the playoffs, even this year when he was dealing with a knee issue. He is the type of player that they should try to keep around. Personally, I want to see Lux, Bellinger, Turner, Smith and Muncy stay for sure, then build around that core. Have Bellinger bat like 6th or 7th in the PO's for all that I care, but try to build with this group and see what happens.

Lux is probably not going anywhere for anyone with only a year or two years left of control unless they get a chance to re-sign the player long term first. He is projected to be an all-star if not MVP caliber middle infielder in his prime type player and those are not something that come along very often. What people are missing is that the Dodgers farm is deep enough that they should be able to get Lindor without moving guys like Lux or May.

 

This is a good point. I forget how insulated we are in here.

I browse Reddit frequently and wind up on the Dodgers subreddit a few times a week - it is unbearable positivity over there. I've criticized Kershaw on there before, fair criticisms, toned down criticisms, and I get blasted with downvotes so fast. Criticism of any kind gets everyone downvoted over there, it's insane. Also, I just checked, and the page currently has a bunch of "Let's Go Nats" threads... I mean, I get wanting to see the Astros lose, but I'd like to see a little less Nats cocksucking from Dodgers fans.

 

Yeah, the overall bias over there has kept me from posting regularly. I am guessing that a lot of the members are Pantone members which is going to have some very extreme views. That does not mean that this organization has not done more right than wrong over the last couple of season, as they have. Just they need to be open to people criticizing the team on occasion. The other thing is, that is a major chat group, do not think that these are not observed regularly by FO's, Agents, brand managers and the like. So you likely have some click farming taking place as well by their plants(or whatever you call that shit).

 

Yes, I believe you have undervalued him. Just because he is available does not mean he isn't good either, but the Dodgers likely think they can do better, so why not take their shot? It is also not for certain that he is actually available. At this point it is purely speculation from the fans and media since Seager was so atrocious in the playoffs. Then pair that with the shakeup talk and people will start getting excited. Good pitching always beats good hitting, that is just the way of baseball. If the argument is that Seager can't hit good pitching, that argument doesn't really have any legs. Has he struggled against some good pitchers? Absolutely. Has he also destroyed some good pitchers over the years? He has done that as well. Him struggling in the playoffs has just been magnified, but let's also not forget that if it weren't for Kenley Jansen, Seager would have hit one of the biggest home runs for the franchise since Gibson.

Another thing to take note of is who is representation is and that should not be ignored. Seager being represented by Boras and being only a couple years away from FA, probably means they have a good idea that he is not going to be easy to re-sign so they are taking preemptive measures to avoid that. I don't disagree that Seager should be moved, I am saying that trading Seager AND Lux for Lindor is way too much and the club should be able to acquire him without losing a prospect of Lux's caliber. Even if they were to acquire both Rendon and Lindor(I don't think that happens), Lux would still be incredibly valuable and useful. Even if it means that we have an IF of Rendon, Lindor, Muncy and Turner, the team could stash Lux in MiLB or they could move either he or Muncy to the OF.

 

Would not be shocked that no matter the results of tonight, if Rendon and Strasburg return to the Nats next year. Nats already offered Rendon a huge contract and I don't see them bringing that offer down after this showing. It will likely be Cole or bust at this point in the pitching category, which is only made worse with the Yankees and Angels fully in the picture.

 

Why do I have a strong feeling that all this talk of big shakeups means no big ticket free agents, a fire sale of our core for "picks", and a full tank and reset? Isn't this the FO MO?

The first batch of super prospects have flamed out in the PS. As a few start to reach that dreaded FA year, this FO will probably start selling. Cole? Pfst! Rendon? Sheeeeeit! Strasberg? What you been smoking? And this list goes on.

I am not optimistic about the immediate future.

 

Not sure if this is a "piece of shit" article or a "what a freaking waste" article. Sounds like both, but with the piece of shit taking the lead.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id...osh-hamilton-faces-felony-charge-injury-child

 

You done fucked up

 

Should also say this on behalf of what Seager was able to muster up this season..he was shit against power pitching
126 opportunities for a .679 OPS, slugging sub- .400

Shit in high leverage situations as well
104 opportunities for a .657 OPS, slugging sub- .400

So whatever glimpses we saw mainly came against soft tossing finesse guys in games that weren't very close. The kind of stuff that had to play into Seager batting 7th in the lineup in October..his position in the lineup another prime indicator that this would not be considered a peak selling point for Seager on the trade market

 

RIP Ron Fairly.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodg...y-usc-dodgers-world-series-angels-cancer-dead

 

It's that I don't think he's that much better than Seager to give up a top prospect for.

 

If you tell me that Lindor lays off the back-foot slider in the fall ( which he does most of the time), then Lindor's only better than Seager in just about every way at this point. Durability, power, hit tool, glove, speed on the base paths, arm @ SS, hitting VS good/power pitching, etc. Yes, the upgrade is real and the reports of LAD being interested in swapping one out for the other makes sense. ZIPS projects Lindor to be a 7 win player on average over the next 3 seasons..they project Seager as a 4 win guy over the same window of time.

And of all the things that Lindor does better than Seager, making contact far more than Seager could eventually become the most appreciated asset he'd bring. Seager really didn't do anything this season to even be mentioned in the same sentence with Lindor, outside of trade talk, so LAD will likely have to include a top spec. CKWG wants the top spec to be Ruiz, so he knows that Lindor will be sought after if/when made available. Ruiz would be a substantial offer.

Either way..you're telling CKWG that Ruiz is too much to offer..CKWG is telling me that Lux is too much to offer. Lol But at the end of the day we know the market will bear the cost. Some team is going to swoop in, pay the price that the Indians want. If it's not the Dodgers, that wouldn't be a story that we're unfamiliar with. Hell, the Dodgers and Indians had a stare down last offseason that went nowhere

 

..But if the Dodgers did somehow land Lindor ( and move off Seager), I guarantee you this..
Lindor would not be batting 7th for the Dodgers in October.