MLB 2020-2021 OFF-SEASON NEWS AND RUMORS

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by ColoradoKidWitGame, Oct 28, 2020.

  1. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    • The Padres are close to signing Mike Clevinger to a 2-year deal. This would simply buy out his arb seasons. Would guess that he's interested in this as he may be worried about injury issues going forward.
    • The Mets and Yankees have shown interest in Yadier Molina. This would be interesting if either were to land him for a couple of reasons. There are rumors that the Yankees have grown tired of Gary Sanchez and a separation is believed to be best for both parties. Sanchez is coming off his second horrific season in 3 years with a solid 2019 mixed in. He would likely not net the Yankees a substantial return, but he could be an interesting target for a team looking for a lottery ticket with a weak catching position(Rockies have been rumored). As for the Mets, this could give them a cheaper alternative to Realmuto so that they can fill in parts elsewhere. The Mets are expected to be in on Bauer and Springer which one would make for a solid 1-3 rotation in a year from now.
     
  2. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    Yup.
    The nice thing about Mookie is he has a great attitude.
    Lindor is also supposed to be a well balanced guy unlike Sheffield and Kenley who have sharper angled heads.
    We don't have to worry about the closer being how he is if he was playing well.
    Closers can't ruin a team because they are like kickers in football and are their own thing that is not really part of the rest of the team except for when they need to come in and be assholes who have to act like douches who don't take responsibility for failure or else it fucks with their heart which they need to keep hard so they can be assholes on the mound in the crunch before they get heart disease and become worthless and retire.
     
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  3. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Can't pin down who's supposed to be Delino Deshields in this equation....Lindor?

    Deshields hit 80 HRs in 13 years..Lindor has 138 in 6. Deshields' career WAR over 13 years was 24..Lindor's is 28 in 6

    Gotta trust that we're not spending this much time discussing Lindor because he's Delino Deshields


    ..we've seen the Pete Rose debacle, the steroid era, the 2017 Astros, multiple LAD choke jobs, and multiple expansion teams win WS titles during a 32 year drought for LAD

    It's truly a miracle that I still care about baseball. A Mookie miracle


    Alex Verdugo was in that young core last year....he gone. And thank goodness. My mistake....thank Boston. Would've been a cute story to keep all the farm kids together - and I've been prospect hugger myself in the past when things didn't smell right - but it what it is, we all lose loved ones along the journey. Willie Calhoun's numbers from 2019 definitely had my attention, but we were in win now mode..dude had to go. The 32 year drought doesn't end if Verdugo doesn't go to Boston for the non-homegrown stud that closed out each of their last 2 series when asses were getting tight - as they usually have. And perhaps Lux has to go in order for this LAD team to find itself among all the Yankee dynasties and the 70's A's. As much as the ball's rolling now with a title in the bank - LAD didn't dominate - and Lux isn't very likely to be a major force in this club's title defense, probably not even the year after. Look at how long it took for Seager to gain traction in the postseason.

    I'll take Lindor for a year and see what happens after a dominant WS victory. Seeing a lot of people say that it may not even take an offer of Lux to get Lindor..which would be great, but if they were to figure things out with Lindor from a big picture standpoint, Lux could also end up being blocked and just hold more value as a trade chip going elsewhere. Or maybe they just keep Lux to slot in if Lindor leaves or the club decides to move on. That'd be fine too
     
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  4. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    There were a number of teams that were able to take advantage of the shortened season last year and the Giants were one of them to a degree. They had breakout/bounceback performances from a number of players that you could easily see breakdown over a 162 game stretch. It looks like they struck gold with Yaz 2.0, but a lot of these dudes are long in the tooth already with a pretty shitty pitching staff around them. Their pen was on fumes by the end and even that was not good enough. This team slowed down at the end of a 60 game sprint, can only imagine what would happen with a 162 game marathon. They legit need 2 good or better starters, maybe 4 or more relievers and at least another bat to really become a threat. They are not a deep franchise right now, so if anyone breaks, they get into trouble. I think they are going to be one of those teams that is annoying in the first half of next season, but eventually returns to mediocrity. This org is headed for a legit line change in the years ahead where they're going to have to replace a lot of players around the same time which can lead to more growing pains. The only solid performer from 2020 that is under 30 was Austin Slater and that seems likely to be a mirage. Joey Bart will only be 24, but there is worry that the club/injuries have stunted his growth as he was completely overmatched this year. I'm not saying that the Giants can't Giant their way to being good, it is just that they're going to need even more breaks in their favor... Also, seriously when are has beens going to stop going here and turning into stars?
     
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  5. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Oh yeah and Steinbrenner was definitely an all time asshole....but also a legend in the sport. Gotta give him his due in the same breath. Guy had the Mamba Mentality. And we certainly knew Kobe to be an asshole during competition, so it checks out. Only difference is Steinbrenner wasn't our asshole. Whatever the case - assholes win a lot of championships.

    Now the question is....do we have at least 1 asshole exec in the LAD FO? Have to say that I definitely know of one - who publicly stated that fans love homegrown stars better than free agent stars. Asshole Kasten lied there, because I love Mookie as much or more as any Dodger. Far as I'm concerned, Mookie's batting 1.000. 1 year - 1 championship
     
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  6. BlueMouse

    BlueMouse 2020 World Champions

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    Kinda going off on a tangent, but this made me think about how healthy the Giants pitching staffs were from 2010-2014. In particular, in 2012 they had 5 pitchers with 30+ starts. If you want a recipe for how to be a WS contender with a mediocre team, a historically healthy rotation is a great place to start.
     
  7. Gebbeth

    Gebbeth DSP Legend

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    Pitching has been key to WS rings. We all know that the ‘88 team was full of nobodies except for the pitching staff and Gibson.
     
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  8. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    It still irritates me that the Gnats won 3 out of 5. I agree with FW that a team needs to have at least one title defense before they can be considered a dynasty, but to even put them in the discussion really chaps my hide. Maybe it's just sour grapes, but consider this:

    In 2017, we won 104 games and lost in the WS to an *'s team that won 101, plus cheated their way through the playoffs.
    In 2018, we won 92 games and lost in the WS to the American League powerhouse team with 108 wins.
    In 2020, we had a full-season pace of 116 wins, and beat the strongest AL team which was on a 108-win full season pace (and possibly more if Randy played all 60).
    The year in between, 2019, we won 106 games.

    In 2010, the Gnats won 92, and in the WS got to face the Rangers, who won 90 games.
    In 2012, they won 94 games, and in the WS got to face the Tigers, who got there with only 88 wins.
    In 2014, they won 88 games, and in the WS got to face the 89-win Royals.
    In the two years in between, they had only 86 and 76 wins.

    Now, I won't pretend that the end goal isn't to win the ring by any means necessary and anything else is quickly forgotten. And I won't discredit cinderella seasons, because the '88 Dodgers were possibly the mother-of-all cinderella teams. (But even they weren't gifted a softy in the WS and had to go through not just the 100-win Mets but the 104-win A's.) However, setting all that aside, tell me which team above had a more dominant 4-5 year stretch.

    Bottom line is that the Gnats had the baseball gods in their favor those three years, and now I get to hear my Bay Area friends constantly remind me that they won 3.
     
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  9. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Jose Abreu AL MVP
    NL up next..will they rob Mookie?
     
  10. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    I keep reading that there's a good chance that Bauer ends up with the Padres or Gnats. For that reason alone, I'm hoping the Dodgers sign him (although that could bump Urias out of the rotation which I'm against).

    Lindor... I've read all the arguments here and still feel that ckwg's take makes the most sense. Yes, I want the FO to protect our dominance as much as the next guy, but it just sounds like it'd be a forced fit with our financial constraints, and given our current strengths and needs. Yelich is the better fit in my opinion.
     
  11. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    I believe Betts' season was worthy and obviously want to see him get it, but if it goes to Freeman, it's hard to consider that a rob.
     
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  12. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    Freeman it is. Oh well, I'd rather have the ring. :)
     
  13. jpldodgers

    jpldodgers DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    28 first place votes to 2?

    Freeman is definitely deserving but that gap seems ridiculous.
     
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  14. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    I see your opinion and raise it with my opinion that a left fielder is not a better fit than a shortstop.
    We already have two of the best defenders in the OF with Mook and Bellinger.
    LF is a great spot to have open for organizational flexibility.
    Plus the team already has plenty of players who need playing time.
    Joc is a really good defender in LF. As is Kike, Taylor and even Pollock was better than expected in LF.
    And you could always throw a corner IF stiff like Edwin Rios or Max Muncy or even an aging Justin Turner in LF without it killing your overall defense.
    LF is the worst place to put your money in or to trade prospects for when you could literally plug in like 10 guys who don't have a full time gig or who might be losing their full time gig in the future.

    Besides Lindor at 26 years old is what we would hope Lux would be if he pans out and is everything he can be.
    Lindor is young and we would be paying him max money but it would be for the choicest part of his prime.
    Its a gamble where your outcome is a sure thing.
    Trade vanilla Lux and get deluxe chocolate Lindor.

    RF: Mook
    2B: Lindor
    3B: Seager
    CF: Bellinger
    3B: Turner
    1B: Muncy
    C : Smith/Barnes
    LF: Joc/Taylor
    DH: Pollock/Rios
     
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  15. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    I hear ya, and agree with much of it. But my first question is, has Lindor indicated that he's open to 2B? And even if he has no choice in the matter in 2021 if traded for, will that automatically eliminate the possibility of him agreeing to extend? And someone posted that Lindor is a better bet at SS than Seager given that the truncated 2020 season didn't prove Corey's durability, but I'm a firm believer that he (Seager) earned the position this year and it's his to lose.

    All those guys you mentioned for LF... as of right now Joc and Kike are not signed, and Pollock can theoretically be included in a package for Yelich. That leaves Taylor as our super sub utility guy. By the way, I don't see Joc coming back to platoon when there will be a team that offers him a full-time gig. Probably the same can be said for Kike.

    And getting back to Lindor, if we did trade for him and successfully extend him, how much $$ is then tied up long term with 2-3 players. (ckwg mentioned it, but I don't remember the number) You said in another post you don't care because it's not your money, and frankly I don't care if ownership makes a profit or not, but what does it do to our ability to keep Seager, Bellinger, Urias, Buehler, and others when their current deals are up? So yes, I like Lindor and think he initially improves the team, but indirectly weakens it in subsequent years.

    RF: Mook
    LF: Yelich
    SS: Seager
    CF: Bellinger
    3B: Turner
    1B: Muncy
    C : Smith/Barnes
    2B: Lux/Taylor
    DH: Rios/Smith/Taylor
     
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  16. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    you know what warms my heart to no end
    the knowledge that Mookie isn't going to give a damn and won't whine about it like say mebron
    he won't even entertain the conversation guaranteed
    let alone want to puff his chest about goat arguments etc
    definition of a team player
     
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  17. fsudog21

    fsudog21 DSP Legend

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    You mean like no whining about "lack of respect?"
     
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  18. BlueMouse

    BlueMouse 2020 World Champions

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    I have no problem with Freeman winning MVP over Betts, Freeman had an amazing season.

    Besides, I would take this 1,000 times over an MVP Award:
     
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  19. MZA

    MZA MODERATOR Staff Member

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    Kim Ng finally lands a GM job

    it’s with the Marlins but man I remember fans wanted her to take over for Colletti when he was our GM

    Long time coming
     
  20. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Lol 28 to 2....a tad fishy, shall we say? That was Mookie's award..led the NL in WAR and was just more impressive, but Freeman's a good guy so it's fine

    He'll say whatever publicly, but I'm sure Mookie is pissed. That's just being an elite competitor. Voter fuckery likely goes on the bulletin board to keep the fire lit, which actually makes me love the results of the vote. Especially since he just got paid - before winning WS #2. Anything Mookie needs to keep the fire lit, give it to him
     
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