NEWS/RUMORS Thread

I'll also miss Bills cause he was truly a great topic of debate between some of us who have stuck around for a long time. The good ol days...

 

i'm not so sure
and at $3.5MM for one year
would have been a nice short term addition imo

 

AJ Ellis believes Dodgers will have big target on their backs
by Vincent Samperio | Dodgers Nation -- January 29, 2015



After repeating as National League West champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers can be expected to be the team to beat in the division, even though it was the San Francisco Giants that won the World Series.

While the Dodgers had a busy offseason recreating their team style, the Giants lost Pablo Sandoval and Mike Morse to free agency. Even with their new roster, the Dodgers are still considered favorites in the NL along with the Washington Nationals.

Because of this, catcher A.J. Ellis believes the team will see every team’s best this year in an interview with MLB Network Radio:

MLB Network Radio @MLBNetworkRadio Follow
AJ Ellis: "We're going to be in a good spot. And as expected I'm sure we're
going have to have a big target on our back once the season starts"
6:25 AM - 28 Jan 2015​

Ellis could see himself in a different role this year, as the Dodgers traded for catcher Yasmani Grandal and he is expected to take over a majority of the duties behind the plate. The 33-year-old Ellis dealt with injuries in 2014 and hit just .191 in his time on the field. He did recover to be the team’s best hitter in the NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Meanwhile the Dodgers will have a new primary catcher, shortstop, second baseman and center fielder when April arrives. One of the biggest moves this winter came when they acquired Grandal and two pitchers for outfielder Matt Kemp. Many expected Kemp to return and repeat his second half surge throughout the entire season; however, the new front office had different plans.

Despite his departure to a division rival, Ellis had nothing but praise for his former teammate:

MLB Network Radio @MLBNetworkRadio Follow
Ellis on Kemp: "He's going to be missed tremendously in our clubhouse &
by our fans. When healthy, he's one of the top 5-10 hitters in MLB"
6:26 AM - 28 Jan 2015​

While shocking, the move freed up a spot for prospect Joc Pederson in center field, allowing Yasiel Puig to move back to right field. Only time will tell if the Dodgers made the right move.

Ellis has been around for the Dodgers success and has seen the team go from mediocrity to World Series contender, and hopefully that will lead to World Series champion.

 

from mlb's 2015 pecota predictions...
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/1/29/7945803/2015-mlb-projections-pecota

Holy crap, Dodgers

Back before the 2011 season, everyone knew one thing about the upcoming season: The Phillies were going to be dominant. They had the best team in baseball, give or take, the previous season, and then they added Cliff Lee. It was an embarrassment of pitches, and the offensive core was solidly pre-decline. They were a team without a noticeable flaw. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ruiz, Victorino, combined with that pitching staff? It took a late-season skid for them to win only 102 games.

They were projected to win 95 games. This is because projection systems are, almost by definition, conservative. You look at 2011 Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay and see two 20-game winners with ERAs close to 2.00. PECOTA sees that, too, but it's also seeing all of the dark, unlit roads pitchers can stumble down. Computers believe that enthusiasm exists only to be tempered.

The Dodgers are projected to win 97 games.

Remember, the Dodgers lost Hanley Ramirez who, even though he was more Adam Dunn than Ozzie Smith at short, was a very valuable player. But PECOTA absolutely loves all of the offseason acquisitions from the new Dodgers staff. Yasmani Grandal gives them an extra two wins, as does Howie Kendrick. Jimmy Rollins' defense helps make up for the Ramirez loss, and Joc Pederson -- acquisition by opportunity -- is an instant upgrade in center. Even though the system is slightly down on the expensive back end of the rotation, it still likes the entire roster.

Or, to put it another way, fourth outfielder Scott Van Slyke is projected to have about as much value as the entire Braves outfield.

Given that the roster started with Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, and Zack Greinke, this probably isn't that much of a surprise. But according to PECOTA, the Dodgers had the best offseason in baseball, and it wasn't even close. (I can't disagree, even if I would like to.)​

 

2015 MLB roster outlook: Los Angeles Dodgers
Comcast SportsNet Washington -- 3 hours ago



2014 record: 94-68, 1st place in NL West

Manager: Don Mattingly, 5th season

Estimated 2015 payroll: $264 million

Key additions: SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Howie Kendrick, C Yasmani Grandal, SP Brandon McCarthy, SP Brett Anderson, RP Joel Peralta

Key losses: SS Hanley Ramirez, 2B Dee Gordon, SP Josh Beckett, SP Dan Haren, SP Chad Billingsley

Projected lineup
SS Jimmy Rollins
LF Carl Crawford
RF Yasiel Puig
1B Adrian Gonzalez
C Yasmani Grandal
2B Howie Kendrick
CF Joc Pederson
3B Juan Uribe

Projected rotation
LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Zack Greinke
LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
RHP Brandon McCarthy
LHP Brett Anderson

Top relievers
CL Kenley Jansen
RHP Joel Peralta
RHP Pedro Baez

Biggest questions entering 2015...

1. Will their roster overhaul work immediately? The Dodgers had an aggressive offseason that began with the hiring of Andrew Friedman from the Tampa Bay Rays to oversee baseball operations. The talented young executive who built a perennial playoff team in Tampa finally has a payroll to go along with his scouting and drafting acumen. Friedman came in and quickly gave the Dodgers' lineup a makeover, letting Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon go and replacing them with Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick. They also signed free agent Brandon McCarthy. Now the clubhouse will be a much different place, perhaps for the better, but they are coming off two straight division titles. It's a risky move for a team that was already winning games.

2. What will Rollins and Kendrick bring? In flipping the middle of their infield, the Dodgers got older and more experienced with Rollins, 36, and Kendrick, 31. Both are starting to get up there and both play positions that are demanding defensively. Each was effective last year and should help the Dodgers be more patient overall at the plate. Rollins is in the final stages of his career, but could get a boost now that he is in a much more talented lineup that he was in Philadelphia.

3. What does Kershaw have for an encore? Clayton Kershaw's 2014 season was one for the ages, as he won his second consecutive Cy Young award as well as NL Most Valuable Player. He went an incredible 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA in 27 starts, a year that included a DL stint in April. Amazingly, Kershaw has improved his ERA in each of the last three seasons, from 2.53 to 1.83 to 1.77. Is he getting better? That is a scary thought for opposing lineups, who have been completely fooled by him since he debuted in 2008. If Kershaw improves even more this season, he could start challenging some of the best seasons ever by starting pitchers.