NEWS/RUMORS/DISCUSSION Thread

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by THINKBLUE, Oct 15, 2015.

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  1. carolinabluedodger

    carolinabluedodger DSP Legend

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    Janis?

    Seriously?
     
  2. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    men allow themselves to be beaten down by the bitches
    women fully expect a man to act like one and when they don't hell rains from above and below
    girls just doing what comes naturally when the boys have a limp pimp hand
     
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  3. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    Women are springs that men dam up and turn into wells.
    Men gotta take care of that well by bringing in the buckets.
    Making sure to keep it free of contaminants.
    Nothing worse than a poisoned well.
     
  4. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Wow...this is getting so complicated. What happened to the good 'ol days when you could just put a gun to your head and squeeze?
    BTW, I recently saw a film about the guy who was the whistle blower reporter who dimed out the CIA and their involvement with the Iran contra/ flood the inner cities with crack activity. And the CIA had to eventually admit it was mostly true...
    Well that guy was found some years later with two bullets in his head...and it was ruled a "suicide".
    Tell me, how do you off yourself and put TWO rounds in your brain? Isn't it kinda over after the first ?
    No one even raised an eyebrow over it ?
     
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  5. carolinabluedodger

    carolinabluedodger DSP Legend

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    Automatic weapon.

    ;)
     
  6. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    I guess that's it. Otherwise, it's very suspicious...but the CIA is above that.
    I heard.
     
  7. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    derp
    every thread going OTT
    trade or sign a fucking baseball player!
     
  8. TheKnockdown

    TheKnockdown DSP Legend

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    William Colby's drowning is still suspicious to this day.
     
  9. Chiefdodgerslkrs24

    Chiefdodgerslkrs24 Among the Pantheon

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    You make a good point. The 0ff-season sucks
     
  10. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Dodgers not among teams interested in Ben Zobrist
    By Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue — 10 minutes ago

    For as much attention as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ need to address their starting rotation has received, and deservedly so, they also have a significant void to fill at second base.

    On the heels of trading All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins last December, the Dodgers acquired Howie Kendrick from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to replace the speedster.

    Although older than Gordon, Kendrick figured to provide a better defensive presence at the position.

    While there wasn’t much of a noticeable drop off, Gordon went on to win a 2015 Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Kendrick became a free agent after the season concluded and predictably declined the one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers.

    With a market that’s thin on viable options at second base, one the Dodgers aren’t considering is Ben Zobrist, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times:

    Mike DiGiovanna ✔ @MikeDiGiovanna
    Heard at least 11 teams have shown considerable interest in FA INF/OF
    Ben Zobrist but that #Angels and #Dodgers are not among them.

    4:22 PM - 24 Nov 2015

    Zobrist, who will turn 35 in May, hit .284/.364/.453 with a .354 wOBA, 124 wRC+, seven home runs, 16 doubles and 23 RBIs over 59 games with the Kansas City Royals.

    Prior to getting traded, he hit .268/.354/.447 with a .345 wOBA, 122 wRC+, six home runs, 20 doubles and 33 RBIs over 67 games as a member of the Oakland Athletics.

    The versatile utility man spent time at second and third base, and left and right field last season. The Dodgers were previously said to be considering Daniel Murphy and Chase Utley as second-base options.

    Additionally, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Kiké Hernandez and Jose Peraza were in-house candidates the club would consider if that was the direction they elected to go in.

    Kendrick hit .295/.336/.409 with nine home runs, 54 RBIS and a 109 wRC+ in 117 games. Despite time missed time in August and September due to a strained hamstring, he finished with a batting average above .290 for a third consecutive season.

    The 32-year-old second baseman isreportedly seeking at least a four-year contract.
     
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  11. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    hopefuly this guy knows something about hamstrings

    Dodgers hire Neil Rampe to replace Conte as Head Trainer
    By Daniel Starkand | Dodger Blue — 90 minutes ago

    It has been a busy offseason for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Los Angeles Dodgers front office thus far.

    The main focus was on finding the team’s next manager after deciding to part ways with Don Mattingly.

    Los Angeles arrived at their decision on Monday, naming Dave Roberts as the 28th manager in franchise history.

    With a manager now in place, the front office can begin to fill the other holes in the organization. One such need is the head athletic trainer position, as Stan Conte resigned following the 2015 season to focus on research in baseball injury analytics.

    According to sportswriter Will Carroll, the Dodgers have selected Neal Rampe as head athletic trainer:

    Will Carroll ✔ @injuryexpert
    Hearing dodgers have new head trainer selected.
    Neal Rampe from Dbacks.

    5:38 PM - 23 Nov 2015

    Rampe, 37, was most recently the Arizona Diamondbacks manual and performance therapist, and spent eight seasons with the franchise. Before that he was at the University of Arizona for five years, where he served as the associate director of performance enhancement.

    Prior joining the University of Arizona he served as an athletic trainer for the Boulder (Colorado) Center for Sports Medicine providing athletic training services to local high schools, which included practice and game-day coverage.

    Rampe also was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Minnesota from 2001-02 while earning his master’s degree in applied kinesiology.

    Originally from Kalida, Ohio, he earned two bachelor’s degrees — athletic training and physical education with a strength and conditioning emphasis, from the University of Findlay in May 2000.

    The Dodgers are coming off one of their most injury-plagued seasons in recent memory. The main culprit was hamstring injuries, though Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu were lost to respective season-ending arm surgeries.​
     
  12. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    ESPN’s Buster Olney ranks Clayton Kershaw as Best Starting Pitcher
    by Daniel Starkand | Dodger Blue — 2 hours ago

    Since Zack Greinke’s arrival to form a two-headed monster at the top of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation, it was accepted that Clayton Kershaw still reigned supreme.

    However, the aces appeared to switch places in some regard last season, with many viewing Greinke as the club’s new No. 1 starter.

    That wasn’t to belittle Kershaw, who went on to have a great season in his own right, but more indicative of the historically great year Greinke put forth.

    Greinke and Kershaw made up two of the three National League Cy Young Award finalists, which went to Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta.

    Predictably, Greinke finished second in voting, and Kershaw third. Greinke did win a second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and was named the NL Most Outstanding Pitcher by his peers.

    As for Kershaw, ESPN’s Buster Olney ranked him No. 1 in his list of top 10 starting pitchers going into 2016:

    1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
    He already has three Cy Young Awards and two other finishes in the top 3, and while some media and fans fretted over his ERA early in 2015, the Dodgers never did, believing that he was only a couple of small adjustments away from dominating hitters as he had in the past. In the second half, Kershaw had a 1.31 ERA, with 15 walks and 141 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings. Kershaw’s 2016 season will be his ninth in the big leagues, leaving him just one short of the 10 needed for Hall of Fame consideration, and once he goes past that benchmark, he’ll be a first-ballot lock. Kershaw’s adjusted ERA+ stands at 154, which ties him for the best all time among starting pitchers, with Pedro Martinez.

    Kershaw went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He had the first 300-strikeout season since 2002, and his 301 strikeouts were 25 more than second-place Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.

    Additionally, Kershaw led in the Majors in FIP (1.99), xFIP (2.09), SIERA (2.24), strikeout percentage (33.8 percent), strikeout-to-walk ratio (29.1 percent) and innings pitched (232.2). He also had four complete games and three shutouts.

    Olney ranked Arrieta, who won the Cy Young award, second and Greinke third. Arrieta went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA and 0.87 WHIP and had one of the most dominant runs in the second half of all-time, going 12-1 with a 0.75 ERA.

    Greinke finished 19-3 with MLB-bests 1.66 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. Along with managing to keep his ERA south of 1.90 for the entire season, Greinke’s 1.66 overall ERA was the lowest since Gregg Maddux had a 1.63 ERA in 1995.
     
  13. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Where will Jason Heyward end up signing?
    by David Schoenfield | ESPN — 8 hours ago

    Jason Heyward is one of the more intriguing free agents to hit the market in years. Because he was just 20 when he reached the majors, he hits free agency in the prime of his career at age 26. That makes him a safer investment than many older free agents, as even a nine-year contract would take him through just his age-34 season.

    But what kind of investment will it take to sign Heyward? Since he entered the league, he ranks eighth among all position players in Baseball-Reference WAR, behind only Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Joey Votto and Jose Bautista.

    That will surprise those who view Heyward as a disappointment because his offense hasn't really improved since his rookie season. Since 2010, he's tied for 71st in home runs (behind Kelly Johnson and Garrett Jones), 84th in RBIs (fewer than James Loney or Aaron Hill), 35th in runs (behind Nick Markakis) and 74th in OPS+ among players with at least 1,500 plate appearances (tied with Adam Eaton). In 2015, he hit .293/.359/.439 and ranked tied for 48th in the majors among qualified hitters in wOBA. So while teams can still dream on his power -- he did hit 27 home runs one year -- it seems unlikely he's going to be that 25-homer guy given he already has more than 3,000 at-bats in the majors. He is who he is at the plate: good, not great.

    But that defense -- since 2010, he ranks first in the majors in defensive runs saved. Over the past three seasons, he ranks second only to former Braves teammate Andrelton Simmons. He just won his third Gold Glove Award, and nobody disputes that he's the best defensive right fielder in the game.

    So the question: Will teams pay for that defense? The metrics are so strong that combined with his good on-base skills, he's been one of the better all-around players in the game, even hitting just 13 home runs. The other question: How will that defense play out in upcoming years? He's a big guy at 6-foot-5 and not blazing fast, relying more on reads and positioning than raw speed.

    Experts predict he'll get close to $200 million. That price tag eliminates most teams, including the Royals, who had the lowest weighted on-base average from their right fielders in the majors. Five potential landing spots:

    1. St. Louis Cardinals
    The Cardinals won 100 games thanks to a pitching staff that allowed the fewest runs in more than 40 years. Heyward was a big reason the pitchers were so successful, and the Cardinals certainly appreciate Heyward's value. The biggest contract in Cardinals history, however, was the $120 million extension Matt Holliday signed, though they reportedly offered Albert Pujols a 10-year, $200 million deal before he signed with the Angels for $240 million. The Cardinals also have a replacement available in Stephen Piscotty, though they could move him to first base if Heyward re-signs. The bet is that Heyward would have to take less to remain in St. Louis.

    2. Los Angeles Angels
    They need an outfielder -- their left fielders had the worst production in the majors, so they could sign Heyward and move Kole Calhoun to left. They need a left-handed hitter with on-base ability to hit between Trout and Pujols. There's room in the budget: While the team has some big contracts on the big books with Trout, Pujols and the money owed Josh Hamilton, they'll also wipe $40 million off the payroll after 2016 when Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson hit free agency; Hamilton then comes off after 2017. And money has never stopped owner Arte Moreno before.

    3. Los Angeles Dodgers
    This would seem contingent upon the Dodgers first trading Yasiel Puig. Heyward fits two criteria the Dodgers are looking to emphasize: defense and getting younger. Remember, last year they brought in Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins basically to shore up the middle infield defense. Heyward would give them that cornerstone outfielder. Or maybe they don't trade Puig. How about an outfield of Puig, Joc Pederson and Heyward?

    4. Chicago Cubs
    Yes, this is a long shot, as everyone expects the Cubs to spend money on pitching not position players. But hear me out. The team is currently without a legitimate center fielder on the 40-man roster. The outfield corners would be Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber, both below-average defenders, with Chris Coghlan filling in. So two options here. Heyward would be passable in center field, at least for a couple of seasons, if the Cubs wanted to go that route. Or to maximize his defensive value, they play Heyward in right and move to Soler to left, especially if they believe Schwarber can catch. Or they trade Soler or Schwarber. Remember, there's always a big free-agent signing that comes out of nowhere. This wouldn't shock me.

    5. New York Yankees
    ESPN's Wallace Matthews just wrote about this idea in the "Spend Hal's Money" series. His verdict: unlikely. "Heyward is a tough one to pass up, and if this were 10 years ago, there would be no question he would be a Yankee in 2016. But this is a different era and different ownership, even if the name remains the same. It seems Hal's Yankees are more likely to aim slightly lower or even sit out the outfield sweepstakes and wait a few years for the rest of their big contracts to expire -- and for someone like Mike Trout to hit the market." Not just Trout. Somebody named Bryce Harper as well. Plus the Yankees have an up-and-coming right fielder in Aaron Judge, who should be ready for a midseason call-up. If they trade Brett Gardner, however, that opens up the possibility of signing Heyward.
     
  14. N.Z

    N.Z DSP Legend

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    Don't clog the conspiracy thread with your shit Irish.

    So, The Zodiac Killer was Arthur Leigh Allen. Right?
     
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  15. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    I'd be down for Puig (25)-Joc (23)-Heyward (26) :cool:

    Yeah, Puig's arm is best in RF but oh well. That's a hell of an outfield. Young and athletic.

    I'd bring Howie back as well. Nothing against Peraza/Kike but Howie is such a pro (yes cliché).

    I wish we had a big basher in the middle of the order though. When I write out my fantasy lineups on a napkin at lunch these days, I'm not that excited about Gonzalez anymore.
     
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  16. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    racist :kickmexican:
     
  17. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    I'm less than excited about the whole starting rotation after Kershaw. A deep fucking chasm of DL maybes and mediocrity.Gotta give DaRob something besides CK, else the BP is overused immediately.
     
  18. Dodgers99

    Dodgers99 DSP Legend

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    For everyone jumping off a bridge about the payroll:

    http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...hase-stars-as-cuts-may-have-to-wait-more-news

    Responding to a question about word of the payroll coming down, Kasten responded, "I never spoke about the payroll. And I don't intend to ever talk about payroll. Our goal, articulated on day one, was to get to be self-sustaining through our minor-league player development system. When we become that kind of team we will naturally be a younger team, but the foremost goal remains to be a better team."
    -------------------------
    I've said this before, they could just cut dead money from around $85M to $35M (Current dead money for 2016 is ~$1M, see payroll below) and cut total spending from nearly $300M to $250M and not effect the roster.

    http://www.truebluela.com/2013/10/21/4861112/los-angeles-dodgers-payroll
     
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  19. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    don't laugh, it's an even year...

    Giants to pursue Lackey
    by UPI | The Sports Xchange — 9 hours ago

    San Francisco is zeroing in on a couple of free agents to fill at least one spot in its rotation, and veteran right-hander John Lackey is squarely in the Giants' sights.

    The 37-year-old workhorse for the St. Louis Cardinals threw 218 innings this past season while compiling a 13-10 record in 33 starts. He posted an ERA of 2.77. Since 2003, Lackey has thrown at least 160 innings.

    Reports also link the Giants to Los Angeles right-hander Zach Greinke and Toronto's David Price.

    The Giants will enter spring training with a rotation consisting of left-hander Madison Bumgarner and right-handers Jake Peavy, Chris Heston and Matt Cain. Longtime Giants star Tim Lincecum is a free agent.

    In 13 seasons, the dependable Lackey is 165-127.​
     
  20. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    "Sign Timmeh now"
    _______________Ned Colletti
     
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