DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS thread

racist

 

I could take an old dodgers shirt to the indoor swap meet where they can put Villar on the back.
Then I can wear it proudly.

 

Matt kemp getting released and coming back too.

 

lol moroNsi...

• Earlier in the week, MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported San Francisco was discussing a Bumgarner trade with the Brewers. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi emphatically shut down the notion. "I can tell you who I haven't talked to, and that's Jon Morosi," Zaidi said on KNBR. "I don't know where he's getting this stuff, but it's not from me."

 

verdouchey on martin fwiw...

 

this jason reed is a fucken assclownfunny guy
but credit where credit is due
while i wouldn't necessarily call seager being an mvp finalist, martin being better than expected or acquiring a rh bat at the deadline going out on a limb...
predicting 100 wins with kersh winning the cy young is extremely fucken retardedbold
like i said, fucken assclownfunny guy


Five bold predictions for 2019
by Jason Reed | LA Sports Hub — 4 hours ago

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the most consistent team in the MLB over the last six years and have been one of the most successful teams, although the team is still reaching for the ultimate goal of a World Series trophy.

In the last two National League Pennant runs there have been plenty of crazy things that have happened for the Dodgers. From miraculous games (mostly in 2017) to a tight playoff run to the emergence of new faces and the reunion of old friends, the Dodgers have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch.

There will be some big storylines following the team this season. Here are our five bold predictions for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1. COREY SEAGER WILL BE AN MVP FINALIST

This one actually is not that bold as Corey Seager was an MVP finalist in his rookie season back in 2016. However, Seager has been out of the spotlight the last year as he missed time with Tommy John Surgery and is set to finally return in 2019.

While Dodger fans definitely know how good Seager is and are anticipating his return, there are likely not a lot of people outside of LA that thinks Seager is a legitimate MVP candidate.

Seager is as legit as it gets as an MVP candidate and there is not a doubt in my mind that he is going to finish in the top three in MVP voting this season. Heck, Seager has as good of a chance as anyone to win the award.

Manny Machado was good and all but Dodger fans have been missing Seager’s consistent bat in the two-hole. He will get back to his old ways, be an all-star and an MVP finalist, at the least.

2. RUSSELL MARTIN WILL HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT THAN EXPECTED

The newest member of the Los Angeles Dodgers had to make the list as it was the biggest news in the MLB on Friday. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired catcher Russell Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor leaguers Andrew Sopko and Ronny Britto. The Dodgers are paying Martin $3.6 million of his $20 million salary this season.

Martin is not the big splash that Dodger fans wanted but he is going to serve as a platoon option behind the dish alongside Austin Barnes. His offensive numbers were not particularly great on the surface last season but he does still have the fifth-highest on-base percentage among catchers since 2016.

His value comes defensively as well as his veteran presence behind the plate will work nicely with the veterans and young arms on the staff and his pitch framing is as good as Yasmani Grandal‘s.

The running joke with Martin is that the Dodgers are just bringing back old faces, as they did with Matt Kemp, hoping to get a similar kind of resurgence.

I don’t think the front office is expecting Martin to be an all-star in 2019 like Kemp was in 2018 but it is not crazy to think that he actually will have a big impact on this team.

Playing for a contending team definitely fuels players, especially when they are in a lineup that is stacked enough to keep the pressure solely off them. Martin won’t be an all-star but will give the Dodgers his best year since 2015.

3. CLAYTON KERSHAW WILL WIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG

Predicting that Clayton Kershaw was going to win the National League Cy Young four years ago was as far from a bold prediction as you could have, it seemed like a near-guarantee. Heck, even two years ago the majority of baseball likely had Kershaw as the frontrunner for the award.

However, that is no longer the case. Kershaw has been battling injuries for the last four years, including last season, which has led to a big dip in velocity. Despite him posting pretty good numbers in the second half of the season the majority of the baseball world doesn’t seem to view him as the same dominant Kershaw.

Last year was the first year since 2010 that he did not receive any Cy Young votes. Every year in between he finished in the top five in voting.

Fans become so accustomed to a player when he is so dominant that it becomes easy to jump off the bandwagon once that domination starts slowing down. While it seems to be trending down for Kershaw, 2019 is going to serve as a huge resurgence for one of the game’s best ever pitchers.

While we don’t know if his velocity will return to form we do have to keep in mind that he is still only going to be 31 this year, which for most pitchers, is when their prime begins. A full offseason of workouts and training should regain some of his zip on his fastball.

If he doesn’t I would never put it past him to find a way to pitch around it, as he already has in his career. This is going to be more than a bounce-back year for Kershaw, it will be another Cy Young-winning year.

4. THE DODGERS WILL ACQUIRE A RIGHT-HANDED BAT AT THE TRADE DEADLINE

Every day that passes it seems less and less likely that the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to make a significant move to improve the team this offseason. There is still plenty of time for the Dodgers to make said move, but as it stands, it looks like the team will be rolling into 2019 with a roster similar to the one they have now.

Of course, there are going to be changes, some big and some small, but the chances of the Dodgers signing any free agent to a significant contract is slim. When the team doesn’t have to sign anyone, why would they?

Some fans hate that logic, some don’t mind. Personally, I support anything the front office does to make the team better, whether it is a small acquisition or a big-name guy.

There are some holes in the roster that I would like to see filled, though. And while the front office definitely recognizes those holes, it likely won’t be until July that the team makes a move.

This is because of trade value. It makes more sense for the Dodgers to wait until midseason to pick from an assortment of trade chips that might be on the market. Since at that time it will only be half a year, the Dodgers will be sending significantly less than they would in January.

Jose Abreu, Marcell Ozuna, Scooter Gennett, Nicholas Castellanos, Khris Davis or even Nolan Arenado could be on the market come July. All of those right-handed bats are on expiring deals this season.

The Dodgers need a solid right-handed bat to put in the middle of the order between Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy; all of those players fit the billing. Regardless of who it is, or if it isn’t even one of the players mentioned, the Los Angeles Dodgers definitely will make a move.

5. THE DODGERS WILL WIN 100 GAMES IN 2019

This one might be staggering for even the biggest Los Angeles Dodgers fan. While the Dodgers did win 104 games in 2017, the team showed in 2018 that the 100-win mark is hard to come by when you are grinding through a 162-game season.

There is not a doubt in my mind that the Los Angeles Dodgers will win the National League West. In fact, the state of the division is what is going to lead the Dodgers down the path of winning 100 games.

The division is weak. The Arizona Diamondbacks already traded Paul Goldschmidt, likely will lose A.J. Pollock in free agency and will probably be moving the limited pieces the team has throughout the offseason and season. They are in a reset mode.

The San Francisco Giants have every incentive to blow the team up and be one of the worst teams in the league and the San Diego Padres, although they are better, are still no more than a 75-win team, at best.

The Colorado Rockies are the biggest threat and enter the 2019 season with most of the same supporting cast, with some swapped out pieces. I would bet on the team that has won six division titles in a row, not the team that has never won a division crown.

The Dodgers are still pretty deep and that is what carries a team through a 162-game season. The team’s pitching staff is more than capable of producing on a nightly basis and the offense is good enough to win games.

Not to mention that there were quite a few games that the Los Angeles Dodgers should have won and simply blew away in 2018. In fact, Baseball-Reference’s Pythagorean Winning Percentage (which measures what a team’s record should be based on run differential) was 102-61.

 

fixed

 

• According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Phillies are "clear-cut" favorites to sign Harper. The Nationals (executives), on the other hand are calling it a "long shot" that he’ll re-sign with them.

translation: harper re-signs with the nationals