MLB 2020-2021 OFF-SEASON NEWS AND RUMORS

$20M annually for 3 years is too much scratch for a contact/line drive guy that has a lengthy postseason history of being overpowered, and a resume that says he'd be leaving his power in New York

Wouldn't give Lemahieu $20M for 1 year. Already have AJ Pollock on the payroll taking up space and offering nothing against postseason pitching

Not confident that you can turn Lemahieu into anything @ nearly 33yrs old. Turner retooled his swing and reshaped his outlook @ 28yrs old, prime of his career. Dodgers reportedly want Turner back on a 2 year deal, so looks like they're willing to go 1 year longer with him than you are

I'd be fine with a 2 + 1 type of deal for Turner. Final year a mutual option/partial guarantee. He reportedly wants a 4 year deal now, so he wants to keep playing for a while. A 2 + 1 would give him the opportunity to hit the market again if things line up and a little added security if they don't. Dodgers win another WS title or 2 with him doing his clutch thing in the post and a few years from now I'll be saying the same thing...." IDGAF, pay him " Lol

 

Pulling from the book of Dwight Howard, Puig says he's " ready to change " at 30 years old

" I don't have to work hard, but it's my free agent year so I think I'll work hard this year " Lol still reigns as one of the all time great lines

 

the loss of that type of friend has to really take the wind out of your sails at his age
knowing the Vin we've all listened to all these years it goes without saying it was a deep thing
he couldn't have faked that persona all these years

 

Dodgers' all-time single seasons.......
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-all-time-single-season-team

 

I will preface this post by saying that I love Turner. LOVE HIM. Top 3 favorite on the team. But I've got to make a case against him once again.

Turner is already on a decline in the worst places:
Defense: it is clear with the eyes and the numbers that he has fallen. He cannot get to the balls. He has become a "hope fielder." His pivot and transfer are now a problem and it's affecting his throws. His error percentage is far too high to justify his hugely negative range.

His power is leaving.
Turner cannot hit the fastball any longer. He was a negative RVP against fastballs despite Roberts giving him rest days against hard throwing pitchers. 1 HR per 44 at bats is not good. None of the HR's were off a FB over 92 MPH. His Whiff has dropped off. His barreled ball percentage was by far the highest of his career. That is a positive right? Not when you are projecting. That is completely unsustainable and is a result of Roberts putting him in a position to succeed (shortened season, resting against hard throwers). The barreled ball rate skewed the positive numbers and is not indicative of what we can expect going forward.

He simply cannot run.
He is a complete burden on the base pads. Dodgers lost an estimated 5 runs this year over the course of 43 games (Fantasy Guys stat) due to lack of mobility.

Fact of the matter is that Turners wheels are bad. Obviously it affects him in the mobility department but it's very clear that it now affects him in the batters box. He cannot use his legs to pivot and drive. He is an off speed masher.
History shows that players fall off of a cliff at age 36. We cannot expect Turner to be the exception.

There is no way that he should get more than 2 years. He just cannot. If he was willing to go 2 years he would have been signed by now...SOMEWHERE. He is a projected 11 million dollar player - dollar to WAR. If he was more than he was making last year and more years then we just have to say thank you but goodbye.

Being sentimental to players has caused problems with potential dynasties. You just cannot keep the old at inflated prices.
Thanks for the memories Justin. Hope to get you back for a couple years, but if not....Thanks again my friend.

 

95MPH..



That's VS the same power staff that sapped Lemahieu's bat in the ALDS, BTW

 

BTW encore: Lemahieu's a career .722 OPS guy against power pitching. A .282 avg and .336 OBP

Much more interested in the case for paying Lemahieu $20M annually....

 

Would love to know what's going on in this market. Month ago it was " Turner seeks a 3 year deal and Dodgers prefer him @ 1 ". Now it's " Turner seeks a 4 year deal and Dodgers prefer him @ 2 " Something's happening behind the scenes

Feels like Turner may have gotten 2 year offers to begin the process and maybe that was just to get a seat at the table. Then maybe someone - not named Dodgers - might have gone to the 3rd year that he was asking for..perhaps leading to a situation of " do I hear 4? " Lol Blue Jays have a young core of star talent and could use a vet voice like Turner's. They're said to be aggressive this offseason, so wouldn't surprise me if they were willing to go to 3 years for him. Of course they lifted Ryu last year and maybe they want themselves another Dodger culture guy. The Dodger culture guy.

 

This is it, there are too many reasons why he's not an ideal fit long term, especially at the years he is looking for. It is a down market due to COVID and there are 4 pretty good 3B available via trade that make giving Turner 4 years unnecessary. I still would like to see him back due to my sentimental feelings for the guy, but he is going to be needing even more time off than in years past and he's a DH more than anything at this point. There is also no chance the Dodgers give him a 4 year deal unless it is something INCREDIBLY team friendly. It is just not going to happen. The fact that we are almost a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting without a fucking clue if there is going to be a UDH or not is the dumbest fucking thing in the world.

At the same time, I really don't want LeMahieu for 4-5 years either. I get the hard hit rate, but he was built for the two parks he has called home and not many others. I watched the guy up close get eaten up velocity and yeah, the only time he'd get a hit in those situations was a slappity-do-dah that found grass between the 2B and RF'er. I know he is a video rat, so maybe he can make adjustments, but I am not sold on it either. His H/A splits are not great and even a lot of his great away numbers in 2019 were aided by lights out performances in super hitter friendly environments. The power will almost certainly be gone, which just a decent BA/OBP is not worth from your 3B, imo. NOW... if the plan was to say get him for 2B, trade for Suarez and move Lux to LF, then I would change my tune.

If the rumors are true that Suarez is available, he should absolutely shoot up to the top of the preferred list. The dude fucking mashes home and away while also costing the team less than $10M AAV over the next 4 with a cheap 5th year player option. Not bad for a .900 OPS in his prime.

 

Never heard that one before Sounds like a term from Skip's book of frustration

 

I'm not banging the table for DjL. Certainly not for what he expects to get paid. I'm saying that if you need the next Turner, it's him.

Now I'll bang the table. Speaking simply from a match standpoint. Forget the cash and yada yada. DjL is built to be a Dodger. Shift proof, plays everywhere, elite defense. Leader.

If he does come to the Dodgers I want him to play second base while letting Rios play 3b (mix DjL at 3b to give him a breather.

 

I would disagree with the idea that LeMahieu makes more sense if the plan was to move Lux to LF. Yes, you would gain a positional premium with LeMahieu at 2B, but then immediately lose that premium by moving Lux to LF. Besides, we already have Pollock and Taylor slotted for LF, and if we want more bats for the OF it would make more sense to sign one of the many OFers floating around for a much cheaper price than DJLM. I'm starting to think a return of Joc could be on the table.

We have one hole to fill in the everyday lineup, and it's 3B. DJLM's positional flexibility could be valuable down the road if the Dodgers sign Seager longterm and want to move him to 3B, but that move sounds like it won't be made in 2021. So I think the move is to go for just one guy at 3B, trading for Suarez would be expensive in prospects, so I doubt they also spend the money on DJLM.

 

Rather just kick a little money to a guy like Jackie Bradley Jr. so that Taylor can stop playing in the OF....so that defense in the OF is A1 across the board. Mookie could probably put in a word and push Bradley our way. And AF once tried to trade Puig to Boston for Bradley, reportedly

And maybe that would even open up opportunities for Belli to bring his magic back to 1B on occasion....because there are times - in the postseason - when having Max Muncy in your infield is an accident waiting to send everyone home for the year

 

For his career Bradley Jr. sucks VS LHP. But he turned up a .900 OPS VS LHP last season, so maybe something clicked? Pretty good for a left handed bat

Know that they're looking for a right handed bat to do damage against LHP, and doubt they'd look at last season and think Bradley Jr. is the answer. If they did look his way, though, maybe they'd feel they could keep him rolling VS LHP....just would have to imagine that adding the +OF glove and +baserunning would be the primary cause of interest. Would like to see the price tag here

 

LOL, the Padres are one of the teams that are strongly pursuing DH Nelson Cruz. Could give an idea that the NL is preparing for the DH... also, that would be really bad if he went there.