NEWS/RUMORS/DISCUSSION Thread

per RotoWire...

Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder), who resumed throwing from a mound in mid-January, has reportedly lost 20 pounds this offseason, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News. Ryu had surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder, and the Dodgers haven't offered a timetable for his return. When asked about his recovery after his first mound session in January, Ryu said that he hopes to be ready for Opening Day. Nevertheless, the Dodgers' increased rotation depth affords them extra time if Ryu needs to begin the season on the disabled list and progress through the final stages of his recovery beyond the first week of April. If Ryu is healthy and ready to pitch on Day 1, Alex Wood may end up in the bullpen, or at Triple-A to begin the season, but it would hardly be surprising to see the Dodgers take a cautious approach with Ryu's recovery.

 

for $48MM, of course it was worth it... for you

• McCarthy is aware of the stage he's at in his career, his loyalty, and the influence it has on a return to the mound. "I've got two and a half years left here. We're not playing for the long haul," he said. "I'm beholden to the Dodgers right now and that's it. If I don’t play again after the Dodgers because I came back too soon, then it was completely worth it."

http://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-news-...eturn-prior-to-2016-all-star-game/2016/02/03/

 

i bet :ned: runs to friedman/stan/farhan/whoever will listen daily, begging them to sign timmy

• There are plenty of other teams hunting for value at this stage of the market, of course, with the Marlins eyeing pitching, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). We’ve heard that before, of course, and the club seems to be a prime destination for players seeking opportunity as the market settles. One possibility that has often been tied to Miami is righty Tim Lincecum, who is preparing for a showcase some time this month. Sherman tweets that his agent, Rick Thurman, will check in on the veteran’s progress tomorrow as his camp decides upon a date to call in the scouts.

 

Magic says Puig key for success in 2016
by Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue — 1 hour ago

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch for the start of Spring Training in 10 days, the Los Angeles Dodgers on track to enter the 2016 season with much of the same roster from last year.

Of course, there’s the noteworthy loss of Zack Greinke to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and tweaks in the bullpen and at shortstop. Returning the same group can certainly be viewed in a positive and negative light.

On the one hand, the Dodgers won a third consecutive National League West division title last season for the first time in franchise history. They also posted a third straight season of at least 90 wins for the first time since 1976-78.

However, Los Angeles failed to advance beyond the NL Division Series a second year in a row. That being said, their regular-season success was achieved despite a slew of injuries.

Yasiel Puig was chief among the players who suffered injury and never quite found a rhythm at the plate; multiple hamstring strains limited Puig to a career-low 79 games. He’s spent the offseason shedding weight with the hope it will lend to better health this season.

In an interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm, Dodgers part owner Magic Johnson gave his optimistic assessment of the team, and called Puig a linchpin for the club’s success in 2016:

“We feel we have a really good team and have a chance to go all the way to the World Series. Even without Zack (Greinke). I love Zack, wish Zack was back with us, but he’s not. Our team is solid. Clayton (Kershaw) at the top, (Hyun-Jin) Ryu if he can come back strong from his injury, he’s going to really make our starting pithing staff formidable. But, the key will be Puig. If he can perform at the level we saw a couple of years ago, I think we’re going to go to the World Series and have a chance to win it all.”​

Upon making his Major-League debut in June 2013, Puig hit .319/.391/.534 with 19 home runs, 21 doubles and 42 RBIs over 104 games, while also providing an electric arm in right field. Puig’s production dipped in 2014, though he was named to his first career All-Star Game, and also participated in the Home Run Derby.

Despite a down 2015 season in which Puig hit .255/.322/.436 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, .328 wOBA, 111 wRC+, 66 strikeouts and 22 walks in 311 plate appearances, he reportedly drew trade interest from the Chicago White Sox.

However, the Dodgers have maintained their stance of sticking by their dynamic outfielder with the belief the club is in better position to succeed with Puig on the roster.

 

Mariners sign Peralta to minor-league deal
by Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue — 17 minutes ago

The Seattle Mariners announced the signing of Joel Peralta to a Minor-League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Peralta spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Just over one month after taking the helm as Dodgers president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman reuinted with Adam Liberatore and Peralta in a trade that sent Jose Dominguez and Greg Harris to the Tampa Bay Rays.

With Kenley Jansen beginning the 2015 season on the disabled list as he recovered from foot surgery, Peralta converted three saves in the first 11 games of the season.

However, the veteran right-hander then battled a nerve/neck injury for the next four months, which rendered him inconsistent and ineffective.

Peralta eventually managed to get healthy and closed the season on a high note.

He appeared in eight games over the final month of the regular season, allowing just two earned runs (both on solo home runs), striking out 11 and walking none in nine innings pitched. Opponents batted .129/.129/.323 over that stretch.

Overall, Peralta appeared in 33 regular-season games, finishing with a 4.34 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 1.24 WHIP and 19.8 percent strikeout rate in 29 innings pitched. His success down the stretch of the season culminated in him earning a spot on the Dodgers postseason roster.

Peralta’s lone appearance in the National League Division Series against the New York Mets came in Game 1, when he retired the side in order to toss a scoreless eighth inning.

Due to the light workload in 2015, Peralta said he planned to play winter ball and return for another year in the Majors. Last November the Dodgers declined their $2.5 million option on Peralta for this season.

 

Puig talks Mattingly, infield ranking and more
by Elisa Hernandez | Dodgers Nation — 17 minutes ago

Super Bowl 50 is finally over with the Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10, which means it’s time for Dodgers baseball to begin … well almost.

After the loss, Panthers fan aka Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood is ready for the season.

Alex Wood ✔ @Awood45
BASEBALL season Letssss gooo!!! #Dodgers
7:58 PM - 7 Feb 2016​

He tweeted that following SB 50. Still I’m sure everyone is patiently waiting for Spring Training to begin, and with that being said the Dodgers are making moves in the mean time.

Those moves have L.A. Times writer Houston Mitchell ranking the Dodgers infield in the National League at No. 2, and giving the top spot to the San Francisco Giants. So what’s the thinking behind this ranking? Well, the points are assigned based off where a player ranks at each position (i.e. 7 points for 1st place, 5 points for 2nd place, 3 points for 3rd place, 2 points for 4th place and 1 point for 5th place).

With that type of system Mitchell ranks the NL infield in the following order:

1. San Francisco Giants (25 points)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (24 points)
3. Colorado Rockies (16 points)
4. Arizona Diamondbacks (14 points)
5. San Diego Padres (11 points)

The Dodgers goal is to get that No. 1 spot and ultimately have a team to win a World Series something they couldn’t do with former manager Don Mattingly. Last week, right fielder Yasiel Puig put in his two cents in an interview with ESPN Deportes.

“When we got to the playoffs we could not do anything for[Mattingly] and for ourselves, either. They gave him a lot of opportunities. They made the change and we will see what happens. Maybe it was the manager. Maybe it was us. Nobody knows. All I know is they changed the manager and we are hoping for good luck and God’s blessings to get back to playoffs for the fourth time in a row and win a World Series.”

 

Lazarito decision could come tomorrow
by Justin Russo | Dodger Nation — 7 minutes ago



Cuban prospect Lazarito Armenteros is close to making a decision on where he will sign, according to MLB dot com’s Jesse Sanchez. His decision will be made tomorrow, and there’s as many as nine teams being listed as interested in the talented outfielder. On that list is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A few days ago, it was reported that Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Lazarito enjoyed a game together. Perhaps it was the start of something. As of a week ago, the hot stove surrounding Lazarito really started to pick up, but now it’s scolding hot.

From Jesse Sanchez at MLB dot com:
"The Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Padres and Phillies are among the nine teams with a strong interest in signing the 16-year-old, according to industry sources."

The Dodgers being on that list is not exactly shocking considering they’re over their international pool money budget but can still spend as much as they want through the end of June. Essentially, there are no further penalties the team can incur by spending money the rest of this period.

The talented Lazarito is a 6’2″, 205-pound outfielder with darn near 60 grade – on the 20/80 scale – tallies across the board in hitting, power, running, fielding, and arm strength/accuracy. The 16-year old is one of the top remaining unsigned international prospects out there, and he’d be a major haul for any organization.

For the Dodgers, getting Lazarito would give them another talented prospect in the system. If his skills are up to snuff, then the team could be reaping the rewards of their boundless spending very soon. After all, you’ve got to spend money to make money in this world, and the Dodgers are spending a ton of money on Cuban imports.

Lazarito will make his decision Wednesday, so be on the lookout for that news to drop.

 

Five potential impact arms in wild NL West
by Lyle Spencer | MLB.com — 8 hours ago

Remodeled pitching staffs make the National League West one of the most unpredictable and fascinating of the six divisions as Spring Training approaches. Any number of arms could prove pivotal in a lively race. Here are five to watch:

1. Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
Division champions three years running with dominant starting pitching, the Dodgers can't replace what Zack Greinke gave them with one arm. But Maeda, polished and experienced on the international stage, is one of several who can help ease the impact of Greinke's move to Arizona. The Dodgers, pioneers in introducing Asian pitchers with Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park, hope Maeda, the slender right-hander from Japan, follows their history of success with Nomo, Park and, most recently, Hyun-Jin Ryu. Maeda, who turns 28 on April 11, has pitched at least 206 innings in four of his seven seasons with Hiroshima and no fewer than 175. He has a 2.39 career ERA and a 1.048 WHIP, and he has done some of his best work under the pressures of the World Baseball Classic. Nomo, at 26 in 1995, led the NL in strikeouts with 236, going 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA in 28 starts. His Japanese countryman, Kazuhisa Ishii, was 14-10 with a 4.27 ERA as a Dodgers rookie at 28 in 2002. Park, the first Korean pitcher to make it big in the Majors, was 24 in his first full season in the rotation in 1997, going 14-8 with a 3.38 ERA in 192 innings. Ryu, following Park's lead, was 14-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 30 starts in 2013. Ryu, who was 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA in '14, is rebounding from shoulder issues costing him the entire 2015 season.

2. Johnny Cueto, Giants
Cueto's late-season struggles with the Royals (4-7, 4.76 ERA) after his arrival from Cincinnati in a July swap were puzzling. But he has shown he's among the game's best -- and dealing in spacious AT&T Park, with a quality defense supporting him, should lift the colorful righty back among the elite behind Madison Bumgarner in a rotation that could be lethal. Cueto, 30 when the season opens, led the NL in strikeouts (242) and innings (243 2/3) in 2014, going 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA. He flourished with the Reds despite pitching in a hitter-friendly yard. If that 2014 Cueto is the Johnny who comes marching into San Francisco -- and if fellow free agent Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain are reasonably healthy -- look out. The Giants could make a serious run at a fourth World Series crown in another even-numbered season.

3. Patrick Corbin, D-backs
Greinke and Shelby Miller, the D-backs' acquisition in a swap with the Braves, might be as good as it gets at the top of a rotation. Their arrivals ease the pressure on Corbin, a lefty with ace stuff. Corbin, 26, showed promise in 2013. He was 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA in 208 1/3 innings, working in a home park that favors offense. Corbin was getting back in form -- 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA in 16 starts -- in his return last summer after missing all of 2014 in recovery from Tommy John surgery. The D-backs were ranked 23rd in the Majors in starters' ERA at 4.37 last season. They figure to be much better this summer with arms to match their productive offense and superb defense.

4. Andrew Cashner, Padres
His performance hasn't consistently reflected his grade-A stuff, leading to the belief this could be Cashner's major breakthrough season at 29. Acquired from the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo deal in 2012, the big Texan is much better than his 6-16 record and 4.34 ERA last season suggest. Cashner throws 95 mph consistently, complemented by a slider and change. He is not a comfortable at-bat for hitters. What Cashner could really use is better support -- 22 of the NL-high 111 runs he gave up last year were unearned. A big turnaround season would lift a club that needs every asset to compete in a formidable division -- or move in a Trade Deadline deal for young talent.

5. Tyler Chatwood, Rockies
Built along the lines of Peavy, with similar stuff, Chatwood has made only four starts the past two seasons in recovery from 2014 Tommy John surgery. If he makes it back to his '13 form, the gifted right-hander gives the Rockies a quality starter with no fear of pitching at Coors Field. A promising Angels prospect before getting dealt to Colorado for catcher Chris Iannetta following his 2011 rookie year, Chatwood is 10-4 with a 3.92 ERA in 22 games in Denver, 18 as a starter. In 20 overall starts in '13, he was 8-5 with a 3.15 ERA. Most impressively, Chatwood yielded only five home runs in 111 1/3 innings. An excellent athlete with a .275 career batting average, Chatwood can be a staff anchor at 26 if he stays healthy.

 

interesting
dodgers offense ranked 3rd in mlb [behind the jays and cubs] by usa today...

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Hey, remember Yasiel Puig? Even after his injury-plagued 2015 season, Puig owns an .858 big-league OPS and is still only 25. The Dodgers had a relatively quiet offseason by their absurd standards, but they’ve got a whole host of guys who hit well and a few with real chances of performing like superstars. If young shortstop Corey Seager is anywhere near as good as he looked in his 27-game big-league stint in 2015, look out. No team combines mega-salaried veterans with brilliant looking young players quite like the Dodgers do.​

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/mlb-best-offense-2016-rankings-blue-jays-tigers-cubs-mlb#

 

i thought the same
before scrolling through i wasn't sure where they'd rank us
but if they're right, and our pitching comes through...
there could be a lot to be happy about come october

 

not really surprised
dodgers nation has gone way downhill

 

would have probably been higher if not for his injury/2nd half drop off

Grandal named 9th best catcher in MLB
by Justin Russo | Dodgers Nation — 16 minutes ago

Today over at The Sports Fan Journal, they released their list of the top ten catchers in Major League Baseball going into the 2016 season. On that list were names you’d expect, and one that belonged to a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, it was a good list.

At the top of the list was Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, which comes as literally no shock whatsoever since he’s great defensively and a great offensive catcher. After that, though, the list got interesting. Especially when you looked towards the bottom half of the top ten.

Yasmani Grandal, a trade acquisition for the Dodgers prior to last season, was listed as the 9th best catcher in the game, and this was written about him:

His eye at the plate improved last season (an increase in walks combined with a steep decline in strikeouts), which produced a career-best .353 on-base percentage. He profiles to produce plus power from behind the plate, although his switch hitting future is likely as a first baseman.​

One interesting thing to note is that Grandal’s second half numbers were a major decline from his first half numbers, primarily due to a shoulder injury that he’s since had surgery to fix. With that said, 2016 could be a stellar year for the 27-year old.

Catcher is a relatively thin position after the top two or three candidates, so Grandal could see himself vaulted into the discussion of one of the best catchers in the game if he’s able to put together a fantastic 2016. Combined with his pitch framing, which put him 3rd in baseball last season, the sky is still the limit for him.

Grandal has youth, offense, and receiving skills on his side. If he’s able to stay healthy, produce over a full season, and throw out just a tad more runners, then the Dodgers could certainly have their backstop position sewn up for the future with him on board.

Although, as mentioned, Grandal shifting to first base in the future might be in the cards. And that’s just another option for the team. Either way, Grandal is getting his just praise.​