NEWS/RUMORS/DISCUSSION Thread

i think it depends on the situation
if kersh or anyone really said that and how bad it really is
whatever the case, andy van slyke is a fucken tool

 

Dodgers sign Culberson to minor league contract
by Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue — 5 minutes ago

The offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far has been centered around their search for Don Mattingly’s replacement, which may come to a conclusion in the next few days, and speculation as to which starting pitcher the club will aim to sign.

Among others, the Dodgers have been linked to Zack Greinke, David Price and most recently, Jordan Zimmermann.

Along with needing to address their starting rotation, the Dodgers have a hole at second base as Howie Kendrick became a free agent at season’s end.

While Los Angeles will assuredly work to fill their needs, likely at the Winter Meetings, it appears team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s first offseason roster move is one that relates to potential organization depth.

According to Chris Cotillo of the SB Nation, the Dodgers signed former Colorado Rockies infielder Charlie Culberson to a Minor League contract with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.

Culberson was slowed by a back injury during the spring, placed on the 15-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque in March. He was then transferred to the 60-day DL on April 12.

The 26-year-old infielder didn’t return until the end of May, though only managed to appear in five games before undergoing season-ending back surgery.

Culberson’s best season with the Rockies came in 2013, when he hit .293/.317/.404, with a .312 wOBA and 79 wRC+ over 47 games. However, he struggled in a role off the bench in 2014.

That season, appearing in 95 games, Culberson hit .195/.253/.290 with 62 strikeouts in 233 plate appearances.​

 

Where will Chris Davis end up signing?
by David Schoenfield | ESPN

Chris Davis heads into free agency as he enters his age-30 season. He has the most homers in the majors over the past three seasons -- 15 more than Nelson Cruz -- and also leads in RBIs. He led the majors with 53 home runs in 2013 and 47 in 2015, but sandwiched between those monster seasons was a 26-homer season in 2014 when he hit .196 and was suspended 25 games after testing positive for amphetamines.

Davis blamed his suspension on his use of Adderall, an ADD medication. He had previously been cleared to use it and was granted an exemption in 2015, but he hadn't requested an exemption in 2014. How much teams factor in that 2014 season remains to be seen, but Davis is expected to receive a five- or six-year contract at around $20 million a year. That's a big contract but enough to limit his bidding to only the big-market teams. Here are five possible destinations:

1. The favorite: Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have said they have room in the budget to re-sign Davis, and the numbers back that up. The team's payroll was around $117 million in 2015, and Baseball-Reference.com estimates their current payroll around $100 million. The team's long-term commitments are minimal: Adam Jones is signed through 2018, J.J. Hardy and Ubaldo Jimenez through 2017. Of course, Wei-Yin Chen is also a free agent, and he was the team's top starter last year, so Baltimore might need to increase that payroll to bring both back. Davis has obviously thrived with the short dimensions of the Camden Yards power alleys. Over his four seasons as the team's first baseman, he has hit .272 with 96 home runs at home compared with .242 with 67 home runs on the road. Considering the lack of quality first basemen available in free agency aside from Davis, if the Orioles don't bring him back, they'll have a gaping hole in the lineup.

2. A new Cardinals way: St. Louis Cardinals
They could use an upgrade at first base, where they ranked 28th in the majors in weighted on-base average, and Matt Adams isn't really that good even if healthy. The Cardinals also definitely need an upgrade in the power department. They've averaged fewer than four runs per game the past two seasons, after averaging 4.7 or more from 2011 to 2013. They were last in the NL in home runs in 2014 and 11th in 2015, when they ranked just 11th in the NL in runs scored. Davis would be a different kind of Cardinals player in that he strikes out a lot -- 208 times in 2015 -- but this team was batting Jhonny Peralta cleanup in the postseason. The Cardinals are reluctant to give out $100 million contracts, but signing Davis would cost less than bringing back Jason Heyward, who could command close to $200 million.

3. Heading home: Houston Astros
Davis is from Longview, Texas, near the Louisiana border, and about three hours north of Houston. More importantly: The Astros need a first baseman and have money to spend. Astros first basemen hit .221/.319/.420 last season, so Davis would be an upgrade even if his numbers dip a bit. But that's actually less of a factor for the Astros because Minute Maid is a very good home run park for left-handed batters. And you know the Astros are the one team that wouldn't worry about Davis' high-strikeout approach.

4. The surprise team: San Francisco Giants
The Giants are looking for pitching help and maybe a left fielder, but if they want to get creative, Davis would be an interesting fit. Because the Giants like to play Buster Posey at first base when he doesn't catch -- he started 37 games there in 2015 -- that means Brandon Belt goes to the bench, which is the waste of a good bat. But unlike Belt, Davis can play the outfield, starting 29 games there for the Orioles last season. That gives the Giants much more flexibility and keeps an additional hitter in the lineup. So they could sign Davis and trade Belt for some pitching help or an outfielder.

5. Into thin air: Colorado Rockies
Other teams that need a first baseman, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, probably can't afford Davis. The Seattle Mariners are a possibility, but that would mean playing Nelson Cruz or Mark Trumbo in the outfield, and they're trying to get more athletic in the outfield. Jim Bowden suggested the Rockies as a possibility, and that's an intriguing idea. The Rockies always think they have enough offense, but the truth is that isn't the case. Yes, they led the NL in runs in 2015, but that's misleading. They scored 737, a low total for a team that plays half its games in Coors Field. Instead of worrying about pitching to make your club better, how about just trying to outslug the opposition? Justin Morneau is a free agent and Ben Paulsen is a 27-year-old journeyman. Imagine what Davis could do in Colorado.

 

go here if you want to or

 

• The Nats are still looking for a LH hitting outfielder to back up Michael Taylor in center and Jayson Werth in left. (Jerry Crasnick/ESPN)

um, we can help with that...

 

meh, fwiw...

ESPN: Dodgers a ‘Sleeper Team’ for Jason Heyward
by Anthony Irwin | Dodgers Nation — 11/20/2015

So, the Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with inconsistency in right field. Take that back, the only consistency they’ve had in the outfield is inconsistency.

There’s a pretty good right fielder on the market in Jason Heyward, and one fairly major platform thinks the Dodgers could swing a deal.

Here is Jason Schoenfield of ESPN on where Heyward might land:

“My sleeper team is the Los Angeles Dodgers if they could trade Yasiel Puig, you know that’s a rumor that’s out there, maybe they then bring Heyward in to play right field.”​

Couple things on this: First, it would absolutely amazing if the Dodgers somehow were able to swindle Heyward from the St. Louis Cardinals. His defensive metrics are out of this world and he learned to make contact more often last season, even if it was at the detriment of some of his power.

If he can combine his improvement in contact with some of his old power, while staying anywhere near as good as he’s been defensively, he’d easily become a top-five right fielder in the game. Any team or anyone who says they wouldn’t want that are absolutely insane.

All that said, here’s why I’m worried it wouldn’t work:

The title of that video is asking whether Heyward’s contract would top $200 million this offseason. If the Dodgers are serious about their desire to cut costs, which it seems like they are, trading away a right fielder who will make $5.5 million next season in order to sign someone for around quadruple that total doesn’t fall in line with their overriding goal.

Which brings me to my second point:

The Dodgers’ two main goals this offseason are to get younger and cheaper. Puig is both of those things. Trading him flies in the face of both of the Dodgers’ top two priorities at this time. Now, if Schoenfield (who didn’t do any actual reporting in this video — this was almost completely hypothetical) had mentioned trading Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford to make room for Heyward, then we could be getting somewhere.

Again, I don’t want to make this seem like I’m throwing a wet blanket on what would otherwise be an incredibly exciting rumor, but the logic here is somewhat lacking. If that can be sorted out, and Heyward is indeed manning right field next season, you wouldn’t hear a single complaint from me.​

 

She probably wants a gig where she can be watched

 

this is, seriously, a legitimate post of the year candidate

 

• Clearly, there have been distractions associated with the Puig era in L.A., and his injury plagued 2015, in which he was limited to 79 games, was disappointing, to say the least. If the Dodgers move him now, some would see it as selling low. But the Dodgers could probably still get some enticing offers, given the right-handed pop Puig can potentially provide and the reasonable terms ($25 million over three years) of his remaining contract. Though Puig has yet to put together the MVP-caliber year some expect from him, he's still just 25 years old.

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