MLB NEWS/RUMORS Thread

Zaidi says lack of offseason activity due in part to optimism over young players
by Matt Borelli | Dodger Blue — 57 minutes ago



With the exception of a surprising, five-player trade with the Atlanta Braves that saw the return of Matt Kemp and departures of Charlie Culberson, Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy, it’s been a relatively quiet offseason of transactions for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The club was prominently linked to Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton earlier this winter, though both players ultimately landed elsewhere. The Dodgers also saw reliable setup man Brandon Morrow sign a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, while its six other free agents remain on the market.

On the acquisition side, the Dodgers have inked just one Major Leaguer in former Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays swingman Tom Koehler to a one-year deal.

During an interview on The Petros and Money Show on AM 570 L.A. Sports, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi discussed the club’s lack of offseason activity, citing the organization’s young talent as reason to stand pat:

“One of the things that we’ve tried to keep in mind is, we don’t want to go out there and kind of make the big splash and bring in some veteran players that might block some of our younger guys who we want to create opportunities for. Even if you look at our left field picture going into 2018, there’s been a lot of conversation about whether we’ll add a bat there. I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out, but if you talk about Chris Taylor in center field and Yasiel Puig in right field, suddenly you’ve only got one spot for a Joc Pederson, an Andrew Toles, or even Alex Verdugo who is going to be big-league ready next year.”​

Zaidi credited breakout seasons from unforeseen players during the 2017 season and prefers to give upcoming prospects opportunities to stick on the Major League roster, rather than add veterans that could slow their development:

“When you look back at 2017 and you really think about what were the success stories and the things that got this team to the next level, it was guys like Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes, and guys who got an opportunity because they weren’t blocked by some veteran player. As we go through this offseason, we’re kind of keeping that in mind.” ​

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently expressed a similar sentiment, marveling at the impact the team’s rookies and young players have made, while still valuing veterans. Considering Zaidi’s latest remarks, his previous comments of the Dodgers focusing on adding elite talent continues to ring true.

 

more on this year's morrow?...

Dodgers claim Henry Owens off waivers from D'bags
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 12 hours ago



LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers claimed pitcher Henry Owens off waivers from the Diamondbacks, adding a former top prospect with bouts of wildness.

The left-hander posted a 4.21 ERA in 26 starts between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket in the Red Sox system in 2017. He struck out 121 in 126 innings but also walked a whopping 115 batters, a stunning 19.5% walk rate.

Owens, 25, was a consensus top-50 before the 2015 season, rated as high as the 19th-best prospect in baseball per MLB dot com, and was a consensus top-100 prospect prior to 2014. He was drafted in the supplemental first round in 2011 out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach.

It is unknown exactly what role Owens will serve with the Dodgers, should he remain in the organization, but 161 of his 162 games between the majors and minors has been as a starter, with his lone relief appearance coming in his professional debut in the Class-A Sally League in 2012.

Owens pitched in the majors for parts of the 2015 and 2016 seasons with Boston, posting a 5.19 ERA in 16 starts, with 71 strikeouts and 44 walks in 85 innings.

Upon his demotion to Double-A in July, he walked six of eight batters in his first start for Portland. He changed his mechanics in Double-A, switching to a sidearm delivery.

“Every single start has felt a little better, or more comfortable,” he said. “Even just playing catch every day, it feels more natural,” Owens told Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald in September. “It’s something to look at as a positive going into the offseason, and into the Arizona Fall League.”

Owens walked five batters in two innings for Peoria in his Arizona Fall League debut, but walked only three batters total over his final three starts, totaling 13 innings.

The Diamondbacks claimed Owens off waivers from the Red Sox on Dec. 8, but Arizona needed room on their 40-man roster for the signing of Japanese relief pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano to a two-year contract. The Dodgers were also reported to have interest in Hirano.

Owens has 100 days of major league service time and one option year remaining, having used options in 2016 and 2017. The Dodgers have 39 players on their 40-man roster.

 

dude, come on

 

Why does the Dodger Front Office get so much hate?
by Blake Coble | Dodgers Nation — 17 minutes ago

Andrew Friedman and company. These are the gentlemen that everyone loves to hate. Certainly it has always been the case to give the front office zero credit when teams are successful, yet rake them over the coals when they are not successful. Because of this, the Dodgers’ front office is no exception to this rule. Despite what many would consider overwhelming success since he began his tenure, many Dodger fans still begrudge Friedman, and the rest of the front office, for not bringing home a World Series trophy yet.

Keep in mind that Friedman has only been president of baseball operations since October 2014. The same goes for the General Manager, Farhan Zaidi. So what then is the beef with this front office? The Dodgers’ success is easy to point to, but what exactly are the typical complaints of fans? In the following points we will discuss these points of contention, and why or why not they may have merit. And in conclusion we will circle back to the reality. That this front office is actually quite brilliant.

Grievance Number One: No World Series Trophies

Our first grievance is actually a fair one, but it is unfair to merely pin the failure to bring home a World Series title on the front office. First, consider what most teams would consider a successful season. About half the league would consider finishing with a winning record a success. Since the Guggenheim group acquired the Dodgers in 2012, the Dodgers have had a 559-413 record. That’s good for a .575 winning percentage and tops in the league during that time. It’s even better since 2015 when Friedman and company took over: 287-199. An excellent .590 winning percentage.

Next, many teams would consider making the playoffs a successful season. Considering only 8 teams make it every year, this makes sense as well. Guess what? Since 2012 the Dodgers have made the postseason every year. Again, the Dodgers are the only team to have done this in that time frame. And lastly, division titles. Yes, I can hear it already from naysayers. “But it isn’t about the division titles!” Sure, ultimately it is not. However, if one only measured success by World Series titles in baseball, or a championship in any sport, 99% of teams are complete failures every season. The Dodgers have won 5 straight division titles since 2013.

So yes, the Dodgers have had a lack of World Series hardware, but every year we seem to inch closer and closer. You cannot deny that we have been given the best chance to win by a front office that has put a winning team on the field every year since it took over. However, when a team makes the playoffs every year, there are high expectations that come with that. Dodger fans are justified in being hungry for a WS Title. Just make sure you don’t write off the whole season when it doesn’t happen.

Grievance Number Two: This Front Office is Cheap

This grievance honestly has zero merit. I suppose when your team has eclipsed the $250 million payroll mark, some people expect it to stay there. We’ve seen the starkest example of that this off-season. Countless fans are left wondering why we didn’t trade for Giancarlo Stanton. Or why we aren’t signing Yu Darvish, Brandon Morrow, and Jake Arrieta. The simple answer is that the Dodgers had a goal of getting under the luxury tax threshold this off-season.

Bill Plunkett ✔@billplunkettocr
#Dodgers have paid approx $148m for exceeding luxury tax threshold each of past 5 years inc.
estimated $34m this year. Already in 50 pct penalty bracket, will incur draft pick penalties if they
exceed 2018 threshold (guesstimate $197m). Current '18 payroll projects to about $220m
2:00 PM - Dec 9, 2017 ​

The main reason was clearly because of the luxury tax penalties they have been incurring. This is a model that is unsustainable and hurts the Dodgers long-term. We covered in detail this week the luxury tax penalties the Dodgers have incurred.

But this is just relating to this off-season. In general fans seem to believe the Dodgers brass has been cheap since Friedman and company took over. This is flat out not the case. Just look at the 2016 off-season. In a year where many expected the Dodgers to lose one or both of Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen, they brought both of them back. Not only this, but both players had larger offers than the Dodgers on the table:

Jeff Passan ✔@JeffPassan
Sources: The Marlins have made a monster offer for Kenley Jansen -- almost at the level of Aroldis
Chapman. Five years, more than $80M.
9:12 PM - Dec 7, 2016​

Additionally, the front office re-signed Rich Hill to a 3 year, $48 million deal after trading for him. Much of what the front office has done in the last 4 or so years has been to create long-term success for the club. Part of that is showing fiscal restraint when it comes to signing free agents. Especially with harsher penalties for busting the luxury tax threshold now under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). In 2014 and 2015 there wasn’t much in the way of major free agent additions. Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir were the biggest names to be signed during these years. Many more of the moves were via trade. Players like Wood, Grandal, Barnes, Taylor, Hernandez, and Forsythe have all arrived via trade. That’s a solid track record.

Also, fans need to bear in mind that the impending free agency class of 2018 will have much better options than have been on the table the last few years. Namely Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. There is also the consideration that Clayton Kershaw is expected to opt out. With all that in mind, the Dodgers needed to reset the luxury tax this off-season so they could have the chance to spend next off-season.

Grievance Number Three: They Are Unwilling to Trade Prospects

Once again a grievance that misunderstands the reasoning behind it. Even then, it ignores the fact that this front office hasn’t been shy about trading top talent. Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas, and Jharrel Cotton were all top 10 pitchers in 2016 when the front office traded them for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. Jose DeLeon was a top 3 prospect when he was traded for Logan Forsythe. Willie Calhoun was a top 5 prospect when he was traded for Yu Darvish. Clearly this front office has no issues trading prospects to acquire talent. Interestingly so, many fans who say the front office doesn’t trade prospects, also say they feel the front office trades away too much talent when they do make trades.

Ultimately the goal of the Dodgers’ brass has been to create a sustainable farm system to bring long-term success. Shrewd drafting, and even shrewder trades, have made the Dodgers’ farm system the envy of the league. They have done all this without going the route of a full tear-down rebuild like the Cubs, Astros, Braves, or Phillies. They also haven’t done the partial rebuild route like the Yankees did. Remember when some fans were beside themselves that the Dodgers did not meet the Phillies asking price for Hamels in 2014? Who did they want again? Oh just three fairly insignificant players: Joc Pederson, Julio Urias, and Corey Seager.

This continued even through last year’s off-season when the Dodgers would not trade Cody Bellinger for Brian Dozier despite the clamoring of some to make that trade. I think our own Hunter Thompson’s response on May 5th speaks for itself:

The bottom-line is that this front office has been quite brilliant in the last 4 years since they took over. They’ve brought in key talent that has contributed to the team’s success and they’ve built a glorious farm system that is churning out talent on a yearly basis. Without the restraint of this front office there is a good chance we wouldn’t be watching guys like Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger driving this team’s success. Also, so-called “bargain hunting” has brought us Chris Taylor and Brandon Morrow over the years. It is every fan’s right to question their team’s management and the moves they do or do not make. But this needs to be tempered with an acknowledgment of their successes as well.

Hopefully this trend of success and brilliance will continue this off-season. The Dodgers have already added Tom Koehler and Henry Owens to the team. Both have shown high ceilings in the past, but have not lived up to them. Koehler has that Brandon Morrow, mediocre starter turned dynamite reliever, look about him. And Henry Owens is that classic buy-low on a once top-prospect move. Both of which could reap huge rewards for the front office, and credit should be given where credit is due. Do you agree or disagree? Let us know your thoughts!

 

Chris Taylor on his breakout season and Cody Bellinger
by Hunter Thompson | Dodgers Nation — 23 minutes ago

Chris Taylor had a dream season in 2017. He started the year in the minor leagues, but was called up on April 19th. He never looked back after the call-up, solidifying himself as a key part of the Dodgers’ lineup. Taylor finished the season with a .288/.354/.496 line with 21 home runs, 34 doubles, and 5 triples. He blew just about every previous career-high out of the water in 2017.

Taylor recently sat down with David Vassegh on AM570 via phone to discuss his breakout year. When asked about if he’s reflected on his season, Taylor had this to say:

"It’s been pretty cool, having an opportunity to reflect on the year I had. Coming back to my hometown and seeing the reaction of my friends and family and how excited they are for me is really cool. Just letting it all soak in a little bit. But at the same time I’m definitely motivated for next year, trying to get ready. That bitter taste we had in game seven, you know a little feel for the offseason work that all of us are gonna put in to get ready. Try to come out on top next year."​

Vassegh also asked Taylor if he thinks he’ll ever get over the game seven loss.

"No, I don’t that’s ever something I’ll get over. Hopefully we’ll get back there and be on the winning end soon. I think that’s the only way to get over it."​

Taylor also commented on his roommate, fellow breakout star Cody Bellinger.

"It was awesome. Just to see how the year started for both of us, in AAA. Not where either of us wanted to be, but we both got an opportunity really early and we both capitalized. Going from living together in Oklahoma City to living together in LA, and eventually playing at the highest stage in the World Series. Both of us had really good years. You know, I knew all along how good Cody was gonna be but I didn’t know how quick it was gonna happen. Fortunately he got the opportunity and he just ran with it. It was so awesome to watch all his success and every he did this year."​

You can hear the full interview here. Chris looks to continue his tremendous play in 2018. The 27-year old will be a key part of a Dodgers’ team that will try to make it back to the World Series and win it all this time.

 

just watched the 9th inning of our lcs clincher
great line from darling...
"kiké hernandez has knocked in 7 runs by himself tonight. the cubs have 8 runs all series."

 

gotcha

 

i've blocked out what happened after the nlcs
so to me, that was the championship
astros?... don't know what you'e talking about

 

exactly!