DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS thread

The truth shall set ye free...

 

I do not blame the F.O./Guggs for not winning the WS in 2017. That blame is entirely on Kenley and Kershaw. Could say mostly the same thing in 2018, too. With a mix of shit offense, of course.

But if they decide to stand pat and make boring, marginal upgrades this offseason..fuck em.

I got over this WS loss easily. Was ready to commit to being a more mellow, appreciative fan.

But I cant appreciate cheapness when the goal has yet to be accomplished.

They/we can rationalize it all we want..."The NL is weak" "we have the talent to win the division and then it is a crapshoot" ..

May be true...but this is entertainment. And the 2018 Dodgers were NOT entertaining.

If they give us the make-shift, platoon, streaky, uppercut, inconsistent offense again...with no superstar like Harper to get us excited after 2 embarrassing WS...I might really be done.

 

I would love to see Joe Mauer retired catcher of the Twins as a bench coach / hitting coach/catching coach his approach to hitting is just amazing in some capacity with the Dodgers as well as Utley.

 

Injecting some not to old ass coaches that these players can relate too is a necessity with these up and coming players to burst their little bubble

 

MLBTR saying Ryu is probably gonna take the QO

 

Deadline for all QO decisions is 4pm central time or 2 here.

 

• The Cubs are actively shopping Kris Bryant and are said to be trying hard to reduce payroll. Moving Bryant could be merely for a payroll reduction, but it could also be a sign that they don't think he is going to be sticking at 3rd for much longer after his shoulder issues this season. He had a down year for him and was nothing special upon his return in September. They would be selling him at the lowest value of his career, but I still don't expect him to get moved for anything below a King's ransom. This Cubs offseason could be interesting to watch, their farm is depleted and they are weighed down by some awful contracts. They may have to get creative this offseason or else could start fading a bit in the central.

• The Phillies are desperately trying to trade Carlos Santana and the remaining balance on his contract. He got off to a truly horrendous start, but turned things around in May and ended with an ok year. They want to open a spot for Rhys Hoskins who was a mess in LF... though you could say everyone was a mess in the field for them.

• Rumors of the Yankees not having interest in Machado were not entirely true. Word is that they have quietly been the team most active early in pursuit of him.

• This was presumed to happen, but the D'Backs are said to be actively shopping Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke. It is speculated that once the Backs hear an offer they like for Goldy, they will go back to him with a long term "take it or leave it" offer. If he turns them down, they will likely move on. Some people close to him though, say he would likely consider such an offer even at a discounted rate.

• We are only two weeks since the end of the WS, but things have still been incredibly quiet. There are some murmurs that the action could start to pick up this week once teams know their QO situations.

 

Trade anything possible for Bryant including Buehler (won’t happen)

 

....and I don't give a rat's ass about " Friedman's MO " in Tampa either. That was Tampa. I didn't see Friedman making any trades for Machado caliber players in Tampa, did anybody else? Nope. Obviously, situations and circumstances have changed dramatically for him and that's what allowed him to be aggressive and actually get a deal done with Peter Angelos of all people for a star.

So again, failure to land one of these young sluggers will land at Kasten's feet as well, especially in Harper's case. You draft the guy in DC and help groom him for big league success and you can't pull him in when your team is in perhaps the best position to lock him in? That's tragic. I'm not watching a single inning next season if they don't sign Harper or re-sign Machado, or trade for Stanton, or trade for Bryant, or just something special. They're obligated to flex muscle and add a star this offseason to help fans wash down that shitty Kershaw signing. And with that said, it feels like Harper is on 2B with no outs and LAD is about to do what we're all too familiar with them doing in these situations.

 

Lol Trade for Bryant, sign Harper, already have Seager and Belli
The billion dollar Boras package

 

Machado lands with the Yankees and they're automatically the team that's kicking LAD's ass in the WS next year with him winning MVP. Already know how it ends

 

I think most of knew Boston was a superior team. Sad, but true.

 

Same here
2017 had a couple things going for it...
1) The WS was a novelty, having waited 28 years to get back
2) The Dodgers were the best team in MLB

The optimism, excitement, and anticipation was there.

2018...
1) Novelty gone for 'being in the WS'
2) The team was shit in comparison to 2017. Boring, infuriating shit.

 

Better, imo. Not blown away with the idea of any of the FA pitchers on long term deals and not sure which starting pitchers that are available aside from Kluber that are better options at this point. Kluber is without a doubt a great pitcher and one I would love to have, but he also falls into the "what are you going to do when the playoffs roll around" category as he's been worked over his last 4 playoff appearances. With the Dodgers payroll where it currently is at, they can take on Ryu and still have some solid room under the tax. There is about 30ish mil in easily moveable contracts that could also in some cases net some nice returns, close to $50M if someone decides to take on Kemp(nobody is taking on all of Kemp).

 

Heyman is reporting that Ryu is taking the QO