DODGERS The FRONT OFFICE (NERDS) Thread

I'm kinda of the notion that Grienke/Ryu may be our last big pitcher FA signings for quite a while. I wouldn't look for the nerds to add more big contracts unless it becomes necessary (i.e., injury). Like you say, with Urias on the horizon and other arms coming up through the ranks, we might just go with 1-2 year deals with 4/5 level starters for a few years yet to come.

 

i see it differently. starting pitching has been Kasten's calling card at every stop. i see him continuing to invest big on starting pitching ( especially in today's power-sapped era)..when it makes sense. some of those starters in next year's FA pool will inevitably receive qualifying offers and so, imo, those guys will not be targeted. keeping draft picks was one of Kasten's goals from the beginning and he's kept to that thus far.

so the guys like Greinke, the ace level guys who get traded at the deadline and as a result cannot be given qualifying offers, i look for those guys to be targeted. the Lesters, and likely, a Johnny Cueto. and i look at Greinke's contract as the template for the nerds..options written into each contract of the ace level guys that are 29-30yrs old so those players are tempted to opt out and chase the money elsewhere after 2/3yrs and the Dodgers aren't stuck with old guys like the Phillies have been..another one of Kasten's goals from the beginning.

i see them simply letting 32-33yr old high caliber starters walk after 2 or 3yrs of service and replacing them with the next 29-30yr old ace level guy. spending on a couple aces isn't a problem. overpaying for a couple aging left fielders and bum relievers is the problem..enter Friedman. when they finally rid themselves of the guys who aren't worth their salaries, it'll all work itself out. until then, the Time Warner money eases their pain. we all love Urias, but he's likely to touch down for good in 2017..who knows if he'll be ready for the playoff stage. when i mentioned Urias it was as a #5 starter/abnormally young rookie that they could bring along slowly..not rely on.

 

well, no surprise we h

 

no surprise we have different views. like i said, they will spend if necessary...otherwise payroll will come down. as long as we have guys inthe minors ready to graduate then the FA signings will be kept to a minimum.

 

Reduce payroll, plug in the right guys at the right price, win the World Series = Genius Nerds.

 

well, if that had been the message from the start i would've agreed with you outright. but you mixed in that you were of the notion that Greinke/Ryu may be our last pitcher FA signing for quite a while and i don't agree with that because if Greinke opts out i think he gets replaced and that's not far off. just a year away and i'm kinda expecting it to happen, so i don't think injury will be the only cause of spending. but ultimately, we agree.

 

go back and read the post again, i clearly stated the word "necessary"

 

you did. do you agree that grounds in which they'd look to spend on a pitcher won't require an injury and that the opporunity may present itself as soon as next off-season? i mean, from what we know..they were just looking at Jon Lester.

 

yes and no, necessity is the key word, and that can arise from several areas, so yes, injury is not the only reason. but signing a lester because grienke opts out may not constitute a necessity. if you get my view.

 

elaborate

 

if we lose grienke, it does not make signing a lester necessary. maybe we promote urias or trade for another starter. signing lester would be nice, but not a necessity.

 

I'm not seeing Friedman's perspective nor a whole lot of ability to depend on Joe Wieland with a career line of 1-4 W/L; an ERA of 5.31; a WHIP of 1.436; and a WAR of -0.5 and last year he gave up 16 hits and 9 earned runs in only 11.1 innings? What makes this kid more than a Single A minor leaguer wasting a roster spot??

And Bolsinger doesn't look ANY better at 1-6 W/L; an ERA of 5.50; a WHIP of 1.586 and even worse a WAR of -0.8... though at least he pitched a whopping 52.1 innings... of crap

these two don't look to successfully chew up many relief innings with those kinds of crappy stats

Gonna have to wait to learn how either supports the notion of being a Dodger brain trust solution... otherwise I'm not impressed

 

trading for a Greinke-level guy is really the only excuse for not signing an ace level guy to pair with Kershaw, but at the same time we've all watched them continue to shut it down when it comes to dealing key farm pieces for Hamels and Price, so you'd have to say that a trade is a long shot, right? i don't think what i'm saying here is unreasonable..i mean it's playing out right before our eyes. they're clutching their key youngsters and draft picks and taking aim at ace-level arms that don't have draft picks attached to them. they feel that they can stock the farm, spend money, and clean up the payroll simultaneously.

and even if they did trade for a Price or Hamels, that's still adding to the payroll. point being, spending isn't a problem, so long as the guy is earning that kind of money with his play. the Ethiers/Crawfords/Leagues are the problem..they're not earning it. but our ownership's given the FO the freedom to spend to make problems go away, so it's just a matter of time.

their actions have said that they want to get younger, better defensively, add depth, get the payroll in order in terms of eventually moving on from both overpaid position players and bullpen pieces, get decent value/upside in return for those overpaid guys ( the nerds' area of expertise..getting Grandal, Rollins, etc.), and that they're still interested in spending on QO-less front line starters ( Lester) because they want to continue to contend for the WS so long as they have expensive investments like Kershaw and pressure from TWC to keep the product at a high level.

 

Arrub>>Darwin

I get why they did what they did, but I'd much rather have him than Darwin.

 

yeah but Barney is a "CLUB HOUSE GUY"... And Arru starts fights and runs away from them...

 

Anybody curious as I am, or does anyone have the lowdown on how he got his nick?