NEWS/RUMORS Thread

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by SC_Ed, Oct 18, 2013.

  1. iggypop123

    iggypop123 Well-Known Member

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    Media was sahing same shit when lincecum was playing well. I think we liked our guy, keeshaw.
     
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  2. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Here in CO the fans are starting to clamor for a rebuild of sorts. The Rockies farm has fallen on hard times and their pitching on the way is looking REAL bad. I know it would be beyond a stretch, but I wonder if the Dodgers packaged AJ, Ethier (Eat some of his contract), Beckett(Eat all or most of his contract), Lee, Stripling and/or a kid like Dominguez if they would bite on potentially sending out Tulo. That way we could move Hanley to 3rd and land the best SS in the game. That is a deal that would benefit both teams I think tremendously. The Rockies get a decent cheap C that moves Rosario to full time 1B, allows Ethier to man LF and get Cargo to CF, a pitcher to fill a rotation hole and two pitchers that could likely get into the rotation next season or a back of the pen arm in Dominguez. They could then turnaround and move Fowler for more pitching if need be.

    PS, those close to him have said Tulo is not happy with the direction of the franchise and could ask for a trade if the team sucks again.
     
  3. TheKnockdown

    TheKnockdown DSP Legend

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    Well of course lol. I was just speculating how OP that rotation would be.
     
  4. LAFord

    LAFord DSP Legend

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    Tulo is an awesome player...but he has averaged about 120 games per season his last 7 years and 109 over the last 3 years. That'd make him perfect for the Dodgers because we have a very active disabled list. I don't want anymore glass players with loads of talent. BUT....I would do it with the players you offered though. AJ/Ethier/Beckett/Lee
    We'd have a hole at catcher again. FedEx +???
     
  5. SC_Ed

    SC_Ed DSP Legend Damned

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    I think the biggest challenge there would obviously dealing within the division. No one wants to help a divisional opponent get better.
     
  6. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    or we could always re-sign rod :pizza:
     
  7. IBleedBlue15

    IBleedBlue15 DSP Stud

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    My friend that's a Yankee fan was giving me shit about last night so we better steal Cano.
     
  8. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Dodgers face decisions after playoff ouster
    By BETH HARRIS (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 2 hours 41 minutes ago

    [​IMG]

    LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Dodgers began the season poorly and then soared from last to first during a torrid 50-game stretch to make the playoffs for the first time in four years. The way they exited overshadowed it all.

    Los Angeles lost the NL championship series 4-2 to St. Louis on Friday night, with NL Cy Young Award favorite Clayton Kershaw turning in a rare clunker on the mound while getting no offense from teammates in a 9-0 defeat.

    It wasn't the ending sought by the team with baseball's second-highest payroll at the end of the regular season - more than $236 million. The Dodgers' drought of World Series appearances now extends to 26 years.

    ''Going through spring, the long season, and then it just comes to a crash, so it's disappointing for all of us,'' manager Don Mattingly said.

    Now, the Dodgers face several decisions in the offseason, starting with Mattingly. He led the team to 92 wins and the NL West title in his contract's final guaranteed season. The 52-year-old manager is 261-226 in three seasons and the team holds a $1.4 million option for next year.

    ''You all can question this move or that move, but nothing really caught me by surprise,'' he said about managing in his first playoffs. ''I didn't feel overwhelmed by it.''

    The Dodgers will be discussing new contracts for Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez, the team's best hitter who played hurt during the NLCS.

    Kershaw had the major leagues' lowest ERA for the third straight season while pitching a career-high 259 innings between the regular season and the playoffs. He needed 48 pitches to get out of the third inning Friday, when he allowed four runs. The left-hander is entering his final year of salary-arbitration eligibility.

    ''We had some good moments this year,'' Kershaw said. ''Put together a good streak there toward the middle, but really unless you win the whole thing it doesn't make a difference.''

    Ramirez has one year left on his contract. He hit .500 in the division series against Atlanta with six RBIs in four games. Then he got plunked by a pitch from Joe Kelly in Game 1 of the NLCS and was never the same. Ramirez broke his left rib and batted just .133, going 2 for 15 against the Cardinals.

    Among the team's dozen potential free agents are starters Ricky Nolasco and Edinson Volquez, along with bearded reliever Brian Wilson, who revived his career while bolstering the Dodgers' bullpen. Relievers J.P. Howell and Carlos Marmol could leave, too, as well as infielder Juan Uribe, considered a clubhouse favorite by his teammates.

    The Dodgers' bench could be facing a makeover, with veterans Jerry Hairston, Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker and Michael Young all eligible for free agency.

    ''Whenever a season ends, no matter what, you know this entire group of guys won't be together next year,'' said catcher A.J. Ellis, whose .316 hitting proved a bright spot against St. Louis. ''It's the last time these guys will be together in this room, and that hurts.''

    Besides Ramirez, outfielder Andre Ethier was slowed by shin splints throughout the playoffs, when the Dodgers didn't have outfielder Matt Kemp. He spent the season on and off the disabled list, although his absence didn't prevent the club's heralded turnaround in July and August.

    ''I'm really proud of my club,'' Mattingly said. ''I felt like these guys hung in all year long.''

    Rookie Yasiel Puig injected much-needed energy into the struggling club upon his arrival in early June. He nearly made the All-Star team, and his at-bats became must-see events. But the 22-year-old Cuban defector bottomed out against the Cardinals, going 5-for-22 with 10 strikeouts, and committed two errors in Game 6, when he made a pair of terrible throws and allowed Yadier Molina's single to bounce off his glove and skip away.

    ''We've got to do a better job of helping him to mature and understand what we want done and the way to do it,'' Mattingly said.

    The Dodgers won the NL West by 11 games over Arizona, their biggest margin since the team moved West from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. But they failed to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Dodgers lost all three of their road games in St. Louis.

    ''One of the key things is to try to get that home-field advantage so it doesn't happen like this,'' said infielder Adrian Gonzalez, who batted .300 against the Cardinals. ''You can't win if you don't win on the road, especially if you don't have home-field advantage.''

    __
     
  9. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    After last night, I don't think that can ever really happen...it's written in stone "we fucked up" when a 22 year old shuts down a team so completely, and going up against the best pitcher in the game and coming out way ahead. Hard to look like geniuses with our payroll and a NLCS loss in 6 games, in a blowout yet.
    Sad....but true.
     
  10. TheKnockdown

    TheKnockdown DSP Legend

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    At the time we didn't have premium bat in our farm...at all.

    Even if we had Wacha Flacha in our rotation why the fuck would it matter? It wasn't our pitching that did us in, it was the shitty offense.
     
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  11. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    ''One of the key things is to try to get that home-field advantage so it doesn't happen like this,'' said infielder Adrian Gonzalez, who batted .300 against the Cardinals. ''You can't win if you don't win on the road, especially if you don't have home-field advantage.''

    really adrian? glad you cleared that up.
     
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  12. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    Kemp LF, Puig RF, Ramirez 3B (Although he could be worse at 3B), Gonzalez 1B

    You have power at all the corners, which you'd typically like.

    Then you have decisions to make about the middle of the diamond. 2B, SS, CF, C.

    Ethier and Crawford are the two you'd ideally shop. But imagine if Kemp breaks and Joc flops? You never know. It'd be cool to see some more youth infused in that outfield but there is always risk with that.

    I like Alex Guerrero as a second baseman.

    LF Kemp
    CF Pederson (Or Andre? Crawford needs to go somehow. Good post season but bye)
    RF Puig
    3B Ramirez
    1B Gonzalez
    2B Guerrero
    SS
    C McCann/AJ (Giving both significant rest and upgrading the starting C obviously)

    IDK
     
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  13. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    If they didn't lose one of their home games it would have went a game 7. The format is pretty fair. You guys choked it. Fuck off and take steroids again.​
     
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  14. back2back x 2 + 1

    back2back x 2 + 1 DSP Legend Damned

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    love it. it'd be even better if we could get Price without giving up Joc or Seager...maybe send Kemp and a bag of money. love to see Joc in center next year...he walks enough to hit in front of Hanley as well.

    think about it this way, Knock. and i know you know because you posted about it once or twice, but the Cards weren't hitting all that well for 5 games either. we need a few changes in the lineup...that's why i made the " how does Kasten fix this lineup thread " because it was easy to see. a lot of people would point to health, but we're still missing dynamics. credit Kasten for trying to get Kendrick before the deadline, but he needs to get back on that. i'd try and trade Zach Lee and Mattingly ( yes Mattingly lol) for Kendrick and Scioscia.

    even though they're decent as a contact hitting team...we have a lot of free swingers that just refuse to take walks + a good amount of guys in our lineup don't square the ball up and execute when it needs to be done to get a guy at 3B to home plate. Joc looks like a youngster who's gonna take his share of walks. Kendrick doesn't walk a lot, but he squares the ball up and you can execute with him. Guerrero supposedly has a sound approach as well. all 3 are athletic and younger and up the middle defenders to boot. we need those 3 players. if they wanna add McCann to the list i wouldn't hate that either, but those 3 guys are what we need in the lineup more than anything.
     
  15. Doughty8

    Doughty8 DSP Legend

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    Wacha was drafted 19th which obviously means 17 teams other than us passed him up correct? He pitched amazingly but that doesn't mean he repeats it consistently throughout his career. We'll see what he can do against the Red Sox who are finally hitting.
     
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  16. MZA

    MZA MODERATOR Staff Member

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    It's St. Louis, he'll be a Cy Young candidate for years to come.
     
  17. Doughty8

    Doughty8 DSP Legend

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    Small sample to early to make that leap, we'll see.
     
  18. IBleedBlue15

    IBleedBlue15 DSP Stud

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    Either that or he'll get injured and some other random white guy will take his place.
     
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  19. iggypop123

    iggypop123 Well-Known Member

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    here's what jim bowden thinks. he is still decently conected so his trade ideas arent emerging out of nowhere. i dont think the cost of price is gonna be what he suggests. the rangers can top that deal rather easily. who can we trade dre for at third base? they'd proably want major league talent for him.

    1. Give Kershaw a contract extension

    Extending Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher in baseball, is the team's top priority and it should be.

    Kershaw, 25, is eligible for free agency at the end of next season, but the Dodgers are not going to let that happen. He will soon be the first $30 million-per-year player, with some predicting a seven-year, $210 million pact that could have an option year that if vested could swell the total to $240 million. The length of deal rather than average annual value will be the stumbling block, but this extension will take place.

    2. Trade an outfielder

    With Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier, the Dodgers have four talented yet pricey outfielders for three spots. They could decide to go to spring training with all four outfielders, reasoning that with so many of them being injury-prone it will protect them from injuries. But considering other team needs, it makes sense to deal one of them, with Ethier the likely candidate.

    Both Puig and Ethier are natural right fielders, and Puig is obviously the long-term solution. Puig in right, Kemp in center and Crawford in left is the team's best all-around outfield alignment, and top prospect Joc Pederson will be in Triple-A next summer and ready to step up if there is an injury.

    If Los Angeles trades Ethier, I could see the Yankees, Rangers and Mariners as suitors, and the Dodgers could either use Ethier to get an upgrade at second or third base, or use the money saved to go get one via free agency.

    3. Improve at second and third

    As noted, the Dodgers can easily improve at both of those positions. Mark Ellis and Juan Uribe occupied those spots this season, and while both had their moments, they are aging players, and it was obvious that the Dodgers' lineup lacked the depth of some of their playoff peers.

    Robinson Cano would be a perfect fit for this team, regardless of the public and private denials from everyone in the Dodgers' organization. Of course, to sign Cano, they would have to find a taker for Ethier's $17 million-per-year salary.

    If they decide to stick with their current plan of not pursuing Cano, then making a run at the Padres' switch-hitting third baseman, Chase Headley, would make a lot of sense. Headley is coming off a down year mostly because of an early-season thumb injury, which should significantly lower the prospective trade cost.

    The Padres are motivated to move Headley because he will be a free agent after the 2014 season, and it seems unlikely that they would be able to afford him considering their limited budget. Headley would not only lengthen the lineup but also provide a long-term solution should the Dodgers give him an extension, something they can certainly afford.

    Cuban defector Alex Guerrero is another possibility at second base, as the Dodgers have been connected to him in all sorts of rumors.

    4. Price, Price baby

    David Price should clearly be the Dodgers' top offseason trade target as he's the best starting pitcher available and controllable for two more seasons. A rotation of Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Price would give the Dodgers the best shot of a world championship over the next couple of years. A trade proposal of Zach Lee, Joc Pederson and Tim Federowicz would certainly get the Rays' attention.

    5. Keep Mattingly ... for now

    The Dodgers will have to make a decision on Don Mattingly this offseason, and it sounds like he is going to stay. They almost fired him in May before he led the team to the best 48-game stretch (40-8) in more than a century.

    However, his questionable in-game strategy, which has been highlighted this October, has the front office frustrated. It's likely the team will pick up his $1.4 million club option instead of a long-term extension and hope his X's and O's improve in the next year. There are also rumblings the Dodgers could change bench coaches to give him a different influence, hoping that would help.

    Mattingly's demeanor and leadership skills say he deserves a long-term deal, but his questionable in-game strategy could prevent it from happening this winter.

    __
     
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  20. LAFord

    LAFord DSP Legend

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    Injuries played a huge part in the home field advantage. IMO the only thing they choked was games 4 & 6 of the NLCS. Games 1-2 were almost choke jobs but it is pretty unfair to assume any win vs. a team like the Cards in their house. We lost close games....really close games.
     

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