Ned all of a sudden looks decent when given a $260 million budget. Sort of like how Cashman has been a "top" GM for years. Maybe Stan orchestrated the Boston deal and White insisted on the Puig and Ryu signings... Whatever the case, Ned is doing fine in this system. Complaining about Ned right now is like complaining that your waiter served you Pepsi instead of Coke.
I must say, this response has absolutely nothing to do with Ned's performance and it wasn't related to my post at all. If you like Ned, and think he's doing a good job, as mostly everyone else does, so let it be. I think the guy is, so far, an abject failure, and has had enough time to put togther a winner. If it's OJT , as Irish suggests, then it was a poor decision to go with him in the first place...assistant to an idiot aside. We are paying guys like Manny still, probably Juan Pierre (IDK really) and all those other things that have transpired under him, and NOT transpired just leave me with way less faith in him than anyone else, obviously. If I'm alone on thinking this, so be it. I'm not giving nothing up until results change or I read something. There's nothing I've read as a contradictory response that convinces me that my feelings are unfounded. In fact, many "reasons" that refute me seem ridiculous and kind of silly. Does anyone look at results any more? Did I go after other GMs when we didn't win "back then, under those GMs" comes to mind, especially. Tsk, tsk... If the past Ned tenure is what you consider competent and successful, then I'm glad for you. Also... a little sad...
yeah, with a cockroach floating on top of it, whichever one it may be. A mistake is a mistake, no matter how many metaphors you use. And if it's Kasten and Logan White making all the big "successful" moves, WTF do we need Ned for? (In case your post is not sarcasm).
Well, it's difficult to know exactly what the FO situation is around Ned. I suspect he is still pulling the strings, but he is now surrounded by a cabal of knowledgeable baseball people. Kasten has said publicly a few times that he likes to see a table full of baseball minds. So, maybe they all talk, and Ned walks away with some ideas and some direction for the team. He probably sees where the FO stands on the higher priced available players - how far he should go in bids and trades. But one thing is probably clear from the top: Do not trade away prospects. And that's a big change. So, he certainly doesn't act like the old Ned, with his roster full of ex-Giants. In the past, all that dead money on the payroll every year - paid out to guys who are long gone (on other teams, retired, dead...). Oh, Ned did some really bad things back then. And all of that money spent when there was a severe budget crunch on the team (Jamie). I think, in all fairness, he got burned by the steroid guys (no way to prove it) - FAs he signed just suddenly sucked when mlb testing began to be discussed. Even with all of that, he's gotten us into the playoffs several times, and that's a big plus. This new Ned (Ned and company = NedCo) has sure spent a lot of money. You've got to think with this huge payroll - it's got to be a World Championship or heads will roll. But, then again, I always think that. Maybe the Gugg Men don't get mad, they just climb into the private jets and fly off to Carmel and play some golf off their gold-plated tees.
This response makes it clear, to me at least, that the problem here is that you are blaming Ned for Frank's sins. Those back loaded deals were a result of Franks' mismanagement and Ned did what he could do to sign players. I'll agree some signings were misguided or showed bad judgement, but the "I'll pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" deals are all on Frank. Btw, Andruw is the only guy we're still paying, I believe. Did I go after other GMs when we didn't win "back then, under those GMs" comes to mind, especially. Tsk, tsk... The Dodgers have been 25 years without a World Series, Ned has been here for 8. Who gets the blame for the other 17? The GM? I'm curious.
Sounds like after missing out on Tanaka, the club will be looking for one more veteran starter to fill out the rotation. I guess our FO has zero trust in Beckett or Bills being healthy enough to pitch this season. Rumors still are that Arroyo is the guy they want it to be, but there were rumors this morning that the Rays have had talks again in the last 24-48 hours regarding Price. Wonder if we had an idea we were gonna miss on Tanaka and restarted those talks. Hard to see the team making that big of a deal, this late in the off season.
The strange thing about the position we are in now is our minor system is getting clogged. We guys pretty far way, pretty close and very few in the middle. I think the following could get Price. Pederson/Garcia/Rodriguez/Lee/Reed Yes, that is quite a haul but Price and an extension changes the game.
I'm down to trade anyone for Price not named Urias or Seager. Only way that would happen though is if the Rays get desperate.
i've said it all along...we're just the bet fit for Price, as trade partners with TB, etc. everything just matches up...unless they ask for Urias. then we have a problem. but i ask you this...how would it feel for you if the Dodgers waited a year and landed Scherzer?...think about that feeling that the DBacks would get...Dodgers rolling out there former-guy Scherzer and beatin their brains in. lol landing Scherzer next off-season would feel pretty sweet, right?
The good thing about Pederson is that he is on a serious helium trip. A little over a year ago he was a 4th OF'er, now I've seen where some scouts believe he has all star potential at the corners. I think he is a fair starting point to putting a deal together for Price, but all signs point to the Rays wanting 3 big time prospects in return which would essentially gut us and set the farm back another few years. I honestly think they believe that they can beat the deal they got for Shields last year and can wait a whole year before making that move. A plus we have is that it sounds like David would really like to come and play in LA, so that will scare away teams hoping for a long term extension.
I guess I'm the blind guy in the ladies room. Why do we need Price? Sure, we need a pitcher but Price would be a luxury. All we really need is a steady innings eater type who can take the ball 30 times. Why would we trade away what little minor league depth we have for a pitcher we don't really need. The more I think about it the better Arroyo sounds to me. For the most part he keeps the ERA below 4 which is pretty damn good in that crackerjack box in Cincy. He gets 32 starts and 200 innings like clockwork, and his BB/9 and K/9 have been better the last two years than they have been in years. Personally, I say let some other team get raped by Tampa, or better yet let Tampa rape themselves. Give Arroyo a one and one deal and wait and see who shakes out in the market next year.
Quick: Name the last Dodger true hitting prospect to make it to the majors and stick as an everyday player. Answer: Carlos Santana No, you may not include Yasiel Puig. We just signed him, he was what he was. Before that it was Kemp/Loney/Martin all at one time. Think of all the can't misses that missed. LaRoche, Joey Ballgame, Joel Guzman, Trayvon Robinson, Jerry Sands, Scott Van Slyke, Josh Bell, Delwyn Young, Hu, and Xavier Paul You get my point. There was a time most of these guys were considered untouchable. I have not even mentioned how "special" Dee Gordon was supposed to be. That was the phrase from Watson and White. Yes, gentleman, he is special--like very short school bus. Perhaps, Joc turns into a 20/20 guy. Perhaps. From what I understand, you can get one in FA--they just cost money. However, what is easier to acquire--an ace or a bat?
Out of all those guys you just named I would have called one of them 'can't miss'. In today's media blitz with so many bloggers and tweeters and such, you have prospect pimps drooling over every freaking kid that comes along. I knew from the start that LaRoche was going to be a bust, or least mediocre. Thurston was cursed with hype and Guzman I saw in the minors and was not impressed. And you included Hu and Xavier Paul, really? Robinson was the one guy I thought was a little special. I never ever bought into Sands or Van Slyke. Forums like this tend to fawn over prospects as if they are better than any other teams prospects. They are constantly being pumped and their stats posted, especially individual game stats. I know guys like Knock, lastatman, and Kidwithgame evaluate them with expertise and I trust their opinions because I've read them for a while now. But I still sit back and wait to see what they do against major league competition. Even with what Puig did last season, I'm still reserved about whether he can repeat that performance. Call me skeptical, but the sophomore slump has killed more than one promising prospect. And yes I realize his raw talent can't be ignored, but he still has to harness it, and he still has to learn to play the game. Having said all that, I would prefer to trade our minor league players too late rather than too early. I have no problem trading the lesser ones, but the top guys like Urias, Seager, etc I would give them a chance to succeed first. After a fair trial, if it looks like they aren't living up to the level our staff thinks they should obtain, then they can be offered up.
I have said I am not a fan of Arroyo. I stand by that. However, I also just did my own homework and looked at his splits. Guess which team gave him the hardest time in the NL West? Us. Guess which team he made a bitch of? The Gnats. This was followed by SD. He gets hit around in AZ and CO.
Well, apparently, you should ask Watson and White for a position immediately. Let me explain. LaRoche was considered a top prospect by a ton of people (even outside this dome. Power-hitting thid baseman who has been rated among the top prospets in all of baseball. he combined for a .305 average with 30 home runs and 94 RBI at Vero Beach and Jacksonville in 2005, earning him the organization and Baby Blue's Bill Schweppe "Player of the Year Award." Selected in the 39th round of the June, 2003 draft he only played six games at Ogden but in 2004, while playing with Columbus and Vero Beach, he slugged 23 homers and knocked in 76. He wa rated by Baseball America as the FSL best batting prospect and best power prospect in 2005 Thurston was overhyped but think about the expectations for him by EVERYONE when he debuted. You saw Guzman and were not impressed. Unfortunately, this guy was: John Sickles-- Guzman reminds people of the current Miguel Cabrera and the young Juan Gonzalez, free swingers with enough power and pure bat speed to compensate for mediocre strike-zone judgment. He needs another season to work on his plate discipline and approach to breaking pitches, a consolidation season for his progress in '04. But in the medium and long-terms, Joel Guzman may be the top power-hitting prospect in the game. I will give you Paul. He was probably a dream. However, our OWN SCOUTING DEPARTMENT liked Hu so much that they refused to trade him straight up for a few players that far surpassed Hu. White and Watson were quite high on him. He was ONLY traded because they believed that Dee was the second coming of Ozzie. Neither was correct. The SVS hype was Dodger fan originated and perhaps it was overstated. However, even reputable scouts believed Sands could be an everyday player for the Dodgers. So while you seemed far ahead of the curve and saw him for a DFA waiting to happen, there was a few actual scouts who saw him as much much more. This is from Adam Foster: Four minor leaguers hit 35 or more home runs in 2010. Just two of them were under the age of 23 and had 250+ plate appearances above High-A: Mike Moustakas and Jerry Sands. If you're into sports betting or sports gambling, Sands may be a guy to keep an eye on. The whole read is actually quite humorous looking back. My point is simple. Hindsight is always 20/20. I challenge you to go get our current top 20 and tell me who will and who will not make it in the majors based purely on what you see there. We never know. Hell, most of the time--the player never knows...until it happens or doesn't.
