IDK about all the inside FO pissing off Matt may have (or not have) done to merit someone's "trade the jerkoff" ire. None of us do, I would imagine. Of course LA papers would have way more info on this, initially anyway. But I do know that Matt's injury-plagued last two seasons, are pretty much his fault. The running into the wall is a wash, because it's hard to fault a player for giving it his all, although being aware of that warning track thing is pretty fucking basic; hence the orange clay and shit, Matty. The ankle rollover was totally his fault, and lapsing into one of his less than enthusiastic "not giving it his all", complete doltish and non-hustle modes rests squarely in his Rhianna-less lap. For all the money he was paid, you expect the guy to at least run home when he should score relatively easily. Kemp has made his bed, and eventually will lie in it, Dodger CF or not. He is , when right, one of the top three players in BB, and to have jeopardized that for being a moron is just plain wrong. I don't want him to go, not yet anyway. Who knows where the team really stands on this guy...really. I think putting your eggs, though, in a Carl Crawford basket and expecting him to be solid and on the field all year, is pissing in the wind, at best. There's no one else on the team who can duplicate Kemp's output while healthy, maybe only Hanley. Signing Wilson was good, very good...the Haren thing may have been a sleeper, maybe. But for me, what's happened so far, is a yawn. Most of the LAD excitement is from TV and writer's imaginations and ratings ploys. The team still has MUCH to address...mucho.
So are those reports to be treated like the reports about Japan 72 years ago? They lied then. Should we believe them now?
Buster Olney is saying that Michael Young could be the everyday 3B... Potential decisions like this helps me realize why we haven't won a World Series in 20+ years.
Can anybody give a good alternative out there right now for 3rd other than Young? We sure aren't going to force Juan to take the 1 year plus an option, he seems dead set on multi-years. I love what he did for us the last year of his deal but we can't ignore the 1st 2. The Hanley move to 3rd is a popular answer but we are talking about Young's bad defense and ignoring Hanley's potential bad to worse defense there AND Drew is too expensive and he's Stephen Drew! I hope there is an alternative.
Michael Young free agency: Dodgers considering 3B for everyday role By Noah Jarosh @NoahJarosh on Dec 14 2013, 10:04a 2 Harry HowThe Dodgers have above average players at nearly every position. However, they currently are without a third baseman. The Los Angeles Dodgers have looked into free agent infielder Michael Young and are considering re-signing him to be their full-time third baseman in 2014, reports Buster Olney of ESPN. More Dodgers rumors: Dodgers have 'no plans' to trade Matt KempLos Angeles acquired Young from the Phillies on Aug. 31 in exchange for minor league pitcher Rob Rasmussen. Young played in 21 games for the Dodgers in 2013, collecting 16 hits in 51 at-bats. On the season, he saw time in 147 games and posted a line of .279/.335/.395 with eight home runs. Young is just two years removed from leading the American League in hits and posting an .854 OPS. However, he is 36 years old and his skills have clearly been deteriorating. The fact that the Dodgers are looking at him as an option to play full-time next year demonstrates they are not confident incumbent third baseman Juan Uribe will return as a free agent. The Dodgers posted the fifth-worst OPS at the position in baseball last year. Uribe, Young and others combined to hit just .244/.300/.343 with 17 homers. However, Los Angeles will likely find little better salvation at the position on the free agent market than Young. The remaining options are older veterans who either can't play full-time or whose best days are behind them; guys like Placido Polanco, Eric Chavezand WIlson Betemit. The trade market is also slim on third basemen. The Brewers have said they will not trade Aramis Ramirez due to having no backup option, while someone like Chase Headley (who is sort-of kind-of maybe working on an extension with the Padres) would cost a boatload of prospects. For now, Young is arguably the best option for the Dodgers when it comes to cost and production.
I'd call the defense of Young and Hanley a wash, the difference is the bat. Uribe is the easy answer, but maybe not the right one. I'm sure Ned is exploring every viable trade option out there with the bait being one of the OF's and prospects. Whether the right match exists I don't know, I don't study those things. Maybe Knock or Kid or other students of the game can give us an insight.
I'm guessing you haven't watched baseball in a few years then. Michael Young is leaps and bounds worse defensively than Hanley Ramirez.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/12/juan-uribe-rumors-saturday.html 3 years Juan???????????? Buh bye.
Young is worse, but not leaps and bounds worse. Over their careers Young has an Rtot/year of -8 while Ramirez is at -5. Sure Young is older now and gets to fewer balls but still he's not that much worse. If you look only at Hanley's short 3B career (sss disclaimer) he is at -9 supporting the 'leave him at SS' camp. I concede that Young is worse, but not more than a few runs worse over the year. Meanwhile Hanley is more than a few runs better offensively.
Fun and cool factoid: On this week in 1954, the Dodgers traded third baseman Billy Cox and left-hander Preacher Roe to the Orioles for minor league prospects Harry Schwegeman and Johnny Jancse and $50K. Brooklyn used that cash for a bonus to sign a southpaw from Lafayette High School with control problems named Sandy Koufax.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/12/dodgers-to-re-sign-juan-uribe.html http://www.dodgersnation.com/dodger...-for-two-years-solidifying-infield/2013/12/14
So now depending on how the Cuban works out at second our starting roster is set. Now if Ned resigns, Young and Ellis that along with four prime outfielders is giving us depth off the bench. Add in SVS and probably Dee. Hopefully Howell comes back and that could happen in the next 2-3 days.
