DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS thread

I think Kasten made it pretty clear they are done. Kimbrel? There hasn’t been anything linking Kimbrel to the Dodgers.

 

Will be my official drink for 2019. Book it

 

I suspect that if the Dodgers were seriously offering Verdugo and one of Smith or Keibert for Realmuto, then the deal would have been completed by now. I am guessing that MGT is balking at letting Verdugo go at this point. I too have been on the fence about Harper/Machado.....we need a "big" bat in the middle of that line up so that opposing pitchers say "oh shit, i gota get through that line up". But im not keen on shelling out any 10 year/$300+ contract to anyone not named Mike Trout. That being said i think i would leave machado/harper alone and roll the dice on Arenado or Trout in the coming years. I know everyone is moaning about our SP but really where is there room? Kershaw and Behuler are locks. Maeda should have stayed in the starting line up last year but injuries and ineffectiveness forced him to the bullie, so he should be #3. Ryu and Hill have pitched like #1's and like #5's, but as maddening as that is they are still under contract.....so they are #4 and #5. Of course that does not even take into account Urias or Stripling. So I think MGT is going to start the season with what we have and see what happens. IMO if MGT can land Realmuto without giving up Verdugo, then I think this off season is a win.

 

At this point any additions is a win after giving away Puig

 

Just don’t pull my dick and leave me hanging in the end just tell me your just a hit it and quit it type of dude

 

I don’t understand the trade but I truly believe that Wood would have netted us tat least 1 prospect but sending them 7 mill plus take in there trash for Kemp and Puig is a no go if you have no intentions of signing Machado or Harper.

I get it tell me look for this he isn’t worth this ect ect then I will make a good decision.

I get that they believe Harper is falling like the stock market because the performance of his stock is trending downward since 2015 ok I get yes I understand now he isn’t worth that.

Machado left a bad taste or will be a behavioral issue dirty player not hustling is not the way the organization wants to go. We have a code of ethics great not worth the headache and he is a bad teammate behind the scenes.

But our needs were right handed bats Puig is RH as well as Kemp. Just move on and continue. Hopefully with the addition of Pollock a whole season hoping he don’t trip on my popcorn box and land in the dL Would have been much better then planting a seed that we are getting or setting up for a big signing


Old man Kemp busted his ass came through big
At times and choked. But he strictly pinch hitter off the bench now a days. He is useful but not like he used still useful.

Puig is Puig he just crazy talk a lot of junk do a lot of weird shit but that’s how he is he plays and wears his emotions on his sleeve and is outspoken to the point that people just feel he needs a filter. He isn’t a reserved quiet player. He wants the whole world to know his business

Well if he wants the attention and deflects it from the rest of the team fine let it be. Keeps the team loose

That’s what Puig brought to the table plus he brings some tools. Puig will be alright in Cincinnati and he will breakout.

Despite his antics he is always involved with good thing in his community fun to watch pisses of the opposition and wants to win. He is a Cuban. He crazy. Just like Fidel castro

 

I say it now there is no Realmuto coming to LA no Harper or Machado on a bargain deal

Marte maybe but a longshot.

Pederson is very goooood bat against RH pitchers.

Verdugo needs to step up as the 2019 Rookie of the year and maybe 2020 or 2021 is our year to win one or continue the trend of exit early stage left. Competitive but no cigar.

In the meantime all I can do is cheer and bitch

 

Ain’t spending the money no more need to be frugal and get the best deal there is free to read in internet blogs and just come in here and agree to disagree getold and die. Lol

 

The blah, blah, blah is exactly what baseball is all about. For fans anyway. How about a fucking ring every couple of decades or so, eh?
Also a blanket expression to lick FO taint, no matter how many times they lose, or how many times they utimately fail, relentlessly. The blah, blah blah for some of us is the dead bullshit and hossanahs that continues for the fucktards. In the face of pure fact/ results.
Let's all rally 'round their genius because they found a Max Muncy on the trash heap, made such sly, clever moves, and look the other way on their myriad of substantial mistakes and ongoing, unsurprising bridesmaids status. The only damn consistency they've shown...
Worship the false gods.
One of which has gone over to the dark side.

 

Blah blah blah

 

I agree that this off-season has been frustrating, but there are also understandable reasons for the FO not going all in right this second. Players cost significantly more in the off-season to trade for and as we have seen in recent years, the winner of the winter championship has not won a world series for a long time either. Take a look at our biggest weaknesses that were brought to light during the last couple of postseason runs.

Contact: This has plagued the Dodgers at the worst of times the last couple of seasons. While the club has not immediately addressed this problem via trade or free agency this year, the org's top 3 positional prospects all play positions of almost immediate need and all 3 have been given the window of potentially making it up by the end of the season. Both Verdugo(RF) and Ruiz(C) are given elite grades for their contact ability. 70-80 grade players in the hit tool category are extremely valuable in the game today. As for the 3rd, 2B/SS Gavin Lux tore his way through two levels last year and put up consistent numbers at AA after his promotion, there is a chance he could be up by August if he continues that path. The Dodgers depth has been the biggest story for the last couple of years and while the "superstars" are no longer there, they now have players coming in around those already established guys that could be missing pieces of the puzzle and all 3 have incredibly high ceilings with relatively high floors(thanks to their contact skills).

Relievers: This actually wasn't a problem last year until Game 2 of the WS and then continued into this season when Kenley's postseason woes followed him and Dave couldn't stop going to Madsen. The depth here has truly been a thorn in the Dodgers side since the new FO took over as the amount of trustworthy arms have just never there. I have had a countdown of sorts back in 2017 for this and the starting pitching saying we were 2 years away from the depth getting here. Ferguson arrived a year early, but Dave lost confidence in him when Caleb admitted to losing a feel for his curve. That really fucking hurt as he had been one of the most reliable arms in our pen, especially after Baez started shoving. The things was, we still didn't have much coming from the minors. That finally looks to have changed as the slow drip of power arms are finally looking to be ready or should be by seasons end. A hopefully healthy Dennis Santana looks to be a big piece in the pen if they elect to move him off starting, not to mention guys like Gonsolin, White, Kasowski, Sheffield and Sborz all appear to be MLB ready and all aside from Sborz have shown to have the stuff of being high impact back end relievers. The other thing to watch will be Josiah Gray, I have seen some reports on him that are incredibly high and he could be a guy we see out of the pen this year as well. Joe Kelly could be helpful here and if he is, the Dodgers should finally be looking at the postseason with a number of power arms that are ready to make an impact.

Starting Pitching: Honestly, this really hasn't been an issue... it's what our front of the rotation guys have done in the big moments that has repeatedly fucked us. The guy who should be starting Game 1's from now on is here and that's Walker Buehler, who actually put things together in the postseason when he settled the fuck down. The guy starting game 2 will be Kershaw as currently constructed, but why are we mad at him? His inconsistency in the playoffs. I would love to change that, but honestly who else is out there that can instantly fix this? Kluber? Nope. Keuchel? fuck no. Recent seasons have shown us that addressing this via FA is not the way to go and for that matter, can severely screw you when it all goes to hell(hello, Cubs). So is there someone out there right now that you sell the farm for? Not really, so why not go into the season with your already stacked starting rotation and let things play out... oh and that other kid is still there. Julio Urias has lost his shine in the eyes of most fans, but he should still not be given up on. After some wary appearances early in his return, Urias showed the fuck back up when the lights got bright, again. There is plenty of reason to take a wait and see approach when you have an arm like that who could be better than any available pitcher in trade or on the FA market. With the aforementioned Gonsolin, White, Ferguson and Santana, plus the rising stardom of Dustin May, the Dodgers have reason to see how this all plays out in season before moving the deck chairs.

Now... does this mean that I have loved the Dodgers off-season? Not particularly. There have been bits of excitement squashed by non-moves and two massive questionable signings. Do I think that means this team is dead on arrival? Not really as for the first time since the new FO took over, the quality depth we have been hearing all about about for years has finally arrived in the pitching department. That can't be understated. Power arms and contact hitting have shown to be a difference maker in the postseason and for the first time since this FO took over, the Dodgers farm has that.

 

Stop being a taint licking FO apologist.. haha

 

Bryce Harper is good at baseball.

I hate to say "throw the stats out the window", but I think you have to do that to some extent with Harper. He plays hard, he plays hurt, he has had some down seasons. Offensive seasons that would still be considered career years for most players. The Dodgers manage injuries well and love using the DL to a fault, which makes this a good landing spot for Harper. Harper does all the little things the Dodgers want, he takes pitches, draws walks, and hits to all parts of the field. At age 22 he posted an MVP season with the highest OPS in the majors since the steroid era. We can look at that season as his ceiling potential... but he was 22. That's not his ceiling. His ceiling is higher. Comparing Harper to Trout is unfair. Comparing anyone to Trout is unfair. He's not Trout. But offensively, at least, he has Trout potential. We can use the excuse "we'd rather wait for Trout", but when that time comes will we really pony up the money? Trout will (deservingly so) ask for a king's ransom, and he will get it, shattering records. He will be 3 years older than Harper and still command 10+ years. Even the great Mike Trout will look like a bad sign at the end of his deal. Waiting for someone years out is BS. That's what we already thought we were doing with Harper. Harper wants to be here, he's a West Coast guy. Just sign him. At his age he would have to have a serious injury to be a complete bust. Maybe he will be overpaid, but he will be a legit star you can market and put in the middle of the order for years. I personally think whoever signs him will get a steal. His "down" seasons have clearly quieted the market on him, making this the perfect time to lock him up.

 

Except MLB is looking to crack down on DL abusers like LAD

 

You said taint. heh, heh, heh.

 

Ala verga I am inspired

 

Baseball set the economics and now it’s out of proportion and a strike in 2 years will most likely bring them down to earth but at the same time the popularity is going to go way down