December 10th, 2015 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Based on the court of (social media) public opinion, there aren’t many Dodger fans happy with the job that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi did at this year’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, TN, which wrap up today. In fact, it’s quite possible that the two Dodgers execs are among the many who have already left the Music City. And even though the off-season is far from over and a lot will happen in the coming weeks, it’s probably safe to say that most Dodger fans are rather disappointed over the Dodgers lack of activity this past week.
Oh sure, you can argue that the acquisition of 34-year-old Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma is a pretty big deal, but with the Dodgers in need of more than one starting pitcher, bullpen help, an everyday second baseman and even help in left field, Friedman and Zaidi basically swung and missed in Nashville – at least that we’re aware of.
While Hisashi Iwakuma is certainly a big addition to the Dodgers starting rotation, he is nowhere near the pitcher that Zack Greinke was. (Photo credit – Ronald Martinez)
To their credit and of no fault of their own, there is no way that F&Z could have seen the Aroldis Chapman debacle coming – no one did. But once that deal fell through, it was as if all of the wind in the Dodgers’ sail was gone. Yes, there was a sense of hope that the two analytic and sabermetric gurus might pull off the impossible in their attempts to land 23-year-old Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, but the Marlins were simply asking for too much in return, forcing Friedman and Zaidi to walk away from the table instead of giving up Corey Seager, Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, Joc Pederson and other top blue chip prospects and players – and thankfully so.
But for as poorly as the Dodgers did at this year’s Winter Meetings, their division rival Arizona Diamondbacks absolutely ran away with them – much like the San Diego Padres did last year. Yes, you can argue that the Zack Greinke signing occurred prior to the Winter Meetings, but he wasn’t officially announced as the Dbacks new ace until Tuesday morning.
But the absolute backbreaker – at least from the perspective of the other four NL West teams – was the Dbacks acquiring of 25-year-old right-hander Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves. And while many so-called baseball experts and analysts are saying that the Braves came out way ahead in the deal by acquiring 2015 number one overall draft pick shortstop Dansby Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitching prospect Aaron Blair, the Dbacks are now not only contenders in the NL West but are now being called by many as favorites to win the division.
As if adding Zack Greinke to their starting rotation wasn’t enough, the addition of Shelby Miller puts the Dbacks in a very good position to win the NL West in 2016. (Photo credit – Brett Davis)
The trade-off and the reason why many are saying that the Diamondbacks ended up with the short end of the stick in the deal is because it basically decimated their farm system. It also leaves them with very little depth at nearly every position – especially pitching. That said, if the Dbacks can stay healthy and with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock in their everyday lineup, they are definitely in a very good position heading into spring training.
From Dodger fans’ perspective – at least those expressed on social media – it is clear that there is a tremendous amount of jealousy towards the Dbacks for what general manager (and former Dodger) Dave Stewart was able to accomplish this past week. And even though ‘haters gonna hate’ no matter what, the simple truth is that Stewart and the Dbacks are the clear-cut winners of this year’s Winter Meeting while the Dodgers finished at or near the bottom; and that is a very tough pill to swallow for the team with the deepest pockets in all of baseball.
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My loyalty is never going to be in question, but my faith in this front office is becoming non existent.
I suspect that Mark Walter and the rest of the Dodgers owners will give Friedman and Zaidi one, maybe two more seasons to win a World Series. If they do not, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both of them gone in a year or two.
That being said, I do like what the Dodgers front office has done on the international scene. Hopefully we’ll start seeing the fruits of their efforts coming into play (literally) within the next couple of seasons.
Dodgers haven’t given up top prospects for short term “winning” of the winter meetings. I can live with that.
10,000′ view – the Dodgers have been rebuilding since 1987
As always, winning the headlines is not the same as winning on the field.
Last year when A.J. Preller and the Padres “won” the Winter Meetings, I did not see them as the threat that most of the so-called baseball experts said they would be because they still lacked starting pitching – this in spite of acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel late in the spring.
The Dbacks, however, are an entirely different story. They already had a great defensive team and two of the game’s best hitters – which they still have. Their weakness was their starting pitching. By adding Greinke and Miller, they now have a very formidable rotation which, by all accounts, is now the best in the NL West, if not the National League.
Where things get a bit dicey for them is that they traded away nearly all of their top prospects and do not have much depth at any position – especially pitching. This could be their downfall if (when) injuries begin to occur on their 25-man roster.
I agree that the game is and has never been never played on paper, but you certainly have to like the Dbacks chances – at least heading into spring training.
I may be wrong but I give the Dbacks credit for sacrificing their top prospects for the very, very important present. It seems like the Dodgers are worried to much about the future and letting every opportunity to improve the team now.
Letting every opportunity pass them by, to improve the team now.
I think the importance of the Winter Meetings has gotten blown way out of proportion. I am normally the #1 MLB Network fan, even changed cable providers to get the channel, but this week I just had to turn it off. So much hyperbole by experts already crowning 2016 division winners. Come on. Last I heard the division winners are decided after 162 games, not during a one-week period in December.
Admittedly I found the results of the meetings disappointing, but mainly because there was so much Dodger activity last year with the Matt Kemp trade. I think as baseball fans we have grown to expect too much from this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if MLB Network hosts a Red Carpet gala next year to kick off the week, with various insiders and baseball experts interviewed as they arrive. ?
Let’s see what the next few months bring.
Very good points, Gail. As I noted about, the Padres won last year’s Winter Meeting and look what it got them.
It is indeed a 162-game season and the best teams win their respective divisions over that long haul. Once they get into the postseason… well… that’s another story. The best team doesn’t always win the World Series, the hottest team does – the 2015 Royals notwithstanding.
That being said and as you know by listening/watching MLB Network, most baseball experts and analysts talk about the importance of having a strong rotation for the postseason – usually three starters and occasionally four. As such, it is hard to deny that if the Dbacks rotation can stay healthy – and that’s a big if – they do, in fact, have the best rotation in the division heading into spring training – but you don’t get to the World Series by winning spring training either. 😉