With 2019 World Series MVP free agent right-hander Stephen Strasburg now off the table at the 2019 MLB Winter Meetings, having signed an all-time MLB record seven-year / $245 million contract to return to the Washington Nationals on Monday evening, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman must now look at other potential starting pitching […]
(Read More)Archive for December, 2019
How much is Too much?
Reports that the New York Yankees have offered free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole $245 million over seven years is about as ludicrous as any contract given in sports. That’s $35 million a year. Enough to almost single-handily put the ball club over the luxury tax threshold. And then you haven’t even addressed the other pressing […]
(Read More)Let the Meetings Begin
The 2019 Baseball Winter Meetings are officially here. December 8, 2019 has been a soft target date of baseball fans for the beginning-of-the-end of the Hot Stove season, with the expectation of free-agent signings and the old fashioned player trades. Rather than the Christmas visions of sugar-plums dancing in their heads, fans dream of Anthony […]
(Read More)Improving the Dodgers Bullpen
When the 2019 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings begin Sunday, December 8, in San Diego California, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his staff will be there in full-force, as they continue their efforts to improve the roster for 2020. Even though the 2019 team won 106 games and its seventh consecutive National […]
(Read More)Mets Ownership ‘Issues’ Could Impact Dodgers … Eventually
On Wednesday afternoon, it was being widely reported that there was a power struggle going on between the controlling partners of the New York Mets – the Wilpon family – and their primary money partner Steven Cohen. As noted in a New York Daily News article by Dennis Young: The Mets announced Wednesday that hedge […]
(Read More)Pitchers Who Rake … or Don’t
Let’s set the record straight right from the get-go, I’m as old-school as they come. I grew up in the Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Bob Miller, Pete Richert and Ken Rowe years; back when ‘designated hitter’ meant all nine guys in the lineup. But let’s be honest here, then and now, most pitchers suck at […]
(Read More)Dodgers Right Handed Hitter Options
What options do the Dodgers have if they are unable to sign one of the top free-agent power hitters available, such as Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson or Nick Castellanos? The first option is straight forward – do nothing. The infield would include Corey Seager at shortstop, Baseball America‘s Minor League Player of the Year Gavin […]
(Read More)Dodgers Tender Contracts to 9, Sign 2, Non-Tender 1
When the sun came up on Monday morning, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had 12 arbitration-eligible players he needed to deal with before the 5 p.m. PT MLB arbitration deadline. When the sun finally set shortly after that deadline passed, he had. Of those dozen, two had signed guaranteed one-year contracts, nine had […]
(Read More)Dodgers Re-sign Scott Alexander
Less than 12 hours after ThinkBlue LA indicated that the Dodgers thus-far ice-cold Hot Stove was about to heat up, it did. Less than 12 hours after ThinkBlue LA passed along media speculation that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman probably would not offer an arbitration-avoiding contract to Dodgers left-hander Scott Alexander, he did. […]
(Read More)Dodgers Ice-Cold Hot Stove is About to Heat Up
(UPDATED 12-1-19 at 8:00 p.m. PT) Although Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is known for pulling rabbits out of his hat when you least expect it, Dodger fans are beginning to get a little antsy that he has done little this offseason; this with pitchers and catchers due to report for Spring Training […]
(Read More)