Back on August 2, 2019, Dodger fans considered the possibility that the front offices of certain major league teams were intimidated by Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. Not hard to imagine when you consider that the Cincinnati Reds are still smarting from the December 21, 2018 trade that brought highly regarded prospects Josiah […]

    *    *    *    *    Author’s Note This is a blog piece I wrote back in 2011. I never got around to writing this book and it is probably too late now because so many people have passed on that had an insider’s view of this history. I believe it is worth re-visiting the story, […]

In professional sports, journalists and fans regularly affix the label of ‘untouchable’ to certain players who are so talented that they are believed to be exempt from any reasonable trade scenario. In reality, there is no such thing as an untouchable player (except, of course, for those with a full no-trade clause in their contract) […]

When the news broke on Sunday evening that longtime Dodgers nemesis (and antagonist) free-agent left-hander Madison Bumgarner had landed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a five-year/$85 million deal, it came as quite a shock to not only Dodger fans but to the entire baseball world. I mean, let’s be honest here, who saw this one […]

The 2019 Baseball Winter Meetings are fading in the rearview mirror, and the new year, 2020, is fast approaching. The Dodgers were able to check off one item from their to-do list by signing former Oakland A’s closer Blake Treinen to a one-year/$10 million contract. But there remain several important needs to be addressed before […]

During last week’s MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, CA, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported that former Dodgers left-hander and 2019 MLB ERA title holder Hyun-Jin Ryu wanted to stay in the National League or American League West. But when speaking with reporters following an awards ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, Ryu told reporters: “I’ve […]

Dodgers have confirmed what had been rumored for the last few weeks, Josh Bard was returning to the team as the 2020 bullpen coach, the same position he held for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Over that two year period, the team had one of the very best bullpens in Major League Baseball: First in […]

The next time you are at a Major League Baseball game and are appalled at how much it costs for a hot dog, soft drink, peanuts, nachos or whatever, remember this: Every time 29-year-old right-hander Gerrit Cole steps on the mound to make a start, he will make more than one million dollars … for […]