2017-18 OFF-SEASON

[Quake Griffin]

Lol.

Still annoying. Won’t invest money in Morrow but my guess is Friedman is gonna give us some soundbite or quote to the twitter verse about how he still believes in Pedro Baez enough to invest another million or so and failed outtings to piss the fans off.

Bump for why haven’t we traded Grandal yet?
Bump for why aren’t there any Grandal rumors at all?


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

While I don't blame the Dodgers' front office for missing out on Ohtani and Stanton, I can't help but feel that it has been lackluster when it comes to taking care of business in the off-season or what have you. Not getting Ohtani is a major disappointment, but like I said, I can't blame them for him choosing to start his MLB career with the Angels.

Friedman & Co. have been masterful in getting below the luxury tax by swapping the contracts of Gonzalez, McCarthy, and Kazmir for Kemp's as well has coming up with finds in Chris Taylor and Brandon Morrow. However, what's the point of coming up with finds if you don't keep them? Losing Morrow to the Cubs was quite disappointing given how much we relied on him in the bullpen. I even understand the health risks associated with Morrow but Morrow's contract was for only 2 seasons with an option for a 3rd. His AAV may have been more than what we wanted but it was not much more and given his performance and gritty approach, it warranted the premium price. Expecting to find another Morrow off the scrap heap is highly unrealistic.

I've harped in the past about our lackluster picks in the early portion of the draft and the team has started to maybe reverse that trend with the drafting of Jeren Kendall, but going with Morgan Cooper in the second round is a fairly vanilla selection even if he was on the Dodgers' radar previously. Passing on Alex Scherff for a relief prospect in Riley Ottesen still grinds my gears even if Scherff is not yet a headline prospect.

We missed out on the Gurriel boys, but namely Lourdes, Jr. Yuli proved to be a bonehead with is despicable gesture in the World Series, but he still hit well as expected. I was more bummed about missing out on Tito than Yuli even before his public enemy status, but to be fair, Tito has had to deal with injuries early in his American professional career. Still, we failed to secure other notable international prospects including Kevin Maitan and, to a lesser extent, now Antonio Cabello.

While individually, I can't fault each move or lack thereof as being wrong outside of the choice not to re-sign Morrow, collectively, it has left the team lacking overall in positive maneuvers. Even the trade for Logan Forsythe is becoming a better version of the Howie Kendrick trade as Forsythe has yet to make a substantial impact before embarking on free agency as a temporary measure at 2B outside of his improved performance in the postseason. I still expect Yasmani Grandal to be traded and I know the team is trying to unload Matt Kemp, so it's a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers will make another trade or so before spring training.

I have a hunch that we not only have the assets to pull off a trade for either Gerrit Cole or Chris Archer, but I actually think we can acquire both. It's probably just myopic wishful thinking from a fan, especially with our aims to remain below the luxury tax threshold for this upcoming season, but neither Archer or Cole will make more in 2018 than what either Grandal or Forsythe are anticipated to earn and both should be relatively easy to move.

Both the Pirates and Rays seem more inclined to move their prized young pitchers and giving up Verdugo, Buehler, Alvarez, Stewart, May, and Stripling among others would be well worth the cost to acquire both of them and I'm not even completely sold on either Cole or Archer. I'm usually not a fan of cashing in prospects, but that has to be balanced against worthwhile investments and I've made no bones about my opinion with regards to the lacking ceiling-upside combination atop our current crop of prospects. Temporarily depleting our farm system with Kendall and White holding the fort atop our developmental pipeline would suit me just fine.

[Quake Griffin]

I still dont understand what you dont like about Buehler. You dont give the FO credit for getting him as a high upside pick....because you treat their first round picks as if they’re all Lux when Lux is bookended by two high upside first rounders.

Then you say we lack ceiling/upside. It’s a pretty big diss to Buehler who most people think is going to end up at the top of the rotation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Quake Griffin]

Our 3B is married.
He is living a movie. Mets gave up on him. He comes home, becomes a hero, gets paid, marries his dream gal.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

I still dont understand what you dont like about Buehler. You dont give the FO credit for getting him as a high upside pick....because you treat their first round picks as if they’re all Lux when Lux is bookended by two high upside first rounders.

Then you say we lack ceiling/upside. It’s a pretty big diss to Buehler who most people think is going to end up at the top of the rotation.

My comment with regards to ceiling-upside refers to the overall state of our farm system. Do you expect Buehler to be better than either Archer or Cole? Or how about Kershaw? The whole point about my trade notion is to get an established young MLB pitcher or two who will be cost-controlled and have realized potential that Buehler represents. I don't have issues so much with Buehler's upside or ceiling, but he represents more risk than your typical pitcher given his previous injury and current mechanics.

It shouldn't be that hard to understand why I would prefer a Cole and/or Archer over Buehler when the likelihood of Buehler reaching his potential is less than certain and his projected ceiling is similar to that of either Cole or Archer, anyway. Paying the price of Verdugo, Alvarez, Stewart, Stripling, et al to get both should be a no-brainer.

It's funny that you're so quick to come to the defense of a prospect who has yet to accomplish anything, but so ready to throw a franchise player and future Hall-of-Famer like Clayton Kershaw under the bus when our offense in the World Series continued to come up short or did you forget why getting Turner Ward was such a big deal given the lackluster performance in previous years?

Also, while I've harped on our overly conservative picks in the first round, my criticism applies to the early portion of Billy Gasparino's draft selections just like I said in my previous post. I've already cited Cooper and Otteson, but let's not forget Kyle Funkhouser and Philip Pfeifer. Maybe you can point to Funkhouser's recent improved performance to justify his selection, but even that would be dubious, given that he was drafted in the 4th round due to injury risk and lackluster performance after the Dodgers basically spent a late first-round pick on him the year before. If anything, it points to a mismanagement of assets. Personally, I'm still not a believer in Funkhouser.

While Logan White came up short in providing the Dodgers' organization with the depth in prospects overall during his time here,
you could argue that wasn't helped with McCourt and Fox being the team owner for a big chunk of years during his tenure. In any case, White gave us Bellinger, Seager, Kershaw, Urias, and was aggressively in on Ohtani, which conceivably kept the Padres in the running for his services this off-season given White's presence in San Diego.

Bellinger and Seager are fairly recent draft picks who have already paid huge dividends for the Dodgers. What has Gasparino's selections done for us thus far? Do Verdugo or Buehler have as high a ceiling as either? How about Kershaw or Urias? By the way, Kershaw was obviously another one of White's draftees who's performed at a high level very early into his MLB career.

It may be unfair to compare Gasparino's track record to White's given that the Dodgers had earlier draft slots during White's time here, but keep in mind, that I've taken into consideration Gasparino's time in San Diego as well and my problem has been with his conservative draft philosophy, which by the way, multiple media outlets cited as well before he took a "swing and miss" proposition in Jeren Kendall this past draft seemingly at the behest of Stan Kasten's directive. To be fair, he supposedly would have selected Blake Rutherford in 2016 had he fallen to us, but it still doesn't explain the picks I've cited for criticism.

I've given Gasparino his due for filling our organization with depth through the arguably more difficult part of finding viable prospects later in the draft, however, he hasn't done anything to counter my belief that he was an unexciting choice to replace White as the top voice for our drafts. It just adds to one of the few criticisms I have with Andrew Friedman in picking his buddy Josh Byrnes over the more and even overly qualified Billy Eppler to join our front office. Byrnes' San Diego connection likely begot us Gasparino instead of someone from the Red Sox or Yankees organization, who've each had much better track records than the Padres at the time. Meanwhile, Eppler has not only secured Shohei Ohtani but also made a tremendous impact in turning the Angels' pathetic developmental pipeline around in short order with recent acquisitions in draft pick Jordon "Jo" Addell and international signee Kevin Maitan along with the Japanese sensation (and current top prospect in baseball).

[Quake Griffin]

I still dont understand what you dont like about Buehler. You dont give the FO credit for getting him as a high upside pick....because you treat their first round picks as if they’re all Lux when Lux is bookended by two high upside first rounders.

Then you say we lack ceiling/upside. It’s a pretty big diss to Buehler who most people think is going to end up at the top of the rotation.

My comment with regards to ceiling-upside refers to the overall state of our farm system. Do you expect Buehler to be better than either Archer or Cole? Or how about Kershaw? The whole point about my trade notion is to get an established young MLB pitcher or two who will be cost-controlled and have realized potential that Buehler represents. I don't have issues so much with Buehler's upside or ceiling, but he represents more risk than your typical pitcher given his previous injury and current mechanics.

It shouldn't be that hard to understand why I would prefer a Cole and/or Archer over Buehler when the likelihood of Buehler reaching his potential is less than certain and his projected ceiling is similar to that of either Cole or Archer, anyway. Paying the price of Verdugo, Alvarez, Stewart, Stripling, et al to get both should be a no-brainer.

It's funny that you're so quick to come to the defense of a prospect who has yet to accomplish anything, but so ready to throw a franchise player and future Hall-of-Famer like Clayton Kershaw under the bus when our offense in the World Series continued to come up short or did you forget why getting Turner Ward was such a big deal given the lackluster performance in previous years?

Also, while I've harped on our overly conservative picks in the first round, my criticism applies to the early portion of Billy Gasparino's draft selections just like I said in my previous post. I've already cited Cooper and Otteson, but let's not forget Kyle Funkhouser and Philip Pfeifer. Maybe you can point to Funkhouser's recent improved performance to justify his selection, but even that would be dubious, given that he was drafted in the 4th round due to injury risk and lackluster performance after the Dodgers basically spent a late first-round pick on him the year before. If anything, it points to a mismanagement of assets. Personally, I'm still not a believer in Funkhouser.

While Logan White came up short in providing the Dodgers' organization with the depth in prospects overall during his time here,
you could argue that wasn't helped with McCourt and Fox being the team owner for a big chunk of years during his tenure. In any case, White gave us Bellinger, Seager, Kershaw, Urias, and was aggressively in on Ohtani, which conceivably kept the Padres in the running for his services this off-season given White's presence in San Diego.

Bellinger and Seager are fairly recent draft picks who have already paid huge dividends for the Dodgers. What has Gasparino's selections done for us thus far? Do Verdugo or Buehler have as high a ceiling as either? How about Kershaw or Urias? By the way, Kershaw was obviously another one of White's draftees who's performed at a high level very early into his MLB career.

It may be unfair to compare Gasparino's track record to White's given that the Dodgers had earlier draft slots during White's time here, but keep in mind, that I've taken into consideration Gasparino's time in San Diego as well and my problem has been with his conservative draft philosophy, which by the way, multiple media outlets cited as well before he took a "swing and miss" proposition in Jeren Kendall this past draft seemingly at the behest of Stan Kasten's directive. To be fair, he supposedly would have selected Blake Rutherford in 2016 had he fallen to us, but it still doesn't explain the picks I've cited for criticism.

I've given Gasparino his due for filling our organization with depth through the arguably more difficult part of finding viable prospects later in the draft, however, he hasn't done anything to counter my belief that he was an unexciting choice to replace White as the top voice for our drafts. It just adds to one of the few criticisms I have with Andrew Friedman in picking his buddy Josh Byrnes over the more and even overly qualified Billy Eppler to join our front office. Byrnes' San Diego connection likely begot us Gasparino instead of someone from the Red Sox or Yankees organization, who've each had much better track records than the Padres at the time. Meanwhile, Eppler has not only secured Shohei Ohtani but also made a tremendous impact in turning the Angels' pathetic developmental pipeline around in short order with recent acquisitions in draft pick Jordon "Jo" Addell and international signee Kevin Maitan along with the Japanese sensation (and current top prospect in baseball).

Given Cole’s struggles, I do think a Buehler who reaches his potential will be better than him. Given his injury history as well, I’d bank on the younger guy and deal with his mechanic issues vs. spending an asset to acquire another pitcher who stays injured.

Archer is much more arguable to me and they share a similar profile. Archer’s performance via raw stats the last 2 years leaves a lot to be desired but the peripherals are still there. You still have to ask what is up with the departure from the previously very good raw numbers.

I’m obviously not big on Cole but I am more so in on Archer. I’ve discussed acquiring him thus winter but I’ve always had Buehler off limits for the winter.

I’m also big on deGrom given his stuff and the fact that he has shown he isn’t scared of October. The Mets ownership has taken a beating this winter from the media and fans. They have tried to deal Harvey. Wheeler is seemingly broken. They are in no position to win. I think deGrom could/should be had unless their front office is going to be stubborn.


The question of Buehler comes from a perspective of being interested in the developmental aspects of our team and what’s good value. He’s untouchable to me unless some great players are coming back (Trout etc etc.) I’m obviously throwing Peyton “under the bus” in a completely different context and for different reasons.
________________________

I never liked Funkhouser but he is in lockstep with a Buehler and Kendall - a top 10 guy who fell out of that slot for various reasons. At the time, he was a high upside pick that we thought we could develop at decent slot money. On draft night people thought he might not be signable...nobody said, “hey look. Watch this guy tailspin into a 4th round pick.”

He is a textbook swing and miss type pick...in lock step with other swing and miss 1st round picks. You just don’t like him.

Do I fault you for not liking him? No. But to act like they aren’t taking swing and miss chances in the draft? Meh. You’re gonna have to continue to reach back to SD to hold onto the skepticism. He’s been fine here.



Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[Dloading99]

it would've been better for Friedman to just come out and say hey we are trying to cut salary. instead of these crazy trade rumors.

realistically I think we resign Yu and it's Kershaw Darvish Hill Wood and Buehler

well have our same lineup and have kemp be a bench and play guy left field. I'm still glad kemp is here.

so

Taylor Seager Turner Bellinger Kemp Puig Grandal Forsythe and Kershaw all good. let's see what we can do.

Giants got Longoria.

hopefully we can win the World Series.

[Quake Griffin]

Wow.

Rockies get Wade Davis. 3 for 52 I’m astonished the Cubs didn’t match that. That’s $1 million and some change more than Kenley’s AAV although with less years.

I wanted Morrow back but if the theory was to win now, I wouldn’t have minded having Wade at that figure the Rockies got him for. As long as Wade doesn’t fall off a cliff like most relief arms (I dont think he will), that’s 4 innings of October baseball for cowardly Dave.

Definitely risky to invest that much in the pen but wow if you had those 2 as co-closers...or Wade in an Andrew Miller bullpen ace type role.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

[Neddy]

love her hair.

[Quake Griffin]

Is now a good time to say that I would like dealing for Yelich much more than Giancarlo?


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Quake Griffin]

Mark Prior as bullpen coach?


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Neddy]

Read on Twitter

stuff like this makes me sad to know that I am so much older than these guys on TV.

[Quake Griffin]

Love this kid.
Much better than the weak “maybe one day I won’t fail” garbage.

This is Corey and Cody’s team moving forward.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Maybe it's a deal to dump Kemp similar to what Dodgers Digest proposed recently.

Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (1/2/18)

The White Sox are no strangers to taking on veterans past their primes in hopes of striking gold. Remember, the Dodgers sent Manny Ramirez to the White Sox in a straight waiver claim back in 2010. Kemp would seem to fit that same type of mold.

The top two players on the White Sox’s depth chart at DH are Matt Davidson and Yolmer Sanchez. Davidson had an 83 wRC+ last season and played 60 games as the DH, while Sanchez is way too valuable defensively to be relegated to DH, so the need is obvious.

Michael Bertram Petriello, Esq., had an interesting thought.

Read on Twitter

Interesting, to say the least. Let’s dive a little deeper.

According to Cot’s, the White Sox only have $36.8 million committed to salaries for 2018. That’s incredibly low, even for a rebuilding team. They could afford to add Kemp and a good portion of his salary while also nabbing a decent prospect or two in return.

Here are some ChiSox players who fit the above short-term, substantial money criteria:

Nate Jones: $3.95 million ($1.25 million buyout for ’19)
James Shields: $21 million ($2 million buyout for ’19)
A trade for either Jones or Shields is a possibility if the Dodgers are willing to send prospects the other way along with Kemp, as both options would represent savings against the luxury tax number.

I was also made aware of another idea involving the White Sox on Twitter.

Read on Twitter

From the article:

“The White Sox have the financial wherewithal at the moment to be an accommodating partner for Los Angeles and Hahn and Friedman have matched up on trades in the past. Something along the lines of Diaz, Lux, Kemp, and $21 million to the White Sox for a low level minor-league player would be a beneficial trade for both teams. I’m really good at hypothetically spending Jerry Reinsdorf’s money too so I’d probably make the trade if Gavin Lux and Jordan Sheffield were even offered. It’s just money and buying prospects is something that Chicago’s American League club should be doing. Reinsdorf’s frugality is well known and the approach to a July trade consummated with the New York Yankees should give fans pause that a deal like this will come to fruition. On the Dodgers end, it’s unlikely that they’d be willing to part with a prospect the caliber of Diaz even though it lines up as a fair offer. Something along these lines would make complete sense and it’d be a changing of the guard for both organizations. While it would be fun to dissect the parameters of a completed deal, I think in the end this arrangement is more of a long shot probability that is speculative in nature.”

I wouldn’t include Yusniel Diaz, but Gavin Lux and Jordan Sheffield plus half of Kemp’s salary for a minimal return makes sense. That would cut Kemp’s luxury tax number for the Dodgers down to $10.75 million, giving the Dodgers an extra almost $11 million to play with. That could allow them to jump in on Yu Darvish or maybe explore a trade for Andrew McCutchen with no money having to go back in Pittsburgh’s direction.

Either way, it seems the Dodgers and White Sox match up well on a potential home for Kemp. He could DH their for a couple years because it’ll be at least that long before they’re in contention again. They could also get a couple of quality prospects for their trouble.

Finding a (New) Home for Matt Kemp, in the American League

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Quake Griffin]

Friedman continues to stay creative every winter when it comes to the bullpen.


He’s arbitration eligible in 2020...a free agent in 2023 unlike the Blantons and Morrows that are rentals.



Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter