the 2014 OffSeason Thread.

[Neddy]

well it's all over for us this year but we have a ton of topics to discuss.

will Ned be fired?

will Don be fired?

who will be signed and who will be going elsewhere?

who are we trading out of our jammed outfield?

[Neddy]

my first topic to discuss is Kenta Maeda. he is currently the ace for Hiroshima Carps of Japanese League and the carps just got knocked out by Hanshin (what a 3 inning pitching performance by their closer Oh Sung Hwahn BTW. I want this guy to be our closer and move Jensen to be our 8th inning guy... but he is under a contract) and Maeda is now free to sign with a team in USA.

I would think he is a rate below Tanaka and i didn't think he would be as good as he has been, it is worth considering what price Kenta is looking for and consider trading Haren and his 10 mil away for a bullpen help and replace him with Kenta. just a thought.

[Neddy]

Kenta Maeda

the winner of the Sawamura Award in 2010 (their version of Cy Young) and Tanaka was there in 2010 so one can make an argument that he is potentially as good or better.

he is 6 foot even and about 160 so he is a bit smallish. maybe convert him to a setup man?

I love his make up. unlike Tanaka who IMO was a two pitch pitcher with his devastating split finger and his decent fastball, Maeda has a legitimate 5 pitch arsenal. his fastball is probably about the same as Tanaka or a bit better, and he throws both 2 seam and 4 seam. tops out at around 94-95? a change up and a curve. but his best pitch is his slider which will go a long way in the majors.

great control artist. / doesn't walk a lot.

27 years old so still relatively young.

check out his slider

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHYInoL0C6o[/youtube]

as a potential 4th starter or converting him into our setup man for the 8th, I think he is an excellent choice.

[Neddy]

i guess Im ranting all by myself here but the real pitcher I want out of Japan is Otani Shoei but he is under a contact for the next 5 more years i believe.

it sucks that Logan white actually signed him at one point straight out of high school but the Japanese baseball authorities deemed it illegal for an american team to sign a japanese amateur out of high school who has not been drafted by Japanese teams first.

Otani is currently a hell of a pitcher and also playing outfield. a Japanese Babe Ruth?

[Neddy]

and for a replacement for Hanley, assuming Seager is eventually gonna replace Uribe at 3rd and neither of Guerrero and Arruebarrena are the right choices, there is a kid named Kang Jung Ho in south korea playing for the Nexen Heroes who plays short stop there.

i know the league down there in KBO is more like AA here, but consider this.

as a SS, Kang hit .354 and 38 HRs in 113 games. again, this is a short stop.

[Neddy]

WE HAVE A NEW GM (well sort of)!!!!

Andrew Freidman has been hired to replace Ned, named the president of baseball operations (practically means GM) and Ned has been resigned to Stan Kasten's senior advisor. (meaning Ned's contract was expended stupidly by Stan and now they are firing Ned but gives up a title while doing nothing while getting paid)

Now i just hope Andrew Freidman sees what we see and fire or "reassign" Donnie too.

[Quake Griffin]

At least u were old enough to enjoy 88 bro.

Not a single WS appearance for me in 26 years of life bro.
and I get torchered with this Giants ****.

[Neddy]

At least u were old enough to enjoy 88 bro.

Not a single WS appearance for me in 26 years of life bro.
and I get torchered with this Giants ****.

brother, be patient and Andrew will show us the way.

[Quake Griffin]

what would you think of signing Kuroda back?

[Neddy]

what would you think of signing Kuroda back?

Absolutely but if he leaves New York I think he is either retiring or going back to his Japanese parent club which I think is Hiroshima Carps

[Quake Griffin]

he keeps saying each year will be his last year and he'll finish in Japan but he keeps coming back.

I think he is just a good athlete and his age 39/40 isn't the same as everybody else's.


Andrew Friedman is praising Don Mattingly way too much in this introductory press conference.
I'm starting to get scared now.

[Neddy]

he keeps saying each year will be his last year and he'll finish in Japan but he keeps coming back.

I think he is just a good athlete and his age 39/40 isn't the same as everybody else's.


Andrew Friedman is praising Don Mattingly way too much in this introductory press conference.
I'm starting to get scared now.

I haven't seen the press conference but i did check out that article after landing here in Vegas.

I duuno. maybe I am totally wrong but i see it more as a gesture of a much younger boss trying to ease into his working relationships with much older, semi-celelb manager the ownership is in love with. last year was the time when Ned and Don should not have been given extensions and just let both of them walk, but now since guggenheim and Stan Kasten are stuck with the contracts they gave out, they probably want to avoid having to pay two hefty contracts for 1 acting manager/GM. promoting Ned was Stan's way of filling the need of a replacement but not willing to admit his contractual mistakes. they say stan owns a very small percentage of the team but Im sure if Guggenheim sees Stan making too many costly mistakes, they would force a buyout and fire him too.
So Stan is covering his ass by promoting Ned, and Donnie is probably already fired up to put up a fight if the new guy wants his own manager right away and knows Guggenheim is still behind Donnie.

if the scenario above is what is most likely, it would make a perfect sense for Andrew to walk in with a "I COME IN PEACE" sign waved around.

in the end, Maddon's contact is over after 2015. If Donnie fumbles with pitchers once again after Andrew builds him one of the best bullpen, then Donnie's remaining two years after next will have to be eaten.

i even think its possible to have Maddon be the highest paid bench coach ever, and let Don be the figurehead for another year, then on his last year, without an extension, Don will quit on his own and refused to be a lame duck and a figurehead.

anywho, we are just gonna have to trust that Andrew will have easier and quicker time than Reggie McKenzie did to dump stupid contracts on overthehill players, and turn this bitch around ASAP.

[Neddy]

and oh, this promoting business of Ned and naming Freidman as basically COO rather than a GM, I think its to defuse any image of Andrew replacing Ned as a GM. I really think Stan is doing what he can to improve the team while not making himself look like a dumbass who made all these contractual mistakes in such a short tenure to his much larger shared partners.

[Quake Griffin]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/stor ... nes-gm-job

well apparently Friedman is looking for a GM and he's liking Josh Byrnes who was run from Arizona and run from San Diego.

thoughts?

[Fresh360Waves]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/11718304/los-angeles-dodgers-talked-josh-byrnes-gm-job

well apparently Friedman is looking for a GM and he's liking Josh Byrnes who was run from Arizona and run from San Diego.

thoughts?

That's the only big name I know of that's available. I'm not sure who else the Dodgers could go after. I'm not all that familiar with baseball front office guys.

[Quake Griffin]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/11718304/los-angeles-dodgers-talked-josh-byrnes-gm-job

well apparently Friedman is looking for a GM and he's liking Josh Byrnes who was run from Arizona and run from San Diego.

thoughts?

That's the only big name I know of that's available. I'm not sure who else the Dodgers could go after. I'm not all that familiar with baseball front office guys.

I'm wondering why he was run from San Diego? Maybe it had to do with the new ownership wanting their own guy in there.

Im just looking at the deals he made for San Diego while he was the San Diego GM. Of course I have no way of knowing if he was lame duck or if this was a part of his genius.

Trades for Tyson Ross.
Traded for Andrew Cashner....albeit, looks like he gave up Anthony Rizzo to do it. This possibly might be a parting gift given to Jed Hoyer as he went to Chicago with Epstein (Rizzo is in Chicago now).
Trade for Ian Kennedy (I like both Ross and Cashner more).
Signes Odrisamer Despaigne

that's a very solid starting pitching rotation given that it's not easy to find pitchers of the Kershaw, Wainwright, Chris Sale level.

then he put together one of the best bullpens in baseball....with what seems like spit and glue.

so I understand he got fired from the Padres....but it's not like theyre going to just unravel all that work. They should honestly do their best to add to it.

and of course, if they want to unravel it....I'll take Tyson Ross right now.

[Fresh360Waves]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/11718304/los-angeles-dodgers-talked-josh-byrnes-gm-job

well apparently Friedman is looking for a GM and he's liking Josh Byrnes who was run from Arizona and run from San Diego.

thoughts?

That's the only big name I know of that's available. I'm not sure who else the Dodgers could go after. I'm not all that familiar with baseball front office guys.

I'm wondering why he was run from San Diego? Maybe it had to do with the new ownership wanting their own guy in there.

Im just looking at the deals he made for San Diego while he was the San Diego GM. Of course I have no way of knowing if he was lame duck or if this was a part of his genius.

Trades for Tyson Ross.
Traded for Andrew Cashner....albeit, looks like he gave up Anthony Rizzo to do it. This possibly might be a parting gift given to Jed Hoyer as he went to Chicago with Epstein (Rizzo is in Chicago now).
Trade for Ian Kennedy (I like both Ross and Cashner more).
Signes Odrisamer Despaigne

that's a very solid starting pitching rotation given that it's not easy to find pitchers of the Kershaw, Wainwright, Chris Sale level.

then he put together one of the best bullpens in baseball....with what seems like spit and glue.

so I understand he got fired from the Padres....but it's not like theyre going to just unravel all that work. They should honestly do their best to add to it.

and of course, if they want to unravel it....I'll take Tyson Ross right now.

Yeah those are very good points. Their pitching is very good - too bad they just can't say the same for their offense. And man if we got Ross, holy smokes! I think hiring Byrnes is worth the shot. Besides, we have Friedman to overlook anyways. I think the Dodgers should be fine going into next season if they just revamp the bullpen a bit getting a setup man (maybe even two) and adding another middle reliever. And the most complicated decision is Hanley and whether he will be willing to negotiate on a pay cut, 'cause the Dodgers should not give him a huge contract under any circumstances.

[Fresh360Waves]

Kenta Maeda

the winner of the Sawamura Award in 2010 (their version of Cy Young) and Tanaka was there in 2010 so one can make an argument that he is potentially as good or better.

he is 6 foot even and about 160 so he is a bit smallish. maybe convert him to a setup man?

I love his make up. unlike Tanaka who IMO was a two pitch pitcher with his devastating split finger and his decent fastball, Maeda has a legitimate 5 pitch arsenal. his fastball is probably about the same as Tanaka or a bit better, and he throws both 2 seam and 4 seam. tops out at around 94-95? a change up and a curve. but his best pitch is his slider which will go a long way in the majors.

great control artist. / doesn't walk a lot.

27 years old so still relatively young.

check out his slider

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHYInoL0C6o[/youtube]

as a potential 4th starter or converting him into our setup man for the 8th, I think he is an excellent choice.

I think he would be a nice setup man in the 8th. He's gonna fool batters with that nasty slider.

[Neddy]

I think he would be a nice setup man in the 8th. He's gonna fool batters with that nasty slider.

yeah but unfortunately after losing out to the Hanshin Tigers the parent team of Hiroshima Carps already announced that they will not post him up to go to the majors.

Kenta is posting eligible which the parent club control, but not free agency eligible for another 3 years. this pipe dream is sadly, over before it ever took off.

[Neddy]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/11718304/los-angeles-dodgers-talked-josh-byrnes-gm-job

well apparently Friedman is looking for a GM and he's liking Josh Byrnes who was run from Arizona and run from San Diego.

thoughts?

That's the only big name I know of that's available. I'm not sure who else the Dodgers could go after. I'm not all that familiar with baseball front office guys.

I'm wondering why he was run from San Diego? Maybe it had to do with the new ownership wanting their own guy in there.

Im just looking at the deals he made for San Diego while he was the San Diego GM. Of course I have no way of knowing if he was lame duck or if this was a part of his genius.

Trades for Tyson Ross.
Traded for Andrew Cashner....albeit, looks like he gave up Anthony Rizzo to do it. This possibly might be a parting gift given to Jed Hoyer as he went to Chicago with Epstein (Rizzo is in Chicago now).
Trade for Ian Kennedy (I like both Ross and Cashner more).
Signes Odrisamer Despaigne

that's a very solid starting pitching rotation given that it's not easy to find pitchers of the Kershaw, Wainwright, Chris Sale level.

then he put together one of the best bullpens in baseball....with what seems like spit and glue.

so I understand he got fired from the Padres....but it's not like theyre going to just unravel all that work. They should honestly do their best to add to it.

and of course, if they want to unravel it....I'll take Tyson Ross right now.

when is Tyson Ross's 6 years are up? I doubt they trade a yound stud they have a control over while his contract is cheap. but if he is going to be a free agent or about to break their bank as an arbitration eligible player with a big payday, I can see them wanting to make a deal but as far as I know, wasn't this his second full season?