The Dodgers’ investment in righty Yaisel Sierra will begin at $30MM, per a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network, but could go up from there. Sierra will have the right to opt into salary arbitration if he becomes eligible. His contract will pay him a $6MM signing bonus and then salaries of $1MM, $2.5MM, $3.5MM, $4MM, $5.5MM, and $7.5MM, per the report.
Here’s more from Los Angeles and the rest of the NL West:
- Dodgers lefty Brett Anderson had surgery on the very same disk that was previously repaired, GM Farhan Zaidi told reporters including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The medical experts involved say that occurs in about ten percent of cases, suggesting that Anderson and the team got a bit unlucky. Plunkett also takes a look at the competition to fill in for Anderson.
- Newly-inked Padres lefty Matt Thornton is expected to have a solid shot at earning a job out of camp, GM A.J. Preller tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He’s done it for a long time and still has quality stuff,” Preller explained. “I think the ‘pen is pretty open, so he’s got a legit chance to make the team.” Skipper Andy Green echoed that sentiment, calling Thornton “a very established left-handed reliever” who is “very dominant against lefties [and] very successful through his career.”
- Speaking of Green, it’s well worth checking out his recent interview with David Laurila of Fangraphs. The first-year manager addressed the concept and impact of defensive shifting from every angle, including the mental components and possible counter-strategies on offense. Ultimately, he concluded: “The game is evolving, and it’s important to evolve along with it.”
Sierra needs to be given an opportunity to contribute this year
He should be given plenty of time in the minors to adjust. He isn’t just embarking on a new career in MLB, he is new to the entire country. I am sure he will see some bullpen time at the least some time this year. I would like to see Montas get a chance first and then followed by some of their other arms from the farm like Urias and De Leon. They will hopefully be ready for a callup this summer sometime. By August the Dodgers should have one of the deepest rotations in baseball when their prospects have some AAA seasoning plus Anderson, McCarthy and Ryu have returned.
First he has to show his streamlined delivery can produce results. At this point he hasn’t competed in close to a year. I see him more of a factor if anything next year. There’s no need to rush him this year. The Dodgers have a ton of prospects closer to ready than Sierra (I.e. Lee, Strippling, Cotton, DeLeon, Montas, Rhame…). Unless he forces his way, major injuries, and or trades clear room it’s hard to see him being a focal point this year.
I’m really tired of the Dodgers not seeing what the kids can do. I understand not wanting to use them too soon and hurting their confidence but you have to see what they got at some point! And if you don’t, what’s the point of not reading them for some superstar? There is no point to it if you’re not willing to use them when you need them instead of sticking someone out there that sucks and doesn’t have anything to offer for the future like some of the guys they threw out there last year. Just my though on what they should do with the rotation this season until we get Ryu back.
Because going with rookies at 25% of the starting 8, screams of an organization holding back kids.
Urias has never thrown 100 innings, DeLeon just reached AA. Patience is a virtue
FWIW, the Dodgers will start only one rookie this year. Pederson will be playing his sophomore season. His second-half collapse and what it cost the Dodgers in the postseason is just about all the cautionary information we should need to refute the “seeing what the kids will do” argument. Bring them up when they are ready, not out of desperation, or saving payroll, or to satisfy fan curiosity.
I should have stayed in the pennant race, since I was alluding to late last season, when it mattered most. Agree on letting the kids dictate the schedule with their play. Let them out-perform the options already in place