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By Mark Polishuk | at
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dodgerfan711
Wounder if puig for braun is still a possibility. Braun would really elevate this lineup and the teams chances
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
Essentially probably if they come off the Bellinger ask. But mid season there would most likely multiple options.
LADreamin
I think the only part of the team I’m legitimately concerned about is the bullpen, and for a couple of reasons. It’s a top heavy bullpen and we can only really count on Kershaw to go 7 innings. It’s likely to be a heavily used bullpen and I’m not sure how those guys will react to being overworked and tossed into high leverage situations. Only thing that makes me feel better is knowing we have surplus chips on the farm to cash in for a top tier fresh arm at the deadline. I’m hopeful that our starting pitching will develop a rhythm and stay healthy through the summer, but who knows. I sure am glad baseball is back though. Let’s go Dodgers!
coachbrad
The bullpen should be fine. Stripling, Stewart, Wood are all dependable and Baez should be back soon, and that’s before you extend the rotation by bringing back Urias in a month or two. And you know the front office will be fluid with the front and middle of the bullpen all season, depending on who is performing.
That kind of depth puts no pressure on the organization to force Kazmir into the rotation unless he finds his form at AAA. No team in baseball has that kind of depth, not the Indians, the Cubs or the Nationals.
The Dodgers are winning 95+/-, winning the West, and positioning themselves for a deep playoff run. The rest is down to having momentum at the right time and a bit of luck.
BlueSkyLA
Agreed, I don’t see huge problems with bullpen and frankly not a lot of small ones either. The less we see of Hatcher, Baez and Avilan the happier I will be, and I hope with all the pitching options the Dodgers have that the FO won’t stick too long with any turkeys, which I felt they did last season. This team is definitely built well for the long haul. As the season wears on we will know better whether they are built equally well for the postseason sprint.
ReverieDays
Dodgers are choke artists like none other. The deepest they will go with the NLCS again.
LADreamin
You shut your mouth, ReverieDays. They set themselves up for a good post season this year.
YourDaddy
3 of 4 games against LHP they have lost, 4 of 5 after today’s game against the Cubs. They still can’t hit lefties. Dodger’s offseason was a total failure at this point. They cannot advance in the playoffs if they can’t beat lefties and when you are spending nearly $300 million on player payroll & luxury tax fines anything less than a WS appearance is a huge fail.
dodgerfan711
Oh look pads fans is trying to troll again. They have been ok at hitting LHP. Their issue is not hitting with runners in scoring position. The only game they looked helpless in was vs clayton richard. You are a joke if you think the dodgers offseason is a failure. Turners contract was a steal and they still managed to bring back jansen and hill. You need to specifically name what they could have done differently to have any credibility. .
chesteraarthur
“They have been ok at hitting LHP. ”
Not really. They have a 73 wRC+ against lhp good for 23rd in baseball. Last year they were 30th with a 72 wRC+. Granted it is a small sample so far, but they seem to be on a similar pace and it’s not like they are facing great lhp.
They are 12th by wRC+ with risp
dodgerfan711
The thing is that stat about risp is padded by the early series vs the padres. They went 1-24 with risp at the cubs this week. The problem was not hitting lester or anderson it was cashing in on opportunities
outinleftfield
WTH? “It’s not about RISP, we hit .042 against LHP with RISP. It’s about cashing in on opportunities.”
Gotta hit to cash in on opportunities and the Dodgers just cannot hit LHP.
dodgerfan711
Do you people even watch the games or just look at baseball reference. They were crushing brett anderson today , but could not get a hit with men on base. hit. 1-24 with risp vs the cubs.
chesteraarthur
They had 3 hits in 5 innings off anderson and 4 hits in 6 innings off lester. That’s right around a .200 average. How is it that you don’t see that as a problem?
The old, “do you even watch the games” desperation response, nice touch on your poor argument.
dodgerfan711
I never said its not a problem. You are missing the whole point of the article. What in the off season could they have done differently? Who exactly could they have added to fix the problem vs LHP. Oh and im sure you saw the 4 hits that would have been home runs but were knocked down by the wind in the box score.
chesteraarthur
Oh they were also 1-6 against MM
chesteraarthur
My comment was not about the article on the whole. It was pointing out that your evaluation was incorrect. So no, I’m not missing the point, I’m responding to your poor arguments.
You said, “They have been ok at hitting LHP.” which isn’t the case.
You: “The problem was not hitting lester or anderson…”
You: “I never said its not a problem.”
Me: ?????
And 4 hits that would have been hrs? Now you’re truly getting desperate.
dodgerfan711
Because thats what they have been. OK but for a team with their expectations ok is not acceptable. They had the exact same issues last year and it had nothing to do with why they lost in the playoffs. And as for the wind i am not joking. Yesterday the cubs would have won but the wind took away 3 home runs. Today it took 3 from the dodgers. the fourth would have at least been a double but thats still 4 at bats that were quality vs a lhp that dont reflect in the scorebook. They need to adress the issue but a ryan braun trade changes everything
YourDaddy
Apparently you don’t watch the games. The Dodgers had 3 hits off Anderson and he is the Cubs #5 starter. One of them was the ball Schwarber misplayed against the ivy and that was the only hard hit ball against Anderson.
The Dodger’s glaring need in the offseason was right hand bats. They got one in the kid from the Rays, but they need at least one more if they are going to compete with teams that can run out two or more lefties like the Cubs did in this series.
Pads Fans
It’s not about who they re-signed. It’s about who they didn’t trade for or sign. Specifically, more than 1 guy that can hit southpaws. The Dodgers have now lost 4 of 5 against southpaws and done it against mediocre guys. They are hitting .200 against them with an OPS around .600. PadsFans is correct in saying that the Dodgers are a failure if they don’t go to the Series and if you can’t hit lefties, that won’t happen. Sorry Doggerfan71 re-signing a 32 year old Turner, signing a 37 year old Hill who can’t even stay healthy for 2 starts in a row, and re-signing a $17 million closer is not smart baseball, nor does it make it a good offseason foor the Dodgers. The Dodgers needed 2 RHB with pop and to get younger. They failed on both counts.
dodgerfan711
Well at least padres fans are consistent with their ridiculous statements. Re signing justin turner was not smart is the most ridiculous thing i have heard. He is the heart and soul of this team and 64 million is a good deal. Jansen is a top 3 closer in the game and a key piece to the team. They did add 2 rhp in forsythe and Gutierrez who hit lhp. The dodgers already have a young team and a loaded farm system. Besides you cant just go out and get good young players without giving up an arm and a leg
BlueSkyLA
Save your breath. The trolls are out in force today.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
Explain to me again why the Dodgers needed to get younger? Honest question. They have three in the OF ranging 25-26. They have a SS at 23. They have three kids on the farm at 21-22 knocking on the door. Thats even before mentioning the young arms littered in the system. Seems to me the youth department is covered pretty well. The dodgers had a tremendous offseason regardless of what you think of the logic. Because at the end of the day those are three major assets they didn’t have to trade for and I’m not sure there were better options available, at least in Turner and Jansen. Sure is it sound logic for most baseball teams probably not, but when you have an extensive tv contract and 4 mill in attendance year in year out sometimes those moves just have to be made.
In no way was this offseason anything less than A. Realistic Dodger fans understood that Puig was going to get the chance to sink or swim.
Forsythe has provided what he was supposed against LH and the flexibility this organization values. Seems to me they did everything to obtain pieces that were realistically available. So they most likely are a piece away, but not such a substantial piece that can’t be obtained at the deadline. It’s way too early to even consider judging. Tip you hats Richard’s sinker was filthy, Freelans was first time through, and Lester is Lester. The dodgers drilled the ball today in the early innings and they didn’t fall. It’s baseball. What was more concerning was RISP throughout the series. Be it from a terrible approach from Toles against Grimm to a Puig that continues to look lost to anything close to the zone that’s not center cut.
YourDaddy
Position players peak at 26-29 years old and start to decline in their age 30 season. He is two years past that. I can pretty much guarantee that he will not be as good this season as he was last and next season he will decline further and decline even further the 2 years after that. Signing 32 year old players to 4 year deals is not smart baseball. That you don’t understand that says volumes about your knowledge of baseball.
Gutierrez is 34 years old, he is hitting .231 this year and hit .246 last season, he is pretty much only a platoon player, and he is on the DL.
Forsythe is a good player, but he is 30 years old and was never a superstar. Just a solid regular with injury problems. He is not enough.
The Dodgers have the 4th oldest team in the NL
The Dodgers have the arms and legs to get good young players. They chose to sign older players to large contracts and trade for a 30 year old 2B with only one season with over 120 starts in his 7 year career.
outinleftfield
I am an Orioles fan so I have no dog in this fight between you and the Padres fans, but they are on the money about older players not being worth the money. I have never seen a 4 or more year contract with a guy over 30 that paid off in the last 2-3 years of the deal.
Fangraphs did a great piece on the aging of players a while back and while I don’t remember the exact numbers, it was close to a 10% decline in offense and an even higher decline in defensive numbers after they turn 30.
To give a guy that had his peak year at age 29 and two straight seasons with declining BA, OBP, OPS, and OPS+ a 4 year deal for $64 million does not seem like a smart move to me. Maybe if my team had as much money as the Dodgers I could see them paying $16 million per season for declining production.
outinleftfield
Like every team the Dodgers need to get younger because players decline as they age. The Dodgers infielders are 35, 30, 23 and 32. 3 of the 4 are in decline. In the OF, neither Toles nor Pederson are every day starters on most teams. Pederson plays great defense, but is picking up right where he left off last season in terms of poor BA and SO%. Toles is a good young player, but he really has no power and is best suited to be a 4th OF.
In my opinion, what the Dodgers needed was Dozier and another RHB with power. They can’t rely on prospects like Bellinger and Calhoun to save the day because they are prospects. You have no idea how they will do once they reach the majors. Just ask the Twins or Rangers about “can’t miss” prospects. I read somewhere that top 100 prospects make the majors as a regular about 20% of the time. Not be a star, just play. There are alot of chicken farms out here in my area of North Carolina, so I here this truth often, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
therealryan
What are you talking about? There is no team in MLB with 3 OF better than Joc Pederson. He is a starter on every team in baseball and the best outfielder on many of them, including the Orioles. To put it in perspective, he is Adam Jones without all of those outs that Adam Jones makes by swinging at everything.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
The issue still remains as you said all teams are attempting to get younger. Stands to reason that teams would be less inclined to trade said younger players. So the assertion that the Dodgers made terrible signings just because of age is just a bad take until you can provide a significant upgrade that was reasonably available that they should or could have made. Also on that end of the argument with the league getting younger it stands to reason that you have to rely on their farm. With Dodger fans being realistic they’ll admit year 4 and year 3 of Hill’s contract will probably not end well. The problem again doesn’t not rely on their signings especially when you consider the needs v availability aspect. But the underlying theme here is still that the Dodgers are in win now mode with two years of Kersh before he opts out. So when it comes down to it the Dodgers have the pieces available for one blockbuster trade while still supplanting their MLB roster with youth. My point being that all this getting younger and completely refacing the roster was never going to suddenly just change and it shouldn’t unless they are in rebuild/ tear down mode. But thank you Pads Fan for again knowing the Dodgers and the game so much more than I could ever know.
BlueSkyLA
The persistent problem with all of this analysis is the use of value propositions as a guide to signing players. A team can make a cost-effective run at third place, but winning will never be efficient, especially if ownership is committed to fielding competitive teams on a regular basis. Hill for example was the best free agent starter available this year. What is the alternative to paying him more than he is “worth,” other than going after someone who isn’t as good for less? Call it extravagance if you like but the Dodgers have that kind of cash to burn. If you are saying it’s unfair that a handful of teams will always have far more cash to burn, then I will agree with you, but we also have to agree, that’s the way it is in baseball, and no amount of cost-effectiveness analysis will change it.
coachbrad
Jose Bautista, Matt Holliday, Barry Bonds and like 50 others. Lots of 4 year deals after 30 work out great for the team.
dodgerfan711
Pads fans is just hating because his team is the padres. The only way to get younger is to blow up your entire team or farm system. Oh wait the dodgers didnt have to do either of that because their front office is smart. Let me explain something to you. Right now the Dodgers are a mix of veterans and younger players. Once the veterans regress their loaded farm system will produce their replacements. Your arguments of acquiring players over 30 is just wrong. Turner may decline but its definitively not any time in the next 2 years. And even if he does do you really think thats going to stop them from signing machado after 2018? When hill is in the 3rd year of his contract Buheler, Alverez, White and Urias will all be major league ready. The Dodgers have built a team that is a lock to make the playoffs every year and still have a good farm system. The padres and many other teams wish they could have achieved that. And again as for the issues vs LHP who could they have aquired to change that? Braun is the only name i can agree with but he is not out of the question still. There was not a free agent lefty killer other then cespides who the dodgers did not want to give 100 million to
LADreamin
Are you high? We have a youth wave coming, but established veterans aren’t as bad as you claim. If you know the Dodgers, you know that Turner is a late bloomer. He doesn’t have the normal mileage of a regular 32 year old and he signed for 4 years instead of 5. For top tier defense and a middle of the order bat, that’s a good contract. Jansen has an opt out in his contract so he might only be a 3 year sign. Is that good? 3 years of a established top of the line closer at market value? Rich Hill is 37. Ok, you got me. But he’s pitching almost a sub 2 ERA for the last year and a half. How is that not good? Stop the trolling. Find a new passion in life.
BlueSkyLA
I’ve been a tough grader on this FO in the past, but I gave them an A for this offseason. It’s difficult to imagine them making many if any better moves than what we got. Somebody is bound to say they missed out on Dozier but clearly the price was too tall and Forsythe is hardly just a door prize.
One little wrinkle in this roster that surprised me and I have not heard anyone mention yet is the rotation order. On paper Hill was signed to be #2 as he was last year, and Maeda looked to be #3 or perhaps lower. Mangement had Maeda work on muscle mass over the offseason. They must like what they’ve seen from his program of building durability to have made this adjustment. They are definitely projecting more innings from him.
LADreamin
The FO likes Maeda just fine, but I think Hill is our #3 to separate the two lefties up top more so than one of our pitchers being better than him. I think last year was a great introduction to MLB for Kenta and I hope he builds on that this year.
BlueSkyLA
I considered that too but don’t know how the theory of not having lefties start on consecutive days really plays out. The FO didn’t seem to have a problem with it last season so I don’t see where they subscribe to this theory. What they needed from Maeda was more durability. In the offseason he put on quite a bit of weight and muscle mass.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
Did they not have a problem with it or was it was not much they could do about it? I’m leaning latter. Numbers don’t matter until the playoffs, but I think with Maeda they were just trying to line up with as many extra off days last year.
BlueSkyLA
I dunno but if they were trying to get him days off last season it didn’t work. He started 32 games. That’s a full dance card no matter how you cut it. The other aspect of this is Maeda had a better spring training than Hill so perhaps they saw that as playing the better hand, and for now at least it probably is.
dw007
The Dodgers, if they stay healthy (always an IF) are well-positioned for deadline moves to construct an even better roster. They could move a number of players who have legit trade value to other clubs. Any of Puig, Gonzalez, Utley, Thompson, Van Slyke, Hernandez, Pederson, Ethier & Toles could fetch valuable and/or needed pieces for a stretch run without hurting depth. And that’s not talking about any pitchers that might fit in that group such as Ryu, McCarthy, Wood or Kazmir . Friedman & Zaidi are smart & come July 31 (or sooner if they want Braun) they have quality MLB pieces to move, perhaps without having to trade Urias, Alvarez, Buehler or Stewart. If they don’t make any trades of these guys, they still have a good team. But a quality right-handed bat or two seems like a need right now. I like their position at this point in the season, looking ahead.
lesterdnightfly
“Any of Puig, Gonzalez, Utley, Thompson, Van Slyke, Hernandez, Pederson, Ethier & Toles could fetch valuable and/or needed pieces for a stretch run without hurting depth. ”
I think you might expect some disagreement with that statement. The last seven, at least, have little trade value. And I doubt they’d get rid of Adrian Gonzalez. And if Puig doesn’t perform, he’ll have little value; if he does turn it around, they’ll keep him.
coachbrad
Gonzalez, Ethier and Utley have little trade value due to age and/or contract or both.
Hernandez is useless.
Van Slyke, Toles, and Thompson all fill niche roles the Dodgers need them for and provide little trade value.
It would take a massive package to get Pederson and that would create a hole that would have to be filled.
Puig…?The next 60 days will determine his value.
BlueSkyLA
I think we will continue getting what we already see with Puig. He will show flashes of brilliance, at least defensively, and be frustratingly un-selective at the plate and never a good baserunner. He doesn’t have to become his rookie self again to be a keeper, but it’s probably too late to think of him as the cornerstone of any team.
LADreamin
Yasiel Puig is 26 years old… how is that too late for anything. He still has a high ceiling in front of him. I hope we keep him and I hope he puts it all together.