The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with free agent left-hander Alex Wood, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (via Twitter). The deal will guarantee the ACES client $4MM on a one-year term, with incentives that can push the total to $10MM, Rosenthal adds (via Twitter). Wood has already passed his physical, Rosenthal further reports. Wood himself has confirmed the agreement on Twitter.
The reunion marks a nice birthday present for Wood, who turned 29 today. The lefty has done his best work in Dodger Blue, combining for a 3.46 ERA and 3.50 FIP over 434.2 innings in three-plus seasons in Los Angeles. Over that time, Wood only managed an average strikeout rate (22.3%), but he proved stingy with walks (6.7%) and induced ground balls on over half the balls in play against him. That mid-rotation output prompted the Reds to acquire him (alongisde Yasiel Puig and Kyle Farmer) last offseason for a pair of well-regarded prospects.
Unfortunately, a back injury limited Wood to seven ineffective starts in Cincinnati. He didn’t make his season debut until July 28, and only once did he exceed six innings in a start. Never an extremely hard thrower, Wood’s 89.98 MPH average sinker velocity last season, per Brooks Baseball, was down over two MPH from his career-best 2017 effort.
2019 struggles notwithstanding, it’s not hard to see the upside for both parties. Wood was an above-average starter as recently as 2018. He has four career seasons in which he was worth at least two wins above replacement, per Fangraphs, and as noted, he remains quite young for a free agent. Injuries have hampered Wood in recent seasons, to be sure, as he’s been on the injured list each of the past four years. There’s little long-term risk here for the team, though, and their $4MM investment is minuscule for a franchise which ended the 2019 season with an estimated $210MM payroll, per Roster Resource.
Wood, meanwhile, gets an opportunity to reestablish his health. Should he reclaim his prior form, he’d likely earn some or all of the available incentives. More importantly, he can reenter the open market at a still-young 30 next offseason in search of the multiyear deal for which he seemed ticketed before his 2019 tribulations.
Wood joins a crowded Dodgers’ rotation mix behind Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. LA hasn’t been shy about moving pitchers in and out of the rotation under manager Dave Roberts. Wood figures to compete with Kenta Maeda, Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and the newly-signed Jimmy Nelson for rotation innings. Surely, some or all of those pitchers will log some time out of the Dodgers’ oft-maligned bullpen as well.
So continues an offseason trend for the NL West favorites. Nelson, Wood, and reliever Blake Treinen have all been brought in on one-year deals this offseason. All three have shown high ceilings in the past, but struggled through injuries or ineffectiveness (or both) in 2019. They may not be the stars Dodger fans have been coveting, although each brings quite a bit of upside. None, it should be noted, would preclude the Andrew Friedman-led front office from striking on a bigger name if the opportunity were to present itself.
The Dodgers again have 8 starting pitchers!
Here we go again with the too many pitches and piston players. They continue to platoon the young guys who should be starting and use young starters in the bullpen.
*pitchers and position players.
@perksy
Didn’t realize it was such a sensitive subject for you. I realize this is their typical M.O.
It’s an old saying that remains as true today as when it was first said; you can’t have too much starting pitching.
And LA knows its players better than you or I. If they were capable playing every day, and being able to handle the platoon disadvantage, they would be.
As a Giant’s fan I’d love to agree that the Dodgers are mismanaged. Unfortunately they aren’t.
Right, I agree @tad2b13, the Dodgers are arguably the most well ran organization in all of baseball.
I do slightly disagree with the writer though, saying his best years were with the Dodgers. Personally, I th in no Wood’s most effective years were with the Braves. He had susta iij ned his success longer in LA, but I think his highs were more frequent in Atlanta, both as a starter and as a lethal weapon out of the bullpen.
Speaking of which, I really think this is where the Dodgers could maximize Wood’s value for them. Wood is a lot more likely to stay healthy working in a role similar to Seth Lugo of the Mets. Wood could prove to be a lite version of Andrew Miller type of weapon.
They certainly don’t need another starter, especially not one that would be likely to wear down or get injured by the halfway point of the season. Plus, as previously stated, Wood has been utilized in this role before, coming out of the pen in Atlanta, so it wouldn’t be anything foreign for Wood. Not to mention, this would also allow Wood’s arsenal to play up, and a lot of people forget really just how filthy Wood can be when he is truly healthy and when he is pitching well..
With a deceptive, funky delivery, a nasty 3-pitch mix, and considering the fact he can be lethal against LHBs, the Dodgers would be wise to utilize Wood as their last man in the pen giving him a role that would increase in importance, usage rate, and usage length over the course of the season. Wood, if used correctly, could be a potential difference maker for the Dodgers, they just have to keep him healthy for the postseason, where he could definitely make a big difference for them.
Tad, they are mismanaged but not by the front office. The mismanagement is on the playing field.
Correct!
Good move by LA to sign both Wood and Nelson. Total gamble for both is only $5 million. I can think of at least a half dozen teams, including my Phillies, who should have taken that shot.
It’s no wonder LA is in contention for top cheese year after year after year and others are content to pop a woody if they finish at .500.
Ya gotta take some chances if you wanna win. It’s like poker players often say, “No balls, no blue chips!”.
What young guys are they platooning that should be playing every day?
that’s 8 more than Milwaukee has
Trolls like dray16 are gonna troll every chance they get. I feel sorry for those who have to deal with him in person on a regular basis.
You’re a troll too, just one who trolls trolls. And right here I am trolling trolls who troll trolls.
that’s not trolling . it’s called having a sense of humor. that’s what makes the comment section so good . is that I can appreciate your comments and also appreciate the comments that inject at least a small amount of humor as well.
It’s only humorous the first couple times it’s said. After that it comes repetitive and annoying. I’m all for people making witty or facetious comments but please try to be original and not keep beating a dead horse.
Oh you mean like trash can……. Yea I completely agree keep it original.
Someone seems butt hurt
I you referring to me? I don’t get butt hurt by negative or uneducated comments. It just gets old watching someone who’s oblivious to the fact their comments lose their luster when repeated 30 times a week.
It’s like that one coworker who keeps telling the same story over and over again. At some point you just have to finish the story for him so he gets the point that we all get his point so he can stop
But who collects the tolls?
Yes, with Stripling.
Wood is more ideal for the bullpen.
Finally. Our big signing.
He should not have a spot over May
Well. Said. Couldn’t. Agree. More.
Unless may is in Cleveland..
If anything this is a precursor to the dodgers trading young pitching in a bigger deal. But complain away for depth that won 106 games last year. Good look
Yes, but a lineup that failed in the postseason.
Dodgers have the best rotation in the bigs, but it makes one wonder about the total package.
I don’t think the dodgers have the best rotation at all. I know they have talent but how are they better than Washington?
Assuming nobody offered him one, a rebuilding or pitching needy team should’ve offered him a higher guarantee with incentives. He’s a great bounce back candidate with zero risk on a one year deal.
Yep. While he was not my first choice, he was definitely in my conversations. Could be an excellent pickup. If it does not work out, he is only signed for one year. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Lol, you’re conversations?
* your
why?
Welcome back I guess. Friedman. Smh
Wood pitched great vs a cheating team in the World Series. There is no reason why this is a bad signing.
Stop with the baloney!
They still have to hit the pitch. All teams cheat,
they just haven’t been caught.
One of the only things worse that cheating is attempting to rationalize cheating by bemoaning that “everyone does it” w no evidence behind it.
No, all teams do not use a coordinated system of video/banging a trash can to cheat. There is more than enough evidence including their own players admitting it. They are not about to lose multiple 1st round picks for nothing.
Only it makes it a lot easier when you know what pitch is coming. If there was nothing to your statement MLB would not be posting updates on an impending penalty. Clearly your lack of love for LA is clouding your “informed” opinion.
Bull, Jorge.
Is that worse than a team hacking another teams database and releasing all their private trade info that hurt the teams image and made it hard to trade with other teams? One is illegal and one is just breaking an mlb rule. Which is really worse? So before you state the Astros are going to lose 100 mil and 10 draft picks look at what happened to the cards which will end up being much worse
*asterosks
that’s called deflection
LMAO
Satchel Paige used to tell batters what was coming.
They still couldn’t hit it!
Stop jorge78, your embarrassing yourself!!
Too late.
Hey amk3510—Doyers are cheating their television fans from watching Doyer games—six (6) YEARS and counting. Got any problem with that? Of course not. I’d say they’re the biggest cheating team in the history of MLB. Say it right, dummy, ALL teams steal signs, including your bridesmaids. It doesn’t matter who the Doyers acquire—they’re gonna get beat down in the postseason. Every year since 1888!
LOL its 2020. Spectrum is offered in most of LA and if you cant figure out how to stream games thats on you. “Padres have 32 years to best Dodgers 1st win” first of all your doing meth, not math. Second lets just say they win. Then what? You’d still have to win 5 to catch them. So the Padres have 65 years to win 6 rings, a monumental task.
All teams do not steal signs electronically, genius. And why is it that Padre fans cannot spell.
And he was 16-3 just a few years ago. Well done FO.
Dude, you’re an embarrassment. Just like the padres
They can’t spell because they’re so mellow. “Dave? No Dave’s not here.”.
I can barely read what you write amk.
Not even wood saves the Doyers on prom day.
Wow… someone’s bitter their team can’t make it to the postseason…
Hey frankiegxiii—Wow, frankie’s not bitter that his team makes it to the postseason only to choke it every year since 1788.
1888 or 1788? I’m confused. I swear you’re close though (somehow)
Padres fans are all illiterate
Lmfao
Complaining the precursor move isn’t dazzling enough is so perfect for dodger complainers
In 3 days if may or gonsolin are shipped off, OMG It MaKEs SensE NoW
The Doyer complainers mostly live in LA—they can’t watch the Doyers on TV. They also don’t appreciate the local October chokes.
Why are you talking about October?
The padres goal should be 500 first big guy
If anyone has half a brain, they can watch the Dodgers in LA.
Now you’ve proven that’s a monumental ask but don’t pretend it’s in person or bust
Meanwhile you’re wondering what October baseball feels like. Rather choke in the post season than choke right out the gate of the season.
Everyone with a brain and the Internet can watch the games.
Could have been a low risk sign for my team but they are sitting on their hands because Velasquez and Eflin are too good.
I did not miss out. he is good but cant stay healthy. not just one year but lots
Is this English? FFS!
Good teams have depth so they have talented pitchers pitch when healthy and don’t just pray no one gets hurt in 6 months….. and to trade them…..
I agree. Phillies should have signed him. At least get T. Walker.
Phillies could have used him. They need a lefty and Wood has a high ceiling at 4mil. I’m guessing he wanted to go back to LA all along and that’s why he was holding out.
Tijuan or bust
I believe that when Eflin pitches his game, he can be very effective. I would have non tendered Valasquez. Even if they’re so concerned about the tax, they could have gotten a nice bounce back who’s had success in the past for a similar price.
I thought they might have an actual plan (which would have included signing Wood) but I’ve concluded that Klentak is just a really poor GM.
I mean they already picked up Wheeler and Gregorius so I can’t be too upset. I just wanted Valasquez out. He’s pretty been given every chance to succeed in the majors, but he hasn’t taken advantage of it. Even someone like Gio Gonzalez would be a quality signing. They also need to add to the pen.
He overpaid both, that’s easy GM work. The fringes of the team are weak. Bench, Bullpen, and rotation 3 – 5. I am not optimistic about this upcoming season bc they havent made the necessary smaller pick-ups. Their BP signings last year have blown-up in their face.
Yeah, VV can’t pitch. But I’d rather see him in the OF than Odubel lol
As bullpen signings are wont to do, what with the average reliever being a not particularly good pitcher who pitches a very small number of innings per year where results can be highly variable.
The number of relievers who deserve any sort of contractual commitment is very low.
I’ll take Velasquez over Pivetta any day of the week.
This as a response to like 25% of comments on this site.
Gregorius overpaid on the one-year deal lol.
you mean VV and Pivetta. Eflin pitched like a 2/3 before he started dealing with elbow issues. (wasnt well reported, but heard on a broadcast that he was dealing with loose bodies around the time when he went off the rails) Eflin will break out this year if he remains healthy.
Hey there ya go Dodgers fans. Happy now?
dont understand the ire of most. they dont make many offseason moves because their team is already stacked. all they need is BP arms really.
I like this move if he’s going to the bullpen. Otherwise it’s pointless.
Accumulating as much pitching depth as possible is never pointless.
You’re kidding right? Its 4mi, and its the dodgers were talking about
Why is it pointless? Besides needing more than 5 guys to be able to limit the innings of the young guys, at any one time LA will be using the 5 best starters. Every one else, if they’re not on the IL, or at AAA, will be in the bullpen.
And on his birthday, too. Neat!
Out the pen I’ll assume. Can’t see the need for another LH starter
Yeah they really sucked last year with 4 lefties in the rotation. Oh wait, they didn’t
Good move if he stays healthy.
Good signing.
I like it. Can’t have too much pitching. Low risk.
Clubhouse loves him too
1 year, 4M? Great deal.
once again they disappoint us fans, that’s correct blister not hill signed
great signing for the Dodgers & Alex…
Agreed! A great signing…
More depth for the team that
leads in depth…..
I can’t believe the braves couldn’t offer him that. He has #2/3 stuff when healthy
And when was the last time he was healthy?
Bing
Year before last when the Dodgers then stole 2 of the Reds best prospect
Ding 100 points. Woooooo
You never know if this is part of another trade coming if the Dodgers trade a starter out to get that bat. They love their depth if anything.
Man Epp, 4m! You’re asleep at the wheel here..
That’s about as good of a deal as he was gonna get. 4-10 mil, dang. I thought he was a no brainer for the Braves to snag as a low risk high reward deal, but the Braves were gonna offer an incentive base contract that lucrative to him. Nice move for the Dodgers
10 million bucks if he pitches well is a bargain. When you have guys like Roark and Gibson getting 25+ mill guarantees. 4 million bucks if it doesn’t work out isn’t too bad in today’s market.
Well duh. That concept applies to anyone…. if he wins the mvp then this deal is a bargain lol
Well the difference is he only gets the additional $6MM if he actually performs well versus Roark and Gibson get their full $10MM if they pitch 1 quality inning or 200.
Underrated. Wanted the Pads to sign him. Good move by the Bums
The pads are bums
I hope this signing doesn’t mean another wasted season for Urias.
People who like to talk about how these on-the-cheap deals are “no risk” never talk about what they do to roster. Somebody is going to get blocked or bumped. Who should it be?
I mean, only if he’s good enough to deserve it
If he isn’t, then it doesn’t matter
I would guess that Wood has a good probability of ending up in the bullpen, where he has a history of being effective and is less likely to get hurt.
The team has operated like this for years; what exact costs have you seen them incur from their extreme pitching depth over the last 3 years or so, exactly?
Do you think Wood is better than Maeda? (I don’t)
If no, why would all the things that apply to Maeda not also apply to Wood? He’ll end up relieving, and is likely to be better at that than, say, Scot Alexander.
Dodgers lead the NL in ERA literally every season, and you guys are never, ever satisfied with the pitchers. There are folks here upset that their team didn’t sign Wood for a guaranteed starting spot, and we’re complaining because he’s likely to be a 4m bullpen piece.
What move could the FO make with the players currently available in free agency that you would NOT complain about?
@junts: Depth is a great asset, but if a big part of it can’t be stockpiled in the minors then it’s not really depth, it’s play, trade, or release. The Dodgers are missing a piece at the top of the rotation, everybody knows that. Depth doesn’t solve that problem and it’s highly unlikely either of their last two starting pitching signings have that kind of “upside.” Your question is kind of disingenuous given that the FO has already passed on everybody who could have filled that need.
I’m hoping the real plan here is for Wood to pitch mainly out of the bullpen. That would be fine, but that also isn’t how the signing is being framed.
Two things you should know: First, Maeda would probably demand a trade if he’s shuffled to the bullpen again, especially if it’s before September, and second, that management has said they expect Urias to start. It is definitely time for him to get that chance again. Knowing those two things, the depth looks less deep and the flexibility less flexible, doesn’t it?
Maeda can demand all he wants. Did you see Andy McCullough’s article about the topic? Dodgers to Maeda: Want to start? Pitch Better
There are optionable dudes, but more important is flexing them to the bullpen, something that Wood has done successfully before, and Maeda, and May ..and ..and..
There are many talented pitchers there. The ones who pitch the best will start. That may be most likely to be Urias, but if he doesn’t, he won’t keep it.
They will flex them into the DL when they have too many, just like they have for years. That is what the team is built to do. Have you not been watching?
Anyway, I don’t know, what do you want? Cole isn’t on the market anymore. There is no ‘top of the rotation’ piece to sign in free agency. There is not one readily available on the trade market. If they find that piece, they are a lot more likely to do so at the deadline; no one is selling that kind of pitcher right now. It would be nice to have Cole, but that ship has sailed. Do you want them to do nothing?
If Maeda is used properly, which he hasn’t, maybe LA has a ring. He’s only making 3M a year. I say give him a raise, tell him to shut up, and watch him excel as a full time closer or at a minimum a top notch set up piece.
Someone who the organization seems expendable.
Deems*
More likely, the one(s) who are injured or don’t perform as well as expected.
Obviously LA thinks Wood has more upside than the last guy on the staff. Could also be they think one or two guys need more time in the minors. But I can guarantee you that no one with any promise will be lost.
The Dodgers always build to have far more SP than they need, because there are always injuries, and after the 2016 pitching staff debacle they don’t ever want to end up having to acquire spot-starters in-season again.
Wood doesn’t need to have more upside than the #5 starter; if he is as good as that player and provides redundancy against injury, he’s worth $4m to the Dodgers
And he’s certainly better than the 12th guy in the bullpen in almost all scenarios. And the ones where he isn’t, he doesn’t pitch.
That new kid Blue Sky or something like that.
Petey, the pup eith the ring round his rye, is a multi-year unfulfilled promise.
he got injured and was then put on the pen. couldve solidified a spot if not for the DV accusations last year. most of his issues relate little to his actually pitching ability.
Oh—so he doesn’t do most of his damage at Chavez Latrine?
Not like he was coming off a major injury or anything
Man people complain about anything
Have to love the Wood/Nelson gets –
At par these guys eat inns to keep the inns on May Gonsolin Urias Strip Shaw Buehler and even Kenley down in the reg season
If they get back to even 80+ % of what they were 2 years ago its a major coup
Worst case- They are out 7 mill on only 1 yr deals against the cap-
Fine work around the fringes but id Love too see them take out the boomstick off the tee rather than the ole 3 iron time and time again
Solid signing for price. If healthy, worst case, long relief help at reasonable price. Best case, 4 starter.
wow that’s a steal. Klentak what are you doing?
Either Klentak is a total incompetent or Middleton is a liar. Either way, the Phils can look forward to another 80 win, fourth place season.
woudlnt say that the team got better while losing few pieces of value. think they can compete with the Nats given their loss of Rendon and the addition of Girardi and Price, but heck if we measure up with the Braves.
I’m surprised, I don’t see a comment from that headcase StewartnBuck that bashes Eppler because the Angels missed out on another pitcher.
And the Angels have Dylan Bundey
I wish the Angels could’ve of signed Alex Wood but Dylan Bundey Well benefit from not playing in Camden yards launching pad He’ll do a lot better in the pitchers ballpark like Anaheim
his career splits show that he’s actually worse away from Camden Yards…have fun with that!
Because Wood definitely solves the problem of chronically injured pitching staffs.
Since he’s your pitcher this season time to learn how to spell Bundy
They sure have a good team as it is. Plenty of pitchers to offer Rockies or Cubs if they wanted a fresh 3B though
Seriously, the pitching-needy Angels couldn’t match or beat that offer?
Billy Eppler asleep behind the wheel
Mariners missed on Wood and Nelson. Hopefully they will get Taijuan Walker.
Dodgers steal him again
There is absolutely no long term risk here…. that “little risk” line was irrelevant
Incentive based contracts like these make too much sense! Great signing for both parties and the fans.
My friend Jay Reimerschnieder eats horse all the time!
Wish the Reds would have resigned him. When healthy, this guy can be a solid #3 starter.
They got robbed of his talent in a lost year.
The Dodgers need a top of the rotation pitcher and they got another guy to compete for the already crowded bottom of the rotation. Use the upside, Luke!
They already have two top of the rotation pitchers (Kershaw and Buehler). Not sure how a pitcher who has #2-3 potential when healthy is such a terrible signing. Especially when it’s only costing the Dodgers $4MM to take a flyer on him. If he pitches to his full potential he simply bumps guys like Urias, Maeda, Gonsolin and May to the back of the rotation/bullpen which only makes their team that much better.
You’re arguing with an eternal pessimist – he will always be on the dark, depressing side of the moon.
You can come up with such an endless supply of baloney, you should open a deli.
@bdpecore: If you believe that May belongs in the rotation (I do) and Maeda isn’t going to be banished to the bullpen (he’d demand to be traded if that happened) then that means four pitchers are competing for the last spot in the rotation and two of them can’t be sent to the minors. Wood to the bullpen makes sense, but Urias not so much. I believe management when they say they expect him to start this year.
There’s only two debatable scenarios for when the Dodgers obtain the top of the rotation piece they lack, and that’s now or later. I haven’t heard anyone argue that they already have it.
I’m curious why you feel the need to add a top of the rotation starter when you already have Buehler and/or Kershaw. Also I would agree guys like May and Urias deserve an opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation but if someone like Wood out performs them there is no reason to push Wood to the pen. This is about creating quality depth and competition which improves the overall production of the rotation.
If they end up making a trade that includes Julio depth allows you to plug that hole.
Depth is never a bad thing, step away from the ledge dude
How can a guaranteed contract have more incentive value than the base salary? I’ve been extra parched this evening with all the American football on the tele and the beverages are very frigid.
The base value is the only part that is guaranteed.
These kinds of deals are not uncommon for players coming off of lost seasons. Nelson has a similar deal, but many teams throw this kind of thing out. It’s a way for the player to have upside if they return to their pre-injury form, even if the team doesn’t consider that likely. If Wood is good enough to earn the 6m in incentives, he’ll be worth a lot more than 10m to the team.
Smart signing by LAD. I’m my opinion, Alex Wood was arguably the most undervalued arm this offseason.
Funky Lefty outta the University of Georgia, His numbers in 2017 alone warrant that opinion. He went 16-3 w/ 2.74 ERA. Made the all-star team and performed exceptionally in the postseason.
The question mark with this guy is his health . He’s dealt w/ chronic back issues. But LA clearly is OK with that.
Funny that some Dodger fans are grousing about this signing, while the fans of other teams, like the Reds, Angels, Braves, M’s, etc, are complaining that their team didn’t sign him.
I’d say Pirates should have signed up, it I can’t. They would have killed his career like they did with Archer.
Archer killed his career by not being good anymore
Yeah we are spoiled. It’s getting worse too every year.
The Dodgers will move him in and out of the rotation, give him a couple IL stints to keep him fresh, and get solid production out of him.
Wish we’d have signed him for the sixth starter/long reliever role.
Moving Wood “in and out of the rotation”—is that new slang?
What are you 12?
His vocabulary suggests so
even though I think they could do better, I was tired of listening to renovations for the all star game.
Wood replaces Hill and will probably have more starts.
Now to replace Ryu with some kind of a three-way trade.
Take Price Please
Only if The Price Is Right.
Meanwhile at Matt Klentak’s office :
Zzz Zzz Zzz
Dodgers f/o strikes again.. 32 years and counting and no title.. have they done anything to improve team.. if anything, team is weaker.. but its cool winning the nl west
Doyers have $8.25 Billion in the bank before even playing games—who cares what the fans want.
The Dodgers trade him at his high to the Reds for two great prospects whom they continue to develop, Wood then has some of his worst years in Cincinnati, then the Dodgers get him on the cheap as a free agent.
Friedman is an assassin.
Meanwhile Yankees pick up Cole and dodgers get wood and Treinen.. but at least they’ll get smashed in ws.. friedman hardly an assassin.. dodgers are like the buffalo bills.. even the angels and cubs have won more titles than dodgers in my lifetime.. giants have 3 with 1/3 the payroll..
“Picked up Cole” is hardly the full story. They’re spending $324M on Gerrit Cole, somebody who wanted to be in pinstripes anyways. Oh, and they’ve got $265M left for Giancarlo Stanton, who produced 3hr and 13RBIs with putrid sabermetrics.
Meanwhile through trades free agent castoffs, Friedman was able to find indispensable pieces to the current team like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor while stabilizing a core through draft & development in Buehler, Bellinger, Seager, Smith, May, Gonsolin. And they ponied up cash for home town favorites like Kershaw, Turner and Jansen.
I get your argument – they haven’t won a World Series in over 3 decades but as a fan, I don’t expect that as an absolute every year. I expect the team to play like they can win the World Series, but mostly, I expect them to have the talent to compete every year, regardless of who they lose/acquire in free agency or to injury. As a fan, I want to see a product that wins and can go to the play offs and I’m glad Friedman can give me that.
No half-intelligent fan expects championships as an absolute, not in any year. All they can expect and have a perfect right to expect is that ownership will do whatever is in their power to give their team the best possible chance of getting there in any given year. The Dodgers have tremendous financial resources, and they get those resources directly from the fans. They also get it from a media deal that has blacked out half of the TV market for years. That money comes from the fans too, ultimately.
I don’t know if you spend much time in Dodger Stadium, but as a season ticket holder, I sure do. The mood there is not what it used to be, not by a long shot. The home team is getting booed. That’s what 31 years without a championship and seven consecutive postseason failures to close the deal will do. So even if you don’t believe that ownership owes us a maximum effort, then maybe someday they will eventually get the message that they owe it to themselves.
I agree that the Dodgers do have deep pockets, but I don’t know if spending big money on free agency this year would have comforted me. Zach Wheeler is an overpay. Gerrit Cole, the target, took over $300M and who knows how much extra it would have taken for him to be dissuaded from pinstripes. They don’t need outfielders and Rendon didn’t want to play for LA Blue. The free agent game changers didn’t want to play for the Dodgers.
I don;t agree with how they’ve spent money on free agents though. For me, the glaring mistake is AJ Pollock. They were looking for a right-handed hitter to complement the left-handed heavy line-up but history he’s never healthy enough to play a full season. They paid $55M for a platoon player.
I’m not a season ticket holder, but I have had the fortunes and graces to be taken to games by one. I never took the boo-ing to be directed to the whole team, but to poor individual performances, moreso in the regular season. Baez blowing leads. Jansen blowing saves. Machado dogging it down the first base line. Roberts poor in-game managing decisions. The vitriol towards Joe Kelly.
I’m okay with the boo-ing as long as it doesn’t get out of hand and lead to threats, projectiles or physicality. Teams disappoint, Players disappoint and fans get disappointed.
I want that money to be wisely spent. This year’s top free agents didn’t want to be here. It’s not good business but I want the front office to pay Muncy, to pay Taylor, to stop nickel and dime-ing the solid contributors in arbitration. They’ve earned it. I want to see their young prospects play yet somehow get Kershaw that elusive championship in the process. It’s a hard balance, but I’m hoping they can do it. All I’ve got for this season is some hope predicated on what’s happened in past seasons. I’d feel better if they had a #2 between Buehler and Kershaw, but this team can get to play offs as is. All a team needs is a shot.
My case is while other teams are doing what needs to be done to get over the top.. cubs gave up Torres to get 2 months of Chapman.. Torres is a stud but it needed to be done to get the ring.. dodgers farm system is stacked.. they can’t play all their prospects.. Prospects don’t always pan out.. If you can get Lindor and betts, you do it.. the window is now.. turner is getting older.. kershaw isn’t what he once was.. Lindor and betts as much as they are studs offensively are gold glove fielders.. pitching and defense wins titles.. ask the nats.. seager as good as he is will never be a gold glove ss.. Lindor already is and he’s still young.. betts provides protection in lineup for bellinger.. friedman as good as he is has shown that he can get teams to playoffs with his moves but fact is he’s 0-3 in World Series. Dodgers aren’t small market team like rays.. this team was bounced in first round last year and lost hill and ryu..dont full yourself, if cole was paid, he would’ve been a dodger.. had nothing to do with him wanting to be a yankee.. he wanted to get paid..
Giants payroll has always been top 5 in those years, don’t be fooled
Giants were 10th in payroll 2010, 8th in 2012 and 10th in 2014 in baseball payrolls
By some of his worst years you mean :just: last year right ? Its really important to know what your talking about when trying to make a point, well at least it used to be-
You do realize Friedman didnt draft all those guys right? And yea Muncy was a nice find but for every Muncy there is a Yordan Alvarez as well-
Good God. Your reply oozes with pretentiousness. I’ll elaborate so there is no confusion.
I said Wood had some of his “worst years” in Cincinnati. “Yes,” he spent one year in that uniform and it was one of his worst years. After two years of decent production, Friedman was able to turn him, Farmer and Puig into two awesome prospects who will in someway factor into the future of the Dodgers. Then with Wood not being offered a contract, Friedman brought him back at a discount.
So again, Friedman got Cincinnati to pay Alex Wood $9.6M for only 7 starts in 2019 while the prospects the Dodgers got back rank at #4 and #5 on their top 30 list.
And if you had seen a post a wrote to another member within this nest, you would have read,
“Meanwhile through trades and free agent castoffs, Friedman was able to find indispensable pieces to the current team like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor while stabilizing a core through draft & development.”
But you asked the question, “ You do realize Friedman didnt draft all those guys right?”
Yes, yes I do.
And when Yordan Alvarez was traded, he wasn’t on ANY of the prospect ranking lists because he had yet to play a minor league game.
Did you know that?
The Dodgers traded a complete unknown for needed bullpen help. Now, the trade has blown up in their face, but Alvarez had yet to play any games on US soil.
Dodgers need to pull off trade and get betts and Lindor.. dodgers #1 issue is they have zero speed.. Lindor fixes that and sets the table at top of lineup.. betts and bellinger is murderers row.. if they need to take price to get betts than do it.. yankees are the team to beat for the title. Dodgers aren’t close.. Redsox smashed them and astros beat them.. the all or nothing hr hitting doesn’t work in playoffs.. pitching and defense wins titles.. ask the nats.. Lindor and betts happen to be stud defensive players as well
Why trade your farm system for Betts who will leave LA later? I’d say, stay the course without trading for Betts or anyone else.
Its been 32 years since last title.. need to go for it now.. plus betts will attach price so not a lot of prospects would need to go to get him.. maybe betts doesn’t want to be in Boston.. price replaces ryu.. dodgers need to do something big
Bellinger and Chris Taylor are two of the fastest players in baseball. Dodgers don’t steal bases anyway and they had 100 wins last year.
Bellinger is your cleanup hitter and taylor is a utility player.. pretty bad when 1 player in starting 8 has speed.. as you saw in playoffs, good pitching shuts down the all or nothing offenses.. tell me this lineup wouldn’t murder teams
Lindor
Seager
Betts
Bellinger
Turner
Muncy
Pollock
Smith
Gabe, admire your passion for the Dodger’s, but you are clueless about the X’s & O’s part of baseball dude. Stick w being a fan, and not a pseudo manager.
How are the Yankees the team to beat when they’ve been smashed year after year after year by the Astros? I know cole is great and all but to think the script is completely flipped would be a mistake
The Yankees are the team to beat because they have a lights-out offense.. bullpen is nasty and they picked up their ace this offseason all while hurting the Astros at same time..ace was there weakness.. there rotation is good 1-6 Yankees had better record than dodgers last year while missing a bunch of players to injury
Buehler, Kershaw, Maeda, Urías, and May make up the rotation. Everyone else is the bullpen or depth. Nelson’s best years are behind him so he can do long set up, Gonsolin could be bullpen bound as well. Everyone else Triple A for depth.
… But I have promises to keep
Sweet
Puig and Kemp can’t be far behind.
should have signed rich hill and Ryu…what da hell, bring Puig back for a few million to come back
I better see may and gosselin in the rotation, just put wood in the pen. They need to shake this roster up. Player their young guys more and they better not platoon lux keep him at one position. The dodgers don’t know how to play their young guys well cause they always get hurt. Cory, Kershaw, Julio, and I’m sure may or Smith or lux will get injury because they baby their young guys and then throw them out their hoping they pan out. They won’t trade for anyone until the deadline.
Phil Gosselin?
Alex Wood was 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.057 WHIP in 2017. He was lights out in the first half of that season.
If he’s healthy, it seems like a good signing…
He was surprisingly good in his first tenure with LAD. I really didn’t expect much when they got him from ATL. Rick Honeycutt was able to get the best out of Wood, but he’s retired now, so we’ll see how this goes.
If Wood can stay healthy and can pitch well at the games highest level, what a good pickup for the Dodgers. It would be a solid #3 or #4 pitcher. He would help to solidify that rotation if he stays healthy. For 4 million, I’d take the gamble on Wood
We need a power right hand bat!
And now go after their last buy low risk in Tijuan Walker
Never too much depth and some pitchers are available for position trade either preseason or at the deadline
One of the maddening things about chasing the Dodgers, for NLW teams, was the way they could afford to “game the system” with 8 starters on the roster. Especially when the IL length was only 10 days.. When a team has 8 capable starters, chances are 5 of them are going to be reasonably healthy and pitch effectively at any one time/all times. That allowed the Dodgers to open their pocketbook and sign multiple “injury prone” and/or older pitchers each year. Convincing some of them to pitch out of the bullpen at times helps too. The strategy will be a little less effective this year because the IL required time goes back up to 15 days, but if a team has the money, why not “game the system”!
If you had been paying attention the past several years you would know the Dodgers have not been throwing a ton of money around. It has clearly been Friedman’s goal to spend relatively low while other teams are overpaying with huge contracts. Actually knowing what one is talking about is a good thing. You should try it. You may find it refreshing.
Looks like the Dodgers are setting themselves up nicely. With the new rules relative to having to face more than just one batter (as a reliever), I think the good teams will lean toward having starting pitchers in the bullpen that are accustomed to bigger pitch counts. Pitchers that can go once through the lineup really stretch out the game to get to closers.
Championship move. Always have that one guy, Erickson, Sele, Kazmir, Anderson, Schmidt. Now it’s Nelson and Wood. The calendar says they’re younger than the previous victims. So there’s that.
Dodgers still acting like the Rays. Sad.
Does anyone know how incentives count towards the luxury/competitive balance tax? According to Cots anyway, their luxury hit is only $4M, but I’m guessing that will go up as incentives are achieved. It seems like the luxury hit should be the full $10M, just so that teams know going in what to budget for.
Dead wood is back. Print those WS tickets now!
Smh