Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tells Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times that he’s yet to discuss a contract extension with the team but hopes to do so this offseason. Roberts is under contract through the 2022 campaign already, so the team doesn’t necessarily need to feel any urgency to get a new agreement worked out, although it’s common for managers in good standing with their clubs to ink deals that avoid “lame duck” status (i.e. managing through the final season of a contract with no deal in place the following year). President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman tells Castillo that the Dodgers “fully expect [Roberts] to be a large part of our future success.” While the Dodgers obviously won’t repeat as World Series champions, they still won 106 games during the regular season and, as Castillo profiles, dealt with a significant slate of injuries to various key players throughout the regular season and the playoffs.
Some more notes o the Dodgers…
- Corey Seager will head into the open market for the first time in his career on the heels of a .306/.381/.545 showing across his past two seasons (147 games, 641 plate appearances, 148 wRC+). He missed two months this year after an errant fastball broke his hand, but his bat looks as good or even better than it did prior to 2018 Tommy John surgery. Seager spoke of the difficulty of facing the “unknown” that is free agency but also made clear he’d love to return to the Dodgers (video via Sportsnet L.A.). “Absolutely,” Seager replied when asked if he wants to return. “I grew up here. I’ve spent a lot of time here. I believe in what these guys do. I believe in how we go about it. Yeah, absolutely.”
- It’s a similar story for Kenley Jansen, who hopes to be a Dodger for life, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Jansen’s decline in 2019-20 was a notable storyline for the Dodgers, but DiGiovanna explores how Jansen made some changes to his training regimen at the suggestion of director of team performance Brandon McDaniel. Jansen’s velocity and cutter movement rebounded in 2021, and he turned in a 2.22 ERA through 69 innings of relief. That said, Jansen’s strikeout, swinging-strike and chase percentages were at or below their 2020 levels, and his walk rate jumped to 12.9 percent — his highest rate since his rookie year back in 2010. Teammates Trea Turner (who faced Jansen as an opponent in the first half) and Clayton Kershaw discuss with DiGiovanna the manner in which Jansen has evolved as a pitcher since his days with a cutter-only approach. Another multi-year figures to be out there for Jansen, but given that he’ll pitch next year at 34, it figures to be a good bit shorter than the five-year pact he signed in the 2016-17 offseason.
Tough to stay healthy for a full 162 games + playoffs.
Lol
Is there a league minimum salary for managers like there is players? If front offices like the Dodgers and Yankees are just going to use a manager that always does exactly what their analytics department says why not just save money by only hiring managers who will do it for the lowest possible salary? Seems like they could save some money that way and it shouldn’t really matter who the manager is since the front office runs the team anyway.
Managers have a lot more responsibilities than just in-game button pushing.
Tough choice between seager and Turner. I think Turner has a higher upside, but I’d guess he also will cost more. Seager has really come through in the playoffs also. They won’t keep both right?
I think everyone in baseball believes that Seager won’t resign with the dodgers that’s why the dodgers traded for Turner. Turner will go to short stop and Lux will become second base. Dodgers are pretty full already 1B Muncy; 2B Lux 3B Turner SS Turner; LF Polluck CF Bellinger RF Bettis
Trading for Turner and Scherzer was understandable. I don’t know if that means they don’t want to sign Seager, but perhaps plan to see how his market plays out. They’ll likely pass if some team gives him inflated Lindor money, but might be open to bringing him back at a lower number. Trea Turner is a free agent after next year, so his leverage will skyrocket if Seager leaves and all the top SS’s sign deals this offseason. They could also opt not to bring Justin Turner back after 2022, and go with a Lux, Seager and Trea Turner. The Dodgers have covered themselves at the minimum for 2022 with Trea Turner, but I don’t believe they’re giving up on Seager.
I see Seager at 3B after J. Turner’’s contract is up. Could even be that Justin stays in a utility role.
Or next season if the NL adds the DH and JT moves to that role.
Signing both Trea and Seager is not expected but not impossible, if there is a DH Justin or Lux would fit there.
Trea Turner is under contract for 1 more year. Seager is a free agent and has Boras as an agent. My guess is the Dodgers don’t resign Seager as someone will greatly overpay for him. The Dodgers then move Trea Turner to SS and Lux takes over at 2nd.
Only people outside of LA assume they “can’t” keep both
There’s 5 superstar shortstops on the market and the best one is coming from LA. It’s hilarious to think they plan to not be involved at all. Trea Turner is leverage with Boras as much as he was a piece to try to win 2 more titles
@BeforeMc…I think everyone is aware of the money the Dodgers like to throw around, but chances are they won’t spend that much with other needs they still need to address. With Jansen, Kershaw, Seager, Max, and Taylor going to FA, that’s a lot of dough to try and bring back everyone. My guess is Jansen and Kershaw get resigned, possibly Taylor…the rest are gone.
I agree. They could easily eclipse $300M on Scherzer and Kershaw alone. Just with their open contracts, plus their arbitration guys, they are at $255M.
The way I figure it, they have 3 SPs in Buehler, Urias, and Gonsolin, so they need two more. They have May, but he might not be available until late-July. After that, it’s Scherzer & Kershaw.
So it is $300M with Kershaw & Scherzer, without Taylor or a proven closer.
Max is replacing Bauer’s money
Kershaw will not cost 30M+. With his uncertainty, a 2/40M-2/50M is max I see him getting. 10M in saving
Kenley will not cost 20M+. He probably doesn’t cost 10M, 10M in saving
They probably have to pay Taylor with no real option to replace him, unless Lux is to become the next Taylor. But the reduction of CK’s and Kenley’s salary, plus Corey’s current money, covers Corey’s new salary. if Kenley walks altogether, that is the money for Taylor
because they’ve developed such a large portion of their roster, they can afford to pay their FA if they choose. and the math isnt that hard
You think Scherzer and Kershaw are going to cost $300 million to retain?
My guesses:
Scherzer – 3 years, $110 million
Kershaw – 2 years, $66 million plus vesting option based on IP
Of course if the Rangers want to do something stupid with Kershaw, he will be gone.
Two significant factors are the results of the next CBA(hopefully no strike) and if the LAD can get out of the Bauer contract (based on criminal and MLB investigations)
Parenthetical phrases are sponsored today by crossed fingers.
vtadave
You think Scherzer and Kershaw are going to cost $300 million to retain?
==========================================
No, I was referring to the team payroll, starting at $255M.
I wouldn’t assume that the LAD can void Bauer’s contract. No one even knows if the police will press charges.
“An L.A. County Superior Court judge denied the woman’s request for a permanent restraining order on Aug. 19, ruling that Bauer did not pose a continual threat and that the woman’s injuries were not the result of anything she verbally objected to before or during the encounters.”
Based on this, I’m not sure of how the police move forward.
Not saying you’re wrong Joe, but don’t forget MLB has their own ruling, so Bauer doesn’t need to be charged with anything for them to suspend him.
Brady,
Your take on Bauer is probably wrong. The restraining order failed because Bauer is no longer a threat. But they can easily prosecute Bauer for a felony even if the evidence suggests that she told him she wanted a BDSM style encounter. Bauer admits that he kept going when she passed out and under the law, I am doubtful that any prior oral consent by her will insulate him. I think he will enter into some sort of plea deal, get a light sentence, get some counseling, and hopefully be away from MLB for the next year or two if not more. Trevor Bauer is an awful creepy guy, but it is hard to say based on information in the media that he is much worse than Marcell Ozuna who allegedly was choking his wife but somehow is escaping jail time. But Ozuna’s wife might have worked out a deal with him and decided not to further cooperate, just speculation.
I think that’s based on a negotiation with the union.
Dyson got suspended for 2021, but didn’t even play in 2020. Russell got 40 games. Torres got 100 games, but that was pointing a gun at his wife, and he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated assault.
It might also have something to do with the way the courts handle the case. I think the majority of these cases, the charges are dropped because a settlement is arranged. That’s expedient, but something of an admission of guilt. If no charges are filed, because Bauer’s lawyer makes a better case than the plaintiff’s lawyer, then Bauer has more standing to say he did absolutely nothing wrong.
Max isn’t replacing Bauer’s money because Bauer has not had his contract voided, has not had any MLB discipline that would result in loss of pay, and is definitely not opting out of his deal. So at this point the Dodgers have to act as if they will be paying him next season
This requires more speculation than I am trained for. Watching L&O only gets one so far in the legal profession. My guess is that the current ruling give him a lot of coverage.
That said, if he cops to a lesser charge, then MLB will go all-in on him. But I think their max punishment so far is one year, and that was for a guy no longer playing. After that, Torres got hit with 100 games, but he was minimum wage anyway.
But complicating this is the fact that Bauer is finished, and I see no way he walks away from the $64M due to him. Then the question becomes whether or not MLB, or the union, have an interest in dragging this out, especially with a guy that lives on social media. And neither Manfred nor the union are going to be sympathetic to the LAD salary cap issues. They’ll want this to go away, no matter what the cost is to LA.
I think Bauer will next pitch in another country.
@JoeBrady…I think you misunderstand the latitude that the commissioner has R/T domestic violence. Criminal charges will give the MLBPA less grounds for an appeal on Bauer’s behalf. But if he’s suspended for the season, LAD can avoid paying him and try to void his contract.
I highly doubt Kershaw will place a strain on the payroll anymore; he knows where he is at in his career and is not going to ask for 30MM.
Aside from the insanity involved, it is a darn interesting case. This is really kind of two different cases wrapped up in one.
The first is just the legal case itself. It’s a bit like an assault case against someone you are already having an affair with.
But the second part is more a business law case. I had a contract with a previous employer that I am sure they would’ve liked to have gotten out of. And they could have, but only if I was fired ‘for cause’. And that, of course, is not defined.
IRT Bauer, while the behavior probably seems a bit far afield to most people, we are in an era where two consenting adults can do pretty anything they want, including getting choked out. So while the LAD will seek to void the contract on a morality clause, Bauer will claim the ‘two adult’ thing, and claim that the LAD just don’t like the contract anymore.
Hopefully, both sides get tired of it and use money to make it go away.
The only way the Dodgers can get out from under Bauer’s contract if they don’t want to wait for the legal process to play out would be to try to negotiate a buyout and just pay him to go away
If Jansen resigns in LA I don’t know if he is the “closer” brusdar looked sharp in the playoffs as did Treinen. Jansen was great this year but can he keep runs of the board with the HIGH walk rate
He was a top 5 closer . He the closer till he show he can’t do it anymore. You don’t just replace a guy top 5 in saves and a era under 3
Jansen looked pretty damn good ever since ditching the I’m going throw mostly cutters all day approach. He’s mixing up more fastballs and sliders. Less predictable and had more command overall.
Jansen was dominant from August on, and apparently made adjustments after his three straight blown saves in July. I think teams will factor that in, as opposed to simply his overall season walk rate.
Part of being a team is the business side which that side tells that Jansen would have to give the dodgers a huge discount to come back. Game 5 of the dodgers vs giants showed you that he didn’t get the save Scherzer in my opinion says a lot
Benjamin, Jansen pitched the 8th in a tie game and would likely have come back out if it was still tied in the 9th. Going to Scherzer in one playoff game says almost nothing about their faith in Jansen as a closer.
Yep Jansen had a 2.0 BB/9 from August 1 through the playoffs.
Time for LAD to reap the benefits of that scary bullpen. They’re too deep to need to overpay a closer – though they can afford that mistake.
Corey Seager, another bat boosted by TJS.
Dodgers Q0 seager. Declines. Kyle signs where his brother signs. My guess would be Detroit who could spend money on offense.
I think detroit will get 1 of the shortstops. Seager to Seattle would be interesting; replacing his bro at 3rd base.
Will DiPoto speak to this Seager? Seriously. I can’t imagine Kyle will have great things to say about DiPoto.
I don’t know if your scenario is likely, but I do think it’d be pretty cool to see it play out that way.
I’d like to see the dodgers cut some payroll instead of spending twice as much as other teams. According to rosterresource they already have an estimated luxury tax payroll of $203 MM for 2022. They don’t need Seager on a $200 MM contract or Jansen on $15 MM per year.
Bringing back Taylor would be great, and then give a chance to players like Rios, Bush, Vargas etc. For pitching, it depends on what Bauer’s situation is but they could bring back kershaw or scherzer on a short deal.
The Dodgers do not need to cut payroll, the other teams need to start spending more.
So we (not me) can keep doling out 12-14 year deals, paying HoFers to be bench players making 20x what the guys doing all the heavy-lifting? Pujols is an exception, but even one of the greats ended up as dead money.
Albert made 500K in LA……..
apart from the clubhouse presence, what does he really bring over a rookie for the dodgers?. If he goes somewhere i’d like somewhere like kc or baltimore where he can be a semi-coach.
Exactly Pujols would have received that money if no team had signed him. He did better than I had expected, but I do not see him back with Dodgers next year.
I can see the Dodgers try to trim some payroll by not pursuing some of these high $ free agents. I love Kershaw the person and past performance but future performance I’d pass. Scherzer is older and some risk and will command high $. Taylor is great but going to have to pay too much. Same for Seager. Jansen? It doesn’t stop. This is when teams start to break down. Unless you have cheaper talent to offset it’s hard to maintain same level of play as you just can’t pay everyone. You can make it even worse by signing an older player to a long-term contract but I don’t see the Dodgers doing that. More likely they will pass on some of these expiring contracts.
They gave chances to a whole slew of bench hitters this year and they were all terrible
Dodgers won 112 games in 2021.
106 plus 1 plus 3 plus 2 equals more wins than any other team has or will get to.
Losing to another great team in NLCS is disappointing, but what they have been doing for the past decade is still working.
Lol
Dave roberts is the most overrated manager
I’d throw Alex Cora in that discussion, too.
Don’t forget Joe Maddon. Pretty overrated as well.
Joe Maddon is fine; Angels had no pitching other than Otani; who else could win more than 75 games without Trout and Rendon and 2 of your starters are cast offs from the Orioles.
Artie is the problem…
I know as I work within a stones throw of Honk Land
that was his choosing. he brought in a lot of his former players past prime. but most blame the gm for going with him to the oblivion.
Roberts use of Max Scherzer in relief against the Giants in my opinion was a bad move in that he could not start Saturday against the Braves.
Dodgers win with unbelievable talent, depth, and payroll for the depth.
That was not Roberts’ worst decision in the NLCS. No, it was using Urias in relief in game 2 that sealed the Dodgers fate.
Dave is a great regular season manager, as his winning percentage bears out. But he is very inconsistent with tactics in high-leverage situations, whether they’re in game or in a close series.
Roberts worst decisions in the NLCS
1. Urias in game 2
2. Not IBB Riley in the 9th game 1 or Rosario in game 2
3. Look like they trust Graterol in high leverage but then they don’t.
4. Playing Lux in CF. What was Dave thinking?
I think Roberts is a good fit. But maybe Roberts and Friedman should rely on pitching coach more for deciding pitching changes.
No one is signing anywhere until after the new CBA Is in place
That will be in Feb or March, 2022.
With the Boras clients, they wouldn’t sign before Feb. or March anyways.
What makes you think that?
A few may sign sooner, but probably not the big money ones.
Dodgers:
QO Seager, he will not accept. they get draft choice – main goal.
QO Jansen, he will not accept, but they resign him anyways to no more than 4 years
Resign Kershaw or let him walk to his desire, I doubt they QO him out of respect.
I believe they already QO Jansen 5 years ago so they can’t this time around.
They will QO Kershaw if he is leaving. During the next two seasons, he will hit 200 wins and 3000 strikeouts and will be a first ballot hall of famer. We will see if he is a Dodger or a Ranger.
As a RS fan, I’d have an interest in Jansen, but for no more than two years, The LAD are in the driver’s seat for this one. They will QO Jansen. If he accepts, they have him for one year at a reasonable price. If he declines the QO, then there won’t be many teams willing to give up a draft choice for him, in addition to the contract value.
I think that you are right. But if I were the Dodgers, it would depend upon the DH. If there is a DH, I would want to keep both Taylor and Seager and would let Jansen go before doing a 19 million QO. Kershaw will get offered two years 45 million plus incentives and will stay unless his wife wants to move to Texas, on which case he will go to Rangers not Astros. If Bauer contract is voided, Dodgers will get another pitcher, but it might not be Scherzer.
Dodgers are in good position to be the #1 seed in 2022. Out of all their free agents, Mad Max is the most important to bring back.
Friedman would have to be as dumb as Roberts to keep the worst manager in baseball on board. Roberts does not have a clue and never has, regarding how to handle the pitching staff. He personally destroyed any chance for wins for Scherzer or Urias for the NLCS by idiotically using them in relief when it was not necessary. He then had to resort to bullpen games unnecessarily. Had the Dodgers had a manager that was even somewhat of a tactician, they would have won the World Series in 2017, 2018, and 2021. They won in 2020 in spite of Roberts. Fire him!!!
Urias for the NLCS by idiotically using them in relief when it was not necessary.
================================================
So Urias’ 4 innings of one-run ball, in a 2-1 victory, in the deciding game of the NLCS, wasn’t necessary?
Not a Roberts fan or Dodgers fan but if you think anyone other than the front office was calling the shots you are naive. This loss is on Friedman and Company. This team won’t win a World Series in a 162 game season with them calling the shots. The front office gets pitching happy in the playoffs and blows it. And NO I don’t consider a 60 game season title anything other than a tournament win. Friedman is a great finder of talent but let’s leave it there.
Lol, probably the most clueless comments I’ve read on this site. Maybe you should try analyzing something easier like rock, paper, scissors.
You’re the dumb one.
Friedman not only hired Roberts, he resigned him and appears he might do so again, so what does that say?
This Freidman lead organization seems content to win regular season games, calling the playoffs a SSS (small sample size) and leaving the winning the WS almost to “chance” versus setting up their roster at the trade deadline for deep playoff runs. In particular not creating the necessary pitching depth like ALL the other WS winners before them.
Can any Dodger fans say with a straight face the Dodgers had enough pitching depth, both starters and high leverage relievers to win another WS? To play the 90+ days from July 31 where rosters are essentially frozen. They were NOT in first place at the time so the route to the WS was plausibly going thru the wild card game.
Max replaced Bauer, so in substance he was not an “add”
Duffy was supposed to be depth but was injured when acquired and never pitched.
They never caught the Giants, their playing in the Wildcard game alone seemed to mess them up and even though they survived the NLDS, their staff exited that series messed up and all it took was a Kershaw injury. WOW who saw that as a possibility?
It’s not just this year, Remember when they stayed pat at the trade deadline when they had peak Kershaw and Greinke?
These guys are the supposedly the smartest guys in MLB, but they just remind me of that definition of insanity, “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. It’s a waste of a immensely talented starting 8
If teams that win the world series do all this, then how come they almost never repeat? It’s because winning is a crapshoot. The best team doesn’t always win and yes, SSS does have a lot to do with it. Over 162, it takes depth but over a 5 or even 7 game series, role players get hot and one pitcher can start twice so depth isn’t as important.
That said, I do think that analytics plays a role in that you can’t measure heart, commaraderie, work ethic, etc.
Mind blowing concept: The front office played a major role in those choices
Lol Seager will never end up in Detroit. Being he has boras as his agent, that alone almost assures the dodgers won’t sign him. Dodgers don’t deal with boras. Seager as i have Said from day one will be a yankee next year.
That would be horrible! Plus, don’t think he could handle that toxic atmosphere
Dodgers have a lot of Boras clients including their 2 biggest free agents right now. So the narrative they won’t sign Boras clients is just wrong.
Seager to Chicago….
I believe Seager will be a Tiger. Before their nose dive into rebuilding, many high-priced Boras free agents came to the Tigers. There is a strong history between Boras and the Ilitches. The rumor is Carlos to Detroit because of Hinch, but I’m placing my money on Seager.
Dodgers should resign Seager. Period. Justin Turner has been great but I see him in a DH role, should that be added to the NL. Seager gets paid but slides over to 3rd. Extend T. Turner now. Your entire infield is covered for years to come. Lux at 2nd , Muncy at 1st.
Do not resign Jansen. Do resign Chris Taylor, no matter what. Make a decision on Kershaw or Scherzer or let Kershaw do it. Resign Kelley , if he is healthy.
Honestly, what would you rather have? One more year of Justin Turner at 3rd or five more years of C. Seager. Pay Seager and he will move.
Firing Robert’s would be the best moving forward!
Maybe I am old school, but if you win 112 games in one year, you retain the GM and you retain the field manager. I agree that Roberts has an easier job given the talent of his players and the size of their payroll, but I will take 112 wins every year. The way the Dodgers survived Bauer the creep and the Braves survived Marcell the creep is a credit to both teams.
If you are planning to be a postseason team in 2022, get Seager and Taylor. Guys who produce in the postseason are worth the contracts.
It just depends how much the competition offers. I would prefer to keep both Seager and Taylor over using their money to sign Scherzer. But it is a close call. The Dodgers are not going to give any of them silly money, but if they can void years two and three with Trevor Bauer, you can expend them to spend that money.
I don’t think Scherzer goes back to the LAD unless they blow him away with a ridiculous offer. Just a hunch, but I don’t think the way they used him in the postseason sat particularly well. Money, wins and a conversation might quickly erase that. My gut feeling is Max ends up a Giant, however.
Padres were close. He probably ends up there. If the NS does not come back to the Mets, the Dodgers should be all over him (as any other team should).
Max begged to close that game.
Whatever they decide to do, I’m sure they’ll be in thick of it next year too. It’s pretty remarkable what they’ve managed to to do the past decade. They finally won one last year, and in all honesty should have two by now were it not for a certain unscrupulous organization.
As Jed Hoyer pointed out regarding the Cubs “core”, they all say the right thing until it comes time to put pen to paper. Then it becomes all about the almight dollar.
Why not Jensen to San Diego? Preller loves big names free agents
Never heard of this Jensen guy, so I’m not sure he qualifies as a big name.
Jansen, sure.
Would Max take 1/40M from the Dodgers and become a FA again in 2023? Or would he be better off with 2/60M from another team? Given his age and the mileage on his arm, he may have a tough decision to make.
I’m hoping the Dodgers give Scherzer a solid 3-year deal.
I’m almost certain at this point in his career that he is going to prioritize years over annual salary
It’s time to move on from Robert’s, one 60 game WS, with a plethora of talent over the years, and complete mismanagement regarding his pitching staff year in and year out in crunch time.
60 game World Series. Hahaha. 29 other teams were trying like hell to win that thing.
Is this a failure of Dave Roberts or “anal”-ytics? I doubt playing fielders out of position to boost offense, using starters to relieve, and overusing the bullpen is something Robert’s would do without the prompting of the Anal. Dept. The next frontier is “anal”-ytics of “anal”-lytics.
“Teammates Trea Turner (who faced Jansen as an opponent in the first half)”
First half of what? This season? A past playoff series / ALCS? Even if it’s the season, Turner didn’t face him but a handful of times.
Go all in on Seager, Taylor, Kelly and Knebel. Let the rest go.
It depends on the price. The Dodgers can afford Seager, Taylor, Kershaw and Knebel. But if someone offers Seager 240 million over eight years, or Taylor 150 million over six years, then you have to kick the tires on other quality free agents.
Let Seager walk, he is below average defensively. They need to resign Taylor. I can appreciate what Kenley has done for the Dodgers.., but Treinen pitched to the heart of the lineup many many times and Kenley would come in after and get the saves. So if he takes less money, maybe 2 years @ $10 mil. each with an option for year 3. If not than Bye.
Please don’t sign Roberts to an extension. Sorry but he hasn’t earned it. We need a coach that knows how to run a pitching staff. Not this Clown !!!!