December 16: The Dodgers have made it official, announcing the signing. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic provides details on the incentives. Syndergaard will earn a $500K bonus for reaching 130, 150 and 170 innings pitched.
December 14: The Dodgers and right-hander Noah Syndergaard are in agreement on a one-year contract that will see him make $13MM with $1.5MM in incentives available. He’ll reportedly unlock a $500K bonus for reaching each of 130, 150 and 170 innings. Syndergaard is represented by CAA Sports.
Syndergaard, 30, was once one of the best pitchers in the majors. In 2016, he tossed 183 2/3 innings with a 2.60 ERA, 29.3% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 51.2% ground ball rate. He was worth 6.0 wins above replacement that year in the estimation of FanGraphs, third in the majors among pitchers with only Clayton Kershaw and José Fernández ahead of him. That was the highlight of a stretch from 2015 to 2019 in which he tossed 716 innings with a 3.31 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and 49.1% ground ball rate.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to be himself over the past few years, as he required Tommy John surgery in March of 2020. That prevented him from pitching at all in that season and he also hit a few setbacks in 2021, ultimately limited to tossing just two innings late in the year. Despite that lengthy layoff, the Mets extended a qualifying offer to him after that season, which he rejected in order to sign with the Angels on a one-year, $21MM deal.
2022 was good but not great for Syndergaard. He stayed healthy enough to make 24 starts and one relief appearance, logging 134 2/3 innings. That included a midseason trade to the Phillies, whose World Series run allowed him to toss another 8 1/3 innings in the postseason. His 3.94 ERA was not spectacular, though it was solid enough. However, his fastball averaged “just” 94.5 mph after averaging 98.2 mph from 2015 to 2018. He struck out just 16.8% of batters he faced, a huge drop-off from his earlier marks. He still showed excellent control, walking just 5.5% of batters faced, and posted a 42.8% ground ball rate that was right around league average. But the overpowering “Thor” from the previous decade didn’t seem present.
MLBTR predicted that Syndergaard would be able to secure a three-year, $36MM contract, an average annual value of $12MM. Instead, he has opted for a one-year “prove it” deal for a second consecutive season. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that Syndergaard had larger multi-year offers for more money from other teams but preferred to spend one year with the Dodgers and return to the open market again next winter.
The Dodgers have definitely preferred short-term deals and they have another one here. Last year, they signed Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney to one-year pacts worth $8MM and $8.5MM, respectively. They each went on to have very successful seasons, in different ways, that led to larger guarantees once they returned to the open market. Anderson got $39MM over three years from the Angels while Heaney got $25MM over two years from the Rangers, plus incentives and the ability to opt-out after the first season of the deal. Syndergaard has settled for a significantly lower salary than he got from the Angels a year ago, when he hardly pitched in the previous two seasons, but it seems he and the Dodgers are hoping this is a gamble that will pay off one year from now. Broadly speaking, the track record for pitchers in the second year after Tommy John surgery is stronger than in the first, which could help both parties win this bet.
For the Dodgers, this bolsters a rotation that was already strong but had its share of uncertainty. Syndergaard will slot in next to Julio Urías, Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May. Those four are also very good pitchers, but the group comes with injury concerns. Kershaw hasn’t been able to throw 130 innings in a season since 2019 due to various ailments. May just came back from Tommy John surgery late in 2022 and only made six starts on the year. Gonsolin jumped from swingman to starter in 2022 but dealt with a forearm strain down the stretch. Adding Syndergaard gives them an extra arm to get through the season and will reduce the need to rely on depth options like Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove and Andre Jackson. It’s possible that Walker Buehler could contribute later in the year, but it’s not a guarantee after he underwent Tommy John surgery in August.
Financially, this deal brings the Dodgers’ payroll up to $185MM, per Roster Resource. That’s still well shy of the Opening Day figure they had in 2022, which was $281MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. However, it’s been reported that the Dodgers are hoping to reset their luxury tax status this year. The competitive balance tax features escalating penalties for teams that pay it in consecutive seasons. The Dodgers paid in 2021 and 2022 and would be a third-time payor if they did so again in 2023, but they could go into 2024 as a “first-time” payor by limboing under the line in the coming season. Roster Resource pegs their current CBT figure at $201MM. That’s more than $30MM under the lowest tax threshold of $233MM, though there’s a chance Trevor Bauer’s suspension could be overturned, putting his contract back on the books and leaving the club’s CBT figure right around that threshold. A decision on that matter is expected in the next month.
In terms of the market for starting pitchers, Syndergaard is the latest of many dominoes to fall in the past couple of weeks. Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling, Jose Quintana, Zach Eflin and Mike Clevinger have all come off the board recently. For teams still interested in starting pitching, Carlos Rodón is clear top option available, followed by Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, Johnny Cueto, Corey Kluber, Drew Smyly and others. Syndergaard’s name hadn’t been connected to many teams this offseason, though the Orioles had a Zoom call with him earlier this month.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the Dodgers and Syndergaard were in agreement. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic first reported that it was a one-year deal. Jon Heyman of The New York Post first had the $13MM salary and incentives. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times first added the $1.5MM value of those incentives, with Ardaya further reporting the exact breakdown of those bonuses.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Wow
One good signing after another, don’t count LAD as having a bad winter…
Idk why, but I feel like the Dodgers typically always know things about players that other teams don’t..Or they’re just really good at taking gambles..lol
This signing in particular, I think they’re going to get an excellent year out of Thor..
While most see him in a downward swing, and are scared off by his lack of velocity, I think the Dodgers know pitchers typically don’t get a real feel for their pitches until their second season after being healthy…With him having a fairly solid year last year, they likely expect he will only improve upon his results from last season..
agree
i thought the angels should have signed him for 2 seasons. he might get that full strength in the upcoming season.
It’s a one year deal at a reasonable salary. A good number 5 starter for the Dodgers. Low risk signing.
LAD didn’t seem to know much about Craig Kimbrel when they traded for him before last season!
Richardc – OR the LADs don’t know much more than most in this regard. Thor was looking to sign a one year deal to reset his value. Was he going to do it with a lousy team in a hitter’s ballpark like in Cincy, or with a very good team in a pitcher’s ballpark like in LA?
It’s a good move for both sides. The Dodgers, as much as any team, will help him finish off his conversion from thrower to pitcher, something he needs now with his velocity is down.
I guess we can refer to the trajectory of Thor’s career as Noah’s arc.
He looked very good in the post season for the Phillies
@#1WSFan- Kimbrel had a much better season than Pollock so I’d say LA did quite well with that trade, even if Kimbrel was just slightly above average instead of his old self.
Like Cole Hamels
Good in relief
Yeah this will probably be the best signings this off-season.
Much better than deGrom or Rodon. Neither can stay healthy. Also believe Thor will roar in LA. Nice contract for the team with no risk. Does not keep them from signing others.
Rodon hasn’t even signed yet. What Rodon deal are you talking about? deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball when healthy. Saying “better” in this scenario is taking a helluva lot of copium for whatever you’re dealing with.
Padres love hitting syndergaard, so I’m cool with this
They also love looking up at the Dodgers in the division.
Padres love finally having their own fans in the stadium after years of home games against LA sounding like away games in LA.
By restricting ticket purchases to the San Diego area only….but whatever, the Padres doing well in San Diego is good for sports. San Diego has been a crap city for pro sports.
Imagine trying to talk sh— to Padres fans after that ghastly NLDS…LA stays clueless.
When’s the last time the Padres won a Word Series? 1900 and never?
Padres have only been around since 1969, doofus. LA hasn’t won since 88…
Padres were top 5 in attendance and only a few of those games were against the Dodgers.
dodgers love getting beat by a team sans-Tatis Jr.
Dodgers won in 2020 and 1988 is a whole lot more recent than never, Doofus.
It’s humorous to me when a franchise that’s never won a title tries to talk trash about how long it’s been since another team, who actually has won a title, won.
Using 2020 as an example…when will y’all learn. Spring training seasons are fake.
As a close runner-up on Syndergaard, the Guardians now pivot to Corey Kluber.
HI Curly.
how is this a good signing?
13 mil for a borderline #5
Man the dodgers know how to run a organization. Dipping below the tax. Brilliant. Notice how they didn’t sign anyone to 13 year deals. That’s how you can identify a well ran organization.
@iverbure….
Generally agree with you. So look as the elephant Mr T Bauer isn’t lurking in the corner.
They didn’t sign him at the top of the market though. Every other team would have got him for 7-8 years. They were smart enough to give him opt outs. Opt outs are always team friendly. Means player has great season. If Bauer was pitching he would have opted out of his deal.
@ Iverbure – Yeah – you are right – it was a relatively short term deal which only cost them on the CPT and not on their real balance sheet following suspension.
The Dodgers – to be fair and especially under the current regime – are relatively clever, but also patient and generous (Bellinger/Muncy) with the many dollars that have to play with.
Plus Chavez Ravine is a great place to match a game.
LOLLLLLL
You good chuckles?
Hello, Newman
You screwed me again.. Pennypacker!
Not a bad pickup.
As a Braves fan, if the Dodgers sign Swanson, I’m going to go outside, build a snowman, label it LAD and punch & kick it every day. I’ll steal the hat & scarf & eat the carrot. If that’s not enough, I’ll take my 2 fingers & poke it in the eyes…
the eyes are made out of coal tho….
You should really name it Anthopoulos
Dansby isn’t not going to be a Brave anymore and the dodgers seems like a higher probability. You maybe building a lot of snowmen this winter.
@Soco, you’re right, I’m feeling frosty around the edges right about now…
Only way Dansby is a Dodger is if the market for him tanks and he takes a deal that is significantly lower than the other 3 SS free agents received. I just don’t see the Dodgers getting him. Someone will overbid for him.
Curly only has 2 fingers?
Yup, 2 to poke Moe in the eyes with & the same 2 to claim the victory sign with Nixon! (we are not criminals)
They have snow in Georgia??? I thought you could lounge all year in shorts in GA.
No it’s Wyoming where you can wear shorts year round!
ask chipper jones on how he was stuck on the freeway for 8 hours one winter.
braves likely wont resign swanson since they have marquis Grissom II.
payroll is high from a number of long term contracts.
“Not a bad pickup”
Thanks, it’s a Chevy.
Did you drive it to the levee?
Was it dry?
Them good ‘ol boys were drinking whiskey and rye….
And Buddy Holly said that was the day that I died
They should switch to malt liquor.
Bye, Bye, American Pie!
What the
Great low-risk signing! I’m surprised this was the best deal he could find in this crazy market. I figured he’d at least sign a “Giants Deal”….2 years with an opt out after year 1.
Agree. As a cubs fan, I was hoping they’d throw more money than that at him even for one year. He’d look great at the back end of the rotation.
There has also been a fair amount of turning down a better deal to play somewhere else? Judge turned down a better deal, turner turned down a better deal, and now Thor turned down a better deal
Inflation will help his pay rate increase in 2023 offseason
An effective 3-inning pitcher that pitches once every 6 days… perfect fit for LA
Three innings? Perfect fit for Twins.
3 innings? By 2033 all starters will be “openers” and only face each batter once. If they get nine outs in their one round through the order they will max out at 3 innings. They will be followed by 6-8 relievers. Active Rosters will be expanded to 35 to accommodate having 22 man pitching staffs along with 13 fielders. Wins will be a non-stat as who will care about the pitcher that happened to throw the 5th inning while leading or whatever inning in a comeback. Shut Outs will be redefined as “Shutout innings” and relievers will get Holds and SOI’s as in 70 appearances, 40 holds, 35 shut out innings and the “triple crown” of pitching will be ERA+, WAR, & missed bat rate.
If you’re right about the future, then Sandy Alcantara will have to be handcuffed and dragged off the field after 3 innings.
Imagine if Alcantara was a free agent this season, I would make sure he was paid much higher than Verlander and Schwarzer.
Sandy Alcantara is currently the greatest bargain in the MLB. I would have a dedicated telephone circuit installed for Alcantara trade negotiations and only give the phone number to the Marlin’s front office.
Am I that old already? Holy Toledo I remember watching Maddux
Not sure a Bucs fan has the right to criticize anything the Dodgers may or may not decide to do…..just sayin’
But the Bucs went 5-1 against the Dodgers this year, so surely they’re the better team?
Lmao @ giantsfan12, I guess your fandom of which team you like, describes how baseball knowledgeable you are..lol.. Now that’s bad stereotyping.
In what way was i critical? The guy simply fits what LA does… 60 pitch starts, skip days to give extra rest, and they have the money to pay. Why try to pick a fight when theres nothing there?
The Bucs best them Dodgers 7 out 8 last year, that’s something!
Pittsburgh just wishes it had an effective pitcher.
If it’s a fan of the other Bucs, I’m sure the fan would want some age regression cream for their QB.
Nah. Then they’d have no choice but to trade him.
You’re just jealous because we’re deep at 1st base
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St Louis all have the same population and there was a time when Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were just as big of baseball towns as St. Louis, it would be great to see Pittsburgh and Cincinnati ownership build teams that could rival the Cardinals.
We discuss this to hell and back on any given Pirates-related thread. Stop in for laughs sometime. While the Pirates may one day be like the proverbial blind squirrel for a season someday, any sustained winning will never happen under an owner who prioritizes profits over all else
Market size is secondary. MLB’s financial platform that guarantees owners revenue sharing, national TV and local broadcast money while providing no impetus to win IS the gift that keeps giving to Pirates fans
That’s sad @tiredolddude. With that revenue sharing there should be a minimum amount the team must spend on payroll (use it or lose it), make the number high, at least 50 percent of shared revenues, maybe higher, and if a team fails to spend their share make the penalty harsh, make them pay a tax on money unspent.
How much does it say about Pittsburg that an effective punishment would be to MAKE them spend money?
People like to bring up city size but fail to bring up market size.
Cincinnati is a prime example of a team that has a huge media foot print but have failed to take advantage of it. Fox sports Ohio covers all the way into Nashville, it includes Louisville, Columbus, Indianapolis, Knoxville etc. but yet, speaking for Nashville, no one cares about the Reds and that’s on the Reds.
The had Cole and Glassnow!
First full year back from Tommy John was solid. This could be a massive steal.
An effective 3-inning pitcher would make him the ace of Pittsburgh’s staff.
LOL oh good so they got somebody to fill in for Kershaw, Gonsolin, and May when appendages and elbows and shoulder sockets start dropping off willy-nilly and are found around the ballpark. Dodgers could be facing a Red Sox sorta year if the dominoes start falling in a certain direction.
Doubtful. We will most likely sign another low risk option or two and have several young arms in the minors that should be able to fill in effectively when the injuries start happening. Regardless, I’m glad we haven’t just thrown money around this offseason for the sake of it.
They’ll have to pay him last year’s salary as well if I’m not mistaken
3 years a jillion dollars with mutual options
Not bad, let’s see if he can get his velocity back up with normal spring training. Not a bad flier on not a bad pitcher. He can always get stand in work for Thor movies as a side hustle.
Thor and Heyward. Nice offseason LA
Are you being facetious?
10 years ago, this would have been a hell of a rotation. Kershaw, Miller and Syndergaard. Now? Not so much.
Having Thor in their major league rotation when he was 20 would have been an interesting strategy.
miiller is slated for the bullpen
kersh
thor
urias
may
gonsolin
Not complaining, just an observation. I trust Friedman, but this doesn’t seem like his style.
Keep in mind that the Dodgers are trying to duck under the CBT tax this season so this deal certainly makes sense. They are saving their spending for Ohtani next season & to extend Urias.
Sure it is, or did u not notice Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson last year?
Low risk, high reward
LMAO, theyre not trying to get under the cap. This ohtani fnatasy is not real. The bauer contract is going to cost them $140m in back pay AND penalties when they inevitably lose their case and thats why this offseaon is so weird.
Wow, nothing really right about this at all.
Ohtani as a DH ………10 years $200M, Ohtani as a Pitcher 10 years $300M……..Shohei Ohtani 10 years $500M …somebody has to be the first $500M player, why not Shohei?
WampumWalloper;
Mr. Cohen will blow right through that…….
Past a $50m AAV and at least to $60m.
Not saying Shohei Ohtani will take it as he may prefer to stay
in California.
Why the dodgers would have to pay penalties makes zero sense but ok
@bkbk – Bauer’s grievance is against Major League Baseball, not the Dodgers themselves. The Dodgers didn’t suspend him, Manfred did.
The only thing they could be liable for is his contracted salary, but they won’t be liable for penalties.
And maybe pay for Bauer
I couldn’t possibly see a cent less than 10/450. 11/480 doesn’t sound bad either.
@Samuel, that will be entertaining to watch. Cohen and his $17B and Walter and his $5B (plus the rest of the Guggenheim Baseball Management Team) squaring off in a bidding war. Maybe the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks can make it more fun by starting the bidding with one to bring him back to Japan
Urias is the ace of the staff as of now.
Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Thor and then May. Gonsolin can quickly get knocked down to #5. May needs some polish to get back to where he was pre-surgery. I’d think that the Dodgers will acquire at least one more SP, and still need to address some bullpen slots and a couple of slots (OF/IF).
If Ryan Pepiot can get his control in check, he can be that 6th guy to take all the pressure off May’s innings count and if Thor needs a rest from time to time.
I’d rather have another #6 option and Pepiot/Miller/Jackson etc. can spot start for injuries. But yeah, at some point the young guys need to get their shot, but they need to be get more polished with their control. Agreed.
I predict that’s not going to be the starting rotation for very long after the season starts and by the end of the season if less than one or two of those names are still in the rotation I wouldn’t be surprised.
Dodgers get Thor and Angels end up with Tyler Anderson. LAD got the short end of the stick.
Especially for the same 2023 salary.
Thor on a one-year contract and Anderson on a three-year contract. Dodgers trading lower risk for higher upside in Angeles.
I don’t think people realize how average Tyler Anderson has been in his career, as a Giants fan I have seen it. I would bet that last year was not the norm and he will have over a 4 era next year. Here is his last 4 years (minus ’19 when he only played 5 games) 4.53, 4.37, 4.55, 4.81 For the money, I would rather gamble on Thor.
People realize. Anderson made some changes to his pitch mix last season, and it paid off.
And anytime you can sign a pitcher of this potential for one year versus an Anderson for four (and you’re the Dodgers), you sign the one year guy. They have no reason to splurge on Anderson’s peak when they have their own homegrown talent to extend now.
@orange2001
(Thor)+(Dodger Pitching Coaches & Analytics Team) > (Anderson)+(Angels lack of what the Dodgers have in coaching and analytics)
I wonder if there is a certain pitch that the Dodgers will have Thor discard or throw less often and which pitch he’ll throw more often, and if there will be tweaks.
For Anderson, clearly the Dodgers had him on a new change up grip with slower velocity and he threw it more often, while throwing sinker and cutter less often.
We shall see Orange2001. Thor was fairly consistent for us and kept the team in games. There is no reason to think that will change next year when he pitches for the Dodgers.
Super Kool! Thor and May competing all season for best hair!!!
May is badly handicapped by color.
He’s adding some green streaks for the holidays.
Who’s May? I know Carrot Top has some funky hair though. Looks like he finally got a growth spurt.
Red heads are people too man.
At least he cuts down on his commute time to the movie studios for all of those Avengers films.
They shoot in Georgia though
You hush your mouth! Those are documentaries!
Guess Cole Hamels is next and maybe Tim Lincecum??
On the surface, this is not good, but on the brightside, having Syndergaard in the rotation for the 6-8 weeks of the season means that at least one of the young guys can build up some confidence in the minors before getting the call; whether it’s Stone or Miller.
They still have Ryan Pepiot though, kid have great changeup. Andre Jackson and Michael Grove probably will take bullpen role. So, yeah, lot of decent option i guess
Chaim strikes out yet again. This might be the most pathetic example of how not to run a team I ever seen.
Ese mmg está acabando con los Redsox
Missing out on Thor is hardly a strike out. It’s not 2016.
Have you seen the current status of the rotation? They’re not exactly drowning in options here. It’s essentially 3 kids who can maybe possibly be decent and a couple guys who get injured if the wind shifts abruptly
Even in their rotation, Thor doesn’t make the top 3.
May, Gonsolin, and Urias are “maybe, possibly decent”? Okay.
@Juan I’m talking about the Red Sox rotation
@Von in the Sox rotation Thor starts opening day
Sorry. My bad.
He’s somewhere between Whitlock and Houck. Definitely below Sale and Pivetta.
Thought he would’ve been a good fit for the RS. If he has a good season, he could secure a bigger FA deal than Taillon’s next offseason or a RS extension.
New closer?
good call jaw. I think it’s good for la. I was hoping sf would get him but his price is likely high. what’s ur estimate?
Over/under $37.5 mil?
Likely a one-year deal for $8-10M.
Gotta be way more than that. Based on what people are getting. Bellinger got 17.
Relievers with career 5 era’s got $10m per year today. He gets $13-$15m
I expect Syndergaard to suddenly throw upper 90s again and this to be a steal for the Dodgers
agreed!!
Rich get Richer…F the Dodgers. Need a friggin hard ceiling and floor like every other sport
I could see you saying this after signing Freddie Freeman, but Noah Syndergaard?
Lmao right! This dude acting like Steve Cohen owns the Dodgers instead of Mets
Syndergaard is a #4-6 starter who can only go 6 innings or so. I would hardly call this the rich getting richer.
all pitchers go 6-7 innings, if your lucky. there aren’t complete games anymore. 32 starts and 20 CGs are done and over. once in a while, you’ll get lucky with one or two a season. these kids pitch 100 and they’re out. back in the 80s? 150 was expected
*6 innings on 6-days rest is what I meant to type.
The Dodgers only let their starters go 6 innings. That is the dodger way
Yes. I think it’s a real good fit.
Uhh, n0t 2016 anymore.
Because they sign a back end of the rotation starter. Not sure what your complaint is on this.
May be some upside here another year removed from TJS. Not everyone comes back from it with the same success at the same rate, so we’ll see. At worst he’s a strong 5th sp.
Agree about the upside and love the deal for the price, but Thor never matched his hype, even in his prime. And these days his floor is pretty low and his ceiling is likely still backend depth.
Maybe so but not exactly a signing that anyone should complain about.
Von, he was actually very good and right at his hype levels in 2015 and 16 and at the start of 2017 until he had the lat injury. After that, he was never the same. I always felt like he was afraid of getting hurt again, but what I know from his interviews is he was constantly second guessing himself. Bad place to be mentally. After 2017, he was a shell of those first 2+ years.
@Mets6986?? Definitely not. I like the deal for the Dodgers. Some people are acting like he’s an ace though.
Do you have any problem with the Mets’ or Padres’ spending? Or is it just the Dodgers’ payroll you object to? (which won’t be anywhere near the highest this year). Did they just give out $360-$400 million for anyone on an 11-year deal? No, they did not.
We lost Anderson, Heaney, Kimbrel, Bellinger, Trea and Justin Turner, but put a hard ceiling because we signed Thor?
I know, it’s almost as if some people just have something against any big market team improving……
If I keep hanging around you Clip I see myself slowly warming up to the Yanks. I’ll end up starting slow…Buying hot dogs on the street corner…Riding the subway.
Wearing pin striped suits…Getting a cable package to watch more Yanks games…Defending Judge as I do Trout…It will all come to a head when I get a pro cap with a big NY on it and wear it around SoCal.
And you’d be right to do so, sir! You’d look good in pinstripes too, you know it!
Clip, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bpp3ycMvQd0
Thats gonna be me in a month or 2 buddy 😉
Trumbo you can join the club, after the Mariners my second favorite team is the Yanks. So it can be a West Coast type of thing lol.
After this offseason, you make this comment on the Dodgers page? Lmfao
@DocBB what in the world? The Dodgers haven’t done a damned thing this off-season or spent any significant money and I see them having a Red Sox kind of season next year unless they can supercharge that rotation thats made of super-fine delicate glass that can break just by looking at it.
Wow.. was really hoping that Baltimore would have picked him up
Not sure what the O’s are doing at this point. I thought they’d be way more active. They definitely need more than Gibson.
Everyone needs more than Gibson; a 35 year old with a career ERA+ of 94. $10 million was an overpay for a guy with an ERA over 5.00 since joining the Phils at the 2021 trade deadline- He’s a #5 starter at best.
Agreed on the #5 starter, but I think he’ll be better in Baltimore. The O’s defense is good and the bigger left field should help him.
He’s a #5 starter in AAA at best
Syndergaard and Gingergaard on the same team?!
Rich get richer. Sigh
Because so many teams were coveting Shelby Miller.
Sigh yourself.
Not hating on player or Org. It makes all the sense in the world for both parties, it’ll be fruitful.
As an O’s fan, he was the “top” of our market, but it’s a rounding error for a loaded Dodger team.
Still sigh. (It’s okay for others to high five…just behind my back, pls)
The Dodgers are on a diet this year. They’re trying to lose a lot of weight.
Fasting before the big meal next year (Ohtani).
I believe it not. Ohtani is likely to become the most expensive player in baseball history. The Dodgers have never had a taste for that kind of commitment.
BlueSkies: Who is Ohtani’s sport’s agent?
And, I agree with you. I’m already hearing the “Yankees getting ready for Ohtani” talks. There’s absolutely no way they are going to put forth that type of money. They barely made the offer to nab Judge, the face of baseball, on the heels of his historic season. I think the Giants will be the front runners due to the financial flexibility and their willingness to spend after missing out a couple times this year. Also doesn’t hurt that they’re on the west coast. They’ve got even more money coming off the books next year too.
I’d handicap the Giants too, though if the Angels are sold as expected they could emerge as a strong bidder. Every team with money to spend will be “in the conversation” but only a handful will be in it in any serious way.
Don’t forget Seattle in that calculation Clip, as they have even more payroll space than the Giants plus Jerry hasn’t even signed any free agents so far (though I’m not exactly thrilled about that.) But maybe saving for Ohtani as well.
In all honesty, the O’s couldn’t afford this? I mean, seems the revenue shares would’ve covered it. I think this is where fans confuse their team not doing anything with their team being prohibited from doing something. The two are worlds apart. I do feel for you though. And for the record, I think it’s stupid what the ownership is doing to fans.
I wanted the Cubs to sign this guy. A one year flier, why not? Possibly sees an uptick in his velocity another year past Tommy John. Cubs miss……again.
I am surprised and shocked that the NY Mets did not sign him. With two starting pitchers 40 years old and lot of Innings on their arms
Why would the Mets sign him? They currently have 7 SP options and all 7 are better than Thor. I like this signing for the Dodgers because the price was right, but we need to stop thinking Thor is more than backend depth.
That’s his floor but it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see LA get more out of him. He could be 2023’s Tyler Anderson but even if he is 2022 Thor it’s still a nice signing.
Agree about the signing being good for the Dodgers, but I’m baffled by the amount of people who still think Thor is a top of the rotation piece.
Syndergaard was still worth over 4 war in 2022. He doesn’t have to be a top of the rotation piece when we have aces like Kershaw and Urias.
What is your source? Fangraphs has him at 2.2.
Putting WAR aside, he declined in every measure from 2019 which was his worst year as a starter. The only area of improvement was his HR/9 rate which is understandable since the ball is not flying off the bat like it was in 2019.
I think he can be a very solid #4 right now, maybe #3. Needs to stay healthy. With some luck he pitches much better than last few years. Maybe some analytics magic by the Dodgers.
Maybe because he literally begged them to,offer him a QO, bolted fora few million more to the Angels, and couldn’t control himself on social media taking potshots at his former club.
As @Ma417 said earlier, he was a stud from 2015-2017. If he can get his velocity back to 97 he will be an excellent pickup for the Dodgers. As it stands now, he’s a backend rotation guy trying to learn how to reinvent himself as a pitcher.
@jwt watching film of him late last year, I think his ceiling could be a number 3 if he can get some command back. Looked like a couple of hangers killed him and fastball a bit up. Looks like he can induce a lot of ground balls, and like you said, just a 1-2 mph up and he could be decent. Looks like got worse as season went on so maybe some arm fatigue too.
they didn’t have a very good separation
Decent pickup. Thor throws strikes. Just couldn’t seem to get strike 3 like he used to. Guys were able to spoil pitches and stay alive.
Any slight improvement could change that.
Dodger stadium is officially a pitcher 12 step program.
This could be a smart deal for LA. Saw a lot of him in Philly late in the season, and while he is definitely Thor-Lite at the moment the extra time and further healing might help to bring a bit more back. I would have been in favor of bringing him back as a 5th starter, as he also started to become more of a pitcher now that the top end heat is gone.
And remember – there are no bad one year deals in baseball.
Did the Doyers lose a starting pitcher this off-season? As far as I can tell, all 6 guys in their rotation are better than Syndergaard. Not sure where he fits in.
Walker had tj
they lost two or three I believe. one went to Angela, another (heaney) went… drawing a blank. Kershaw resigned. at least two lost though
They lost Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney to FA as well as Walker Buehler to injury. Combined 54 starts in 2022. Mitch White also made 10 starts before getting shipped to Toronto midseason.
Should have Dustin May back, though, plus now Syndergaard.
They lost 2. Anderson left for the angels and heaney went to the Rangers.
Buehler is also down for most of the season with TJ.
Their rotation is now slightly better than Padres. Time for AJ to get somebody
Great pickup at a bargain. Thought Yanks might try him but they are locked in on Rodan or Eovaldi. He’ll win 13-15 games with that lineup and defense
agreed!
Breaking:Padres offered Thor more money and more years…
Older with injuries that have taken their toll on him, definitely not the best offer money wise. With father time knocking at the door, in his mind, the best offer to be a WS winner. Thor competes!
Heyman said that Padres were offering 12 years $180 mil with $179 mil deferred in Peso denominations.
LMAO!!!!!!!
Instead of making a big splash, Dodgers opt for a Loki signing.
Is there a clause in his contract that says he doesn’t have to face the Mets?
Breaking: Padres offered Thor more years & more money.
#LOLPobres
Whereas the deals for T. Anderson and especially Heaney seemed like buy-low-and=fix=him type of deals, this seems more like we-lack-faith-in=the-innings-potential of our current guys (Gonsolin/May/Kershaw/Buehler). and less of an endorsement of Syndergaard.
Buehler is out with TJ.
May is coming back from recovering from TJ and rehabbing last year.
Gonsolin had elbow issues late last season. Kershaw is known to have back problems and will be looking to get 115-130 innings from him this year. Of course we need depth with our young guys earning starts this year
Unless you just love paying a premium for past performance with no guarantee of future performance these signings are a sucker’s play. Grow your own.
Hard to go wrong for 13 million. Could get the same production as the 70 million guys. Even some upside here.
Huge overpay for a guy that should be pitching in the beer leagues. I saw him several times last year and he was lucky to not be hammered every time
Overpay? 1-year, 13 mil deal for a SP? Definitely not an overpay. He’s not terrible.
Obviously you didn’t see him pitch last year. He may have been a slightly better version of Odorizzi. $6M yes, $13M no. But in this market any guy with an ERA less than 5 is being swarmed by teams.
Lol. He was on my team last year. Saw him pitch plenty.
$13m over one year for this guy is too easy. Why weren’t more teams in on him? I thought he would be a great candidate for the Padres to fill the 4 or 5 spot in their rotation. I guess they were too busy finding a shortstop to take their $300m and displace the two awesome ones they already had #rockstargmrosterconstruction
Noah Sneakgaard, the sneakiest guy in the league
This signing can be a very good one depending on how healthy he is for the entire season. But again, further evidence that the Dodgers don’t flinch on potential injuries.
sleeper… he’s getting comeback player of the year.
He will get shelled in the NL West, especially by the Padres
LOL!
Can’t keep him out of LA. Even after a world series run in Philly
a lot to pay for a 5th starter
No Buehler so everyone moves up a slot. May needs to show that he’s back to be above Thor. And with Gonsolin who knows. He’s got some Stripling in him, which means he can be good or not so good. Kershaw threw the ball well last season but couldn’t stay healthy. We really don’t know if his performance slides or not on a bigger sample size or if he can stay healthy. Sure, Thor has plenty of question marks but I’d put him at #4 until May proves that he’s back.
Not understanding why Dodger fans aren’t more concerned about their rotation. It was their weak rotation that caused them to flail and flail badly in the playoffs a couple months ago. Oh boy memories sure are short. (OH shhhh we’re supposed to believe it wasn’t the Dodgers shaky rotation or stupor-inducing lineup in the 4th thru 9th spots that sunk them, NO NO we’re supposed to curse the playoff format and demean the post-season instead by calling it a “lucky crap-shoot, anybody could do it” blah blah blah.) SmH talk about smoking some copium opium.
Some of us are concerned, and don’t expect anyone to believe any of those things. Try again.
Yep, we’ve seen this movie before where the rotation is strong in the regular season and falters in playoffs. To be fair, Anderson pitched well but was pulled an inning early. Kershaw was fine. Urias was fine too. I was very nervous about Gonsolin even before the injury and he bombed. To me, no matter how well he does in regular season, he’ll be a risk in playoffs when facing tougher lineups. He doesn’t have elite stuff or command (wild in the zone). You may get away with that during the regular season when you throw strikes but those pitches get hammered in the playoffs. On top of that he was coming back from injury and looked rusty.
Rotation is shaky indeed after losing Buehler and Anderson, and Heaney. Injury risk for Thor and Kershaw. Urias is the only sure thing. May and Gonsolin will be fine. But they’re clearly missing a top of rotation pitcher, unless May takes a big step forward. Certainly possible given the stuff.
Young guys I think are a year away from being major contributors.
I don’t think it was the postseason for Gonsolin so much as being on the IL for several weeks. He just wasn’t ready. They didn’t have any better options but to try to squeeze a few innings out of him. That appearance had disaster written all over it. The Dodgers really need Rodon to firm up the top three but he probably isn’t in the cards, and as you say, the three rookies aren’t the answer.
Gonsolin has a 9.20 ERA in the post-season over 14 2/3 innings pitched. 6 HRs and 11 BBs allowed in 14 2/3 innings. Only 1.1 innings in 2022 post season pitched. I don’t trust him in the post-season.
That’s a pretty microscopic sample, especially when you consider he never pitched anywhere close to a full season before last year and been effective against good teams during the regular season. Durability is what he really needs to prove.
It is small but not miniscule when you consider that these numbers stretch over three post-seasons. 8 total appearances, including 4 starts. The total innings pitched is not as large because he usually gets bombed and comes out of the game very quickly. In his four starts, he hasn’t pitched beyond 2 innings in three of those starts. In the game he lasted longer, he gave up 5 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. He has given up at least one earned run in 7 of 8 appearances. The only appearance where he didn’t give up an earned run he pitched only to 1 batter.
Excluding that one batter appearance he has had 7 bad appearances out of 7. The Dodgers lost 5 of those 7 games. That is consistently bad, unfortunately.
Likely a high 3 era no worse than low 4. Sounds like a weak #4 to me. Felt similar about Anderson last year and look what LA got from him.
A weak #4? Sounds like Taijuan Walker or Taillon, who both ended up getting paid like strong 4s / weak 3s. If you’re putting up a 3.90 these days, that’s more like a solid 4 for most rotations.
For most rotations. Dodgers when healthy aren’t most rotations and the only satisfaction is world series. Just saying with even them he is better than a 5th starter.
Gotcha… I have no idea why I misinterpreted that. Tired and need some days off asap
Legit bounce back candidate now that he’s well removed from the recovery.
more like the goback player of the year – as in go back on the FA market you’re no good anymore
Solid pickup. Could be a 20 game winner in LA
You have to trust the Dodgers by this point in regards to pitching reclamation projects. I expect Noah to have a very good season and to rebuild his earning potential.
The way LA is approaching the offseason it makes me wonder if they have been tipped off that Bauers suspension is going to be either overturned or cut in half.
Agree
In fact this signing blows that theory completely out of the water. And how do we know? Just ask Arithmetic Man!
This signing damages the theory but does not blow it completely out of the water. Lots of big name high dollar players this year and LA wasn’t in on any so far. Toronto outbid them for KK, they signed Heywood, lots of bullpen arms going for good money – they got Miller. No massive multi year deals that will screw them if Bauer has to get paid just little 1 yr deals that can be dealt with during the year.
Arithmetic Man will save you, with the terrible power of…. arithmetic!
I see your Arithmetic Man and raise you…Particle Man. Particle Man will kick Arithmetic Mans butt…unless Triangle Man joins in. Everyone knows Triangle Man beats Particle Man.
And Rock Man beats Scissors Man. So what’s your point?
Rec for TMBG reference
One thing I feel VERY confident of: this deal came together because the Dodgers FO has a seriously good plan for him and he’s totally bought in.
I wanted Evoldi, but seems like his cost is high along with draft compensation due to QO. This is a good solid on paper pickup.
He’s not a power pitcher anymore.
Maybe the Dodgers can do something with him.
He was always unrealized potential. Had some incredible runs for months at a time, and suckered people into thinking he could do that regularly. I’ll say this for Cohen and Eppler, they saw the situation, cut their losses, and brought in guys that could do it NOW.
If his velocity does not pickup we will see him coming out of the BP
He can start even without velocity.
so funny how the haters come back with “the dodgers will blow it, they suck”. by what metric? WS titles? the only team that has more WS titles than the dodgers in the last 9 years is the astros who cheated in 2017…so basically they don’t blow it any more than the braves blow it…or the red sox, or the cardinals, or the blue jays, or…any team actually.
Please don’t pretend 2020 meant anything or proved anything to anybody. It was the COVID Tournament of Stars, an embarrassing and desperate ploy to recoup something for the owners who were so accustomed to their steady flow of cash from March 1 to Sept 30. And anyways it’s the Dodger fans in this post who seem to be viewing this iteration of the team with rose tinted glasses. Dodgers have a very real chance of becoming the Red Sox of 2022 with that rotation that’s full of injury risks and a 4 thru 9 in the lineup that can’t hit its way out of a paper bag.
You think having a lineup with Mookie, Freeman, Will Smith, Muncy, and starters like Urias, Kershaw, May, and good arms in bullpen leads to sub 0.500 record? I doubt you’d back that statement with real money.
Also, on 2020 season, everyone played 60 games, and the Dodgers excluding 2020 season had 8 NL West title in 9 seasons. The shorter season actually penalized one of the Dodgers best strengths, depth. You didn’t think that they would make the playoffs in 2020? Again, would you have put money on that? Of course not. And there was an extra short round of playoffs, which randomized results even more. Playoffs are a crapshoot. The better team doesn’t always win the series. Certainly not the deepest team. The Dodgers were the best team in baseball in 2020 and they won the World Series. Not sure why that is so hard to accept. They’ve had the best teams several years but didn’t win the WS. It happens.
The only thing you can do is position your team for a WS run, but we all know that MLB playoffs is a lot more of a crapshoot than other sports.
@dodgerfan2015. Okay let’s do a little thought experiment. Let’s say my team, the Seattle Mariners, had won the Covid Kracker Jack Tournament of 2020. I will go out on a limb and say you would probably be less inclined to go online and defend 2020 as a legitimate season if your team didn’t win it. In fact I would go one step further and say you might even be joining the jeering chortling horde who would be making fun of the Mariners, flaming its fans for how silly they look assuming 2020 meant anything at all really. (And you and them would have the correct take of course.)
But since the Dodgers won it, well; we can’t laugh about that. How dare you laugh and mock the most distinguished Dodgers who at that point had “won 8 NL West Titles in 9 seasons” and had the best record in 2020??? So of course they deserve it?? That it’s the same as a normal World Championship??? And no it’s not a given they would have made the actual postseason anyway because only two months of a season was played. I’m sure you recall the Angels had a pretty good first two months in 2022 and you saw what happened there.
So just to wrap up, I believe if the shoe was on the other foot you would not be defending 2020 as such a legitimate affair as any other year; but if the shoe was on the other foot for me, and Seattle had won in 2020 I would still have the exact same opinion as I did with the Dodgers as not achieving anything special that year. Peace.
It looks like they found another guy who can guard the basepaths.
Dodgers, where pitchers go to regain their confidence & then leave
Great low risk/high reward pick up for the Dodgers, Thor is going to show all the doubters and haters that there is still some thunder left in that arm of his.
$13 million low risk? OK.
Yes, it’s a one year deal so it is inherently low risk, and it’s the Dodgers, who have extremely deep pockets.
He’s a Marlins fan. $13 million is a lot of money for them.
Good point, rct.
Probably in this market with lots of potential bidders it’s reasonable.
It’s the same salary that Anderson received for 1/3 the length
Welcome to this years SP market, where a 40M AAV is the new vogue
Chaim close again?
Chaim and Kim Ng are both battling for the honor of most swings and misses, but Kim, is winning that battle because Chaim did get Kenley Jansen while Kim still has nothing.
Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make, though. I don’t think many GMs would willingly sign Kenley Jansen at $13 M each for 2 years, unless you have the Boston media on your *ss.
No one wants to play for the Marlins
Man, Jose Fernandez… so, special. So sad too!?
So the Dodgers got one of the “Five Aces”.
I imagine Mr. Met isn’t letting his wife come to the ball park when the Dodgers are in town.
“I don’t object to nine aces in one deck. But when a man lays down five aces in one hand… and besides, I know what I dealt him!” — WC Fields
I guess you’re not familiar about what I was alluding to in my “Five Aces” comment with this signing of Syndergaard.
I guess you aren’t hip to WC Fields. So now we’re even in guesses.
I’m aware of WC Fields, but my refence wasn’t even remotely in that direction.
I would call that an imagination shortage.
Compared to Syndergaard and the Mets fans that used to support him, we both have imagination shortages. Thor’s “Five Aces” declaration that Mets fans and their beat writers pushed, was comedic gold in a delusional fantasy way.
Mr. Met is very much a bachelor, I mean, I have never seen with a woman. But I’m on the West Coast so…
Solid signing. With the way this off-season was going I’m surprised it wasn’t 10 years for 180
Urias over Darvish
Gonsolin over Musgrove
Kershaw over Snell
May over Martinez
Thor over Morejon.
Miller, Pepiot, Stone, Grove over Groome, Kerr, Lopez and M. Lugo
Mayo over sliced turkey
Gravy over biscuits.
Lettuce alone
I romaine unimpressed.
@Manny for realz? Now do injury risk.
@son, Same exact list…
Padres have a very strong team and will definitely compete for the NL West title but clearly their hitting/defense is ahead of the pitching. I don’t doubt that by the end of the trading deadline they will have added a starting pitcher to boost that staff.
terminator 2 – how was the was 1.
My Orioles are running out of starting pitchers free agents options. Where is the payroll increase that was supposed to happen?
Berischa;
If they can’t get something better than they have, maybe not until
the season is underway.
They aren’t going to be forced into dumb moves.
P.S. A good portion of what seems clear after off-season moves is forgotten totally by late May – early June. Happens every year. The Orioles 2023 season depends on which players – if any – make some major improvements to their game. They have an overflow of candidates to do just that.
Agree I was not expecting a top tier SP but least 2 veteran ones but so far they got only Gibson and the other ones are signing elsewhere every day
Thor looking for 4/120 next off-season!
He’s only 30. 2nd year off of Tommy John. Could be one of the best signings of the year.
smart move.
So the Dodgers waited the market out when they could’ve, for example, signed Ross Stripling or Heaney (to name a couple) for someone more expensive who wasn’t as good in 2022? If they signed Anderson at $8 million and got an All-Star out of him, then at $13 million they better believe they’re transforming him into a top-3 Cy Young pitcher. Guess he uses his curveball more? I don’t know. More red flags with Thor than ideal, especially when there were other options
And neither of those guys signed for one year. Not sure why you intentionally ignored a huge difference in the three deals, just to complain about LA not considering options fully. its clearly a huge factor for LA
He intentionally ignored it because it doesn’t support his argument
Didn’t ignore it. Just saying AAV wise they’re cheaper. Can’t deny it, unless you don’t like facts. Besides it’s not like they signed for 10 or even 5 years. No. They signed for … *checks notes* Heaney (who can actually strike people out) 2 years with an opt-out after 1 year. Stripling (walks people at the same rate as Syndergaard with massively more strikeouts) **double checks notes** signed for 2 years with an opt-out after 1 year. Both pitchers have way more interesting swing-and-miss pitches than Syndergaard at the same price for at best one year, at worst giving you rotation depth for two years. Interesting. Hell. I’d even take Kluber at a cheaper price if it meant more payroll diversification under the current limits. My guess is it’s more of a marketing ploy to casuals to show that we “did something” than it is them getting all this “upside” that everyone is talking about.
Tortas, Whether for Ohtani or not, it’s pretty obvious LA is at least attempting to stay near the luxury tax line this year. LA also wants to control their payroll going forward, and saving 500K on AAV with Stripling or Heaney, compared to Syndergaard, isn’t a large enough benefit to sacrifice the risk of being stuck with a mediocre Stripling or Heaney in 2024. They’re far from models of consistent performance. And there is zero guarantee either pitcher outperforms Syndergaard in 2023. There is also no guarantee both guys finish 2023 as a full time SP. Additionally, Stripling went out of his way in his interview after signing this deal, to say he sees himself as a SP, and it’s likely LA was unwilling to assure him no bullpen time if a better option arises
In sum, Heaney and Stripling both exchanged a very minor drop in AAV, again, only 500K, for nearly double the overall guarantee… That’s not a good trade, especially when it’s questionable which of the three will be the best year next year
I understand that and I see your point. Maybe it’s just the grinder in me who’s always been a fan of Stripling. You’re right it’s not a big monetary difference but based on 2022 alone, they just performed better. I don’t believe Syndergaard will be this year’s Anderson, based on his decline in velocity and movement on all his pitches. I do think it’s a good start, however, that he throws strikes and maybe the Dodgers can optimize that curve that he’s rarely thrown in this career so hitters aren’t just spoiling his pitches like they seemingly did a lot of in 2022. If his velocity comes back, that could also be a huge separator, which I admit, I didn’t really consider much in the original comment.
I guess if we’re looking at similar profile pitchers, Kluber would have been the best financial option because he probably gets another $8 million, which isn’t an insignficant save given their stated goals.
I understand the prudence of resetting the luxury tax for the next two offseasons and that the Bauer saga adds some payroll uncertainty right. But my biggest worry, as a Dodger fan, is they use the Syndergaard signing as an excuse not to spend any more money to address their remaining needs. To name just one, on an established, relatively cheap bat that can lengthen the lineup, as that variance has been a problem the last few Octobers. I don’t think realistically a trade for Ohtani happens to address that, now or at the deadline, but we shall see.
I’m not making any predictions on Syndergaard but I think we know pitchers coming back from TJ are usually not pitching at their old level in year one. It often takes another year for that to happen. A positive here is the player bet on himself by taking the single year over the multiyear offers he apparently had on the table. So he believes that 2022 is not his new normal, and that’s a good sign. Same reason Bellinger took a single year.
Heaney is garbage
Will be awesome to see two of the greatest pitchers to come out of DFW in the same MLB rotation.. The freaking Dodgers at that! Congrats Noah!!
Yeah you might get a dozen starts out of both of them combined and then likely not in the rotation together at the same time , but yeah, DFW and stuff, rock on.
They combined for 46 starts last year. A dozen is quite an exaggeration.
I honestly think the Dodgers are saving their coffers for next year to make a run at Ohtani, high AAV and years.
The Dodgers (and the Astros) have been phenomenally good at not just putting good players on the field, but keeping bad pitchers in particular from throwing more than a small handful of innings for them.
One recent season, between them the two teams gave all of four starts, combined, to pitchers with ERAs worse than the league average. Other teams were giving pitchers with ERAs over 5.00 upwards of 200 innings. The Dodgers in particular just refuse to do this. If a reliever can’t throw strikes, limit walks, and at least let hitters make less than optimal contact rather than give up walks, they just don’t let him take the mound. It’s instilled throughout their system.
It’s why they hung onto Bellinger (and his fielding), and why they value solid to great fielding FAs like Freeman and especially Betts, and why they paid such a high price for Trea Turner, and are considering walking away from Justin Turner, given the decline in his fielding.
Syndergaard is just that much more insurance that games will almost never get away from them. Haven’t counted, but I’d bet a lot that they’re top three in lowest number of blowouts against, even after accounting for their excellent offense.
Oh Jack, I always considered you one of the level-headed posting entities here at MLBTR…but alas now it sounds like you have not only imbibed the kool-aid but also inhaled all the helium from the party balloons and smoked all the copium opium along with every other Dodger fanboy on this thread. How can we slip you the antidote pill ?? 😉
Angels sign him and it’s a bad deal because he has diminished velocity & coming off injury. Dodgers sign him and all of a sudden people think he’ll be a stud GTFO. I honestly feel like the tide is turning the Padres favor in the NL West.
Well, he got 8M less from the Dodgers than the Angels. And he’s a year removed from surgery, with a relatively healthy 2022
Numbers matter
Yeah, because they already had two capable shortstops and then they went and signed a 3rd one. Where all all these guys gonna play? They should have prioritized pitching or outfield help, instead they massively overpaid for a guy they don’t even need.
Padres do the same thing every offseason yet never go anywhere.
Just don’t be a Thor-n in our side… ok, I’m here all week, and don’t forget to tip your waitress!
Dodgers will clean up THor-n mechanics and pit usage and he will be upper 90 and era under 3.
Time to send in the Berserkos, Dodgers got Thor to beat the Astros!
Padres offered two years and $30 million but he said he thought SD was too far south for his liking.
It’s sad. I only say things like this to rile up a child
RIP Jose Fernandez. Was in the mlb dominating 2 years after being drafted in hs. what could of been.
I dont get it.
LA can win a ws, they are competitive and make the post every year since the past few years, yet they sign someone one off the borderline scrap heap, even with Buelher out with TJS, 2 -3 year year suspended pitcher. and kershaw winding down his career.
Should have been rodon.
You don’t get it because you don’t understand the Dodgers intend to give their young players an opportunity and reset their luxury tax.
So, essentially, the Dodgers exchange Bellinger for Thor, Heyward and a couple of million $ while staying under the luxury tax with room to maneuver.
Wait weren’t people here griping about LA not doing enough? Seems they are, while staying under the luxury tax threshold, and avoiding this trend for stupidly long contracts. I think this kind of move is a great way to bolster the rotation. Sure it’s high risk, but so is pretty much every pitcher contract, especially when it’s more than a couple years. This could also have a good payoff, and even if hes just a solid pitcher for 2/3 of a year, it’s cheap by today’s standards.
Wait, since when was anyone saying they are doing enough? They’ve still got a CF, SS, and closer vacancy, having passed on every opportunity to fill them so far. What you’re saying is fans should take the team saving money as a consolation prize for not making the playoffs. I’m sure the rebate for my season tickets is in the mail, and beer and Dodger Dogs will be cheaper this year too. Like, right.
@BlueSkies_LA they said they are going closer by comittee this year. Jacob Amaya should be getting a shot at SS this year kinda like Baty, Raley and Reks got. His trade value is extremely low after last year so its now or KBO for him
Throwing a bunch of kids with little or no major league experience into the holes and hoping they work out isn’t exactly a plan for winning. Closing by committee was last year’s Plan B. So what’s this year’s Plan C?