As the return of baseball continues to grow closer, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. Dodgers FanFest is tomorrow
For the first time since the the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, Dodgers FanFest is set to return to Dodger Stadium. The free fan event will take place from 10am to 4pm local time on Saturday. In addition to interviews with players, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts both typically make themselves available to media at the event. The FanFest returns after an unusually quiet offseason for the Dodgers, who spent most of the offseason appearing to operate with the goal of ducking under the luxury tax this year to reset their penalties. The club weathered losses such as Trea Turner, Justin Turner, and Tyler Anderson, but Trevor Bauer’s reinstatement from suspension threw a wrench in those tax-reset plans, with Friedman saying he doesn’t expect to deal salaried players to get back under the tax for 2023.
2. Could more arbitration results be on the way?
Both of the past two days, we’ve heard the results of an arbitration hearing. Diego Castillo lost his case against the Mariners on Wednesday, while yesterday Luis Arraez won his case against the Marlins. More arbitration case results will trickle in throughout the next few days, including such big names like Bo Bichette and Max Fried, still waiting to finalize their 2023 contracts. Up until the last minute, teams and players are always free to agree to a deal to avoid arbitration, whether it’s on a one-year contract or on a multi-year extension — we’ve also seen such players as Jeff McNeil, Dylan Moore, and Yandy Diaz all sign extensions in recent days.
3. Will the Greinke deal be made official at last?
Ever since Zack Greinke re-signed with the Royals on a one-year deal, the wait has been on for the contract to become official. MLB.com’s Anne Rogers has said the signing can be expected to be made official this week, and whenever the move is made, the Royals will need to make a corresponding transaction to clear 40-man roster space. The Royals hope Greinke will help stabilize the rotation, as the veteran returns to pitch his ninth season in Kansas City and the 20th overall season of his excellent career. Though durability is a concern at Greinke’s age (39) and over 3247 innings of mileage on his arm, the right-hander has still delivered solid production. He posted ERA+ of 111 in 2022, marking his seventeenth consecutive season with an above-average mark in that metric.
Los Karens ready to get together for a cryfest this weekend, sounds fun!
Los Karens? Really. You think that’s funny? For your sake, please grow-up and show some class. You’re not funny.
All you need to know is look at the used handle. Says it all
Right! What kind of name is Goon???
Nickname for an Arsenal supporter
Neat.
I mean it is their nickname, not sure what’s wrong with calling them by how they’re known. They stop crying and it will go away one day. But Joe Karen Kelly is keeping it around. Dude hasn’t stopped crying since 2017 and therefore their nickname sticks.
Go into a back alley with Kelly. My money is on only him walking out.
Really?? Laughing out loud.
You spend a lot time in back alleys with baseball players?
You’d be the one crying if you did.
So sensitive
The comment section is beginning to look like. a fifth grade bathroom wall. Name calling, insane accusations about players on rival teams, often marinated in a pool of inaccurate facts and lack of understanding about how MLB actually functions.
Seriously, “Los Karens”? Grow up.
I think that perhaps the Dodgers figured out that with playoff expansion, there is less point than ever in winning over 100 games if your goal is winning the WS. Make sure you get there, and build your club for the playoffs. Mid season moves might mean as much as the off season.
I think that is is far more likely than not that LAD gets as far in the playoffs this year as they did last year. Why pay to win meaningless regular season games that prove meaningless?
William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the U.S., whether you count him or not.
The Dodgers have made the post season every years since 2013. Why is it so hard to believe that such a successful team winning a World Series in a shortened year is not legitimate? The season was a smaller sample size, but they performed exactly as successfully has they have been for a decade. They played enough series in the 2020 playoffs to make winning that as legit as it is in any other year.
I get being jealous of the Dodgers, but that doesn’t make your claim logical.
I think the Dodgers could possibly on the way to a downfall.
Really? Deepest farm system in baseball, talented roster, and deep financial resources($250M/yr before they even sell tickets, hot dogs, beers, jerseys thanks to TV deal)?
but still no parking lot of their own.
Dodgers might be on the way to a reload but not a downfall.
I just don’t count 2020 winners champions. I don’t mean to pick on Los Angeles but baseball and basketball should have given the LA teams a different award to illustrate what they did during a bizarre and sad time (I don’t even recall who “won” in hockey). What they did should be remembered but the “seasons” were so strange that I don’t consider the Dodgers and Lakers being entitled to display championship banners. Just my take.
That’s OK if you dont, the leagues count them as championships and that’s all that matters!
@Dewey
No doubt the 2020 regular season was as abnormal as it gets, but….
Think about the 2022 playoffs. Did anyone foresee the Phillies being on fire, or the Padres knocking out the Dodgers or Aaron Judge’s bat going silent or Trent Grisham’s bat coming alive? Playoffs are a world of their own. Regular season means nothing. Braves won 101 games and were defending champs, didn’t matter. The Astros withstood it all.
The 2020 playoffs were no different. The Dodgers swept the Brewers, they swept the Padres, they had an epic 7 game standoff with the eventual 2021 Champions and beat the Rays to become Champs.
Discount the stats of the regular season, but the playoffs were everything any other playoffs were. The Dodgers won a world championship!!
I’m talking not only the playoffs but in baseball the season was only 37% of a typical year. In basketball, the bubble was so abnormal that its stupid IMO to count it.
Thing is you didn’t have the typical “battle weary” teams in the playoffs after the long grind of the regular season so even the playoffs weren’t entirely “everything any other playoffs were”.
As for the NBA/NHL those seasons were far enough along that they could have just called it a season with no championship or just crowned the team with the better record as champion. The Lakers only win the NBA title because they had 4 months to get healthy in between when the season was halted and the bubble began and have been mostly awful for the last decade. The Tampa Bay Lighting have played in the last 2 Stanley Cup Finals after winning the “Covid Cup”, winning 1 and losing 1 so at least there’s that.
Thanks . Tampa in hockey has been the real deal. Agree on the other points. Baseball has been special because it is a grind. It too is now watered down for playoff money. Sold their soul to the devil,. Money talks.
Right because given what the Dodgers have done in the last 10 years it was a shocker that they absolutely dominated the 2020 regular season and finished in first. That’s never happened before in the last 10 years!!!
Fans can be so stupid. I guess we should have read your memo that no sports should have been played in 2020 because in hindsight it doesn’t count. I’m sure if it was your team that won I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be posting these trash posts.
I understand your take and yes, it was different. The Dodgers did not need to weather 162 game grind. How often has that grind effected outcome of MLB playoffs? Plenty.
In 2021 the Astros pitching was gassed and lost. That’s baseball.
In 2020 the Dodgers got benefit of much fewer innings on pitchers arms and chances for players to get hurt.
But there were extra playoff series and they had to win more in the playoffs.
They won more than anyone else and played by the terms MLB gave them.
They won. Period.
ALL teams played under the same conditions, not just the Dodgers. Not sure why that is hard for some to understand. ALL pitchers were not gassed in the 2020 playoffs, again not just the Dodger pitchers. So, that point has no validity. Only the Dodgers benefited from not going through the grind? Also, what has been the common thread of the Dodgers run is incredible depth to weather a 162 game season. They didn’t even get to use this in a 60 game season.
Oh sure. But if you’re team would of won it would be a okay. Right? The Dodgers have that hunk of metal and the rings. Deal with it.
I agree. When the performance of 50% of players was 40% higher or lower than their career averages, the “season” was only 60 games, and there were no fans in the stands, then the season needs to be thrown out completely. An asterisks placed next to the stats and the results at the very least.
I think the reason people don’t count 2020 as a legitimate title is because the lack of fans compromised how we value the player’s collective poise and mental strength. When players play on the road and preform well (or home players playing at home and feed off the crowd) it shows mental fortitude and these variables affects how players preform.
Because no fans were available, it dilutes the mental portion of the game a little. Also, not playing in your own ballpark is another variable altogether on it’s own.
Every team and every player was still playing the same game.
MLB took away McGwire’s AL single season hr record and still haven’t done so with Barry Bonds’ “records” Until MLB shows some consistency, whether or not the Dodgers won the 2020 WS is up in the air. Since every team played the same number of games, imo their championshionship is legit. And, not imo but in fact, Hank Aaron is the all-time hr leader.
McGwire never held the AL single season record
On the flip side, many players feed off the vibe of the crowd. Without that they had to get up for the game more. It swings both ways. The excuses are all poor of course, and like all responses everyone had to endure the same. That is the great equalizer. If anything, a team like the Dodgers would normally have home field advantage and they of course didn’t get to benefit from that in 2020. They would have played at least one more game at home than the opposition.
I’m sure it’s not coincidence that most who disagree are non-Dodger fans. I guess I would also be a little like that if the Dodgers didn’t win it, but I tend to be more realistic and not afraid to bash on the Dodgers when they deserve it. And not afraid to give another team credit if they deserve it.
It’s hilarious watching Fraudger fans twist themselves into knots trying to justify a third of a season. Stay mad, crybabies!
Technically, you’re right. They aren’t winning 111 games next year or probably ever.
Freshwind: I completely understand your take on the Dodgers potential downfall. However, imho, they have nearly a perfect combination of the willingness to spend & and an excellent developmental farm system (or perhaps it’s the drafting evaluations).
I see a potential minor reset or retool, but I think the LAD are here to stay. I do wonder how SD will handle the upcoming years. They have a ton committed already and very important FAs in the upcoming seasons.
Yeah, a team with the capacity for a top payroll in baseball with the number 1 farm system and very little long term commitments is on the way down. Let me guess Padres are on the way up after gutting their farm and having a ton of big free agents to account for.and an already clogged payroll.
I remember back in the 70’s The Dodgers would have a exhibition game in Feb at Dodger Stadium against the USC Trojans. Free admission.
I remember when, it used to be so natural, to talk about forever…but “used to be’s” dont count anymore. they just lay on the floor till we sweep them away.
Well played sir! Whipping out the Neil Diamond/Streisand so early in the day!
never a bad time for Neil Diamond! you’re a class act!
Quoting Herman Munster is no way to go thru life LBC.
azlyrics.com/lyrics/neildiamond/youdontbringmeflow…
It is too bad they do not put out dates of the arbitration hearings ahead of time. instead of just waiting to hear of them upon their completion.
Another kinda big name still out there for arb is Corbin Burnes.
“Kinda big” greatly understates Burnes’ talent level, which I was intentional.
Dodgers won 111 games in 2022.
They didn’t need Trevor Bauer to do that. Tyler Anderson was a reclamation project and the Dodgers will be one better having Noah Syndergaard in the 2nd year past his surgery. Justin Turner is loved, but let’s face it, getting old and JD Martinez will be a better bat in the lineup. They didn’t name Bellinger among the losses, but any combination of Outman, Thompson and Heyward in CF will replace him and I think Outman emerges as a solid player.
Trea Turner – absolutely a loss, no doubt an offensive force and a solid defender. Gavin Lux has huge shoes to fill. Probably will cost the Dodgers some wins.
Miguel Vargas will hit, healthy Max Muncy and Chris Taylor will hit. Will Smith already one of the best bats in baseball at catcher and still improving, add in JD plus we still have Freeman and Betts! The Dodgers will score plenty.
Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Syndergaard & May with Pepiot, Miller and Stone behind them. Not many teams in baseball that would trade their best 8 starters for this group.
The bullpen could be better but it already vastly improved by not having Kimbrel.
The Dodgers win 100 plus again in the season and looking forward to winning the last game in November too!!
Well said!
Counting on Trayce Thompson not to regress from a decent half season or counting on Jason Heyward at all is not a good thing. Knowing that Kershaw, Gonsolin, Syndergaard, or May haven’t made it through a full season in years (or ever, for Gonsolin and May) and asking the kids to come up and carry the load is asking a lot. I’m surprised they haven’t added at least one “swingman” type to the roster to help with the workload
I agree, well put. I wouldn’t be so confiddent about Thor if I were you, though….but there’s plenty of back-up if he’s just ordinary, or worse.
Very rosy outlook. As a Dodger fan I hope you’re right but I have my doubts.
You are right. Not many teams would trade for the Dodgers starting pitchers en masse.
Kershaw – Still great, but only 120-130 IP
Urias – the true ace of the squad and FA after next season
Gonsolin – Continual injuries including the dreaded forearm strain in Aug 2022. TJ surgery here we come
Syndergaard – not the Thor you knew and loved. Just another back of the rotation starter
May – Another glass player. Threw 30 innings last season after 23 the season before. Maybe 60 this season?
Then you have the unproven minor league lot that have a 1 in 5 shot at being even an average starter. Those guys will have a shot at showing their stuff this season since they will likely have to make 60-80 starts when the top 5 break down.
May went down for TJ surgery in May 2021. Do you think that might have accounted for him throwing only 23 innings that season? He didn’t throw in a post TJ rehab game until July 2022 and his first major league start was in mid-August. Do you think maybe that had something to do with the “only” 50+ innings he threw last year between the majors and minors? Made out of what?
What it means is that May will be severely limited in the number of innings he can throw in 2023. Maybe 60-70 this season.
Would you want to count on him to throw the ball every 5th day in 2023 if you were trading for him? Of course not.
It doesn’t mean anything of the kind unless some other issue comes up. He will start the season almost two years removed from his surgery so no reason to assume he will be limited in any way.
May has thrown as much as 134 innings pitched in the minors. His return was last season. I’d think that he is fully healthy in 2023 and would be able to at least match 134 innings. I’m thinking more like a 140-150 IP limit.
I’m not expecting him to be innings limited this year. When he came back he had all of his velocity. Location was the problem. See no reason why he can’t make 30 starts if he regains his control.
When you win the division by a huge margin and have talented kids on the farm, you don’t have to do a ton of the off season.
There’s more uncertainty with the Dodgers this year and it will be interesting to see how some kids and positions play out.
Nobody knows what the Dodgers might actually lack. Including the Dodgers. But they have the ability to get it via trade of they need to.
“Talented kids on the farm.” People just mindlessly repeat this with little to no evidence? Strange.
It’s almost like their farm system was just rated #1 by the athletic this week or something.
Ohhh The Athletic said so?!?! Then it must be true. Nobody knows how good those prospects are til they play…
No kidding. That’s why they’re called talented and not proven.