Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland suffered a dislocated right shoulder while making a diving attempt at a Brett Wisely bunt in today’s 1-0 loss to the Giants. Freeland was in obvious pain on the field, and told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) afterwards that “that was one of the worst feelings I’ve had, pitching-injury-wise.” An MRI tomorrow will check for any further damage, but perhaps the one plus is that the dislocated shoulder quickly went back into the socket, as Freeland said x-rays were taken to examine the shoulder and rule out any broken bones.
A trip to the 15-day injured list is certainly coming for Freeland following the All-Star break, and it remains to be seen how long he’ll be sidelined, though it at least helps that his pitching arm wasn’t injured. Freeland has a 4.72 ERA and the Statcast numbers aren’t fond of his work, but perhaps his the most important statistic for the season is a team-leading 103 innings. With so many Colorado pitchers already being lost to injuries this season, Freeland’s durability had been a positive for the club, but now the left-hander is himself looking at a substantial stint on the IL.
More from around the NL West…
- Diamondbacks right-hander Drey Jameson is receiving second opinions about the elbow problem that saw him moved to the 60-day IL yesterday, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including the Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie). Lovullo said that “something’s going on” with Jameson’s UCL, and “there’s stuff there that needs to be thoroughly looked at before we can start to make a firm judgment” on a next course of action. The worst-case scenario of a Tommy John surgery would keep Jameson out of action for at least 12 months and could threaten his availability for any of the 2024 season. The 25-year-old Jameson is one of Arizona’s more intriguing young arms, and he has a 2.63 ERA working as both a starter and a reliever over 65 career MLB innings in 2022-23.
- Sticking with the Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll’s quick emergence as a star has made the club look brilliant for taking him 16th overall in the 2019 draft, and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes about some of the factors that went into both the Snakes’ selection and why Carroll was still available in the middle of the first round. Carroll’s relatively small size (5’10”, 165 pounds) and doubts about his ability to hit for power turned off some teams, and since Carroll was playing high school ball in the Pacific Northwest, there were some questions about the quality of competition he was dominating. D’Backs assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye admitted that he didn’t think Carroll had the kind of power potential he’s shown in the majors, but “we’re not afraid to take shorter players. [Good players] come in different sizes. There is a difference between being short and being small. Short and strong is good. It’s great to be a hitter if you’re short and strong.”
- Shohei Ohtani has long been on the Dodgers’ radar, both when he was a high school player and when he first make the jump from NPB to the majors. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times writes about the Dodgers’ interest in Ohtani, which was first hampered when the Nippon-Ham Fighters convinced him to stay in Japan by letting him be a two-way player. When Ohtani came to the majors, the Dodgers missed out again because the National League didn’t have the DH available, whereas the Angels could offer Ohtani a two-way opportunity via the designated hitter role. With Ohtani set for free agency this winter, there is a widespread belief among many in the game (including several anonymous agents and rival executives) that the Dodgers will end up landing Ohtani to what is expected to be a record-setting contract.
Yeah, well teams like the Dodgers, Padres, Yankees and Mariners were favorites to land him when he came over but that didn’t. Unless you are Ippei or his agent, you have no idea what’s on his mind.
Dodgers and Padres couldn’t offer use of a DH spot at the time. Ohtani eliminate the Yankees (as well as the Red Sox and Mets) after the first round of preliminary offers. Ohtani supposedly chose the Angels over the Mariners to play with Mike Trout.
The Dodgers and Giants are in the best position to be able to sign Ohtani to a record setting deal and still have money to spend to be competitive. The Dodgers have $109 million on the books for ’24, $78.5 million in ’25 and $69 million for ’26. The Giants have $122 on the books for ’24, $52 million for ’25 and $23 million in ’26. Thats a lot of wiggle room to continue to be able to add and build around Ohtani, especially when you consider the Yankees, Mets and Padres will all have over $100 million in salary commitments into the ’26 season
Money coming off the books doesn’t mean much when it also represents a lot of holes coming onto the roster in need of filling. That kind of flexibility is more mirage than real. As much as sportswriters and fans love the Ohtani to LAD scenario, I still doubt the Dodgers are going to make him the best offer he receives. If they’d managed to stay under the CBT this year, maybe.
@Rsox: Don’t underestimate Uncle Steve Cohen and the Mets. He has more money than the Dodgers and Giants (plus several other teams) combined, and his track record shows he’s willing to spend whatever it takes to get a piece of artwork or a player he wants.
@Blue Baron
Everything we hear is he wants to stay on the west coast to be closer to home.
Besides, who wants to play for the Mets? It’s where great players go to become mediocre.
“Everything we hear” is mostly what the media feeds us, much of which is BS not from primary sources.
And never forget that money talks and BS walks.
To be fair, Ohtani eliminated the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox very early during his first go around. Not sure how much all three’s struggles have done anything to change his mind
To be fair to whom about what?
His first go around was six years ago, and every team with the possible exception of the Astros has had struggles during those years, plus he has those years of experience playing and living in the US.
None of us know how that might have changed his mind, plus there’s a whole lot more money at stake this time.
The Angels came in first but the Giants ,who Now have plenty of Money came in Second.
…..Also remember he didn’t want to play in NY!
Agreed the Dodgers are looming but have lots money invested already?
Blasphemy. Ohtani will sign that record breaking contract with the Halos.
Moreno said 2 weeks before Opening Day he had yet to talk to Ohtani about a contract. That says it all. He’s gone.
Because Ohtani’s agent made it clear that they weren’t interested in signing an extension before testing out the market.
Orange2001 – You wrote. ” Ohtani’s agent made it clear that they weren’t interested in signing an extension before testing out the market”.
What he said was they would LIKE to negotiate before the regular season starts and that it might be more undesirable during the regular season.
My own take is that he has always been wiling to an extension. Ohtani has always been willing to negotiate , but wanted this whole contract stuff to be over with ASAP. Anyone can see he hates to answer questions about his contract. The more you make him deal with this the more he will think about leaving. There still is a decent chance he stays in my opinion. I think it will be more about what Arte than most think. As for all the reports about what he needs the Angels to do or what he prefers in other teams, just remember that Ohtani said prior to the ASG that most of all the reports are just lies. Don’t believe what you read, he said.
Halo fan here, but also a realist. Shohei is smart enough to see he’s not getting younger, Trout is certainly not getting younger, Rendon is an anvil contract, and there is no superstar prospect waiting in the pipeline (stand up Adele, yeah now sit down). The manager is a dead man walking and the owner still may sell the team at some point.
If the Halos we’re winning anything, it was this year. He’s loooong gone.
1) Dodgers, 2) Giants, 3) long shot Mariners
The Dodgers are the favorite and whoever he plays the last three months of the year are the second favorite. That is why it behooves the Dodgers to trade for him.
While I understand that logic, the flip side is why give up prospects if you’re confident you’re going to sign him? My guess is the Dodgers are prepared to outbid everyone. The structure is in place as his travel (and his personal media) already have the SoCal process down. He’s literally staying in the same (but expanded) market but with a better chance to win. It’s a no brainer for him and for the Dodgers (no matter what they pay him).
Btw, I’m an Angels fan saying this. But I realize it’s time to move on.
The Dodgers could get Ohtani to provide a huge boost in their push for the playoffs this year. The pitching rotation is far from solid and he would be an improvement from the production they are getting from JD Martinez who is a 1 year rental.
The huge benefit that the Dodgers would get by trading for him would be to have an exclusive window where they would be the only team talking to him about a long-term deal.
I’m an Angels fan too, and Ohtani has made it quite clear he wants to compete and win championships. The Angels haven’t made the playoffs during his time with the team nor appear to be serious playoff contenders in the future. From a team perspective focused on only winning championships I would have traded him during the offseason and collected a King’s ransom for him.
The team is so badly damaged by the wannabe GM in Arte Moreno consistently making bad player decisions time and again. Anthony Rendon is a big reason why the Angels have no shot at keeping Ohtani long term; his contract has been nothing short of a complete disaster.
This team really needs to be blown up and for Arte to provide the money and to leave keep his personnel thoughts to himself. The lesson that should be learned in all of this that it takes a TEAM to win, not just 1 or 2 players.
Giants, Farhan will finally land his superstar free agent. The Giants have the most financial flexibility to land Ohtani.
Shohei will be a Dodger. Easy to play for an annual winner, no family move necessary and no chance he’d want to play in SFG park that’s death for LH power hitters not named Bonds.
Well Ohtani would be the best LH power hitter in SF since Bonds…
@heiniemanush
“no family move necessary”
Ohtani is single.
When referring to family, they are referring to his mom and dad and grandparents that frequently fly from Japan to SoCal to watch him play.
Not much of a difference in flying to San Fran instead of LAX.
He’ll be able to afford the tickets anywhere!
@Bstrowmang @frank858 @heiniemanush
FWIW a flight from Japan to San Francisco is an hour shorter than one to LA.
The Giants won’t be outbid that I feel safe saying, but I still think the Dodgers just make WAY too much sense
Dodgers will have a ton of financial flexibility next season too. A ton off the books. They’re not in the Padres situation.
Oh 100% but the Giants have the ability to spend as much as any other team in baseball if they actually chose to do so and Ohtani is that kind of player. I still think the Dodgers playoff consistency and the fact it’s still LA will win out though
Trading Ohtani to San Francisco will ensure he signs with the Dodgers.
I have some friends that believe he gets traded but I just don’t see it unless they’re out of a wild card by like 10 games
This team is pretty bad right now. Maybe if Rendon, Drury, and Neto come back and click, they’ll be OK, but the staff isn’t pitching well and they have no bullpen.
They have two weeks to catch fire, otherwise what’s the point?
They got hit hard by injuries….quickly. They were looking good for awhile there.
Good thing for them is, the Rangers are coming back down to earth and the Astros, while still good, aren’t what they’ve been the last 6 years or so.
If somehow the Angels can keep it together until they get some players back, who knows?
If If’s and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a very merry Christmas.
Never does everything work out.
Live in the real world.
This has been the best year in a long time to compete for the AL West. However, if we don’t drastically improve pitching over the next three weeks, we won’t be one of the teams competing.
When I read Corbin instead of Carroll, I jumped to the conclusion this was about the slumping Rangers’ lineup making Patrick Corbin look like an ace. I even read Diamondbacks and assumed it was about him. Corbin Burnes and Corbin Martin, to different extents, can be referred to as Corbin. Burnes probably has much more of a right to that name, tbh. Even Patrick had his moments.
deGrom
Give it a rest. Envious, much?
Those other Corbins are ancient history and vastly inferior. There is only 1 Corbin, Corbin Carroll.
P.S. you can also call him CC7?
Corbin Burnes is certainly not ancient history. That is just wrong information. Besides, all the other names are last names here. Rookies have to play well a few seasons before getting that honor. My name is not Corbin, so I don’t see the envy here.
Ichiro, Magic, Michael, etc.
When a Rookie comes into the league in any sport and immediately far exceeds even lofty expectations, makes history, sets new records for the performance of a Rookie, becomes the slam dunk choice for ROY and is in the top 2 or 3 players considered for League MVP, then that player has “earned” the right to be referred to by his first name or any nickname the fans or media decides on.
To compare Corbin with those never were (Corbin Martin), failed (Patrick Corbin), or fading (Corbin Burnes) players is sheer fantasyland thinking.
“envious” because he’s not on your team and your team passed on him in the draft
btw Corbin is Not the last name of either Corbin Burnes or Corbin Martin. THAT is just wrong information!
Just finished a Kratom smoothie so absolutely.
Trade Ohtani to the Dodgers and have the Dodgers include Bobby Miller.
He’s gonna walk anyway and the last things the Dodgers want is Ohtani going to the another city and falling in love with New York or San Diego.
Miller is a heck of a lot better than who the Angels can draft. Hard to believe we spent a pick with the upside of Sean Casey. A high floor, low ceiling guy is not the best way to spend the 11th pick of the draft.
The Angels need to trade Ohtani for a player they can use.
Agreed. This is not a playoff caliber team, and I like Minasian’s//FO attempt this year. They tried. The main problem – besides Rendon’s contract – is the poor minor league system for over a decade. It just delivers RPs and role players. Ohtani’s value to the team now is turning him into high end prospects.
He tried, but he’s done nothing to help this rotation and the pen still stinks.
Three years of failure is enough. It’s time to move on.
Trading Ohtani w / o dumping Rendon on the gaining team would be a failure of epic proportions
Nobody cares about Rendon’s contract. What’s much more important is getting talent back. If they dump Rendon’s contract, they’ll just spend that money and 100 million more on a player that is more likely than not to be just like Rendon.
After Rendon, Anderson (thanks Perry) is the next highest contract on the Angels.
If the Angels are going to trade Ohtani, it would absolutely be to get at much prospect capital back as possible – not dilute the return in order to offload a contract. An Ohtani trade could bring back the largest return for a rental in history. The Angels can eat the money, but they can’t just as easily find blue chip prospects.
I don’t see him being traded to the Dodgers. The only thing worse than trading him for Angels fans is trading him to the Dodgers.
The only thing worse is him signing with the Dodgers and the Angels getting nothing..
conin – I’ve never subscribed to the “I hate the Dodgers cuz I’m an Angels fan” stuff. The Angels are my team but I like the Dodgers and Padres too. That being said, I have always picked the Giants as Ohtani’s landing spot.
Prov, I hate the Dodgers, they have only recently been surpassed by the Astros on my hate list. And we all know why that is.
@Halo11Fan: Why do you hate any teams? Unless you’re 12, that makes no sense.
And considering that Billy Eppler signed Ohtani for the Angels and there are rumors that Ohtani would like to play with Kodai Senga, how are you so sure that the Dodgers are the favorite to sign him?
The Dodgers haven’t won a (162-game season) World Series since 1988.
Must be rough rooting for a team that’s so good year after year, yet can’t close the deal.
We celebrated like crazy in 2020, the trophy is at Chavez Ravine…come see it. Also that was the hardest longes playoff run any team had to accomplish & with no home field advantage other than the first round over the brewers
@reneaguerra
60 games. Extended spring training. The other teams didn’t have home field advantage, either.
Baseball is the one sport where home field advantage barely exists… I believe it’s somewhere around 52%.
The Dodgers won a sprint. A 162-game season and they would have run out of gas like they always do.
Plus a 162 game season’s wear and tear shows up. 60 Games teams just start getting into their peak performance. Tougher to win when your players are dealing with the grind of the season.
Reasonable question.
When I became an Angel fan they played in Chavez Ravine. Not only did the Dodgers organization treat the Angels like manure (well known story for all fans familiar with the Angel’s history), but the Dodger fans, especially in school, did the same.
At the beginning of the year the, Vegas Odds favored Mets and the Yankees were the favorite
So it’s my opinion, it’s the Dodgers. I don’t know the current odds.
Trade him to the Dodgers for Miller and Lux and then try to resign him similar to when the Yankees Traded Chapman to Cubs for Torres and pitching, only to resign him in the off season.
Then the Angels middle infield is set for years to come and have a #2 SP.
Offer 9 years 525 million.
Ohtani will want to play for a winner. I’m sure he’s sick of the Angels by now.
If the Dodgers will trade Lux and Miller, of course. Do that deal in a heartbeat.
It might take 13 years and $750MM.
Miller and Lux? Keep dreaming.
Just to be clear, I never said Lux. But I would only trade him to the Dodgers for Miller.
It’s a big price to pay for the 2023 season and four months of exclusive negotiating rights. But if they don’t want to pay it, the Angels should trade him somewhere else, which decreases the chances of the Dodgers signing him.
Elysian, Wake Up! You’re not dreaming, you must be passed out drunk. You better believe it would take at least a combo of Miller and Lux for Ohtani.
You got to be crazy to think Arte would just hand Ohtani over to the other Local media So Cal team, without a huge over pay. One might say Arte would even turn that deal down as not enough. Especially with a broken Lux thrown in.
Bottom line: the Dodgers aren’t getting or trading for Ohtani. I highly doubt the Dodgers give up the above, and maybe another player thrown in. There gonna have to knock Arte’s socks off.
I just don’t see the Dodgers trading Bobby Miller for a rental. I know they traded Josiah Gray (#2 prospect and Keibert Ruiz #1 prospect) for Scherzer and Turner (one and a half years) , so I guess it’s possible. By the way, trading for those 2 netted the Dodgers a total of 1 playoffs series win. So, trading for Shohei guarantees nothing.
But if they trade him for Shohei, who DH’s? Do the Dodgers put Martinez and his old tired legs in left field every day? That would be more of a lateral move. I know he’s not Shohei, but JD has been mashing. Seems like it would be bad clubhouse dynamics to just brush JD to the side for Ohtani. Unless….they put Shohei in LF in the games he’s not pitching?
I see a trade for Ohtani by the Dodgers unlikely. Rather, they hold onto their equity and go after him in the off season.
Agree 100%
Neither Gray nor Ruiz was as highly regarded as Miller. The Dodgers are not trading him.
Vincent. Good points. But as an Angel fan, that’s what it would take.
Yup, that’s why I said a trade for Ohtani is unlikely.
@Halo11Fan: What makes LA so superior to San Diego and New York? It’s been said that LA’s only cultural advantage is that you can legally make a right turn on a red light.
And who outside of LA cares what the Dodgers want?
Familiarity. It’s why the Dodgers will be taking a big risk allowing him to go to another team. That team gets a three month advantage signing him.
If the Dodgers Ohtani, they should trade for him.
Newsflash: It’s not up to the Dodgers to “allow” him to go anywhere. Why are you so obsessed with the Dodgers?
Blue – Ohtani himself has said he wants to play on the west coast. I don’t think any team east of the 5 Freeway has a chance. He’ll listen, but that’s about it in my opinion.
@prov356: But it’s not up to the Dodgers, as Halo11Fan seems to think for some bizarre reason.
Nice strawman. No one other than the a Angels have a choice where Ohtani plays this year. I clearly did not write otherwise.
No one other than Ohtani has a choice where Ohtani will play next year.
When someone has to create strawmen to make a point, they have no point to make.
Idk if that Casey comp is fair to Schanuel. Dude hit 19 hr in about 60 games in college this year. The Mayor never did hit for much power.
Two people on MLB made the comp. Dave Magaden was the other comp.
When a draft pick is rated in the mid 20s and goes 11th, I ask why? I think most people do.
Not trying to say he was the best pick in that spot or that angels fans should be excited about it. Just saying that Schanuel appears to have potential power upside that might be better than Casey’s. Imo there are far worse outcomes than a Sean Casey type though. In his prime Casey was a very valuable player and he finished with a career ops over 800. If that’s schanuel’s floor he could be a valuable asset and contributor. Totally legit to have wanted a different approach or decision in this draft as a fan, but imo those comps (which ultimately are just a couple folks’ opinions) may be underselling the players’ potential.
I’m not a scout, that said it was obvious Bachman was an RP and this guy is a first baseman.
Now other than the fact he’s a first baseman, I don’t know a thing about his upside other than what I read from sites like fangraphs.
A mock draft had him going 21st. That’s about all I know about him.
I know I also don’t trust the Angels scouting department.
Yeah I hear all that. And I’m just a fan who likes to geek out and read up on the draft every year myself. With hindsight the pick does seem consistent with the angels’ recent approach of drafting high probability big leaguers who will likely require less time in the minors than average. Folks can definitely have reasonable disagreements with that philosophy though. My guess would be that taking schanuel in that spot indicates that the angels FO believes the power he showed in college can translate to mlb to a significant degree, that he is a safe bet to at least contribute in the relatively near future at a floor of a sean casey type (which would be an upgrade on what they trot out right now), and/or that he can play an adequate corner OF. Only time will tell if they’re right. Btw idk if bachman’s fate is sealed as an rp just yet. Of course there’s a real possibility that you’re right on that but its not terribly uncommon for sp prospects to debut out of the pen and transition to success in the rotation later.
I watch enough baseball that I can tell very quickly if a certain pitchers are better suited for the pen and if a player does not seem to have the feet and hand to play a defensive position.
I can’t explain it, I just see it.
Ya I definitely think you have seen Bachman pitch more than I have, but I doubt either of us have seen schanuel in action enough to have a clear read on whether he can play OF. It has seemed like evaluators are mixed on that from what I recall. Both players are young enough that I don’t think one can assume with confidence that they are at their ceiling with these skills though. If schanuel developed to justify that sean casey comp with hit tool and plate skills with more power then that seems like a profile that plays well even at 1b and would be a pretty solid value return for the pick.
You can see feet really fast. You play defense with your feet.
Sometimes people are unique and they catch you off guard, but not often. My guess is, if he plays outfield, he won’t be significantly different than Jim Spencer. That’s his upside. Fans of this team for 50+ years will understand that.
Hold up bruh, didn’t you say you only know what you read about schanuel? Like have you seen him play to get this notion about his footwork? I’m not saying i know for sure you’re wrong that he’ll end up at first, since reports do seem to indicate that’s a real possibility, but it’s hardly a “fact” that he will be limited to 1b right now. End of the day no team drafts a corner of/1b type in the first round unless they believe that player can bring an impact bat. If there’s a consensus on schanuel it’s definitely that the bat is his carrying skill. I’d be willing to bet the angels will give him opportunities in their system to show he can stick in of before relegating him to 1b. And if they get a guy who can mash at any position out of this pick I’d be willing to bet fans will be happy with the decision down the line.
I saw him botch a ground ball that a little leaguer could field. I once saw Ken Berry drop a fly ball, and if that was the first ball I ever saw him field, I wouldn’t have high hopes. But I bet Berry’s technique was flawless. Which was more than I saw there.
It doesn’t take long to see a player doesn’t move well. It doesn’t take long to see how a player receives a ball.
Hitting is different, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat. I can’t tell if someone is able to put the big end of the ball on the bat or not.
It doesn’t take much to scout defense.
If he turns out to be a good defensive player, I’d be surprised. Of course he could be a step and a dive Spiezio and that might fool some fans to think he was gold glove worthy.
Halo11Fan – Didn’t you question sqid’s defense when he came from NY. I could be wrong but that was my perception.
Yes I did. Just looking at the data. The data didn’t like him. With the Angels, like him. Four outs above average the last two years.
My eyes tell me the same thing.
And this is a great example of my limitations. When something is obvious, like Rengifo’s feet, I can see it right away. But as things get more subtle, I can’t tell. Squid looks good to me, but how good? I don’t know? I’ll trust outs above average.
But with Rengifo, he will fall back and not move his feet on a hard ground ball hit a foot and and half to his right or left, then end up on his wallet. That’s terrible feet. That’s obvious.
NOBODY has any idea where he will go.
Dodger fans have this sense of entitlement that he’s going there. I’m not so sure.
If winning is his priority, why not the Braves? Or a young team that is loaded, like the Orioles?
If its his legacy, why not the Rangers where he has an .841 (!!) career SLG in their ballpark?
Or maybe Ippei, who grew up near Anaheim, will have an influence.
It’s fun to speculate, but I have a feeling he’ll go somewhere nobody predicted.
So you are saying he is going to Tampa Bay
Braves aren’t and can’t pay his salary demands and Rangers have ZERO winning tradition, (see Angels). LA and SF make sense, large Asian populations and large sums of salary coming off books. Ohtani excluded the East coast from consideration his first time through free agency and I doubt that’s changed.
“I doubt that’s changed.”
How do you know this, especially now that he’s a MLB veteran much more familiar with the US and various cities?
What a ridiculous statement. You’re just as full of it as the rest of us.
@johnnyangel: Perhaps Yankees fans are the only ones more entitled than Dodgers fans. When Ohtani came from Japan, all the chatter was about how he would sign with the Yankees.
Until he chose the Angels.
Blue Baron, is it Dodger fans who are saying he is going to the Dodgers? No…..it is a lot of baseball insiders. How does that make Dodger fans entitled?
Ask johnnyangel. He’s the guy who called you entitled.
Everyone has an idea where he is going. No idea? Really?
Most of whom you call “everyone” has no clue. And it’s not up to the Dodgers.
Everyone with a clue has a clue. If you gave even money and let everyone choose five teams. You’d lose your shirt.
And everyone on threads like this has no clue, especially those who think it’s somehow up to the Dodgers, who have no contractual control over the player.
You’re just engaging in baseless speculation.
You’re a real jerk. You’re making stuff up. Who wrote its up to the Dodgers?
“It’s why the Dodgers will be taking a big risk allowing him to go to another team.”
Your words, as if you think it’s up to the Dodgers like they have contractual control over him.
I didn’t make it up. You wrote it.
And now you’re calling me names? Very mature.
IT’S NOT UP TO THE DODGERS!
They will. Duh. The more places he sees the more likely he is to be comfortable in that place, or fall in love with that place orbfall in love with the organization. Not to mention 4 months of exclusive bargaining rights. Duh.
He knows LA. For Ohtani, It’s the safer choice. How on Earth did
everyone but you understand that?
Giving him the opportunity to fall in love with another city is a big risk for the Dodgers. They could easily go from the favorite to on the outside looking in.
So what if that happens? The earth won’t spin off its axis.
Why are you so hung up on the Dodgers?
Who said it would. Again nice strawman.
Back to what I wrote in another post in this thread. The Dodgers are the favorites, the team he is traded to (if he is traded) becomes the second favorite.
If the Dodgers want to allow a different boy to come to the dance and sweep their girlfriend off her feet, that is their choice. I’m sure you didn’t understand that metaphor as well. But everyone else does.
And I’m not hung up on the Dodgers, this is all about the Angels getting the most for Ohtani and the Dodgers should be highly motivated.
Buy a vowel.
Buy some class and quit being so condescending. I understand metaphors perfectly well.
But you saying the Dodgers are the favorites doesn’t make it so.
Nobody knows what will happen until it happens.
@Blue Baron
No matter how much money your Uncle Stevie offers, Ohtani ain’t going to the Mets.
He will sign elsewhere for less, just like Judge did.
The Mets didn’t try to sign Judge.
But Billy Eppler signed Ohtani once before, and there are rumblings that he would like to play with Kodai Senga.
@Blue Baron
Judge’s hometown Giants offered him more money than the Yankees.
My point was they don’t ALWAYS go to the highest bidder.
You dismissed my “we are hearing…” as media nonsense, but “there are rumblings” means is more legit to you?
Ok. Dream on, Blue Baron.
I don’t care either way. It has no effect on my life.
Why can’t Arte Moreno just sell the Angels? I was so excited when the team was for sale last season. I can’t even remember the last time the Angels won a playoff game.
And stop with this ridiculous team name ‘Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’.
Btw, Angels fans already know Shohei is going to be playing for the Dodgers next year.
They’re not called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim anymore.
That ended almost 10 years ago!
Some of us believe it never should have ended.
johnnyangel – I don’t think so . What has changed? The contract says Anaheim has to be in there somewhere. Just like they added Angels to the Stadium and gave the team naming rights to it’s stadium. They must still have the “of Anaheim”. The old name was Anaheim Stadium.
baseball-reference.com/teams/ANA/
Edub23 – “I was so excited when the team was for sale last season.”
The team wasn’t for sale last season. I pointed out several times that Moreno’s wording was very deliberate. He only ever said that he is “exploring a sale” of the team. That’s way different than putting a for sale sign in the front yard. However, I believe that in his exploration, he lined up a buyer for a quick sale this coming winter depending on Ohtani’s final destination.
“Btw, Angels fans already know Shohei is going to be playing for the Dodgers next year.”
No we don’t and neither do you.
What I heard from a really smart guy, who has real inside connections to the game, is that he doesn’t believe Arte got the offer he expected.
I don’t know anything, and he doesn’t know anything, but if I gave you this guys name, you’d take the thought seriously. To say he’s respected, is an understatement.
Got it. I certainly speak from a position of speculation only. I imagine Moreno’s price is substantial.
@Halo11Fan
“To say he’s respected, is an understatement.”
I hope it’s not Jon Heyman.
No. Not Heyman, laugh out loud.
@prov356: And neither does know-it-all Halo11Fan.
Nice dig Blue Baron. I don’t know it all, just more than you.
At least you have deluded yourself that you know more than I and other commenters on here.
But if ignorance is bliss, you must be the happiest guy on earth.
@Bule Barone
“At least you have deluded yourself that you know more than I and other commenters on here.”
He said nothing about knowing more than other commenters, just you.
And on that point, I agree with him.
@blue
You really should stop creating strawmen. If you can’t have a discussion without creating a strawman then you likely don’t have a valid point.
Nippon Ham Fighters!
Rockies are going to need to sign some veteran discarded starter, like MadBum or Flexen. About 10 years ago they picked up Kevin Millwood for the last couple months of a season when they were similarly shorthanded.
Not if they’re out of contention. They can just bring up guys from the minors.
At this point they would be bringing up guys that are barely AAA quality. Better to get a washed-up veteran to give you innings for the league minimum than to bring up a prospect who is a year away from being ready.
If you’re out of contention, what’s the difference?
The difference is that your minor-league prospects get to develop normally and you don’t have to start their service time clock.
I remember several years ago they brought up Eddie Butler from AA before he was ready and his MLB career never amounted to much. We’ll never know if it might have turned out better had he gotten a few months or a year in AAA to develop his game.
They can bring up organization guys who aren’t prospects.
The Braves will sign Ohtani, add him to their stellar core, and win multiple titles over the next decade.
Wow, Blue Baron, you are up to date. That uninformed quote is from almost 50 years ago. It wasn’t accurate then, and it isn’t now.
Says the Dodgers fan.
Yea they think he just running to the Dodgers lol
Whoever signs Ohtani will kill their franchise for the next 10-15 years. They will overpay for a guy who can barely throw 160 innings and may never hit .300. He can’t play a position for fear of injury. You limit your ability to give anyone else a day of rest at DH. His swing is horrible and when he hit 30 and his hands slow down he will K 200+ times a year.
I know you WAR geeks here will have a meltdown but I guess we can talk about it in 10 years and see who was right.
Ok, let’s address the “swing is terrible” comment first. 32 Hrs before the break. OPS of 1.050. Your comment is one of the dumbest of all time.
Now, how about your comment that “Whoever signs Ohtani will kill their franchise for the next 10-15 years”? For most teams, I agree. That’s why I think it comes down to the Dodgers or Yanks. If Ohtani gives the Dodgers a home area discount, then they probably could recover from the massive contract and injury or decline. But the team that is best able to take the risk is the Yanks. They are about the only team that isn’t going to be devastated if the stupidly large contract turns out to be a bust. They can afford to roll the dice.
Like I said, we will know in a few years. I bet you thought the Trout signing was good at the time. It’s not looking so good after the past 3 years. Judge will be the same. How about Turner, Harper, Strasburg and the list goes on and on.
His swing has a massive hole in it which will become obvious to you once his hands slow down around age 30 or before with another injury.
As you probably know, top players (especially GOAT types like Mr Trout) can force teams to pay them well past their expected expiration date. It’s the only way to land them. Ohtani, because of the novelty and international marketing, will probably make Trout’s contract look very tame.
@NeverPC
Ohtani:
SLG: .663
OPS: 1.050
OPS+: 183
HR: 32
3B: 6
All stats LEAD THE SPORT.
And while BA means little when compared to the above stats, Ohtani’s also hitting .302 (which checks your precious “He may never hit .300” box).
If “his swing has a massive hole in it,” well…maybe somebody should let his swing know……….
@Kevin
I just don’t see that as being a viable option. The price tag just seems to high for Atl.
Although I would love to see him hitting behind Acuna in the Braves lineup.
Maybe with Liberty Mutual making the Braves their own company it will make it possible to spend even more.
Wonder what the Padres could land for Soto, Cronenworth, and Grisham at this point. If they could get a couple of near mlb ready top 50 prospects, as well as a couple more high obp AA type guys and a reliever, then they could throw alllllll the money at Ohtani, and reset while still staying in the hunt and injecting some youth.
While I know it’s unlikely at best, I would kind of like to see Ohtani in Colorado or the Yankees. I just would want to see how many home runs he could tank in one season if given the most hitter friendly environment possible.
As someone who’s dislocated each shoulder 7 times, there is no worse feeling, he’s very lucky his went right back into the socket, having to wait to have it reduced back into the socket is something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy…
I can see the Giants giving up a lot to rent Shohei just to keep him off the Dodgers for the last half of the season. It might be a good way to have Ohtani see how well he likes the bay area. Also, Arte would NOT like to see Shohei go to the Dodgers,
So you are close personal friends of Arte Moreno?
Well, no. I guess no-one is able to make any conclusions about the world unless they are close personal friends with the primary source. Got me there.
I was foolishly basing this on Arte’s long term campaign to compete with the Dodgers in the LA marketplace. And, having a star player decide the Angels are second rate compared to the Dodgers might make this more difficult. You got me! I won’t try to sneak that weak stuff past you again!
You do seem to be on a first name basis. So I wondered. But you don’t have to read anyone’s inner thoughts to know that Arte Moreno and Andrew Friedman don’t seem to like each other very much, and the reason has nothing to do with being in the same market.
Anyway, if Moreno decides to trade Ohtani this month, he will be after the best possible prospect haul, because that’s just the business of baseball. And wherever Ohtani lands after this season is not under Moreno’s control, so any ideas he might have for competing with the Dodgers in the LA market will have to come from someplace else. Emptying out the Dodgers’ farm for a rental on Ohtani might just be one way to do it, don’t you think?
Saturday served as the best case scenario recruiting trip the Dodgers could have imagined & I’m sure they planned it this way. it was Japanese heritage night with 53,000 people in attendance. He went off with a single, triple & Home run, because the Dodgers were dominating the Angels AGAIN…Dodger fans were also standing cheering for him as he went for a cycle in his final AB. He’s usually understated emotionally, but You could see how pumped up he was.
Virtual lock to sign with the Dodgers.