Rants & Raves

Last night, the family was in for dinner, and my oldest son, who lives in Brooklyn (he has been here for 5 weeks helping his grandmother transition to a Senior Care Facility), is heading home today, so we had a goodbye dinner and stayed up late. Today is one of those days where I have to be in the office early and have meetings and/or appointments at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM, and then I have a dinner engagement at 7 PM – Busy Day! It’s not like that every day, but today is one of them, so I will likely not have much Dodger time today. So, here’s a few things to consider:

  • Glasnow could be an Ace – a Real Ace, and Margot is attached to him because TB wants to dump his salary. I do not see TB adding Arozerena. Pepiot and DeLuca would not be a lot to pay for a potential Cy Young Award Winner – on the other hand – it would be a lot to pay for a pitcher on the IL and a backup outfielder. I say no!
  • Ohtani’s Opt-Out Clause is certainly a testament to Mark Walter as an owner and Andrew Friedman as head of baseball operations. WOW! The details are all HERE. Never in the history of the game… I guess you will have to stop bashing Friedman unless you want to dump Ohtani too.
  • Clayton Kershaw says he is doing really well – I think he will be back with the Dodgers by August! He wants to be part of this!
  • Daniel Hudson is far from a sure thing with all of his knee problems, but he is certainly worth a 2-million-dollar minor-league deal.
  • Giolito? Who knows?
  • Burnes? Adames? Cease? Yamamoto? So we wait….
  • Could it be that Yamamoto is all the Dodgers need? Yamamoto, Miller, Kershaw, Pepiot, Sheehan, Buehler, Stone, et al…
  • David Vassagh in an interview yesterday that the “Dodgers aren’t worried about having Buehler in April or May – they want to be sure he is ready in October and they expect him to be.”

Have a great day! This could be the day…

This article has 98 Comments

  1. Sign Yamamoto if possible, sign Giolito, and use the prospect capital at the deadline. Not a fan of the Glasnow trade. Also as you mentioned Kershaw at midseason is a possibility. Need to have quality staters in October, not particularly during the regular season. The Dodgers are the best at navigating pitching during the regular season. The only trade I would consider is for Burnes, Cease will cost too many prospects.

    1. If we can’t sign Yamamoto, then sign Shōta Imanaga, the 30 year old lefty from Japan and Giolito and keep all the young arms until the trading deadline.

    2. Love Kershaw, but it’s for the best that he’s not pitching this October, or any October. His days as a playoff-caliber starter are sadly over. Even during his “healthy” good stretch last year, he was getting by on mystique and guile. We’d see a rerun of the Arizona hitters sitting back and taking hard, confident swings as they launch his offerings into the stratosphere.

  2. Here are our starting rotation options for the next two seasons. I would imagine AF and Dave will have a hard time sleeping:
    Buehler- 2 TJ’s, other injuries and in his 30’s
    Ohtani- 2 TJ’s and in his 30’s
    Kershaw- multiple injuries and in his 30’s
    Goslin- 1 TJ and other injuries and in his 30’s
    May- 1 TJ and multiple injuries and close to 30
    Glasnow- If we add him, another TJ with multiple injuries and in his 30’s
    Miller- young and healthy (how did he get in here?)
    Pepiot- young and healthy but gone for Glasnow

    1. Miller. Healthy now. But when you throw a slider 90mph the chance a TJ seems almost guaranteed. The Rays and Dodgers are pitching factories; but their high ceiling pitchers are continually damaged with TJs and other ailments. Let’s hope Miller is different but I am concerned.

      1. There are a few who are cut out for it – most aren’t!

        Clemens, Scherzer, Verlander, Cole, et al – each had a good run…

        But there aren’t many! You are correct.

  3. Buehler is 29
    Ohtani is 29, will be 30 in June
    Kershaw will be 36 in March
    Gonsolin will be 30 in May
    May just turned 26
    Glasnow turned 30 in August
    Miller will be 25 in April
    Pepiot will be 27 in August
    But there is then Frasso, Stone, Hurt, Knack. Wrobleski, Bruns, Martin, et al, who are in their early 20s.

    It’s not quite as bad as you make it sound.

    1. And Peyton Martin younger still. Rosario too.
      Dodgers do have a lot of pitching depth.
      Glasnow seems likely, but I’m still hoping for Burnes….
      I thought Yamamoto was a bit too much to hope for–but then Shohei deferred all that salary, and now he is wooing Yamamoto. (And will probably court Imanaga too.)
      If Yamamoto and Glasnow come, does AF still pursue Burnes or Cease? I hope so, in part because Glasnow is almost certain to be hurt.
      Of all these pitchers, I think Burnes is the safest bet to have success. And there’s no denying that the Dodgers and Brewers line up well for a blockbuster.
      OK, let’s just do it: Burnes, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Buhler, Miller, Imanaga.
      With Kershaw in the wings. And Ohtani ready in ’25.
      The Dodgers would be sooooo hated.

      1. Completely on board for Burnes, ..and add Adames too. I don’t care if they’re “rentals.” Acquiring them plugs most of the important holes left for the ’24 team.

  4. Mark, There is a certain therapeutic effect for many fans that comes with bashing AF and his hand picked gunsel, Smiling Doc.Roberts. It sometimes borders on euphoria. It’s like pounding a drum for us. Perhaps that’s why you call us morons. So I wouldn’t necessarily assume that fan ranting towards AF will cease because of the Ohtani contact. And Doc (clueless as ever) is still open game to scapegoat. I Can’t hardly wait for the next round of playoffs when Barcelona Doc uses Barnes to pitch hit for Ohtani in a righty/lefty situation. (We all know Doc and the odds). And after Barnes feebly grounds out to the catcher Doc will later explain that Barnes was a “ready Teddy” after hitting a line drive in Batting Practice. Yes. Even with all this premiere talent, a well stocked farm that should be better this year than last, and with the addition of “greatest player since the Babe,” that the Grim Reaper is still our manager. Blind Doc, the play off bumbler is still leading them—often aimlessly, wandering around the desert for forty years looking for The Promised Land. For AF, fixing (or firing) Doc looms as his next magic trick. Could Bochty’s down-home moon-shined brain be medically transferred (or cloned) into Doc’s wine-refined where’s Barnes soggy melon? The Dodgers rarely upset anybody. It seems that if the competition is equal Doc will find a way to lose. Doc wins 9-2 games handily against second division teams. But if it’s a 3-2 game, or extra innings, he famously flounders. As a lackey, he’s fairly dependable. But as a leader who must make key decisions, Doc is just down right goofy. Down the road… is Justin Turrner a possible replacement? Red Turn seems a whole lot sharper than Doc.

    1. … and yet he has the best winning percentage of any MLB Manager EVER in the history of the modern game.

      Is it Roberts’ Fault that the following occurred:

      1. His Ace, who has a career ERA of 2.46 in the Regular Season, has an ERA of more than 2 Runs Higher in the playoffs.
      2. That Superstar Hitter Mookie Betts has hit .143 and .00 in the last two playoffs.
      3. That Superstar Freddie Freeman hit .100 in his last playoff year.
      4. Closer Kenley Jansen had a 0-2 record and a 4.40 ERA in 3 World Series.

      The Giants never won a World Series with Bury Bonds (.245 BA in 208 PA in the playoffs), but they won three with a bunch of players who exceeded expectations in the playoffs. If the players don’t play up to their expectations, the manager looks like a dud, but when they play over their heads, he is a stud!

      1. The statistics clearly support your defense; many dodger Stars have failed in the limelight. Continually. (Oh Comeback Corey and Cody!) But that doesn’t mean that Doc hasn’t blown several key games too and his leadership has appeared less than stellar. Fans, talking heads, and opinionated Presidents have all been critical of his managing which doesn’t seem to improve. But—To be honest, the reason why the dodgers have failed in the playoffs is Clayton Kershaw. Had he been his regular season self we likely would have two or even three more rings. His lack of clutch pitching becomes even more painful when we remember the post season efforts of Koufax, Drysdale, Hershiser, and Johnny Podres pitching Game 7 in ‘55. Had Kershaw performed like the Hall of Famer he is, the hall of Famer we all love, talk about Dizzy Doc would be scant and minimal. Doc has had to overcome (and didn’t) one of the most notable failures in MLB post game history; Clayton Kershaw—Fire Starter.

    2. Like to see some stats to back up all that verbosity. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

  5. The Los Angeles Dodgers scheduled Shohei Ohtani’s introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium for 3 p.m. PT on Thursday afternoon. When taking into account time zone changes, Ohtani’s first appearance as a member of the Dodgers is taking place at 8 a.m. in Japan.

    Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is going to accompany Ohtani in the center field plaza. It’s going to be at least Ohtani’s third trip to Dodger Stadium in December.

    I believe the press conference will be carried on the MLB network.

  6. Blind Joe, that’s some fancy writing, but you should give Roberts a little more credit, after all he told the guys to go out there and suck in the last two playoff rounds. And they did. So you can’t blame Doc.
    The guys did what they were asked to do.
    Come on Joe !

    1. Thanks Bobo. I love hyperbole and try to be entertaining. I’m far from an expert but I do live and die with the Dodgers. Most would agree that Doc is flawed. And…Piling on Doc is kind of our national pastime . Doc’s affable personality makes it seem like he’s often “out to lunch.” But you’re right. It was a cheap shot. Thanks for keeping me in line.

  7. Yah, I don’t like trading Pepiot. I thought he would be part of the rotation this coming year. Threw very well last summer after his return.

    But no matter where you turn on the trade market, it’s going to cost to get a front line starter.

    Yamamoto, if the experts are right, may be part of the solution. Many analysts now believe he’ll end up with the Dodgers. We’ll see.

    Need to make a big trade. The Rays are a natural. Glasnow, who is from Santa Clarita, might be a pitcher the Dodgers can hang onto if he stays healthy.

    Most pundits think the Brewers will trade Burnes. Yelich is apparently on the market. Blue Jays interested?

    Sounds like they may be getting ready to move a few players.

  8. When your two best hitters get 1 infield single TOTAL in three playoff games—-I don’t think you blame the manager for that

      1. Doc can appear stupid. Like when he said that Dustin
        May was making good progress and then two days later the Dodgers announced that May would be operated on and out for ‘23 and ‘24. And why when they know that a pitcher is hurt (ie. Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Kershaw) do they continue to pitch them? Gonsolin was throwing 70 mph fastballs. You knew before the public knew that May and Gonsolin were actually injured and you were dropping hints to us. So AF and Doc obviously knew too. Is there a new theory that pitchers should bull-work through a TJ injury? This seems reckless…and stupid. And whatever the thinking is, it hasn’t worked.

    1. I think you are focused on just one part: It is a crapshoot, but there are other factors too.

      Luck is sometimes where preparation meets opportunity.

      You can have a player hit the ball right on the screws … right at the CF’er who was playing deep, and it’s an out.

      You can also have a player hit a pop-up that the wind catches, and it turns into a triple. That’s the luck (crapshoot) part.

      There is perhaps no other sport where luck (crapshoot) comes into play, like baseball. Occasionally, there is a “lucky bounce” in basketball. More so in football, but baseball can be maddening at times making it the most conducive to a crapshoot, but that is only part of the story.

      Your players have to play, and when they don’t… you lose! You can be unlucky and still win, but you have to produce. Maybe Ohtani will bring the good ju-ju to counteract the bad ju-ju of the past couple of years.

      1. Crap–Shoot. Sadly players were just crap in playoffs. Not much shooting. Roberts most have forgot to tell them to get hits

    1. Some people walk in the rain; others just get wet.

      We like to blame others because the lack of experience and psychological expertise with which we are all born is inadequate for us to develop more mature coping mechanisms.

      We love the mother who feeds and nurtures us, but every time we are frustrated or hungry, we have no control over our raging, angry, frightening feelings and destructive imaginings, which we cannot distinguish from real events. In other words, we destroy her in our imagination on a regular basis and might believe it is true.

      The baby cannot deal with this in any thoughtful way at all, and to avoid universal psychic trauma, we instinctively resort to mental defense mechanisms, part of which is the one you refer to – externalizing blame. After we have gained a bit of maturity but are still infants, we spend the rest of our lives ‘rowing back’ on these mechanisms, developing more mature, less blaming perception, but with variable success, depending largely on how we are treated and loved by others.

      1. Mark, never expected that kind of deep reflection on a baseball site. Heavy. Thoughtful. Insightful. Great stuff. I just want to add that baseball is a kid’s game that brings out the child in many of us. This blog allows the septuagenarians (like myself) to relive that child like joy and freedom and act like “morons.” It’s like booing at a live event. That’s part of the fun. If Doc was just a fan watching his performance I think he’d rant at his mistakes too.

  9. If I was in a position to change the Dodgers roster, I wouldn’t trade any of our young right handed pitchers for another right handed pitcher. The Dodgers need to get some left handed starters. Blake Snell shouldn’t be considered. This brings up the question of what left handed starter is available. The Dodgers should look to move one or more of their potential young right handed starters for potential young left handed starters. The Dodgers roster as is, will be expected to win the NL West. The Dodgers can move some of the young right handed starters for more experienced right handed pitchers at the trade deadline if the Dodgers determine that will make them better in the playoffs.

    I may be willing to move one of the young right handed pitchers for a solid right handed hittting outfielder. The worry I have for our beloved Dodgers is how left handed hitting heavy the roster is as it stands today. I don’t think the Dodgers should make the trade from the stand point of weakness (this off season), until they see what Deluca, Pages or Vargas have to offer if given a chance to play.

  10. We’ll Mark you call it a crapshoot like that’s all it is. If there’s only a element of crapshoot like there always has been since the beginning of sports. Maybe crapshoot is the wrong word. Which is hardest finishing better than all the teams in one league then playing WS, finishing better than teams in own division playing a LCS and WS, finishing better in multi weakened divisions or getting a wildcard and playing multiple series’s in playoffs to win it all? It’s really hard no matter which way got it done. So for anyone to discredit any teams championship run by calling it a crapshoot including the 20 dodgers is as plain lame as it gets. The talent from top to bottom with the intangibles it takes to win it all means much more than the crapshoot elements involved and baseball isn’t played on paper

    1. Its been well documented the best teams don’t win the World Series and its MUCH harder to win now that it was 20-30 years ago.

      2020 was the hardest WS to ever be won….

  11. I’m not much of a GM but I am an interested reader of all the opinions and speculations of possible moves to further help the club, especially our need in pitching. It looks to me like we have a nice list of pitching prospects, many Mark mentioned. But I don’t see Michael Grove’s name listed. I know he took his lumps going 3&3 w/ a 5.67 ERA. But I thought he pitched better than his numbers reflected. My notes on him are – “There is a lot of upside to this guy. All he needs to be is a Number Five guy in the rotation and there aren’t many Number Fives who have four pitches and throw 98 MPH”. Or is he a RHRP? What am I missing on this guy?
    Remember the old adage that if you can hit, they will find room for you in the line up? That brings me to Michael Busch. I know the 26 year old hit .167 in 72 AB’s in 2023 but he was Player of the Year in MiLB raking .323 / 1.049 w/ 27 dingers. In 4 seasons in MiLB he’s at .283 / .919. What’s this guy have to do to get a shot. And with Mookie moving to the everyday 2nd baseman, this guy has only one position; left field. And maybe as a back up to Muncy at 3rd. Is he that bad defensively? So, with these minor league numbers, he needs a legit shot or in fairness to him, he needs to be traded. This is a bat with great potential being wasted, IMHO.
    Keep all the semi-professional GM chatter going. It’s very entertaining.

    1. I think Michael Grove’s future is in the bullpen, and I think the Dodgers believe that as well. I see him as a very valuable piece.

  12. Heyman:

    “My understanding is the Dodgers aren’t that enthused about Manuel Margot. They’d be more enthused if it was Randy Arozarena, but that’s a lot more prospects.”

    “I’m not sure if Margot will be part of this package.”

    1. Most of LADodgerTalk isnt that enthused about Manuel Margot either, so I”m glad Heyman agrees with us.

      1. Margot’s splits against lefties are really pretty good and he’d be a nice platoon partner for JHey. Problem is he’s vastly overpaid for that role when we have DeLuca at basically 800k who might very well be just as good.

    2. Arozarena is going to cost a lot. He was fantastic during the WBC and carried that over into the season. He tailed off the second half but he can be an electric player.

      While not a superstar, at 28 years old he has the talent to be a very good player.

      Fans have a tendency to overvalue prospects, but we currently do not have a single prospect that is currently projected to offer his upside.

    3. There is a source from the Rats who said the Dodgers are reluctant to include Margot in the deal and that is what is holding it up. Deal will probably end up looking different;

  13. would you guys do –

    Cartaya,Sheehan for Glasnow,Arozarena

    few fans on DRaysBay mentioned and they seemed down with.
    Seems to me would take little more on our end

  14. I def do not want Giolito. He can eat innings but not an ace we need in the playoffs. Losing record , nearly 5 era, and last season gave up 41 HRs in the 33 games he started. Sounds like Lance Lynn.

    Margot won’t be Dodger, he does not have enough power to warrant a role in the OF.

  15. Meanwhile, on SportsnetLA, right before this Ohtani press conference starts, they were showing the Sept 12 rewind game where Kyle Hurt pitched the 9th and struck out the side.

    Wow his stuff was big time! Hope we give him a real shot in the spring.

  16. Glasnow deal done says Jeff Passan. Glasnow expected to sign extension.

    Broke when MLB was interviewing Friedman. No comment from AF.

  17. The Dodgers and Rays are in agreement on a trade that will send Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot to Los Angeles, with Ryan Pepiot and Jonny Deluca going to Tampa, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal is contingent on Glasnow signing an extension with the Dodgers, which Passan says is expected.

    1. If people didn’t like the Ohtani signing, imagine how they’re going to react to this Glasnow trade.

      On a more serious note….

      I mean the Rays win most of their trades, but someone who runs a different blog nailed this. There are a ton of teams looking for pitching and few top-level pitchers.

      The overpay (and I do think it’s an overpay even with the extension) could have been seen.

      I think trading Pepiot at a highpoint in his value is a quintessential Friedman move.

      Glasgow’s stuff is great. His reliability? Less so.

      This is, I’m predicting it now, is going to be the year of load management for pitchers on the Dodgers.

      1. Glasnow, ok, Margot? Guy is worthless. No power. Not worth the 10 mil he is getting paid Flaherty signed a one year deal with the Tigers. .

      2. It’s already been stated this year will be load managed with Buehler not ready to start the season until late April or May. I agree Glasnow is a top of the rotation talent the question is will he be on the field enough to be an asset. I’ll miss Pepiot and DeLuca but you have to give something to get something. Margot is strictly a salary dump by Tampa. The Dodgers can afford him and it’s only for one season with a buyout. It will be fun to see where things go from here.

      3. “I think trading Pepiot at a highpoint in his value is a quintessential Friedman move.”

        Same thing came to mind.

  18. Love the addition of Glasnow a legit #1 SP, but hate losing the promise offered by Pepiot. Margot is a head scratcher for me. He’s little more than what DeLuca offers but not much that he’s worth taking on the extra $$

      1. He has options. I’m not even sure he stays in the majors.

        Deal terms seem to be:

        Glasnow and Margot (and $4M cash) for Pepiot and DeLuca – pending Glasnow physical & working out an extension with LAD.

  19. Margot career stats. BA .255 HR 54 283 RBI 91 SB. OBP .310 OPS .694. Does not come close to filling the need for a RH hitting OF with power. Hell, Taylor has more power than this slug.

  20. Glasnow is worth the risk especially as Bluto says with load mgt.

    I cant see Margot in our lineup, I’m guessing the Dodgers flip him as part of another trade.

  21. Love what Glasnow brings to the table. He is electric and the type of arm that can dominate any lineup; however, as already stated, health is a concern. His track record certainly doesn’t paint a pretty picture. We just need to keep him healthy for the playoffs. He is the type of arm we have been lacking when it matters most. He is not a household name, but I believe fans are going to be pleasantly surprised when he takes the mound. Performance wise, Glasnow is what we hope Miller can become.

  22. Well, I really like this deal and I will give you the reasons why:

    1. Glasnow could win the Cy Young – Could!

    2. Margot hits LHP VERY VERY WELL. Yes, it’s an overpay. Here are his career stats against LHP: .281 BA, .341 OP%, .760 OPS. He is the perfect platoon partner for James Outman, who does not hit LHP!

    3. I guess that makes Outman what I said he was: A 4th or 5th Outfielder.

    4. At best, Pepiot is a #3 starter – probably a number 4!

    5. The Rays are paying the Dodgers $4MM so Margot costs $6 MM! Not a bad deal.

    VISION – Not Sight!

    1. Maybe hitting in the Trop is his problem Here are his home and road splits last year.
      .219/.274/.315/.589 at the Trop
      .303/.341/.430/.771 on the road. I’ll take those numbers for one year as a platoon with Heyward.

      1. He will platoon with Outman.

        I would rank him in the Top 1/3 of all MLB Centerfielders… defensively!

        1. Mark you’re smoking crack or something.

          Heyward is a proven platoon player. Outman is not.

          .281 BA .760 OPS career against LHP is nothing to write home about.

          Taylor .247 BA .777 OPS career. Taylor is minus .034 BA and plus .017 OPS on Margot and I bet DeLuca would have matched Margot’s numbers this year.

          In a small sample last year DeLuca did this against LHP .281 BA .749 OPS. Does that look similar to you? It should it’s almost exactly Margot’s career against LHP. In the minors 3 out of 4 years DeLuca had an OPS higher than 1.000 against LHP the other year it was .832

          Either way there are 1 possibly 2 guys ALREADY ON THE ROSTER as good as Margot against LHP.

          1. But none is an elite CF’er!

            We shall see…

            Outman is a Platoon Player. End of story!

            Friedman has spoken!

  23. Appears it is necessary to have at least one letter “o” in your first or last name to be considered a Dodger prospect. Not that that is a bad thing. Is this the year of the “O” in Japan?

  24. One thing for sure – LAD did not expend much capital to acquire Glasnow, so they still got plenty of chips left to make a big blockbuster trade. The curtain has just risen on the 1st act.

  25. Hate losing Pepiot but the Dodgers are in a win now mode. Hope they flip Margot and try to get another pitcher(s).

      1. Sorry not sold on him, I think we can do better than Margot and Eric was right you are smoking crack 🙂

        1. We shall see.

          You have nothing but calling me names to resort to.

          I will post the facts shortly!

  26. I guess we can’t draw any conclusions until AF announces he’s done constructing his 2024 roster, but I’m just wondering where this leaves Vargas and Busch?

    By the way, Margot has a lifetime OPS at Dodger Stadium of .855 in about 90 at bats.
    Play him only at home and only against southpaws and he’ll make the All Star team.

  27. Well, you CAN do better than Margot.

    Sign Cody Bellinger!

    Done deal!

    It’s not happening, and I am tempted to use the M word!

  28. If he proves me wrong and does well, I do not mind eating a little crow. I was one of the few who was all in on Heyward and he turned out to be a great addition to the team. I just do not think or believe for one minute that Margot is the RH bat they need.

  29. The position player portion of the 26 man roster is mostly set right now.
    Betts 2B
    Ohtani DH
    Freeman 1B
    Smith C
    Muncy 3B
    Outman CF
    Heyward RF
    Vargas LF
    Lux SS
    Bench
    Taylor Rojas Margot Barnes
    The only real question is who plays left Vargas Taylor or Busch.

    Next up Yamamoto please

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