Find your sports bar now

Two of the first four Dodgers’ games in 2018 will be on ESPN.

ESPN will televise the Dodgers-Giants opener on Thursday, March 29, a 4 p.m. PT start, and will also showcase the series finale on “Sunday Night Baseball,” a 5:30 p.m. PT start. Both will be exclusive telecasts by ESPN, which means no SPNLA broadcast of either game.

Hmm. Kershaw pitches Opening Day, Hill in Game Two, Maeda in Game Three and Wood in Game Four, I’m guessing.

90 thoughts on “Find your sports bar now

    • That link contained this:
      According to Cots, the Dodgers current CBT commitments for 2019 stand at around $101 million, but that doesn’t include any money for arbitration-eligibles or pre-arb big leaguers, who will cost the team about $35 million in 2018. So if we assume the team will spend similarly in arbitration next winter, they’d slot in at around $135 million based on current expenditures.

      I would roll the dice that the current 40 man roster can get the Dodgers into the WS again and then if that approach proves embarrassing, go hard for Machado or Harper. The Dodgers got to the WS last year and while that whet the appetite of fans, it also will carry fans’ enthusiasm through 2018.

      I would tweak the 40 man roster but the first goal for me would be to reduce the 2018 payroll.

      • Ok, but there is a scenario involving Stanton which would include staying below the luxury tax for 2018, involving salary dump and prospects, if that is the first goal.

        • Forsythe, McCarthy to Angels for C.J. Cron?
          Grandal, Ryu to Orioles for Britton?
          Gonzales, Puig, Kazmir, Alvarez to Marlins for Stanton?

          • Now your thinking! Guessing that AGon would be hard to move without having to swallow a chunk of his salary. Kaz as well. On the other hand, more prospects to the Fish could be used to help lower how much of Stanton’s salary would have to be assumed.

  1. Marlins said to be not interested in Ohtani because of cost! Basically a $20 million posting fee. Also shopping Stanton to reduce costs. MLB approved sale to this group so that they could act line Bain and Company? They ranked 19th last year. I understand going the rebuilding route, but one would think that MLB would want owners brining in capital, and not sucking it out (see, McCourt, Frank)

  2. Meter running on Ohtani, coaching vacancies filled, and eight players were tendered contracts:

    The Dodgers tendered contracts to the eight players on their 40-man roster who are eligible for arbitration: Pitcher Alex Wood, catcher Yasmani Grandal, pitcher Tony Cingrani, pitcher Luis Avilan, pitcher Josh Fields, pitcher Pedro Baez, outfielder Enrique Hernandez and outfielder Joc Pederson. They also avoided arbitration with pitcher Yimi Garcia, who missed the 2017 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

  3. Yanks and Dodgers said to be on the five-club shortlist for Ohanti. That would sure be a coup. Logan White said he had Klayton-like potential. Bat has been big in Japan and not sure how it translates, but probably adds another, at least, average bat to the 25-man without reducing number of pitching staff.

      • Clock is ticking on Ohtani. 20 more days to reach a deal. Much cheaper. Perhaps both. Stanton is sitting there on a silver platter and hard to pass up. How else do they spend their money? Wait for next year? Or don’t go the big FA route at all?

          • Article invoking Pujols. http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/01/miller-giancarlo-stanton-a-dodger-unlikely-and-unnecessary/ Shouldn’t underestimate the risks involved, nor overestimate them. Stanton has lost time in the past after HBP. Wouldn’t consider him to be “fragile” in the classic sense like, say, Harper, but point taken. The length of the contract is Pujolsian, but Albert was signed at age 32, whereas Stanton would be 28. If Pujols had been signed at that age, 2017 would have been his last year after putting up OPS+ 140 from age 28 through 37.

          • Length of contract is used to reduce annual average salary for luxury tax purposes and not necessarily an indication of what the club might think would be a player’s contribution in those later years.

  4. Yesterday I realized that Vin Scully and my wife share a birthday (though she’s a bit younger).

  5. Stanton to Dodgers talk really heating up among writers. Not so much as regards actual talks taking place between the teams, but in terms of what Stanton is said to want (West Coast contender) and Dodgers ability to absorb a good chunk of the contract and provide prospects relative to other potential suitors.

    • Dodger fans could be moaning about Stanton’s contract like they have done with Crawford’s, Ethier’s, Gonzales’ when they were no longer contributing. The last 3 years of his contract could be painful.

      • There is moaning and then there is moaning (see Hatcher). Issues is whether it hamstrings the franchise (Pujols comes to mind). Only three years would be great, depending on the contributions in the previous eight.

      • There is the larger issue of whether the owners want to go this way. CW was that they were moving to get under luxury tax to be in a position to grab one or more of the FAs next year (Harper, Machado, etc) and that Stanton becoming available now might accelerate the process. Perhaps they don’t go that way at all.

    • Enjoyed his short stint with the Dodgers (though not the short stints in games 3 and 7).

  6. It’s early in the Hot Stove League and that is when I throw out ideas that are more unrealistic than probable.

    The Angels need a third baseman.
    Stanton, Forsythe, Verdugo, Hill/Ryu to Angels.

    Trout to Dodgers

    Grandal, McCarthy, Puig, Heredia to Marlins

  7. Dodgers Ohtani proposal would apparently put him at first and shift Cody to the outfield.

  8. I am more than happy if the Dodgers were to start the season with this lineup:

    Taylor, Seager, Turner, Bellinger, Puig, Pederson, Barnes, Forsythe.

    Kershaw, Wood, Maeda, Ryu, Buehler/Stewart or hopefully Ohtoni.

    I like having Toles and Verdugo as young inexpensive talent available as needed.

    I would give Grandal playing time as he seems to be a much better player in the first half than he is in the second half. His value would increase for a mid-season trade if he hits early in the season. That would give Barnes more rest that would help him be strong in the second half and give Smith more time to develop and be Grandal’s replacement after the trade.

    It would be great if Morrow were re-signed and I would like to trade for Britton.

    I have always gone back and forth with Puig. My main concern with him is his threat to the center fielder. He will be a free agent soon enough anyway. Now might be a good time to use him to help get a team to take on Gonzales’ contract.

    I would love if the Dodgers could dump the contracts of McCarthy, Kazmir, and Gonzales.

    I am curious if Toles could be converted to a middle infielder like Russel and Lopes were. He could be the lefty hitting compliment to Forsythe.

    In summary, I think the Dodgers could improve by subtraction more than addition other than relief pitching and adding Ohtoni.

    • I would like to trade for Thousand Oaks native Christian Yelich. I would offer Verdugo and Puig and one or two pitchers from Ryu, Santana, Oaks, Stripling, McCarthy, May.

      The righty bats that would have to carry the Dodgers against lefties would have to be Barnes, Forsythe, Turner, Hernandez. Puig didn’t help against lefties last year anyway.

      • Then what do you do with Taylor? He played a very good CF for us, and that’s Yelich’s position too.

        I don’t think we particularly need outfielders.

        • Yelich has been primarily a left fielder until last year. Trading Puig and Verdugo opens a spot in the outfield for Yelich. 2018 will probably be Forsythe’s last year with the Dodgers at which time it seems like Taylor and an unproven Lux alone are the only good in-house replacements.

          If Forsythe again fails to hit righties which is what he will see 70% of the time, Taylor could be the second baseman in 2018.

      • You have been yearning to get Yasiel out of RF (either to another team or to 3rd base) for quite some time. Seems like a lot of value to give up for Yelich, particularly given that our current CF had a better season than he did. Donnie Baseball would be fit to be tied if Puig landed with the Fish.

        • That yearning comes and goes and right now it is based only on his take-no-prisoners approach to chase down balls into right center. He still has a need to try to make the super play or throw.

          Puig to third seemed like it would fulfill a need at third but Turner is now signed there. The Dodgers have long-term possibilities for the outfield but not with the infield.

          As you know I will through out trade scenarios that stretch my imagination and most replies seem to say something like the other team would never do that trade so I try to eliminate that reply. I agree, it is more than should be needed to get Yelich.

          Miami can always flip Puig if Mattingley is in the way.

          • Puig at third is an absurd idea. He’s a born RF. Turner’s contract runs three years more, IIRC.

          • He is a great right fielder. He could also be a great third baseman. Reggie Smith was a good right fielder yet he also played some third base.

            Try to find an exit from that small box your imagination lives.

          • Please read what I actually said.

            Or, to play your game, I should ask why you want Puig at shortstop when Seager is already there.

          • Bumsrap Bob_Hendley • a day ago
            That yearning comes and goes and right now it is based only on his take-no-prisoners approach to chase down balls into right center. He still has a need to try to make the super play or throw.

            Puig to third seemed like it would fulfill a need at third but Turner is now signed there. The Dodgers have long-term possibilities for the outfield but not with the infield.

          • Turner has three years left on his contract, and he’s a 3B only. Possible Seager will move there when Turner’s contract is up.