The Stanton sweepstakes

From Sports Illustrated today:

Stanton is a definite upgrade in leftfield over the combo of Kiké Hernandez and Joc Pederson, but considering they’ll combine to make around $3–4 million next year, is it worth tacking on Stanton’s contract and potentially hamstringing future offseasons or losing Kershaw to accomplish that?

When it’s put that way, and when I consider that Stanton will be in his thirties for most of the remaining ten years and $275 million of his existing contract, I don’t think I really want him that badly.

52 thoughts on “The Stanton sweepstakes

  1. Marcel Ozuna, another reported Dodger target, is going to the Cardinals. No word on who the Marlins are getting back.

    • Strange situation. The kid really wants to pitch in the Bigs. Doesn’t seem like they will know if he responds to the treatment until he starts pitching again in a few months. If he ends up going under the knife he misses maybe another 18 months, so close to two years. He apparently makes a bundle through endorsements, but during that time he would be paid the MLB minimum of around $0.5 million. If he had stayed in Japan, he would have been receiving his $2 million salary. Of course, two years was what he would have had to wait in Japan before being able to sign for what, $20-25 million a year?

  2. WaPo, on Trump’s sked today:

    Trump will have lunch with Pence and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and then participate in Friends of Zion award ceremony. He later has a meeting with Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Penn.), a signing ceremony for a space policy directive and Jamie McCourt’s swearing-in ceremony as the next U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco.

    Hoo boy. How many houses will Jamie need? At least two, right? One in Paris and one in Monte Carlo?

    • He was great, at least until the post-season. The Dodgers were also fortunate he stayed healthy, which I think remains the big concern with him.

    • The Dodgers seem to be able to have a good enough bullpen for the regular season by rotating the hot pitcher into the setup role. The playoffs have been a different story except for last year. Maybe Maeda can be that setup guy for the playoffs if no one else steps up or is added to the team.

    • If he is the regular closer, will need to up IP from around 40 last year to 70-80 range. Guy pitched in all 7 WS games, though not effectively in all, so doable if his arm holds out. Dodgers don’t seem adverse to paying for the pen, remember they almost had Kenley and Chapman, but probably feel that they might do better retaining flexibility and not putting all their eggs in a risky basket.

  3. I go away for a conference for one week and return to no Ohtani and no Stanton? Will that make for a lean and hungry Dodger FO for the rest of the off-season?

    My thought is they have a very clear plan they are living out of. A plan that definitely would have included Ohtani but just as obviously did not include last year’s MVP who wanted to come home to LA. It sucks to miss out on both but I still think they add a significant player (Archer?) or two this winter.

    • Possibilities fell into their lap, but didn’t work out. Meh, guessing that they will do something to improve in any event. Improve perhaps not the right word for a 104-win team. Reinforce within the grand strategy.

      • Well you do have an excellent point. One would have to work very hard to NOT trust the plans and direction of the Dodger braintrust – especially after last season.

        • Seen reports that the Dodgers offer involved $75 million in salary dumps and Marlins swallowing some of Stanton’s salary. Guessing that prospects were involved as well.

  4. Yanks in play for Stanton. They can probably take on more of his salary than Dodgers, so if he wants to play in NYC could be a done deal.

    • Yeah. People are saying it’s a done deal for Starlin Castro and a metaphorical bag of balls. So now you have one of the all-time great Yankees running the Kansas City Athletics Miami Marlins. Coincidence?

      Actually, I wasn’t especially enthused that Stanton might come to the Dodgers, and am mostly glad he’s in the other league now.

      • I was definitely enthused, but not to the extent that I wanted the franchise to get off track in getting under the luxury tax and hamstringing themselves.

        • MLB agreed to their capital base and proposed business plan. I am not sure that it’s in the best interest of baseball for new owners to have such an approach, particularly with the weak fan base in Miami to begin with.

          • Crazy for MLB to want such an outcome, given that the Fish stadium is 80% funded by the public. Not a good look and could undermine relocation or possible expansion to these cities.

    • Dee’s was not a very good contract from an owner’s perspective, but not all that onerous.

    • Interesting, the Mariners are planning to use Dee in centerfield, since they’re not going to move Robbie Cano off second base.

  5. Always a risk, but what else you gunna do with the money? Even taking on this salary, Dodgers should be able to come in under the luxury tax in 2019. Heck, it might even be possible 2018. If you don’t pull the trigger now and you save your money for 2019 FAs, you are basically looking at Harper at 38-40k annually (AAV) or Machado, who would be less of an upgrade at either SS or 3rd. Stanton is relatively cheap and even cheaper if they can get Fish to assume even $5 million and bring his AAV to say $23 million.

    Understand the concern for age and length of the contract, but of course lengthy contracts are used to reduce AAV and unlikely that the team would count on Stanton contributing much in the outer years. Still, he would be starting at age 28. If Pujols has signed at the same age, 2017 would have been the last year of his contract and he would have put up OPS+ 140 over ten years.

    Finally, guessing that Klayton is more likely to bolt if he doesn’t see the team making moves to remain elite. Imagine the Dodgers might be more hesitant to make such a big move, if they get Ohanti.

    • I prefer the depth of Joc, Kike’, Toles, Verdugo, Taylor, and Puig. They should get the Dodgers another Division championship as would Stanton but it ends there. Stanton could be hurt or slumping in the playoffs which are a crap shoot anyway as we all like to say.

      Plus, do we know what is going on with Seager’s elbow? Might the Dodgers need Machado more than they need Stanton? Worst case is Seager’s elbow requires him to move to first base and Bellinger to outfield.

      I am not worried about Kershaw. If he opts out, he opts out. That’s on him.

      • Not an entirely unreasonable approach, but this FO has always struck me as being more dynamic and forward looking than that. For me, just a little flippant to say what Klayton decides, Klayton decides. One might want to do what is possible to ensure that it is a decision favorable to the Dodgers.

  6. The Giants may be Stanton’s next home, although many of their fans would prefer to see that money be spent to fill many holes, e.g. 3rd base, RF, CF and SP. One story I read said that Giants were considering sending Miami their top three or four prospects and, of course, picking up all or nearly all of Stanton will be owed over the next decade. Stanton can opt-out of the contract in three years and has a complete no-trade clause in his current contract….The Padres are making an all-out push for Ohtani….The Dodgers remain in the running for both Stanton and Ohtani.