Hot stove stagnating?

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Jacob Rudner of Sports Illustrated says

Andrew Friedman needs to rethink his strategy. Instead of being reluctant and hoping the roster pans out for another year, there has to be some benefit in going and making the changes you need to make to get the roster to the promise land. After two years of reserved salary acquisition, the Dodgers roster is cheap enough that the team should be going all out for a trophy.

Michael Wittman of SI says

Yasmani Grandal on the other hand, is the best catcher left on the market.

While passed balls became an issue behind the plate towards the end of the season, Grandal is still a better backstop than 95% of the catchers in the league and he could be primed for a nice bounce back season in 2019, especially if the Dodgers get him back on a one year deal. Then he would help bridge the gap to Keibert Ruiz in 2020, while re-establishing his own market before hitting free agency again at the end of next season.

Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times is equally impatient

Because of their relative frugality last year, the Dodgers will be penalized as first-time offenders if their payroll for next season exceeds the luxury-tax threshold. And because they traded Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Cincinnati Reds, they can take on another outfielder.

So where’s Bryce Harper?

Hernandez argues that the fans expect and deserve better than this sudden apparent unwillingness to spend on payroll given the higher ticket prices and inability to watch Dodgers’ games on television, among other things.

74 thoughts on “Hot stove stagnating?”

  1. BP Top 100 prospects include Verdugo (19), May (27), Ruiz (32) and Smith (59). No Lux in sight.

  2. One of SI’s columnists says “No” on Pollack.

    Why go into a contract with someone knowing that there is a good chance they are going to get hurt and you are going to have to adjust? Why pay someone for a full season of work knowing that you probably will only get 60 percent?

  3. The Athletic’s Rosenthal tries to divine what the Dodgers are thinking. Here’s a theory the players hold:

    One of the complaints on the players’ side is that with so many clubs holding back in their competitive efforts, even contenders such as the Dodgers and Indians are less motivated to pursue upgrades, knowing they already figure to dominate their divisions.

    “Tanking” may be good for teams three years down the road, but it’s not good for players or for fans, the thinking is. True enough.

    • Hmmm. perhaps this is the flip side of FO’s objective to remain competitive over the medium term and not do things that might hamper them in the future.

  14. This is for you RBI
    https://www.facebook.com/922309417963501/photos/p.922768231250953/922768231250953/?type=3&eid=ARBEvNo676lIZaGb8gtQd7bwpVQlWzuchkWmFFNmKL-DkObEdZhkFlxm1Y0s-ycTAqVk7NzuCQ83b313&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBnHrjwfZQilKSXu_ElrBV97Kc5eJS3aBcmjKxuT7JdzaHPm1NskFvrIBGHIg2mWO7g9Aw1wA7V8y_v-Ailk_R9u2QCqINgvgh1XlECBSoufSPd2RRwwQqajMMzaFMCNHaO9h9CBzNBr51FM5UnevOd4N8pH32qqqgHWXr8lQHQK_iiipNHN80KuyOTGo_Y-ophdtygJSwKt6naQBAwn-f8s4UliTItxHMuEEba9L7_Ro37_0ZjKbKyb16WA7Yi03mEbkfHix15phuxGPvKqLBNOmELMyMhB1t_A6nWg0T3di6EIos2oz7Wkc5afEeelrJNctpSto4sapict_8aN1xw6-GW&__tn__=EEHH-R

    • Suppose not, if they can get Fish to lower price. Actually, does make it possible for Barnes to be a Fish again.

  17. Russell Martin back in the fold!? Makes $20 million so guessing that Blue Jays cover most of this.

  20. Re: Stagnating Hot Stove.

    Would the Angels win more games and sell more tickets with an outfield of Verdugo, Bellinger, and Harper?

    Would the Dodgers do the same with an outfield of Pederson, Trout, and Toles/Hernandez?

    Would Maeda, Ruiz, Verdugo, May land the Dodgers Blake Snell from the Rays? Too much or too little?

    It’s cold in New Hampshire and I am not a skier so I have questions of great non-importance.

    • I imagine the proportion of non-skiers to skiers in NH is about the same as non-surfers to surfers in Hawai’i. Here I’m guessing it’s about 20-1.

  22. Grouchy former GM-turned-pundit says Dodgers should bid on Harper.

    But who else is in on Harper?

    The Dodgers? Nope. It appears although they’ll offer a much higher average annual salary than any other team, but they’re just not going close to 10 years. Why not? A team loaded with a young nucleus of Corey Seager, Walker Buehler and Cody Bellinger can’t commit to Harper through age 35? They have zero prospects in their system as good as Harper. They have zero chance of trading for a player the caliber of Harper. Yet they’re going to walk away?

    • I can buy a Lamborghini for $500,000 or a Corvette for $100,000 and still get from point A to point B. Great hitters can be pitched around to make them less than they could be. What is he really worth?