Updates on the Dodgers and the Relief Pitching Market

Published on by Andy Lane Chapman

blake-treinen

While the Winter Meetings don’t start until next week, baseball overall has been busy in recent days. Quite a few names have signed or re-signed, and overall it’s looking like the Meetings and the off-season itself will be busier and not as drawn out as last year.

Zack Wheeler, who some fans worried would be the Dodgers only starting pitching signing, instead went to the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $118M contract.

The Dodgers have been mostly quiet on the big name players, but have made some minor moves in the last few days.

Reymin Guduan announced today on Instagram that he had signed with the Dodgers organization. The left-handed reliever was with the Houston Astros organization last year. He was suspended for a “disciplinary issue” for the second half of the season, and was DFA’d in September.

The reasons for the disciplinary action is found here, at a blog for fans of the Astros. Basically, he got into a fight with a fellow teammate, hit him with a bat, and then returned to the locker room with a knife, although it never was used as a weapon.

Guduan has spent three years with the Astros, pitching in 32 games for 24.2 innings and amassing an ERA of 8.03. Between the pitching and the issues with self control and anger, I’m not sure what the Dodgers see in this pitcher. I guess time will tell.

The Dodgers also signed Casey Crosby to a minor league deal. The 31 year old left-handed pitcher last pitched in the majors in 2012 for the Detroit Tigers. He had been pitching with the Chicago Dogs of the Independent League, and has touched up to 100 mph. He did a lot of work showcasing himself via Twitter videos, and it seems to have worked to get the team’s attention. We will be watching to see if he will make the team out of spring training.

Along with the usual suspects that the Dodgers have been reportedly interested in, the name Blake Treinen is one that many fans of the Dodgers would like to see the team take a chance on. According to Jorge Castillo, the Dodgers have indeed expressed an interest in the former reliever for the Oakland Athletics. The 31 year old right-handed reliever had a stellar season in 2018, going 9-2 with a 0.78 ERA in 68 games and 80.1 innings pitched. He definitely regressed, but has a lifetime 2.97 ERA with both the A’s and the Washington Nationals. He was non-tendered by the A’s on Monday. The New York Yankees are also rumored to be very interested (with the caveat that of course, all big teams are in on the bigger names in free agency.)

As the market looks to be busier during next week’s Winter Meetings, stayed tuned for the latest rumors and reports of trades and signings right here at TBPC.

 

64 thoughts on “Updates on the Dodgers and the Relief Pitching Market”

  1. I don’t mind AF dumpster diving because he has found some nice additions but if he’s gonna get us passed the finish line he’s got to go shopping on Rodeo Drive this year. I really believe believe this is the year a big addition like Cole or Stasburg could get us a championship. He has the money so there is no excuse this year. If he doesn’t deliver he’s dead to me. I’ll still be a fan but they’re not getting any of my money next year!

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    1. Can I attend his funeral as your representative? Don’t hold your breath my friend and do not fall in with the Lemmings. A 30 millions dollar a year player who is not named Kershaw?> Not happening. Cole and Strasburg, and yes even Rendon are going to get deals far north of that and you expect Olaf the Oaf to go past that>? DREAMER>

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      1. As a representative of the Lemmings I’d like to remind everyone we’re holding open enrollment for the next 24 hours. Our normal membership fee is $200 but for today only we offer a 50% discount. Please make out your check to “cash” and forward to me. I’ll take care of everything.

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  2. That Guduan signing really leaves me speechless. That isn’t dumpster diving, it’s going under the dumpster. 8+ ERA, fights with a teammate, hits him with a bat and then comes back with a knife? And we sign him? I’d love to hear the story behind the story on this one. AF stays away from these kind of guys when they are good players and this guy is not a good player. Very strange. On the other hand he probably didn’t cost us as much as Cole would. Gotta look at the bright side.

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    1. Remind you of anyone….remember the catcher we had in the minors who bit half of Guerrero’s ear off and basically ruined his first year with the team. Jefe, if you have not separated from the flock of Lemmings, you should do so soon. Listen to us wiser fans, Scoop and myself. You would only be a rat deserting a sinking ship!

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      1. That catcher (Miguel Olivo) didn’t arrive with a bad reputation. This guy (Guduan) sounds like he’s already out on parole. He won’t need a pitching coach, he’ll need a probation officer. Of course, Andy said the guy put out the info on his Instagram page. As far as I know the Dodgers haven’t confirmed the signing.
        Just wait a few days Bear when Olaf The Magnificent holds his post meetings presser and announces “we came in third in the bidding for Cole, Strasburg and Rendon but I’m happy to announce the signing of Reymin Guduan”.

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      4. I didn’t have to think about it. Maybe that means I have a problem.
        Wait for a few days and you’ll be saying Guduan Olaf!

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      5. I did….for about 1 millisecond. I do not know how after 65 years of watching this slug work any one would believe a word that comes out of his mouth. That Jefe has collected as many Lemmings as he has, totally surprises me.

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    1. Nobody is IN on Vazquez anymore Rich Vazquez is behind bars and will be for the foreseeable future. His request for bail was denied.

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      1. You just keep believing that there El Jefe. Lemmings are not tasty at all. No rodent is. But many years ago I had some squirrel my dad shot. Wasn’t bad the way mom fixed it. I think if they bring in any free agent on a contract of 3 years or more, it will be their own guy, Ryu that gets it. All of those top free agents, get them off of your wish list because they are not becoming Dodgers. I saw a proposed Dodger-Indian trade on MLB.com. And it was for Lindor, they proposed, Muncy, Ruiz and Santana. Now, that deal does solidify the infield. Lindor covers much of Muncy’s power. But I doubt the Tribe would go for it. They want Lux.

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      2. I’ve already written off Cole. No way we outbid the Angels and Yanks. Strasburg, possible. Rendon, the most likely but certainly not definite.
        Now, as for squirrels and lemmings. How do you know lemmings aren’t tasty Bear? Have you ever had one? Both squirrels and lemmings are part of the rodent family although different sub-species. You may wonder how I know so much about lemmings and squirrels? One word – Google. Your witness counselor.

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      3. Word of mouth from other bears. Don’t eat those little buggers. I like real meat, not some stringy rodent. The Dodgers have 2 chances of signing any of those guys, slim and non existent.

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  5. These are the something for nothing moves that Olaf is famous for. Move along, nothing much to see here folks. Not yet anyway. Mayhaps by next year these moves will mean something.

    Guduan. Seems like an interesting guy. Takes a knife to a bat fight. Maybe organizational stability is all he needs…… and we got plenty of that.

    I believe it was Lincoln Durham who wrote “the safest place in the world is in-sanity”. We’ve got nothing to worry about.

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    1. He will be buried in the minors, over the hill and through the woods where only the team can see him. And he will be watched carefully. A little therapy, a mild dose of Prozac, eat nothing but organic foods, he might be ok. Let’s face it, his behaviors alone suggest he has a high spin rate, throw some that anger at the strike zone.

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    1. That was actually very witty. You need to broaden your comedic horizons there Keith. I mean you already are a fan of the biggest joke in the league, OLAF the unfunny.

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    1. That is because my friend, you are not very good at the art of sarcasm. Takes years and years of practice. I may be omnivorous, but the only ones eating crow is the batch know as the Lemmings.

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  11. Well hold on to your hats. Looks like some time in the near future, over the air baseball will be a memory. MLB is allowing teams to sell their streaming rights to local outlets. Dodger baseball on Youtube coming to you soon.

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  12. Good bye cable deals! I wonder how the Dodgers’ will screw this up so we can’t watch on YouTube either! Bear, what odds do u give AF of making a major deal or signing this winter. All star caliber player

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    1. What is Rich talking about? It is surprisingly easy to watch the Dodgers now. Just change to Spectrum. They are no fly by night company. You get all your channels and broadband too.

      Plus the Dodgers make good money, which is a plus.

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      1. There is a story on MLBTrade rumors today Jesus that MLB is allowing teams to sign their own deals with local streaming services. That means that over the air broadcasts are going to become a thing of the past sometime in the near future. Now, the Dodgers have their own station as it is. They have a deal with Spectrum to broadcast those games. But all that can change when they negotiate a new deal. No doubt it will affect other teams before LA. But it could happen. Rich, I would say the percentage is about 75% against AF making a significant move. The only talk really has been about a deal involving Pederson. And who would we get back? They have only a couple of players who would interest AF at all, and they are probably untouchable, so another less than blockbuster in my view.

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      2. Spectrum deal is almost at an end. Let’s see now, how many years until 2038?
        As far as I know, they tried to sell their rights to others such as Direct TV so they could carry the broadcasts also but could never agree on a price. Maybe they can sell streaming rights to someone at a price they can both agree on.

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    1. You, like me since I live in Colorado can only get the Dodgers if I buy MLB.TV. Look guys, I would love to see AF step out of the norm and make a blockbuster trade or free agent signing that makes the Dodgers a MUCH better team. They are very good the way they are right now, but another star starter, and a complimentary back of the bullpen guy to team with Jansen, and they are closer to championship caliber. DC is weaker unless they re-sign Strasburg. The Stros are weaker without Cole, so hope the Yanks do not sign the guy, because with that lineup, they can steamroll a lot of teams. SD is making more changes than a chorus line, so they seem serious about getting back into the thick of things in the west. The other teams have a lot of work to do to match LA. AF cannot take the same road he did last year and inspire enthusiasm in the fans. He needs to do something spectacular to get the fans excited. And I just do not have the faith in him that he will do that kind of a move. I would love to see this guy throw caution to the wind, pay the tax for a season or two and bring in difference makers, and that would be Cole, Rendon, and a trade for a solid back of the pen reliever. Then and only then will I say the guy has some Cojones.

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      1. The move needs to make sense. And the sense it needs to make is based on analytic projections, not fan feelings. I don’t have the programs that Olaf has, I’m sure he has his own, but 7 year contracts for 30 year old players are a really dumb idea. I get that, and frankly as much as I’d like to see the first 2-3 years of that player I don’t want the team to be hamstrung by the last 4-5 years. And THAT is why I am doubting we see any of the top 3 here. The most likely in my mind is Rendon if he will accept a high AAV until he’s 35, or Strasburg, 32 NEXT year, if he will do the same. I think Cole is going to the Angels unless the Yankees give him the keys to the city. And they might. Our infield is already busy so I don’t think we need Rendon. We’d have to trade somebody or demote Lux. Trade Turner? Don’t need him if Rendon is here.

        I’d be surprised if Friedman does something he’s never done. But since he’s never done it, I guess that makes him overdue.

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      2. And that whole thing makes total sense to me. I do not trust Friedman to do that. I think he will sign some guys and make a trade or maybe two. but something of significance? Not in his DNA.

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  14. Totally agree bear. Trim some payroll trading JOC, Kike and Maeda and sign both Cole and Rendon. We wouldn’t be that much over the 208 so pay the tax. Turner comes off the books next year and Kersh and Jansen the following year in time to start signing our younger guys. I just don’t get it! That’s OUR money they’re not spending! If AF doesn’t make a big move this winter I’m calling for a boycott next year at Dodger stadium. They won’t get any of my money. Let’s get attendance closer to 3 million rather than 4 and let Guggenheim know how we feel!

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  15. Scoop I get it that there’s been a lot of bad mega deal results but the point is it hasn’t worked out the AF way. Seven straight failures. It’s time to change the strategy.! The money is there and I think Cole can give us a Scherzer type of performance. Type of guy that can give us 2wins in a series by himself. He and Buehler make us heavy favorites against anyone else and could give us multiple titles. If he goes to Yankees then our drought is gonna go much longer than 31 years! Our team is in its prime. This IS the year to pull the trigger!

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  16. Screw all the thoughts of the Dodgers actually going after big FA acquisitions, time for Trash Man to invest in CF cameras, HD monitors, and very large plastic trash cans. I hear that is the most direct way to get a WS ring.

    Agree with Rich and non-lemmings, it really is our time to get serious and Trash Man to grow a pair and try and truly assemble a post season team, no more hollow victories of just winning division titles by assembling the revolving door, overly versatile platooning roster. If there ever was a time for Trash Man to get the top talent, it is this year, they are hosting the cash cow All-Star Game so there really is no excuse for the same old shit from AF and the rest of the Brass.

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    1. So….. Gerrit Cole – 7 years, $245 million should do it. At $10/WAR That is only 3.5 WAR a year, something he hasn’t done through his first 7 years.

      Gammons is hinting that’s it done. NY.

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      1. If we don’t sign Cole or Strasburg, we had better get Ryu back.
        A rotation of Maeda, Urias and May as 3-4-5 (in whatever order) is way too risky for my taste.
        Or at the very least trade for Kluber (and that might be the riskiest move of all).
        Saw some comments from Snell about the passion with which Pham plays the game. That’s the kind of guy we needed and we certainly had the players/prospects to do it.

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  17. Then that’s the reason Yankees have titles and we don’t! We’re paying our 30+ mil to Kersh and they’re paying their 30+ mil to Cole. Who’s winning that battle next year?

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    1. Fixed it for you:
      Then that’s the reason the Yankees haven’t even made the World Series in the past decade and the Dodgers have.

      Who’s making it next year?

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  18. Kershaw’s salary has NOTHING to do with what the Dodgers can afford, ownership has plenty of money, they can sign anybody they want, so don’t start casting aversions on kersh. he is one of the best pitchers, not named sandy koufax, to ever take the mound, for any team. He doesn’t deserve to have his name slung around like that.

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    1. Attaway Keith! I think we Lemmings are getting too mild mannered. Between Bear, Rich and IJDM, they’ve got all the anger on their side. Time for us to get in their faces!!!!!!
      Next time you comment, I think you should put in a growl or two. They think they can walk all over us. I bet none of them has ever seen a vicious lemming in action.

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      1. Jefe, I am not angry, never have been. You are seeing anger where there is none and mistaking disgust for anger. I am disgusted with AF. I have never liked the way he does business and have made no bones about it. I love the team, not the people who run it. To me it all started downhill when Peter O’Malley sold the team. Fox made it a mess. Trades that made no sense what so ever and an owner who was way more concerned with profits than results. As much as I disliked McCourt, he did allow Ned to bring some exciting players to the team. The Guggenheim group, promised the fans that they would not rest until they brought a championship back to LA. I believe they mean it, but the guy they picked to get them over that hump has not delievered. They gave him 5 years. He now has another 5 to keep on trying. And Keith, saying Kershaw is one of the best is a little overboard. He has one no hitter, 1 20 victory season, and no world series rings. Sandy had 4 no hitters, 3 20 plus win seasons. 3 Cy Youngs, an MVP, and 4 series rings. No comparison. Kersh is a very good pitcher who earns way more than what his stats would dictate. And he has that bad playoff vibe hanging over his head. Had he been to the series in his prime, maybe the narrative would be different. I like Kersh, don’t get me wrong, but he is not a 31 million dollar a year pitcher.

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  19. First of all, I have no idea what a disgusted Bear would look or act like, so I’ll take your word that your disgusted and not angry. Since they’ve made the playoffs 7 straight years (although admittedly they haven’t reached the pinnacle), maybe we could compromise on frustrated. Note that Keith said a pitcher NOT named Koufax, so he agrees that Koufax is above CK on the list of great Dodger pitchers. Let’s face it, if all of us were on the same side of this discussion, we wouldn’t have had anything to talk about since the season ended. This coming week should hopefully give us more fuel for further discussion, one way or the other.

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    1. There is substantial list of Dodger pitchers who have been better in the postseason than Kershaw. Without researching it I can tell you Drysdale, Podres, Sutton and Valenzuela were better post season pitchers than Kershaw. I’m sure there are others.

      I think Kershaw will have a decent year next year. He will help us get to the post season, but I’m not gonna count on him there.

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  20. When Kershaw was at his peak, 3 cy young’s, and an MVP, he was the the best pitcher playing in both leagues. He was almost untouchable, sub two eras, sub 1.00 whips, lead the league in Ks, and IP. Until he went down with his bad back, many writers and announcers use to compare him to the all time greats. I don’t hold the play offs against him you might, I can’t argue if that’s the way you see it, it’s a perspective thing. I was to young to remember Koufax, so I will have to defer to you guys that got to watch some of the great pitchers of the 50s and 60s. ( notice no wise cracks about Jeff’s bears, or scoops age )😀 When you compare kersh up against his contemporaries, when he was at his peak, I think he comes out on top.

    I wouldn’t know how much kersh is worth today, but I’m sure when he was at his peak, he was worth two or three times more than he was getting paid, so I don’t hold his present day salary against him. Kind of like paying it forward.

    Rich S, I hope you don’t think I’m angry with you, I respect your input here, I think more of our frustrations should be directed at ownership. The owners are the ones that set the budgets , and guide lines for the presidents, and GMs to follow, yet rarely do they get criticized.

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    1. You don’t need to have seen them Keith, though I did see Koufax against the White Sox in ‘59. He went 7, gave up 1 earned and lost. All you need do is read the post season stat lines at BR. It’s all there. Not only did Koufax do things in the regular season Kershaw can only dream about, his post season ERA was 0.95 with a WHIP of 0.825. In 4 World Series appearances he was MVP twice. All of his postseason exploits were accomplished long before MLB expanded the playoff format.

      Koufax awards:

      1962 NL pitching_title
      1963 Major League Player of the Year
      1963 NL pitching_title
      1963 NL Triple Crown
      1963 NL Babe Ruth Award
      1963 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year
      1963 Cy Young
      1963 WS MVP
      1963 NL MVP
      1964 NL pitching_title
      1964 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year
      1965 Major League Player of the Year
      1965 NL pitching_title
      1965 NL Triple Crown
      1965 NL Babe Ruth Award
      1965 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year
      1965 Cy Young
      1965 WS MVP
      1966 NL pitching_title
      1966 NL Triple Crown
      1966 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year
      1966 Hutch Award
      1966 Cy Young

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  21. I don’t think a lemming growls Jeff, they probably squeak, which wouldn’t scare anybody least of all bear, so I think we are SOL in the intimidation department.

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  22. I was thinking today Jeff, if the lemmings end up being right, instead of eating crow, bear should have to go through the whole season without calling Andrew any names, what do you think?

    Lemming power😀

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  23. Yeah I gues it would be considered cruel, and unusual punishment. Now that I think about it would be kind of boring around here if we tried to make bear be nice to Andrew.😀

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  24. Seriously bear, thanks for always speaking your mind, and not getting to upset when we try to rattle your cage a little.😀 this place wouldn’t be the same without you.

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  25. Let me go on the record, that I have always thought Sandy was the best pitcher to ever pitch, but I had never realized he had as many accolades as your list showed, scoop.

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    1. He did some amazing things, not the least of which is 54 complete games, 13 shut outs and 658 innings pitched in his last 2 years. Kershaw has 25 complete games and 15 shutouts in his 12 year career.

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