If you’ve been following our string of stories over the past few weeks, you’ll know that we’ve been peeking at some of the best prospects on the Dodgers‘ farm in between the recent rumblings of trade rumors at the big league level.
Specifically, we noted the overwhelming amount of infield talent on the farm. Players like Jeter Downs, Kody Hoese and Michael Busch are already considered among the best at their respective positions across baseball.
What’s more, the number of rising catchers in the system seems to be growing with each passing year. Keibert Ruiz could be primed for his major league debut in 2020 with both Connor Wong and Diego Cartaya hot on his tail.
However, if there’s one void as far as minor league talent goes, it’s the outfield. I’m not saying there’s a complete lack of quality players, but it could be the one department that’s keeping the Dodgers from having perhaps the best farm in the game.
Indeed, there are plenty of capable players currently at the major league level. With everyone healthy, the club conceivably has a four-man rotation of Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo and A.J. Pollock, with super-utility men Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor ready to fill in when necessary, primarily against lefty pitching.
Certainly, those six players should be all the Dodgers need in the majors, but how does the organizational depth chart look after the above list?
The only true and proven MLB-ready player is the righty hitting Kyle Garlick. Now 28 years old, the former 28th round pick of the Dodgers in 2015 smacked 23 long balls for Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, eventually earning several recalls to the parent club where he slashed .250/.321/.521 over 53 PA.
After Garlick is another righty hitter, 24-year-old DJ Peters. The Glendora native joined the Dodgers’ 40-man roster last November after splitting the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City. In 68 games for the Drillers, he hit .241 with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 42 RBI while batting .260 with 10 doubles, 12 homers and 39 RBI in 57 games for Oklahoma City. In his career on the Los Angeles farm, he has appeared in all three outfield spots, recording 25 games in left field, 94 games in right field and 311 in center field.
Garlick and Peters are the only two players on the 40-man who are presumed to begin their respective seasons at Oklahoma City, unless you include another super-utility guru, 24-year-old Zach McKinstry, who saw time at second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field last year.
The next tier of players consists of Zach Reks, Cody Thomas, Starling Heredia and Jeren Kendall, with Kendall being the only member of the trio under 25. Reks, Thomas and Kendall have all earned NRI invites to the major league side of spring training.
Across two levels of the farm last season, Reks slashed .291/.385/.536 with 28 homers, 21 doubles and 93 RBI over 121 games. The 26-year-old lefty hitter earned Texas League Player of the Week honors in late April and was eventually honored as a milb.com organizational All-Star.
The 25-year-old, right-handed hitting Thomas has always had plenty of power, but he continues to struggle with his average. In 130 games last year with Tulsa, he hit just .236/.308/.443 in 130 games.
Similarly, Heredia hit .204/.314/.375 in 101 games at Rancho last year.
Although he could possess some of the best overall tools on the farm, Kendall seemingly fits into the same boat as Thomas in terms of average. Last year, the lefty hitter slashed just .219/.319/.469 over 96 games at High-A Rancho.
Lingering in the exact same area of the depth chart are Carlos Rincon and Donovan Casey.
Rincon is another legitimate power threat from the right-hand side of the plate, but he slashed just .221/.306/.401 in 115 games between Rancho and Tulsa last season.
Casey could be among the most promising of the entire group. The Dodgers snagged the righty hitter in the 20th round of the 2017 draft out of Boston College. Last season, the 23-year-old native of New jersey slashed .260/.322/.479 with 23 homers and 22 stolen bases after contributing in all three outfield spots for both Rancho and Tulsa.
Also joining the organization in 2020 are minor league veterans Anthony Garcia and Connor Joe, who will also be in the Camelback clubhouse as non-roster invitees to spring training.
Last, but definitely not least, are two players who I think will rise quickly into the team’s Top 30 prospect list this season—17-year-old Luis Rodriguez and 19-year-old Andy Pages.
According to our friends at Prospects1500.com, “Rodriguez was signed by the Dodgers in the most recent 2019 international free agency class and was ranked as high as second in the class by some outlets behind the famed Jasson Dominguez. Rodriguez, a switch-hitting center fielder, is extremely toolsy and could turn into one of those 25/25 threats that owners love.”
Pages, who signed with the Dodgers for $300,000 in October of 2017, was one of the top hitters in his age group in Cuba at the time of his signing. As an 18 year old in the Pioneer League last year, the right-handed hitter slashed .298/.398/.651 with 19 homers, 22 doubles, 55 RBI and seven steals in just 63 games for Low-A Ogden.
While the Dodgers might be targeting more than one outfielder in the early rounds of the 2020 draft, there still might be one or two from the aforementioned crew who could emerge as a potential gem.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Not much depth down there, that is a given. LA has a lot of prospects in their mid 20’s. I think Garlick turns 29 sometime during the season. Still in the system is Starling Heredia. He will be at Rancho this year. Just turned 20. Been with the team since 2016. Kendall has the tools, but unless he can dramatically cut down on his strikeouts, I do not think he makes much of an impact at all in LA. Peters could be a legitimate power source if he can cut his K’s also,.
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Not much star potential there until you get down to Pages and Rodriguez. Last year’s draft was heavy on relievers and would expect outfield help in this year’s draft. The 17 draft is looking like a bust at this point.
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Doesnt sound like any major leaguers there and some are to old to even be considered prospects. We are probably good in the outfield for the next several years and free agent outfielders are a dime a dozen most years so doesn’t look like an area of concern for a while.
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Ramon “Tronny” Troncoso today was named as one of the pitching coaches for the AZL Rookie League Dodgers. There’s a blast from the past.
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Speaking of blasts from the past, LHP Scott Kazmir is working hard to return to majors. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get back,” Kazmir said. “I’m on a good path.”
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There are so many potential responses to Mr. Kazmir, but I’m going to keep my mouth shut, except to say I wish him well.
Welcome back Ramon T.
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Scott is a perfect reclamation project and the type of pitcher AF loves. Surprised the Schlemmings are not all over this one. Official now, Baker is the new Stro manager. Farhan brings an oldie but goodie back to the Giants as the Panda has signed a one year deal.
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I am absolutely astonished at how little Farhan has done this winter. It’s one thing to be a Shlemming and be sorry that AF hasn’t made a big move yet, but at least the team is really good even without any moves. How would you like to be a Giant fan, get excited that your team has hired a hot-shot GM, and then hear that one of the big off season moves this year is to sign Panda. Yikes.
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Yeah. Read the article about how much NL teams have spent on free agents on MLBTR. Really eye opening. Giants and Dodgers way down the list. Some moron on twitter says that what the Stros and Sox did by stealing signs was legal. Well if they did it the old fashioned way it would be okay. But using electronic devices is against the rules.
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Hopefully AF signs him to a less than 3 year deal this time!
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Your fearless Schlemming leader, Commander Jefe hopes like hell that is the case too!
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You wonder why Kazmir would work so hard to make a comeback at this late date? Olaf the Magnificent has told him that if he doesn’t need to use it for Betts/Price/Bryant/Lindor/Arenado he’s going to offer him the $300MM that Cole wouldn’t take.
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With the signing of the Panda, the Giants have now spent about 4 million more than the Dodgers on free agents. LA has spent 15.25 so far. SF was at 17.50 before giving the huge one a 2 million dollar deal. Ol Farhan knows a deal when he sees one. Panda never met a buffet he did not like. Today is former Dodger Steve Sax’s birthday. Happy birthday Saxie! Bakers deal with Houston is for 1 year with an option. It will be re-evaluated after that. Means they are waiting for Bochy to complete his one year hiatus and then they will go after him.
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Okay, a little poll for all y’all fine folks! Let me see a list of the best players you have ever seen play, and I mean at the ballpark, not on TV. Ones you actually saw in person. For me, it starts with Koufax and Drysdale, seen them both pitch multiple times. Mays, Aaron, McCovey, Musial, Bench, Rose, Robinson, Eddie Mathews stands out. Saw him hit a monster HR over the RF fence in the coliseum. Gwynn, Winfield, Piazza, Vic Wertz had awesome power, saw him at old Wrigley field in LA. Norm Cash, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Schmidt, Spahn I saw pitch twice, Marichal, Gibson, Bob not Kirk. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Pedro Martinez, Andre Dawson, Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. Billy Williams used to scare the bejesus out of me when he came up to bat. Man could hit. Saw Snider and Hodges at the end of their careers. Wills, so many that were really good, and some that stunk. Garvey, the Penguin, I feel blessed I got to see so many. Kids today do not know what they missed. Had Mays and Mantle played in today’s game, they would be twitter superstars and YouTube heroes.
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Steroids or not Barry Bonds was the best hitter I’ve ever seen He treated regular games like batting practice. Trout is a close second. Best pitcher is non October Kersh.
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The best pure hitter I ever saw was up close was probably Tony Gwynn. He played to 41 and still had a lifetime slash of .338/.388/.459. Willie Mays is up there too of course. Mickey Mantle, though he was a shadow of himself by 35. Stan Musial, though I didn’t see him in his heyday. There’s been a lot of good ones I’ve seen in person. Best pitchers are Koufax, Seaver, Clemens and Gibson. I’ve never seen Kershaw pitch.
I listened to that CD Bear. Damm. Anybody who can sing The Moody Blues, to Alabama to Sinatra and do them all justice is impressive. You are very good sir. You should maybe think of doing this professionally. Oh, wait……. thanks for sending it along. I appreciate it.
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Thanks a lot Scoop. That for me is a great compliment. I am also proud of the last song I wrote for the Veterans. It was a project of love for me.
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It’s a great song. I hope it gets an audience. It deserves it. I have to admit I was surprised by the versatility of your voice. Let’s hear some Marshall Tucker, Brothers Osborne and Talking Heads and you’ve covered it all!
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When did you start watching baseball Rich? Just asking because I watched Bonds his entire career and he wasn’t even the best hitter in the NL. He was a .275 hitter in Pittsburgh, and hit 312 as a Giant when his skills should have been eroding. Sorry, he juiced. He cheated and he should not even be considered for the hall. I personally hope he never makes it. I hope none of them do. Everything he did after he started using just makes it look worse. I am sorry you did not get to see Aaron or Mays in their prime. They did it the right way. Cheaters whether they be a team using electronic devices to steal signs, or players juicing to enhance their performance, none should be allowed to profit or benefit from their cheating.
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And by the way Rich, Gwynn was a much better hitter as was Rod Carew. Real hitters do not have to hit homers all the time, ones who use the entire field and play for their team and their team mates are the best kinds of players. Bonds had enough talent to be that kind of a player. But he abused the system, and by most accounts, he wasn’t even a nice guy. Kind of like Sheffield when he was a Dodger. Just my opinion, but those kinds of guys are just out for themselves. And Bonds was not a very good post season player. over 48 games he hit a paltry .245. Only had 9 homers. He did perform well in his only World Series against the Angels, and the Giants still lost it.
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I refuse to add Bonds to any list but the same one I put the Astros on. I too thought he was amazing as a younger player but he cheated. Another great I never had the privilege of seeing in person was Ken Griffey Jr. From age 23 to age 28 he was truly amazing.
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The Kid….what an amazing player he was.
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Hey forgot big time Jr. Griffey one of the best 5 tool players of all time if he wasn’t injured so often he would be the all time everything
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I only saw Bonds as a Giant. He was a cheater no question. And a jerk but don’t know too many players walked with the bases loaded!
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Rich, if they did it out of respect, i would agree with you, but it was done out of fear. Scoop, I do some Marshal Tucker stuff. Loved those guys. Can’t You See one of my all time favorite songs.
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Wow, Dodgers have a coach named Sergio Mendez. For the less musically inclined of you out there. Back in the late 60’s there was a band called Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66. They were a South American bossa nova band and damn good too. Signed to Herb Alperts record label, they were pretty popular for a few years. I actually saw them in concert in El Paso. Hey Scoop. I also do some Dylan, Elvis, Rick Nelson, and Buffalo Springfield tunes.
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Shlemmings get dressed and be ready to celebrate. Time is getting close to be doing the Mookie shuffle!
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Uh, don’t think so Rich, but you keep on believing in Ol Andy. I think the chances of the Dodgers landing him are slim and non existent. Why? Because I do not think Ol Andy has the gumption to jump into the fire. And he sure is not going to give them a whole lot for a player who would be like a basketball freshman at college, one and done. The 3 way trade with the Reds and the Sox has lost steam. What do you give them? 3 for 1? 4 for 1? Joc? Pollock? Smith? Ruiz? They do not want flotsam, they want some bona fides back. Who on this team do you think is worth trading for a rental?
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I still believe something might happen. A lot of smoke, that’s for sure.
I was reading some information at the sign stealin scandal.com site, some Astros fan put it together. Apparently they used other means of cheating besides the trash can banging (no wonder they were so good Also there was a White Sox pitcher who complained of the noise. I found it interesting that everyone could hear it but nobody put it together. I get an off speed sign, accept it, and a trash can bangs in the tunnel. There’s a chart that shows how many bangs each hitter heard. The thing is, as a hitter you don’t need to know the exact pitch, all you need to know is if it’s spinning forward or backward. If you know that ahead of time your chances of making contact improve dramatically.
http://signstealingscandal.com/players/
Maybe Bregman, Correa and Springer aren’t All World after all. I also read more info about buzzers might be forthcoming.
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Andy McCulloch is reporting this morning that the talks are reaching an inflection point so we should know soon if anything will come of them. I think if a trade happens with the Sox it will include Price and if that happens they will have to take back Pollock and probably Maeda, among others. I think both teams will want to do this before the start of ST if it happens at all. Is Main Street in your town large enough for our victory parade Bear?
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Oh I think we could handle it. Most of the blurbs on twitter seem to think this won’t happen unless Verdugo is part of the deal. Various scenarios being discussed. No news from any reporter with any cred though. Just supposition and rumor. Before I go banging any trashcan lids in praise for AF, I would have to see how much of Price’s deal they eat, and who goes to Boston.
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Through the years I’ve had many celebrations in my pj’s or underwear. I hope that’s acceptable.
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Fine by me. I’m in sweats most of the winter, shorts and a tshirt all summer. An old guy in pajamas is one of my tribe.
“The Trade: Dodgers send OF Alex Verdugo, OF Joc Pederson and RHP Josiah Gray to Boston for Betts
If the Dodgers wanted to sweeten their offer, they could offer outfielder Alex Verdugo, who posted an .817 OPS in 106 MLB games last season and is ready to claim his role as an everyday big leaguer.
A straight-up swap of Betts for Verdugo might not be enough for the Sox.
But what if Los Angeles included outfielder Joc Pederson, an impending free agent who will earn $8.5 million in 2020, plus a potential-laden minor league pitcher such as righty Josiah Gray (No. 75 on MLB.com’s rankings)?
That deal might be too enticing for the Red Sox to resist.“
I don’t like it. Too much. Give them Peters. He hit AA and AAA pitching pretty well last year and only struck out a third of the time which means two thirds of the time he didn’t and that’s a good thing. He could punch holes in that stupid wall. All the fences in the AL East are only 300’ away and his pop ups go that far. Peters and 300 gallons of green paint to repair the wall for one year of Betts. Without knowing what’s coming he won’t put up 6.8 WAR in LA.
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I hate that trade. I wouldn’t give up either Verdugo or Gray for one year of Betts, but I imagine I might be in the minority there.
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What do you think of my edit trade. Peters + paint. Throw in a commercial grade extension ladder.
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Same as you can’t just say you’ll include prospects in a deal without identifying which prospects you can’t offer to include paint in a deal without identifying the brand. it would have to be a premium paint for Bloom to bite on that deal, plus a very long extension ladder.
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Ah, the joy of seeing people go from complaining about inactivity to whining about giving up prospects
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It’s not whining. It’s calculating future WAR and comparing it to 1 year of a Cora-less Betts. A lot of deep thought and intense analysis goes into it.
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And I thought Shlemmings would be better dressers than that!
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Tell you what Rich. If AF pulls off a Betts trade and then doubles down and gets Bryant or Arenado before ST, I’ll wear a tuxedo.
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Shlemming musings are indeed amusing.
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Why and how and what makes you think both trades would be necessary and/or possible?
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Doing two trades is not necessary. Even doing one trade isn’t totally necessary. But if I’m going to put on a tuxedo, AF is going to have to do something unbelievably dramatic. I didn’t even wear a tux for my daughter’s wedding.
If Bloom wants to compete this year while still unburdening himself from a big chunk of the $60MM that Mookie and Price will cost him this year, he’ll have to do a trade something like Pollock, Madeda, Kike and Dennis Santana which would plug a bunch of holes for him this year plus keep him under the tax and give him a pitching prospect. That would leave AF lots of prospects to trade for Bryant/Arenado/Lindor if they would actually be available to him.
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This isn’t about trades, this is about you and that tuxedo isn’t it.
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I did not think you Schlemmings even wore clothes. Not much whining done here, just surmising a lot. Hey AF is what he is and he is all we have. Like I said, I will believe this is a done deal when I see a legitimate source break the news. Some have said medical info has been exchanged, Price is part of the deal, all sorts of rumors. Almost every deal I read has Gonsolin and Verdugo both going to Boston. What is even funnier is all the fans from other teams, and a lot of D-Backs guys right now who jump on the Dodger stream and tell us how bad they are going to kick the Dodgers butt. If AF does pull off a trade for Betts, I withhold Kudos until I have seen the total price of the deal. Remember, unless they can resign the guy, or get an extension before the season ends, he is a one year deal. Not fond of those if they cost too much.
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I hate to say this, since I’m on the shlemming side of the fence, but I’m thinking scoop and company are right the team needs a good pitcher more than it needs Betts, now if the new pitching guru can figure out how to add a couple of mph to Price’s fastball that could do the trick, but they are coaches, not magicians. The best time to get a good pitcher is going to be in July.
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Again it depends on who is available and how much and who he is going to cost them. At this point, one of my untouchables is Gray. I would trade Downs since the farm is loaded with good infield prospects. And with Lux already on the team in case they do decide to trade Seager, I am not too worried about SS. But pitching is what has always won this team it’s championships. That pitching did not get the job done in 17 or 18. I am not unloading the farm for some slug. He would have to be a real difference maker.
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Bear I think Betts is going to want a lot bigger contract than AF will be willing to give out next season. He is going to be a one year player, and I’m not that fond of that to much either.
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Sometimes you can get that difference maker at the deadline, look what Verlander did for the Astros. The dodgers definitely have the prospects to trade for any player they think is that guy, when the deadline comes up
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I think the big need for October success is another top starter to pair with Buehler. But who would that be at the trade deadline? Clevinger, Syndagard, deGrom or one of Tampa’s starters? Those teams will have to sink and what would be the cost? If we can get Betts reasonably now then I say get him. Can’t be sure at the deadline what and if a Star is avsilable
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Am I the only person that hopes we do t trade for Betts? Don’t even get me started on David Price. If they are going to do a blockbuster it needs to be for Nolan Arenado.
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It depends on two things:
1. who goes to Boston
2. do we win a championship
If 1 is 3 top prospects it won’t matter if 2 happens. If 1 is 3 top prospects and 2 doesn’t happen then it matters. Unless of course 3 happens
3. Betts signs with us after next year.
And even if that happens it would have been costly.
I’ll say again I don’t think Betts is the difference maker on this team. I’ll be wrong about that only if goes ape in the playoffs and we win. I’m still thinking it may be possible he became a 1.000 OPS hitter because he knew what was coming.
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Arenado’s splits away from Colorado aren’t very good. Think Machado. Betts is the better player now and long term
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It’s heating up.
There is no long term guarantee on Betts. He’s here for one year, After that it’s highest bidder. The odds of that being Friedman? Unless he already knows Betts wants to be a Dodger for life those odds appear long. Mookie is from Nashville. He might prefer to play for the Titans.
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