The Los Angeles Dodgers are finally making some moves this winter, although they are not big and splashy like some of their counterpart teams.
The Dodgers have passed on pretty much all of the top free agents of this year. Justin Verlander went to the Mets. Aaron Judge re-signed with the Yankees. Trea Turner returned to the East Coast to play for the Phillies. And most recently, Carlos Correa signed a 13-year deal with play with the rival San Francisco Giants.
In one of their first signings of the offseason, it was reported Wednesday afternoon that the Dodgers had signed pitcher Noah Syndergaard to a one-year deal. The contract is worth $13 million, with $1.5 million in incentives.
The 30 year old righty reportedly had multi-year offers from other teams, but decided to take the offer with a Dodgers. Seemingly he is choosing to work with Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior, who has fixed many an arm, possibly earning himself a multi-year deal if he regains his previous form.
“Thor” started his career with the New York Mets, before signing with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last winter. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline. Between the two teams, he went 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA with 134.2 innings pitched.
Syndergaard is expected to join the starting rotation and joins Shelby Miller as the only other notable signing this offseason.
On Wednesday, it was also announced that the Dodgers had traded minor league pitcher Jeff Belge to the Tampa Bay Rays for right handed pitcher J. P. Feyereisan. He underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, and is not expected to pitch until the end of the season.
Before he went on the IL however, Feyereisan had pitched 24.1 innings without allowing a run of any time. He could turn out to be an ‘acquisition’ at the end of the season and help the Dodgers in a playoff stretch.
Whether the Dodgers make any more moves this offseason remains to be seen. They are reported to be in the mix for shortstop Dansby Swanson, as they are tied to most big names at all times.
There are various rumors flying around as to why the Dodgers have not been super active so far this offseason. One is that they are attempting to reset the luxury tax in hopes of signing then-free agent Shohei Otanhi next winter.
Another is that they are awaiting the decision of Trevor Bauer’s appeal of his suspension for his sexual assault allegations. If Bauer wins his appeal, the Dodgers will be on the hook for $60 million of his salary. If Bauer loses, the Dodgers should have to pay him nothing going forward as his suspension would be after his contract with the Dodgers ends.
A lot of the Dodgers’ passing on big name free agents makes sense. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman was not going to pass out 13 year contracts like both Correa and Turner received. It also was reported that the front office was hesitant to bring Correa into the fold after he had been mostly unrepentant after the Houston Astros cheated the Dodgers out of a World Series win in 2017.
Still, not making any moves and letting so many Dodger free agents move on to other teams leaves a sour taste in many fans’ mouths. Last year’s huge playoff disappointment coupled by some big moves by rivals and playoff bound teams makes fan wont to scratch their heads wondering just what the front offices thought process is going into the 2023 season. Friedman and Co never let on what the plan is but somehow always seem to put together a dominant team and I’m sure this offseason is no different.
In sadder news, on Wednesday it also became official that Cody Bellinger had officially become a member of the Chicago Cubs. Although some fans were not upset to see him go, it is a truth that Bellinger had some absolutely huge moments for the Dodgers. They may not have made it past the Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLCS if it were not for the heroics and good timing of some of Bellinger’s plays.
We wish Cody all the best of luck in this new chapter of his career.
The Syndergaard signing seems to me to be a good one. If we were looking for a #5 starter, we probably couldn’t have done better, especially considering that AF was able to get him on a one-year deal.
I’m fine with this signing plus the Shelby signing and the Feyereisen trade. If we need to reset for a year, so be it. Andrew is still making some moves around the edges.
LikeLike
Like the Syndergard signing incredible upside. As predicted not signing long term deals unless huge upside line Freeman. Hopefully we see Stone in 23.
LikeLike
Well, if Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, May and Syndergaard are all healthy and perform to expectations the rotation at Oklahoma City should also be dynamic. Or maybe a Pepiot and Jackson could be part of a package sent to the Pirates for Reynolds. I don’t think they would move Miller or Stone.
LikeLike
Keep waiting for another shoe to fall. Too darn many iff’s in the starting rotation and pepiot, jackson and grove are barely fringe players in my opinion. And if busch and outman make this roster we are in a lot of trouble. We are exactly where we were 3 years ago, nobody on the farm except a bunch of really good looking 22 year old prospects. And I don’t believe they want lux at shortstop for a full season. So we have a few holes to fill. And if Vargas isn’t a full time player than Yikes.
LikeLike
We needed a front of the rotation guy, not a number five. Kershaw has his tricky back, and hasn’t been able to perform consistently in either of the last two playoffs, Gonsolin has spent significant time on the IL the last two years, May is coming off of TJ surgery, and Thor is not Thor anymore. The only real reliable pitcher we have is Urias.
It’s kind of frustrating watching the LA Dodgers acting like a small market team this off season.
LikeLike
We have a front of the rotation guy. His name is Julio.
Speaking only for myself, but as far as having to watch the Dodgers act like a small market team, every once in a while we need to step back and be grateful for what we have. If AF does nothing else major and we miss the playoffs altogether, it’s still only one year. We could be Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore or Detroit fans. They get happy if their teams just get within smelling distance of the post season.
For all we know, Andrew will sign Rodon and trade for Reynolds and Adames tomorrow. But if not, I certainly can’t speak for the rest of you, but I’ll survive one year of being a “small market fan”.
I know it’s frustrating watching Preller and Farhan spend like drunken sailors, but I have faith in AF. If we need to back up for a year, for whatever reason, I’ll back him.
The real villain here is Manfred who dragged his feet for way too long in deciding Bauer’s penalty and then whoever thought up this ridiculous arbitration process needs to go into a different line of work. The entire fiasco has penalized the Dodgers in a way that they don’t deserve. This could and should have been decided long ago so the Dodger front office could plan accordingly.
LikeLike
Jeff, your second paragraph is a very healthy, balanced comment. If the Dodgers have a down year because of injuries, rebuilding (resetting), or poor play or management, I intend to enjoy the game the same as always. There is merit to seeing the game of baseball, regardless of team favoritism, for its simplicity and beauty. Being a fan of baseball is a wonderful gift of seeing a traditional game played outdoors in the summer on a beautiful field by people who may not always be the best players, but show us a world of athletic talent far beyond what we could achieve. It is fun to think along with management about the best roster and strategy moves. But, for us, that is just an intellectual excercise for our entertainment. In reality, the management and players know their game far better than we do. Their job is to play the game; our job is to enjoy the game.
LikeLike
Well said
LikeLike
Jeff, I may have had a bit of a knee jerk reaction to the Syndergaard signing, but to see the team lose Trea Turner ( I realize it’s not their fault he wanted to play in the east) Anderson, and Cody Bellinger, and see them replaced with Shelby Miller, Syndergaard, and Heyward, is a bit tough for me. I’m still a fan, and I haven’t lost faith in AF, but I don’t think anyone can argue the point that the Dodgers roster doesn’t have the talent on it this season, so far, as last years roster.
LikeLike
No argument there Keith. The 2023 roster, as now comprised, is not as strong as last year’s.
On the other hand, if Muncy and CT3 can approach their “normal” outputs, the 2023 roster will be a lot stronger than it looks right now, even without any major more additions.
LikeLike
Why do we always have to sign the huge free agent or make the blockbuster trade. Remember when we would have so many Rookie of the Years? Look at all the Rookies Atlanta played last year.
We won’t know how strong this roster is until we see how good Vargas, Outman and Busch are. They have no more to prove in MILB. And I think Lux is ready to hit near the top of the order. He was hitting over .300 and in top 5 in OBA before an injury curtailed his season. Same with pitchers like Pepiot, Stone and Miller. Let’s see what they gave.
LikeLike
I think people tend to want to go with the least risky outcome. Established stars are less risky than playing untested rookies.
On the other hand, having a newcomer who has a banner year and is “discovered” by the fans? That can’t be beat in terms of excitement. Remember Cody’s monster year. Nothing better. Just wish it could have been sustained.
LikeLike
If any of our top prospects were mlb top five or ten, then yes I’m all for patience, but none of our prospects look like ROY candidates, if we rely on them, and they don’t cut it, then where are we. San Diego has built a heck of a roster with Machado, Soto, Bogaerts, and Tatis, this division is not going to be a cake walk this season, are Vargas, Outman, Pages, or Busch ready for that kind of competition?
Just noticed Rodon signed for 6/162 with the Yanks, that’s 27 mil per year, that’s not that bad of a deal, in this market. I’m sure the Bauer deal hanging over the Dodgers head stopped them from getting to serious about him. I have been a big Rodon fan for a while, I was hoping last season that we would sign him.
The last real impact player left, that fits here is Swanson. With an infield of Freeman, Lux/Taylor, Swanson, and Muncy the Dodgers could compete with most of the mlb. Mix in Vargas, Pages, or Outman with that line up, would be the way I would like to see it happen.
LikeLike
With the current roster I would think Taylor will play more OF. Lux should play every day, whether at 2B or SS. As far as mentioning Pages, he didn’t have a particularly good year at AA last year, so I don’t see him in Dodger blue until maybe 2024.
LikeLike
Rodon has been great the last two years, but he also comes with risk, as he has missed plenty of time with injuries over the years.
LikeLike
If you don’t trust the Dodger organization’s evaluation of their farm talent not sure what to tell you! Lux was a minor league player of the year at SS!! Stone dominated at every level. Vargas makes contact. Have some faith in the organization. The stars of today getting $300M were rookies too. How many of them were top 5???
LikeLike
The example I like to use at least from a pitching point of view is Tom Glavine. He came up made 9 starts was 2-4 5.56. Made rotation the next year and went 7-17 with ERA of 4.55.
Ended his career with over 300 wins and elected to HOF. Young guys need a chance and sometimes takes awhile.
LikeLike
Great example, Stone has a shot as he has control and swing and miss pitches. Low WHIP can get u to the MLB. But learning to pitch at the MLB level takes some experience. I hope the experience Pepiot, Grove and Jackson got in 22 helps them step up in 23.
LikeLike
Dodgers sent cash to the A’s for Yonny Hernandez. No hit good field infielder who plays three positions. He is also a speedster who stole a lot in the minors. Don’t expect him to hit much, but he walks a lot and does not K much. They also signed Adam Kolarek to a minor league deal.
LikeLike
So the last high impact FA signed, Swanson to the cubs. Barring some kind of a trade it seems Lux is going to be our SS. It looks like a bunch of you guys are going to get what you want, and see prospects fill several positions, hope your right. Personally I can’t see Lux putting up anywhere near the production that Trea Turner did last season. I’ll watch, and I’ll root, but let’s just say I’m not quite as confident in the prospects, as you guys are.
LikeLike
Going over the Luxury tax number is not fiscally responsible year after year. Fans want the bright shiny all star but they don’t have to make a profit. Lux and Taylor can play SS. Or the new guy Hernandez or Amaya. The Mets are blasting through their budget to show they are contenders to compete with the Yankees. The Dodgers may make another move but I am fine with the team they have. It will be fun to watch. I am curious to see how the rookies perform.
LikeLike
Lux doesn’t have to match Trea, but I think he is capable of .290 with 15 HRs and 15 SBs. Looks like we will have a full time DH in JD Martinez which means we need a big bounce back season from Muncy as a 2B/3B. Does this also mean JT will not be back?
C Smith
1B Freeman
2B Muncy
3B Vargas
SS Lux
LF Outman/Thompson
CF Taylor/Outman
RF Betts
DH Martinez
Rest of Bench
Barnes
Amaya
Busch or Heyward?
Maybe they add Drury?
LikeLike
We don’t know what was offered or the talks with JT. I was surprised by the signing of Marinez but everyone has said the Dodgers needed a left-handed bat. Martinez by all reports is a solid citizen so no issue there. Vargas and Outman have to play if they are going to contribute. I read they are working Vargas out at 2nd this winter. A lot depends on the Bauer ruling. That signing is like a lead weight around AF’s neck hopefully he learned from it. I am not concerned about SS as Taylor can contribute there also. If Muncy and Taylor can improve offensively in 23 and Vargas makes contact they should have an explosive offense.
LikeLike
Thompson plays a very good defensive CF. I think they may look for another outfielder as Pages and others are still at low A levels.
LikeLike
They just signed Bradley Zimmer to a minor league deal.
Good field, no hit, but can definitely cover center field.
I think AF is going to just pull in a few possibilities and have open competition.
In the meanwhile, he won’t be taking up a 40-man roster spot, at least not yet.
LikeLike
Looks like JT is signing with Redsox for two years Since they have Devers he will be an everyday day DH although he has played some 1B in past.
LikeLike
Damn it’s a sad day for Dodger fans. Signing J.D. Martinez pretty much assures Our team captain JT is not coming back and that really sucks. I just pups have much rather have Turner the 1 year $10 million deal they just gave Martinez. Martinez started to show his age at the plate last year and he is strictly a DH. Turner is getting old no doubt but he can still play a solid 3B at 38 years old and still out hit Martinez last year. I know they want to give Miguel Vargas time at 3B but why not bring the heart and soul of your team back one last year so maybe he can retire a Dodger?
LikeLike
We don’t know that JT would have accepted a 1 year, $10MM offer. They may have actually presented that to him before they signed Martinez. That said, when you’re going to have a payroll upwards of $240MM or more, what the heck is another 2 or 3 million? They could easily have given him 12-13 million.
As you mentioned, at least JT can still play in the field, something which JDM hasn’t done to any great degree in quite awhile. I was fine with their decision to let Cody leave, but this one (assuming it’s actually going to happen) really bothers me. They owe JT more than that.
If they don’t do what they have to in order to keep him, their letting him go this way bothers me a lot more than if they had signed Correa or allow Bauer to rejoin the roster if he’s allowed to play this year.
This really stinks. Now make a fool out of me, Andrew, and sign JT tomorrow.
LikeLike
I hope he does somehow come back. There’s still a role for him here. I would rather go into the year with JT as the starting 3B but you give Vargas a couple games a week also to give Turner a break. Injuries always happen as well. This will change the entire clubhouse attitude is what I fear. JT and Kershaw are just the guys you do what you have to in order to keep them. We still have room to give him a good one year deal without going over the tax line again.
LikeLike
We can bring him back and not go over the tax line if Bauer’s suspension for 2023 is upheld.
On the other hand, if he’s allowed to play, we’ve already gone over the limit so another few mil isn’t going to break the bank, even with the penalty.
LikeLike
I don’t see how Bauer is allowed to play. His career is over. If he did play though what do you do? A lot of people feel very strongly about him but so you just swallow that money and cut an all star starting pitcher? You would have to put him in the rotation.
LikeLike
I may be adding two plus two, and coming up with five, but to me it seams the JD Martinez signing signals the end of JT’s time, at least for this season, here with the Dodgers.
LikeLike
Sure seems like it Keith. I hope we’re both wrong and they find a way to keep both of them on the roster but I wouldn’t bet any large sums of money on it.
LikeLike
AF, Gomes and others have said they believe in Vargas. He is probably part of the reason they didn’t offer Rios. It is reasonable to believe they are going to give Vargas enough at bats to acclimate. They have signed Muncy and Taylor in 22. JT is older and has lost range. Is there room for JT on the roster? I don’t know. Unlike many I don’t believe they owe JT. He has had a storybook career. But 2/3’s of 22 he was not good. The kids need at bats to prosper. I like JT for many reasons but do u spend a roster spot for him??
LikeLike
Sorry Jeff, but as much as I’ve loved JT while he has played for the Dodgers, I kinda, sorta,(see how guilty I feel saying this) agree with Tmax I think JT was slipping down the slope last season, and I understand if AF feels it’s time to go in another direction.
Van scoyac was the guy that turned JD’s career around, so who better to judge whether or not he can produce another decent season for the dodgers. With Van scoyac working with Martinez everyday, I think he will put up acceptable, if not good numbers here.
LikeLike
I’ve been a JDM fan forever, so I’m not upset that we signed him.
TMax says JT was bad for 2/3 of a year last year. It was more like half a year and when he was good for the other half, he was one of the top 10 hitters in the league.
Martinez started out the first half in spectacular fashion but his second half was not very good.
The reason I might have thought about bringing back JT instead of signing Martinez is that Turner can still give you some games at third base, whereas JDM is strictly a DH. The Dodgers, since the DH came to the NL, have made a practice of rotating guys in and out of the DH spot. With JD, that’s going to be much more limited now since whenever he plays, he’ll be at DH. What do you do on the days Barnes catches. Sit Will? Bench Martinez? What about when you want to give Max a day off in the field but want to keep his bat in the lineup? Etc.,etc, etc.
The Dodger braintrust is smarter than I am, so I’m going to go along with their decisions. I’m just asking questions.
LikeLike
Start working Will Smith out at 3rd base.
LikeLike
Don’t recognize your name, Jim.
If you haven’t commented here before, welcome. If you have, it shows I’m not paying attention.
Yeah, we may eventually have a game where we start 9 catchers.
Everyone knows about Diego Cartaya, but there’s another kid, about a year behind him, named Yeiner Fernandez, who may turn out even better than Diego.
Most people think Cartaya will stay at catcher, but they’re already giving Fernandez some time at second base. He’s only 20 and played last season at Rancho.
LikeLike
I have commented before as JhallWally. Must have logged in with face book for that post. Thanks for the welcome. Not many sites are welcoming to newcomers. Sounds like we have some good trade bait with our abundance of catching prospects. If Fernandez is all that, Cartaya will bring a nice return.
LikeLike
That name I recognize. Just trying to decide if I’m going to refer to you from now on as Jim or Alfred E. 🙂
LikeLike
Tmax, respectively I am completely on the opposite side of the coin as you are when it comes to the financial responsibility, and spending, so I want to throw some numbers out there for you to think about. I did a little bit of google research and here’s what I came up with.
The dodgers receive $334,000,000 per season for their cable contract.
They get $66,000,000 from mlb for their share of the National tv money.
I found a site that said their average ticket prices were $50.16, their attendance last season was 3,861,408 that would come out to pretty close to $194,000,000. Now I believe that number is probably higher than that, because the $50.16 is on all seats combined, not the average of the SOLD seats. It’s always the cheapest, from the nose bleed or the bleachers that go unsold. I’ll bet they are getting well over $200,000,000 in ticket revenue, but we’ll leave it at 194 for the sake off argument.
$334,000,000 + $66,000,000 + $194,000,000 so attendance and TV revenue equal at least
$594,000,000
Now these numbers are not so easy to quantify
I found one site that said the average fan that goes to an mlb game spends around $110 for food, alcohol, and paraphernalia, I found another that said specifically that the fans at a dodger game spend $98 per game, so $98 x 3,861,408 = $378,418,000, (big number) now I’m not sure what their profit margin is after paying for the food, and labor, at the prices they charge I’ll bet they are making more than 50% profit, but I think it’s contracted out so the dodgers get a percentage of sales, this is completely arbitrary, but I’m going to guess they get at least 25% of the 378mil as a pure profit. That comes to around $95,000,000 (I’d bet it’s over 100 mil but who knows how much)
Now to parking, this is a complete wild guess on my part, because I couldn’t find much on this.
The dodgers averaged almost 48,000 per game last year, I’m guessing four people per car average, a lot of cars have two passengers, but there are also buses bringing people in, if you can find anything here be my guest general parking is $25 most of the time now, but I know the preferred parking is a lot more, so let’s be conservative and say $30 per car.
48,000 people divided by four is 12,000 cars per game ( the parking lot holds 16,000 ) that comes out to $360,000 per game, or $29,100,000 per season. I read somewhere that the parking lot is owned by the dodgers ownership group, and McCourt, the team pays the parking lot owners $14,000,000 total per season for a 99 year lease on the parking lot. So that means the team is still getting somewhere north of $15,000,000 on the parking
On top of all of that every team got a windfall of $30,000,000 this season for some streaming they sold this year. So to summarize
$400,000,000 for TV revenues
$194,000,000 in ticket sales
$95,000,000, in concession
$15,000,000 in parking
$30,000,000 windfall
For a total of $734,000,0000
I know it takes a lot of money to keep a team on the field, and you could probably drive a truck through some of the holes in my guesses, but they could be bringing in even more money than I wrote down.
My whole point to this exercise was to make a case, for the fact that the Dodgers could be in the luxury tax every year, and still make plenty of money. I don’t buy any of this crap about a reset, or we have to hold back payroll because of the pending Bauer appeal. The team makes enough money they could have afforded a front end pitcher like Rodon, or A top tier SS like Swanson, especially if you deduct the 28 mil we’re going to pay JD, and Thor.
I rest my case, rebuttals welcomed.
LikeLike
Excellent points for a discussion, Keith. A few thoughts:
1) I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone in the Dodger front office plead poverty or that they were losing money.
2) There may be an unspoken rule among the owners that no team goes crazy and spends way more than all of the others. That rule, if there was one, has now been broken by the Mets, of course. Maybe someone forget to tell Steve Cohen.
3) It may be that the Dodgers are holding back somewhat in order to avoid losing draft choices and/or their draft spending money. That may be far more important to them than the extra penalties involved when they spend over the limit.
There is no doubt that there is a lot of money in the safe at Dodger Stadium. I know that those of us who frequent this blog are somewhat divided on this, but I’m going to be very upset if they don’t throw a little of that cash at JT in the next few days. I’m expecting that they won’t so at least they should give us an explanation as to what their thinking was. Possibly it came down to Justin wanting two years and they just didn’t want to go beyond one. I may be in the minority, but I think Justin Turner has done as much for the Dodger brand during his time here as has Clayton Kershaw. I would have given him the two years, even if I had to eat some money in 2024 to do it. But that’s me, and Kasten is obviously a better businessman than I am.
LikeLike
Wow, that’s a lot of research! Thanks for the education. I appreciate reading everyone’s replies and thoughts. It’s what makes this blog fun. The Dodgers paid over a billion for the team. The upkeep of the stadium and minor league organization probably takes a chunk of that money along with servicing the loan to buy the team.
I agree they make a lot of money and could probably pay the penalties every year. But the penalties start to multiply. It is much smarter to get them to reset every few years. Not only do they have the Bauer hearing hanging over them but also may want to save money as Ohtani is probably going to command the richest contract in MLB history and everyone will be all in on him.
A capital company owns the Dodgers most of them do not like throwing money away. Luxury tax penalties are directly from the bottom line, affect profit, and can be avoided.
I get it fans want every all-star that hits the free agency market. But the Dodgers have built one of the best if not the preeminent Minor League organization in baseball. Isn’t it bad business not to use those talented young players? Vargas, Outman, Pepiot, Stone. Miller if you don’t give them the chance do you trade them away? What if they are another Alvarez? The way a team maintains being in contention is to meld veterans with rookies. The Braves just infused their team with young players and played well. I like that they are planning to give rookies a chance. I am excited to see Vargas and Outman play. I want to see Stone and Miller in 23. The 24 rotation could be May, Gonsolin, Miller, Stone, and eventually Buehler. Plus? I am not sure Urias re-signs as he is a Boras client.
Will Ohtani be signed? It’s fun to speculate. Unlike many of you, I listen carefully to Kasten when he makes pronouncements. Kasten makes policy. he said they were going to go internal for talent and they have. Listen to what he says. These are AF’s marching orders. Kasten is tasked with fielding a contending team and maximizing profit. Kasten needs to use the Farm Team talent that the team spends a lot of money and effort on or what’s the point?
LikeLike
Jeff, this team has been all about flexibility, I never expected the team to sign a straight DH, it seems to go against their philosophy. They must have felt JT wouldn’t sign for the same money, or they don’t think he can produce what they feel JDM can. It is definitely going to handcuff Roberts at times.
I will give AF credit for the flexibility he has given himself with the roster, all of his deals have been for one year, he has very little money on the books for next year, he can make trades to take on money, or spend a lot in FA next off season.
LikeLike
Good points tmax, I usually take what the FA says with a grain of salt, because I don’t think they want anyone to know what they are thinking, but so far you’ve been spot on in predicting how they were going to build the 2023 team. I think they are going to be counting on to many young guys to fill vital rolls this season, I prefer how the team brought one prospect up one at a time, if they proved themselves they stayed, if not they would go back down, and give another prospect a shot Cory, Cody, Joc, Walker, all came up one at a time, so if they had struggled it didn’t kill the team.
LikeLike
Keep in mind that Andrew makes a lot of his biggest moves in Jan/Feb.
Just think of what the lineup would look like if he managed to grab Reynolds in January. It would certainly cost some good prospects, but we could trade a few and still have a lot of them left to fill spots in 2023.
He may only fill in a couple of pieces around the edges, or he may pull off something spectacular. I’m just not going to draw any conclusions about the Dodgers 2023 roster quite yet.
LikeLike
I’ll bet if you started an offer for Reynolds with Cartaya name in it, it would definitely get the Pirates attention.
I think AF is always watching the trade market, but tmax is probably right, AF will start with some of his young guys, and make a trade in season to fix whatever weaknesses are exposed.
Jeff, remember Utley’s last contract? It was a two year 10 mil deal, but everyone knew he would only play one year, Ut got his money, but the dodgers only took a five million hit against the luxury threshold. Maybe that’s what we’re looking at here, if JT doesn’t find the money he’s looking for with someone else.
LikeLike
Unfortunately, Keith, word has just come down that JT is singing with the Red Sox (at least it isn’t SD or SF). One year, 14 mil.
That’s a real slap in the face to JT by Dodger brass. He’s been a loyal team player and didn’t deserve that. Not every decision should be a business decision.
LikeLike
Yeah 2 years, 22 million with an opt out is not the same as what I first heard. OK, I can understand why AF might not have wanted to go 2 years, so I feel a little better about this.
In the meanwhile, JT joins Kenley, Kike and Verdugo. We have Mookie and JDM so all we need to do in July is add Devers. 🙂
LikeLike
Well Jeff I’m sorry old friend but I just saw JT signed with the Red Sox for 2 years 22 mil. It almost seems like everything should have been the opposite JT staying here for one year, and JDM staying in Boston on a two year contract.
Thank you JT for all the professionalism and class you brought to the dodgers, and the joy we fans had watching you, good luck in Boston, I’m not much of a Botox fan but I hope JT has a great year.
LikeLike
We must have seen it about the same time, but I’m a real slow writer😀
LikeLike
At JT’s age I wonder if he has two years left in the tank. With Denver’s at third looks like JT will be primarily a DH there in Boston.
LikeLike
Hey Jeff, JT got an eight milllion players option for 2024, not a bad payday for him. I don’t think this is going to be a popular move with most fans.
There are going to be comparisons between JT, and JDM all season long, probably from both sides.
LikeLike
I’m really bummed, but I’ll get over it. In the meanwhile I hope both guys have great years. Here’s to old age!!!!
I just hope Andrew didn’t burn all his bridges with JT so that when he retires he’ll come back and be part of the organization.
LikeLike
When he goes into the HOF, I’m sure it will be with a Dodger hat on his statue😀
LikeLike