Ever since the Marlins agreed to the deal to send Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees in early December, fans around the league knew it was just a matter of time before Miami scraped away all the excess salary it could in an effort to begin a massive rebuild. Not long after the New York trade, Dee Gordon was shipped off to the Mariners, and about a week after that deal, Marcell Ozuna was sent to the Cardinals.
Continue reading “Is Christian Yelich a Good Fit for Dodgers?”
When the Dodgers began their regular season campaign last year, starting pitching was at such a premium that the best five pitchers on the club weren’t even in the Opening Day rotation. Lefty phenom Julio Urias began the year in extended spring training in an effort to conserve innings, while southpaw Alex Wood was forced to start his year in the big league bullpen. There was also a ton of marginal depth with arms like Brock Stewart and Trevor Oaks on the fringe, and experienced guys like Justin Masterson, Wilmer Font, Fabio Castillo and Jair Jurrjens providing depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City. There was even hope for Scott Kazmir to join the major league rotation at some point, once his ailing hip healed and he sharpened his throwing mechanics.
Continue reading “Dodgers 40-Man Roster: Let’s Talk About Starting Pitching Depth”
It’s not very often you hear about a youngster in the Dodgers system who straightaway has the talent to succeed in the back-end of a minor league bullpen. More times than not, the Los Angeles management crew breeds most of its young arms as starters, then eventually converts them to relievers when a suitable door opens. However, there is one certain prospect in the organization, righty reliever Zach Pop, who may have the natural talent to climb the organizational ladder through the relief corps.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: A Quick Look at Righty Reliever Zach Pop”
Back in December, it appeared as if the Yankees had agreed with the Pirates on a deal to acquire righty starter Gerrit Cole, however, those rumors eventually fizzled when both sides couldn’t see eye to eye on a return package. Several weeks later, a separate deal with the Astros looked to be imminent, yet despite those particular reports, the Cubs are apparently now in the running among who knows how many other clubs. And even though the Dodgers don’t necessarily need another front-line starter, it probably wouldn’t hurt the Los Angeles front office crew to exercise their due diligence and make a few phone calls.
Continue reading “When Will Dodgers Join the Gerrit Cole Sweepstakes?”
From the moment that Austin Barnes overtook the primary catcher’s spot from Yasmani Grandal late last summer, speculation immediately began to swirl about how the club would handle Grandal moving forward, and many believed that a trade sometime during the winter months was imminent. However, with about a full month left before pitchers and catchers begin filing into the Camelback clubhouse, the rumors have quieted significantly, as it appears the Dodgers will stick with the duo, at least for the beginning of the regular season.
Continue reading “Dodgers Roster: Revisiting the Austin Barnes vs. Yasmani Grandal Debate”
Even though we’re still outside the 30-day window for players reporting to spring camp, we still can’t help speculating what the regular season roster may look like for the Dodgers, especially when we try to layout any type of prospective lineup on paper.
Continue reading “Dodgers 2018 Roster: Putting Together a Working Outfield”
Of course, the ultimate aspiration for a baseball boss is to bring home an MLB Championship to his organization. But, building a competitive player roster is the first step of the process, and despite a few early signs from the Dodgers possibly staying quiet over the winter, Andrew Friedman and his troops have lately been busy on the phones in their quests for personnel upgrades. The question lingering now is, how many more moves will the management crew make before players begin reporting to spring camp?
Continue reading “Dodgers 25-Man Roster: What’s Next on Andrew Friedman’s Wish List?”
For many fans of the Dodgers, the biggest haul of the recent six-player deal with the White Sox and Royals right off the top appears to be lefty sinkerballer Scott Alexander. But while Alexander is indeed a much welcomed addition and will no question have a huge impact on the Los Angeles bullpen, utility man Jake Peter could turn out to be the most profitable piece of the entire trade.
Continue reading “Dodgers 25-Man Roster: Jake Peter May Have Already Found a Home”
The 2017 season saw a handful of top prospects in the Dodgers organization merit promotions to the majors, most specifically when the player roster expanded in early September. Names such as Walker Buehler, Alex Verdugo and Kyle Farmer were the headliners, and deservedly earned opportunities to showcase their skills in front of the big league management crew and millions of fans. However, there’s one particular prospect, utility man Tim Locastro, who may have a better shot at making the upcoming 25-man major league roster more than any of the other youngsters.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospects: Tim Locastro Discusses Offseason & 2018 Outlook”
The Dodgers on Tuesday morning announced the acquisition of right-handed pitcher Dylan Baker from the Brewers. In return, Los Angeles will send back cash and/or a player to be named later.
Think Blue Planning Committee 