Dodgers Designate Trevor Bauer for Assignment

Trigger warning – sexual abuse content

A decision has finally been made in the Trevor Bauer case. On Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers designated Bauer for assignment. They will now have seven days to trade him or release him from the organization. His time with the Dodgers organization has come to an end.

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MLB Celebrates Legacy of Roberto Clemente

The 2022 MLB season marks the 21st year that the league has celebrated the legacy of Roberto Clemente, perhaps the greatest humanitarian and arguably one of the best outfielders the game has ever seen.

This year, the league recognized Thursday, September 15, as Roberto Clemente Day. It was highlighted by the Pirates — Clemente’s former team — playing the Mets in New York at Citi Field, with managers, coaches and players from both clubs all wearing Clemente’s No. 21.

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A Look at the Dodger Bullpen and the Closer Role

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one week away from opening up the 2022 season in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. Before camp breaks, however, there are still a few unanswered questions.

The number of players still in camp as of Thursday afternoon was 41. The season will open with a 28-man roster so teams will have a little help in the pitching department because of the truncated spring training schedule.

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MLB and MLBPA Fail to Agree, Again; More Series Canceled

It’s Deja Vu, all over again.

After another self-imposed deadline by the owners, albeit with more ramifications on the season, Major League Baseball and the Players Union again failed to make an agreement, and the full 162 game season in 2022 will not be.

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MLB and Players Union Do Not Reach Agreement – Season Will Not Start on Time

Since the self imposed owner’s lockout began on December 1st, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association have sporadically been in talks about a wide range off meant to better or worsen the state of the players and the game, depending on which side you are on.

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Juan Soto and Freddie Freeman – Future Dodgers?

The original start of Spring Training, when pitchers and catchers were to report, has come and gone, and yet no agreement has been met between the owners and players. The season most definitely will not start in time.

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Dodgers News and Notes: Dave Roberts Extension, MLB Lockout and More

On the past week not much has happened on the lockout front, other than what we already know that the owners are not in too much of a hurry to get the baseball season started on time.

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Latest on MLB Lockout and Thoughts from Dave Roberts

Well folks, we’ve reached February and although the MLBPA and Major League Baseball have met in recent days, they are no closer to reaching an agreement than when the lockout started in early December.

With Spring Training scheduled to start in two weeks for pitchers and catchers, the possibility of the season starting on time is getting smaller with each second that passes by.

The two sides remain far apart, and it seems that the Players Union is the only one willing to negotiate. The MLBPA proposed the following two areas on Tuesday-

  • Moving the pre arbitration bonus pool from $105 million to $100 million
  • Reducing the scope of their service time manipulation proposal to include fewer rookies by WAR who would qualify for a year of service

Negotiations were said to be “heated” in a meeting that lasted just 90 minutes. When the two sides last week, MLB agreed to the concept of the bonus pool, but were starting with just $10 million.

In an article by Evan Drellich, the union’s plan would award a full year of MLB service time to rookies who finish in the top five in their league for Rookie of the Year, top three for reliever of the year and/or make first- or second-team All-MLB. Using an average of bWAR and fWAR, non-outfielders and non-pitchers who finish in the top seven of their positions in their respective leagues also would qualify, as would pitchers and outfielders who finish in the top 20. Previously, the union offered top 10 and top 30 respectively.

There currently is no plan for the two sides to meet again. It could happen later this week, it may not be until next week, when there is a regular quarterly meeting of owners in Florida. It is not probable that there would be a lockout meeting while the owners are meeting, however. If nothing happens next week, then we are on to the next week, when spring training is supposed to start. So unless something drastic happens, do not count on spring training and probably the season starting on time.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke with SNLA’s Kirsten Watson on Tuesday about what has been the hardest part of the lockout for him personally.

“It’s been different this time, with the lock out, and I can’t…. This is the time where I really connect with the players, and get the vibe of how things are going and talk to them about spring training and how their off-seasons are going and right now we can’t talk to the player so that’s been different….I love time with the family but I’m staring to get antsy for things to start”.

He went on to say that at this point, he and the coaching staff have plans A, B, C, and D as far as the roster when baseball resumes, and believes that it will move quickly once it does.

Roberts also mentioned the president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the front office are having conversations, and that that he (Roberts) believes there will be a lot of player movement once the lockout is resolved.

Tangentially, ZiPS has the Dodgers winning the most games in the National League next season, roster as is. No doubt Friedman and company have many different plans for shoring up the pitching staff and bettering the team.