The latest from Chavez Ravine…
- The Dodgers have interest in Blake Treinen, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Treinen was non-tendered by the Athletics earlier this week in the wake of a rough 2019 season and a projected $7.8MM arbitration salary, though Treinen figures to get a lot of attention on the open market since he’s only a year removed from an all-world performance in 2018. The former A’s closer would be a particularly good fit for a Dodgers team that got somewhat shaky results from Kenley Jansen and Joe Kelly last year.
- This offseason could be “the perfect storm” for the Andrew Friedman-led front office to finally splurge on a major free agent, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required). While L.A. has been in the mix for several big names over the years, the Dodgers’ biggest expenditures under Friedman have come in the form of re-signing its own players to free agent contracts or extensions. With the likes of Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, or even Josh Donaldson (who is comparatively much less expensive than the first three) all available in free agency, and such talents as Francisco Lindor or Kris Bryant available in trades, Rosenthal feels “the only debate for the Dodgers should be over which superstar they should acquire.”
- Rosenthal’s piece an interesting companion to this what-if item from his Athletic colleague Andy McCullough, who looks back at everything that could have been different for the Dodgers if they had re-signed Zack Greinke in the 2015-16 offseason. It would’ve been another case of Friedman being willing to spend on a known quantity, as he had tabled a six-year offer worth close to $160MM to the free agent righty, only to be shocked when the Diamondbacks blew away expectations by offering Greinke $206.5MM over a six-year pact. “Had it been closer, I think it would have been a really difficult decision,” Friedman said about the opportunity to counter Arizona’s offer. “I’m not sure how things would have played out. But it was a pretty seismic gap.” The fallout of Greinke re-signing with Los Angeles would’ve been immense, though given how the club was able to re-invest that planned money into some other noteworthy players, it’s not a slam dunk that having Greinke would have meant a World Series title over the last four years.
Can we actually get a top free agent plz?
Nope. You’re going to bail out the Red Sox and trade for Mookie Betts. Send your prospects and a major league guy or two and we’ve got a deal.
Bail them out of what an MVP caliber player? He is not Carl Crawford.
amk3510 He probably means bail them out of potentially losing him for nothing assuming they don’t deal him at the trade deadline then. The chances of them making the kind of offer it’ll take to keep him off the FA market or to out bid the competition next offseason don’t look good.
@Gary not happening
Makes no sense to spend prospects and/or major league players for a one year rental.
Politely, what else would you trade?
int’l bonus pool money I guess lmao
Dodgers fans think they are gettin an mvp for nothing…1 year rental that puts you over the top is worth any slapdick prospect
The Dodgers already have too many outfielders, and they’re all good. They need Mookie Betts like they need Dodger dogs.
All you really need is MadBum in October. Kershaw can pitch during the regular season, get MadBum in your pen, and then have Bum slot into Kershaw’s rotation slot in October (when you put Kershaw on the IL). Cheapest way to a WS victory! I wouldn’t mind keeping Bum in SF but it appears Farhan is in full rebuild mode which I support.
MadBum is going to the white sox. He will never put on a dodgers uniform.
MadBum to the Twins please
White Sox – no Twins take him.
Bum in a Dodger uni? can’t see it…
Whoever ends up with MadBum is going to learn the harsh lesson that he is not the pitcher he used to be.
I’ll still will take MadBum in Chicago
So he’s not one of the ten (five?) best pitchers in baseball, he’s one of the 25 best now… pathetic. Not a dollar more than 3/$25m, and in July so you don’t have to give up a pick.
Except he’s not one of the top 25 pitchers in baseball. His lowest fip in the last three years has been 3.9. He’s more like the 60th best starter in baseball, or in other words, about a #3.
Your comment is truly laughable. Madbum is going to pull in a 4 to 5 year deal around 60 to 80 million. Weather he’s worth it or not, that’s debatable but your assumption at 3/25 is just stupid!
SF Chronicle writer today said Bum will get more $$$ than Wheeler…
giantsphan2
“All you really need is MadBum in October. Kershaw can pitch during the regular season, get MadBum in your pen, and then have Bum slot into Kershaw’s rotation slot in October (when you put Kershaw on the IL). Cheapest way to a WS victory! ”
Chances that MadBum is still a WS legend are nil. He may be just ok but he would not pull a Stras (and he NEVER did).
depends who and for how much. look how the nats didnt bite on harper. and nats won while harper sat at home and watch
Keep in mind that LA will have to face signing or letting walk Seager, Bellinger and others in the not so distant future. I can only imagine LA not wanting to keep some payroll flexibility for when that happens. I can see a four year contract at a very high annual rate but certainly nothing longer than five years.
The first extension case is Pederson and he isn’t getting one. Next up is Hernandez. Seager is after that. It will be a couple more years before we find out for sure, but if the present thinking holds I wouldn’t expect any of them to be extended or signed back as free agents. The Dodgers will move on to cheaper controllable players.
The only exception to that I can think of is if, as a ‘for instance’ Bellinger up to the time he becomes a FA. has MVP seasons. It would be hard (not impossible) to think they’d trade him but would more likely try to lock him up earlier like the Angels did with Trout and the Rockies did with Arenado. Evidence of that would be when they added a year to Kershaw’s contract. CK is not the pitcher he was and as good as you think he still may be, he’s not worth $30 million/yr.. CL was not going to walk from his contract because no one would have offered anything close. It was a symbol of loyalty. if Bellinger or another player proved to be ‘amazing’ they’d have to keep him or lose their fan base.
I am with you, however, the point of having a strong farm system is to restock the parent club with affordable talent. I don’t see Seager getting the same treatment. Beyond that it’s too soon to say what the other younger players will turn out.
It is too soon to talk about Bellinger but if he continues his pace towards becoming “the next Mike Trout” then the Dodgers would be in an ironic bind because they almost certainly would not be open to giving him a Trout-like extension. Kershaw should retire as a Dodger if for no other reason than that’s what the fans expect. He’s worth more to the Dodgers than his production. A strong farm system is a great thing, yes, but winners are built around veterans. How many in the current youth movement will still be around when they become veterans?
The dodgers definitely need help in the bullpen. Adding a extra 8th or 9th inning guy would be awesome. But I don’t think this the guy.
Jansen isn’t the guy either, anymore, so gotta look at other options since Kelly was a bust. Being on a new team could be a shot in the arm for Treinen and put him in good form.
Get Treinen and Gausman. Case closed.
Why does Treinen need a shot in the arm, does he have the flu or something? Really, serious question. What was so right with him for one season that is so not right with him now? As for Gausman, he’s had one good season in seven. Sounds like Joe Kelly 2.0, and unfortunately is just the kind of project Friedman would go for.
They would be better off giving the shot to Betances. Could catch lightning in a bottle. I think the chances would be better than Treinen.
Maybe but committing a roster spot to anyone who missed nearly all of the previous season and ended it on the IL is risky. I imagine he’s fielding a lot of minor league contract offers.
Dellin Betances
And definitely stay away from Rendon. Just because he had a good season doesn’t mean he’s going to have a better one next year. I have good days at work. So should I get a raise because I may have a better day tomorrow.
please be joking. he’s been consistently good past 5 years. led the nl in doubles twice, hits once, rbi once, batting average over .300 three years in a row. he’s almost as much of a guarantee as any FA could be
But he probably wants more than 3-4 years that Friedman would offer.
You’re an idiot. So he shouldn’t get paid for the numbers he had last year. It isn’t like he hasn’t ever been good before this year. He is consistently good and always has the potential to change a game.
I don’t want Rendon only because the dodgers need arms not bats. I would rather see spending on SP and bullpen help. Defense wins games.
I think we need bats, we don’t score in the playoffs consistently and that’s why we have to rely heavily on the pen
No, scoring more runs than the opposition wins games. That’s defense and offense.
I agree
No. He is a waste of money.
I wouldn’t call him a waste of money he’s just not the missing link. Like someone said earlier we need bullpen help and adding Strasburg would be a boost to the rotation. I’d try to move Joc and Maeda for bullpen help along with adding Treinen and Claudio…let JT play 3B one more season then re-sign him after that as a bench bat and infield replacement option. Seager could eventually slide over to 3B if they can’t find someone to take over for JT next season. Muncy isn’t a 2B so play him at 1B and let Lux take over at 2B. A rotation of Beuhler/Strasburg/Kershaw/May/Urias with a bullpen consisting of Kenley/Kelly/Treinen/Claudio/Stripling/Baez and a trade addition would be pretty solid on paper. Smith/Barnes behind the dish, JT, Seager, Lux and Muncy in the infield and Belly/Pollock/platoon of Verdugo/Taylor in LF…Kike/Beatty and another bench bat or two and they would be set.
I take it you’ve never read Dale Carnegie’s book?.
Rendon has had a great season 5/6 years in the bigs. He is a top 5 player in the sport and far better than Harper, Machado or any big free agent as of late. He would put them over the top. Dodger fans wanting a bullpen arm over Rendon is the most ridiculous thing I have seen.
It is just one fan. Every team has a special ed fan.
Unless they move Lux in a trade for a stud starting pitcher there’s no reason to sign Rendon. You’re not benching Muncy and sitting Lux is pointless.
Too many good players is not a bad problem.
Less platooning and switching players around the better. Try and keep things as easy as possible for Roberts. He’ll still find a way to screw things up no matter what.
Can’t see the Dodgers spending huge dollars on a position player since pitching is a bigger need. Teams are showing a greater willingness to go big on arms this year. Lackluster seasons from Harper and Machado are probably hampering similar deals for position players. Top pitchers are, on the whole, more valuable and more tradable later on even though a Jordan Zimmerman completely flames out every now and then.
They should be all over Ken Giles.
I bet Atkins would hand him over for the keys to a ’94 Sunfire
What color is the sun fire?
Rust
Giles was abysmal is the 2017 WS. Unless he somehow figured something out last season, I just think his usefulness last season was an anomaly.
I say trade kershaw. If the dodgers want to win a WS, trade kershaw. Or DO NOT let him pitch in the post season.
Kershaw is still a very good pitcher. He is a big part of why the Dodgers make it year after year and the Dodgers still need that. You could have John Smoltz and Sandy Kofax, two postseason gods, but of you don’t make it to the playoffs, it won’t matter.
There’s not a team that’s going to trade for a #3 starter that is getting paid $30 mil plus a year.
So silly. Really don’t have anything else to say Number 1Dodger. You obviously are not the sharpest piece of cutlery in the drawer and I do not want to be that mean guy.
I’ve seen it. It’s all plastic sporks and silly straws.
Trading someone who has a No Trade Clause?
LOL Trade Kershaw? He’s a Dodger for life.
All the Dodgers need is Madbum. Put him in the pen for most of the year, let Kershaw make his regular season starts, then, have Madbum take Clayton’s rotation spot in October (when Kersh goes on the IL). Cheapest way to a WS win. I’d prefer the Giants re-sign Bum but I think Farhan is in full rebuild mode, as he should be.
MadBum isn’t the postseason legend any more. He’s not going to pull a Stras at this point. In fact he never did.
What color is a rainbow at night?
Ask Ronnie James Dio.
You win the internet with this comment,sir. Hat tipped.
Typical Friedman going after another project in Trienen. Instead of getting someone proven hey let’s roll the dice and hopefully get another rebounder. We will be in line for a 8th division title and no World title. But hey our outfielders can all play infield and vice Versa.
well it work out for him in the past, turner, taylor and muncy. you never thought those 3 be where they are today.
To be fair, the free agent market isn’t exactly littered with lockdown relievers, is it?
I guess some have not caught on to the concept that bullpen free agents are a literal roll of the dice. These guys are so up and down going after proven guys doesn’t do much. Treinen and his 0.79 ERA from 2018 is a good guy to take a chance on.
Friedman, the freaking dumpster-diver and Kasten loves him for many more years. 🙁
Zach was never going to stay in LA he wasn’t the ACE of the staff he went to Arizona because they didn’t have a ACE and he wanted to be the main guy.
He went to Arizona because they offered far more money than anyone else. You can write your own story, but that doesn’t make it true.
He wanted to be the ace of a staff? How about the extra $46M for going to Arizona and for the same contract length as what the LAD offered him?
Wouldn’t mind seeing Treinen in Cubbie Blue next year.
” it’s not a slam dunk that having Greinke would have meant a World Series title over the last four years.”
This is one of the weirdest lines I have seen on MLBTR. Has anyone suggested it is anything like a slam dunk that the Dodgers would have won a title had they re-signed Greinke?
Nice of Rosenthal to say what should be. Now we go back to what really is.
As much as I would enjoy the FO signing a big name, can anybody really see them giving +$200M to a free agent. Even Rendon has already turned down that much from the Nationals.
I just don’t want to be disappointed like last off-season where the best they did was Pollock and Kelly.
I can’t, simply based on knowing what’s been done over the last several years, which is why I wonder how an experienced sports writer such as Rosenthal can believe something is suddenly going to change this year. Off-season disappointments lead to postseason disappointments whether we expected better or not.
If they sign Rendon they should pick up the phone and call the Indians for Kluber or the Mets for Thor. Would prefer cole/strasburg and a trade for lindor tho.
The Klubot is coming off an injured year. I’m not sure how much he can be counted on for production. And something tells me the Indians will be asking for too good of prospects to get him.
I feel like the Dodgers have been linked to the Indians the past three seasons but nothing ever happens.
The big free agent acquisition last year was AJ Pollock and he was injured for most of the time and an inconsistent hitter when he did play. Friedman basically paid $55M for a platoon player who was supposed hit left-handed pitching, someone to balance out the lineup from on the right side. I hope he spends money more wisely this time around and doesn’t just throw cash at someone because he missed out on a star.
The Dodgers need starting pitching!!! There haven’t been any rumblings on bringing back Ryu and I seriously doubt them committing $200M to an arm. Walker Buehler is a fine #1/2, but I can’t expect Kershaw to have gas in the tank for the post-season, nor can they count on their rookies like May and Gonsolin for the entire season. Those two will most likely be on an innings limit to protect their arms. And what are they going to do about Maeda? Keep shuttling him back and forth between the rotation and bullpen? That’s not fair to him. Friedman and the FO need to pony up for a large contract, but I won’t get my hopes up,
Considering the spike in offense and being the AL East, Giles deserves more credit and attention than he’s getting. If 2017 is the barometer we are measuring Giles there is a problem. 2017 wasn’t measured for Zack Wheeler. 2017 won’t be measured for Cole. Using 2017 gets Taijuan Walker a nice contract. We can go on and on.
Get some money off the books and deal Joe Kelly to Toronto, along with Maeda and Mitchell White. Deal Pederson somewhere, sign Cole. Dodgers walk into 2020 as the favorite to win the World Series.
No one is taking Kelly’s full contract. LA would need to eat at least 50% of it and they would only get a single A prospect back in return for doing so.
While Peterson had a solid year power-wise, he is a platoon OF (can’t hit lefties) with only 1 year left on his deal. Again, you can expect much back in return for him, but it will be a much better return than what you get for Kelly.
So long as your idea here is salary dump only and not legit prospects for Kelly & Joc, you might be into something. But with Anaheim & the Yankees all in on Cole, LA had better be prepared to shell out 7/240+ for Cole as this will be a bidding war. I just don’t see Friedman committing to a 7 year deal for a 30 year old pitcher. Ask Boston how that works out (Price & Sale). So don’t hold your breath for Cole to the Dodgers. The Yankees are going to blow up the market value on him for sure.
Strasburg for 4-5 years might make more sense for the Dodgers than Cole for 7-8 years.
Do not be surprised if Strausburg end up with the Dodgers. That could be the big free-agent they end up getting.