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Prospects and trade discussion

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Prospects and trade discussion 

Post#1 » by Neddy » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:06 am

Quake Griffin wrote:
Dylan Hernandez ✔ @dylanohernandez
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Mattingly said he doesn't know how Dodgers will split playing time at catcher.
10:36 AM - 14 Jan 2015

I'm telling you man. I really don't like this. I would have rather done Yasmani and Butera than Yasmani and Ellis.



well of course, Mattingly is an idiot. if it was up to Tommy, he would have simply designate AJ to Kersh and Mac and Grandal to the other 3 and be over with it.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#2 » by Quake Griffin » Thu Jan 15, 2015 4:22 am

Neddy wrote:
Quake Griffin wrote:
Dylan Hernandez ✔ @dylanohernandez
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Mattingly said he doesn't know how Dodgers will split playing time at catcher.
10:36 AM - 14 Jan 2015

I'm telling you man. I really don't like this. I would have rather done Yasmani and Butera than Yasmani and Ellis.



well of course, Mattingly is an idiot. if it was up to Tommy, he would have simply designate AJ to Kersh and Mac and Grandal to the other 3 and be over with it.


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Mattingly doesn't favor having a "personal catcher" for any pitcher. asked if Grandal will catch Kershaw "Obviously" was his response.
1:45 PM - 14 Jan 2015


this makes me feel a lot better and I'm no longer worried about the issue.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#3 » by Neddy » Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:18 am

funny, I actually prefer a personal catcher for certain pitchers. i don't think it' possible to have one guy who can lead every pitcher on the active roster to maximize their strength and minimize their weakness. I think the one who can use a personal catcher the most is Ryu. due to his language barrier, he relies on the catcher's lead almost blindly. especially in his first season, where was plenty of times where AJ simply botched a call and forced a pitch that Ryu wasn't comfortable with which resulted in some long balls.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#4 » by Neddy » Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:45 pm

hey Im making one prediction that most people probably don't care about right now.

the minor league signee Ben Rowen, if he can crack the major league roster in the bullpen out of spring training, regardless of his unimpressive "stuff", he will become one of the most important pieces of 2015.

a classic player to be overlooked by new coaches in pitching sessions with slow and slower stuff, but on the mound, he has never had a season where he wasn't dominating in terms of WHIP, ERA, HR/9, FIP, he is a classic ugly pitcher who just gets the job done. in five seasons in the minors, 1.004 career WHIP? and 0.2 HR/9? I mean, 0.2HR/9 for his career! i don't care he throws a 82 mph fastball and 70 mph slider, he has a great control, doesn't walk, doesn't give up hits, and surely does not give up the long ball. he is an ideal guy to bring in the middle innings with runners on base against right handed hitters.

a 6-4 submariner... could be the surprise of the camp.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#5 » by Quake Griffin » Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:16 pm

Neddy wrote:hey Im making one prediction that most people probably don't care about right now.

the minor league signee Ben Rowen, if he can crack the major league roster in the bullpen out of spring training, regardless of his unimpressive "stuff", he will become one of the most important pieces of 2015.

a classic player to be overlooked by new coaches in pitching sessions with slow and slower stuff, but on the mound, he has never had a season where he wasn't dominating in terms of WHIP, ERA, HR/9, FIP, he is a classic ugly pitcher who just gets the job done. in five seasons in the minors, 1.004 career WHIP? and 0.2 HR/9? I mean, 0.2HR/9 for his career! i don't care he throws a 82 mph fastball and 70 mph slider, he has a great control, doesn't walk, doesn't give up hits, and surely does not give up the long ball. he is an ideal guy to bring in the middle innings with runners on base against right handed hitters.

a 6-4 submariner... could be the surprise of the camp.

My buddies have been wanting a submariner for some time and those numbers are impressive. That's the kind of versatility that makes a bullpen good.

If he does well, it would be awesome to have him in the playoffs get a few outs or even just get ONE righty in certain situations.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#6 » by Quake Griffin » Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:24 pm

what are your thoughts on Friedman and Zaidi "building the depth" in our organization?

Was the cupboard that bare below?
I thought we had an up and coming farm. Then I see all these players being signed to minor league deals.

Just asking for my edification.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#7 » by Neddy » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:05 am

Quake Griffin wrote:what are your thoughts on Friedman and Zaidi "building the depth" in our organization?

Was the cupboard that bare below?
I thought we had an up and coming farm. Then I see all these players being signed to minor league deals.

Just asking for my edification.


other than Seager and Joc, we didn't have any A type prospects above AA. we have a ton of middle of the road guys up and down the system but their ceiling was around a bullpen call ups, a utility type or 4th OFer types. in fact, outside of Seager/Joc/Urias we really don't have a top notch prospect in the system. guys like Zach Lee is projected to be a back of the rotation at best type of guys, and more recent draftees like Anderson have not shown a top of the rotation type of potential just yet.

remember when some guy in general forum had beef with me about calling heaney a can't miss talent for us and I would pick him above Urias? well that is because Urias has much higher ceiling and he is a very diminutive kid in a very low level of the minors. many kids come with promise and most never make it. all it takes is one injury that can derail Urias from low A ball to the majors. heaney didn't have the "next Pedro" ceiling but he can step in right now and be what Billingsley was in his first 2-3 years. we don't have anyone with a potential for the #2 starter behind kershaw who can come up right now.

look at the Cubs. they are loaded with top level talents up and down the system and their young group that came up together is gonna be counted on to win the NLC. you have got to build a complete team from your farm and fill in the holes with FA signing, and that is how we always have been.

remember when Loney - Kemp - Martin - Billingsley - Broxton - Edwin Jackson - Joel Guzman - Joel Hanrahan - Eric Stults were all coming up together from the Jacksonville Suns?

how about when we had Eric Karros - Mike Piazza - Raul Mondesi - Todd Hollansworth - Chan Ho Park - Ismael Valdez - Billy Ashley were coming up in matter of 3-4 years? Nomo was a FA signee but i suppose you can throw him in that group as well.

you have heard/seen Cey - Garvey - Lopes - Russell - Yeager?

right now we have Seager and Joc ready for the major and that's it.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#8 » by Quake Griffin » Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:41 pm

I see I see. I saw Keith Law's write up that said our farm falls off after the top 10. So it makes sense.

Ken RosenthalVerified account
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Brandon Beachy’s agent, Rob Martin: “Brandon has decided not to sign a contract at this time. With each day his arm is getting stronger …

this kid was good in Atlanta man.
Why can't we bring him in on a minor league deal? He's worth the risk imo.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#9 » by Neddy » Mon Feb 9, 2015 2:18 am

Yoan Moncada... I thought we were going hard at him but it seems we are not about to let the next two years worth of international signing go wasted.

does this mean simply that we think there are more and possibly better or equal international players on the horizon in next two years? which is very plausible.

or is it because A) we just don't want to lose the money and signing ability / B) possibly because we don't think Yoan is as good as advertised?

also, maybe his defensive ability at SS isn't much better projected than it is with Seager.

whichever the case, I am intrigued as of why we are suddenly pulling the plug on this kid.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#10 » by Quake Griffin » Mon Feb 9, 2015 4:28 am

I didn't know we pulled the plug on him and I thought we would definitely be in on him given that our 2B, SS and 3B are all above 30 and on the last year of their deals.

I figured if he was such a big hit internationally, even if he couldn't make it at SS, he could hack it at 2B.


Btw, I dont wanna go back through the thread.
But did i voice my concerns about the back up SS? It's worrying me because Rojas is gone and I know Jimmy is going to miss time. At best, he's going to need a day here and there.

Maybe we can let Erisbel back him up. I noticed that he accepted an outright assignment to AAA after being DFA
Did this move save us any money?
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#11 » by Neddy » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:24 am

Quake Griffin wrote:I didn't know we pulled the plug on him and I thought we would definitely be in on him given that our 2B, SS and 3B are all above 30 and on the last year of their deals.

I figured if he was such a big hit internationally, even if he couldn't make it at SS, he could hack it at 2B.


Btw, I dont wanna go back through the thread.
But did i voice my concerns about the back up SS? It's worrying me because Rojas is gone and I know Jimmy is going to miss time. At best, he's going to need a day here and there.

Maybe we can let Erisbel back him up. I noticed that he accepted an outright assignment to AAA after being DFA
Did this move save us any money?


unless Erisbel's contract is a split contract, no. all baseball contracts signed are guaranteed and as far as I know Ned gave him a straight up deal. Erisbel may be rocking AAA uni but i believe his paycheck is still the same. the same cannot be said for your regular minor leaguer who got a call up then sent back down. In fact he cleared the wavers because no other GM in baseball thinks he is remotely worth the cost. I would rather him play in AAA everyday and get a call up only if we truly need his glove.

for now, I think the SS position depth chart goes

Jimmy > Turner > Barney > Erisbel
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#12 » by Quake Griffin » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:26 am

Turner didn't look good at SS with my eye test.

I bet my bottom dollar that Barney can cover SS better than he does.
like Turner backing up 2nd n 3rd.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#13 » by Neddy » Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:52 am

Quake Griffin wrote:Turner didn't look good at SS with my eye test.

I bet my bottom dollar that Barney can cover SS better than he does.
like Turner backing up 2nd n 3rd.


true Barney is the better defensive shortstop than Turner.

but it is also possible that looking at our roster Barney starts his season backing up Erisbel in AAA, although Barney will get the call up before Erisbel.

here is why.

we typically start the season with 12 pitchers and 13 position players, which breaks down to 2 catchers, 5 outfielders, and 6 infielders.

catchers we know. Grandal and AJ

5 OFers are : Crawford / Joc / Puig / Ethier / and the 5th guy.

6 IFers are : Gonzo / Kendrick / Rollins / Uribe / Turner / and the 6th guy.

those last positions for 5th OF and 6 IF comes down to 3 guys for two remaining jobs. first candidate to make that list is Scott Van Slyke. Scott however, can be slated as an IF or OF because he can cover all 3 OF ( poorly for CF, but) and 1B. knowing Gonzo's age, his versatility, and the heavy bat he carrys, SVS is a shoe in.

so there is 1 spot left. this is where things get a little interesting and I think strong spring training may end up dictating what happens here. here me out.

Joc is a lefty, and he will most likely win the starting CF position. our 4th OF is Ethier who is worthless against a left handed pitching and simple logic says we would probably rest the rookie if he struggles against lefties and he will. there is one right handed OF who can play better defense than Ethier. remember the name Heisley? I see him as the platoon mate for Joc and Ethier will become the primary 16 million a year pinch hitter for this team as a left handed bat, pairing with Scott Van Slyke as the right handed pinch hitter.

so, Barney becomes IMO the odd man out due to his lack of hitting. however, this arrangement could change quickly as you have mentioned, if Rollins is injured for a long time and we need an everyday defensive SS. if that happens, I believe Barney and Erisbel are the replacements in case of Rollins being on IR and not a part of the opening day roster.

if I am wrong, I would assume that Heisley bombed the spring training and the Dodgers are opening the season with Ethier then SVS as our spare OFs and we are rolling with Turner and Barney as spare IFers, which is also a strong possibility. I say it is 55 to 45 and it could go either way. but if I was Freidman and Z, I would much rather have a potent L / R pinch hitting combo waiting for those crucial late innings every game than use one of them for a platoon with automatically means you will have redundant pinch hitters.

but in the end I think it is Heisley's job to lose.
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Hector Olivera - 2B/IF 

Post#14 » by Ranma » Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:40 pm

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Yadier Alvarez - RHP 

Post#15 » by Ranma » Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:59 pm

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Going After Moncada...and Olivera...and maybe Alvarez 

Post#16 » by Ranma » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:47 am

Neddy wrote:Yoan Moncada... I thought we were going hard at him but it seems we are not about to let the next two years worth of international signing go wasted.

does this mean simply that we think there are more and possibly better or equal international players on the horizon in next two years? which is very plausible.

or is it because A) we just don't want to lose the money and signing ability / B) possibly because we don't think Yoan is as good as advertised?

also, maybe his defensive ability at SS isn't much better projected than it is with Seager.

whichever the case, I am intrigued as of why we are suddenly pulling the plug on this kid.


Don't forget that Friedman went on record as saying that he prefers to keep people guessing with regard to the organization's moves. The Dodgers went under-the-radar and dealt for Rollins and Kendrick despite Zaidi's statement the day before of not trading Dee Gordon. I get conflicting messages about the Dodgers' hesitation on participating in a bidding war with the latest talk from team reporters, Ken Gurnick and Dylan Hernandez, stating that the team is worried about losing out on international signings for the next two years.

However, reports of the Dodgers' pursuit of RHP Yoan Lopez implied that Friedman & Co. aggressively pursued him likely offering more than what he eventually signed for in Arizona. Even if they didn't offer him the rumored $9 million, anything close to that would have triggered the same restrictions the Dodgers are purportedly fearful of incurring.


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Plus, there's a recent report citing an unnamed source stating that the Dodgers will go "crazy' in their pursuit of Moncada (yeah, it's the New York Post, but still):

Ken Davidoff, New York Post (2/9/15)
The Dodgers have been dramatically remade this offseason under their new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, yet their biggest single expenditure came on the four-year, $48 millon contract for former Yankee Brandon McCarthy, so they should have room in their budget for Moncada.

One official from another NL team said, on the condition of anonymity, the Dodgers “are going to go crazy” for Moncada.

Yankees’ competition will ‘go crazy’ to sign Yoan Moncada


If the team was willing to take the penalties and 2-year restrictions in order to sign the "other Yoan" (Lopez), then it most certainly would be willing to take the hit for Moncada. Like Tanaka, it's just a matter of assigning a price high-point the organization is willing to pay with respect to his value. Unlike Tanaka, Moncada doesn't have the extra injury concerns of already pitching a lot of innings in Japan and adjusting to a different routine in the US with less rest in-between starts.

Who knows how this kid will end up turning out but the consensus opinion on him indicates that he would be in contention for the #1 overall pick in the MLB draft--were he eligible--who would be conservatively ranked as a top-15 prospect in all of baseball right now once he signs with a team. He's been compared to Robinson Cano and, to a lesser extent, Chase Utley. In fact, Jim Callis rated his skills to baseball's top prospects citing Corey Seager as the closest comparable with only Byron Buxton, Kris Bryant, and Carlos Correa as the only position prospects clearly rated higher overall than him.


Jim Callis, MLB.com (2/11/15)
As a plus hitter for both average and power who probably won't stick at shortstop, Seager is the best Top 100 comparison for Moncada. But it's not a perfect match, because Moncada is significantly faster and is capable of playing the middle infield, while Seager figures to move to third base. Though Seager proved himself against Double-A as a 20-year-old, Moncada has a higher ceiling.

Players with Moncada's upside don't come along often, and they're available as free agents even less frequently. That's why he may triple the highest bonus ever paid to an amateur -- the Reds gave Aroldis Chapman $16.25 million deferred over 11 years as part of a $30.25 million contract in 2010 -- and his team will gladly pay a huge tax penalty to secure his talents.

How Moncada compares to top middle-infield prospects


I saw a random comment elsewhere stating that the Dodgers' strategy was to go all out for both Lopez and Moncada making it worth paying the 100% overage tax and enduring the 2-year restriction on international signings. As I argued before, Moncada alone would be worth it since signing Lopez wouldn't necessarily make acquiring Moncada a sure thing, after all, unless Friedman, Zaidi & Co. have some inside knowledge and influence on the negotiations. I'm quite confident the Dodgers will sign Hector Olivera not as a backup to Moncada, but in addition to their pursuit of the highly sought-after Cuban phenom. I'm also hopeful that Yadier Alvarez is deemed worthy enough for a significant offer from the Dodgers as well. There's a pretty good chance of us coming away with all three with only the Yankees as the serious stumbling block in the Moncada pursuit even though there are plenty of dark horses in the running.
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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#17 » by Neddy » Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:26 am

that's some good digging, Ranma. and you did bring up a very good point that i wasn't thinking about, which is Andrew Friedman's track record of keep other GMs guessing with his moves.

I am not entirely familiar with this Hector Olivera or Yadier Alvarez, so I am going to need to do some research. thanks for your very insightful info.
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Olivera and Alvarez 

Post#18 » by Ranma » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:11 am

You're welcome, Neddy.

I only started hearing about both Olivera and Alvarez in the past two weeks or so, but what's intriguing is not only their respective performances, but the Dodgers have made their presence known at each of their workouts. I guess it shouldn't be any surprise given our new front office's reputation for doing due diligence, but given their aggressive pursuit, I think the Dodgers will come away with at least one notable signing.

Let's not forget that the Dodgers were in the hunt for Masahiro Tanaka only to bow out at the end, which I actually agreed with even at the time. If it had been Yu Darvish, it'd be a different story because I really wanted him but knew there was no way we would compete with McCourt's money at the time.

In any case, I get the feeling that the Dodgers have expressed particular interest in Olivera since he's more advanced and isn't subject to the international amateur pool regulations.
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More Promising Reports 

Post#19 » by Ranma » Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:36 am

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Ben Badler, Baseball America (2/11/15)
Hector Olivera was a favorite among several scouts who have spent years following the Cuban national team.

There wasn’t any question about his talent level then. The only concerns were the unknown, since Olivera, 29, missed the 2012-13 season due to a blood clot and as a result had not been seen outside of Cuba for a few years.
...

Yes, there is still uncertainty surrounding Olivera’s health and ability to play the field every day. During his final season (2013-14) in Cuba, Olivera played 29 games at second base and spent most of the 90-game season at DH, so there are questions about how he will respond to playing in the field every day over a 162-game season. Strictly in terms of the talent he’s shown, both in Cuba and since arriving in the Dominican Republic, there are teams that project him as an above-average player who could hit at the top or in the middle of a major league lineup as soon as he signs.
...

Yet, on talent alone, Olivera was a better player than Castillo and Tomas when they were in Cuba. Olivera is 29 while Castillo is 27 and Tomas 24, so that works against him, but Olivera is the same age as most major league free agents. But if I had my choice of one of those three players, assuming the team doctors give him a thumbs up, I would take Olivera over Castillo or Tomas. From talking with several scouts about it, I’m not alone in that opinion, either

Hector Olivera Shines At Final Showcase


J.P. Hoornstra, Los Angeles Daily News (2/11/15)
Hairston believes Hernandez could contribute to a major league team at some point this season. Puig has spoken highly of Hernandez in the past and could turn the Dodgers into an interested party.

“By the middle of April, whether he’s in the Dominican (Republic) or the U.S., he’ll be ready to sign a contract,” said Hairston, who is the cousin of former Dodgers infielder Jerry Hairston Jr.

The team that signs Hernandez won’t face the same financial penalties attached to Moncada, who is four years younger.
...

Hairston said that Hernandez has a fastball that touches 95-97 mph on the radar gun in addition to a forkball, slider and changeup. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Hernandez has a sturdy physique similar to Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Dodgers’ vast Cuban radar could focus on pitcher Jorge Hernandez


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Re: the 2014 OffSeason Thread. 

Post#20 » by Neddy » Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:22 am

Alvarez has a suspect mechanics and only 18 while throwing 98?

with some good minor league coaching on his lower half of the body and he could be a dynamite. but that control.... phew... how many strikes did he even throw?

or was the film only capture his warm ups and not his actual pitching?
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