2015/16 Offseason: More active than Shakira's hips

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/693196820952932352[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/693197510647508994[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/mike_petriello/status/693199608990801920[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/693202602620817409[/tweet]

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/kengurnick/status/693154848284344320[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/693165264012181504[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/693166417680715777[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/693166204010283008[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Team Stream App told me a few minutes ago that Howie is here.


happy for our lineup.
Hoping he finds it on defense (as I said before).


Poor ****. One of my favorite Dodgers at the moment.

[Quake Griffin]

damn that draft pick would have been awesome.


and I would have taken it and used it on a Funkhouser and let it roll over to next year in a more stacked draft.

edit:
saw ur Vin post before I saw ur Kendrick posts.

[Quake Griffin]

With Howie back….I'm wondering what our plan for LF is now???

Options:
Ethier
Crawford
SVS
Trayce
****


Sincerely wish Ethier and Crawford were not in the damn mix but they're here for better or worse until they're gone.
Would love to let the youth compete for that spot with SVS.

I can't even think about Alex Guerrero without
Clear out the freakin FAT…please...

[Ranma]

I figured that the Dodgers front office were trying to facilitate Howie Kendrick joining the Diamondbacks in order to get the compensatory draft pick. I mentioned before that I thought the negotiations with Kendrick were to apply pressure to Dave Stewart, but apparently he didn't bite because he knew what the Dodgers were trying to do.

According to the source guy, the Dodgers tried to trade for Aaron Hill and a prospect since the D-backs were trying to unload Hill in order to sign Kendrick. Hill had $12 million left on the final year of his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next winter. This would have been a great move since it would have allowed us to get that 4th first-rounder for the 2016 MLB Draft and a quality prospect from Arizona for presumably a negligible prospect in the Dodgers' system and the cost of $12 million (plus competitive balance salary tax). Stewart, of course, wasn't having any of that given his perceived animosity towards the Dodgers organization.

I'm curious who the prospect the Dodgers were targeting. Arizona was not going to give up their top prospect, RHP Archie Bradley. The Dodgers did try to sign RHP Yoan Lopez as their 1st target during the current international signing period, but were turned down when he took slightly less money ($8.27 million) to be fast-tracked in the Diamondbacks' farm system. I doubt Arizona would have given him up as well given the price it paid to sign him. I was never high on him as I rated him similarly to Yaisel Sierra, except that Lopez has a higher likelihood of starting. However, like Sierra, Lopez does have upside with a live arm and projects to contribute sooner rather than later.

My guess or wishful thinking is that the Dodgers targeted RHP Wei-Chieh Huang, who was ranked 8th in their system. The 22-year-old and slightly built Huang signed out of Taiwan. He has a slightly above-average fastball but a good changeup and arguably the best command in the D-backs' system; he also utilizes a solid curveball in his repertoire. Getting Huang (or whomever else the organization identified as desirable) along with the draft pick would have been a coup for the Dodgers.

As it stands, I'm fine with Howie Kendrick returning to the Dodgers. He provides a solid right-handed bat for our lineup and is coming back on a reasonable 2-year contract. His defense may be a bit of a question mark, but it's also possible that he can rebound from a down year. Even if he doesn't, it's not like he was glaringly bad fielding 2B. I still would have preferred the draft-pick compensation and it is more unlikely that we'll offer him a qualifying offer again when he'll be 35 years old, but there's also a chance that he can be dealt at a later date. For now, he solidifies the keystone position for the foreseeable future.

idnt-h8urteam via DodgersDigest.com comments

Truth be told: The Dodgers tried to help Kendrick get to AZ.

They called AZ to trade for Hill and a prospect they so desired and were turned down.

LiveFyre Profile Activity Stream

[Quake Griffin]

Looks like that prospect is Isan Diaz.
They made a deal for Jean Segura earlier today to get rid of Aaron Hill.

Dave Stewart is writing a nice check to get his ass fired by banking everything on his major league team.


Regardless of what anybody says about the Diamondbacks passing us up (I don't think they have btw)….I like what our organization is doing WAY better than what Dave is doing.

[Quake Griffin]

keithlaw
@keithlaw
Follow
hey let's check in on arizona's farm system pic.twitter.com/ZQ620eIPgo
3:47 PM - 30 Jan 2016

[Ranma]

Looks like that prospect is Isan Diaz.
They made a deal for Jean Segura earlier today to get rid of Aaron Hill.

Dave Stewart is writing a nice check to get his ass fired by banking everything on his major league team.


Regardless of what anybody says about the Diamondbacks passing us up (I don't think they have btw)….I like what our organization is doing WAY better than what Dave is doing.

I don't think Isan Diaz was necessarily the Dodgers' target. I've caught up on my Twitter feed and read through some articles discussing the trade and none have mentioned the Dodgers' interest in him, but it is early post-trade so more info could come out later on. However, the source guy mentioned a while ago that the D-backs were willing to include pitcher Chase Anderson in order to dump Aaron Hill's contract. While the main objective for Milwaukee seems to be Anderson, it is reported that Diaz was one of the 1st guys the Brewers asked about in their trade discussions with Arizona.

The timing seems odd for Howie to re-sign with the Dodgers on a reportedly reasonable contract given that Arizona made the trade that supposedly opened up a roster spot and alleviated salary burden in order to acquire him the day after. Either the D-backs really weren't that interested or they were really low-balling him in negotiations. As it is, Arizona is paying almost half of Hill's salary in order to make the trade with the Brewers.

While an organization can always add assets to its coffers for future dealings, a prospect's value is a bit time-sensitive and the resources necessary to further develop him can sometimes be better used on others if his upside is not that worthwhile. Isan Diaz is another slight in stature middle infielder who profiles best at 2B. While he exhibits solid power and good batting skills, he has below-average speed but is considered a good baserunner. We already have Micah Johnson and Willie Calhoun in the system. I'm already not enamored with either of those two as long-term fixtures even if I recognize their perceived value as assets; Diaz seems similar to what we already have even if his defense is better than Johnson or Calhoun's.

In any case, trading with Milwaukee makes more sense for Dave Stewart than dealing with the Dodgers given his distaste for helping us out. It is also being reported that Howie is open to playing 3B, which should help with the maneuverability of the infield especially in light of Justin Turner's recovery from microfracture surgery. I've been trying to rationalize away my concerns of Red Beard's recuperation but I'll regret even more that we didn't choose to keep Todd Frazier if Turner is not at full strength some time this season.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/McCulloughTimes/status/693539681296867328[/tweet]

Ken Gurnick, MLB.com (1/30/16)

Downplaying any conflict at the Dodgers' annual FanFest on Saturday, Utley said that when he signed, he expected to play second base, third base and first base. Even with Kendrick's return, Utley said that hasn't changed.

"I have a lot of respect for Howie, the way he goes about his business, having watched him from afar and played with him last year," said Utley. "I think he'll make us a better team. I'll still have an opportunity to play. That's all I ask for, an opportunity to compete and help the team win."
...

The more the Dodgers realized the severity of third baseman Justin Turner's left knee microfracture surgery, the more appealing it became to re-sign Kendrick, even though management's preference was to pick up a Draft pick for losing him.

With Kendrick the primary second baseman, Utley's role as Turner's backup at third becomes more critical as the Dodgers realize they must cautiously nurse Turner, at least early in the season. Utley proved to be a quick study at third base after the Dodgers acquired him from Philadelphia during last season's stretch run.

"I'm sure I'll get more comfortable taking balls there during Spring Training," Utley said. "When Dave calls my name, I'll be ready to go."

Utley: Kendrick Makes Dodgers 'Better Team'

[Ranma]

Well, wouldn't you know. Immediately after making my post directly above, I notice the source guy saying that the Dodgers were really interested in Isan Diaz, after all. While I'm not a fan of the smaller hit-first second-basemen, the organization seems to like that profile.

I may be off on my perception of Dave Stewart's resentment against us, but there's little doubt of the Diamondbacks owner's animosity towards the Dodgers given his obvious inferiority complex where he regularly enforces a dress code against Dodgers fans attending games at Chase Field.

BTW, if Arizona is indeed down on Archie Bradley, I'd be interested in looking to deal for him. Assuming there is no character or injury issues, I like him as a rehabilitation project similar to Mark Appel.

idnt-h8urteam via DodgersDigest.com comments

The Dodgers really wanted Isan Diaz too. I'm glad Kendrick is back, but Diaz plus a draft pick from signing Kendrick would have been pretty good too. DBax hate for the Dodgers runs deep.

But if it means your teams gets better who cares who you deal with. It really not AZ's FO its their crazy owner.

I guess DBax thinking Owens in 3rd and Segura in 2nd. Not a very productive IF even with Goldy.

Dodgers called the DBax wanting to trade for Hill and Diaz and were turned down by AZ. I believe it was taken to the owner and he rejected the trade.

DBax for some reason are not counting on Bradley. They are not really happy with him.

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[Ranma]

So the source guy says that the D-backs are dangling Archie Bradley and Nick Ahmed for bullpen help. I'm curious why they've soured on Bradley. Like I've said, I'd love to add him to our farm system, but we're unlikely trade partners. Still, I hope our front office is placing a call, nonetheless. Ahmed is a defense-first SS with a questionable bat.

idnt-h8urteam via DodgersDigest.com comments

Like Buster Olney reported DBax are now looking to upgrade their BP by looking to trade for a late inning RP. There trading chips are Ahmed and Bradley.

* Their

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[Quake Griffin]

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman mentioned Alex Wood, Frankie Montas and Cuban RHP Yaisel Sierra as potentially impacting #Dodgers bullpen at some point in 2016

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Andrew Friedman on lack of changes to #Dodgers bullpen. "So much of it is we’re big believers in Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia and Chris Hatcher"

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman: It's about "placing calculated bets on guys that you feel will continue to take the next step." #Dodgers


I'd rather Alex Wood be trade bait.
But…if this is their logic, I can't really fault them (but I'm not as sold on Baez) when we saw what Ken Giles, Kimbrel and even Jake McGee costs….we took our shot with Aroldis and it didn't work. We still have some horses and young guys coming up that COULD be dangerous.
I really want to see Montas work out of the pen. I bet he'd consistently be 99/100 if he was working out of the pen.

[Neddy]

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman mentioned Alex Wood, Frankie Montas and Cuban RHP Yaisel Sierra as potentially impacting #Dodgers bullpen at some point in 2016

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Andrew Friedman on lack of changes to #Dodgers bullpen. "So much of it is we’re big believers in Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia and Chris Hatcher"

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman: It's about "placing calculated bets on guys that you feel will continue to take the next step." #Dodgers


I'd rather Alex Wood be trade bait.
But…if this is their logic, I can't really fault them (but I'm not as sold on Baez) when we saw what Ken Giles, Kimbrel and even Jake McGee costs….we took our shot with Aroldis and it didn't work. We still have some horses and young guys coming up that COULD be dangerous.
I really want to see Montas work out of the pen. I bet he'd consistently be 99/100 if he was working out of the pen.

if this is the logic behind a rather luke warm off season so far for our bullpen... then I LIKE IT!

unlike quake, I am very sold on Baez and his 1.13 WHIP, 10+SO/9, and sub 1.0 HR/9. our pen as of now could be constructed as

1-CP-Jensen
2-SU-Hatcher
3-SU-Baez
4-SU-Garcia (sub 1.00 WHIP? it's only slightly higher than desired HR/9 that cause a small concern on my part)
5-LF-JP
6-LF-Avilan
7-LR-Joe

is how we may start the season and as soon as Ryu is back and healthy without anyone else going under, I can see Wood replacing whomever is under-performing from that group... could even be Joe B as a LR or as a MR/SU to replace Hatcher if he has another slow start.

[Quake Griffin]

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman mentioned Alex Wood, Frankie Montas and Cuban RHP Yaisel Sierra as potentially impacting #Dodgers bullpen at some point in 2016

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Andrew Friedman on lack of changes to #Dodgers bullpen. "So much of it is we’re big believers in Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia and Chris Hatcher"

Bill Plunkett @billplunkettocr
Friedman: It's about "placing calculated bets on guys that you feel will continue to take the next step." #Dodgers


I'd rather Alex Wood be trade bait.
But…if this is their logic, I can't really fault them (but I'm not as sold on Baez) when we saw what Ken Giles, Kimbrel and even Jake McGee costs….we took our shot with Aroldis and it didn't work. We still have some horses and young guys coming up that COULD be dangerous.
I really want to see Montas work out of the pen. I bet he'd consistently be 99/100 if he was working out of the pen.

if this is the logic behind a rather luke warm off season so far for our bullpen... then I LIKE IT!

unlike quake, I am very sold on Baez and his 1.13 WHIP, 10+SO/9, and sub 1.0 HR/9. our pen as of now could be constructed as

1-CP-Jensen
2-SU-Hatcher
3-SU-Baez
4-SU-Garcia (sub 1.00 WHIP? it's only slightly higher than desired HR/9 that cause a small concern on my part)
5-LF-JP
6-LF-Avilan
7-LR-Joe

is how we may start the season and as soon as Ryu is back and healthy without anyone else going under, I can see Wood replacing whomever is under-performing from that group... could even be Joe B as a LR or as a MR/SU to replace Hatcher if he has another slow start.

Give me your thoughts/ scenario on our lineup with Howie in it.

Bat him 5th? 6th?

[Quake Griffin]

Phil Rogers? Verified account ?
?@philgrogers Not clear if there's a match but #WhiteSox are exploring #Dodgers Andre Ethier. His 2.7 WAR in '15 would be 4th best in their lineup.

Phil Rogers
@philgrogers
Follow
#Dodgers would prefer to deal Carl Crawford but it's Ethier who is drawing interest from teams with remaining OF needs.
9:06 AM - 1 Feb 2016


I dunno if there's anything else in their farm system that I want or that's feasible for sending them Ethier….so at this rate, I'd like them to eat somewhere over half of the money.

[Quake Griffin]

http://www.sportsnetla.com/shows/access-sportsnet-dodgers.iLIjDz4hWacN

Dave Roberts interview at fan fest

[Ranma]

I dunno if there's anything else in their farm system that I want or that's feasible for sending them Ethier….so at this rate, I'd like them to eat somewhere over half of the money.

I wanted the Dodgers to draft RHP Spencer Adams in the 2014 draft, but we ended up with Grant Holmes instead, who wasn't a bad selection. Adams was projected to be a first-round pick but fell to Chicago in the second round and is likely the White Sox's 4th best prospect in their system now so I don't think it's realistic that we can get him for Ethier. If something can be worked out, though, he's the guy I'd still like to see in a Dodgers uniform.

[Neddy]

Give me your thoughts/ scenario on our lineup with Howie in it.

Bat him 5th? 6th?

realistic lineup or what I personally think is the best? and also with Turner's injury in mind or without? I have been thinking about the lineup ever since hearing about Howie signing just before I took off to LA to see my mother, and since getting back here I have written down a several possibilities.

just to throw out the most ideal lineup without injury concerns...

1. L CF Joc - .346 OBP... also replaceable with **** if he struggles. **** also sports .346 OBP.
2. L SS Seager - the best player with best ability to create scoring opportunities.
3. R 3B Turner - best overall hitter we got according to last season's numbers
4. L 1B Gonzo - doing his thing in the middle, raking RBIs.
5. R RF Puig - I feel he is due to make a comeback season
6. L LF Ethier - I think he will be traded before the opening day, but this is the ideal lineup as of now.
7. S C Grandal - I don't want his power getting wasted batting 8th
8. R 2B Howie - Im sure this isn't how things are usually, but with .333 OBP and diminishing power and speed, I want him being the best 8th hole hitter in the entire league rather than being average to sub-averarge elsewhere. he will have a monster OBP season here.

I'm sure this isn't what you expected and surely not what I think is realistic with consideration to lenghty injury to Turner and other factors, but.......

[Quake Griffin]

http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/163376744/dodgers-justin-turner-eyes-opening-day-return

Yessir.
We need him ready to go by then. Let him arm up to start the year and get hot in the summer months.

[Neddy]

it's not a dodger related news, but I am shocked that the best offer Dae Ho Lee the current Japan Series MVP and former KBO MVP could get was an incentive laden, minor league deal with an invitation to the Mariners' spring training. it says he can make up to 4 million if he makes the roster out of the camp but is only guaranteed a minor league deal for 1 year. what I am absolutely blown away even more is that he took this shabby offer when his current team that he helped to win the Nippon Pro Baseball Championship just a few months ago had publicly announced to give him 500,000,000 Japanese Yen or more, which I assure you, is more money than a minor league money for sure and even more than if he was to maximize all of his incentives with the Mariners.in fact that pay would have made Lee the highest paid foreign player in all of Japan..... following his dream over money... gotta admire that spirit. spring training is such a small sample size, I don't know he he will do in a month of a chance but this guy has been the best hitter of them all, among those guys who have made it or is making it from South Korea. they call him THE Korea's Cleanup Hitter. Kang in Pittsburg, Park now in Minnesota, Kim making his debut in Camden Yard, they all played supporting role for this big dude for their national team for years. all the other guys got guaranteed major league deals and he got a minor league deal with an invitation to the camp. just wow. sucks to be older by half a dozen years... kudos to him for taking a chance to realize his dream and wish him all the luck to make it. he is better player than Lind they have on 1B. just wonder he would ever get a fair chance to compete and show how great he can be.