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

[Quake Griffin]

Too many cooks in the kitchen

[Quake Griffin]

oh did anybody ever discuss why we deferred money to Kazmir?

was it to avoid the luxury tax?
I dunno what our salary number is at this point in the game.

[Ranma]

I figured he'd join the Dodgers after he announced he'd be joining an MLB club last month. I can understand the misgivings with bringing Alex Anthopoulos aboard since I have them too, but I think he's a good addition overall to the front office primarily because he is not in charge and would just be another voice in the think tank. AA has certainly been hit-or-miss and I generally don't agree with his approach of dealing away prospects for short-term fixes such as the disastrous R.A. Dickey trade you cited, but he was also able to turn around the Blue Jays' organization pretty quickly by finding a taker for Vernon Wells and trading for the previously unavailable Josh Donaldson. The Blue Jays went from mediocre to contenders in short order, which is a tough thing to do in the high-pressure environment of Toronto.

Anthopoulos seems to have built a good front office himself in Toronto before his departure as Ismael Cruz was hired during his tenure. It's probably not much of a coincidence that Cruz left for the Dodgers shortly after AA left Toronto and now both are with the same organization. Tony LaCava also excelled under Anthopoulos' leadership. Who knows how responsible he was for both acquisitions, but the Blue Jays did acquire both Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion while he was assistant GM shortly before being elevated to the GM position.

The problem with hiring Anthopoulos is that this is just a pit stop before his next GM gig, so whatever he learns will be taken with him to another ballclub much like how Mattingly informed the Marlins of which prospects the Dodgers truly coveted. Having said that, the Dodgers' front office could also benefit from his insight and experience as well. Maybe we can apply the same tactics he used to acquire Donaldson towards acquiring Jose Fernandez.

While he is not exactly the guy I would want to be the Dodgers' GM, he's definitely someone who has experience and insight I'd love to have shared with our brain trust. Anthopoulos, like Paul DePodesta, could probably excel more in the role of support than leadership; the same thing could be said of even Ned Colletti. Besides, with Stan Kasten, Andrew Friedman, and Farhan Zaidi already here, it is highly unlikely he'll be given authority that supersedes any of those three, especially with regards to trading away prospects. In fact, he looks to serve a similar role for Zaidi that Josh Byrnes does for Friedman as a right-hand man. While it remains to be seen, I don't see how adding another brain to the hive mind can hurt in this instance.

With regard to the Dee Gordon trade, I've already acknowledged that we got a big haul in return for him and that I like the players we still have. In fact, Austin Barnes was my favorite player we got in return from the trade at the time and, yes, I recall that he and **** Hernandez were particular favorites of the Marlins' at the time of the deal. I even liked Chris Hatcher, who disappointed before rebounding back to form. **** has exceeded expectations, but he's pretty much best served as a utility infielder as his time in the outfield, particularly in CF, has been rocky. I was particularly upset that we traded away Andrew Heaney for Howie Kendrick. While I was not particularly high on Heaney, he was a highly-rated prospect whose value was much better than the 1 year rental of Kendrick even if it does result in a top-40 pick in a weak draft.

The trade may be fair in terms of swapping quality for quantity but I tend to favor the former over the latter. Similar to NBA trades, the team with the best player from a trade usually wins such deals. Gordon could have done wonders for us this past postseason in not only solidifying 2B, but also providing disruptive speed on the basepaths while still retaining high trade value as an asset for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, we'll be waiting for ****, Barnes, Hatcher, and a draft pick to collectively perform up to levels to match Dee's production before hopefully surpassing it. It remains to be seen how the trade eventually pans out, but that's the point: we could have used Dee's current production and still have traded him later on at peak value. It's not like he was a player in decline even if both you and Neddy think he is over-rated based on his advanced numbers.

[Ranma]

oh did anybody ever discuss why we deferred money to Kazmir?

was it to avoid the luxury tax?
I dunno what our salary number is at this point in the game.

I mentioned before that the Dodgers' front office must have its reasons, but in terms of luxury tax calculations, it only trims approximately $1 million for every year Scott Kazmir plays for the Dodgers under that deal. MLB doesn't take into account what is actually paid in salary in any given year; it basically divides the overall value of the monetary commitment by the number of years in the contract. The interest-free deferment of salary accounts for the slightly less valuation.

[Neddy]

Neddy's boy.

YUP! Im happy and proud for him. he will do great no matter where he goes, even for the lowly Browns.

[Neddy]

oh did anybody ever discuss why we deferred money to Kazmir?

was it to avoid the luxury tax?
I dunno what our salary number is at this point in the game.

I mentioned before that the Dodgers' front office must have its reasons, but in terms of luxury tax calculations, it only trims approximately $1 million for every year Scott Kazmir plays for the Dodgers under that deal. MLB doesn't take into account what is actually paid in salary in any given year; it basically divides the overall value of the monetary commitment by the number of years in the contract. The interest-free deferment of salary accounts for the slightly less valuation.

maybe Guggenheim investors? it is an investment money for them, afterall. they can't see enormous amount of cash being wasted and bleed in red every year. they are gonna want this franchise in black and see some profit for once? knowing we still want more flexible room to add more salary this off season, if we were coming close to the hard ceiling soon, then it makes sense. isn't the deferred amount 8 million? plus one mil from tax savings, that is 9 million more to play around with this winter.

of course, Im just guessing.

[Neddy]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/684450177386704896[/tweet]

I really don't think it is appropriate to place Ned Colletti's name next to the likes of AA, FZ, AF, or EB's. totally different class and IQ. and from the way he was hyping Mike Morse as a "championship caliber vet you need" just to watch him get sent right back out to Pittsburg, I am 100% certain he is out of the loop and is just a figure head since his contract is fully guaranteed.

[Ranma]

I missed Meola's tweet yesterday stating his assumption that something came up with Maeda's medical examination. I'm curious if there is any truth to this as I was already concerned about his small frame. Having said that, Meola is the only one saying this and it is his own personal conjecture. The purported AAV of the deal obviously safeguards against injury but it would put a damper on the 8-year contract. In any case, an announcement will supposedly be made tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get more details then.

not sure about what came out of his physical, but it was no secret in last two years Maeda have reported soreness in his throwing elbow. maybe his TJS is more imminent than we discussed. but well at the price he is at, and at the age he is at, I am sure he will recover in a year or two and still give us quality pitching on the back end of the rotation if surgery is where we are headed soon,

doubt it happens this year tho, at least not the first half of the season until both Ryu and McCarthy would be back.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jcrasnick/status/684572506703933441[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Sounds familiar.

a deal is happening.
oh wait it's not.
writer not in the loop of what's going on attempts to calm everybody down by saying it's gonna happen.


inb4 Maeda choked his girlfriend and shot a gun in a garage 8 times.

[Neddy]

Sounds familiar.

a deal is happening.
oh wait it's not.
writer not in the loop of what's going on attempts to calm everybody down by saying it's gonna happen.


inb4 Maeda choked his girlfriend and shot a gun in a garage 8 times.

no chance, my man. gun control is awesome in Japan. just possessing an illegal gun brings automatic 7 years in prison, even Yakuzas prefer no guns. and it is next to impossible to own anything but a single shot hunting rifle, and even then the hurdles one has to go through, and the cost to maintain a license makes it impossible for most people. which explaines their 0.4 per capita homicide rate compared to our 5 to 6 per capita they basically have no mass shooting, no mass killing. school ground bullies are a bigger problem than here tho.

and He is married. more likely get busted screwing his sister in law and suffer from public shame rhan be caught with domestic violence. just ask Iwakuma .

[Ranma]

We're rolling the dice again on Brandon Beachy and there is buzz with teams--namely the Orioles and Rangers--expressing interest in Justin Upton on a 1-year deal. Quake and I have both stated our preference towards signing him to such a deal and the current market environment does seem to allow for that. Whether our front office shares that sentiment remains to be seen. Speaking of the marketplace for outfielders, there's still a glut of available candidates that hinders any effort to deal Ethier and/or Crawford at the moment.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/alannarizzo/status/684800197348597760[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/684787470957953024[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/684847253022982144[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/684844541539663872[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/684846531271372801[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/684846542595997696[/tweet]

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/684838956043780096[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/kengurnick/status/684849070389628928[/tweet]

Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times (1/5/16)

The contract is believed to be for eight years. Under similarly structured deals with a variety of teams, players have been able to void the contract and opt into salary arbitration after completing the first three years of the deal. Maeda's contract with the Dodgers does not permit him to file for salary arbitration, according to the person who has seen the deal.

The person declined to say whether the unusual contract structure -- so light on guaranteed money for such a prominent player -- reflected an issue that arose after Maeda took his physical examination for the Dodgers. However, ESPN reported late Tuesday that issues over the condition of Maeda's elbow had arisen. The deal thus would allow Maeda to get a nine-figure contract if he stays healthy but would protect the Dodgers if he does not.

Dodgers Expected to Make Kenta Maeda Deal Official This Week

[Quake Griffin]

I'm still a fan of my man Beachy. I saw what he did in Atlanta before his elbow went to hell.
If anybody missed 2 years on the mound, they'd need some time to work off the rust too.

I have a feeling, he's gonna do something positive for our ball club this year.
Just my bet.

[Quake Griffin]

oh that's why I came here.

Fake happiness and Fake round of applause for Mike Piazza.
enjoy the HoF.
FOH



Yea, I think I'll take Upton on a one year deal. Add that extra pick to a more stacked draft class?
Why not?
Pretty sure we'd have the most balanced lineup in the league.

3 lefties with pop.
4 Righties…3 with pop…one with gap power.
Grandal as a switch bat
Utley as a lefty.

Then again….maybe they feel like Trayce Thompson is the guy. I think we should hedge our bets with him. His sample size in Chicago, though much more impressive than his minor league numbers, is not big enough. Maybe he is just depth and can sub in for defense.


I'm ranting.
Fake Happy Applause for Mike Piazza guys.
FOH

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/684846963657961473[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Jeff Passan ?@JeffPassan · 2m2 minutes ago
Source: Market on Marcell Ozuna is moving fast. Marlins have spoken trade with multiple teams, including one West Coast team recently.

[Quake Griffin]

disregard.

turns out that was the Rangers

[Neddy]

oh that's why I came here.

Fake happiness and Fake round of applause for Mike Piazza.
enjoy the HoF.
FOH



Yea, I think I'll take Upton on a one year deal. Add that extra pick to a more stacked draft class?
Why not?
Pretty sure we'd have the most balanced lineup in the league.

3 lefties with pop.
4 Righties…3 with pop…one with gap power.
Grandal as a switch bat
Utley as a lefty.

Then again….maybe they feel like Trayce Thompson is the guy. I think we should hedge our bets with him. His sample size in Chicago, though much more impressive than his minor league numbers, is not big enough. Maybe he is just depth and can sub in for defense.


I'm ranting.
Fake Happy Applause for Mike Piazza guys.
FOH

it wasn't his decision to get traded, blame Rupert Murdock for that crap. Mike cried when he heard he was no longer a dodger. I still have his spring training warm up jersey and still love the guy. good for him. he will be officially be the lowest draftee ever to make it to the HOF.

and I would love to take on Upton for 1 year. that draft pick looks delicious, but to think there is a chance to have Upton/Joc/Puig roaming our outfield, well Upton's defense isn't exactly Alex Gordon but his bat is better. he's got a little speed, we can plug him anywhere in our lineup. IF he can just hit to his career average at around .270, his OBP is good enough, and his foot speed is good enough to plug him at leadoff. he hits enough doubles and triples while avoiding his share of GIDP to put him at 2 or 3, although 3, 4 would be stretching it a bit but for a short stint while guys are getting a rest, he can handle it. he would be a very good 5, 6, 7 hole hitter and we can even use him in the 8th and make our lineup real long. Joc makes a decent lead off(based on what he has proven for now, if he starts hit better than .250 while not suffering his OBP minus BA differential, he would make a GREAT leadoff) but a good 7 hole hitter, but Upton can hit anywhere from 1 through 8. but there is one thing he can't do. he suddenly lost all ability to hit left handed pitching last season. I dunno why. his career split is even, maybe slightly favoring against lefty relievers, but in 2015, my god.... if the choice was between Upton and Ethier alone and we must judge based on last season's record only, I would pick Andre 8 days a week.

[Neddy]

BTW

our pitching depth as of now, assuming Ryu is ready by opening day or relatively shortly after,

Kershaw
Kazmir
Ryu
Anderson
Maeda
Wood
Bolsinger
Beachy
Frias
Lee
Wieland

then injured McCarthy before reaching down to our young prospects of Urias and De Leon.

I don't think our rotation will be our liability at all.

[Neddy]

for whatever it's worth, dodgers rank #1 among the farm according to bleacherreport.

bleacherreport.com/articles/2604258-bleacher-reports-updated-farm-system-rankings-entering-2016/page/31

damn, forget it. I try to put the link under URL but it always ends up being a broken link. you guys can find which link I meant, for f it.