2021 SEASON

Matt hit .210. I'd like to see how much that gets him in arbitration. 

All good points. Muncy's high value is because of his salary so if there is ever a time now would be it for me because of other cheaper options coming up like Rios who can also play 3rd but not as well.

Speaking of which...

That's very nice, save for one detail:  as you know, we had injury upon injury this past season especially to our rotation.  First May went down in May (?), then Bauer got suspended for the second half, Kersh got hurt again, Gonzo is inconsistent and Price is incompetent.  When Kersh went down, our hand was forced in August when we acquired Scherzer and Turner.  AT least so far, we got the best of that trade since Josiah Gray's ERA was 5.48, but now that we have Turner, he, along with Seagar and Lux, one of them has to go and it looks like Lux, as much as I like him, is the one.  He's young with plenty of upside and he could be packaged with Gonzo and a low ranking minor leaguer or two for a good SP and there are plenty available via trade, including a three way trade which we've made in the past and cost us minimally.  .  And you never know, there could be negociations for a trade of FA signing that are under wraps and we won't know till it's a done deal.  

If our rotation hadn't been ravaged by injuries and scandal, Scherzer and Turner would still be Nats, but as I said earlier, our hand was forced.  And I say, Ryan Pepiot and Bobby Miller are untouchables.  

Thanks but I'd say it depends on Seager. If he is stubborn and wants to stay at short then what do you guys think about Javy Baez or even Kris Bryant to man 3rd with Trea at short who has way more range than Seager and we keep our once prized prospect Lux to man 2nd.

I feel like the rotation will be fine. Remember we have Ferguson who was decent and May who has out of this world potential coming back granted it will probably be for the 2nd half. Which works fine in my opinion since he can take innings from guys and save their arms from getting tired. 

Say we keep Price. He can easily start for a 1/4 of the season and then hit the pen or IL or whatever and then we can go with Gonsolin in his spot for another 1/3 to 1/2 season and then Mitch White for 1/3 to 1/2 of the season to fill the 4th/5th spot in the rotation and then we can shore it up at the deadline. I agree with you that we have to keep both Pepiot and Miller. I would use the same tactic with them and have them split time at the 5th spot in the rotation. How many starts does a 5th starter usually get? Obviously we have Buehler 1 and Urias 2 so with that that's 4 spots in the rotation filled 2 with our studs and 2 by mixing and matching. We now only need a 3 starter and depth. I like Heaney he seemed to be missing something in Anaheim that hopefully they can help with now that he is here. I have full confidence that this organization can help him get better. Lastly, there is talk about Steven Matz which I like as well and of the two Reds' starters Gray and or Castillo. We have lots of good options my friend. Baez or Bryant if Seager walks and a possible trade and depth in house to fill out the rotation.

C--- Smith
1B-- JT
2B-- Lux
SS-- Trea
3B-- Baez/Bryant
LF-- Pollock
CF-- Bellinger
RF-- Mookie

1. Buehler
2. Urias
3. Heaney/Steven Matz 
4. Price (8 starts)-- Gonsolin (10 starts)-- Mitch White (10 starts) 
5. Pepiot (5 starts)-- Miller (5 starts)-- Ferguson (5 starts)-- May (5 starts)

I'd say roll with this rotation until mid- season when they've identified what starter fits and mix and match in the 4th and 5th spots and whatever handful of starts are left over go with the all so popular bullpen games. Once we get to the deadline and add a #2 or #3 guys like Heaney or Matz will drop down a spot and make it that much better. I mean we don't need a freakin' Hall of Fame rotation every single time. Shit look at the Gnats and what they pulled off with what they had pitching I mean it won't be like that all season just until the deadline.

Should we or not? I say no, our OF is pretty much intact with Pollack/Belli/Mookie. And we have plenty of up-and-coming talent in the minors and anyway, our highest priority is shoring up the rotation and then locking up Seagar and/or Taylor. Doug McKain always has thoughtful comments and I always look forward to his next video.

Dodgers offseason wish list: L.A. could solve most of its problems by re-signing its own free agents

Keeping both Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw would be ideal for the rotation

Mike Axisa

The 2021-22 MLB offseason is a few weeks old and we're still waiting for the first major move to happen. That's not unusual -- like the MLB season itself, the offseason is a marathon rather than a sprint -- though the impending expiration of the competitive bargaining agreement throws a giant wrench into the hot stove. Still, baseball's offseason is underway.

With that in mind, we're going to examine each prospective buyer's offseason wish list over the next few days, continuing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Let's get to it.

The Dodgers made the first free agent signing of the offseason two weeks ago when they inked reclamation project lefty Andrew Heaney to a one-year contract. They need more rotation help than that, though. Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are free agents and Trevor Bauer is likely to serve a suspension under MLB's domestic violence policy in 2022. The current rotation includes Heaney, Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin, and possibly David Price. There is room for improvement.

Wish list: Scherzer and Kershaw would be ideal. Even at age 37 and even after limping to the finish in 2021, Scherzer remains a bona fide ace and one of the best pitchers in the game. A high salary two- or three-year deal (high salary as in $35 million to $40 million per year, possibly even more) would make sense. Kershaw's health is a question, though it's also difficult to see him the franchise icon pitching elsewhere. Even if the Dodgers have to bring him along slowly in spring training and handle him carefully next season, keeping Kershaw around as rotation depth (with the potential to be a true difference-maker) seems like a win-win.

The Athletics are expected to sell and they have three arbitration-eligible starters who would presumably interest the Dodgers in Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas. Bassitt and Manaea are a year away from free agency, Montas two. Righty Jon Gray seems like a classic "we're going to take this guy and make him better than the Rockies ever could" free agent target. We can never rule the Dodgers out on a big money long-term deal for someone like Robbie Ray. My guess is they're unwilling to do huge dollars for anyone but Scherzer and Kershaw, and will instead look to fill out the rotation with cheaper (but still effective) pitchers.

Replacing Taylor

It's difficult to put a number on just how important Chris Taylor was to the Dodgers the last six years. WAR underrated him. Taylor hit .264/.341/.458 in nearly 2,500 plate appearances while playing every position other than pitcher, catcher, and first base during his time in Los Angeles. Plus he had a ton of postseason success too. Taylor is the very best super utility player in the game today and that makes him irreplaceable. Finding someone to fill that role and improving the bench in general is a top priority this winter.

Wish list: Taylor. Losing Corey Seager would certainly hurt, though the Dodgers can plug Trea Turner in at short and Gavin Lux in at second and not miss Seager too much. Replacing Taylor will be much more difficult. Players who are that productive and play that many positions (and play them well) are rare, so why try to replace Taylor when you could simply re-sign Taylor? He's shown he can fill that very difficult, very valuable role, and the Dodgers would offer him a lot of money and also a chance to win. Seems like a good fit for both sides.

If the Dodgers aren't going to re-sign Taylor (and Seager), it might be best to purse Marcus Semien to play second base, pushing Lux into that super utility role. Someone like Eduardo Escobar could work as well, though he is primarily an infielder with limited outfield experience. Right now the bench includes some combination of Matt Beaty, Zach McKinstry, Sheldon Neuse, and Luke Raley. I have to think Los Angeles will look to upgrade on that group this winter, and re-signing Taylor would be a great start.

Late-inning reliever

By Mike Axisa Kenley Jansen, the greatest closer in Dodgers history, is currently a free agent and not a lock to return. He was outstanding after adjusting his pitch mix at midseason and trading a few cutters for sliders, and he carried that excellence right through the postseason. The Dodgers don't absolutely need to replace Jansen with another closer because they could easily insert Blake Treinen into the ninth inning. There is a need for a late-inning reliever though. Someone to push Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia back into the sixth and seventh innings rather than the eighth.

Wish list: The Dodgers could address just about all their needs by re-signing their own free agents and that applies here as well. Bringing Jansen back is preferable to spending big money on Raisel Iglesias or giving up prospects to get Craig Kimbrel. Los Angeles could go cheaper and re-sign Corey Knebel, who did fine work for them around an injury this year, but the Dodgers seem more likely to look for the next Corey Knebel, that buy-low reliever with upside, rather than pay for the real Corey Knebel. Again, the Dodgers don't absolutely need a closer because they have Treinen. They do need a high-leverage reliever though, and reuniting with Jansen is the most straightforward solution. He's still very good and he's a known quantity.
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