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Post by Blunashun on Mar 2, 2023 23:03:20 GMT
Dodgers' Daniel Hudson: Unlikely for Opening Day
Rotowire 5 HRS AGO
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Thursday that Hudson (knee/ankle) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Hudson has advanced to full-intensity bullpen sessions, but the Dodgers will continue to slow play his recovery from surgery last June to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. He suffered a minor setback last month in the form of right ankle tendinitis, though that now seems to be in the rearview. The veteran reliever should be an option for Los Angeles by mid-April if there are no further road blocks.
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20DodgerMiracle24
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Rob Manfred is a disaster to our national pastime.
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Mar 3, 2023 3:29:16 GMT
Dodgers Pitcher Plays Catch for the First Time Since Tommy John Surgery Story by Jeff J. Snider • 50m ago Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, who had his second Tommy John surgery last August, threw on flat ground on Wednesday for the first time since the procedure. Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, who finished fourth in the 2021 National League Cy Young Award voting before struggling in 2022 and ultimately blowing out his elbow, hit a major milestone in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Just over six months after his surgery, he played catch for the first time on Wednesday. Buehler had Tommy John in late August, the second time he's undergone that procedure. He also had TJ shortly after Los Angeles drafted him out of Vanderbilt in 2015. The normal recovery time for a pitcher is 12-15 months, although it's also been anecdotally observed that pitchers for whom it wasn't their first TJ are often on the longer end of that timeline. While playing catch is a huge milestone, it can be misleading if you're not accustomed to the rehab process. After Tommy John, a pitcher's arm has to be completely reconditioned. The first step is playing catch, but there are countless steps between step one and pitching in a big-league game. Most rehab protocols have a rehabbing pitcher playing catch somewhere between three and six months after the surgery, so Buehler is currently on the longer end of that. Last we heard, Buehler was still holding out hope of pitching for LA in 2023, but he'd been to be around the 12-month recovery (or not much longer) to have a realistic chance. Throwing for the first time six months after surgery doesn't bode well for being completely ready in 12-13 months. Still, while Buehler's session of catch doesn't mean anything about his availability for this season, it still feels good to see him in Dodger blue throwing a baseball on some grass. I hope he comes back stronger than May because truth be told, Big Red didn’t look all that great last fall and was certainly nowhere near the flamethrower we saw prior to his injury and surgery. With this being Ferris’ second time under the knife, we have to hope his rehab is as long and thorough as it needs to be to get him back on the mound at 100%. GO DODGERS!!! I"m not worried about Dustin. His first two games were great, if you recall. Sure, he fell into a slump afterwards but it was a back ailment wasn't it? Anyhow, he's had the entire winter to heal up |
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20DodgerMiracle24
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Rob Manfred is a disaster to our national pastime.
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Mar 3, 2023 3:39:16 GMT
I was at the game today. Thanks to two big errors, one by Miguel Vargas, all five Dback runs were unearned. Still, a good pitcher knows how to pitch out of trouble. It was primarily Phil Bickford who didn't make the clutch pitches but the guy who relived him, whose name escapes me offhand, was no better. Anyhow, the game ended at a 5-5 tie
Before the game at the practice field, players were signing autographs. Catman and Pepperman came out together, Diego Cartaya, Barnes, James Outman (I told him "let's have a big year") and he replied "oh yeah". and even Daizy. They were all reasonably friendly, but by far the friendliest was Alex Vesia. He asked all the kids who wanted his autograph "what position do you play?" I told him what I told Outman and he replied "that's the plan". "The kids will never forget him.
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Post by dking on Mar 3, 2023 5:09:18 GMT
so we lost the best hitting ss in baseball, and replaced him with the best defensive ss in baseball 2022. I'm loving the rojas trade, I'm a big fan of great defense at ss and centerfield. Also Rojas is a leader, personally I'd rather see him at short than Lux, so will our pitching staff. Vargas looks promising at second. I'd give center field to Outman
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 3, 2023 21:41:17 GMT
Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talks Closer's Role For Opening Day
Story by Jeff J. Snider • 2h ago
Dodgers manaThe Dodgers had Kenley Jansen as their closer for a decade, so while there were sometimes questions late in some seasons about whether Jansen should remain the closer, the went into spring training pretty much every year knowing who their closer would be. Jansen left after the 2021 season, and late last spring Los Angeles traded for Craig Kimbrel, the only active pitcher with more career saves than Jansen.
The Kimbrel experiment didn't go so well. He struggled all season to find his consistency, and by the time the postseason rolled around, he didn't even make the roster. Now he's gone, and LA looks poised to head into the Opening Day without a dedicated closer for the first time in a long time.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was talking to the media on Thursday about Daniel Hudson, whose recovery from ACL surgery last summer might keep him from being ready for the active roster to start the season. Hudson is expected to be ready early in the season, though, and a reporter asked Roberts if the big righty will get most of the save opportunities once he's healthy of if they'd be split between him and Evan Phillips.
Roberts wasn't willing even to narrow it down to those two pitchers, though.ger Dave Roberts says there are "a handful of guys" in LA's bullpen who can close out games, so he feels no rush to name a dedicated closer.
“I think it’s still fluid. Once Huddy is with us, I think there’s a couple other guys in the mix. I don’t think we need to break camp and say that we have a dedicated closer. I think there’s a lot of, a handful of guys that are gonna be in our ‘pen that I feel can finish games.”
Last year, Kimbrel led Los Angeles in saves with 22, but 11 other pitchers recorded at least one save. Hudson was second with five even though he missed half the season. Hudson has also been a closer before, which is part of the argument for him to serve in that role with LA this year. Another argument is that between his age (he'll be 36 next week) and his injury history, he might benefit from a more predictable schedule.
Phillips had two saves last year to go along with his 1.14 ERA, but a lot of people believe he's too valuable in his 2022 role of pitching in the highest-leverage spots to tie him down to the ninth inning. Brusdar Graterol has all the makings of a dominant closer and saved four games last year, but he probably needs to improve his strikeout rate to really claim the closer role.
Other current Dodgers relievers who saved at least one game for the team last year are Alex Vesia, Yency Almonte, Justin Bruihl, Andre Jackson, and Jake Reed. The last three are questionable to even make the Opening Day roster, but Vesia and Almonte are both legitimate options at closer, as is Caleb Ferguson, whom Mark Prior mentioned as a possibility recently.
The good news is, LA's lack of a dedicated closer is a result of too many good options, rather than not enough.
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jrgreene6
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Post by jrgreene6 on Mar 3, 2023 22:07:34 GMT
Somewhere, Hanser Alberto is sitting by the phone. He did better on the mound than at third base.
GO DODGERS!!!
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 4, 2023 15:33:00 GMT
Dodgers News: Roberts Lays Out Expected Shortstop Timeshare with Gavin Lux Injured
Story by Jeff J. Snider • Yesterday 4:48 PM
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expects Miguel Rojas to get about 75-80 percent of the starts at shortstop this year, with Chris Taylor getting the rest.
Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux injured his knee in a spring training game against the Padres on Monday, and Tuesday morning Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts announced that Lux will be out for the season. In that announcement, Roberts said Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor would both play short, with Rojas getting the bulk of the action there.
On Wednesday, Roberts went into a little more detail on how he expects the playing time to be split.
“It’s gonna change, I’m sure, but I think, you know, 80/20, 75/25, something like that [with Rojas getting more] and then CT kind of peeling off to left and some third. So kind of like that, but as far as playing time, I see CT playing quite a bit, yeah.”
Roberts said part of the reason he didn't go into more detail on Tuesday was out of respect to Lux. But he also said a lot of his thoughts since the injury had been about how to fill the hole at short.
“A lot of it, a lot of it. You know, there’s an initial part of it is the sensitivity towards Gavin and making sure, you don’t want him to feel like we’re just moving on, you know. That’s not true. But you do got to move on.”
Taylor and Rojas are both natural shortstops, although Rojas has played there regularly much more recently. He was a Gold Glove finalist at short last year with the Marlins, while Taylor hasn't played there regularly since Corey Seager missed some time with a hamstring strain in 2019.
Like Roberts said, the mix could change, but that's LA's plan as of right now.
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 4, 2023 15:39:01 GMT
Friedman weighs in on Dodgers' hot topics
President of baseball ops talks Lux injury, closer role, potential Urías extension
March 3rd, 2023
Juan Toribio
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman admitted the team didn’t have many roster decisions to make on the position-player side coming into this spring.
The Dodgers had a good idea what their team was going to look like come Opening Day on March 30. But with Gavin Lux now likely out for the entire 2023 season after suffering a torn right ACL on Monday, those plans have changed drastically.
Friedman sat down with reporters on Friday to address where the team stands now. Here are three things that stood out from the 15-minute conversation.
Now what?
Finding a replacement for Lux isn’t going to be easy given the time of year. Friedman acknowledged that finding improvements during the spring is always challenging because most teams already have an idea of what their Opening Day roster will look like. Trading an impact player is not something teams usually do at this time of the year.
One way to improve the roster, however, could be by finding a player that adds depth in the infield or outfield. In the free-agent market, Jurickson Profar is the most established player still out there, but he might not be a logical fit. The trade market will have some options toward the end of the spring.
“We’ll definitely spend a lot more time talking about the various profiles that can fit,” Friedman said. “Spring Training typically isn’t the best time for those types of moves. But we’ll have conversations and see what is possible and what is not.”
Which “profile” the Dodgers pursue over the next few weeks will be something worth watching. With Lux injured, the initial plan is out the door, so now the Dodgers are left searching for answers. Miguel Rojas, who was acquired to be a depth piece, is now the team’s everyday shortstop. Chris Taylor, who was going to be used as an outfielder, will now get more responsibility in the infield.
Do the Dodgers need another outfielder because of the roster shuffling? Do they need to add a left-handed bat to replace Lux’s production? Those are just some of the questions they face. They have a few weeks to answer them.
No closer, no problem?
Unless they make a late move this spring, it appears the Dodgers are ready to go into a season without a designated closer for the first time in more than a decade.
The Dodgers enjoyed the production of Kenley Jansen, the organization’s all-time saves leader, for a very long time, and they went through a roller-coaster experience with Craig Kimbrel last season.
This season, Evan Phillips is the team’s best reliever, but the Dodgers are in no rush to take him out of the “fireman” role they value even more than a closer. Yency Almonte, Daniel Hudson, Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia could all close out games, but the team is in no rush to name a closer.
“I don’t think it’s a necessity,” Friedman said. “I think the most important question to answer is whether you think our bullpen is going to be really good, and we do. Then it’s about the mindset of each one of those guys, keeping them in the best headspace to go out and have a lot of success.”
Urías extension?
The Dodgers have a handful of pending free agents, but none are more important than left-hander Julio Urías, who grew into the team’s ace while leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA in 2022.
When asked about his contract situation earlier this spring, Urías acknowledged that it was “impossible to hide” from the fact that he’s entering a contract season. On the other hand, Urías said he’s focusing on the upcoming World Baseball Classic and will let his agent, Scott Boras, handle any negotiations.
Friedman chimed in on Friday and predictably said he wasn’t going to get into any specifics about contract negotiations, which is the norm for the organization. He did, however, share some optimism about keeping Urías in Los Angeles, even if he tests free agency in the offseason.
“We think Julio loves being a Dodger and I know we love having Julio as a Dodger,” Friedman said. “I think any time you have that dynamic where the team really wants the player and the player really likes the team, I think it always increases the odds, but he’s put himself in a great position to go out and do really well for himself and his family.”
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20DodgerMiracle24
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Rob Manfred is a disaster to our national pastime.
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Mar 4, 2023 23:32:01 GMT
Well I saw a little of the Cub/Angel game today, enough to see Cody hit in the first against Reid Detmers. He was up to his old tricks. After working a full count, he K'd on a fastball right down the middle with a runner on 2nd. His best days are behind him for sure.
I turned on the Red Sox game to see Justin, but he didn't play. Maybe tomorrow
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20DodgerMiracle24
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Rob Manfred is a disaster to our national pastime.
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Mar 5, 2023 0:00:32 GMT
What's up with the 2023 prospect rankings? Last year, Pepperman's changup was rated at 75 and his fastball 70 but now they're 60 and 65! What?  |
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 5, 2023 16:58:12 GMT
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: To throw in camp game
Rotowire 50 MINS AGO
Kershaw is scheduled to throw three innings in a camp game Sunday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports,
It will be his first live action of the spring. Kershaw pulled out of the World Baseball Classic because he was unable to obtain insurance for his contract with the Dodgers, but there is no current injury concern.
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 5, 2023 19:35:08 GMT
Dodgers Rumors: Shohei Ohtani in Blue By This Summer? One Analyst Thinks So
Story by Ricardo Sandoval • 4h ago
The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing to redeem themselves in 2023 after a disappointing and rather embarrassing ending to their 2022 campaign.
The Boys in Blue will take the "youth movement" route this season while being led by their superstar duo of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Even though they lost a ton this past offseason, the Dodgers remain one of the very best teams in the league.
What's scary is LA can be even better when we hit the trade deadline. Bleacher Report's Brandon Scott predicted where top players could land before the end of the season, and Scott has Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani donning the Dodger blue before the end of the season.
The Dodgers sort of shock the world, but not really.Ohtani-to-the-Dodgers predictions already exist, but it will still be a shock to the system to see him trade the other L.A. franchise's colors for the legendary Dodger blue and white.Adding Burnes and Ohtani would completely change the World Series conversation at the deadline.Ohtani has already communicated his desire to play for a contender and has been non-committal to his long-term future with the Angels.At spring training, Ohtani said he does believe the Angels are committed to winning. The question is whether it finally pans out.As backbreaking as it seems to trade a once-in-a-lifetime player like Ohtani, it's becoming more obvious he sees a brighter future elsewhere. One would also have to assume a trade package for Ohtani, commensurate with his rare ability, would be historic.
As Scott said, the links between LA and Ohtani have been there for a while now, and it's no secret that the Dodgers would love to have the Japanese sensation.
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 5, 2023 19:36:29 GMT
Don't do it. He'll be a free agent after the season. Don't give up the farm for a rental, that you would have to re-sign to a massive extension anyway.
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20DodgerMiracle24
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Post by 20DodgerMiracle24 on Mar 6, 2023 3:47:45 GMT
Don't do it. He'll be a free agent after the season. Don't give up the farm for a rental, that you would have to re-sign to a massive extension anyway. Though I mostly think this is media hype, that Stan Kasten, or whoever is in charge of player deals has no interest in signing Showtime, I don't rule it out altogether. After all, Arte Moreno is so dumb that he just might if he could get more offense and sacrifice pitching. |
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Post by Blunashun on Mar 6, 2023 20:14:11 GMT
Dodgers Linked to Yankees as Trade Partner for Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Story by Pat Ragazzo • 58m ago
The Dodgers continue to be linked to the Yankees as a trade partner for Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
The Yankees have a surplus of infielders and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in need of a shortstop after Gavin Lux tore his ACL.
As USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported: “Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers are without shortstop Gavin Lux for the season, look for them to re-visit trade talks with the New York Yankees about Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The trouble, however, is that Kiner-Falefa is earning $6 million and the Dodgers would like to re-set their luxury tax to pursue Shohei Ohtani without any restrictions.”
ESPN's Buster Olney revealed that the Yankees and Dodgers had discussions about Kiner-Falefa earlier in the winter.
"The Yankees presumably are ready and willing to talk about dealing IKF, in a spring in which he is competing with two high-end prospects (Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza) who are eventually expected to become permanent fixtures in the Yankees’ lineup."
But here's why a deal might not be imminent.
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post: "(General manager Brian) Cashman said teams normally do not engage in serious trade talks until the middle or end of spring training camps. At this time of year, clubs that endure injury look internally for solutions while simultaneously alerting their scouts in Arizona and Florida to be more diligent about looking at potential trade candidates."
Volpe and Peraza are considered to be the Yankees' middle infielders of the future. This duo has received reps at both shortstop and second base in Grapefruit League play. With these two prospects on the rise, Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres could be trade chips this spring.
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