Dodger: MLB Insider Shares Vision For Slow Offseason
Spending a ton of money hardly ever equates to wins. So although spending for proven talent theoretically gives you a higher chance, it comes down to chemistry, coaching, and a little bit of luck to win a World Series.
This concept was proven with the Dodgers last season who clearly looked like the best team in baseball. Of course, that all came crashing down in crunch time due to question marks in their pitching unit and not being able to score runs when it mattered most.
Paying top dollar is never an easy choice with years of turmoil hanging in the balance. Luckily for the Dodgers, they have a strong enough roster and front office to not have to worry about such things.
In fact, it may be argued that the slow offseason can become an advantage for the Dodgers. The most successful teams in the last decade have done little work this off-season. Those three teams that Onley listed have just so happened to be the last three World Series winners as well.
Perhaps the Dodgers front office knows something fans don’t and are preparing for some bigger moves during the regular season. However, fans should also feel confident knowing that Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are still ready to lead the way but now they’ll be accompanied by a new All-Star pitcher in Noah Syndergaard and another bat in J.D. Martinez.
When healthy, the Dodgers’ pitching unit is among the best in the league so the only question becomes how will the rest of their team be on defense and whether the starting lineup can finish the job and score runs when it counts. Money won’t solve all these answers right now, but the Dodgers will likely make a huge move prior to the deadline as they love doing.
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Dodgers got stupid with Bauer and has done it people like Carl Crawford and many others. 2023 will be a washout with maybe 80 win season, they need to sign Urias for 5 years cause Kershaw won’t be back in ,2024.
The Astros and Braves commit to big young talent early with extensions well before team control ends. It limits peak salary by giving more money up front to the player. The Dodgers don’t,they keep them in the minors creating PCL inflated offensive stats trying to trade them for established talent. If they don’t trade them they bring them up late, ride them through the arbitration years. If they offer after team control it’s a shorter contract because the are older. For LA the minors are a meat market.
Ohtani will be 10 years 400 million, while LA still sits with a 50% cbt rate. Not happening
Friedman and Kasten have there philosophy on the way they run a organization and if you really are a dodger fan you’ve seen them long enough to understand the way they work. They keep young talent with a mixture of solid veterans. Keep in mind that the Mookie Betts deal was the steal of the century. How Boston gave him up for so little is crazy. Just look at what Pittsburgh wants for Reynolds’s in a trade they want any teams top three prospects and Mookie is a way better player. So never expect the dodgers to sign a big player contract again. So say start saying your goodbyes to Julio and don’t hold your breath on Ohtani.
We don’t need “huge moves”, we need smart ones. Getting under the CBT, blending young talent into the 26 man roster, taking calculated risks on Syndergaard, Miller and Heyward are smart moves. We are set up for the first half of the season, if these choices don’t work or we need to shed salary we can adjust at the deadline. All of this is smart even if not exciting!
The Dodgers spend money on developing their Minor League system. They are beginning to use the old Kasten plan that worked so well for the Braves back in their heyday when he was in charge.
Pitching is what will give a team wins along with timely hitting. The Dodgers lost T Turner and J Turner but added Martinez. Lux may slot into the SS position. If Muncy has his average year and Outman and Vargas can perform at forecast levels the Dodger offense could be more efficient than last year as Muncy and Bellinger were at Mendoza line levels in 22.
Thor has said he is getting his velocity back if so he may be dominant. The Bullpen looks to be dominant.
I see this team at 96 wins and vying for the league championship depending on how the Padres perform this should be their year. But regardless the Dodgers will make the playoffs and after that, it is as much about luck as talent.
They have a shot at the last wildcard