Dodgers Team News

Hello Non-roster invitees, Goodbye to the DL, Harper Revisited, and a Miss on Realmuto | This Week in Dodgers Nation

The week started off with praise for the upcoming Dodgers team as several baseball pundits chimed in the state of the ball club.

Leading off, “Comeback Player of the Year” candidate Corey Seager also received some big time love from MLB.com



Keith Law believes there’s more in the tank for a young Cody Bellinger. Law also made a bold prediction about one of the top catching prospects in the system.

On the catching front, after being linked to J.T. Realmuto all offseason, the Dodgers saw the star player finally get shipped out of Miami. Our Marshall Garvey opines that after missing out on Realmuto, the Dodgers need to act fast and acquire at least one more elite player to save the offseason.

Could that elite player be Bryce Harper? Word is that his demands may be coming back down to earth.

However, chatter is that the Dodgers may be passing on Harper and Manny Machado to wait on a 2020 free agent star.

MLB News

Major League Baseball, team owners, and the MLBPA had various discussions over the week. One such discussion was the possible introduction of the DH to the NL sooner rather than later.

Moreover, MLB announced a change to a familiar colloquialism in the game’s lexicon.

Dodgers Podcast: Relating the Rams, Dodgers, and Lakers to one another, Machado talk… again, a skinny Max Muncy at second base, and more!

 

Back to Positive Dodger thinking

Continuing on with praise for the Dodgers, MLB Network spoke in high regard to ace Clayton Kershaw. Ace-in-the-wings Walker Buehler also spoke about his plan to be even better in 2019.

Our AJ Gonzalez lets us know that the Dodgers weren’t as bad as they actually were in 2018 — yes, you read that right — and that they could be better than you think this season.

The season ahead

One of best days of the year came and went as equipment trucks loaded up and rolled out of Dodger Stadium en route to beautiful Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. Speaking of Dodger Stadium, a second music super star is set to perform there this season.

In positive news for fans affected by the TV blackout, KTLA announced that 10 games will be broadcast over the early part of the season.

And in more spring training news, the team announced a list of 21 non-roster invitees to camp, highlighted by three top-5 prospects.

Our Megan Garcia hopes that another year of experience will help Dave Roberts get over the hump.

Projections and prospects

AJ continued his 2019 projections series, this time settling in the outfield.

Tim Rogers took a look at the top-5 starting pitching prospects for 2019 earlier this week, and continued on with the top-5 relief prospects today.

Baseball is among us.

BOBBLEHEADS, $1 DODGER DOGS, AND MORE: 2019 KEY DATES ON THE DODGERS SCHEDULE

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

12 Comments

  1. Now that the Yanks have made a big offer to Manny Machado, one I think he will accept, the signing of Harper should take place very soon. I do not see him signing with the Giants because they offer him no real shot of winning a WS ring!!!! Frankly, he might be better with the Phillies if that is his goal!!! Or, if he wants only cash, go back to the Nats. That is why I think the Blue Crew has a very good chance of signing him : a competitive team in need of a right fielder (or left), plenty of money, the media,, advertisements, etc. Did I leave anything out? Go Blue!!!

  2. Lou-Dodger, you left out the most important thing: a stingy, stubborn front office, emphasis on the stingy. They think the team can win the NL with current personnel, then the Series becomes a crap shoot. I disagree, but they didn’t ask my opinion, nor yours.

    1. Rob, you made a valid point!!!!! You and I have the advantage of spending the team’s money freely. Frankly, the FO need to think about keeping those seats filled with Dodger Blue fans. Of late, we have won a good number of division championships, but not a WS. Its time. As we say in New Jersey, if you go to war, bring a gun – not a knife. Go Blue!!!

      1. BLUE LOU! I believed all along that Machado has his sights set on the Yankees. But I also agree with Rob to a point (about the stinginess) because WE DO (Dodgers) have the resources to bring in what many believe is a missing piece.. a bonified star. will that guy, perhaps being Harper win us a WS all by himself? We know that answer and that answer is NO! Harper fits well here IMHO and can play RF, I am sure he has more to offer defensively there or LF.. I would much rather them get Harper than just to outright give the RF job to Verdugo before he has even earned a spot on this 25 man roster. Agin, currently I just cannot say that this team is of a Championship caliber. Can things change? For all our sake i sure hope so!

        1. As long as Stan Kasten is in charge he will not get the players needed to win. All he wants is a team to compete for a championship.

        2. Valid points, Paul!!!! Like you, I think we are putting too much stock and faith in Verdugo without having seen him in action over the long haul. As you and Rob point out, and correctly so, I failed to incorporate the stinginess of the organization in my comment. I think that is valid!!! To have come as far as we did over the past two years, and then not win it all due to a lack of maybe one big bat, is very telling. Are we of championship caliber, not yet!!!!!! Go PD Jr.!!!!!

    2. Hello Rob. Yeah they don’t want to check in with our opinions because they know most of us a right on the money for calling them out. As I just posted to LOU, this current team IS NOT of Championship caliber yet. and a Championship caliber team does not have to resort to excessive platooning because of all the marginal players they created as a result of it.

      1. Paul, as ever, your last sentence tells it as it is. Could not have said it better myself. I wish management would read this. Go Blue!!!

    3. Just making it deep into October is all the ownership cares about. Actually winning the last series doesn’t matter to them especially if 7 games are played but last year they just needed 5 games to get all the home money. In ‘17 they needed it to go 7 because of HFA

  3. I’m really happy we didn’t give away the farm to get Realmuto. We have a couple of great catching prospects in the minor leagues. Give one of them a chance….We’ve had decent luck the last few years when players from our farm system. Realmuto’s numbers are good but have never been great. I like the way Verdugo approaches the game. I think he is going to be a real good player. Harper would be nice but I can’t argue with not wanting to sign someone for ten years. That said…I think we have enough right now to win our division but it will be another crap shot beyond that.

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