Results tagged ‘ AdamDunn ’
Manny Returns – belated entry
Did anyone expect a different result regarding the Manny
deal? It took a long time but with the Dodgers being the only team in the
market for Manny, it was just a matter of time. In my opinion, the deal was a
draw. If the deal had been done in November, the Dodgers would have won but
with the apparent drop in the market, Manny should have went much lower. Boras remained steadfast
in his demands for a huge contract but with no other bidders, the deal went
undone. In dealing with Boras,
the Dodgers played hardball and refused to give in to the fans who demanded
that Manny be paid whatever he wants for the sake of getting the deal done.
With a month left before the season starts, Manny has plenty of time to
reassimilate with the squad.
Though the deal is considered a draw by me, I still think that if I had to pick
a loser, it would be Boras
because he played his game but appeared more delusional than usual when Adam
Dunn went for 2/20mil and Bobby Abreu went 1/5mil. The Dodgers could have
pushed for cheaper but in the end, it is their business and getting Manny won’t
be questioned as long as he remains interested and has a good October.
Since Manny signed, many have been quick to point out what I
have been saying for months. That is that the pitching is the real question for
the Dodgers this year. Getting Manny sure does make one feel better about the
Dodgers’ chances. What make me feel optimistic about this season is while no starter
on the Dodgers is a guarantee, the bullpen should be strong enough that a drop
in starter quality will be picked up by them and will be backed up by an
increase in run production and fielding ability.
For years, the Dodgers had quality starting pitching and
lacked run production because the core of the lineup was built with past-prime
players who did not belong in the spots that they occupied. Now, the young
talent has arrived and they surround a future Hall of Famer. The pitching staff
is in transition with their arrow pointing up. It is a different position for
the Dodgers to be in, now having the ability to generate runs. The pitching the
Dodgers had in the past was sound but, for some reason, I feel a little bit
more comfortable with what I think is a more balanced team. I am not
comfortable with the pitching staff but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be
adequate for at least the first half of the season.
There will be deals out there in midseason and the Dodgers
will be players in that market. The Dodgers will have the luxury of being able
to evaluate Jake Peavy during this season. If he is healthy, he could be
expedited north to Chavez Ravine. There will be others considering the economic
climate and the fact that teams will be wanting to shed contracts in the event
that they are no longer competitive.
In the meantime, I celebrate Canada’s loss in the WBC as Russell
Martin can be back where he belongs – in Dodger training camp. The WBC is one
of the most asinine exploits for a major sport to present. Nick Punto, a member
of the Italian squad, has NEVER BEEN TO ITALY. The WBC is a sham and it should
never happen again.
One last thing, the injury Ivan DeJesus sustained is
unfortunate. Last year it was Tony Abreu and now this. Hopefully, he can
recover and compete next year. Moreover, let’s hope it is not a factor in the
upcoming year.
Dodger Offseason Priorities
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Here are some of the Dodger offseason priorities:
1. Sign a replacement for Lowe- It’s not so
much that Lowe is gone but if the Dodgers want to continue having success, they
will get another ace pitcher. Billingsley may be the ace at some point and he
may even pitch as good as or better than the pitcher the Dodgers sign to be the
ace but elite teams have elite pitching and the Dodgers should find someone
that can pitch with the Cole Hamels of the league. C.C. Sabathia is at the top
of the list but the price tag is going to be high because he is going to want
Yankee money. If the Dodgers sign Manny, they are going to be short cash and so
a trade may be in order.
They have the prospects to make a
crack at Peavy They appear to be in the final for the Peavy sweepstakes and I
think the Dodgers will
be able to make a better offer
than what the Cubs will be able to. Here is a little bit about Peavy. Baseball
Reference says that his stats are most similar to Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett
and John Lackey. That is good company. He won the Cy Young in 2007 and finished
7th in the MVP voting.. His career numbers are 86-62, 6CG, 3 SHO, 3.25
ERA. 1.19 WHIP, over 3/1 K/BB and at the plate, he batted .265 last year. My
one concern is his injury this year. He has remained fairly healthy in his
career but I hope that the Dodgers staff will look closer at his physical than
they did Jason Schmidt. He would be an ace pitcher when healthy. Also, I think
he will be a good character to have on the team. This should not turn out like
the Bedard deal (which I thought was a good idea but was horribly wrong).
2. Sign Manny or a facsimile- It will easier to
replace Lowe than Manny but finding a player that is suitable is possible. A
lower goal would be to sign someone better than Jeff Kent to bat third or
fourth but we should expect more. Manny will probably end up in the AL but I
like Adam Dunn as a good stand in. You could make the argument to sign Teixiera
and get rid of James Loney but I think that, although Loney has low power for a
1B, he can be a contributor. They are going to have to get someone that teams
will be afraid of though. My list of players that fit that profile is short:
Manny, Dunn, Rauuuuul Ibanez.
3. Straighten out middle infield -
I think Furcal can come back on a short-term conditional deal. Both parties are
on good terms and a one or two year deal could be in order. Berroa can be
resigned at a lower price and he can be insurance. As for second base, there
doesn’t seem to be a good replacement unless DeWitt plays there. They want him
at third but he can play second. They could go out and get a third baseman but
I don’t think that they are looking to do that. The options aren’t great this
year. There doesn’t seem to be any viable 2B that is young (Damion Easley) and
healthy.(Orlando Hudson) A player like Juan Uribe may be nice to have as he and
DeWitt can both play second and third. Too bad Juan Pierre can’t play second.
All our problems would be solved. Delwyn Young may have an outside chance at
playing second I he can come back healthy.
4. Bulk up on relief pitching -
This can always be done but with the aforementioned needs that the Dodgers must
patch up, this may get blown by the wayside. The Dodgers showed last year that
they had talent that could fill in and they have more on the way. Troncoso and
Elbert are probably ready to take a bullpen spot. Beimel was good but I don’t
think that he would be worth giving good paper too. He showed promise in 07 but
became a situational lefty rather than a seventh or eight inning pitcher like he
was supposed to be. Maybe there weren’t those expectations for him but I
expected that much out of him. In a perfect world, a GM can fill all the holes
that the team has but with the contracts the Dodgers are going to and have
given out (that were complete wastes), they aren’t going to have big bags of
money to fix every problem. Saito is still around but may have to yield to
Broxton, who is capable of being a closer. He will have to develop another
pitch.
5. Replace Penny – Brad Penny was
a good pitcher for the Dodgers except for this past season. Perhaps the Dodgers
may pick him up at a reduced price but I think he would be risky to bring back
as a starter. The Dodgers need to replace him in the way that they need an
innings-eater in the back of the rotation. Not that Penny was ever that guy but
the Dodgers aren’t going to be able to get a guy that will pitch like Penny did
in 2007. Maybe but I have my doubts with all that needs to be done.
Overall, this time of free-agent signings will have some surprises for
the Dodgers. I don’t think Manny is crucial for the Dodgers to be in the
playoffs again but I think that we should try to get him back. He is a character
risk but I don’t think he will act the way that he did in Boston. He will always be Manny but he was
with Boston for
quite a while before there were significant problems. I might be naïve in
saying all of this but he is such a dominant hitter that even a Manny that is
taking a step back is really good. It would be nice to get Manny and CC but that is probably not going to happen. Manny and Peavy would be great.
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