Dodgers Offseason To-Do List, 2015/16

[Villain]

For my part, in this order:

1. New Manager and coaching staff - duh.

2. Top-shelf starting pitcher (or two!) - Greinke, Price, Cueto, et al. McCarthy and Ryu don't look to be ready in time. July/August for McCarthy, May/June for Ryu (that's wild speculation). Frias and Bolsinger are not the answer. Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, and Jharel Cotton aren't ready yet. Yadier Alvarez (that Cuban teenager) - I have no idea what's going on with him or how far away he is from the bigs. Brett Anderson and Alex Wood are great for the back-end of the rotation. Neither are #2 guys.

3. The Bullpen - Always and forever. This winter starts with a decent foundation, but can still use improvement. From free agency there's Darren O'Day AKA right-handed JP Howell. That'd be a fun combo to hove both of those guys. Help can, and probably will, also come to BP from trades, the farm (Chris Anderson, no longer a starter?), and of course the multitude of NRI guys who come around in spring training.

4. First base - WTF First base? Adrian Gonzalez is steady year-in-and-year-out! Yeah, well, he's getting older and there's no one behind him besides Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner, and Yasmani Grandal and none of them are probably the right answer. Dodgers need to be ready in case Adrian gets hurt or his age arrives like a freight train.

5. TOO MANY OUTFIELDERS!!! Yes, this again. Carl Crawford and Ethier. One or both have to go. Scott Schebler is ready. Puig should be healthy. Joc Pederson will probably rebound into a serviceable CF that straddles the two extremes from his rookie year - he will probably not be the First Half "All-Star Slugger" or the Second Half "All-Glove Strikeout Monster" but rather something between and I'm sure we'll all be happy with that.

6. AJ Ellis - What's the plan, man? You still playing? Austin Barnes is ready.

7. Corey Seager's Statue - Has to be carved out of marble, right? Should it be up by the Top Deck or somewhere down by one of the outfield entrances? Carved by an American or some weirdo artisan guy from Italy? Or maybe it could be bronze? Is he hitting or fielding or having his arm around some cute kid that's looking up to his hero?

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What am I missing? What else does this club need to figure out this winter?

 

[OutlawImmortal]

You covered just about everything except 2nd base. I'd love to see Kendrick come back but if we can't free up some money by getting rid of the Crawford and Ethier contracts then I wouldn't mind going with Peraza and using Kendrick's money for pitching.

It would be a shame to have traded Heaney for 1 year of Howie.

 

[Villain]

Don't rule out Chase Utley as an option to return, but yeah there's a lot of ways the club could go. I like the idea of Peraza and Kike splitting time there and in CF with a fluid mix that a guy like Utley could fit into nicely if he buys into not being out there every day.

 

[lasportzphan]

Bye bye Greinke. Could Brett be the #2 come opening day? Wow.

 

[Villain]

Bye bye Greinke. Could Brett be the #2 come opening day? Wow.

Winter Meetings haven't even started. Come on.

 

[lasportzphan]

Winter Meetings haven't even started. Come on.

Uh, who are the Dodgers going to trade? Urias and Seager are untouchable? JDL is not going to secure a blue chipper. Joc is supposedly not going any where. People note a deal is in the works, but the Didgers don't have the pieces to trade for an impact player.

 

[Villain]

Uh, who are the Dodgers going to trade? Urias and Seager are untouchable? JDL is not going to secure a blue chipper. Joc is supposedly not going any where. People note a deal is in the works, but the Didgers don't have the pieces to trade for an impact player.

Just wait and see. There are options out there.

 

[lasportzphan]

Just wait and see. There are options out there.

I like Iwakuma but this team is not better than last for it. Chapman (unless they flip him) is not a needle mover either.

 

[LASports96]

Already down on the team before the winter meetings have started :O

 

[lasportzphan]

Already down on the team before the winter meetings have started :O

Down on the team? Well, I know that this team has been unable to win more than six games in the playoffs despite three consecutive division titles and the best one-two punch in baseball. Meanwhile, in their last 19 playoff games the team has averaged 3.79 runs per game.

Meanwhile, the team has traded for Chapman (potential one year risk), Utley (37 years old, one year deal) and Iwakuma (34 year old with injury history).

The bullpen is bolstered if they do not flip Chapman. Utley is a part time player. Iwakuma is a solid #3 starter, but does not come close to replacing the void Greinke leaves. Meanwhile, Urias is nearly untouchable. Ethier and Crawford are nearly untouchable for other reasons. Puig's value has declined tremendously. AND even if the team did trade Ethier, Crawford, Puig etc would they secure offense or more pitching?

Meanwhile, pitching has not been the answer over the course of 19 playoff games. I am missing the strategy at play. So I will concede (as things stand now) the bullpen has been bolstered. But you have too give to get and with the pieces at hand I do not know how this team can compete offensively without trading their future.

 

[LASports96]

Chapman allegations as we're about to put together the best back end bullpen in the league.

Why can't we fucking have nice things

 

[shopson67]

Chapman allegations as we're about to put together the best back end bullpen in the league.

Why can't we fucking have nice things

Supposedly the Red Sox were setting up a deal earlier for Chapman and dropped it when they heard the allegations. Why wasn't it reported?

 

[lasportzphan]

Great off season. Dodgers really pulling things together.

 

[LASports96]

Complete the Chapman trade, sign Heyward, sign Maeda... rotation takes a step back but lineup and bullpen improved.

Peraza
Heyward
Turner
Gonzalez
Puig
Seager
Grandal
Pederson
Pitcher

Kershaw
Iwakuma
Maeda
Anderson
Wood
(Ryu, McCarthy, Bolsinger, JDL ready to step in)

Chapman
Jansen
Hatcher
Avilan
Howell
Baez
Garcia
Frias

 

[lasportzphan]

Complete the Chapman trade, sign Heyward, sign Maeda... rotation takes a step back but lineup and bullpen improved.

Peraza
Heyward
Turner
Gonzalez
Puig
Seager
Grandal
Pederson
Pitcher

Kershaw
Iwakuma
Maeda
Anderson
Wood
(Ryu, McCarthy, Bolsinger, JDL ready to step in)

Chapman
Jansen
Hatcher
Avilan
Howell
Baez
Garcia
Frias

Maeda would be huge. Giants are in on that too and presumably the front runner. Chapman ain't happening unless the charges are dropped and this whole thing blows over in two weeks - it's doubtful. And Dodgers probably wanted to flip him, so, yeah, not happening. Heyward reportedly wants 10 years. Media posturing? Probably. But a few teams in the hunt for him. Options are falling by the weigh side very quickly. I had high hopes for this FO. Not impressed so far.

 

[Smed55]

Maeda would be huge. Giants are in on that too and presumably the front runner. Chapman ain't happening unless the charges are dropped and this whole thing blows over in two weeks - it's doubtful. And Dodgers probably wanted to flip him, so, yeah, not happening. Heyward reportedly wants 10 years. Media posturing? Probably. But a few teams in the hunt for him. Options are falling by the weigh side very quickly. I had high hopes for this FO. Not impressed so far.

Ya, how can Arizona questionably get better than us in a matter of months, they were no where near as good as us, now they are, if not better?

I agree Chapman isn't coming here with a possible suspension hanging over his head!

Hard to pick up an outfielder when we can't get rid of any of the ones we do have!

 

[Villain]

Great off season. Dodgers really pulling things together.

I know.


Dude. There's no way the Dodgers are done. Just chill. Obviously the Chapman trade had the makings of a bigger move and it all got screwed to hell. That being said, there's no way these guys are done yet.

Won't be surprised to see a signing of guy like Cueto/Maeda or a trade for guy like Carrasco (hell, or even Fernandez though it seems very unlikely in his case).

But yeah, can't say I'm comfortable about the top end of the rotation as it stands today. Kuma is fine as a 3rd starter. I think everyone, including the Front Office, still has the desire to get another big arm.

I wonder about the trade availability of Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, considering they will both be free agents next winter. They might be able to be gotten for cheap, as buy-low-and-hope-they-pitch-to-their-ceiling types.

 

[LASports96]

Well Cueto seems to be the more likely big ticket item as of now, which would be cool. I think Cueto is getting underrated for the couple rough start stretch he had last year with KC. This guy was a legitimate top end type guy for a few years there prior to that. Nobody will ever replace 2015 Greinke but Kershaw-Cueto-Iwakuma could potentially be as good if not better than Kershaw-Greinke-Anderson was without a doubt.

That would certainly be a good first step but I'm also looking at an upgrade in either the bullpen or the lineup as well, let's make this team really deep and good.

I have no clue why we aren't in harder on Heyward, or maybe we are and that hasn't been leaked but he seems like a perfect acquisition. DO IT!

 

[lasportzphan]

Well Cueto seems to be the more likely big ticket item as of now, which would be cool. I think Cueto is getting underrated for the couple rough start stretch he had last year with KC. This guy was a legitimate top end type guy for a few years there prior to that. Nobody will ever replace 2015 Greinke but Kershaw-Cueto-Iwakuma could potentially be as good if not better than Kershaw-Greinke-Anderson was without a doubt.

That would certainly be a good first step but I'm also looking at an upgrade in either the bullpen or the lineup as well, let's make this team really deep and good.

I have no clue why we aren't in harder on Heyward, or maybe we are and that hasn't been leaked but he seems like a perfect acquisition. DO IT!

Dodger management disagrees with you on Heyward being the perfect fit as the Cubs just signed. Terms not yet disclosed.

Cueto would be great. I know there are some shoulder concerns and he did "slump" last year. I like that he is younger and showed up when KC needed him the most last year.

I have no issue with Greinke not being signed or for the lack of activity. Management has been forthright in that they do not like long term deals past 36 years old, they are building the farm and they want improved financial flexibility/sustainability. I completely respect their approach and candor. Furthermore, Kasten intimated (this week) that they are just about ready for the youth to step up and lead the organization (JDL, Urias, Saeger etc).

However, this team is not improved over last year and as I have noted, probably a few years away from a WS bid assuming the youth develops accordingly. So the fan in me is disappointed that another season of Kershaw's prime is for naught, but I understand that it takes time too build managements vision.

 

[shopson67]

Heyward to the Cubs