HawkeyeDodger

Here are two different rumors that I heard today. One is that the Twins prefer Buehler to JDL. The second one was a little harder to believe from the Twins standpoint. The Dodgers would include two higher prospects if the Twins take McCarthy off their hands.

I was going to mention Thompson. He was playing really well last year until he fractured his back in two spots. He hid it from the team and his numbers took a nose dive. Once the pain got too bad he admitted to the team what was going on and they found the fractures. Apparently, he's healthy now but hasn't done any baseball activities yet as a precaution.

The second year is an option year. It could also be guaranteed by the Dodgers too. There's usually wiggle room. The real issue is Detroit hasn't decided whether they are in or out.

Oh it made it. People just realized that Bro and Bra made people sound like tools or dbag frat boys. If you had read one of the next posts I talked about .OBP and .OPS. That's okay though. I know some are just looking for conflict rather than discussion.

Puig is much more of a knucklehead than a bad guy. He's great with the fans and kids at spring training. Most guys pimp their HR's these days, but unfortunately, Puig isn't always right about when he's hit one. I may have been wrong earlier when I said he scored from 1st on a single in the gap during the game he botched the SAC bunt. It may have been directly after his 400 ft single that got him benched. You reminded me of that. It happened once last year and unlike when Cespedes does it, Puig was held accountable and he took responsibility. The not knowing the outs thing is false. Really those were the only two incidents on the field last year, but he is a lightning rod for media attention. He gets lambasted for things sometimes that others get a free pass on. His biggest detriment is probably learning how to handle failure. Until last season he would get defensive rather than accept coaching or put so much pressure on himself that he can't handle big spots. At this point in his career he isn't a guy you want to bat 3-5. Not really a two out guys with runners in scoring position hitter. Honestly, he tries to hard and gets really down on himself when he fails. He's performed his best hitting either 1st, 2nd, or further down like 6th, or 7th. After he returned from the minors he seemed much more relaxed and under control emotionally. I wonder if Toles shared some anxiety meds with him. The first month of the season when the Dodgers weren't hitting yet, Puig's play in RF was worth the price of admission night in and night out even though he wasn't hitting. He has improved fundamentally. People have to remember than not only did he not get much time in the minors, he didn't play that much ball in Cuba either. He will never be a stellar base runner, but if you watch a big guy like him run in person it is amazing how fast he is and he will make hustle plays on the bases as well as knuckehead plays. Honestly, I don't want the Dodgers to trade him. If he doesn't click under Dave Roberts I don't think he's going to anywhere else either.

Just got done listening to Dodger Talk with the Dodgers beat reporter. He said the Dodgers have made an offer for Dozier and it is the Twins holding things up. He didn't mention any names. I'm sure from the Twins perspective the Dodgers are holding things up. He basically said the new front office for the Twins is afraid to pull the trigger at the moment. He also said that the Dodgers are still talking to Tigers and Rays about Kinsler and Forsythe. At winter meeting he was told by a few AL GM's that they thought Forsythe was a better overall player than Dozier. Freidman traded for Forsythe once before too. The Dodgers currently have 39 guys on the roster and have to add Turner and Jansen. Awaiting for them to take physicals and the Dodgers are shopping Kazmir to teams hoping to clear a space. He mentioned the Mariners. Don't kill the messenger. Just reporting was was stated.

Yes. He wouldn't have been on much of an innings limit this past year had he not sprained an ankle coming out of ST. He missed at least the first month of the season. He stayed back at extended spring training while he got his ankle healthy. The Dodgers had asked him to work on his body and conditioning. I mentioned that he has a girlfriend who plays tennis so he started working out with her and the Dodgers felt that he actually lost too much weight and it took a tick or two off his fastball so they were trying to put weight back at him in AZ too. Without the injury, he would have been up before Urias and Stewart as well as some of the junk pitchers they picked up like Bud Norris. All of us Dodgers fans would have like to have seen more of him last year. While watching his minor league progress it seemed like most damage against him came in the 1st inning if teams got to him. He definitely has big league stuff, but he might be susceptible to the long ball. He gave up some majestic shots in Sept. when he was off.

Having read this it makes me wonder if that final offer that Dave mentioned was from the Twins and not the Dodgers. Like I said, I have no reason to doubt Dave's integrity, but if the Dodgers are worried about moving Deleon as the first piece then I have a hard time thinking it was the Dodgers who said Deleon and Alvarez + AAAA player is the final offer. Turner's deal is done now so the Dodgers can move on to other things. I'm sure the Dodgers have and will continue to check in on McCutchen if they can rid themselves of an OF.

People were saying the same thing about Chris Camello on Sunday night. I don't know Dave well enough to doubt his integrity. I'm just a guest here and was curious to hear from Twins fans.

He is close with Deleon. He did everything they asked of him when he was sent down and when he returned. Can he maintain that for 162 games is the million dollar question? I will say that he chased less balls out of the strike zone when he came back up. Each year since his rookie year he has been better about hitting the cutoff man and honestly he played GG level defense most of the time out there. He does need to get leaner and he does need to shorten up. Most Dodgers fans weren't happy to see Reddick getting most of the AB's in the postseason against the Cubs. Deleon isn't his only friend either. Sometimes the media makes it sound like he's hated in the clubhouse. He was just at Jansen's wedding with Turner and SVS. Maturity and consistent dedication to the little things is what's needed. He may just be a .280-.285 hitter who hits 15-20 HRs a year and plays stellar defense and not the guy who took the game by storm. He's never going to be a great base stealer because he can't read pitcher very well. The base running has been incrementally better but there is head scratching moments like when he was bunted over to 3rd last year and he froze and didn't run. Later in the game he scored from 1st on a single in the gap. So, you take the good with bad on the bases. Having said that, I'm not sure that I see him as a fit in Minnesota though. And yes, I used batting average again.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Dodgers have swing and miss guys like Pederson and Grandal in the lineup already. I don't think most will doubt that the Dodgers would be better against lefties with Dozier, but having two other guys high K guys in the lineup is something to consider.

I've been reading the debate on Puig. Here's the deal with him. It isn't hustle. He actually hustles more than anyone not named Chase Utley. It isn't locker room stuff, It's is preparing like a big leaguer. He doesn't watch enough film. He wasn't taking stretching properly serious enough. He wasn't prepared to play when he wasn't starting. The Dodgers got tired of him pulling a hammy all of the time and not getting anything going. Lastly, he's too bulky and can't catch up with a good fastball so they've asked him to become more lean.

I also listed .OBP and OPS. Sorry, i didn't list more advanced sabremetrics. You'll have to excuse me. I'm in a sling post-labrum surgery. Simply stating the very issues that I'm sure the Dodgers and Twins are debating. Like I said, it isn't a slight on Dozier's season. The Dodgers concerns will we weighed against a cheap deal for two years and impressive power season in 2016. Do, people still use bro or is that as antiquated as batting avg?

The Brewers claimed Puig, but a deal could't get worked out in time.

Deleon's upside projects from a 2-3. More likely a 2 in a small market.

Good point, but two different situations altogether. That was just after the new ownership had bought the team from a bankrupt owner who had driven the fans out of the stadium. MLB had the largest stadium in baseball more than half empty. The new owners had nothing in the minors except a few guys at the lowest levels. They spent money with that trade to put fans back in the seats while they rebuilt their minors. It was more of an extension of the purchase of the team. The Dodgers didn't have the luxury of tanking like the Cubs and Mets to rebuild. The last few years they have not pushed their chips all in and dealt guys like Seager, Pederson, and Urias when Hamels, Price, and Sale were available. The new ownership is very dedicated to not winding up like the Phillies the last few years. The team will stay competitive long-term by replacing Gonzalez with Bellinger. Ethier and Crawford are off the book after this year. Kazmir, McCarthy, Gonzalez, and Ryu after 2018. All teams want to have flexibility for the FA class following the 2018 season so the Dodgers haven't gone all in like the Cubs did when they traded for Chapman.

Dialogue is good so I don't think you sound like a jerk, but Dozier is a career .243 hitter, with excellent power, and slightly above average defense. Yes, I acknowledged he draws walks. He's not Schoop from Baltimore, but his career OBP is .320 and it was just a tick over .300 two years ago. Until last year his batting avg sat between .236 and .244 with an OPS of .about .750. So, believe me there is reason to be cautious about overpaying for Dozier. He won't hit 40+ bombs at Dodger Stadium. It ain't happening nor should it be the expectation if they acquire him. His defense is much better than Uggla's but I hope you can understand the comparison by some. Of course no one expects him to completely lose it like Uggla did. To me he looks a lot offensively like Grandal, but he can steal some bases and play 2B. It's hard to tell if he's trending up or that was his peak season last year. That is the million dollar question for the Dodgers front office to figure out if they're going to put prospects like Deleon and Alvarez on the table. Like I said in an earlier post, fans tend to over value their own players and undervalue the other teams players on every message board including us Dodgers fans.

I'm not sure where you think I'm getting 6 players. Dave has been extremely clear.

You are correct. They are never in all-in mode. There were no real in-house replacements for Turner and Jansen, especially Turner and it would have cost them prospects to replace them. Now that they still have all of their prospects with the exception of the ones wasted on Josh Reddick, the Dodgers have enough prospects to get a Dozier, Kinsler, or Solarte to play 2b. Bellinger and Buehler will not be traded and I'm doubtful about Alvarez. I will say that the Dodgers would have to move an outfielder if they have any inclination in getting involved with McCutcheon.

It's way too much for Dozier. I've run it by some Dodgers fans and no one buys it or should I say no one would be happy about it. The Dodgers paid $16 million to sign Alvarez. After one minor league season at rookie and low A level where he excelled, I have a hard time believing he is the second piece for a ..250 hitter. No offense to Dozier. He had a great season. If the Twins got offered Deleon and Stewart, I would jump at it if I was the Twins GM. Now the guy who broke the Turner and Jansen signings last night has sources that we can't doubt. Chris Carello broke all of it last evening long before MLBTR and all of the talking heads got a hold of it. The Dodgers have some roster shuffling to do in order to make room for JT and KJ. They only have one spot open right now. Of course a trade for Dozier that includes at least 2 guys on the 40 man roster would fix that.

Culberson has a guranteed contract if he accepts his demotion to AAA. He knows darn well that he isn't going to be the starting 2B for the Dodgers next year. If he's a good boy and accepts the outright to AAA , he will get every opportunity to make the team next year in ST. He spent most of the year at AAA but was on the NLDS roster. So his demotion doesn't mean that it has to be for someone who plays 2B.

You would think so. free-agent or trade is the question though.

Yet. The Dodgers blew up their entire international signing pool for Alvarez and passed on Moncada so they could go after him. He is a very young guy who hits 100 mph with a plus slider. Dozier had a great year but the Dodgers would take Kinsler first if they could. One thing about DeLeon. He would have been up before Urias and Stewart if he hadn't sprained an ankle. Once he finally returned he had a sore arm after a very dominant first outing at AAA. The Dodgers shut him down to be careful. He has a girlfriend that is a pro tennis player and the Dodgers had asked him to work on his body and they felt he actually lost too much weight while doing so. So, it was kind of strange season for Deleon.

If the Twins could get Deleon and Stewart for Dozier they should jump at that deal. The Dodgers aren't trading Bellinger in a deal for Dozier, Kinsler, or anyone else. Stewart was their minor league pitcher of the year and getting him and DeLeon would be a great haul. I have a hard time believing the Dodgers would deal Alvarez and Deleon for a career .246 hitter who plays avg. defense. 42 HR's arent happening in Dodger Stadiums From a Dodgers perspective they have spent the last 5 years rebuilding their minors so they can be competitive for the long run. Freidman and Co. aren't ever in the all-in mode. Most boards, including the Dodgers board, overvalue their own players and undervalue others. The Dodgers have a very deep pool of big league ready and near big league ready pitchers. DeLeon, Stewart, Oaks, Sborz, De Jong. plus others that are more bullpen arms. Verdugo and Calhoun are both top 100 prospects too. I don't see the Dodgers dealing Bellinger, Alvarez, or Buehler. Especially as a second piece for a nice player like Dozier. I've been wrong before and who knows maybe Alvarez could be in a deal, but I would be shocked especially after the Dodgers just dealt Cotton, Montas, and Holmes for Hill and that turd Reddick. I would bet just about anything that Bellinger is not included.

That's more likely than DeLeon and Bellinger.