Random thoughts about the players we will have on our roster entering next season.

[u/sammieswammie]

- I don’t think Mookie is a top of the order bat anymore and he should move to 2nd to save body.
- Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow, Sasaki, Sheehan, Wrobleski is a good enough rotation to win division…however
- Glasnow has not met the expectations when we traded for him. He is not a dependable top end starter in playoffs and can’t stay healthy.
- Snell can’t stay healthy for a full season.
- the further development of Sasaki as a front line starter is crucial to Dodgers success next season.
- If Teoscar can be moved the team should make JDP the full time LF despite the fielding worries.
- Diaz should return to form next season. His good year followed by bad year stats are hilariously accurate.
- Tanner Scott needs a third pitch. He should be used as a lefty specialist. I can’t watch when he pitches.
- All the talk about Yamamoto possibly being the greatest postseason pitcher before his start against the Brewers made the baseball gods angry, so of course he had a terrible outing.
- Pages is a FA in 2030. Where does that put Sirota, who is also a +defender in CF, but can also hit RHP. Pages numbers not great.
- Freeland/Kim are not usable players at SS.
- Jake Bauers is a free agent at the end of the season. His one chance at a big contract, Brewers probably don’t resign him. I’m coping.
- The dynasty is not over.

[u/bebopmechanic84]

The dynasty ends when Friedman and Roberts move on. They have the resources and experience to keep this team in contention for as long as they want.

And a healthy Shohei elevates this team to the heavens.

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Bauer's is not signing with the Dodgers. He's the type of player that does good in this postseason and a team signs him to a big contract only to watch him regress hard. Honestly I think he needs to stay on the Brewers but we know they won't sign him for the money he thinks he deserves.

[u/Willow_Winnifred → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Isn't he in his 30s, too? If he were 25, maybe, but not a guy on the wrong side of 30 having ONE breakout performance

[u/Dalewyn → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Expanding on this, can we move on from Big Name Acquisitions(tm)? They've all been disasterous or mild failures to varying degrees. Especially with prospects in the minors who get blocked by these purchases.

Tucker salvaged himself in the postseason, but that doesn't excuse his pathetic regular season. Skubal ended up being the source of pitching complacency. Diaz was an abject failure until he finally came back in the postseason. Scott last year was a dumpster fire and he still ended up rocky towards the end this year.

It's the small name grabs like Lauer and prospects like JDP we should be focusing on; build a team, not buy one.

[u/DoyersDoyers]

I don't agree with your Glasnow take. Yeah, he walked quite a few batters, but that was a theme of the entire pitching staff, not just Glasnow. He had a 1.69 ERA in last seasons postseason.

[u/geogerf27 → u/DoyersDoyers]

I mean it wasn’t walks based on loss of control. Anything in the zone the brewers would chop into a single or more. That’s how they tore up our bullpen, which leading into the series, everyone was super confident

[u/sammieswammie → u/DoyersDoyers]

True, the ERA is low, but in his 5 starts from the last 2 playoffs, he's gotten through 6IP 1 time. Got through 5 2/3 another time and then the rest he was pulled during the 4th. He has nasty stuff, but shouldn't more be expected from the potential Cy Young candidate we traded for?

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90 → u/sammieswammie]

None of our starters are durable besides Yamamoto. Thats the difficult part is that when our starters pitch the quality is there just don't have the durability to show it throughout the course of the year. Let's see what they do to address that. Might need to invest more on health/medical experts

[u/mdb_la → u/sammieswammie]

Game 4 was literally the first playoff Glasnow start that the Dodgers lost. He's a great piece of the rotation.

[u/RandomLAFan]

All the talk about the Dodgers doing "load-management" to their pitchers but there should be a conversation where they should do that to their batters as well. Some of our guys are getting pretty old and they might not be capable to be an every day starter.

Don't agree with your Glasnow take and we'll have to wait and see with Freeland/Kim

[u/Kevin1000000]

I see the Dodgers going back to platooning at multiple positions (3B, LF) if they don’t need to shed salary. If they do need to shed salary, I think Pages is used in a package to move Teo, Edman, and/or Scott to a team that needs to reach a salary floor. Sirota ultimately takes over CF with Quintero/Morales/Tibbs/De Paula filling in other outfield spots and 1B after Freeman retires.

[u/CabbageStockExchange]

I think a lot rests on what direction Friedman chooses to go. If he chooses the loyal stick to the old guard route. We’re going to stagnate. If he chooses to regenerate the side and start injecting some youth and sculpting a new identity slowly that would be more sustainable.

Do not be surprised if outside of the Ohtani/Betts/Freeman/Smith core you still see guys like Teoscar/Muncy here. With Rojas retiring and Kiké likely moved on from. This is a key junction to see if young blood will take up those spots and we start seeing Teoscar/Muncy slowly phased out as well

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90 → u/CabbageStockExchange]

He can't choose a full rebuild, we still have Betts, Freeman and Tucker contracts on the books so we have to work with what we got. I do believe in an injection of youth and that begins with De Paula and maybe Alex Freeland (I know he hasn't be great so far) but he's one of the few infield prospects we have so I would like to see him one more year consistently on the major league roster. In my opinion we should try for Skubal and that's it. Vesia will be missed but we have Scott and Dryer at the moment.

[u/Dalewyn → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Vesia will be missed but we have Scott and Dryer at the moment.

We absolutely have to try and keep Vesia. Scott is nowhere as strong under pressure and Dreyer doesn't have enough experience yet.

[u/MaxOutput → u/CabbageStockExchange]

I do wonder if this next year or two will be Max's last.

[u/Gulf2Coast2Coast]

I don’t agree with your take on Glasnow and pages… but mostly agree.

This will be one of the most unique/interesting off seasons. Without the pressure of title defense next year will be a nice fresh start too.

There was a great article about how after the Yankees three peat that franchise stayed good to great but never won again until the line ship in 09 with mostly different roster.

Hopefully we can avoid that, but other teams have caught up and ahead now (Brewers anyone). Next year will be an interesting test. Hope how this year ended give the boys extra juice next year. And god let’s get younger.

[u/Willow_Winnifred → u/Gulf2Coast2Coast]

I will fucking riot if we move on from Pages

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

I think Teoscar needs to be moved but who knows if that happens. The organization would love for De Paula to take over LF, but I think it'll come down to how he does during Spring Training. If he struggles he might start the year in Triple A. Sirota is not ready until at earliest 2nd half of next year. We have to trust in Pages and Tucker. Pages put good numbers throughout regular season and Tucker improved his at bats September and into the playoffs.

[u/AceBH13]

JDP is not playing left field in the majors next year.

[u/bhuang18 → u/AceBH13]

All these people that want DePaula have never seen him play the outfield. DePaula in the outfield is literally worse than anyone else on the team

[u/commie90 → u/bhuang18]

I think it’s that a lot of casual/newer fans genuinely do not understand that defense isn’t easy. They think batting is the main thing that matters.

[u/Realfan555 → u/commie90]

Isn’t defense easier than offense?

[u/Bruce_Louis → u/bhuang18]

Just have him work on it, hes young and should be able to develop his fielding skills to be an average outfielder

[u/bhuang18 → u/Bruce_Louis]

“Just have him work on it”. What you think they been doing in the minors. He literally plays the outfield in the minors and he still is horrid. Go look up a video of this guy playing the outfield. You don’t want this guy out there, people complain about Teo and DePaula is way worse

[u/OnlyKey5675 → u/bhuang18]

Post video

[u/Bruce_Louis → u/bhuang18]

Hes 21 years old man, you have to give the guy the chance to develop. If hes 29 years old then yea thats a different story.

[u/commie90 → u/Bruce_Louis]

Right, it that’s why he needs to stay in the minors. No one is saying to DFA him. But he’s not ready to be primarily on the daily roster. If he can’t catch at the minor league level, then he’s in no way ready for a consistent role in the majors.

[u/Zorosan22 → u/Bruce_Louis]

he can develop in the minors

[u/DJDaddyDick14 → u/Bruce_Louis]

Honestly it’s probably a lost cause at this point. The guy has been in the Dodgers system since he was 16. If he wanted to be a good fielder or even decent fielder. He would be by now. This is a knock on the dodgers minor league system for not addressing the needs immediately. But the coaches at the lower levels were probably just happy he could hit and ignored it. Now JDP hears the criticism and says he wants to prove people wrong. You should have done that from the beginning. Not wait til you are ready to crack the major league roster.

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90 → u/bhuang18]

He's also 21, we had Teoscar out there this year. I think we could live with the growing pains of learning left field. His bat plays.

[u/DJDaddyDick14 → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Teo’s fielding is basically JDP’s ceiling. He would be a massive downgrade next season. A massive down grade on a team with the worst corner defenders in the league.

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90 → u/DJDaddyDick14]

Well the organization rates him pretty highly or they would have traded him by now. I'll take their assessment over what you think of him.

[u/DJDaddyDick14 → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Not as a fielder they don’t. My opinion is literally what they have him rated as. 30-35 currently ceiling being 40. Teo is rated 40 now. 50 is average.

[u/Realistic_Stomach_90 → u/DJDaddyDick14]

So you would trade JDP for Elly? Why would the Reds want him if he's rates so badly. They are better off keeping Elly.

[u/DJDaddyDick14 → u/Realistic_Stomach_90]

Where did I mention trade or Elly?

[u/OnlyKey5675 → u/bhuang18]

He will 100% get some playing time in LF next season.

[u/Qrusher14242 → u/AceBH13]

then we need to think about trading him. Cause otherwise, what are going to do with him? can't DH with Ohtani.

[u/Willow_Winnifred → u/Qrusher14242]

Develop him in the minors, as we've done with countless others in a fantastic farm system?

[u/Realfan555 → u/Willow_Winnifred]

What have we been doing all this time with his defense?

[u/vespamike562 → u/AceBH13]

And Quientero might actually be better than JDP all around.

[u/Realfan555 → u/AceBH13]

Why?

[u/Far-Manufacturer-145]

$60 million a year for Tucker for the next three years is an albatross. Especially since they have like five outfielders in their minor league system that are top 100 minor league players. WTF were they thinking signing Tucker to that kind of contract. Must be very discouraging to be a talented minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. Can we please not sign any more high price free agents this year and start bringing in our homegrown talent, which is the Dodgers history of success

[u/UrCreepyUncle]

Health and a new hitting approach need to be top of the list going in to next season

[u/Bruce_Louis]

I think it would behoove the Dodgers to move Teoscar to provide space for JDP in the lineup. Yes his fielding sucks, but hes young and can develop. So yes I agree with this.

I also believe at 33 next season theres no way Tanner Scott can develop a 3rd pitch at this juncture of his career. He should probably not be used to close games, but if the lineups just lefty after lefty in the 9th then yes.

[u/trigeminal_nerd]

A lot depends on the CBA. If AF and the front office gets a whiff that a salary cap is coming, look for lots of deals and signings and maybe contract restructuring to be done that can be grandfathered in before the ink is dry on the CBA. Contracts like Teo’s may be attractive to other teams that need a quick bump above a salary floor but can dump after 1 season.

[u/MookieBettsBurner11]

Bauers I'm iffy on, because what if this season was a flash in the pan like Joc Pederson?

Yamamoto's start was partially Will Smith's fault to be fair.

I believe Sasaki will be a frontline starter next season.

JDP, we'll see how his defense develops this offseason.

Any free agent players you have an eye on?

[u/DJDaddyDick14]

So you suggest moves like move Mookie to 2b but who will be our SS? JDP full time LF, but he is literally projected to be as good as Teo defensively. Let me repeat that he is PROJECTED to be as good as Teo. He isn’t even there yet. The little I have seen of him, he looks slightly better than Smalls was when he fell over trying to catch a fly ball. Am I understanding that you want to move on from Pages, a guy who has proven he can play at the major league level. Has elite fielding. Sure his offense is up and down but he had an OPS of .811 this year. For a guy doing good in the minors. We all know guys killing it in the minors always translates to the MLB. Yep this all makes so much sense.

[u/Gamesharkdaddy]

Get Elly De La Cruz. Thats all.

[u/ShatHammer → u/Gamesharkdaddy]

How in tarnation do we pull that off after he looked like a top 5 player last year

[u/MookieBettsBurner11 → u/ShatHammer]

Yeah and he has 3 years of control. Idk, I'd be hesitant in trading for him.

[u/Aravinda82 → u/Gamesharkdaddy]

He’s not a good SS

[u/SumoRock]

Silver lining about being swept is that it leaves no doubt that we will have to be ultra aggressive in the moves we make this offseason where if it went 7 games we might be more content to just run it all back as is.

[u/dodgerswei]

Jake Bauer won’t be as good if he take advice from Dodger hitting coaches.. He will be a homerun + strikeout + fly ball to warning track machine after he join Dodgers…. Hitting philosophy is completely different between these two teams.. I hope he sign with Brewers for huge contract and handicapped them financially afterwards…

[u/dodgerswei]

Hopefully Dodgers won’t sign another big name reliever..

[u/Realfan555]

“  Pages is a FA in 2030”

You mean after 2030 is over? That’s 4 years away.

[u/funko_fanatic52]

I'm going to get burned for this, sign seiya Suzuki to play with ohtani. They both seemed very happy when they played or near each other.