"Wait, What Are We Going to Complain About Now?" - The 2020-2021 Hot Stove Offseason Thread

Another “If” though in the BP that’s in all fairness is 75% “Ifs” right now. The reality is that we needed Urias to be our guy in the most key moments last year and nothing so far this year has actually solidified our BP with a proven arm that isn’t counting on a bounce back season.

I’m totally fine with our moves but at some point, they need to get a guy who actually had a good year last year in my opinion. Just because Cohen or some other team goes into a tax or cap problem doesn’t mean that it’s our gain on the field which is all I care about.

By the way, I'm by no means saying adding Springer make the Mets a champion. I'm just trying to say I don't believe the money involved is any impediment to Cohen to try to achieve success.

It shouldn’t when he has that kind of money and wants something. Guys like Cohen are used to buying whatever they want. The difference is that in pro sports, you rarely are able to purely buy a title. Too many other variables that can’t be controlled with a wallet. If it were that easy, Jerry Jones would have 10 more rings in Dallas.

Tampa Bay proved that by taking advantage of stupid GM’s with a thirst for a “skip the line” mentality, they can build a cost effective team that came within a couple of games of winning it all.

I like our approach in that we have a champion on the field and also a deep system to go along with a fat wallet owner. It’s frustrating at times when a move or two could make life a lot easier especially with regards to the BP but AF is going to do AF things and he delivered finally.

You're right. You cannot buy a title but it sure doesn't stop mega wealthy folks from trying. When they already can and do buy whatever they want, some choose to spend it trying to achieve fame and glory. You see this most clearly in horseracing where the truly rich have been known to spend ridiculously high amounts for horses with a strong shot to win races like the Derby, clearly much more than any rational analysis would say they are worth. When guy who has spent the most in the world on throughbreds (over $1 billion), Sheihk Maktoum had his mast successful day ever winning several huge purse races at the Breeders Cup, he turned around and donated all the purse money to charity. To guys like that it is all about the glory, not economics.

That is the way I am seeing it, too. Cohen sees one way to get the ring and that is buying it. Far be it that more than a few teams have failed at buying a ring. I just can't see Springer taking the Jays' money until the Mets have said a final no on meeting his price. Even with the draconian penalties for going over the threshold, I can't see Cohen givng a shit tossing back $XMM to the league because he doesn't play well with others.

I was reading the comments regarding Bellinger getting $16.1MM and there are a lot of boneheads out there thinking that the Dodgers can't afford this years' arbitration raises. They were pretty much figured into the payroll for 2021. Of course, there is the argument that Bellinger will get too spendy but unless he can put together two 2019 type seasons together in a row, it is a safe bet the Dodgers will spend their money on Seager and Buehler first. But, these are the same people who overlook that the Dodgers continue to have a top five farm system and only have Betts signed past 2023.

Bellinger appeared distracted and enjoying his own press too much last offseason and at times during the season. The pictures that his cleat chaser girlfriend took of him in bed are the types of things that he needs to control. She is a known one in baseball who has been passed around multiple players including Giancarlo Stanton so he is fishing in a dirty pond.

He needs to get back to the grind. Hopefully, seeing how Betts plays and carries himself will help with that because the Dodgers won't think twice about moving on from him if he isn't playing at his expected level. Seager is a more mellow guy who seems to want to be the best.

I think the issue with Cody is that he is sowing those wild oats while both Betts and if I remember correctly, Seager are married and are a bit more mature. Bellinger needs to find some maturity this off-season and that means not taking up with the Baseball Annies.

Seager signed a $13.875MM deal for the '21 season. I think the only thing that kept Seager from getting the same deal as Bellinger is 2018. Now is the time for Friedman to start calculating some kind of longterm deal. I would go with something in the neighborhood of ten years and around $275 to $300MM before Cohen inks Lindor and throws everything out of whack.

2021 LA Dodgers Arbitration Information

Agreed to Contracts (6)

Cody Bellinger .... $16.100 million
Corey Seager ...... $13.750 million
Corey Knebel ...... $05.250 million
Julio Urias ....... $03.600 million
Scott Alexander ... $01.000 million
Dylan Floro ....... $00.975 million


Exchanged Arbitration Figures (2)

Walker Buehler ... Player ($4.150 million) | Team ($3.300 million) | Midpoint ($3.725 million)
Austin Barnes .... Player ($2.000 million) | Team ($1.500 million) | Midpoint ($1.750 million)

This sure sounds like something right up Friedman's alley:

That stint in San Diego saw Yates develop from being something of a journeyman reliever in his age-30 season into a legitimate weapon. Yates posted a 2.55 ERA and an exceptional 38.44 K% and 31.2 K-BB% over 183 2/3 innings with the Padres after being claimed off waivers from the Angels in April 2017. Yates emerged as the Padres’ closer after the Friars dealt Brad Hand in 2018, and he proceeded to convert 53 of 57 save opportunities over the 2018-19 seasons. Between a league-high 41 saves and a tiny 1.19 ERA over 60 2/3 innings in 2019, Yates received a ninth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award balloting.

2020, however, was a much different story, as Yates pitched only 4 1/3 innings before undergoing a season-ending surgery in August to remove bone chips from his elbow.

A few weeks ago, Acee reported that Yates was looking for a deal in the range of over $5MM in guaranteed money, plus millions more in potential incentives. (MLBTR projected a $5MM contract for Yates, ranking him 42nd in our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.) Even considering the slow-moving nature of the relief pitching market, that would seem like a pretty reasonable price for Yates, given the possible upside he could bring to any bullpen.

There hasn’t been much public buzz about Yates on the free agent rumor mill — besides the Padres, the Dodgers are the only other team known to have interest in Yates’ services. The Dodgers have addressed their bullpen by re-signing Blake Treinen and acquiring Corey Knebel, but there would certainly still be room for L.A. to also add Yates to the relief corps if they are one of Yates’ five finalists.

Supposedly, the Dodgers really like his splitter. It's something that they don't currently have in the BP.

I would put the odds higher on Yates than Hand. Bone chips are something that shouldn't hold him back. I also think that he is prime to have a bounceback and I would like to keep him out of SD.

And AF said he wants the pen to feature all different looks.

The one thing that I do like is that when you have a pen full of guys who are or have been closers, they tend to be able to have success against both RH's and LH's because they typically have to face both in high leverage situations. Yates, Treinen and Knebel have both been down that road many times. I don't feel that Kelly will ever be more than a guy who can implode at anytime if he isn't finding the plate so more RH's seems like a play. More guys to fill the void and let Graterol slowly acclimate himself because he doesn't miss bats even with his heat.

To be honest, Kelly’s backyard window did a bit of “imploding” too...


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His wife is apparently amazingly chill. I don't even want to think about the reaction from mine if I had done that.

https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodge...ing/2021/01/17/amp/?__twitter_impression=true Can’t fix stupid...


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Well at least he can’t tinker with his swing again


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Biggest thing for Bellinger is that he needs to get some introspective and realize that he has to mature on and off the field to realize his potential. There is no ceiling for this kid if he can get his swing down and close that massive hole.

Right now, talent has carried him. He has every tool imaginable. All he needs is a consistent toolbox. I’m hoping Mookie rubs off on him.