The 2019 Spendodger Memorial Spring Training Thread!

[grabarkewitz]

What are we up to now? Day 120 of the Bryce Harper Sweepstakes? More talk from Nightengale, Olney and some folks saying it is a done deal just waiting for the right moment to have all parties involved to be in Arizona? Florida? The morning jibber-jabber is that the Phillies think their chances are nil and they are going to make a big play for Keuchel and, maybe, Kimbrel. The Giants' version of Bill Plaschke is saying it is down to LA and San Francisco and he doesn't like the Giants' chance. Bad time to turn into a pumpkin, huh? I will believe it when I see it. Olney tries to sound like he is in the know but it all sounds like GM speak from Friedman. Like Brendt said, this is an ownership decision. If Walter wants his next media guide cover for the Dodgers, he will get Harper. At the end of the day, he is the one signing the checks and I am sure he has no problem endorsing one to the MLB if this move gets him that trophy and ring. He has done it before and gotten less for his buck.

Honestly, I don't know if Harper is the answer but I think if we get a pitcher like Bauer or Kluber by moving our excess, I think that is the more likely answer. I am not confident Kershaw will answer the bell in April, but if we are lucky, we will have Kershaw for some part of '19. Adding a Bauer, Kluber, even Stroman would just be the rich getting richer. Like some wise man once said, you can never have enough pitching.

 

[brendtmc]

No question on something of this magnitude the owner has to be on board. What I was trying to say is I think whatever involvement the Dodgers have in this is owner directed and not anything Friedman would have suggested they even consider.

I don't know. I can see Freidman suggesting Harper on a deal that is feasible with the LA payroll and timeline. I think he is always out ahead of the curve, so the fact that he would be pursuing a contract angle that would fit into LA's philosophy wouldn't surprise me at all.

I also don't know enough about Walter to know if he would even be pursuing/pushing something like this. Owners like Seinbrenner Sr. and Illich used to be, and Moreno was recently, were into their team enough to push for certain things. Is Walter? I don't know.

 

[dsinsocal]

Freidman's job is to disguise a 3/120 deal (AAV: 40M) as a 10/320 deal (AAV: 32M) and save the team 8M per year against the cap.

 

[BigBlaster]

Honestly, I don't know if Harper is the answer but I think if we get a pitcher like Bauer or Kluber by moving our excess, I think that is the more likely answer. I am not confident Kershaw will answer the bell in April, but if we are lucky, we will have Kershaw for some part of '19. Adding a Bauer, Kluber, even Stroman would just be the rich getting richer. Like some wise man once said, you can never have enough pitching.

FWIW, Kershaw played catch at 60 feet for 5 minutes. Unclear if 5 minutes was all that was planned or if it cut short. I'm guessing the answer to THAT question might determine what happens in the next few days.

 

[DodgerSSR]

Freidman's job is to disguise a 3/120 deal (AAV: 40M) as a 10/320 deal (AAV: 32M) and save the team 8M per year against the cap.

Andrew is going to have to be pretty creative to take on even the lower figure, $32M, and stay under the luxury tax threshold of $206M this year. By most accounts we're sitting at about $196M right now. The big money earners (Kershaw, Jansen, Turner, Hill, and Ryu) aren't going anywhere. Pederson's salary this year is only $5M.

 

[dsinsocal]

It's not just about going over the cap... but the higher you go over the cap the more it costs you.

 

[NewportDodger]

I think that if the Dodgers get Harper, they are going to try and haircut some contracts. Toles isn't a ton of money but he and Joc have no place on the team if Harper is signed. They will rarely see the field.

Playing time in general tightens up for guys like Kike and CT3 as well.

 

[BigBlaster]

Non-news news: Friedman says Kershaw's session went "pretty well," but he's still day-to-day ("There's still lots of time.") On the Harper situation: "We never say never." Refused to handicap the Dodgers' chances. He's very impressed with Urias, this spring. Sun rose in the east. That's the news, for the moment.

 

[NewportDodger]

I was reading the comments on CK and it seems like they are covering their words very carefully.

 

[brendtmc]

Andrew is going to have to be pretty creative to take on even the lower figure, $32M, and stay under the luxury tax threshold of $206M this year. By most accounts we're sitting at about $196M right now. The big money earners (Kershaw, Jansen, Turner, Hill, and Ryu) aren't going anywhere. Pederson's salary this year is only $5M.

Or maybe the opinion that staying under the LTT that many here have been poo-pooing all winter is nothing more than bupkus?

LA drops upward or north of $80M off their payroll next winter, and then drops additional millions the winter after. There is every opportunity to get under the LTT again in the near future if they choose to go over now.

 

[brendtmc]

I think that if the Dodgers get Harper, they are going to try and haircut some contracts. Toles isn't a ton of money but he and Joc have no place on the team if Harper is signed. They will rarely see the field.

Playing time in general tightens up for guys like Kike and CT3 as well.

Pederson also becomes repetitive as yet another left handed bat in the outfield. I could see him moved if Harper is signed.

I do not however see Taylor losing signiicant playing time, if any at all. Hernandez, I agree, but Taylor is penciled in at 2B. I don't think he's any more than a bit player in the outfield this year as the team is currently constructed.

 

[beefchopper]

Heyman said Bryce to Phillies. Done deal

 

[DODGERMAN92]

Heyman said Bryce to Phillies. Done deal

Wow! It was expected, we’ll i guess we’re keeping pederson

 

[beefchopper]

Wow! It was expected, we’ll i guess we’re keeping pederson

I'm fine with that and just hope we add a #2/3 starter

 

[dsinsocal]

The next bit of intrigue... seeing if that other twitter guy actually does cancel his account...

 

[dsinsocal]

If true.... for all the talk about Bryce wanting to play close to home, and his family not wanting to live on the East Coast, or him wanting to compete for a World Series, the one thing that stuck in the back of my brain like a stingray barb this entire time.... Harper hired Boras.

You don't hire Boras as your agent unless the only thing you really care about is money. Either that, or the Dodgers really weren't offering more than 120 million guaranteed and everything we've read over the past several days was a Boras-induced lie, which is probably more likely.

 

[Matthew]

13 years/$330 million.

 

[UCSB07]

@Ken_Rosenthal
The 13-year, $330M deal for Harper will include an average annual value of $25.4M - the 14th-highest in major-league history. With no opt-outs, per @JeffPassan and others, massive commitment by #Phillies.

Thats a lot of commitment

 

[NewportDodger]

That’s such a desperate overpay. It’s just suicide for your payroll. No opt outs?

Sounds like the Dodgers were used yet again to drive up the price.

 

[NewportDodger]

I don’t see how the Phillies could go after Trout now. He is going to get a $400 million deal. How could the Phillies commit $730 million to two players? How will they be able to pay Realmuto?