Dodgers Deserve Respect, Not Scorn
ALSO: MORE THAN A FEW FREE AGENTS WERE NOTORIOUSLY AWFUL
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Reader Reacts
“In comparing the Mets and the Braves, lest we forget the Phillies won the division last year. This is not to say Philadelphia will win it again, but they can't be overlooked.”
— Brian Greenberg, Long Island, NY
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
What’s more surprising: injured free-agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim getting a two-year, $29 million contract — you read that right — or the penny-pinching Tampa Bay Rays giving him the money? The Scott Boras client has an opt-out after the first year but could make a few million more through incentive clauses . . .
Max Scherzer’s surprise signing with Toronto (one year at $15.5 million) probably won’t tilt the balance of power in the American League East . . .
Now that lefty reliever Taylor Rogers has been traded from the Giants to the Reds, San Francisco no longer has identical twins in its bullpen, where the right-handed Tyler Rogers still resides . . .
Injured Houston righties Lance McCullers, Jr. and Luis Garcia won’t be ready when the season starts in April but might be back within a month, according to GM Dana Brown . . .
The former hasn’t thrown a pitch since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, while Garcia has been out since May 1, 2023 . . .
Both pitchers have been throwing in advance of spring training . . .
Tampa Bay fans are throwing too and it isn’t pretty: they’re miffed that season ticket prices have spiked 40 per cent since Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of Tropicana Field, forcing the team to relocate to the uncovered George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa . . .
The far smaller facility, used by the Yankees for spring training, will be subject to the vagaries of weather, including daily thunderstorms in the Tampa Bay area . . .
Appropriately-named Bradford Doolittle of ESPN doesn’t deserve to be labeled a “baseball expert” after reporting incorrectly that Atlanta ace Spencer Strider had Tommy John surgery (it was actually an much-less-invasive elbow brace procedure that will allow him to return much sooner).
Leading Off
Give the Dodgers Some Respect
By Ray Kuhn
When are the Los Angeles Dodgers going to stop?
Cleary, that is a rhetorical question as we know the Dodgers will not stop until they are celebrating a World Series victory at the end of 2025. And is there anything wrong with that? Do we really need to change the rules as a reaction to what they are currently doing?
For starters, we can’t blame the Dodgers, or other big-market teams such as the New York Mets, when many teams haven’t signed a single major-league free agent by the end of January. That is an entirely different problem, issue, and concern that needs to be addressed.
There’s also a difference though between having the highest payroll in the league and overpaying players. Every contract that the Dodgers give out is at market rate or below. And by below, I’m looking at you, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
But since when is signing a player to a contract with deferred dollars against the rules? It’s something teams have been doing for years and we are reminded every July 1st of the agreement between the Mets and Bobby Bonilla.
The problem for the Dodgers, is that as with a lot of other things, they are doing it at a higher level than any other team. Once again, they found an area in which they can be the best. But if it wasn’t for Ohtani, would this even be a conversation? While they have handed out deferred money to numerous other players, it has been done at more reasonable sums. Instead, this is simply another area in which Ohtani is a unicorn.
Comfort level for Ohtani was of the utmost importance. He clearly wanted to win and was also comfortable on the West Coast, specifically the Los Angeles area. After the Angels failed to build a winner around Ohtani, moving to the Dodgers only seemed natural. The fact that Ohtani was so burned by the lack of a supporting cast with the Angels, it would make sense that he would defer a portion of his salary so the Dodgers could truly build a winner around him.
Granted, they took things beyond the extreme, but again, there is no else quite like Ohtani. He simply prints money through his endorsements, so why not push out his cash flow. If by doing so he no longer calls the extremely high taxed California home when he receives those funds, even better.
Based on Ohtani’s logic, it only served to makes sense that Yamamoto would choose to also sign with the Dodgers. Considering the Mets, at a minimum, were offering a similar (or equal) contract, can we really place blame there or overreact?
When we get to Roki Sasaki heading to the big leagues this off-season, the blame decreases even more. For all intents and purposes, every major-league team had an equal shot at Sasaki. This had nothing to do about money, so can we really criticize the Dodgers here?
Every team can offer contracts with deferred money, but not every team is the Dodgers. There is the clear chance to compete for a championship every year, and that can’t be overstated. The fact that the Dodgers are able to compile an elite team despite the constraints of their home state is even more impressive. We know how high the taxes and cost of living are. Granted, MLB players are generally immune to those issues, but it’s not stopping them from adding whoever they want to their roster.
In fairness to Los Angeles though, it’s about more than throwing money at superstars. Sure, they have some legit All-Stars, but they also don’t make mistakes. When they sign a player, they generally aren’t wrong. Their success rate trumps that of other teams.
And when they are, or reinforcements are needed, it doesn’t hurt to have one of the better minor-league systems in the game. The Dodgers generally have a steady flow of top prospects to augment their roster.
The Dodgers’ bankroll clearly sets them apart from other teams. But they simply are that much better at all aspects of managing an organization than the majority of teams.
Signing Sasaki shouldn’t generate criticism or spur rule changes. Nor should anything else the Dodgers are doing. Instead, teams should strive to be more like them.
Ray Kuhn can be found covering Fantasy Sports on Fantrax after previously covering the Houston Astros as part of the FanSided network at Climbing Tal’s Hill. Reach him on X/Twitter at @ray_kuhn_28 or raykuhn57@gmail.com as he is always interested in talking or writing about our great game.
Cleaning Up
The WORST Free Agents in Baseball History
By Dan Schlossberg
In their anxiety to sell more tickets, baseball teams routinely dive into the murky waters of free agency, often engaging in bidding wars for mediocre players.
Not surprisingly, the winners often turn into losers, showering dollars on athletes more interested in collecting dollars than delivering results.
Here are some prime examples:
1. Nick Esasky, Braves – Desperately needing a first baseman, the Braves signed him in the wake of a 30-homer, 107-rbi season with the 1989 Red Sox that was the best of his career. Then 29, Esasky suddenly developed such a severe case of vertigo that he never again had a home run or run batted in. Unable to play anymore, he retired in 1990 after hitting .171 in 35 at-bats.
2. Wayne Garland, Orioles – Lured by his 20-7 record and 2.67 ERA for the 1976 Orioles, the Cleveland Indians foolishly decided to become guardians of his services. They gave him an unprecedented 10-year contract, getting a 28-48 record and 4.50 ERA before he was done after five years. Garland was the original poster boy for bad deals –- and it wasn’t even close.
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees – Given a seven-year, $153 million contract on Dec. 7, 2013, this misguided deal was the Pearl Harbor of the Bronx. The fleet center-fielder was a bust in New York, where he was only a mere shadow of the man who starred for Boston.
4. Patrick Corbin, Nationals – After signing a six-year, $140 million deal during the 2018 winter meetings, this left-hander helped the Nats win their only world championship. Then he fell apart, losing at least 15 games in each of the last three seasons (no one else has managed that dubious feat). The contract made him untradeable before free agency came calling again.
5. Jacob deGrom, Rangers – Once the best pitcher in baseball, this former Mets ace failed to bring his brilliance to his native Texas. Guaranteed $185 million over a five-year deal, deGrom has given the Rangers just 26 starts over the last two years, which also included his second Tommy John surgery.
6. Kris Bryant, Rockies – Seven years and $182 million sounded almost reasonable for this one-time NL MVP, who also won a Rookie of the Year trophy. A man without a position, he can play the infield or outfield corners – none of them well – but needs to avoid recurring injuries (back, foot, heel, and finger) to recapture his home run swing in the thin alpine air of Coors Field. He was so bad for Colorado so far that he has made Rockies fans forget the Mike Hampton fiasco.
7. Chris Davis, Orioles – Although he hit more homers from 2012-15 than anyone in the majors, this strikeout-prone first baseman got seven years at $161 million from the O’s, then fell flat on his face and was through by 2021. Even in 2016, when he hit 38 home runs, he didn’t hit much of anything else, as his .221 batting average suggests. He even had a historic hitless streak.
8. Pablo Sandoval, Red Sox – The Panda got five years and $95 million from the Red Sox, who thought the paunchy switch-hitter would find Fenway Park fertile ground for his power. Instead, the 2012 World Series MVP floundered, hitting just .237 in three years after producing an 11-year mark of .285 in San Francisco.
9. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals – At least Corbin could pitch. Strasburg mostly watched since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract extension in the wake of the 2019 World Series euphoria. He was a two-time All-Star and perennial Cy Young Award contender before he signed.
10. Jason Bay, Mets – After reaching career peaks with 36 homers and 119 runs batted in for the Red Sox, Bay hardly resembled a tidal wave after washing up on the shore in Flushing. He batted .234 with 26 homers in three seasons with the Mets, whose return on investment was horrendous.
Dishonorable Mention: Yoenis Cespedes, Mets; Anthony Rendon, Angels; Andy Messersmith, Braves; Madison Bumgarner, Diamondbacks; Eric Hosmer, Padres; B.J. Upton, Braves; Craig Kimbrel, Orioles; Bruce Sutter, Braves; Bobby Bonilla, Mets; Ed Whitson, Yankees.
Here’s the Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ also covers baseball for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and many other outlets. He’s also authored or edited 42 baseball books, including two Hank Aaron biographies, during a career that started in 1969. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings
“As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have. I am being brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations. I don’t like what’s been presented to us. Maybe that changes, and certainly I’ll always stay flexible. If it stays this way, I think we are going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”
— Mets owner Steve Cohen on Pete Alonso
With both the Rays and A’s scheduled to play this year and beyond in minor-league parks, other changes are likely to follow . . .
Although the Arizona Diamondbacks are tied to Chase Field through 2027, the team might move if it can’t come to terms with Maricopa County, which owns the decaying downtown ballpark . . .
D’backs president Derrick Hall says the county has offered no dollars for renovations and “does not have the desire nor the ability, to put any money into their own building — I mean, not a penny” . . .
If rising tensions lead to a team exodus, it would be the second time a pro sports franchise left Phoenix, following the NHL Coyotes, now in Utah . . .
Expansion to 32 teams (and presumably four eight-team leagues) is coming soon, with Nashville, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Montreal among the leading contenders — even though the largest untapped market is Northern New Jersey, which hosts teams in every other leading sport.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
Northern New Jersey actually lost the NBA Nets to Brooklyn, so it does not in fact host every other major sport. And I would argue that the majority of the fan base for the so-called "New York" Jets and Giants is across the river, even if their stadium is in N.J.