2015 offseason hirings and firings*

[bukie]

No Dusty, hold out for the Dodgers, there's more damage to do there.

[Guest]

No Dusty, hold out for the Dodgers, there's more damage to do there.

 

i don't care what the rumors were...there's no [expletive] way andrew friedman would hire him

 

if ownership tried to force it on him he'd probably walk

[bukie]

No Dusty, hold out for the Dodgers, there's more damage to do there.

 

i don't care what the rumors were...there's no [expletive] way andrew friedman would hire him

 

if ownership tried to force it on him he'd probably walk

This is also an outcome I accept.

[Tryptamine]

No Dusty, hold out for the Dodgers, there's more damage to do there.

 

i don't care what the rumors were...there's no [expletive] way andrew friedman would hire him

 

if ownership tried to force it on him he'd probably walk

 

Dodgers fans already seem to want Friedman and Zaidi gone, especially when they were down 2-1 to the Mets. Apparently acquiring Wood/Latos as fill ins wasn't enough for their fans.

[CubInOK]

Mattingly declines an extension with the Dodgers. Maybe they can get Dusty Baker now...

[Cubswin11]

I wonder if Martinez will be considered a candidate for the Dodger job given the past with Friedman

[davell]

Kapler seems to be the early favorite for them. From a few tweets by Dylan Hernandez, Friedman and Zaidi didn't come off well at their PC today. I know it's only been a single season, but I do wonder if Friedman is cut out for such a large payroll. I remember Beane saying one time he thought he'd be more effective with tighter purse strings and I do wonder if Friedman winds up actually proving Billy's point.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

[davell]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

 

Oh, I know he's not responsible for the 300ish they've spent. But I do put blame on him for not going harder after an elite SP at the deadline, with where their teams win curve is. And considering they can blow past where their payroll is even now, I guess I lay some blame on them not getting an elite arm last offseason. To not address it at either point seems like a true mistake for sure. They definitely could have spent on the pen at either time too, but went for lesser guys, instead of the elite guys in that instance as well. I may be nitpicking him, but they've got money coming off, had the ability to do much more monetarily, and just didn't utilize the payroll advantage nearly as much as what I would have thought he would have.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

 

Oh, I know he's not responsible for the 300ish they've spent. But I do put blame on him for not going harder after an elite SP at the deadline, with where their teams win curve is. And considering they can blow past where their payroll is even now, I guess I lay some blame on them not getting an elite arm last offseason. To not address it at either point seems like a true mistake for sure. They definitely could have spent on the pen at either time too, but went for lesser guys, instead of the elite guys in that instance as well. I may be nitpicking him, but they've got money coming off, had the ability to do much more monetarily, and just didn't utilize the payroll advantage nearly as much as what I would have thought he would have.

They have two cy young caliber guys and a crapton of depth. And you are criticizing him for the exact opposite reason you stated in the first place.

[davell]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

 

Oh, I know he's not responsible for the 300ish they've spent. But I do put blame on him for not going harder after an elite SP at the deadline, with where their teams win curve is. And considering they can blow past where their payroll is even now, I guess I lay some blame on them not getting an elite arm last offseason. To not address it at either point seems like a true mistake for sure. They definitely could have spent on the pen at either time too, but went for lesser guys, instead of the elite guys in that instance as well. I may be nitpicking him, but they've got money coming off, had the ability to do much more monetarily, and just didn't utilize the payroll advantage nearly as much as what I would have thought he would have.

They have two cy young caliber guys and a crapton of depth. And you are criticizing him for the exact opposite reason you stated in the first place.

 

My original stance on Friedman is that I'm not convinced he'll handle having a large payroll as effectively as some others might. They certainly have depth, no question there.

 

It's not a matter of how much he spends, in my mind. He had the chance to add elite guys instead of depth for both starting pitching and out of the pen and did neither, in a season where they were at/near/maybe slight past their best shot at all of this.....And went safe, instead of taking a risk.

 

I get that playoffs are a crapshoot for the most part and that very well may weaken my stance here. But for THAT team, with THOSE resources, to not have done more over his reign than building depth, it makes me wonder how he'll handle it going forward.

[Proven Veteran]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

 

Oh, I know he's not responsible for the 300ish they've spent. But I do put blame on him for not going harder after an elite SP at the deadline, with where their teams win curve is. And considering they can blow past where their payroll is even now, I guess I lay some blame on them not getting an elite arm last offseason. To not address it at either point seems like a true mistake for sure. They definitely could have spent on the pen at either time too, but went for lesser guys, instead of the elite guys in that instance as well. I may be nitpicking him, but they've got money coming off, had the ability to do much more monetarily, and just didn't utilize the payroll advantage nearly as much as what I would have thought he would have.

They have two cy young caliber guys and a crapton of depth. And you are criticizing him for the exact opposite reason you stated in the first place.

 

My original stance on Friedman is that I'm not convinced he'll handle having a large payroll as effectively as some others might. They certainly have depth, no question there.

 

It's not a matter of how much he spends, in my mind. He had the chance to add elite guys instead of depth for both starting pitching and out of the pen and did neither, in a season where they were at/near/maybe slight past their best shot at all of this.....And went safe, instead of taking a risk.

 

I get that playoffs are a crapshoot for the most part and that very well may weaken my stance here. But for THAT team, with THOSE resources, to not have done more over his reign than building depth, it makes me wonder how he'll handle it going forward.

 

They have just as much of a window as the Cubs. They have tons of young players, an excellent system, and tons of money. If everyone should be happy with the Cubs season, why doesn't the same apply to them?

[davell]

I'm confused as to what you can lay at Friedman's feet for this past season. Especially with regards to large payroll.

 

Oh, I know he's not responsible for the 300ish they've spent. But I do put blame on him for not going harder after an elite SP at the deadline, with where their teams win curve is. And considering they can blow past where their payroll is even now, I guess I lay some blame on them not getting an elite arm last offseason. To not address it at either point seems like a true mistake for sure. They definitely could have spent on the pen at either time too, but went for lesser guys, instead of the elite guys in that instance as well. I may be nitpicking him, but they've got money coming off, had the ability to do much more monetarily, and just didn't utilize the payroll advantage nearly as much as what I would have thought he would have.

They have two cy young caliber guys and a crapton of depth. And you are criticizing him for the exact opposite reason you stated in the first place.

 

My original stance on Friedman is that I'm not convinced he'll handle having a large payroll as effectively as some others might. They certainly have depth, no question there.

 

It's not a matter of how much he spends, in my mind. He had the chance to add elite guys instead of depth for both starting pitching and out of the pen and did neither, in a season where they were at/near/maybe slight past their best shot at all of this.....And went safe, instead of taking a risk.

 

I get that playoffs are a crapshoot for the most part and that very well may weaken my stance here. But for THAT team, with THOSE resources, to not have done more over his reign than building depth, it makes me wonder how he'll handle it going forward.

 

They have just as much of a window as the Cubs. They have tons of young players, an excellent system, and tons of money. If everyone should be happy with the Cubs season, why doesn't the same apply to them?

 

One, the Cubs have far from unlimited funds. Two, the Dodgers aren't nearly as young or have nearly as good of a true long term foundation as the Cubs. They've got Kershaw and nothing else good in their rotation now that Greinke is a FA. They've got Seager and Puig offensively, with Pederson as a possibility that certainly has concerns now. The fact they've got a good system AND unlimited money just tells me they needed to trade from it even more.

[Guest]

I actually loved the Dodgers moves to get Wood & Latos at the deadline. I think there's a bit of the benefit of hindsight to criticize those moves now. I'm not sure why their strikeout rates tanked after going to LA.

[Guest]

One, the Cubs have far from unlimited funds. Two, the Dodgers aren't nearly as young or have nearly as good of a true long term foundation as the Cubs. They've got Kershaw and nothing else good in their rotation now that Greinke is a FA. They've got Seager and Puig offensively, with Pederson as a possibility that certainly has concerns now. The fact they've got a good system AND unlimited money just tells me they needed to trade from it even more.

What was Ryu's injury? Shouldn't he be back? Wood was rough with the Dodgers in the second half, but he's still a quality arm. There's still about a 90+% chance they re-sign Greinke. They have De Leon ready in the minors. McCarthy will be back at some point.

 

Kershaw

Greinke

Ryu

Wood

McCarthy

Beachy

De Leon

Cotton

 

 

 

I'd love to have that heading into 2016.

[cl smooth]

scott servais hired as the next manager of the mariners:

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13952756/scott-servais-named-seattle-mariners-manager

 

two lasting impressions of scott servais growing up:

 

1. getting hit in the junk multiple times while catching

2. one of the slowest runners i've ever seen

[Sammys Boombox]

I was at this game. One of my first vivid memories of MLB.

 

Cubs won 1-0 on a Scott Servais HR into the LF bullpen just to my right.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199508050.shtml

[ConstableRabbit]

scott servais hired as the next manager of the mariners:

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13952756/scott-servais-named-seattle-mariners-manager

 

two lasting impressions of scott servais growing up:

 

1. getting hit in the junk multiple times while catching

2. one of the slowest runners i've ever seen

3. dat chin

[Proven Veteran]

One, the Cubs have far from unlimited funds. Two, the Dodgers aren't nearly as young or have nearly as good of a true long term foundation as the Cubs. They've got Kershaw and nothing else good in their rotation now that Greinke is a FA. They've got Seager and Puig offensively, with Pederson as a possibility that certainly has concerns now. The fact they've got a good system AND unlimited money just tells me they needed to trade from it even more.

What was Ryu's injury? Shouldn't he be back? Wood was rough with the Dodgers in the second half, but he's still a quality arm. There's still about a 90+% chance they re-sign Greinke. They have De Leon ready in the minors. McCarthy will be back at some point.

 

Kershaw

Greinke

Ryu

Wood

McCarthy

Beachy

De Leon

Cotton

 

 

 

I'd love to have that heading into 2016.

 

Urias might be ready at some point in 2016. Also, Pederson has questions similar to all of the Cubs prospects other than Bryant. Hernandez is a good player as well.

[mul21]

How is this even possible?

 

[NonProfitCow]

Urias might be ready at some point in 2016. Also, Pederson has questions similar to all of the Cubs prospects other than Bryant. Hernandez is a good player as well.

The only difference between question mark Pederson and sure thing Bryant is 112 points of BABIP. They K at the same rate and Pederson walks a decent clip more.

[Proven Veteran]

Urias might be ready at some point in 2016. Also, Pederson has questions similar to all of the Cubs prospects other than Bryant. Hernandez is a good player as well.

The only difference between question mark Pederson and sure thing Bryant is 112 points of BABIP. They K at the same rate and Pederson walks a decent clip more.

 

 

Sure, I just didn't want to get into that part of the debate. The Dodgers are definitely in a good position.

[Guest]

Urias might be ready at some point in 2016. Also, Pederson has questions similar to all of the Cubs prospects other than Bryant. Hernandez is a good player as well.

The only difference between question mark Pederson and sure thing Bryant is 112 points of BABIP. They K at the same rate and Pederson walks a decent clip more.

 

Yes, Bryant is a lot better at hitting than Pederson. That is not a point in Joc's favor.

[davell]

One, the Cubs have far from unlimited funds. Two, the Dodgers aren't nearly as young or have nearly as good of a true long term foundation as the Cubs. They've got Kershaw and nothing else good in their rotation now that Greinke is a FA. They've got Seager and Puig offensively, with Pederson as a possibility that certainly has concerns now. The fact they've got a good system AND unlimited money just tells me they needed to trade from it even more.

What was Ryu's injury? Shouldn't he be back? Wood was rough with the Dodgers in the second half, but he's still a quality arm. There's still about a 90+% chance they re-sign Greinke. They have De Leon ready in the minors. McCarthy will be back at some point.

 

Kershaw

Greinke

Ryu

Wood

McCarthy

Beachy

De Leon

Cotton

 

 

 

I'd love to have that heading into 2016.

 

1) Greinke isn't theirs currently, all the more reason to capitalize last year.

 

2) Ryu had major shoulder surgery. I'm sure he'll be back, but are you just going to assume he'll be as good?

 

3) McCarthy will be back in the middle of the year. He's nothing special either way.

 

4) Pretty sure Beachy is a FA.

 

5) DeLeon and Cotton aren't what I'm talking about, they weren't figuring into 2015.

 

I'm not saying the Dodgers are all of a sudden going to suck. They're not. No, their group of 25 and unders aren't equal to ours. But that's not the point either. They could catch up there conceivably by throwing absurd amounts of money at guys in IFA or buying prospects in trades.

 

Their curve is different than ours because their roster is older. Hell, if Kershaw were a Cub, we'd be worried as [expletive] he'll break. But Adrian is old, so is Turner, Ethier, Kendrick was on the last year of his deal.

 

They have no reason to take a cautious approach. They did and if I liked them, I'd have been pissed, just as most of the fans I know actually were.

[Guest]

Trading for Wood + Latos was the cautious approach? I'd hate to hear what you call our deadline.

 

Those guys didn't work out as the Dodgers wanted them to, but who was moved that was better? Cueto & Hamels? Anyone else?

 

Or are you talking pre-season?