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Monday, February 10, 2025

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Roki’s recruitment, Scott & Kirby signing reax, followers whining, Ohtani conspiracies, prime prospect lists, extra – Dodgers Digest


When so much occurs in per week for the Dodgers, there’s so much written, and boy was there a bunch of study and discourse (and whining) to sift by way of for this one. Strap in.

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First issues first, we begin with an replace on the wildfire aid efforts, because the Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers Basis hosted a donation occasion at Dodger Stadium.

It was introduced these efforts will proceed all through the 2025 season.

By way of people, Shohei Ohtani introduced a $500k donation, whereas Clayton Kershaw has gathered provides for these affected.

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The Athletic: Persevering with with extra critical information is an replace on the Ippei Mizuhara case. Whereas there wasn’t any doubt for individuals who understood that each authority was not on Shohei Ohtani’s payroll or one thing, audio of Ippei Mizuhara stealing cash was lately launched and may at the least partially assist persuade all however essentially the most delusional.

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Whereas there have been quite a lot of scouting report kind of items written about Roki Sasaki since he signed, Brim’s from again in November stays one of the best abstract out there. Fortuitously, there’s been different floor to cowl.

The Athletic: Stephen J. Nesbitt delivers a profile of Roki Sasaki and the way he was formed by catastrophe.

Sasaki doesn’t communicate usually in regards to the tsunami and all he misplaced. (He declined to be interviewed for this story.) When he does, he speaks of the concern he felt that day, his desperation for normalcy afterward and his need to dwell life to the fullest. The catastrophe that ripped aside his hometown dictated a lot of what has come after for Sasaki; its echoes will be seen in his rise by way of the Japanese highschool ranks, in how he dealt with his early success in Nippon Skilled Baseball, and in the end, in his determination to depart Japan this offseason to leap to the majors sooner than anticipated.

“Given what’s occurred in his life,” Wolfe stated, “I feel he seems to be on the world very in another way.”
Perhaps there could be a $300 million deal on the desk in two years. Perhaps not.
“There are not any absolutes in baseball,” Wolfe stated. “And the way in which Roki seems to be at life, there are not any absolutes in life.”
In Rikuzentakata, Murakami finds that worldview pervasive amongst younger tsunami survivors.
“Folks that have undergone trauma like this, experiencing a tsunami and having family members move away, you might have a change in your thought course of,” he stated. “If in case you have one thing you wish to do, do it. You solely dwell as soon as.”

The Athletic: A quintet of writers contributed to a narrative that documented Roki’s street to creating his determination.

He requested every potential employer to clarify the rationale behind a vexing problem that lingered over his closing season earlier than a long-anticipated leap to the majors: Why did his velocity fall off?

Unsurprisingly, Ohtani was concerned in recruiting Sasaki to the Dodgers.

That curiosity final month appeared to bode properly for the Dodgers on Tuesday, when their flip got here to host Sasaki. Simply because the Padres and Blue Jays had achieved, the Dodgers greeted Sasaki with a full complement of gamers. Former MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts had been in attendance, as had been Sasaki’s future backstop, Will Smith, and the freshly-extended Tommy Edman. However the greatest star of all of them was Ohtani, a teammate on the 2023 World Baseball Traditional, who one official stated was “driving the bus” within the effort to land Sasaki.

Los Angeles Instances: Talking of gamers driving the bus, right here’s particulars in regards to the function that gamers performed in recruiting Roki. Everyone anticipated Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to have an excellent affect, and so they did, however particularly attention-grabbing had been the others.

“If certainly one of your essential targets is to turn into one of the best pitcher you may probably be, development-wise, scouting report-wise and all that stuff, I used to be like, that is the place for you,” Glasnow stated, and added that he informed Sasaki whether or not his motivation was “cash or profitable, that is one of the best place to develop as a baseball participant. That was my message.”

When Sasaki arrived on the residence of Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber for final week’s assembly — held there, with the assistance of a personal sushi chef, due to the renovations at Dodger Stadium — he was greeted by about half a dozen gamers. Over the course of the night, every started hammering residence causes for him to signal with Los Angeles.
Smith, the beginning catcher, frolicked discussing the membership’s famend game-planning course of and the way he has constructed rapport with the star-studded pitching employees.
Betts stood up at one level and delivered a prolonged speech that one individual in attendance recalled lasting nearly 10 minutes, throughout which the previous most useful participant extolled his time in Los Angeles and the “particular” place it has turn into within the second chapter of his profession.

FanGraphs: Eric Longenhagen wrote in regards to the unbelievable worth the Dodgers are getting with Roki.

The place ought to Sasaki fall on Ben Clemens’ annual midseason Commerce Worth rankings? If he’s wholesome and productive on a rookie deal, with six years of staff management, one may argue he belongs in Paul Skenes and Elly De La Cruz territory, in the course of the highest 10. The excess worth of Sasaki’s deal for the Dodgers is sort of incalculable. Along with his signing bonus and league minimal rookie wage, the Dodgers might want to pay Sasaki’s NPB membership, Chiba Lotte Marines, a 20% posting charge of $1.3 million. It makes their first-year outlay for Sasaki about $8.5 million while you embody his league-minimum wage. That’s lower than the primary three picks within the 2024 draft acquired for his or her bonuses. Sasaki’s on-field efficiency is prone to outpace his wage a number of instances over, plus he’s additionally now an intercontinental movie star within the second-largest media market within the U.S., on the staff with the game’s greatest world star, and producing curiosity and income on each side of the Pacific Ocean. That is as quintessential an instance of “the wealthy get richer” as you’ll discover in sports activities, the place novice participant acquisition is sort of all the time tailor-made to funnel elite younger expertise to the unhealthy groups.

Baseball America: On condition that, it appears nearly unfair the Dodgers may successfully get a first-round pick of it as properly.

Then if he wins the NL Rookie of the Yr, or finishes within the prime three within the Cy Younger Award voting in any season earlier than he qualifies for arbitration, he’ll earn the Dodgers a PPI decide on the finish of the primary spherical of the next MLB draft. (Technically a prime three MVP vote would additionally meet the requirements, however no pitcher will end prime three within the MVP voting and out of doors the highest three in Cy Younger Award voting).

ESPN: Unsurprisingly, Bradford Doolittle offers the Dodgers an A grade for this signing.

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Baseball Prospectus: Roger Cormier wrote an episode of The Twilight Zone tackling how Andrew Friedman secured the providers of Tanner Scott. Comprehensible, actually.

“I’m so glad you’ll be becoming a member of our household, Tanner.”
“Properly…I didn’t conform to the phrases simply but.”
“Didn’t you, although?”
Scott instantly grew to become conscious of a tv within the room for the primary time. Scott appeared on the display subsequent to Friedman at a press convention.
“I’m so completely satisfied to be becoming a member of the Dodgers household, “ the Scott on the tv beamed.
“What the…”

Baseball Prospectus: Amongst different issues, Timothy Jackson takes a take a look at the reliever profile the Dodgers are getting.

Scott bolsters the backend of their bullpen with one other flamethrower. It’s not simply that, although. He’s had a DRA- of 93 or higher in every of the final 4 seasons, and floor degree stats to match for every of the final two. He’s turn into a drive on the subject of limiting baserunners⁠—he’s bought the eighth-best mark since 2023⁠—and that’s one thing the Dodgers have prioritized with their relievers. It’s arduous to surrender runs if in case you have fewer guys on base, in any case. His fastball-slider mixture is among the deadliest within the sport, and it’s ok to counteract his excessive stroll charges. His 50% ground-ball price has helped him halve residence run price that was already about half of the league common. He’s additionally certainly one of seven left-handed relievers to log at the least 120 innings during the last two seasons and has the very best WPA of the bunch. It’s a glance hardly any staff can throw at opposing hitters, from a visible perspective and a results-based one.

ESPN: Doolittle offers the signing of Tanner Scott a B+ grade, downgraded as a result of time period and normal reliever danger.

The one purpose this isn’t an A is due to a nagging feeling that contracts of this worth and period for a aid pitcher — any aid pitcher — are hardly ever a good suggestion. Scott has a clear harm document — his solely IL stint during the last 4 seasons was due to a minor knee problem — however there are not any certainties on this place group. Scott’s document of excessive degree success is pretty quick. There’s a smidgen of danger right here given the scope of the contract.

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FanGraphs: After Kirby Yates‘ signing was agreed upon, Ben Clemens concluded (as I sorta did as properly) that spending on the bullpen made sense for the Dodgers as their closing frontier of types.

The ultimate verdict? It’s simple to grasp why the Dodgers are engaged on constructing a fair higher bullpen after watching the way in which they managed the 2024 playoffs. Should you’re a Dodgers fan, you must love this deal. The Dodgers aren’t simply blindly throwing cash at their roster – they’re throwing cash at their roster whereas pondering critically about the place will probably be most useful. In the meantime, loads of their potential rivals are interested by the simplest solution to shed wage or defray future commitments. Snell and Sasaki may be the headliners, however Scott and Yates are the free brokers that the majority clearly exhibit how the Dodgers are leaning into their place as baseball’s juggernaut.

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Baseball Prospectus: It’s prospect listing season and boy are they’re bullish on the farm of the Dodgers, who land 5 prospects of their High 101 (launched earlier than Roki signed). Zyhir Hope is available in at #8, Josue De Paula is correct behind at #9, Dalton Dashing checks in at #22, Jackson Ferris continues his ascent at #52, and Alex Freeland rounds issues out at #82.

MLB Pipeline: They put six Dodgers prospects on their High 100, with Roki at #1, Dashing at #30, De Paula at #40, Ferris at #71, Freeland at #72, and Hope at #75.

Baseball America: They’re equally optimistic, additionally with six prospects. Roki is #1, Dashing is #30, Freeland is #46, De Paula is #47, Hope is #51, and Ferris is #82.

Baseball America: Different prospects who acquired votes for the High 100 had been Edgardo Henriquez, Eduardo Quintero, Emil Morales, Eriq Swan, and Kellon Lindsey.

Baseball America: J.J. Cooper consists of Hope in his listing of prospects who may very well be #1 come 2026.

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ESPN: I feel Jeff Passan hits on an vital level inside this text in regards to the response to the Roki signing and the Dodgers at giant, which is that the Dodgers aren’t overpaying gamers, they’re principally discovering an inefficiency in paying market worth for nice expertise.

This isn’t a chicken-and-egg scenario. Groups just like the Cubs and Boston Purple Sox — should-be powerhouses — earn reputations rapidly amongst gamers by not spending. When franchises present they care about profitable, gamers take be aware. The flocking of proficient gamers to the Dodgers is just not a operate of a willingness to overpay. The overwhelming majority of the long-term offers handed out by the Dodgers are market value or club-friendly. Betts’, Freeman’s, Smith’s. Ohtani’s deal — with $68 million of his annual $70 million wage deferred for a decade — was proposed by him to the Dodgers in addition to to the opposite groups that pursued him: Toronto, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Angels.

I’ve stated this earlier than, but it surely sorta appeared like Andrew Friedman as soon as occupied an analogous area of being a slave to their analysis of worth.

Each MLB membership, even these with the bottom revenues, can compete for that type of expertise. So many function with unbending devotion to their laptop fashions, although, that the easy act of spending has turn into a fair better benefit for the Dodgers. With a historical past of groups on restricted budgets yearly performing among the many greatest within the sport, these franchises may fare even higher stretching themselves financially and investing in profitable, on the very least proportionally to those that commit the next proportion of income to payroll. The Dodgers’ willingness to spend in grand sums and success with it ought to inspire different groups to maintain up, not preclude them from doing so.

The Ohtani and Sasaki signings aren’t regular, however the remainder of their staff constructing is essentially paying gamers pretty, principally.

That is truly my headcanon on Friedman’s pondering 5 years in the past. Like sooner or later he found out the inefficiency is just not pissing your self over the growing older curve and signing nice gamers to honest market worth.

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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) January 20, 2025 at 3:50 AM

I’ll say one of many issues in regards to the requires a cap and what not that pisses me off most is … why ought to shitty, grasping house owners be rewarded for not giving a fuck about something however their very own pockets? Realistically, that’s by far who would profit essentially the most from this association: those pretending to be poor whereas raking in income sharing and TV cash. However hey, I suppose it could be American to reward grasping billionaires for being incompetent and indifferent.

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Anyway, the subsequent time that is posted it in all probability received’t be so hectic, however this was an nearly surreal time.



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