Been some time for one among these, and clearly there’s been loads value studying that’s been printed because the season ended, however I needed to spotlight some particular stuff right here.
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ESPN: Over a month later and Jeff Passan writing in regards to the 2024 World Sequence win being validating for the Dodgers — whereas additionally offering a ton of perception — remains to be most likely the most effective work performed on it.
“It solely hurts after I miss,” Freeman advised his father. “So I’m simply going to must cease lacking.”
What a quote.
“That’s how I really feel about myself,” Buehler mentioned. “Who else goes to do it? Who else goes to be on the market? Who else is meant to do that? We’ve bought 30 guys that imagine that very same approach. And I used to be simply the one within the spot to do it.”
What a quote once more.
The Athletic: Talking of vindication, Andy McCullough wrote about the way it was particularly that for Dave Roberts, who’s now on monitor to be a Corridor Of Famer.
His .618 profitable share is the most effective of any non-Negro Leagues supervisor. He has by no means gained fewer than 91 video games in a full season; the Dodgers have topped 100 victories in 5 of these eight years. He has now gained the World Sequence extra typically than Bobby Cox (class of 2014), Whitey Herzog (class of 2010) and Jim Leyland (class of 2024). He has gained the pennant 4 occasions, as typically as Earl Weaver (class of 1996), Dick Williams (class of 2008) and Tom Lasorda (class of 1997).
Roberts referred to as it “humbling” to be talked about in the identical class as Lasorda and fellow former Dodgers skipper Walter Alston, a four-time champion. “By no means thought I might be in that very same dialog,” Roberts mentioned. “I’m part of an amazing group, plenty of nice folks round me supporting me, and we’ve gained plenty of ballgames. That is one thing I actually needed. I needed this one.”
His colleagues had been extra effusive.
“Dave’s a Corridor of Famer,” Dodgers bullpen coach Josh Bard mentioned. “It’s a truth. He’s gained all of it completely different varieties of how. He ought to have three.”
Humorous how rapidly issues change, proper? The Dodgers brass will deny it, but when they had been eradicated in Sport 4 of the NLDS this 12 months, there seemed to be an honest probability Dave could be fired. Now he’s in line for an enormous extension and is getting his flowers, so to talk.
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Los Angeles Occasions: Jack Harris regarded into the monetary boon Shohei Ohtani has gifted the Dodgers.
Along with the windfall of company sponsorship cash, the Dodgers noticed will increase in ticket gross sales, merchandising and even excursions of Dodger Stadium (the workforce has been advised by Japanese tourism officers that greater than 80% of people that go to Los Angeles from the nation go to the ballpark throughout their journey).
In a approach, Shohei would possibly pay the Dodgers to play at an MVP stage for them.
Whereas the workforce declined to reveal particular Ohtani-related income totals, some experiences now estimate the participant’s annual affect on the franchise to be within the nine-figure vary. Tack on the funding alternatives his wage deferrals create, and the forecasts of him being a billion-dollar revenue machine for the franchise appear on monitor.
As folks complain in regards to the spending of the Dodgers, it’s necessary to recollect they’re mainly complaining about Ohtani’s existence and the benefits he gives. He’s actually the “unfair” benefit, and I don’t suppose there’s any strategy to cease that, therefore the determined battle for a hating narrative.
Baseball Prospectus: Talking of these varieties, Marc Normandin writes in protection of deferrals and spending, however largely highlights the issue of groups not attempting and the way that permits the Dodgers to thrive.
The Dodgers have the cash, sure, however extra importantly, they’ve constructed the type of status and organizational tradition the place gamers belief deferrals to be value it. If there’s any unfair benefit to be spoken of, it’s that one, however the resolution to stopping the Dodgers from benefiting from it isn’t a wage cap. It’s for these groups to vary one thing about their very own reputations and spending habits, to place themselves ready to maintain the Dodgers from with the ability to act like this.
And since lots of them gained’t do any of that, as a substitute, we’ll get harsher requires luxurious tax penalties, or stricter guidelines about deferrals, or cries for a wage cap, all to maintain the Dodgers from exposing who’s actually at fault right here for the state of issues.
Ohtani is a cheat code, however the Dodgers had been capable of enchantment to him by means of their physique of labor since Mark Walter, Stan Kasten, and Andrew Friedman got here on board, and it’s arduous to argue that they don’t need to reap the rewards for that.
The Athletic: Whereas we’re on the subject, Evan Drellich regarded on the particulars of deferrals and did a little bit of an explainer on it.
If a participant’s 2024 wage was deferred, it doesn’t matter whether or not he’s to be paid out in 2030 or 2040 or later — the workforce must put apart a major cost no later than July 2026, and preserve it cordoned off till cost is made.
The settlement goes on to say that “totally funded” means a workforce “should have funded, during and with out interruption in annually, the present current worth of the then excellent deferred funds, discounted by 5 % yearly.”
Homeowners have some alternative in how they maintain the cash, although. Groups can make investments deferred wage — though they must watch out what investments they select — and preserve the returns. The Dodgers are owned by Mark Walter, co-founder of a world funding agency, Guggenheim Companions.
I want the whiners would learn this, however that will require them to need to perceive, I suppose.
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FanGraphs: Transitioning into 2025 for a bit, the Dodgers are already trying like arguably the most effective workforce within the majors on paper.
The Dodgers are the early favourite to enter 2025 because the workforce ZiPS initiatives to win essentially the most video games. Stunning, proper?
Might nonetheless use like one outfielder, one or two starters, and one reliever, although.
MLB: On a person stage, Mike Petriello (who?) talked about Mookie Betts making up for his diminishing velocity with nice jumps.
That is of practically 1,800 player-seasons since 2018 the place a participant has had at the least 500 steal alternatives – that means pitches, not plate appearances. Of all these a whole lot and a whole lot of seasons, Betts ranks first, second, tied-third, fifth, sixth, and seventh in gaining distance whereas the pitcher is in movement. (He’s additionally, for what it’s value, tied for eleventh [2016] and twenty third [2019].) That’s not a fluke. It’s a goal.
It’s at the least partly why, should you return by means of all of baseball historical past, Betts is the Twenty fifth-best baserunner on file (by means of age-31), by way of FanGraphs metrics. It’s not all about steals, is it?
Hypothetically, I’d suppose this could assist him in his transfer to the infield as nicely.
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Baseball Prospectus: Understandably, there’s been plenty of speak about robotic umps, however Russell A. Carleton explains among the danger in implementing that, because it’ll seemingly change the sport as we all know it.
When you’re going to show some pitches that had been in a “60% of the time” strike zone into surefire strikes, that’s going to mess with the entire ecosystem. We noticed above that batters reply to rising likelihood of a strike by swinging extra typically, as a result of their different possibility is accepting a better probability of a strike. Would they be incentivized to chase worse pitches that the proof exhibits that they’ve a tougher time making contact on? The fact is that there’s the “positively a strike” zone. There’s the “positively not a strike” zone. And there’s the fuzzy zone. There are completely different guidelines within the fuzzy zone. Taking away the fuzzy zone and forcing it into the sure/no zone goes to have some very unpredictable penalties. Possibly they’d even be good penalties, however there could be penalties.
Positively favor the problem system on account of all this, and likewise as a result of I’ve some doubts about precisely how correct the robots shall be.
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MLB: Outdated pal Sarah Wexler wrote in regards to the Dodger followers on the parade, together with our personal Daniel Brim.
For Matt Gilson, Amy Pircher and Daniel Brim, the group they fashioned was extra digital. Whilst all three lived exterior of Los Angeles, they discovered one another by means of a Dodgers fan weblog, Dodgers Digest, communing there and on social media for greater than a decade earlier than lastly getting the chance to get pleasure from a parade collectively. (The writer was beforehand a contributor to Dodgers Digest.)
Brim, who got here in from Santa Barbara, had deliberated if the trek could be value it. Seems it was.
“Being surrounded by individuals who have the identical or an analogous reference to the workforce and town, too, it’s a extremely particular expertise,” mentioned Brim.
Dodgers Digest shoutout!
AJ Gonzalez Writes: Outdated pal AJ Gonzalez wrote about having fun with the journey of watching the Dodgers.
It’s time to take pleasure in it, all of it. The ups and downs, the brutal sequence in Philadelphia, the moments that look depressing however inevitably nonetheless have some pleasure. That’s the true magic of being a Dodgers fan. It’s within the enjoyment of these unhealthy video games, good video games, and ridiculous video games. Let’s not name it the “gradual burn of the common season.” Let’s name it the burning brilliance. Let’s name it the ignition of the group when our favourite participant’s walk-up tune comes on. Let’s name all of it tremendous sizzling fireplace. Any extra flame platitudes I can use to make my level?
I’ve maybe a naïve hope that extra followers will be capable to do that now.
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Absolutely this would be the 12 months I sustain with this function all through the season.
Absolutely.
