Dodgers Rumors: MLB Executives Not Buying Payroll Cuts, per CBS
It has been reported a couple times that the Dodgers’ top two priorities this offseason are to become younger and cheaper. The two kind of go hand-in-hand, as most big contracts tend to go out to proven/older players, but the risk always remains whether the team can continue to compete without said proven talent.
All that said, it sounds like (and this is according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports) some rival executive will believe the Dodgers are cutting costs when they actually see it.
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Based on the quote provided in the article, it sounds like the Dodgers, themselves, are less hell-bent on it than originally reported/freaked out about.
Here’s Stan Kasten responding to a specific goal he’d like to approach in terms of payrol:
Responding to a question about word of the payroll coming down, Kasten responded, “I never spoke about the payroll. And I don’t intend to ever talk about payroll. Our goal, articulated on day one, was to get to be self-sustaining through our minor-league player development system. When we become that kind of team we will naturally be a younger team, but the foremost goal remains to be a better team.”
We wrote earlier this offseason that competitiveness and spending isn’t directly connected to how competitive a team can become. Kasten is speaking to that in the above quote. That said, if the opportunity presents itself to spend wisely in order to improve the roster, it sounds like the Dodgers won’t pass it up for some line in the sand in payroll, which is good to hear for fans and why one rival executive said something like this, early on in the same article:
“They’re not reducing their payroll,” one skeptical GM from a rival team whose payroll is dwarfed by that of the Dodgers.
It was always hard for me to believe the Dodgers were playing the market so cheaply considering how deep this free agent market is. In other words: sure, it’s smart to cut payroll and sustainability is always a smart goal for any business. But when the means to that end is to draw a line in the sand with one of the best pitchers (Zack Greinke) in the history of the franchise, the end game sounds less intriguing.
Now, this is only one report to the contrary of others that have all stated the Dodgers’ goal to this point, so take it what I’m about to say with a grain of salt, but more-so now than at any point this offseason, I feel comfortable believe Greinke will return.
That, in and of itself, is something that should calm the waters at least somewhat in Dodgers Nation.
LA can cut salary when the dead wood (Crawford in particular) starts dropping off the books. This is not an overly talented roster right now, outside of Kershaw, if you look objectively at who is under contract for next year. I’d say it looks worse than last year, without Greinke on it, with Ryu a major injury question, with Puig coming off a lost season. Now is not the time to try to cut costs, unless they want to battle San Diego for third place in the division next year.
I’ll tell you what they intend to do….the F.O. will put a team good enough to win throughout the season. Which keeps fans buying tickets, but the team will never be strong enough to win in the post-season….period! All these so call analytical inspired baseball teams do very well during the regular season, but they all fail in the playoffs.
What have Dodger’s fans got since Kasten came to town? Well for one thing they haven’t saved dime one. I forget, how much are they paying the Padres for Kemp’s presence there? Tons, and there are other players to add to this mix just this off-season. Oh, Dodgers fans don’t get to see them on T.V. unless you live in the city. How about trading away MVP (could have been if playing on a playoff team) 2nd baseman Dee Gordon for some crap pitcher who is now playing elsewhere. And what about all those under performing pitchers they rammed down Mattingly’s throat that absolutely killed any chance we had at a title. They’re holding onto Puig even after everyone in the free world knew him to be a cancer, and no one wants him on the team. Pafuckingthedic! They certainly haven’t proved they are competent to me. I hate what they’re doing. I hate their style of baseball. I’ll say it again, just good enough to sell out, but not strong enough to win in the playoffs.
Darviathar this front office spent 100 mil. To lose 2 more games? They didnt know how to address the pitching problem they screwed up 2nd base, the outfield is worse, (wouldn’t keeps 100 rbc have been nice, and catching may or may not be better. So now not counting the pitching problem, we need a left fielder, a Centre fielder, 2nd base, catcher, and maybe 3rd base and shortstop (remember joc) the only hope is that some of the players he inherited ca come through. I’m struggling to find where Friedman has helped. Oh yeah 100 million!