ESPN Identifies Dodgers Biggest, Best and Worst Signings of the Decade
The Dodgers were defined by regular season success and postseason failure throughout the 2010s. They won seven consecutive NL West titles from 2013-2019 and advanced to two World Series in 2017 and 2018, falling short of a championship each time.
They have also been notoriously frugal on the free agent market in recent years under Andrew Friedman, a far cry from having the highest payroll in baseball under Ned Colletti early in the decade.
ESPN recently looked at the best and worst free agent signings of the decade from all 30 major league clubs.
[adace-ad id=”117991″]The worst contract the Dodgers gave out in the 2010s according to ESPN was a toss-up between Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy. Kazmir signed a three-year $48 million contract in 2016 and only played one season with a 0.5 WAR before breaking down. McCarthy signed for $48 million over four years, and similarly dealt with injuries as he only made 29 starts over three seasons for a 0.3 WAR. According to ESPN, “Dodger fans can only wonder about what might have happened if that $96 million had been spent more wisely.”
The Dodgers best signing of the decade according to ESPN was bringing back Justin Turner on a four-year $64 million deal in 2017. Per the article, “re-signing Turner gave the Dodgers their best position player during their World Series trips in 2017 and 2018.” His 14 WAR since the signing has been proof of his consistency.
A report claims the #Dodgers were 3rd-favorite to sign Greinke. This’ll go over just fine. https://t.co/Qs1VKiZVmO pic.twitter.com/XDm4WLB6fO
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) December 18, 2015
Their biggest deal was signing Zack Greinke to a six-year $147 million contract in 2013. Greinke gave the Dodgers a second ace to pair with Clayton Kershaw, although it was short lived as he opted out after the third year to join the Arizona Diamondbacks. It remains the only $100 million contract given out by the Dodgers of the decade.
With only a couple weeks left in the 2010s, can the Dodgers pull off a signing that will finally get them that elusive World Series ring?
NEXT: Dodgers Not Out of Running for Josh Donaldson, Per Reports
Pathetic
It’s no wonder we’re no longer active in the FA market after those two colossal failures. Unless Pollock rebounds you’ll have to add him to the list and maybe Joe Kelly as well.
Pollock and Kelley are fresh on everyone’s mind. Kelley was lame all year and gave up the stake through the heart grand slam in the postseason. Pollock couldn’t manage a single hit in the postseason, and was injured as usual. Last seasons veteran aquisition moves get a grade of F. The only reason the Dodgers won 1060 games was the internal rookie moves which get a grade of A+. Every rookie who came up last year hit the ground running.
I can’t tell where the ads end and the article begins again….give me a minute….
Yes!
Friedman never signs top league talent. They require being paid. He loves over paying mid level reclamation projects and injury plagued players. Ned Colletti believed in signing top players and paying them! Ned had a couple bad signings but those were package deals to get the big fish! The fans never turned on Ned because he didn’t lie or degrade the fans. We all knew he was going all out with our money! The direct opposite of Friedman!
Kirk, I agree 100%
Jason Schmidt was a Colletti signing. Odd that Ned glosses over that in his book. Schmidt made Kasmir and McCarthy look like Lou Gehrig.
Cool you named one Curtis. He also had McCourt to deal with he actually would’ve done more had McCourt and his wife not been crooks, he had a deal for Sabbathia but money got in the way. Ned did great with what he had but would’ve put us over the top if he could. Friedman has all the money and prospects in the world yet used that money to sign several mediocre injury plagued bums instead of one or 2 stars like Greinke. We likely win it all with Greinke even despite Houston’s cheating because we almost won anyway.
If Friedman doesn’t make a move on a quality veteran starting pitcher, the Dodgers are in trouble. May, Gonsolin, and Urias can’t carry the load yet. By the end of the season, they would all be pitch count restricted.
get NED BACK
You forgot to add Dave Roberts. Should have dumped him this year and moved on. Maybe why no one wants to come to the dodgers no clue on managing pitchers and too much platooning
You forgot to add Dave Roberts. Why would anyone want to join the dodgers when he doesn’t know how to manage pitchers and believes so much in platooning. Should have dumped him this year and moved on.
Who would you get to replace him?
Maddon, Scoscia, Girardi all would’ve been better and made better decisions with the pitching staff specifically but also wouldn’t lay down for Friedman and his nerds.
Rich, you forgot how Roberts was picked because he agreed to follow the Friedman way of playing. He said he was open to the FO planning the game. What we see is not just Roberts orchestrating a game plan, but thinking that is in unison with the FO. This FO will not have a team run but an independent thinker. There is too much invested to have it any other way. 3.8 million tickets sold, means they are in agreement with the FO/Friedman/Roberts/Kasten.
What I’d like to see more than anything, is the ability for people not in Spectrum’s area of coverage, to be able to watch the Dodgers on TV. You can’t watch them on MLB TV as there is a blackout. More than anything, that shows me the lack of support for the fans. They just do not care, as they took the money and forgot, It’s not like they didn’t read the fine print on the deal. As with all things, the shine fades, the polish dulls. With expenses, bills, mortgages, people start to prioritize. Going to games falls lower on the “to do” list. Maybe one day, we’ll get to see our own team on local TV. Life goes on, with or without the Dodgers. Maybe we don’t need the latest $300 jersey to get that awful swoosh stripe on it. Maybe a few fans start to watch the Angels and don’t come back. It does become exhausting, making excuses for our team’s ownership. You can re-release the same movie in the ‘Director’s Cut’ the foreign version, alternate endings, but the ending is the same. You walk way and wonder “didn’t we just see the same movie, again?”
Spot on Mike! Exactly right!
Just boycott the dodgers. Stop making those dodger owners multi billionaires. They had no intentions of signing big stars this off season, nor bringing in any big stars through trade. That idiot Friedman who talks like a mousy lying weasel that he is, has not an ounce of a personality. He cant talk to those sharp educated fast talking men like Scott Boras. A man like Boras just eats him alive. THIS IS NOT TAMPA BAY, THIS IS LOS ANGELES. Stop stealing from the fans. The fans who give their last dollars to make you big fat corporate pigs that you have become. Johnson stop trying to sabotage Jeanie Buss to steal her team. Work to bringing a championship to the dodger fans. BOYCOTT THE GAMES THEIR MERCHANDISE, BEER, dodger DOGS. HIT THEM IN THE POCKET BOOK. See if they can say oh well the people come no matter what we put on the field, why spend the money.
BOYCOTT THOSE SOB’s