Who can afford that contract other than the Dodgers, Yankees and Boston?

I just saw a short Tom Verducci talking Shohei video clip roll through my Twitter feed. Why all this Dodgers propaganda? It's fine to say he prefers to live in California or that he would get the most money but don't tell me no other team can sell him on the opportunity to compete for a World Series every year like the Dodgers can.

They lost to the Braves in the NLCS in '21, kicked out by the Padres 3 games to 1 in the '22 NLDS, and just got swept and outscored 19-6 by the Diamondbacks. That's the definition of going backwards as an organization. They're a team that had Jason Heyward batting every day and trouted out Lance Lynn as their #3 postseason starter

I'm not familiar with their farm system and I know they're always going to have money to spend each offseason (why didn't they resign Trea Turner and/or Corey Seager though?) -- but when I look at their starting pitching depth and their batting lineup, I wonder how competitive the 2024 Dodgers will be.

Quite interesting from Meghan Montemurro.

With limited everyday options for a non-designated hitter role, the Cubs want Morel to get offseason work at first base in winter ball and see how he handles the position.

A 5'11 firstbaseman?

That .... is not a reasonable solution for the first base void.

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You cannot make me care about the WNBA.

A team with great up the middle defense should not use an untested 1B. Go out and get real players at first and third.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Steve Garvey 5'10" .

Prince Fielder was lucky to be 5'9".

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

They've made the play-offs 11 consecutive times. That's not propaganda and it does make them more likely to make the WS every year. (Note: I am definitely not a Dodgers fan).

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Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.- JD Vance
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus. - Turkish Proverb

I suspect that he will not be the primary 1B, but that they are signaling to potential FAs and trade partners that they are not moving him back to 3B (where he primarily played in AA).

My guess is that if they resign Bellinger, they expect there to be times when Morel isn't starting and they will want him to pinch hit for PCA late if they are losing.

Also, this probably means that they are going to non-tender Wisdom.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

There are many precedents of players defense improving. Hopefully with his bat Morel finds a niche position like first he feels comfortable at to improve defensively opening up team flexibility at DH.

The Cubs should hope to be the Dodgers or the Astros. Playoffs are luck. You can't build a team for luck.

The Cubs must believe they're getting Otani. Why would you not plant Morel at third? They're not trading that kid, I don't think.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Morel is Nick Castellanos defensively. He played 3B in AA and AAA but they know he can't handle it at the big league level.

The Phillies put up with Castellanos in RF because they have Schwarber DH and Harper is now at 1B. But Suzuki is in RF with a NTC. So training Morel to be the backup 1B at least lets them non-tender Patrick Wisdom and keeps them from bringing in a Hosmer/Mancini waste.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Look up how many surgeries Walker Buehler and Dustin May have had. I'm selling on the 2024 Dodgers.

That’s not really the point though. They are a perennial contender that has shown they are willing to spend money to stay that way. Adding Ohtani only boosts their chances.

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Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.- JD Vance
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus. - Turkish Proverb

It is the point. Their starting pitching sucks. They also weren't willing to spend money to resign Corey Seager or Trea Turner. And there's no such thing as a perennial contender. The 90s Braves had an ending. Stan Kasten knows that. .

Teams like the Astros and Rangers are in a much better position to compete for a championship. And there's no income tax in Texas! Same goes for the Braves or Phillies. All 4 teams are in a better position than the Dodgers.

What a bunch of bullshit. The biggest number gets it done. That's just trying to get more teams bidding against each other blindly

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Exactly.
Bryce Harper - Philadelphia
Machado - San Diego
Alex Rodriguez - NY Yankees and Texas.

Ohtani isn't Kris Bryant. Some team will come in and pay huge money for him and that will be the ed of it.

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Hopefully Ricketts' financial people have told him that the entire luxury tax component for the 2024-2027 Cubs could be paid for just out of Ohtani's merchandise and Japanese media revenues. The conservative estimate in Anaheim was $30M in income not subject to revenue sharing.

I heard a discussion of the A's move to Las Vegas this morning on XM89. The discussion centered around the idea that the owners don't care about Vegas as an expansion target so they're happy to let the A's move there and continue to suck. The expectation is that new expansion teams will need to give $2B in expansion fees each, so that's $133M to each team.

If that's actually true, an Ohtani WS championship has got to be worth $1B to Ricketts.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Everything hinges on whether he will pitch. Does this “lucrative” offer the Cubs are preparing include clauses for if he does not?

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I would hope so. Maybe 30% based on IP each year and a bonus for a Cy Young or two.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Shohei Ohtani Next Team Oddsper DraftKings
Los Angeles Dodgers -110
San Francisco Giants +550
New York Mets +700
Chicago Cubs +700
New York Yankees +750

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Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.- JD Vance
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus. - Turkish Proverb

Dylan Svoboda of the New York Post

Adding Ohtani to the duo of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would immediately create one of the scariest 1-2-3 trios in baseball history. Although he won’t pitch in 2024, Ohtani could slot in as the Dodgers’ ace in a rotation that, by 2025, will likely feature a bevy of solid, young starting pitchers. The Dodgers far outpace the rest of the teams in the running for Ohtani’s services on the DraftKings odds board.

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Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.- JD Vance
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus. - Turkish Proverb

What are the odds for Rashan "The Contract" Gary's next sack in a Packers uniform? I'm guessing the Bears game?

Would you like to place a wager on this?

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

OMG! Great news! I thought they'd be offering him a lowball contract.

Maybe he should be reminded about how the cubs and their frat boy fans have welcomed japanese players

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It is nice that dolphin can get a head start on preparing his bitch post for whatever team Othani signs with.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

What an awesome cartoon.

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