HOG DODGERS BUY ANOTHER TOP PITCHER

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms with free agent closer Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million deal, according to Jeff Passan. 

Scott, who was traded to the Padres at the deadline, posted a 1.75 ERA and 2.92 FIP between the two clubs. The Dodgers reportedly had Scott as one of their top targets this offseason.

Bob Nightengale mentions that the Boston Red Sox offered Scott more years at a higher average annual value than the Dodgers, but he chose LA instead. Scott's deal includes a $20 million signing bonus and $21 million in deferred payments, a structure the Dodgers have employed in several deals this offseason, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The addition of Scott likely marks the conclusion of another busy offseason for the reigning World Series champions. Before signing Scott, the Dodgers added Blake Snell, one of the top starters on the market; re-signed Teoscar Hernandez; signed Michael Conforto to solidify the corner outfield; brought in Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim, extended Tommy Edman; and, in one of the off-season's most significant moves, attracted phenom Roki Sasaki.

While the Yankees were once considered the "Evil Empire" for their lavish spending, the current state of the Dodgers' financial muscle raises eyebrows in my opinion. The sheer amount of money they can spend on players seems unbelievably unbalanced compared to the rest of Major League Baseball. It's almost a monopoly. It's almost sickening. It's almost curious how it's being managed.

In fact, the Dodgers' financial maneuvers could be considered suspicious in my eyes as they continue to outbid and outmaneuver other teams. Their ability to consistently secure top talent is both impressive and perplexing, leading some to question how they manage their finances. It's nuts.

As you know, Tanner Scott was loosely connected to the Yankees, with Bleeding Yankee Blue recently writing about him in an article titled MOMENTUM COULD BE BUILDING ON TANNER SCOTT. However, just hours later, reports surfaced that the Yankees were more focused on Andrew Chafin than on Scott. 

Whatever the case, the Dodgers' dominance in the market is ridiculous. Wow.

FACING THE CRITICISM: LACK OF FUNDAMENTALS DON'T WIN WORLD SERIES

Watching the Yankees' undoing in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series was painful, but not surprising. As I shared with my CEO today who calmly asked me if I was okay a week later, the Yankees simply cannot win when they lack basic baseball fundamentals, and I have not been able to watch or read anything baseball since that horrific loss. He advised, "Write that in your blog post and you will feel better." So, like a good employee, I am doing just that. The Yankees' lack of fundamentals don't win World Series. And I am not over it.

The Dodgers knew of the Yankees' lack of defensive play ahead of the World Series. In fact, they were extremely confident going into the games against the Yankees because their scouting reports indicated that they would make mistakes defensively when the ball was in play. According to NY Post's Joel Sherman,  "What the Dodgers told their players in scouting meetings was the Yankees were talent over fundamentals. That if you run the bases with purpose and aggression, the Yankees will self-inflict harm, as was exposed by Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman, etc. That the value was very high to put the ball in play to make the Yankees execute."

It was hot head Dodger pitcher Joe Kelly who bashed the Yankees on his "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcase calling their ranking inflated and placing them at the bottom quarter of the 12 teams that made the MLB playoffs this year. "Just let them throw the ball to the infield, they can't make a play," Kelly said. "I mean, you saw. Shohei got an extra base going to third on a sloppy Gleyber play. It's well known. We all knew. I mean, we're the Dodgers. We know every little detail," ranted Kelly. Yeah, I get it. We all know it. We are with the team 162 games. We have seen it all and we don't need the Dodgers or anyone else to rub it in our faces.

In response to the criticism, General Manager Brian Cashman acknowledged the Yankees poor performance in the World Series. "Our A-game didn’t show up when it counted the most,” he continued. “I also think, objectively, if you take a step back and analyze who we played, whether it was the Dodgers or any of the other postseason teams that were participating, whether it was us playing them or other teams in the National League, those rosters are all constructed with players that do things in some category better than others. You have exceptionally great defenders that don’t hit as well, you have really good hitters that don’t defend as well. And the combination of how it all fits together plays out a certain way over the course of 162 and then in the month of October if you’re lucky to get there,” reported Yahoo Sports.

I think we can all acknowledge that both teams deserved to be playing in this World Series. And yes, there can only be one winner. But it absolutely was not a mismatch as Kelly and others have stated. 162 games is a long season and the Yankees won out. Then they battled through some very tough ALCS games and won out. But the Yankees have to figure out October and that's just what the GM admitted.

“And to be the world champs you gotta be really good – which I think we produced really good teams – you gotta be healthy and you gotta be lucky. We’ll try to continue to figure out how to navigate October. We’ve done it before, but as many times, in many years the best teams going in don’t win. And it’s not because they’re flawed it’s just navigating October is difficult,” reported Yahoo Sports. 

For me, I'd like to see less of these fundamental mistakes, more small ball all season long not just in October and less emphasis on big bats. It is not just about the home runs; it is not just about swinging for the fences but rather it is about putting the ball in play when it counts and then defending that lead. It is a whole-team effort. And the Yankees just weren't able to execute that plan. Fundamentals executed well win ball games and absolutely win World Series. 

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof

NESTOR'S LAST STAND?

 

Source: The Athletic

I have to say the distractions of the Olympics have kept me from the trade deadline frenzy. This along with the Yankees dominating the teams they need to in order to remain on the road to the championship have all been happening parallel to the torch blazing in Paris. One detail I have been monitoring is the one that involves a possible movement of Nestor Cortes. Could this be Nestor's last stand?

According to The New York Post, "It’s no longer a secret that the Yankees at least considered trading the left-hander to St. Louis in exchange for infielder Tommy Edman, who ended up going to the Dodgers as part of a three-team deal with the White Sox and sent Erick Fedde to the Cardinals." Cortes followed his regular routine including throwing a bullpen session ahead of Monday night's game in Philadelphia that saw the Yankees dominate the Phillies in a 14-4 win.

“Of course I want to stay,” Cortes said of his desire to remain a Yankee. “It’s a winning team, it’s the team I was drafted by. They’ve given me many opportunities and I’ve done a lot of good, some bad, but I’m still fighting, still trying to claw my way up to being a proven starter and winning for this team,” reported The Post.

Cortes is slated to pitch against the Phillies in the afternoon series closer today. And after Gerrit Cole was scratched from Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia, the team got a closer look at rookie Will Warren who could be a worthy replacement down the road for Cortes.

Source: The Athletic

"Warren was a candidate to make the Yankees out of spring training as the team’s fifth starter, but Luis Gil won the competition over him", reported The Athletic. “He’s a confident kid,” Boone said. “We love his makeup. We love his stuff. He’s had some bumps in the road this year but has also dominated a lot of outings, too. He has all the equipment to go out there and be successful. He’s not a guy who’s overwhelmed. He’s got a really good presence to him.”

If in fact this is Cortes' last stand, it would make sense that the Yankees bring in another starter. And he does not have to come from a trade. With new bullpen addition Mark Leiter, Jr. joining the Yankees Tuesday from the Cubs, Warren could find his way into the rotation with a Cortes trade.

"If Cortes were traded, it would make sense for the Yankees to add another starter. Clarke Schmidt, who is recovering from a lat injury, isn’t expected back in the rotation soon; he recently started throwing off a mound. Luis Gil has workload concerns and might be moved to the bullpen to preserve his arm for October. Marcus Stroman, despite his 3.64 ERA, has career-worst strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates. His advanced metrics suggest he is a major candidate for regression," reported The Athletic. 

So although I remain more engaged in gritty Olympic athletes like Simone Biles, Rafael Nadal and Leon Marchand, I have kept my eye on the Yankees and their recent climb back into my graces after an abysmal few weeks preceding the games in Paris. And if it's goodbye to Nasty Nestor, then it is only fair to say that they are executing a plan to stay on the upward path toward championship baseball. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof