The Dodgers

[Glen]

...are really good. Just sayin'.

[kevinb]

7 minutes ago, Glen said:

...are really good. Just sayin'.

They’ve been really good. They’ve made the last two World Series. 

[Taylor]

I don't see them slowing down at all. They might end up breaking the Mariners 2001 wins record.

[Claude]

The Dodgers have figured out the magical formula that puts butts in seats. 

[fan_since79]

If they make the Series and face the Astros, can you imagine the pressure on them not to blow it? When's the last time a team lost three straight World Series? I can't recall.

[Jason]

When you have unlimited funds to spend on players you damn well better be good

[T.G.]

[mulwin444]

47 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

The Dodgers have figured out the magical formula that puts butts in seats. 

Yep, just take on a huge amount of bad contracts to get your guy and pay between $40-70 million more in annual payroll than any other team for 4 consecutive seasons.

Some savvy alchemy there...

[mulwin444]

36 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

If they make the Series and face the Astros, can you imagine the pressure on them not to blow it? When's the last time a team lost three straight World Series? I can't recall.

Last time that happened I believe it was the NY Giants from 1911 - 1913 so it would be historic choking for sure...I'm down for that if the Angels don't make the playoffs this year.

[Claude]

20 minutes ago, Jason said:

When you have unlimited funds to spend on players you damn well better be good

The Dodgers have a $196M payroll which is something many here thought Arte would get to when MLB raised the luxury tax threshold. But it was just like Arte to figure out how to make the fans extremely happy by extending Trout and unnoticeably lower his budget. Thank you Arte. 

[Claude]

8 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

Yep, just take on a huge amount of bad contracts to get your guy and pay between $40-70 million more in annual payroll than any other team for 4 consecutive seasons.

Some savvy alchemy there...

Bankruptcy is inevitable. 

[Taylor]

2 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

The Dodgers have a $196M payroll which is something many here thought Arte would get to when MLB raised the luxury tax threshold. But it was just like Arte to figure out how to make the fans extremely happy by extending Trout and unnoticeably lower his budget. Thank you Arte. 

Narrative before March 2019: Arte is cheap, which is why he won't extend Mike Trout.

New narrative: Arte is cheap because he only extended Mike Trout.

[yk9001]

9 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

Yep, just take on a huge amount of bad contracts to get your guy and pay between $40-70 million more in annual payroll than any other team for 4 consecutive seasons.

Some savvy alchemy there...

Every time i see the highlights, they have some other no name up from the minors knocking the sh*t out of the ball.

[angelsnationtalk]

I like their draft picks too. I think they drafted much better than the Angels.

[mulwin444]

2 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

Every time i see the highlights, they have some other no name up from the minors knocking the sh*t out of the ball.

Well, they are "highlights" for a reason...you rarely see the time he swung at the ball in the dirt unless you are watching the game.

Dodgers spent more money than anyone from 2014-2017 on guys like Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Adrien Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Brett Anderson, and Scott Kazmir while their minor leagues caught up.  

To be sure, they snagged some castoffs that have turned it around (Turner, Muncy) but their core of Bellinger, Seager, Pederson, Verdugo, Stripling, Buehler, and Urias are all through their minor leagues.

Angels are trying to do this without spending near $300 million annually. 

[T.G.]

12 minutes ago, Bumpy Grimes said:

Narrative before March 2019: Arte is cheap, which is why he won't extend Mike Trout.

New narrative: Arte is cheap because he only extended Mike Trout.

And those that continue to push that narrative, I just put them on ignore.  The list is getting bigger every day.  They're tiresome.  They're boring.  Most of all they're annoying. They think they add something to the forum, but they don't.  They say the same thing every day - day after day - they just find different ways to say the same ol' thing and they inject that narrative into every single thread whenever they have a chance.  They're like the weeds that show up in your yard.

[Claude]

24 minutes ago, Bumpy Grimes said:

Narrative before March 2019: Arte is cheap, which is why he won't extend Mike Trout.

New narrative: Arte is cheap because he only extended Mike Trout.

I don’t think Arte is cheap but he’s very crafty. He knows how to pacify the fans.  

Edited June 4, 2019 by Calzone 2

[Erstad Grit]

It sucks.  I'm surrounded by Dodger fans and this year they are not slowing down at all.  

[VariousCrap]

33 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

Yep, just take on a huge amount of bad contracts to get your guy and pay between $40-70 million more in annual payroll than any other team for 4 consecutive seasons.

Some savvy alchemy there...

 

Who cares?  Year in and year out, they make the playoffs and still built one of the best farm systems in the sport.  Whatever the did, it worked.

[mulwin444]

Just now, VariousCrap said:

 

Who cares?  Year in and year out, they make the playoffs and still built one of the best farm systems in the sport.  Whatever the did, it worked.

My point is only 1 or 2 teams can do that so it's not like a blueprint that other teams can follow.  Good for them, it worked, whatever...when you outspend the Yankees by $70 million, yeah, you better have something to show for it.

[yk9001]

14 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

Dodgers spent more money than anyone from 2014-2017 on guys like Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Adrien Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Brett Anderson, and Scott Kazmir while their minor leagues caught up.  

Looking forward to when the Angels minor leagues catch up.

[VariousCrap]

Just now, mulwin444 said:

My point is only 1 or 2 teams can do that so it's not like a blueprint that other teams can follow.  Good for them, it worked, whatever...when you outspend the Yankees by $70 million, yeah, you better have something to show for it.

I think more teams can do it than that, but your point is good one.  It is amazing for their fans and horrible for Dodger haters like me.

[Claude]

10 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

My point is only 1 or 2 teams can do that so it's not like a blueprint that other teams can follow.  Good for them, it worked, whatever...when you outspend the Yankees by $70 million, yeah, you better have something to show for it.

Doesn’t every team have to play by the same rules. I don’t give a hoot how the Dodgers are getting it done. When you win six division titles in a row and most likely another one you’re doing something right. They spend money and they’re filling the seats. It’s working for them. 

[Taylor]

16 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

Looking forward to when the Angels minor leagues catch up.

I don't think the Dodgers had to climb out of the 30th "best" minor league system hole like the Angels did.

[Taylor]

27 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

I don’t think Arte is cheap but he’s very crafty. He knows how to pacify the fans.  

Most fans don't care about the payroll numbers. They care about whether the team is winning or not.

Arte's plan is to let Eppler rebuild the farm system. He's been very hands off with Eppler, more so than he seemed to be with previous GMs. Extending Trout required Arte's approval, but he didn't just do that to "pacify the fans." It's part of the Angels' long-term goals to build a winning organization.