With Freddie Freeman in the fold, Dodgers believe they have the pieces needed to compete for a World Series championship.
“He’s the best in the business,” Greene said. “I think you go back to that 2020 playoffs [series against the Braves in the NLCS] and just trying to figure out how to get him out, it’s not really easy,” Barnes said. You’ve still got to catch the baseball. “He is one of the premier hitters in the game, a guy that can hit left, hit right, can drive runs in,” Roberts said, later adding: “On paper it’s a great ball club. Obviously there’s been a lot of buildup and a lot of talk and a lot of anticipation as to what was going to happen. “It’s a testament to all those guys, it’s pretty special to be a part of,” Kershaw said.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Clayton Kershaw and Justin Turner were going through Twitter. Austin Barnes was scrolling on Instagram. Max Muncy got word from his wife.
“We have to work on that and we will. It’s going to be cool to look back and say this is a lineup that I was a part of.” But as good as the Dodgers can be this season, they have a level of understanding that a team can’t win a championship in Spring Training or on paper. And Freeman will be right in the thick of things. They have what manager Dave Roberts called “one of the best lineups I’ve ever seen” and a few aces in the rotation that could help them until some of the young pitchers are ready later in the season. “Obviously, there's been a lot of buildup and a lot of talk and a lot of anticipation as to what was going to happen. For the rest, it started to become a realistic possibility once the Braves moved on and traded for first baseman Matt Olson, effectively ending Freeman’s long tenure with the Braves. Eight of the nine projected starters in the lineup are former All-Stars. Will Smith, the only player not on that list, is arguably the best offensive catcher in the Majors. He’s on his way to representing the Dodgers in the Midsummer Classic potentially as early as this season. This lineup is going to be awesome. Now he’s going to be a member of this clubhouse. But once Freeman is officially a Dodger over the next 24 hours, Los Angeles will have one of the best lineups -- at least on paper -- in recent memory. That’s just mostly because Freeman still has to go through a physical, a normal step in the process.
The Dodgers have Freddie Freeman, but things aren't fully settled for L.A. three weeks before Opening Day.
Gavin Lux, formerly one of the top prospects in baseball, is slated to enter the season in a reserve role. Their goal is to win another World Series, not to field the most efficient roster. That group includes shortstop Trea Turner and pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Andrew Heaney, and David Price. Turner is the prize of the four, and it'll be worth monitoring whether or not the Dodgers will be game to hand out a third massive contract to a position player in what amounts to roughly two years' time. Longtime Kenley Jansen is one of the top free agents remaining on the open market. Depending on what happens with Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers could enter the season with a CBT payroll around $280 million, putting them just $10 million underneath the fourth and highest CBT tier. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman to a six-year deal worth more than $160 million.
Dustin May was placed on the 60-day injured list to make 40-man roster room for Jimmy Nelson, whose one-year contract with a club option for 2023 was ...
May was the Dodgers’ opening day starter in 2020, and started last season on fire with 35 strikeouts (a 37.6-percent strikeout rate) in 23 innings with a 2.74 ERA in five starts before getting hurt. He’s returning from both Tommy John surgery and right flexor tendon repair last August, so he’s a likely candidate to be placed on the 60-day injured list himself soon to make roster room, perhaps when Freddie Freeman or Hanser Alberto finalize their contracts. Procedurally, by placing him on the 60-day IL, the earliest possible date May could be activated is June 6.
Asked over the past week what the signing of former most valuable player Freddie Freeman as a free agent would add to the team, they voiced almost universal ...
Freeman hasn’t just been one of the best players in baseball over the last decade. One of the few holes on the team — a left-handed slugger to replace the departed Corey Seager — has been filled. Lux can be saved for more favorable matchups, too, when the Dodgers want to field a left-handed heavy lineup. In 42 career postseason games, Freeman has proved himself a clutch October performer. Freeman crushed L. A. pitching over his postseason career, batting .286 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over their four playoff meetings since 2013. And if they weren’t already, the Dodgers’ lineup is now arguably the biggest juggernaut in the league and on paper has the chance to be one of their best ever. I don’t know what I’d do without him, quite honestly.” Muncy will be freed up to play second base or serve as the designated hitter. He hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down, either. His on-base-plus-slugging percentages have only dipped below .900 twice during that time, too. With that said, Freddie’s a really good baseball player.” The Dodgers will soon discover just how good they can indeed be with Freeman at the heart of their lineup, after the team agreed to terms with the former Atlanta Braves star on a six-year, $162-million contract, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Expected Spring Training report date for Freddie Freeman once his six-year, $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is signed.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? They are doing so in back-to-back years, as the signing of Albert Pujols helped them first achieve the rare feat. The 2022 Dodgers are now the fifth team in MLB history to have four MVPs on their roster in the same season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Dustin May to the 60-day injured list, which cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for the Jimmy Nelson signing.
Nelson made the 2021 Dodgers Opening Day roster, but struggled to remain healthy. Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Nelson underwent Tommy John and a flexor tendon repair last August, and is expected to miss the entire 2022 season.
https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1504308307967754240?s=21 Early Thursday morning, the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly agreed to a six-year, ...
The quest to get Kershaw another ring starts now. The bullpen also could use another pitcher, although that need is not the most dire at this moment. Another starter would go a long way to shoring up this rotation. The starting rotation is the next place that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman should be working on. But after the first three slots there are a lot of questions. As it stands right now, the starting rotation should be Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, Kershaw, and Andrew Heaney. The fifth spot is up for competition.
Clayton Kershaw being back in Dodger blue just feels right. Dodgers fans were on edge for months during the MLB lockout, unsure of where Kershaw would sign ...
In his last three 162-game regular seasons, Kershaw has averaged about 26 starts. Dodgers fans were on edge for months during the MLB lockout, unsure of where Kershaw would sign once he was able to negotiate a new contract. He will then make an additional $1M each time he hits 20,22,24, and 26 games started.
Freddie Freeman led Atlanta to a World Series title, but a general manager known to “regroup and fortify” made a difficult and pragmatic decision to make a ...
“He’s been through good times, he’s been through the worst of times and now through the best of times. Freddie Freeman, ever dependable, was sure to be there. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Dansby Swanson gathered the final ground ball of the World Series last November, then peeked to second base for an easy force that would have clinched the title for the Atlanta Braves. When his double play partner, Ozzie Albies, was slow to break for the bag, Swanson changed direction and threw to first instead.
The Dodgers finalized a six-year, $162 million contract with first baseman Freddie Freeman, a source confirmed to The Athletic.
Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers for six years and $162 million, with spawned reaction throughout baseball.
Last year’s Dodgers team was also one of those with an MVP quartet, with Freeman taking Albert Pujols’ spot this year. Freddie Freeman agreed to sign with the Dodgers for a reported six years and $162 million. Other teams’ fans mad about the Dodgers spending exorbitantly?
Coming off a 106-win season, the Dodgers added a third MVP to their lineup, signing first baseman Freddie Freeman to a $162 million deal.
"You can’t just assume that because we have nine of the best players in the game out there every day," three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw said, "that we’re going to win. "I don’t think I’ll ever get numb to it," Muncy says, "but it’s non-stop amazement we’re able to make moves like this. They needed a bat two years ago, and traded for MVP Mookie Betts along with former Cy Young award winner David Price with him. "He’s one of the best hitters this game has ever seen," said Muncy, who is moving to second base to accommodate Freeman. "He makes our lineup so dangerous. A lot of anticipation as to what was going to happen. He put himself in a situation to be where he wants to be — taking nothing away from his love for (Atlanta’s) organization — but as things played out, it just kind of become more of a realization." Roberts even offered his own sales pitch just before the lockout, actually calling Freeman from Betts’ wedding, telling him how much they wanted him. They had a much stronger chance of signing him than anyone realized. "He showed interest in our organization. A lot of talk. The lineup will be awesome. "Obviously, there’s been a lot of buildup.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won at least 100 games in three of the last five seasons, and now their lineup features yet another MVP winner who also happens ...
Despite all this, the Dodgers are still projected by FanGraphs to be the best team in baseball. In the lineup, it's possible 2022 will be no easier than 2021 was for Betts and Bellinger as each struggled to keep their numbers up despite assorted aches and pains. Mookie Betts was the American League MVP in 2018 and Cody Bellinger was the National League MVP in 2019. The Dodgers' starting nine won't account for every one of the team's at-bats in 2022. There's also the prospect of some of the Dodgers' regulars doing better than even their baseline performances over the last three years. There just isn't a whole lot that Freeman doesn't do well in the box. Freeman isn't so much augmenting the Dodgers lineup as he is completing it. He's had few missteps throughout his 12-year MLB career, and basically none since he made the leap to stardom as a 23-year-old in 2013. After spending the first 15 years of his professional career in the Atlanta organization, Freeman gets to go home. Come 2023, Freeman likely won't even have to worry about the shift anymore. This is even though he came in under both his .320 expected batting average and .583 expected slugging percentage. He followed his MVP-winning campaign from 2020 with yet another excellent effort, culminating in his exclamation point on the club's World Series victory.
Free-agent first baseman and Orange County native Freddie Freeman has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a six-year contract worth $162 million ...
Freeman is a sensational hitter who hasn't posted an OPS+ of less than 130 since he was a 22-year-old in 2012. Freeman in the end got that sixth year from the Dodgers, and he'll be under contract through his age-37 campaign. Freeman joins a powerhouse Dodgers team that last season led the National League in runs scored and ranked second in OPS despite the mild run-suppressing tendencies of Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers can certainly fit Freeman in the lineup, particularly now that the universal DH is in force. That lineup also includes the likes of Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Will Smith. The Dodgers, coming off a 106-win campaign, were probably already the consensus favorites in the NL, and the addition of Freeman no doubt solidifies that status and increases their chances of winning the World Series for the second time in three years. The two sides were unable to reach an agreement prior to the lockout, however, with Freeman desiring more years than the Braves would give.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman to a six-year, $162 million contract despite reports suggesting it'd cost much more.
In reality, the Dodgers’ deal is a six year, $140.45 contract subtracting the state taxes while the Braves’ would’ve been a five-year, $131.95 million contract. What’s even more glaring here is the difference in taxes, too, which the Braves tried to use to their advantage. LA needed to just go one year and $22 million more to get it done. The Toronto Blue Jays filled their infield with third baseman Matt Chapman via trade. It finally happened. And there it is, Los Angeles Dodgers fans.