Trade: Curtis Granderson to Dodgers

[hockeykicker]

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[Marc the Habs Fan]

Did not think LA needed an OF, especially with A-Gon back and Bellinger likely seeing more OF time as a result. They still have Puig, Pedersen, Taylor, Hernandez...

Dodgers may be angling for the 'win a ring for this longtime vet' motivation factor.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I think the Dodgers are just like ' This is the year. We're loading up in case worst case scenario happens, half the team gets radiation poisoning, it's not gonna come down to us not being prepared enough.'

 

[MMC]

Gives them another OF option if they want Bellinger at 1B and Taylor at 2B.

 

[Scott Stevens]

Did not think LA needed an OF, especially with A-Gon back and Bellinger likely seeing more OF time as a result. They still have Puig, Pedersen, Taylor, Hernandez...

Dodgers may be angling for the 'win a ring for this longtime vet' motivation factor.

I'm quite confident that no team, anywhere, ever, has acquired a player for this reason.

 

[1976len]

the rich get richer, sigh.
signed,
Rockies fan

 

[Oscar Acosta]

I love Granderson now I'll have zero issues with Dodgers winning it all.

 

[MMC]

 

[rangerssharks414]

Pederson got optioned to Triple-A... looking for a link now...

 

[Vamos Rafa]

I don't get the Wooten reference. He was fired from his job in OKC as the hitting coach?

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I don't get the Wooten reference. He was fired from his job in OKC as the hitting coach?

He's going to OKC to work with Pederson is the way I understand that reference.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I'm quite confident that no team, anywhere, ever, has acquired a player for this reason.

Dale Hunter to the Avs in 1999 was clearly an addition with that type of thought in mind. He had 5 assists in 50 games for the Caps that year. 0 goals. Avs still picked him up and he played every playoff game.

 

[Scott Stevens]

Dale Hunter to the Avs in 1999 was clearly an addition with that type of thought in mind. He had 5 assists in 50 games for the Caps that year. 0 goals. Avs still picked him up and he played every playoff game.

"Gritty veteran leadership" to me is wildly more likely than "rallying point".

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

"Gritty veteran leadership" to me is wildly more likely than "rallying point".

It's the same ****ing thing.

 

[robert terwilliger]

gritty veteran leadership is not something that is recognized by the dodgers' front office. they traded kershaw's personal catcher and best friend for a platoon advantage last year.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

gritty veteran leadership is not something that is recognized by the dodgers' front office. they traded kershaw's personal catcher and best friend for a platoon advantage last year.

How do explain Chase Utley? "Gritty veteran leadership" is exactly why he's still on the team. Not to mention the fact that the guy they acquired for Ellis was known as being a great clubhouse leader in his own right. To say that leadership is not something recognized by the front office is completely disingenuous. Just for a quick reference: https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...s-angeles-dodgers-best-season-ever/564337001/

“But the perception that those guys are just kind of number guys,’’ Roberts says, “couldn’t be further than the truth. They’re down in the clubhouse all of the time, interacting with players and coaches, and bouncing ideas off one another. We talk just as much about clubhouse chemistry, and the right type of player we need, as much as we do the data.’’

This is a unified, and cohesive clubhouse last seen in these parts since the days of Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser when they last won the World Series in 1988. As much as Friedman, Zaidi and their staff have brought analytics and sabermetrics to this storied organization, they each believe their greatest accomplishment has been changing the clubhouse culture.

“I sat down with Andrew for about six, seven hours the first week he got here,’’ said Ned Colletti, who led the Dodgers to five postseason trips in nine years as GM. “I told him, 'If you want to win, the clubhouse culture has got to change. There’s a lot of talent in here, but the God-given talent is a waste if you don’t play it that way.'

“In my opinion, that was my greatest failing, and that was his greatest challenge.’’

Now, you walk around the clubhouse, and you’ll see a cap like the one in veteran outfielder Andre Ethier’s locker, reading: “Make the Clubhouse Great Again.’’

“When I first got here,’’ Dodgers All-Star closer Jansen says, “there were a lot of islands in the clubhouse. A lot of islands. A lot of egos. A lot of me-type personalities.

“We had the best talent in the league, but it never clicked. We couldn’t go any farther. There are no egos. Everyone understands that we need everyone to win. And no one takes anything for granted.

“Finally, we are a real team.’’

If this were a couple of years ago, Jansen acknowledges, he would have walked out the door as a free agent. The Washington Nationals actually offered more money. The Miami Marlins made an attractive bid. Yet, when it was time to make a decision, he just couldn’t leave.

“No disrespect to the people that were here before them,’’ Jansen says, “but these guys are so honest with me. Andrew and Farhan and Doc [Roberts], they’ve had my trust since Day 1. They told me how they were going to change the organization, made me believe it, and they proved it.

“That’s why I couldn’t leave. The culture we have, the group of guys we have, it’s just so special. How could I leave this?

“Everything they said they were going to do, they’ve done.’’

Friedman and Zaidi, deflecting any of the credit for the team’s success, will quickly point out that Roberts and Utley are the ones most responsible, at least, for the mood swing. Utley, told by Friedman just to be himself when he came aboard on Aug. 19, 2015, became the team leader. Roberts, hired after the 2015 season, drew everyone together with his overwhelming optimism and enthusiasm, earning the NL manager of the year award last season.

 

[BMOK33]

How do explain Chase Utley? "Gritty veteran leadership" is exactly why he's still on the team. Not to mention the fact that the guy they acquired for Ellis was known as being a great clubhouse leader in his own right. To say that leadership is not something recognized by the front office is completely disingenuous. Just for a quick reference: https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...s-angeles-dodgers-best-season-ever/564337001/

I think Utley was more a pity/warm body if someone is injured signing this past winter because nobody else showed any interest whatsoever. If I remember correctly he was not signed again til almost February.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I think Utley was more a pity/warm body if someone is injured signing this past winter because nobody else showed any interest whatsoever. If I remember correctly he was not signed again til almost February.

Having a warm body is certainly not why they traded for him two years ago, and Utley not signing until late in the offseason had a lot to do with the Dodgers not resolving their second base situation until late January. Once the 25-man roster became a little clearer with the Forsythe trade, Utley re-signed shortly thereafter. I think they wanted to see how second base and the bench would look before resolving Utley's contract situation. If you follow the reporting on the Dodgers closely, Utley's #veteranpresents are highly valued by the organization.

 

[Terry Yake]

well he just a hit a HR to break up verlander's no-no

 

[Scott Stevens]

It's the same ****ing thing.

No, it's ****ing not.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

No, it's ****ing not.

Oh ok, then. Thanks.

 

[Scott Stevens]

Oh ok, then. Thanks.

Just having a little fun, kiddo. Enjoy your gin.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Mets add another minor league reliever in their myriad of trades, currently pitching in AAA and was on the Dodgers 40-man roster