DODGERS PLAYING TO WIN

THE DODGERS & RED SOX BOTH WINNERS WITH EPIC TRADE 

http://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com

The new Dodgers ownership has deep pockets and they aren't afraid to dig in. We all know the Guggenheim Group has changed the outlook of the team drastically in less than a season. Think about it last season we were still  talking about parking lot safety and no one was going to the games. Now the Dodgers are in a playoff race and with these recent acquisitions they are the talk of baseball. When was the last time the Dodgers have led SportsCenter? Stan Kasten has dropped some serious paper on 4 superstar players and a Hawaiian in an attempt to create a major buzz in the crowded competitive LA sports market. 

Hanley Ramirez is set to make $15.5 million dollars, Adrian Gonzalez 22 million, Carl Crawford 20.4 million and Josh Beckett is going to make $17 mill next season. The Dodgers are ALREADY locked in to pay $192.6 million dollars next season. That would be over a $100 mill over that of  Frank McCourt's Opening Day lineup. The 4 new contracts listed above, alone would be more payroll than the entire Diamondback's Opening Day Roster. The time has finally come Dodgers fans, the Dodgers are now Yankees West - the way it should be. Big Market = Big Dollars Spent = Consistent Contenders 

Of course there are people saying the Dodgers got the worse of the deal. That is still to be determined but the last thing the Dodgers are worried about is overpaying a few players. Do you really think having to over pay Crawford and Beckett 5 million dollars a year more than they are going to be worth means anything to them? The new owners needed to do whatever it took to get Adrian Gonzalez and they did. Guys like A-Gon don't exactly become available very often. 
Carl Crawford was never a good fit in Boston and much like Albert Pujols did with the Angels put to much pressure on himself after signing such a big contract. He already shook off last season and was having a solid season before going down with elbow injury. A .282 average this season shows he was regaining his stroke before snapping his elbow, while going 5-5 in steal attempts shows nothing is wrong with his legs. It's clear he can still play and if he can get back to All-Star caliber that would make the Dodgers Out Field the best in all baseball. 

But what about Josh Beckett he has been horrible for 2 seasons now! False. He was pretty damn good last season but the media certainly won't tell you that. The guy was 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA pitching in the AL East. (The great Matt Cain currently has a 2.83 era this season getting to pitch in the NL West) Beckett had a  sub 3 era and you would think the guy was a bum if all you did was listen to sports talk. True he is tanking this season but lets look at it this way, that was with another team certainly not the Dodgers problem he has a clean slate starting tonight. Let's be honest if Josh Beckett pitches .500 ball the rest of the season and the Dodgers get into the Playoffs and he wins a playoff game everyone will love the guy. The guy is one of the best pressure game pitchers the game has ever seen essentially for Beckett his value is going to come down to how he pitches in the postseason... if the Dodgers get in. With Chad Billingsley on DL and Beckett's reputation as a great post season arm he would probably start game 2 of a playoff series behind Clayton Kershaw. 

The Guggenheim group sits on 125 Billion dollars in assets. The Dodgers are already in negotiations for the upcoming TV contract which is about the expire. Stan Kasten is not a stupid guy he realized to get the maximum value out of the tv deal a lineup that had Adam Kennedy hitting cleanup (yes he did hit cleanup some games this season) was not going to cut it. Not in a market that is shared with the Angels and their high powered offense featuring Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Not when the Lakers went out and added 2 more future Hall of Fame guys to their starting lineup. Stan realized a star powered lineup and a perennial contender will lead to a much bigger Cable deal after all it only makes sense the moves are not only genius but simply good business. How big of a deal are the Dodgers looking to get? Early estimates have the new Dodgers Television deal going down for roughly $4 Billion. Remember the ownership paid 2.6 Bill for the team. That would mean in just television rights alone they will come close to doubling their money. You think the Dodgers Ownership knows what they are doing? I do. 

Best Players in MLB #25-11

BASEBALLS TOP 25 PLAYERS: RIGHT NOW

UPDATED POWER RANKINGS
PLAYERS 25-11 

courtesy of cbssports.com

"right now" does not mean who has the best stats through 30 games. No you won't see Bryan LaHair on this list. I am talking about the players who are the 25 best players in the game with a track record. With that said you will not see any players out for significant time on the DL. Sorry Jacoby Ellsbury and Evan Longoria.

Rankings are based on this matrix
- overall stats over last 3 seasons
- Awards won ( sliver sluggers. gold gloves. Mvp. Allstar) 
- Position primer 
- value to team winning games
- Age (hurts Derek Jeter )
-  Mr. Resentments bias.


25B.  JONATHAN PAPELBON CLOSER  Philadelphia Phillies. Yeah I went there. With Mariano out Papelbon has the most playoff experience and now takes over as the games best stopper in the game. If the Phillies can ever figure out how to score some runs again with the staff they have and Pap in the 9th they could come roaring back into the playoff picture. Almost all World Series Champions have had a dominant closer and the Phillies have a playoff warrior. 


25A. COLE HAMELS P Philadelphia Phillies.  Although I would consider him a dousche he was 14-9, 2.79 ERA, 194 Ks last season. Will be in line for a huge contract for someone willing to put up with this tool.  


24.  DAVID PRICE P Tampa Bay Rays. 2nd in the Cy Young in 2010 and back on track this year David Price is a premier lefthander.  


23. YADIER MOLINA  C St. Louis Cardinals. The Best catcher in the game by far. Factor in his glove, arm and now his bat he earned it.  a .305 BA, 14 HR, 65 RBI season last year a long with the fact he won another ring last year I see no problem calling him the games best receiver. Molina is probably the most surprising name to crack my list. 


22. ADRIAN GONZALEZ  1B. Boston Red Sox. First overall pick in 2000 and he hasn't disappointed.  4 time all star a couple gold gloves and silver slugger awards to go with it. One of the sweetest swings in baseball. Last year he hit .338 BA, 27 HR, 117 RBI. 


21. MATT CAIN. P SF Giants. The Giants made him the highest-paid right-hander in baseball history this offseason, with a six-year, $127.5 million extension. With Lincecum up and down and Cain just as steady as they come the Giants could be seeing a new "Ace" emerge from the rotation. 


20. JOEY VOTTO  1B. Cincinnati Reds.   signed a 12-year, $251.5 million extension what hurts him is that you would not consider him an elite power bat at the 1B position. Often gets lost in the talk of great players because so there are so many good first base men but I didn't forget about him. 


19. JUSTIN UPTON  OF Arizona Diamondbacks. Upton is still only 24 years old he is already a 2 time All Star and last year was a break out season for the young free swinger.  


18. CURTIS GRANDERSON CF NY Yankees. Last season was a breakout year offensively for the Grandy Man hitting 41 big fly's finishing 4th in AL MVP voting.  Off to a hot start again this year with a line up that includes a ton of power this little guy has taken over as the premier slugger for the Yanks.  


17.  JOSH HAMILTON OF Texas Rangers.  fresh off a 4 home run game puts him right back into the heart of this list. Should be higher, but the guy is to injury prone for my liking. Playing OF doesn't help his ranking either, plenty of great offensive outfielders in the game.  currently hitting .376 with 10 HR 28 RBI and 21 RBI which would rank him 2nd in fantasy value. 


16. C.C. SABATHIA  P NY Yankees.  with the Yankees Sabathia has gone 59-23 with a 3.18 ERA logging over 230 innings every single year. A true work horse. currently 4-0 with a 4.15 era and 43 k's. 


15. PRINCE FIELDER  1B Detroit Tigers. has averaged 38 HR and 108 RBI over his six full big-league seasons. Not to many hitters that can boast they have 40 homerun potential power anymore these days. Certainly not ones that make consistent contact the way Prince does. 


14. DUSTIN PEDROIA  2B Boston Red Sox. Former MVP and current gold glove winner. a hit machine. The heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox a real leader gives him bonus points. Pound for pound he might be the best player in the game. 


13. JERED WEAVER P Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. went 18-8 with a 2.41 ERA and 198 Ks last season and that would be good enough to take down the Cy Young almost any other season. Off to another great start this season. The Angels ace is one of the top righthanders in the game. 

12. CLIFF LEE  P Philadelphia Phillies. His postseason track record is pretty spectacular. Has a Cy Young under his belt and also a 3 time all star. An ace lefthander on any team other than the Dodgers makes his value even higher. Currently has an ERA under 2 for the crappy Phillies. 


11. ROBINSON CANO  2B. NY Yankees. A career average of .307 he often gets overshadowed by Jeter and A-Rod in his own infield. The best player on the Yankees is always an honor that is pretty cool to have. The best 2B in the game raises his value in my book. Great with the glove and seems to be a contender for the Batting Crown every year.