A few Dodgers items of interest to start your Tuesday morning.
First up is an interview KikĂ© Hernández had with David Vassegh of AM 570 on Saturday. Hernández is a free agent, but note how often he refers to the Dodgers as “we” in this clip, which recounts Hernández’s conversation with fellow Puerto Rican Edwin DĂaz before the closer signed with the Dodgers.
“I called Andrew [Friedman] and let him know that the interest was legit, that the Dodgers weren’t just used for leverage, that we had a real opportunity to get this guy,” Hernández said. “Once I knew the negotiations were getting real, I reached out to Sugar and let him know that — at the end of the day, you’ve got to do what’s best for you and your family — one thing I can assure you is that if you end up with the Dodgers, you’re not going to regret it one bit.”
A survey of major league managers at the winter meetings last week by ESPN reporters showed some high praise for various Dodgers.
When asked which opposing hitter you would like to see up with the game on the line, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Shohei Ohtani. Skip Schumaker, now with the Rangers, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, and Pat Murphy of the Brewers all said Freddie Freeman, and new Padres manager Craig Stammen said Mookie Betts. From Lovullo:
Freddie’s going to be able to understand the pitcher, he’s going to adjust his approach, he’s going to put the ball in play. You need a double, he’s going to hit a double. You need a single, he’s going to find a way to get on base.
Schumaker, Stammen, and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough (former Dodgers first base coach) all had praise for Dave Roberts in the conversation for best manager in MLB.
MLB is going to regulate and standardize the in-game technology available across all minor league levels, and Eno Sarris at The Athletic wrote about the motivations and potential consequences of this plan:
Critics called the new policy an anti-spending measure that will curb innovation, render some past investments useless, and set the sport on a path towards more stringent limits on front office spending.
“That’s definitely a concern,” said one research and development executive. “And there has been a vocal subset of owners that have wanted to limit front office spending for a while.”
