As
Chad Moriyama noted a while back, it’s not just the oddity of the collection of moves
that could lead one to believe the new ownership group is looking at
things more so from a PR perspective than from an on-the-field, performance-based
one.
The humongous trade with the Red Sox is a prime example. The Dodgers took on a quarter of a billion dollars in contracts – let that sink in for a moment – while also giving up a prime prospect (De La Rosa), a pretty good one (Webster), and another solid one (Sands). Even for a team flush with cash after a long period of operating under a broke and crooked owner, the combination of giving up prospects and taking on so much money is absurd and not smart business in the least.
Where it becomes a PR move, in appearance, is two-fold. First, Dodgers’ owner Peter Guber
said as much in early September:
“You can’t tell nine days later. Look at it for a season. Not over three
weeks. We did it to send signals, to the fans, to the media. You have
to recognize that it’s a business proposition. The biggest risk in
business is taking no risk.”
The bolded emphasis is mine. Why would any of your moves be predicated on impressing the media? And while I'm a fan at heart, no move made by one of my favorite teams should in the least involve pleasing me. Make moves you think will improve the team and lead you to a championship;
that would impress me, particularly when the Dodgers are the team up for discussion.
Oh, and the best teams build from within and continually replenish their farm system through the draft, trades, and not depleting said farm system year after year. That method, it could be said, is taking no risk.
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I get maybe the last man on a roster being there if he's a fan favorite and sells merchandise, but Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez are not roster filler, and were not acquired to be roster filler or simply sell tickets and gin up good press.
The second aspect that makes it seem largely PR-based is the fact that the principle piece coming over in the Sox deal, Gonzalez, is a Southern California kid with familial roots down South now playing in an area that is largely Hispanic and for an organization with a heavy and loyal Hispanic fanbase. Gonzalez was having his worst year ever since becoming a full-time player, so investing that much in a guy who could easily be on the downside of his career doesn’t lend itself to being a strictly baseball move on the surface, particularly with how much his heritage has been a focus of fans and the organization.
Yes, he's better than James Loney. However, that does not inherently equate to the level of necessary production the Dodgers desperately have been and are in need of from a litany of positions.
Add to all of that the fact that the Blue Crew – in taking on so many contracts – went with the “big name and good years ago” approach in bringing aboard Beckett and Carl Crawford, and the new regime seems to believe big names are all that really matter in placating a starving fanbase. Sadly, this seems to be true much of the time.
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That brings us to the Dodgers latest cash-rich expenditure, as the club
recently won the rights to Korean southpaw Hyun Jin Ryu for an astonishing $25.7 million. I say astonishing because nobody estimated his posting fee would reach such heights.
Opinions on him are mixed, and even the most optimistic see him as a 3/4 starter. Important to note is his velocity is Barry Zito-esque and he already has a ton of mileage on his arm. The Dodgers have partnerships with Korean businesses, and the move reeks to me of PR and trying to placate every segment of the fanbase.
A final piece of evidence is the Dodgers’ reported interest in EVERYBODY and anybody with a pulse
and, more importantly, a name. Torii Hunter, Kevin Youkilis, Ryan Dempster, Anibal
Sanchez; the list goes on. Some of these guys may have been the ones to express interest, as has
been reported in Hunter's case, but the Dodgers don't have to seriously consider every single free agent with a reputation. Attack the areas of your club that need improvement.
Some of these guys could definitely help, and many are probably just rumors concocted by their agents to increase bidding amongst the legitimate suitors, but if it’s true Ned Colletti is looking at most if not all of these guys, it further underscores the point that the ownership group is just throwing money around like they have a private printing press in Ned’s suite and PR is playing
far too large of a role in the future of this team.
Oh, and the obvious point that
Colletti does not understand value, building a farm system, and being a competent General Manager.
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So, to sum it all up, I don't doubt that some of these guys could help and would be upgrades, but it seems as if the new ownership group is just looking to spend money because they can.
Just because you spend a lot of money does not inherently mean that you spent it well.
PR is important when running any business, and keeping your fanbase happy is essential, but winning and smart business, above all, will suffice to keep fans coming back for more and ponying up dollar after dollar. Building a PR type of team is a recipe for failure, both in the short-term and the long-term. The Dodgers' recent moves don't seem to have any flow or plan behind them, beyond the club now having money after years of not having it. And apparently, you must spend
all of your money, and spend it on anything that has a pulse and moves.
The increased international spending is great, the fact that ownership actually has money to spend is a welcome change, and the seeming desire to interact with fans and improve the in-game experience at Dodger Stadium is a commendable and long-time coming proactive endeavor.
All that said, there does not appear to be any method to the recent madness in Los Angeles. Time may prove me wrong, but at the moment, I'm seriously questioning what Ned Colletti is doing – though I always question him – and what this post-Frank McCourt ownership group is attempting to accomplish with this recent string of player personnel moves.
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