I Think This Article Was Written Specifically to Infuriate Me

We’re a bit late (like two weeks), but we’ll make an exception for our best friend/worst enemy Bill Plaschke. Because here at BPS, that’s what we do.

Dodgers should put money for Manny to better use

Cash that would go to the free-agent outfielder could be used to shore up team in other ways.

Are we serious here? Bill Plaschke, Juan Pierre’s biggest/only fan, is arguing for not signing an outfielder? Wait. That actually makes a lot of sense. Plaschke realizes that if the Dodgers re-sign Manny, then Pierre’s playing time will get cut. And Plaschke can’t have that! But perhaps he knows just how ridiculous saying that in his column would sound, so he’s covering it up with a bunch of things that he doesn’t really believe, but make his bizarre Pierre obsession seem less obvious. Because nobody could be stupid enough to suggest that retaining a guy who had a 219 OPS+ in just over 225 PA would be a bad move. Could they?

Plaschke starts off by saying that Manny should gladly take a 2/45 deal from the Dodgers, and throws out this line:

A guy who has proven he will turn into a dog the first time somebody guarantees to scratch his belly?

I have no idea what that means.

Contrary to the esteemed opinion of grown men dressed in fake dreadlocks, there is life after Manny.

The Boston Red Sox advanced to within one game of the World Series in their first months without Manny.

The Cleveland Indians won 91 games and their division title in their first season without Manny.

Please tell me who is going to provide a replacement for Manny's offense. With the Red Sox, Jason Bay did almost as well as Manny had, Youkilis had a career year, and Pedroia won an MVP. On the Dodgers, you've got Andre Ethier to count on, and maybe Loney, Kemp, and Martin, though they're all question marks.

The 2001 Indians are an even worse example. They got a 170 OPS+ from Jim Thome, 150 from Roberto Alomar, 148 from Juan Gonzalez, and 137 from Ellis Burks. If the Dodgers had these guys that could have seasons like this, then maybe letting go of Manny might make sense.

If the Dodgers do it right, using the Manny Money for more important pursuits, they can make even bigger hits.

Say, like, advancing to their first World Series in 21 years.

If Manny Ramirez couldn't carry this current team to that final lap during a postseason in which he hit .520, what makes you think he could ever do it?

This is combining probably my two least favorite things people use to "analyze" baseball into one. 1) blaming the performance of a team on one outstanding player, and 2) basing anything on playoff performance. Plaschke seems to be insinuating that Manny didn't perform sufficiently in the 2008 postseason. Which deserves an old FJM phrase: fuck the heck? His OPS was in the 1.750 range. He had arguably the best postseason ever. What more do you want him to do? Why are you penalizing Manny for the rest of the Dodgers' ineptitude? If it's not for Manny, maybe the Dodgers don't even make the NLCS! Maybe they don't even make the playoffs!

And that's not all. Do you know how many games the Dodgers played in the 2008 postseason? Eight. Do you know what their record in those eight games was? Four wins, four losses. So in essence you are saying that because the Dodgers failed to win three games, they should jettison a guy who, for two months, was the best player in baseball.

You, Bill Plaschke, are an idiot.

Plaschke says that with the money that would be spent on Manny, the Dodgers should first sign CC Sabathia. He presents this to justify this claim:

The lack of a true No. 1 starting pitcher was the reason the Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, and even a lineup full of Mannies won't change this.

Yes. Yes, it would change that. And very drastically. Last year, for the Dodgers, Ramirez created 15.2 runs per game. You don't need CC Sabathia to allow less than 15 runs per game. Do you know how long it took me to find that information? Ten seconds.

#2 on Plaschke's list is sign Randy Johnson. Because he can still "win games and strike fear". Not necessarily pitch well. But because he can "strike fear". Still, this isn't totally stupid, except for the fact that Johnson is 45 and Plaschke was whining earlier about signing Manny to a two-year deal because he would be 38 when the contract expired. Let's move on.

#3 is re-signing Rafael Furcal.

When healthy, Rafael Furcal is the most invaluable piece of the Dodgers offense. There are no minor leaguers ready to take his place. There are no current Dodgers who can do what he does.

http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=6864

#4 is bringing back Adrian Beltre. What? It's not 2004 any more. Adrian Beltre is not a superstar. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Plaschke a huge fan of Blake DeWitt? And how would trading for Beltre accomplish Plaschke's next goal, which is...

Count on the kids.

It's interesting how some of the same people who have been applauding the club's youth movement have also insisted on re-signing Ramirez.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Unlike your proposition to block at least two position prospects, plus probably another in the rotation. Don't believe me? Name the young, highly-touted outfielder who's been tearing up all levels of minor league ball and who the Dodgers just can't afford to keep in the minors any more. No, it's not Xavier Paul. The only person Manny would be blocking is Juan Pierre. And the more people blocking Juan Pierre, the better.

Of course, Plaschke doesn't really think any of these are good ideas, nor has he dealt with the fact that Sabathia, Furcal, Johnson, and Beltre are going to cost more than Manny. He's just worried that Manny will cut Pierre's playing time. And Bill Plaschke loves to watch Juan Pierre.