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We went over five weeks between podcast episodes, but that was a shorter break than the time between offers by MLB owners, who met with players on December 1, then later that night locked out the players when the collective bargaining agreement expired. The purported very necessary lockout did not, despite commissioner Rob Manfred’s stated hope, jumpstart negotiations, as it took 43 days for the league to make another offer.
Which is to say there isn’t much news on the labor negotiation front. But the Dodgers do have a general manager for the first time since 2018, with the promotion of Brandon Gomes. We look at the front office maneuverings in this week’s episode, as well as some talk of prospects, both the highly ranked and those recently added.
Trivia this week centers on Cody Bellinger, as well as Dodgers triples, which are hard to come by a Chavez Ravine.
Special thanks to handsome producer Brian Salvatore for his audio excellence, and kudos to Craig Minami for tirelessly coming up with questions on a regular basis.
Dodgers rewind
Infielder Eddie Basinski died at age 99 in Oregon on January 8. Spotted by a Dodgers scout at a Triple-A All-Star game in 1944, Basinski was invited to join batting practice at Ebbets Field, and was eventually signed by Brooklyn.
He played two years with the Dodgers, playing second base and shortstop, hitting .261/.297/.313 in 147 games. After his major league time ended with the Pirates in 1947, Basinski played 10 years for the Triple-A Portland Beavers, and was inducted into the Pacific Coast League in 2006.
A bespectacled player who was also a concert violinist, Basinski’s teammates called him “The Fiddler.”
Basinski, per his SABR bio, once said, “I don’t look like a big strong guy, but I was an iron man with Portland. My looks were always against my ability. I looked like a damn doctor or a preacher, and the glasses didn’t help. But man, I had the fire, and I wanted to be a perfectionist.”
Related reading
- More on the Dodgers’ promotion of Gomes to GM
- Dodgers list of 2022 international signings
- Five Dodgers named to Baseball America top 100 prospects
- Baseball Prospectus top 101 prospect list includes four Dodgers
- Bellinger signs reported one-year, $17 million contract, avoiding salary arbitration
- Evan Drellich at The Athletic on MLB owners trying to rest players’ resolve
- Basinski’s obituary from the New York Times
- Basinski’s obit from The Oregonian
Podcast links
Episode link (time: 1:08:44)