There has been a lot of conjecture as to who might get traded and who the Dodgers might target in a trade. Frequently the target is bullpen help and a RH power hitter. There are lots of relievers the Dodgers may target: Greene of the Tigers, Vasquez of the Pirates, Leclerc of the Rangers and many others.
Most Dodger fans are focused on the bullpen as that seems to be the Dodgers biggest need. I agree that it SEEMS that way, but I think the Dodgers need to hit their way out of this thing. Pitching is important but sometimes the best thing is a good (and balanced) offense. That leads me to Jose Abreu. We have talked about him before and will likely keep talking about him. I happen to think he might be the missing link for the Dodgers.
The White Sox are not a contender this year, but they should be next year, so they will want some player(s) who will able to contribute in the next 2+ years. I’ll leave the details of who gets traded to Andrew Friedman, but the Dodgers have a plethora of players who would fit the bill for a half-year “rent-a-player.” I suspect Reks, Rios or Beaty might be in the deal.
That trade would move Max Muncy to 2B and here’s what the lineup might look like:
- Verdugo CF (it’s inevitable he ends up here)
- Seager SS
- Turner 3B
- Bellinger RF
- Abreu 1B
- Muncy 2B (Wow! His bat at #6?)
- Pederson/Hernandez (or Taylor) LF (The Perfect Platoon?)
- Bartin C
That extra RH bat might just be what the Doctor ordered… unless Kike and CT3 get extra hot. Then they might not need it.+
Dodger Notes
- Runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs… and the Pirates won’t run on flyballs to Verdugo and Bellinger? Why? They both have cannons!
- Ryu hit 93 MPH a couple of times last night. 93! Ninety-three! To add insult to injury, opponents are batting 2 for 34 against Ryu with RISP.
- CT3 with Back-to-Back Multi-Hit Games. Who says he can’t hit?
- Corey Seager is trending the right direction. Give it time, but he will be BACK soon!
- It does seem more-and-more likely that CT3 and Kike might not both be needed and that Pollock or Toles could be a factor. I hate to see it, but one or the other could go.
- When was the last time Joc Pederson had two hits in a game and one wasn’t a home run?
- MVP and Gold Glove RF’er Cody Bellinger moving to 1B? I think not… EVER! Well maybe in 10 years… and I LOVE Cody at 1B! He is the best RF’er in baseball. PK, he’s the best 1B too.
- Did you see the play where Julio caught a ground ball between his legs? The dude is an incredible athlete.
- As much as Scott Alexander is maligned, his ERA sits at 2.93.
- Today, I am off to the races. You may have never heard of it, but we have this “little” race here in Indy, called the Indy 500 where there might be 5000,000 people in attendance (most like 300,000 to 400,000) – it’s just unreal to see all those people. It’s also unreal that they allow you to bring in a case of beer per person. I only bring 12 – just because I am concerned with proper hydration.
- Have you seen Josh Bell’s dad? You don’t want to mess with him. Photo below.
http://www.uswatersystems.com
Where would Pollock fit in your lineup when he comes back?
First of all, I totally agree that Abreu would be a great add, but by the time you trade for Abreu at the deadline, Pollock should be back. What do you do with AJ?
Do you bring back Abreu on the long term deal he’ll be seeking? Or, are you even more left handed next year with Rios / Beaty / Muncy back at first with Lux at 2B?
Do you sell off Joc and Kike? I don’t see them playing much with the Verdugo, Belli, Pollock outfield.
Have fun at the race today! Stay hydrated! Is your 12 pack of beer made from US Water Systems water?
SWEEP TODAY!!!
Lux in 2021. I wouldn’t rush him. Still in double A.
Why would you trade Joc and keep AJ? Makes no sense. Pollock is too fragile and older, plus he isn’t much better of a hitter. Way over-rated.
DODGERS ACTIVATE RHP KENTA MAEDA
OF KYLE GARLICK OPTIONED TO TRIPLE-A
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today activated right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Kyle Garlick to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Maeda, 31, has been sidelined since May 16 with a left adductor contusion and will make the start today against the Pirates. In his last start prior to landing on the injured list, Maeda went a season-best 6.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts against the Padres. On the season, he is 5-2 with 3.51 ERA (20 ER/51.1 IP) with 52 strikeouts against 20 walks. Maeda is in his fourth season with the Dodgers and is a combined 42-29 with a 3.77 ERA in 109 games (86 starts).
Garlick, 27, appeared two games in his second stint with the Dodgers, going 0-for-2 against the Pirates. He has played in three games since he had his contract selected on May 17th. In five minor league seasons, he has recorded a .283 (431-for-1525) batting average with 78 homers and 244 RBI.
Cup of coffee
Minor League Report by DC
Player of the Day – Edwin Uceta
Great Lakes Loons 7 – Fort Wayne TinCaps 6 (San Diego)
Zach Willeman started for the Loons and was dominant for three innings. He gave up one run in the fourth inning and three in the fifth before being lifted with two outs in the inning. Jasiel Alvino replaced Willeman and stranded the two runners he inherited. Alvino gave up one run in his 1.1 innings pitched.
Guillermo Zuniga, in his new roll, pitched the last three innings for the Loons. He is now not really a piggyback starter but more so a long reliever. The difference is that instead of pitching every five days he will pitch multiple innings every three-four days. He gave up one run in the ninth inning on two hits but on the night went 2.2 innings on two hits, one run with five strikeouts. He left with a runner on first and was replaced by Nathan Witt who needed just three pitches to pick up the save. Witt now has retired nine of 13 first batters he has faced in pressure situations.
Offensively, the Loons missed a five run inning but did chalk up four in the second inning on a Romer Cuadrado two-run double, a balk and a Miguel Vargas single. Vargas struck again in the bottom of the fourth inning with another single driving in Cuadrado. In the fifth they tacked on two more runs on a Cuadrado sacrifice fly and a Hunter Feduccia single. Vargas and Cuadrado each had two hits. Miguel Vargas ranks second in the league with a .325 batting average and fourth in hits with 51, four behind the league leader. His .426 OBP leads the league as he has walked more often than he has struck out.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4 – Lancaster JetHawks 3 (Colorado)
Edwin Uceta got the call for the Quakes and didn’t disappoint. He went 6.1 innings on six hits, two runs, one walk and seven strikeouts. The first run was a solo home run and the second scored on a routine fly ball to center field that the Quakes couldn’t find and it fell for a run scoring double. He left with a runner on third base and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Wes Helsabeck came in to try to prevent the JetHawks from tying the score at three and did so with a strikeout and a ground ball back to the pitcher. With a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, Connor Strain and Logan Salow combined to help Lancaster score a run on two hit batters, a single, a steal and a walk. Salow kept things interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning yielding a lead-off double followed by a wild pitch putting the tying run on third with none out. He closed out the inning with two ground ball outs and a strikeout.
The Quakes opened the scoring in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Donovan Casey and a double by Starling Heredia bringing in Connor Wong. In the top of the seventh they took the lead back on a Jeter Downs single, two steals and a run on a sacrifice fly by Devin Mann. An important insurance run that was needed came across in the eighth on singles by Nick Yarnell and Eric Peterson followed by a Starling Heredia double. Heredia had three hits in the game while Yarnell and Wong had two.
Tulsa Drillers 5 – Northwest Arkansas Naturals 1 (Kansas City)
Right-hander Michael Bowden started for the Drillers and got locked in a pitching battle with Naturals
Arnaldo Hernandez. Through four innings they were tied at one. However, in the fifth inning the Drillers broke through with four runs on a two-run home run by Chris Parmalee and a two-run single by Zach McKinstry. The Drillers had only seven hits with Zach McKinstry and Logan Landon both having two.
Andre Scrubb relieved Bowden who pitched five innings on four hits, one run, two walks and five strikeouts. Scrubb continued his strong season pitching 1.2 innings while giving up a lone hit, walking one and striking out three. He was followed by Shea Spitzbarth who retired all four batters he faced. Jordan Sheffield came on in the top of the ninth and also retired the three hitters he faced. Scrubb has a 1.47 ERA in his last 18.1 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and eight walks.
OKC Dodgers 4 – Omaha Storm Chasers 2 (Kansas City)
Left-hander Rob Zastryzny made his ninth start of the season for the Dodgers pitching five innings while giving up eight hits, two runs, four walks and striking out six. Justin Grimm pitched a scoreless sixth inning .Jaime Schultz came on in the bottom of the seventh inning and pitched a clean inning with two strikeouts. One inning at a time with Kevin Quackenbush pitching the eighth inning. JT Chargois
retired the side in the ninth to pick up the save.
The Dodgers scored their first run in the third inning on a bases loaded walk and two in the fifth on a Shane Peterson two-run home run. They added a fourth run in the top of the eighth inning on a Cameron Perkins single, a Drew Jackson single and Daniel Castro sacrifice fly. Zach Reks and Cameron Perkins had two hits for the Dodgers.
AC – really enjoyed your piece yesterday – very humbling to read.
My oldest son is a very good cricketer, and for 4 years was on the books of one of our county teams, but unfortunately has been released, although he still loves the game.
I can imagine how much time and energy your entire family put into his development. You are all part of it.
I lost my father at 53, the same age that I am now, 30 years ago.
If you are in a position to retire, do it soon and enjoy every day.
Glad you are ok.
Keep up the great work on here please.
Everyone has been talking about how much the starting pitching has contributed to our success this year and of course the hitting has also been very good, but we don’t talk about the defense as often. Here’s a link to an article by Bill James. A very interesting read.
https://www.billjamesonline.com/the_dodgers_dominant_defense/
I might be in the minority here, but I don’t think the Dodgers need to trade for anyone. But, if they do, Jose Abreu is certainly the best choice I could think of. He makes $16M, same as Machado made last year, and he’s probably a better overall hitter and plays the position that we will need to address next season, as Freese will probably retire, especially if we win a WS.
I think Muncy has proved that he can play 1B all by his lonesome self. No platoon needed so Abreu becomes redundant. 2B should go to Gavin Lux who seems to be making the case in the minors. To my dismay, Kike is playing himself off the team or into a strictly utility role, substituting and filling in for the injured or tired. Every year, he has slumped big time. It’s enough.
BP? I said a few days ago, that Urias is our bridge to the closer and yesterday he did just that. Maybe he’ll be a starter someday, but I don’t think that day will be this season or even the next unless we lose 1 or2 of our incumbents. For me, Stripling is not that guy. I wouldn’t mind seeing a trade happen. The rest of the BP will work itself out and is stronger than people think. A good offense and starting rotation will make the BP rest more and look better than it has. Dodgers are loaded and Joc is not going to be traded. You can bet on it.
Jeff I am like you we will keep Joc but not in the lead off role.Joc will thrive in the six or seventh position.
Jeff I 100% agree.
It’s not about the individual no matter how good you are it’s about the team. And when Pollock comes back the team is better off with Bellinger at first, Muncy at second and an outfield of Pollock, Verdugo and Joc/Kiki- who can still hit lefties. I wouldn’t trade for Abreau unless we got him on the cheap, he’s definitely on the downside of his career and has that Puljos body type and injury prone. I’d rather go after Castellanos and Greene from Detroit, who will be more expensive but fill both needs. Get it done AF!
I agree Dodgers don’t need Abreau. I disagree with you about Pollock, I think he’s basically a 4th outfielder and pinch hitter. Disagree about Bellinger at 1B, Freese at 1B and Muncy at 2B. Disagree about platooning Joc Peterson.
If the Dodgers go after a relief pitcher it should be an elite reliever that will make an impact like Doolittle or Diaz or Kimbrel. Sign Kimbrel trade Jansen for prospects and trade prospects for Doolittle or Diaz.
I think we need to go BOLD. Washington sucks. See how much Max Scherzer will cost. Get the Verlander this year because we didn’t get the Verlander 2 years ago.
Nyet.
Abreu is putting up solid numbers this year – not superstar numbers.
.267/.320/.530/.849 13 HR
This is after a career worst 2018.
He is 32 and is not considered a good 1B. He is a -19 career defensive runs saved above average. This season, he is DHing about 1/3 of the time.
I’m not sure that he solves any big problems.
If Pollock comes back healthy he becomes the additional RH bat.
I disagree with Mark’s hypothesis that the bullpen doesn’t need fixing. The Dodgers probably have the top starting rotation in baseball. They are 2nd in the NL in runs scored (the D-Backs are 1st but won’t stay there). As Singing pointed out, they have the top defense in MLB. The only area where the Dodgers’ performance clearly lags is the bullpen – that’s what they have to fix.
Fix it with trying out more rookies. I would not trade any player of future worth for a POS that will leave at the end of the year
Looks like they made a move to bolster the bullpen:
https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-sign-japanese-pitcher-yujo-kitagata/2019/05/25/
I like it, at least they’re trying and there ins’t much downsize on a minor league deal. You never know when you can strike gold. I just find it odd that he’s playing Japanese Independent League at age 25. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.
Lineups are out for today, I still don’t get Doc’s choices for the 5 hole to protect Cody. Either Muncy, Seager or JT could fill the bill but Beaty? I would pitch around Cody every time to get to Beaty. I would hit Cody 3rd and JT 4th with Muncy and Seager 2nd and 5th in either order, just MHO. Doc’s 3 dimensional chess probably has Freese PH for Beaty at some big moment in the game-like a leftie coming in-hope it works.
Looking at Archer’s numbers I’m glad the Dodgers did not trade for him. Maeda for the sweep!
I’m trying not to question his lineups as every day they drive me crazy. So Beaty ends the inning with two men on and Seager on deck. Seager hits a homer the next inning. But, you’re probably right that he wants to put Freese is that spot later in the game.
Initially I was questioning Kike for Verdugo in CF but Alex has some back stiffness. I was thinking the same thing when Cory jumped the 1st pitch in the 2nd inning.
59. Great point. I didn’t consider a possible early entrance by Freeze.
Otherwise I too was wondering why our top prospect who’s hitting over .300 has to prove himself by hitting lower in the order yet this dude comes up and gets to bat 5 a few days in a row
First of all, I wish to thank all you veterans out there for your service.
Now, a couple of what you might consider dumb questions but things I have been wondering about.
1. Do the Dodgers provide lodging for the minor league players brought up to play with the big club.
2. If the team wins a World Series, do the minor league players brought up to play during the season, get a ring?
Also, I think Beatty plays a pretty good first base.
Thanks for the answers.
Sorry, I meant Beaty.
Thanks for the reminder DB Mom. I second the motion.
Not sure about the answer to your first question but I think anyone who plays at all for the big club gets a ring. We can have AC expound upon that since his son Andy has one and didn’t play a lot of MLB games.
Completely agree Vegas. Cody is our best hitter. You need to put one of your couple of other strongest hitters behind him so they don’t continuously pitch around him.
Joc, run to first base. The pop up was a fair ball. I know you were disappointed, but run. Walking to the dugout is never the answer.
Doc, give Bellinger some protection.
Seager showing signs of life after injury. Nice. Seager is the Dodgers most naturally talented hitter and they need him to be himself again.
Archer is on borrowed time. No outs in the fifth and 84 pitches.
Some of the best deals AF has made are the ones he didn’t!
The Dodgers now have two players OPSing over 1.000. Maybe they should bat back to back.
Dodgers’ bullpen – they only have a 5 run lead – will they win?
Probably.
Pen may be coming together nicely.
Back on my Ferguson bandwagon. SEND HIM DOWN until he learns a third pitch and can throw his curve for strikes. My goodness what’s it gonna take!
I agree Ferguson needs to go to the minors to work things out.
You don’t need three pitches to be a reliever, but you do need two. He currently has one.
Most of the hits of Ferguson today were soft seeing eye singles or grounders that benefited from the defensive shift. Ferguson is not our problem.
good to know; I didn’t watch today, so I was only going by the box score
If all you throw are fast balls, you are going to get hit. Ferguson has a good curve, but never throws it. I do not understand the catchers. Ferguson is not going to last long doing what he is doing.
A wild game today but JT going 5 for 5 and Beaty getting 4 ribbies highlighted a getaway game that capped off a 3 game sweep and a 6-2 road trip. Kershaw against deGrom tomorrow night at the Ravine. Dodgers swept the season series with the Bucs 6-0. Not sure what is going on with Caleb but he has been roughed up 2 times in a row.
Ferguson going thru the normal sophomore slump. Hopefully Cingrani is ready this week and can take Ferguson’s place on the roster.
Makes sense, leftie for leftie. Oblique strains can take awhile to fully recover from too. He does need a 3rd pitch which could just be a better slider, talk to Kersh.
Setback for Cingrani. He may be done.
To DodgerBlueMom,
1. It is up to the team what players get rings, but I have never heard of any player who made it to the ML, even if they did not get in, not getting a ring. If the Dodgers win it all, and Josh Sborz somehow does not make it back up, I am betting that he gets a ring even though he did not get in a game.
2. The team does not provide housing for MLB or MiLB players. There are some team affiliates that work out arrangements with host families in the area where the home team plays. My son and Randy Wolf were roomies at one of the host families directly across the street from the stadium in Batavia, NY. That was the only place where he played that had a host family. Usually there are 3-4 guys rooming together. At home in MLB, they either live in hotels or room with a teammate.
Thank you for answering my questions AC. Good news on the rings. I felt sorry for the minor league players getting called up quickly and having to find a place to stay. They do not have a lot of money for hotels I would think. It is nice of the community to host some of them.
MLB players make enough to find a place to crash. They are not in their rooms long enough to matter. When called up they are making a pro-rata share of Major League Minimum of $555,000. Also remember that the salary is earned and paid only for the “Championship Season” (AKA 162 game season). So that is $555,000 over an approximate 6 month period from April through September.
The host families are generally at the rookie level, and not all MiLB clubs have that opportunity.
21 pitches. 4 curveballs, 17 fastballs. Maybe he should use his curve a little more?
Since Spring Training, Caleb has had difficulty commanding his curve. I am not sure if it’s his release point or just a confidence issue.
I am a huge Caleb Ferguson fan, and have been since 2016. How can you not follow a pitcher who in 66.1 IP, strikes out 63 and walks only 5. He was a big reason the Loons came back and won the Midwest League Championship that year. I have not seen him pitch too much this year so I do not know if he is having problems with his curve ball. He normally can control and command that pitch, but Dodger management likes their relievers to throw more fastballs, and Caleb’s fastball has never been special. His curve ball sets up his fastball and vice-versa. Dodgers field management/coaching hate BB from relievers, so if he does not have command of the #2, he is going to go with #1.
That being said, with Joe Kelly coming back from bereavement leave, it is time for Caleb to go back down to OKC. Tony Cingrani is going to need to be added at some point in the very near future. His first rehab was 05/04/19. A pitcher can be on a rehab assignment for 30 days. So the latest he can be added will be a week from Monday.
As far as potential trades go, it is fine to speculate, but nothing is going to happen before July. The Dodgers have the best record in the NL, are 7 games up on the Pads (and probably the DBacks before the day is done), and are 4.0 games better than the Cubs and Phillies. They are the deepest team in MLB. They are on pace for a 107 win total season. So they have no reason to go out and make a move at this time.
I do expect they will make a move in July, and I do expect it will be for a potential difference maker as that is what they have done the last three years. I have always maintained that it is pitching and defense that wins games. I see no reason to bring in RH Bats who play poor defense (Castellanos or Abreu). DJM was a poor defensive player, but his offense is in a whole other category. The Dodgers face more RHP than LHP so it makes absolutely no sense to take out Joc against RHP. 15 HRs all against RHP. Kike is a known LHP assassin, so why mess with a Joc/Kike platoon. The Dodgers will get their RH bat when Pollock comes back. I know some want to, but it is way too early to call AJ a Dodger bust just yet.
I know it will not come as a surprise to anyone, but IMO the weakest link on this team remains the bullpen. But they are good enough that they do not need a John Axford or Zac Rosscup, or Daniel Hudson, or Ryan Madson. They need a top reliever. Kimbrel is not coming to LA. He wants to close, and there will be disharmony in the clubhouse with Jansen fully expected to close. The team does not need that. I lobbied for Ryan Pressly and Jose Leclerc last year and the team got neither. Pressly is stud in Houston. Most say Leclerc is not going anywhere without a significant overpay, and I tend to agree with that to my disappointment.
This year with the Twins playing so well, Taylor Rogers is not going anywhere. He was this year’s Ryan Pressly for me. Oh well…next? I lobbied for Shane Greene in the offseason, and he is having a fantastic first half. He has another year team control. One baseball publication sees Greene as a viable relief target for the Dodgers and is using the players the Astros traded to get Pressly last year from the Twins. The Astros traded their #10 prospect RHP, Jorge Alcala, and #15 propsect RHH CF Gilberto Celestino (19 at the trade). The baseball publication posits that DJ Peters (#10) and Connor Wong (#13) might be a fair trade and enough to get it done. If that is all it would take, and with comparing that to the players traded for Ryan Pressly it seems plausible, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I do not think that Pittsburgh is going to move Felipe Vazquez. He is in the second year of a 4 year $22 MM contract with team options for 22 & 23. So just like with Leclerc, unless there is a monster overpay, Vazquez is staying put in Pittsburgh.
Besides Greene, one reliever who will absolutely be traded this year will be Toronto’s Ken Giles. He was arguably one of the top relief specialists in all of MLB when he was with Philly. He went to Houston and had a melt down. He is back in a losing environment and pitching lights out. Is Giles the kind of pitcher who melts down in pennant situations? Giles intrigues me, but his history indicates that he may not be able to perform in critical game situations in a pennant race. I would consider him, but not with top prospects.
But if I am AF, I am waiting for July to see what the cost will be for Sean Doolittle. The Nats do not figure to get back into it (but you never know). It will cost, but I think the Nats would be willing to take ML players and ML ready as opposed to prospects. They are not in a position of a tear down. They want to be in a position to compete next year. They need starting pitching (Strip/Ferguson/Santana). But again the problem is Kenley, so maybe Kenley is one who goes back to the Nats. They wanted him before. Would Kenlye and a couple of lottery picks do it? The Dodgers can still pick up a Shane Greene or Ken Giles as the 8th inning reliever.
Regardless, the Dodgers do not need to make any moves until it is clear who will be available. I still think Zaidi is not opposed to trading with the Dodgers, and if Will Smith is available, I would think that Zaidi would take AF’s call. I would love to see Will Smith throw to Will Smith in a game that Will Smith threw out the first pitch.
I would not be surprised to see Will Smith. FZ needs prospects and the dodgers have a good system. A rental (Will Smith) price should be doable for the Dodgers.
I’d over pay a little just to see WS squared as a battery
I’m all for either Giles or Greene. Giles might be the most available as the Jays are working hard to get younger and are at least 2 years away from competing.
Good to have you back AC! You add a lot of stimulating thought to this blog!
AC, as Black Mirror pointed out above, Cingrani had a setback yesterday (shoulder) and I would agree that he probably won’t be seen in Dodger Blue again.
There are a number of upper end relievers who will be available at the deadline this year and I’m sure AF will snag one of them since that is by far our biggest problem. You’ve mentioned a number of them but what about Hand? The Indians are just about out of it at this point and have lots of needs which we could fill.
I did not see that Cingrani had a set back But if it is his shoulder, you are probably right and he may have thrown his last pitch as a Dodger.
Brad Hand would be another good potential. I guess I just was not willing to give up on Cleveland just yet. It appears that Minnesota is running away with the Division, but Cleveland is only 1.5 games out of the WC and we have not hit June. Kluber will be back, and while his 2019 was not off to a great start, there is nothing to say that he will not be his old self when he gets back. I am still a big fan of Corey Kluber. But if Cleveland is out of it in July, then Hand would be someone to slightly overpay for. The problem is that Cleveland will want someone in the Francisco Mejia market as a reimbursement.
As an aside, many will remember what a big advocate of Jake Odorizzi I was. It may have taken him until he is 29, but he is finally pitching like I always thought he could. I am happy for Jake. He may have found a home in Minnesota, and I figure the Twins will try to re-sign him this winter.
I was so intent on watching the distance between the Twins and Indians in the standings that I didn’t pay any attention to the wildcard race. Hard to believe, as well as the Yanks and Rays have been playing, that the Indians are still in it.
Wouldn’t it be ironic, if the Padres stay in the race and the Indians drop out, if Preller traded Mejia back to the Indians for Hand. Just the kind of stunt AJ would love to pull.
I like Ferguson too. But he’s not hitting the spots he needs to.
Cingrani apparently had a setback. Plus his OPS against is over 700 which to me makes him an average relief pitcher.
I just believe the Dodgers need to add 2 good relief pitchers with a track record before the deadline.
With Kimbrel it won’t cost us anything in a trade. Then if Jansen is upset that’s no big deal because trading Jansen would probably offset the cost of Kimbrel for the next 2 seasons that Jansen is signed for. Sure we might have that big Kimbrel contract through 2022/2023 but we also get something in return for Jansen that we can trade for (You brought his name up and I brought his name up in my first post here) Sean Doolittle.
Add Hill to the trading list (he will be a free agent after this season) plus Floro who is only good against right handed hitting and terrible against left handed hitting. Maybe that’s enough to get Doolittle.
Can you imagine Kimbrel, Doolittle, Baez, Urias in the pen along with Ryu, Buehler, Kershaw, Maeda the 4 starters in the playoffs. I get Maeda might be a hole in the playoff rotation but look at that bullpen.
Sure Greene is having a good season so far but he doesn’t have a good track record. I wouldn’t want to get burned. Giles numbers look good but not as good as Doolittle (career wise).
Crack is bad!
Kimbrel? They will trade for some useless, over the hill player that will play no better than anyone else is on this team, and then lose them to free agency at the end of the year.
A THIRD PITCH!
You say that like it’s easy. I could never develop a second pitch. Caleb has a good fastball and an excellent curve, which for reasons unknown to us, he is using sparingly and with mixed results. Before he learns a third pitch, he needs to command a second pitch – he did last year, but he’s not this year. He needs to go down and work on that second pitch he used to have.
This is why I hate AF not preparing the team prior to the season and then having to trade valuable assets for short term fixes. He has done this every year and it has not paid off. I say don’t trade anyone. Period. If you trade, make it count long term.
That is so silly on every level!
It is always the same with you. Stick up for AF. Why the Dodger Bullpen is a weakness near mid-season? Why, because they did nothing much to upgrade during the off season, so now it is trade valuable rookies for a short term fix. Silly my arse. But I forget you are always right. 🙂
Everyone with two cents of a brain knows the Dodgers did nothing this off season to upgrade the team. Signed a perennial injured RH hitter and an over-rated relief pitcher. Bravo. But trade away. Maybe another great pickup like the last two years will certainly help. You really crack me up
Perhaps the word “take” of the current year?
I am reading that many are wondering why Caleb is not throwing his curve more. It could be that he does not have the command this year. Remember last year he was a starter before he was called up so he had a lot of time to get command. This year not so much. Another plausible explanation is that he is not the one calling the pitches. He is not Kenley so he does not have the luxury of calling off the catcher. It is a lot like Rich Hill. If Rich Hill lost his curve his fastball would get tattooed. But with his curve, his fastball looks a lot more difficult to hit. Both pitchers need their curve and fastball together. So is it Caleb choosing not to throw the curve more, or is it game strategy dictating the call?
FYI – Tony Gonsolin pitched 1.0 inning today at OKC. He allowed one hit and one walk. He threw 16 pitches, 10 for strikes.
It’s going to take a while to stretch him out… or they could just use him in relief this year and let him throw his 112 MPH fastball.
Ferguson should not be on the 25 man roster. He has not earned a role this season beginning with ST. His command is suffering and is being hit consistently, giving up 4 HR’s in 15.2 IP. He, Kelly, and Yimi, have no place in the BP based on the performances they have given, so far. Doc has been living in hope that these 3 can pull it together and that is a lot of our troubles right there. With Urias and Stripling both firmly in the BP, we can stop complaining unless Doc brain farts continuously and overthinks what is already a very adequate BP. Players need to work out their stuff in the minors, not on the 25 man roster. Unless there are injuries that make it necessary to bring up subpar talent, subpar talent belongs in the minors. Yimi is a case where I can see the potential but I don’t see the consistency that is needed at this level. He’s given up 5 HR’s! Stripling is going to have to embrace his role in the BP and buckle up. He is nowhere near dominant and is also on the borderline for me. He’s also got some control problems giving up BB’s and HR’s too frequently.
Subtract Ferguson from last night’s game and add Jansen in the last inning and we have a different ending. All it takes is a smart decision by Doc, but he just doesn’t learn. He feels players like Kelly and Ferguson should be brought in with big leads so they can settle down without the pressure. It doesn’t work. It hasn’t worked.
Dodgers continue to pound out the runs. A great solution to any pitching woes. They have the luxury of giving playing time to players like Beaty and Garlick. This doesn’t hold for the BP! We don’t need auditions in the BP, we need consistency, and you go with the guys that have and will give it. Mistakes will happen but you don’t go reaching into a dark hole and expect to pull out a prize. Floro and Alexander have given us two pretty consistent arms over the last 2 seasons, especially Floro. You stick with these guys along with Baez, Urias, Strip, and Jansen, and you have a pretty darned good corps in the BP. My 2 cents.
Again, I agree. The BP is not going to get better unless the Dodgers pony up some high ranking talent. I think it is lunacy to trade, once again. These moves rarely pay off and the Dodgers keep emptying out their good players for useless.
Yeah, Caleb is horrible. The Dodgers should just send him down. A week ago on the 19th of May, he had a 3.07 ERA. What a bum! He just gave up a few runs with a big lead. Big freaking deal.
Urias is a starter and will be a starter at the end of the season. They are NOT going to have Maeda in the post season rotation ahead of Urias.
We need a legit guy to shut down the eighth. That was supposed to be Kelly. They don’t even have room to add more than that. Don’t bank on useful pieces like Alexander, or Floro being traded. I seriously doubt they would even cut ties with Yimi at this point because he seems to be improving and he’s filthy. Kelly isn’t going anywhere after signing a new deal.
We may not even need that 8th inning guy in another couple of weeks if Yimi and Kelly get completely right.
Did we lose today? Because everyone is acting like Ferguson blew the game. I’m still wondering why Doc pulled a well rested Maeda after 81 pitches.
Urias is not a starter and probably won’t be one until next season, barring injury or a meltdown by one of the present incumbents. Even then, maybe. Urias still needs work on his game and what better way to do it than in the BP.
Most people look at a 4 man rotation for the playoffs. Kershaw, Ryu, Buehler, and Hill. This is the logical 4. If all play up to their pay grade, where does that leave Maeda, Urias, or anyone else that is said to be a starter? Maeda has always been a bumpy ride. His stats work better than Urias as does his experience and health. I see these two destined for BP during the post season, not in the starting 4.
Without Kelly, we’ve been doing fine and are presently on an 8-2 run. That’s with the lousy BP that so many fans are complaining about.