Eddies, dripping branches, current, glossy, darting shapes, water striders, leaf-dappled, twisting flow, drag, silt, reeds, bowed willows, shadows, sparkling, mirror, bent grasses, carve, clash, boulders, ripples, carry, twigs, debris, gliding birds, minnows, fish, smooth stones, slime, weeds, ducklings, drifting, lazy, tepid, mud, churning flow, winding, clover, et al. These are all descriptions of Rivers. After last night, I have just one thing to say about River: WOW!
River is prone to some wildness, but he constantly pitches to weak contact, and that makes him highly efficient (especially last night). He threw 73 pitches and pitched into the 6th inning for the first time in his career. Shoot, he had never pitched past the fourth in the minors! Remember, River was acquired in the Matt Beaty trade with the Padres. Andrew Friedman is finding it harder to find trade partners because when he askes for a player, the other team is afraid that he knows something they don’t… and often he does!
Rants & Raves
- It’s not a given that Tampa Bay will be sellers. They are very close to that 8th playoff spot in the AL, so they actually may be buyers.
- The odds are better that the Cubs will be sellers and realistically, the Dodgers need a CF’er not a LFer. Cody Bellinger is back to swinging a bat and would look good in CF. We just do not know if his relationship with the Dodgers could be repaired. To me, he makes the most sense. Could the Cubs and the Dodgers match up on a trade?
- Someone mentioned Alex Vesia’s velocity: Alex used to overthrow and hit 94 to 95, but his fastball has more ride and is more effective at 92-94. He hit 93 MPH last night.
- I had felt that Paxton was the odd man out, but I expected it to happen later. There is a market for him, and they have nine more days to trade him. He will most likely go to the AL, with Baltimore seemingly a good fit.
- Dodgers Draft Tracker: The Dodgers have signed Seamus Barrett and Kole Meyers, so they have plenty of money left for the other selections, including Kellon Linsday, who has indicated he will sign with the Dodgers. At this point, I do not get too excited about most draft picks as it is very difficult to project 18-year-olds. I have also seen Zach Lee, Jesmuel Valentin, Chris Anderson, Grant Holmes, Kyle Funkhouser, Jordon Sheffield, Jeren Kendall, JT Ginn, et al. To be fair, in that span, there have also been Walker Buehler, Will Smith, Bobby Miller, Michael Busch, and Gavin Lux. It’s just that High School players are a crapshoot where the Dodgers draft.
- The Bazooka and Michael Grove have already pitched one outing, and Ryan Brasier is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session at Dodger Stadium today. If all goes well, he will do a short rehab assignment. If those three return, that will be a huge shot in the arm.
- Walker Buehler will go on another rehab assignment and may return in early August.
- Yamamoto is playing catch from 200 feet and is pain-free. They are progressing with him slowly, but so far, it is effective.
AF sign Teo to a 3 year extension NOW!!!!! He stated last week he wants to be a Dodger. Trade for Flaterty from the Tigers a local product, and Arozarena from the Rays.He brings experience in the playoffs and enthusiasm No need to trade for bullpen help with reinforcements coming in Graterol. Grove, and others. Won’t have to gut the farm with those two trades,
I do not think Teo will sign now.
Why?
Well, while I think AF would sign him for 3 years/$75 Million, someone else may offer him a 4th year and AF will have to decide whether to match that.
He wants to be a Dodger as he stated last week and will sign a fair two or three year contract if offered NOW. He wants to sign an extension..Get it done AF. The Dodgers have plenty of money for a guy with his enthusiasm,ability and character.
Where would the Dodgers be in the standings without Teo? Big ht after big hit!!!!
It’s still 25 Million dollars. That’s a lot. These guys and their agents seldom leave that much on the table
I say he will be a Dodger in 2025 and beyond.
I hope so, but I think it will take a 4 Year/$100 Million Deal.
Mark,
I am a new commenter on your site which I enjoy reading. My first game was in Ebbets Field the year that the Dodgers left and I have been a dodger fan ever since. Why are commenters hammering our two young outfielders? They do what rookies do. Also, lux is getting into a groove and I hate to see him traded. My big point concerns 3b. Muncy hits big homers, but this is probably his last good year and
he can’t hit a slider away. I think Vargas could be a good 3b with his strong arm. Also, think we should trade for speed and the Dodgers are playing catch-up in that regard. Thanks for listening.
Betts (hand) has been cleared to swing a bat, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
“Betts continues to take steps in the right direction after landing on the injured list June 17 due to a fractured left hand. If all goes well, he’ll likely progress to hitting off a tee in the near future. Manager Dave Roberts noted that Betts is still “some time away” from a return, but he’s pleased with the progress of his star shortstop, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com”.
Teoscar: “I love the Red Sox. It was one of my favorite teams. And I love playing [at Fenway Park], but at the end of the day I have to [decide] what is best for me, my career, and my family. In this organization, everybody talks about win, win, win, and that’s me. I don’t care about anything else. I want to win. I’m at one point in my career that I want to go out there and have fun, have a good year but also win too. If I got the chance to stay here for two, three years I would like to stay. I like everything that this team, this organization, they do. For me, I’d feel really good if they come to me and offer me an extension.”
Republik Sports: “Teo, sit tight! The Dodgers will pay you $50 to $75 Million in a two or three-year deal. We can get you a deal at $100 to $125 Million if you keep this up. You wouldn’t mind that… right?”
That is a direct quote from Teo. What Republik Sports said is just what I think, but I bet they said it! That is an additional $4 Million commission for them on top of $6 Million!
Nice debut by the kid, and to all of you wanting to include this guy in a trade for Crochet or Skubal, no thanks. Skubal is not going to be traded anyway, that is my take. Detroit feels they are maybe a year away from contending, so why trade their best pitcher unless the haul is mind blowing. And Baltimore could beat any prospect package the Dodgers could offer, especially if they included Jackson Holliday, and that could be very likely with Henderson entrenched at SS. Those of you who know Jeff D., just want to let you know he is going into the hospital for surgery. It will be a while before he is able to write for LADC for a while. Teo is nails, and I love the guy’s enthusiasm. Since Heyward will most likely be gone next year, I would give the guy three years if he is willing. And the reason is simple, he is the only veteran outfielder playing every day on the roster. I don’t know what they will do with Pages, but he is no centerfielder, and Vargas is no outfielder either. He did recover and made a nice throw to nail Soler at third. But in a playoff series, his defense scares the hell out of me. Tampa is 50-50. Close to the wild card, but I still think they are sellers at the deadline, especially if AF trades them someone like Cartaya and one of his young pitchers. The Cubs Jed Hoyer said they are looking to 2025 and beyond. Belli’s contract makes moving him just a little more complicated. The Dodgers end July with 5 games on the road, 3 in Houston, and 2 in San Diego where they will be playing on Tuesday night after all of the deadline moves are made. Then they go to that toilet in Oakland for three with an Oakland team that has been hot of late. They took two of three in Philadelphia, two of three in Anaheim, and they beat the Astro’s last night. They are 10-6 in July. Any of the A’s, Dodgers by that series? Possible. Giants sinking like the Andrea Doria, taking on water bad. Melvin got kicked out of a game before it started in Colorado, just taking the lineup card up to the plate.
Vargas will be fine in LF, in my opinion. He just needs reps. He is learning on the fly and has made some nice plays as well as some bad ones. It’s hard to simulate in-game actions and reactions. He does have a plus arm. I do wonder if we will see him at 3B anytime soon?
If Muncy comes back, no you won’t. I am not really sure they want to weaken the defense at this point, Taylor is very good over there, and Kike is not bad. I think he stays in the outfield against lefties and is traded either this winter or at the deadline. They are not using him against RHP for a reason. MLBTR has a story this morning, Gomes said the Dodgers are looking for an IMPACT arm, not an innings eater. And very few available pitchers fit that description. The Cubs will probably not put Steele on the market, it is my humble opinion that Skubal, if Detroit does indeed make him available, will stay in the AL and go to Baltimore, who can give Detroit a much more attractive package than the Dodgers. I also believe the price for Crochet, with the possibility of limiting his workload, is way too much. That makes Flaherty a logical target. Cheaper, more durable. And although Bradley might not believe it, it is not about being right, it is about doing what makes sense for the Dodgers. Just because it is the Dodgers, it does not mean a team is going to trade you their star players for your flotsam, that’s a navy term for trash there Bradley.
For Skubal I would offer:
Miller or Ryan plus Wroblesiki or Knack plus Rushing plus Vargas
That is a huge, huge package. DET would get two MLB ready starters with Miller having ace potential.
Plus another MLB ready bat in Vargas plus our best hitting prospect in Rushing at a premium position in catcher.
You really think the Orioles could offer more ? Yes, their prospects are rated higher but this offer includes MLb ready guys.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No way will Friedman overpay that much for 1 starting pitcher.
AF would never give up that much for any pitcher. Insane idea. Yes, I think the Orioles can beat any offer LA would make, and I am telling you, Skubal is not going to be traded. Detroit would be nuts. They believe they are a year away from being competitive and he is their ace. Not happening.
You absolutely trade him for the right deal!
River Ryan comes as advertised.
And I loved how he talked about how much “fun” he had. Too often it seems players put too much pressure on themselves–as Bobby Miller illustrates. As others have noted, the ump says, “Play ball!” and not “Work ball!”
I agree that Skubal is unlikely to be traded, but the ChiSox are a disaster and Crochet seems very much in play. The Dodgers are loading up on arms and, with a big division lead, they can slow-play them toward the playoffs. Nobody is getting rushed off the IL, and the Dodgers could limit Crochet’s innings as well.
That said, the Orioles could certainly outbid the Dodgers. I doubt they’d offer Holliday–just signing him was expensive!– but it could make sense if both Crochet and Robert are in the deal. (O’s have a good outfield, but Robert would still be a good fit, and his team-friendly contract may be more appealing to the O’s. )
I agree that Pages is not the answer in CF. With the current roster, perhaps the best defensive outfield would have Teo in left, Heyward in center and Pages in right.
Both Kike and Taylor are good OF defenders too…
I hope AF makes a bold move. Yes, we don’t need another Lance Lynn and Joey Gallo.
Hurry back, Mookie and Max!
I would really like to see Cody B. back with the Dodgers. Despite his offensive woes in his last year or so in LA, it was always a pleasure to watch him play CF.
Excellent first MLB outing for Ryan!
Congrats to the kid.
He and Wrobleski and Knack really raised their stock .
At the very least as trade chips.Opens up a lot of options for the Dodgers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would trade Knack. I am not trading Ryan or Wrobleski. This team needs some youth in the rotation. Braves bring their kids up and let them pitch, and they rarely trade them away. As many injuries as this team has had, and probably will in the future, I am not trading kids like that for any other teams’ castoffs. I see guys on here and other sites always bitching about the lack of home-grown talent. Yeah, they got Ryan in a trade I am sure the Padres regret right about now, but they developed him as a pitcher. He was a SS before.
While I don’t see Belli coming back to LA, it would fix the CF problem.
Hmm…
Mookie 2B
Shohei DH
Freddie 1B
Will C
Belli CF
Teo LF
Max 3B
Heyward/Pages RF
Rojas SS
Not too shabby.
I guarantee Knack is on the table in almost any deal we’re looking at.
Pretty nice writing in the opening paragraph, Mark. I’m impressed.
Ditto.
A River runs through LADodgerTalk….
Where are all the doom and gloomers now???
Oh yeah and F*CK Boston!
If one looks down the road to the playoffs a team has a 26 man roster with 13 pitchers and 13 hitters (that’s a rule). At most the Dodgers need 4 starters if you look at our current 40 man roster, the Dodgers have that covered. That means you have 9 bullpen arms. One can always improve the bullpen but if no move is made, I’m confident that we have the bullpen covered. Again looking at the 40 man roster we have to come up with 13 players. If Betts and Muncy come back strong the Dodgers have that covered. We could up grade at centerfield and maybe shortstop, depending on where they are going to play Mookie. We DON”T have to make a trade, we have the talent to win the World Series with our current roster. If a good deal comes up, of course, the Dodgers take it. But I sure hope we don’t give up on any of our young starters currently on the 40 man roster.
What he said!
It is said that Boston is interested in bringing Paxton back. Maybe a #10-15 Prospect?
time to steal the next River Ryan from someone!
100%
Thinking of the playoff roster and difficult decisions, I wonder if the Dodgers will have the balls to leave Kershaw off of it, if he is relatively healthy. We need to be cut throat to win it all.
As a life long Dodgers fan, for what it’s worth, I’ll be seriously pissed if you left him off. Cut throat I agree with but loyalty is there also. He’s the only one on the 40 man roster I feel that way. My opinion on the subject means absolutely nothing but Kershaw is very special .like Koufax and Vin.
I agree John. There has been a lot of dissing Kersh lately, reduced velocity and all that stuff, he isn’t ready, his last AAA appearance was not that great. I have heard it all. But to me, loyalty means a lot and he stuck with LA when he could have gone home to Texas and got a ton of cash. Very few players I have ever felt that way about. I was pissed when they traded Duke Snider, and totally surprised when they traded Willie Davis. Guys who leave on their own, Seager, Trea, Garvey, I could care less, they wanted to go. Dodgers signed their top draft choice, Lindsey, to an under slot, 3.3-million-dollar deal. And it is official.
Ditto Bear
clayton has missed time over the last few years, agreed. what pitchers on their roster over the last few years haven’t. he pitched hurt against the snakes last postseason. no excuses. but, when he’s been healthy he’s been great. i know some of you say “when healthy “. Well i’m riding with Kersh! Paxton or Kershaw?? who you taking?? You don’t leave him out of the mix. if he can’t handle it this time, he’ll remove himself from the roster. but watching and listening to him sunday night, he seems as pumped as we’ve seen him in a long time!! so let him prove himself. He will!!
Completely agree. Kershaw just needs to be honest to himself.
10:10 PM ET
Giants (48-53)
Dodgers (60-41)
SP Jordan Hicks R
4-6 3.79 ERA
SP Landon Knack R
1-2 3.23 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
3B Cavan Biggio L
SS E. Hernandez R
77° Wind 7 mph Out
Great start post allstar break and the injured are slowly coming back just in time.
Update on the Dodgers Rookie Dominican league
The Regular season-ends August 20th and the Dodgers have 2 rookie teams in the DSL
(DSL Bautista or DLAB) is 19-15
(DSL Mega or DLAM) is 14-17
Tons of rainouts down in the Dominican Rep this time of year
Last Year
– DLAB was 42-11 and won the Dominican
League Championship
– DLAM was 36-17 and got knocked out in quarterfinals.
As previously stated the Dodgers have 11 players who previous played in the DSL on their top 30 prospects
List
Below are just a few kids who are having good seasons that may make it up to the Arizonia league after the Dominican league ends in late August.
Edwin Sanchez -OF (19)
Jose Gonzalez -OF (19)
Armando Lantigua- OF (18)
Javier Barrolozzi- P (19)
Elias Medina-3B (18)
And top intl signee
Emil Morales- SS – (17)
Go Dodgers!!
Is Andrew Benitendie having a okay year he would be a nice outfielder that could play all over and get on base for these power guys wouldn’t mind him Paul DeJong and Erik Feede as Dodgers. That would help improve the play on defense in the field. And get guys that can get on base. And they also have playoff experience. Both of those guys. Just a stab at it. If they don’t go after Crochet or Robert’s. I had a dream last nite. They got Andrew Vaughn to play rightfield and put Teo in LF and Vaughn was smashing the ball.
ESTA CLARISIMO QUE NO LEES NI APRENDES NADA, DEJA DE FUMAR ESA HIERBA.
Bradley, I just have one question for you. Do you ever check the stats of a player before you mention him as a trade piece? Benintendi is hitting .199 with 7 homers. He is a negative 2.1 player right now. He is only playing LF and has only played CF 72 times in his career. He has 3 years left on his contract at about 48 million, so that is not an issue. What is an issue is his lack of production. It is puzzling to most because the guy is a career .270 hitter. but he is not a power hitter, and he is not stealing bases. He has just two. Vaughn is primarily a first baseman. He is also a negative WAR player. He has played only a handful of games in the outfield. Hard no on both.
I rec Eric
So at this time the Dodgers are planning to keep Ryan up for another start, probably Sunday
Right now the Dodgers have 9 bullpen arms
So does Knack go down after tonight’s start, possibly giving teams a final look before he is traded.
Or do they keep knack up and stay with 6 starters and drop to 8 in the bullpen when Glasnow comes up TM.
Then drop to 7 in the bullpen when Kershaw comes up Thurs.
And if so what 1 or 2 bullpen guys go?
My guess is when Glasnow comes off the IL Stone goes on with a blister or a sore back. When Kershaw comes off the 60 day IL Buehler goes on and Yohan Ramirez is a DFA. 5 starters 8 relievers and Stone gets a breather like Glasnow did
Buehler is on the 15-day, and he can stay there. He has been on there since he last pitched on June 16th, so he has been on over a month as it is. And he most likely will do a re-hab start in the next week or so after what was called an excellent bullpen today. Ramirez is toast.
Blake Harris, who writes regularly about the Dodgers has just put out his Master Plan for the deadline, as follows:
Dodgers get: Crochet, Robert Jr., Kopech
White Sox get: Rushing, DePaula, River Ryan, Payton Martin, Jeral Perez, Kendall George
Dodgers get: Flaherty
Tigers get: Cartaya, Gelof
Dodgers get: Rengifo
Angels get: Knack, Outman, Lux, Ronan Kopp
Dodgers get: Tanner Scott
Marlins get: Vargas, Yeiner Fernandez, Austin Gauthier
My thoughts:
I might consider the deal with the Sox if I could sub Vargas for DePaula.
I don’t think that’s nearly enough to get Flaherty. Other teams would offer more.
I think it’s too much for Rengifo although we probably don’t really need any of the guys we’d be giving up.
The Scott deal seems about right since he’s only controllable for the rest of the year, but I’m really not sure how I feel about giving up Vargas for a couple months of a reliever.
Comments anyone?
STB
Interesting trade proposals
Agree on your thoughts on WSoX deal , Vargas or Outman or even both go but keep Depaula.
I would also prefer to flip Knack for Ryan.
DePaul just turned 19 in May and he is starting to heat up in High A. I’ve watch him a few times. He really is a special hitter.
I’d be good with the other 3 trades.
And I agree Flaherty would probably cost more pieces
O the telecast, it was said Doc would prefer not to go to a 6 man rotation.
Lux with the clutch hit.
The Dodgers ship out 15 players, 11 from their farm system including their top three prospects, to add 6 players, including two starters and two relievers. I have not read much from Blake Harris but given that it is his master plan, I am assuming that he recommends doing all of this. To quote Mark, that is a dope fiend move. I am guessing that would be an All In move, if there is such a thing in baseball. Hard no on the approach though I like the idea of acquiring Flaherty as a lower cost alternative to Crochet or Skubal. Right now, the Dodgers are listed as having a 23.26% chance of winning the World Series. Higher probability than any other team in baseball. I would be curious what their probability of winning would be with all of these proposed changes by Blake Harris. I bet it would not climb to 30%. So we would seriously empty our farm system and young major league talent (hamstringing the team in the future to improve at the trade deadline) for a slightly better chance of winning this year?
I would be fine with a pitcher like Flaherty, Eflin, or Eovaldi instead of meeting that price for Crochet and Robert. Pursue Robert individually or Paredes/Arozarena or settle for Pham instead. I don’t think this team needs an overhaul like that. I would be willing to trade Rushing but not both Rushing and Cartaya. I would hang on to Ryan however and give Lux a chance to build on his post All Star resurgence.
Thanks for posting that. Good food for thought.
Blake Harris must be using the same drugs that Keith Richard uses. He is definitely Looney Tunes. No way LA would give up that much of their farm system. And the Angels are not trading Rengifo to LA. Moreno won’t allow it.
Randy Arozarena or BUST!!!! He will be a star with the Dodgers. Roberts JR. will be too costly and he is always hurt. Make it happen AF and BG. It’s the right move for our pathetic outfield stats besides Teo. And while you’re at it sign Teo to a 2 or 3 year extension.
I agree with your statement on Arrozarena. That bat in Oct will be scary batting 6-7
Okay, I have no trade proposals.
Skubal likely won’t happen. Why would the Tigers trade him?
Crocket will probably get traded. Obviously, since they reportedly made an offer, the Dodgers may try again.
No on Roberts. Yes, he has upside, lots of it, but the cost would be high. Arrozarena seems more likely.
Not including River Ryan in any trade scenario.
Every time I see an interview or read something from Friedman and company, the focus always seems to be on the big deal. Go big or go home. Maybe that happens or maybe it doesn’t.
The Dodgers do have a bunch of pitchers coming back, including Kershaw Thursday. I still think Jack Flaherty or someone like him may make some sense. Less cost. But the Dodgers may be looking at future upside. Can he help us today and over the next few years too? Controllable and affordable assets.
I definitely see the Dodgers adding to the pen. One more hitter. Hey, Betts will be back in August and Lux is hitting pretty well. I definitely sign Teo long term, two or three more years.
But all the trade proposals listed here are interesting. Some are over the top, others make some sense.
But I would add. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. What makes all this even more interesting is you have to factor in the Dodgers have invested over a billion dollars this past winter in an effort to win a World Series or three.
That probably means all-in could be on the table and more likely than past years.
Dodger starting pitching in 25. Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, (he’s coming to Dodgers), Glasnow. Now you also have May, Gonsolin, Sheehan, Miller, Stone, Knack, Ryan, WrobleskI, Hurt, Frasso, Bruns, and more. There just isn’t enough room for all these starters. You can’t just let them languish in the minors. It’s a waste of organizational capital and unfair to the players. AF is too smart and loyal to let that happen. We need a CF right now. I’m trading some of that capital for Robert jr. The potential is just too great. Deal with SS in the off season.