When the Dodgers chose to keep Dalton Rushing off the playoff roster instead of Ben Rortvedt, many Dodger fans (Being Olympic Champions at Jumping to Conclusions) assumed the Dodgers would trade him. Not so fast! Of course, anyone could be traded in the right deal, but the Dodgers know that catchers like Dalton do not grow in trees. They are taking their time with him and not rushing him.
Rortvedt’s offensive numbers are weak, but his defensive work (pitch framing, game‐calling) is valued. That makes him a glove‐first catcher option. Dalton Rushing is still a rookie and is now ranked #2 in the Dodgers’ Top Prospect list. “Dalton Rushing, if given the chance to play every day, could develop into a dynamic bat-first catcher.” Not my words – that’s what Baseball America just said in the latest issue!
I also believe that the “Dodgers Brass” is having many conversations as to how to utilize Will Smith and Dalton Rushing together. For a few years, I have suggested that maybe Will Smith could play 3B when a LHP is on the mound because, as Max Muncy has aged, he has not hit LHP as well. Now, do I “know” that Will can play 3B? No, I do not know that for sure, nor do I know if he is open to that. However, I think this: Will is a great athlete with an above-average arm and a glove that is very “sticky.” It is my belief that he can play the hot corner.
I have also seen Dalton Rushing play LF. It was just a few games, but I saw nothing that led me to believe that he could play there. Teoscar is getting older and could use a blow in LF (assuming that’s where he plays next season). Of course, all the ____________ out there will say: “Timmons you are often wrong,” and that is true. Nobody gets it right all the time. I was wrong about Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Diego Cartaya. The jury is still out on Miguel Vargas, but I was right about Michael Busch: “Let me say this: Michael Busch is a better hitter than Max Muncy and has more power (and that is saying a lot).” – 12/27/2022. I was also right about Clayton, Adrian Beltre, Corey Seager, and Cody Bellinger… long before they were Major Leaguers.
In fact, in 142 AB’s last year, Dalton Rushing hit .204 and hit RHP much better than LHP. Adrian Beltre hit .215 in his Rookie Year in 195 ABs, prompting Dodger fans to call for the Dodgers to trade for a good third baseman. My comeback was, “Listen, Morons, Adrian Beltre is going to be a Hall-of-Fame Third Baseman.” He hit .275 the following year, as he marched to the Hall-of-Fame – and it was not as a Dodger because Dumbass DePodesta let him walk for a few million… but don’t get me started!
If Rushing could give Freddie an occasional game off as well as doing the same for Teoscar and catching when Will is off (or plays 3B, which is conjecture right about now), I could see him getting 300 AB’s, and he might hit 20 big flies with that opportunity. Teoscar is too much “part of the fabric” of the Dodgers. I can’t see him being traded this year… maybe next!
The Dodgers don’t need much. I think they will drive the price up on Tucker – they are allegedly trying to do the same thing with Tucker that they did with Bryce Harper – Offer him something like a 3-Year/$160 Million Dollar Deal. It didn’t work with Harper, and I doubt that it works with Tucker either. He’s not going to leave (a guaranteed) $150 to $200 million on the table. I think all that the Dodgers need is Wilyer Abreu. He is young (26) and a Gold Glove RF’er who kills RHP – he has a .827 OPS against them for his career. Alex Call can be his platoon partner. Since LHPs only make up about 25% of MLB, Abreu would play 75% of the time. Call can be a valuable platoon partner.
The Red Sox need pitching. They have plenty of outfielders. So, I would lead with Jackson Ferris, Bobby Miller (wild card), and Landon Knack. Bobby Miller has too big an arm to ignore, and many scouts think Knack can be a useful #5 starter. The Red Sox may counter with a request for Sheehan… and I might consider that as well…
Finally, as you know, I had shoulder replacement surgery about 90 days ago, and the results are amazing. I have a full range of motion and can do just about anything. The healing and rehab process lasts another 90 days. However, five weeks ago, I had carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve surgery, and the results are not as good. I healed up in three weeks, and then the elbow (Ulnar Nerve) incision blew open, and subsequently the wound seeps, and they think there is a seroma. I am scheduled for a second surgery on Tuesday.
The upshot is that the arms and elbow pain were so intense that I had a hard time sleeping in my bed, so I started sleeping in the recliner – MY BACK PAIN WENT AWAY! Last night was the first night I slept on my new Nectar Bed, and I feel so much better. Wow! Sometimes when you get lemons, you make lemonade!
Rumors are out there about devin williams. Hope he’s not the same pitcher he was first half of the season for the yankees! If i were in charge (i’m not), i would pass!
another rumor involves jared duran coming to LA . The return would include Kim. Kim is very intriguing! if he hits, he’s invaluable!
No way should they trade Dalton, but another rumor questions him wasting away behind Smith. i believe they should hang on to him!
Hope everyone has a safe and happy thanksgiving! enjoy your family and friends! leave the nasty stuff at the door. leave the politics in the garbage where it belongs! enjoy your children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, parents,nephews, nieces, the whole family! i know i will! A couple of health scares will wake you up!
Glad things are going well for you Mark! Need to keep you around so we all can keep cheering for the best baseball team in the world! thanks for giving me something to look forward to every morning! The last few years have been a blast! god bless you and your family!
Devin Williams finished strong.
The Dodgers apparently wanted Raisel Iglesias but he returned to Atlanta.
So who should they get?
Could Kenley really make a return?
Dodgers can afford Tucker. He addresses their flat offensive performance late in the season.
In terms of long-term commitments, we have:
1. Ohtani–a unicorn who pays for himself
2. Betts–a franchise face who transcends baseball
3. Yamamoto–the ace
4. Smith–the captain & a bargain
5. Snell–a recently added TOR arm
6. Glasnow–three years left now.
7. Edman–a swiss army knife
That’s it. Freeman & Teo have two years left. Kim & Sasaki don’t count. Add Tucker and wait for the prospects to hatch.
They can afford him for sure, but at 400 million. Doubtful. Almost all of his offensive stats dipped last season, and his defense in right is almost as bad as Teo. He runs bad routes, and he does not have the speed to make up for mistakes. He is strictly a RF. That means moving Teo to left. Teo is more of a DH type right now.
A lot is going on today:
Corey Seager has requested a trade.
Tatsuya Imai does not want to play for the Dodgers; he wants to “take them down!”
I’d take Corey back
Corey to SS, Betts to 2nd, works for me. But who does Texas want in return?? Seager is 32 and has six years remaining on his contact for 185 mil. He also has injury issues. He hasn’t played more than 123 games since 22 when he played in 151 his first year in Texas. He has hit 19 points lower as a Ranger than he did as a Dodger.
Seager coming back would be …. pretty amazing.
I’ve read that he and Semien were pretty close. Maybe that deal has Seager thinking that the Rangers won’t be that competitive for years ahead. Maybe Rangers management will allay his concerns.
A couple questions: Did he negotiate a no-trade clause or trade restriction into his contract? If so, he could have some control over his destination, assuming the Rangers decide to shed his salary.
If not, I would expect that the Yankees would go after him, given Volpe’s struggles at SS. His services would be in demand–but the trade market might not be that big. It could be at tussle between the Dodgers and Yankees.
Years ago, I was one of those fans who envisioned Seager moving to 3B. So right now I’m wondering if he’s actually a better SS than Mookie. More experienced–but better? I doubt it.
So if Dodgers wrangled him, would they consider Seager at 3B? Would they consider Max moving once again to 2B? Max won’t win a gold glove–but he can play the position, and the brass can tolerate a few errors from a guy capable of hitting 35 HRs.
Yes, he’s another guy who has trouble staying on the field. The UT guys will see a lot of action. No doubt the Dodgers have ample trade capital if they want to bring Seager back. And they could sign Bader to fix the OF.
Just for grins….
Shohei DH
Mookie SS
Freddie 1B
Smith C
Seager 3B
Teo LF
Max 2B
Pages RF
Bader CF
Yikes. That’s a lot of firepower.
Or maybe Seager plays SS, Mookie slides to 2B and Max stays at 3B.
I would love to have Seager and or Bellinger back!I thought they would have been Dodgers all these years but I would still love to see a reunion.
why not Corey to 3rd, max to utility? maybe he could play more if he moved off shortstop. and for everyone who wants to trade Dalton, there’s your chance! I’m not include that group!
Corey has said for years that he is a SS, not a third baseman. He is not going to move until he thinks he can no longer play there. There was a ton of 3B talk when he was with LA> Doubtful he has changed his mind.
From what I’ve read, the Dodgers are willing to offer a shorter-term contract with a higher AAV than, say, an 8-or-10 year commitment.
Having dealt Nimmo, the Mets might make Tucker a very sweet offer.
We would be buying Corey’s declining years, so that has to be compensated by the Rangers somehow.
How about something similar to the Mets trade…
Corey straight up for Teoscar.
Throw in Treinen
sure – and let’s trade Bobby Miller for Paul Skenes too. Both teams have to be interested and there has to be some kind of even exhange – Teo and Treinen for Seager? Really?
😉
probably true. but if he wants out of texas bad enough, the dodgers are one a handful of teams that can take on that contract! just a thought. i would like to see him return to LA!
My intuition, both seager and his wife are from the Southeast. I read where the Braves are one of the eight teams that is on Seager’s no trade list. He’s going to get his money so I’m throwing my guess that he wavies his request of not being traded to Atlanta and goes there. I’m find with that situation. I can’t blame Seager for wanting out of Texas, I’d rather live in the North Pole than live in Texas and I hate being cold.
I expect to see Chris Young resign.
We all enjoyed Corey Seager when he was here. I followed him through the minor leagues before he came to the Show!
He will always be a part of Dodger Lore, but he is done being a Dodger UNLESS he wants to go to 3B… which I doubt!
Headline in SI.com:
Dodgers Predicted to Sign Kyle Tucker to $427 Million Blockbuster Deal
Is there a young OF we could trade for instead? Duran?
BTW, Mark’s comparison of Busch and Max was odd and misses the point.
If Busch had proved he could be an adequate third baseman, he’d probably still be a Dodger. He had a chance and management was not impressed.
Is Busch a better hitter than Max? Probably. But it seems like he could only play 1B, and that job was taken.
Does Busch have more power than Max?
Not so sure about that. We can check back when Busch puts up a few 35 HR seasons.
BTW, Mark’s comparison of Busch and Max was odd and misses the point.
If Busch had proved he could be an adequate third baseman, he’d probably still be a Dodger. He had a chance and management was not impressed.
Is Busch a better hitter than Max? Probably. But it seems like he could only play 1B, and that job was taken.
Does Busch have more power than Max?
Not so sure about that. We can check back when Busch puts up a few 35 HR seasons.
Busch is not a 3B.
He is perfect at 1B.
I also think he could have played 2B at an average level.
Max’s highest exit velocity was 91.3.
Busch’s was 92.1.
More exit velo = more power. No need to check back. Case closed! You must not have watched Michael Busch much this year!
Now there’s some impressive hair-splitting!
You know, Hank Aaron wasn’t known for mammoth, tape-measure HRs. But he sure hit a lot of them.
Busch will need a few years to catch up to what Max has accomplished.
Yes, I think Busch should have had more of a shot at 2B. My guess is that he could have outplayed Miguelito.
But that was then…
Within a couple years, we should know whether Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope made the trade worthwhile.
Wilyer Abreu!
The Red Sox are willing to trade him.
They would trade Duran too, but he is a LF… maybe CF’er, who has defensive lapses!
Abreu won the Gold Glove in RF and I prefer him. That way Teo goes to LF.
If I ran the Red Sox, I’d try to build a deal around Abreu and Teo.
Teo could be an ideal DH at Fenway. To balance out the values, the Dodgers could sweeten the offer with some pitching.
Perhaps the Dodgers could start the season with Abreu on RF, Pages in CF and a platoon of Ward/Call in LF.
Or maybe there’d be another trade to get Kwan.
That would mean Pages would be flanked by two gold glovers.
To me this is a lot more interesting than a fat check for Kyle Tucker.
Doubt it!!!!!
Doubt it!!!!
ESPN had an FA piece in which they suggest Bichette to us for 5y/$130m. Those terms sound team-friendly. I bet he gets more than that.
I don’t get it. Tucker supposedly will get $400 million but Bichette only $130 million? Why the discrepancy? Why would Bichette sign for only 5 years?
Sum Ting Wong
These writers have no clue. I think Bichette gets at least 8 years and $200 million.
I am not saying I am the sharpest knife in the drawer, but when you actually run a company for many years of your life, you get a clue what things are worth and what money can buy!
I hear you
Bichette would be a bargain at that price! if he would be willing to shift over to second base for a year, then replace max in 2027? sign him up!! but yeah, he’ll get more than that.
I just don’t believe the dodgers will go over 350 million for tucker. he would be a welcome addition to the outfield, but not 400+ million welcome!!
I also believe that the mets could end up with both Tucker and Bellinger. Especially if alonzo leaves. With Nimmo now gone it opens up a spot for tucker in the outfield and cody slides into first base.
if Seager doesn’t want to play in LA again, will the yankees make an offer to the rangers? That short porch in right? But the yankees already have a shortstop, right?
If the dodgers needed a starter (they don’t), I would love to see them take a chance on Michael King! i hop he goes to the American league!
i wonder if cedric mullens is anywhere on the dodgers radar? not advocating it, just curious.
Harrison Bader? possibly a dark horse candidate for the outfield. not a star, but a lot better choice than conforto!
Things should start heating up soon! it’s a fun time for baseball fans! just how heavy will the dodgers be involved. i can’t believe they don’t acquire a top tier outfielder! I’m convinced Teo is in left field opening day. Pages? probably center field. Fill in the blank will start in right!
What Shohei wants….he does.
****Shohei Ohtani commits to reigning World Baseball Classic champion Japan***
I think $200m for Bichette is in the proverbial ballpark. Maybe 7 years at $30m AAV.
But of course plenty of these contracts are crazy….
Just for grins, here’s a lineup off the top of my head comprised of Dodger prospects:
C–Yeiner Fernandez
1B– Tibbs the Third
2B– Jeordan Vargas
3B–Emil Morales
SS–Kellen Lindsay
OF–Hope, Sirota, Quintero *
DH–DePaula (who should keep practicing 1B)
* Ryan Ward just seems too old to be considered.
From what I’ve read, Lindsay is the most likely current SS to stick at the position, so I’m sliding Morales and Vargas over. The glaring weakness is catcher. If there’s a team with a surplus of good catching prospects, perhaps the Dodgers should try to trade for one.
If Smith or Rushing get banged up, what are the odds that the Dodgers trade a prospect for Rortvedt? I’ve read that he’s the third catcher on the Reds now.
A note to Alexander Waco: In the last thread about Mike Marshall the outfielder, you were mistakenly talking about Mike Marshall the pitcher. The outfielder’s nickname was Moose. The other Mike was called Iron Mike.
Warren Schaffer signed to a multi-year contract to manage the Rockies.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hope you have a wonderful day with family.
Sonny Gray traded to the Red Sox.
‘The rebuild is underway in St. Louis. The Cardinals and Red Sox are in agreement on a trade sending right-hander Sonny Gray to Boston in exchange for righty Richard Fitts and left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Clarke. The Cardinals are including $20MM of cash to help offset Gray’s salary”.
Donovan to the dodgers! as Dano would say, Book em!
I don’t see this being reported anywhere.
Where are you seeing it?
A little wishcasting…
i was just joshin! wouldn’t mind it though! although i have seen rumors suggesting the dodgers are interested, and were interested last season too.
Geeez, Rick Monday in this clip:
https://www.tiktok.com/@dodgers/video/7568391037710896415
Well, he’s 80 years old.
I’m just 72 and here’s what I look like:
Photo has only been slightly altered!
Looks like you are healing REALLY well from your surgeries
Yeah we all start dreaming around this age.
Every time I concoct at trade involving Teo… I worry that it really might happen and I’ll regret it.
Just moving him back to LF full-time would help.
And it could also ease the way for Rushing to play LF sometimes and get more ABs.
Exactly!
I think Wilyer Abreu would be great in RF, but he would require some prospect capital. He’s LH, 26 years old, has power, and is a Gold Glover. It depends upon what the team has to give up to get him: They want pitching.
Tucker will cost near $400 million plus a pick, plus international bonus money.
Bellinger has nothing attached except his salary.
My #1 Pick is an outfield of Teoscar, Andy and Belli – may the best one play CF!
CPBL’s Wei Chuan Dragons To Post Jo Hsi Hsu
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/los-angeles-dodgers
He would be inexpensive and another bullpen arm.