Clayton Who?

Neshek to the Rockies. Looks like a pretty good haul for the Phils. But agree with AlwaysCompete, Neshek would have been nice.

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Phils got 21st and 24th rated prospects (and another guy), but both were playing in A ball. Seems like there is a lot of potential with these two to be rated this high when only at A Ball. Is that right AlwaysCompete, your rating generally goes up the closer you get to MLB?

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Still lots of good trade possibilities out there.

Ya think we just might be getting a bit too spoiled? I mean how can this stuff be topped? Welp Giants play Dodgers harder than any other teams they face, so sweeping the next three this weekend would make my decade.

Wow this team is entertaining.

You never feel like they are out of it.

Man this team is resilient!

Did anyone else laugh out loud when that CF threw the ball to 1b with nobody around to catch it?

Beltre ejected for moving the on deck circle tonight. Ump told him to get back in the on deck circle so he moved it closer to home plate

Have the Dodgers considered trying Calhoun at catcher?

Not having Stewart stretched out and trying to do it during a major league game wasn’t a great idea.

I heard on MLB-XM today that the Rangers were asking for Verdugo, Buehler and another unnamed prospect for Darvish.

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HELL NO!

Neshek to Rockies.

Meanwhile, Walker Buehler for OKC tonight: 5ip, 1 hit, 1 run, 2bb, 9k

Rough outing for Yu tonight. Helps Texas fall in the standings though. They left him out there way too long in the 4th and the Marlins knocked him around. He wasn’t throwing as hard as his last start and he hung some curve balls when he was out there forever in the 4th. Mostly working around 95 mph. Dropped to 93 in the long inning.

If this were so easy ….. What do you think of these ” possible trades ”?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2723551-blockbuster-mlb-trade-ideas-based-on-the-biggest-pre-deadline-rumors

I do think there’s something to the fact that both Kenley and Doc have alluded to what a Darvish acquisition would mean.

Yes, we are the best team. Yes I believe our team thinks we’re the best team. However, this of all years I think the players would be ecstatic to know that management says “yes, we believe we’re the best team, and we’re STILL going to improve to really give us a good shot to win it.” I think the players will take that as ‘ok, they got us a big time guy, now it’s our turn to really go get this ring.”

Right now we’re playing great. But when this lead gets to 15 games or more, we’ll inevitably have a let down, and sometimes it’s hard to get back up for the end of Sept going thru all of Oct. I think a Darvish type move might get the guys’ adrenaline going even more and prevent that let down.

Then again, I’ve never played so what the hell do I know about how these guys think or feel????

I know he is not the big RHB many want, but Justin Ruggiano just opted out of his minor league contract with the Giants, and is looking for another minor league contract for a potential contender. It is doubtful that Franklin Gutierrez will be back. It might be worth a minor league contract for FAZ to sign Ruggiano for a RHB off the bench. I would envision him coming up in September, and then battle AGon and Ethier for that #4 bench role (with Kike’/Utley/Barnes). I am not very comfortable with SVS, Trayce Thompson, or Brett Eibner . It would not hurt to add some additional competition. Let’s see who can come off the bench in a pennant drive and deliver?

I believe that Darvish will be a Dodger. It makes too much sense. I think Gray and Alonso will wind up with the Yankees. The Yankees have plenty of prospects and adding a controllable piece like Gray fits what they’re doing. He can be had by the Yankees without NY giving up their top few prospects. The Yankees are loaded with outfielders in minors. Verlander? I really have no idea. He could help or he may just be a dope-fiend move. JV could be a post Aug 1st move for someone after the dust settles on the non-waiver trade deadline. I wouldn’t do Verlander unless Detroit significantly buys down the 2018 portion of his contract.

Britton sounds great, but he had another poor performance today. He worries me. He may just need work or he might not be past his injury problems. I see Neshek in our future as well as lefty, but it may not be Wilson, Britton, or Hand. I have no idea who that person will be right now. This front office may surprise us. If Dayton looked like he did last year, I wouldn’t be that worried about it, but he’s a mess right now. Avilan’s last 6 outings are impressive. Something like 6 1/3 1H 1BB, 10K’s O runs.

Cubs send Bret Anderson for assignment.

I pick going to the games that Dave Roberts causes the 25 minute delays. Umps didn’t seem to have any clue how how to fix the illegal switch or whatever it was. Great win last night however Maeda was struggling to get through the order the second time through. I’m not sure anyone should count on Kenta to be part of the playoff rotation. There were many great defensive plays to bail him out of jams last night. And it was the Twins lineup without their best hitter playing. Time will tell but I believe we need a right handed starter before the trade deadline passes. deGrom would be the best option if we could figure out a way to pry him away from the Mets. Grays pitching line looked pretty good again last night. I will leave these decisions up to LA Dodger Talk and Dodger Management now as I must return to work……………………………..

Yikes! I just thought of Han Ram in LF…. But the boy could rake…

My direct TV package includes Fox Sports North which is the station Twins games are shown on so I’ve gotten to watch the games the last 2 nights. In both cases I’ve stopped watching to go to bed and we score the next inning. That’s how my lick goes. I assume that one of the reasons Ravin went three innings is because tonight could be a bullpen game with Stewart not being stretched out. I’m one of the people that feel we need bullpen help more than a started but I do worry that Wood will be out of gas by the end of the season and won’t be as effective. I think he’s averaging 6 innings per start and we would all love it he could go 7-8 but not at the cost of being worn down for the post season. I say no to Verlander. The cost of having Detroit pay down his contract would be more/better prospects and I don’t know that it’s worth it. Could he be the opposite of Reddick, where he performs better being traded to a contending team? Do we want to pay the cost to find out? FAZ knows more than I do and they’ve done ALOT more good than bad so I’ll probably be fine with whatever they decide to do.

I still want an impact righthanded bat for left field, with Chris Taylor moving in to 2B. Our offense is very good right now, but adding that additional impact bat, which essentially replaces Forsythe/Utley (both players that I like) in the lineup, would lengthen it to a degree that would make our lineup a nightmare for pitchers to face. There would be protection up and down the lineup, making our current hitters even more formidable.

And no doubt I would also love to see an upgrade of the rotation and the bullpen, making them also that much more formidable.

Problem is the cost. But I have faith that FAZ absolutely knows what they’re doing, and that decisions to trade prospects will not only focus on those players, but on the entire Dodgers talent pipeline from the big club all the way down to the Dominican Summer League. For example, if they trade Alex Verdugo, Willie Calhoun, etc., etc., etc., they will do so if they believe that those players are ultimately replaceable by the depth in the organization, including players that most, if not all of us are currently unaware of. They may also take into consideration that they can open the vault next year for international prospects, since they will no longer be tied down to the $300,000 max offer to any single signee. There are simply innumerable variables that FAZ is aware of that that we are not. We have to simply be confident that our braintrust will make the right decisions, which is of course why they make the big bucks.

I don’t know exactly who I want the Dodgers to acquire, simply because I don’t get to see the vast majority of players being mentioned. For example, if I’ve ever seen Justin Wilson pitch, I simply don’t remember. And so on and so forth. And by the way, with all of trades being suggested, keep in mind that three-way trades are also possible, and that our front office is probably very adept at that.

Like Mark said, “Now…. we wait!”

And one more thing. Just to add to Mark’s characterization of Willie Calhoun having “tree trunk legs”, Baseball America in its 2017 Prospect Handbook describes him as being “built like a fire hydrant.”

From around the web:

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Dan Syzmborski offers a possible Darvish trade:

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Los Angeles Dodgers acquire: RHP Yu Darvish

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Texas Rangers receive: RHP Yadier Alvarez, 2B Willie Calhoun, RHP Jordan Sheffield

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Sure, it’s a rental, but even if Clayton Kershaw is out for just the six weeks, there’s no denying that his injury does create some uncertainty. The Dodgers are likely the best team in baseball and risk is their enemy. If they’re not willing to give up Walker Buehler or Alex Verdugo, they’ll still have to part with a few players they’d rather keep. Darvish may end up going for an unfair trade, but I think this would be a fair one for both sides.

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Buster Olney also opines that the Dodgers should move for Darvish. “This is the year” type reasoning…

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Dave Cameron had a FanGraphs chat, here are some Dodger tidbits:

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Dave Cameron: I’d guess Chris Taylor ~+2.5 WAR.

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Free Willie: Who is the best player the Dodgers could get back with a package centered around Calhoun as the top piece? And shouldn’t they do it immediately?

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Dave Cameron: Wouldn’t be surprised if he went for a reliever. If Tigers think they can get Kinsler to waive his no-trade , could fit Calhoun in Detroit as part of a Justin Wilson deal.

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Dave Cameron: Yeah, I think Calhoun and something could be a Britton package. But I’m way of Britton right now and would trade for a lower-risk arm if I was LA.

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Jason: Regarding Darvish – would the Dodgers really have to include two of Verdugo/Buehler/Alvarez to get a deal done? If you were the Rangers, would you take one of the three plus some other parts (Calhoun plus ?) for a rental?

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Dave Cameron: The Dodgers wouldn’t move any of those three for a rental.

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Dave Cameron: And I don’t think the kind of offer the Dodgers would make would incentivize Texas to move him.

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Moltar: Most of the chatter about the Dodgers acquiring pitching comes with the caveat that they don’t need another starter to reach the postseason. But shouldn’t that mean they should be planning now for their postseason rotation? Even if fully healthy, Kershaw has been forced to start on short rest too many times in recent memory, and the Dodgers should leverage their resources to make sure that does not need to happen again this year

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Dave Cameron: Alex Wood and Rich Hill are good. Kenta Maeda is fine. They don’t need to start Kershaw on short rest even without another starter.

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Dave Cameron: Darvish just came back from TJ last year and is running the lowest K% of his career. It’s not like he’s any sure thing.

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Go Dodgers : Buehler, Verdugo and Calhoun for DeGrom- Mets can’t turn that down can they?

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Dave Cameron: And Dodgers aren’t dumb enough to offer that.

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Eric Longenhagen chat:

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Coolguy: Think Starling Heredia can make top 100 lists this fall? Or is he playing at too low of a level?

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Eric A Longenhagen: He has the tools for that. The Pioneer league is hitter-friendly but Heredia has above average speed and power at age 18. He’s a big dude for 18, but can still really move. Probably more of a 45 FV guy for now like most, low-level tooled up guys, but if he keeps hitting like this all season he might merit consideration for the back of the 100

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Big Tuna: Isn’t Willie Calhoun a solid name for the Dodgers to include in talks for an arm? He doesn’t have a real position but could DH for an AL team.

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Eric A Longenhagen: Yes, but if I’m talking to the Dodgers I’m asking for three guys ahead of him.

BASEBALL PROSPECTUS PROSPECT CHAT:

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Slaphappy (Indiana ): Overall, who is the best pitching prospect in the Midwest League?

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Emmett Rosenbaum & Nathan Graham: The league is deep in pitching this year. A few weeks ago I would have said Dylan Cease. I think Emmett is high on Dustin May, I like Reggie Lawson. – Nathan

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CCA (LA): Is Keibert Ruiz a top 100 prospect?

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Emmett Rosenbaum & Nathan Graham: I don’t think he’s quite there yet, but he is making an impressive case for himself. Depends on what kind of power numbers he puts up the rest of the season I think. -Emmett

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Steve (LA): Thoughts on the Great Lakes rotation? Obviously Dustin May is dreamy, but I’d love to hear more about A.J. Alexy. Thanks.

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Emmett Rosenbaum & Nathan Graham: I wish I could tell you about Alexy, but I’ve missed him this year. I’ve had some misfortune with Great Lakes and ended up with Jordan Sheffield three times. I can confirm that May is very dreamy though, I saw him twice and think he’s legit. -Emmett

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Steve (LA): Is Keibert Ruiz the next big “catchers are weird BUT…” prospect? Seems like one of the few exceptions to the rule where the bat could play elsewhere and/or they look like they can stick behind the plate.

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Emmett Rosenbaum & Nathan Graham: Yeah. I think Ruiz sticks behind the plate, and I know Wilson Karaman been impressed with his defense up in Rancho too. Like I said though, I think his power potential is pretty limited, but he can hit. -Emmett

Buehler and Sopko go tonight. I’m a Brock Stewart fan. With a good four seam fastball under control the rest of his pitches become that much better. Fastball. Slider. Change. All he needs to be successful. Control is paramount though. giants 31.5 out. Worst team in sf history. I LOVE IT. Whining galore. But they still have those 3 rings, which we have to start matching this year. Championship or Bust.

Listening to the announcers last two nights. They were saying Puig was taking early batting practice. Turner Ward and Manny Mota were helping him. It certainly looks like it has helped him. Last night they were talking about Forsythe taking early batting practice. He got a pinch hit single. Turner Ward and the other coaches certainly are earning their money.

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They won the game without a HR.

Every team is on Verlander’s no trade list he has 5 and 10 rights. Dodger Digest has an interesting read today about trading for Verlander and Wilson. Biggest problem with Verlander is the luxury tax hit.

According to Eric Stephen at True Blue LA next year’s payroll is at 149 million. That doesn’t include Forsythe, just his buy out. Arbitration raises for guys like Grandal, Pederson and Wood. If they take on all of Verlander that would pretty much mean Forsythe is gone and no other free agents to stay out of luxury tax hell.

I agree, the first priority for FAZ is LHRP. FAZ is not going to pay the SD ransom for Brad Hand. So unless A.J. Preller becomes more realistic, Hand is not going to be an option.

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It is looking less likely for Britton, only because Peter Angelos believes the O’s can compete next year (their last year for a while after losing Machado and Jones to FA). They are going to need Britton for that last run, and then he too becomes a FA. Plus nobody is going to overpay for a pitcher that may have lingering health concerns. There is probably more of a chance to get Britton next year as a rental when Angelos comes to the realization that they drastically overpaid for Chris Davis (and probably Mark Trumbo), and did not pay for any pitching at all.

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Justin Wilson will undoubtedly be traded before July 31. What is yet to be determined is whether Avila is going to demand that the receiving team also take Justin Verlander. So far teams have not bit on that tandem. The Cubs and Dodgers seem to be the only teams that have any interest in Verlander (probably because of Wilson). The problem is, while the Cubs do have the luxury tax availability to absorb the hit, they do not have any top prospects after the Chapman (2016) and Quintana (2017) trades. It is presumed they would have to include Ian Happ, and they have said no to that. In addition, the Cubs are on Verlander’s no trade list. On the other hand, the Dodgers have the prospects, but may not have the luxury tax space needed to take on his salary. The Tigers are loathe to pay too much cash for Justin to pitch elsewhere as he is a fan favorite and icon in Detroit, and there will be some backlash to giving him away.

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FAZ is seemingly playing the waiting game to see who blinks. If the Padres/O’s/Tigers do not blink, do not expect FAZ to. Addison Reed and Pat Neshek may be RHRP, but both are rentals and will not cost nearly as much as the others. Both are similarly effective against both RHB and LHB (Neshek more so).

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Neshek – 40.1 IP, 45K, 5BB, 2HR, .185/.224/.315/.539 vs LHB; .207/.225/.253/.478 vs RHB

Reed – 48IP, 48K, 6BB, 6HR, .256/.263/.385/.647 vs LHB; .252/.282/.423/.705 vs RHB

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For comparative purposes:

Justin Wilson – 39.1IP, 55K, 16BB, 5HR, .220/.267/.366/.633 LHB; .125/.229/.302/.531 RHB

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My prediction is that they outbid the Nats and trade for Neshek.

Mark

Stewart really pitched well last year, after his got his first start, out of the way, against the Brewers.

But I know he didn’t start the season on the DL last year, like he did this year, so I know he was a little more seasoned, when he first came up last year, because of that.

But I still think Stewart will turn in a good job, and he will do better, then anyone really expects, at this point.

Because he has always done just that, so I don’t think that will change now.

Wouldn’t be the 1st good hitter bad fielder in Dodger history. Think Pedro Guerrero.

From cbs sports

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Yankees have already made one big trade, getting David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox to bolster the bullpen, as well as Todd Frazier to add another bat. I don’t think they’re done, either. New York is currently sitting in the top AL wild-card spot and I don’t think you make a trade like that trade with the White Sox only to close up shop and call it a deadline. Not when you just lost Michael Pineda to Tommy John surgery and have a rotation opening.

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Now, that said, the Yankees are very protective of their top prospects, and I don’t see them trading any of them at the deadline. That takes them out of the running for Gray and Darvish. The Yankees still have enough prospect depth to add a rental fifth starter, however, plus pick up a new first baseman. Right now, the Yankees are the only contender that needs a first baseman or designated hitter. They’re in position to let the market for Lucas Duda or Yonder Alonso come to them,

As for pitching help, the Yankees would love a young controllable starter, though that’s not going to happen without trading top prospects. That makes a rental more likely. With Jaime Garcia and Trevor Cahill being dealt yesterday, the top remaining rentals are Cardinals righty Lance Lynn and Padres righty Jhoulys Chacin. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees do something creative like add another reliever, then move Adam Warren or Chad Green back into the rotation. Point is, the Yankees are not done.

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Bums: Interesting.

Now that MT has shown the graphics on Willie we could have a moratorium…

Bobby I’m hoping they think your way, but I’m afraid of the big tsunami hitting!!!

I prefer that 2nd closer for the bp to another starter. I think our starters can keep us in the game for 4.5-5ip, then let the bp do its job.