Here s Johnny!
The next few hours are going to be crazier than Jack Nicholson in The Shining and none of us have any clue what will go down. Yesterday, I said that I doubted that Andrew Friedman will trade any of the Top 10 prospects, to which AC said he was OK with #10 (Mitchell White). I d agree with that. Other than DJ Peters (#13), I would trade any other prospects after
The next few hours are going to be crazier than Jack Nicholson in The Shining and none of us have any clue what will go down. Yesterday, I said that I doubted that Andrew Friedman will trade any of the Top 10 prospects, to which AC said he was OK with #10 (Mitchell White). I’d agree with that. Other than DJ Peters (#13), I would trade any other prospects after #9.
Will Smith was doing well at AAA, but remember, he is about 3 years older than Keibert Ruiz, whose upside is massive. At 21 years-old he has amassed more walks than strikeouts this year. How often do you see 21 year-olds do that? The last one I could find was 21 year-old Tony Gwynn who had 28 strikeouts and 28 BB at A and AA, not ever AAA. I called Alex Verdugo Tony Gwynn-esque and you can see how well he has done (forget his current slump – it happens to everyone). Kaybear has elite bat-to-ball skills. I would not trade him or any of the TOP NINE, and I do not think Friedman will either.
Many were quick to trade Ruiz and Gonsolin, but you also saw Tony’s potential last night at Coors Field. He has great command of his fastball and slider and while he has a curve, he doesn’t control it as well. He also has a change, but in the bullpen, all he needs is that fastball and slider. He can be elite THIS YEAR in the pen. I could also see Dustin May in the bullpen THIS YEAR. He has excellent control at age 21 and only needs to use two pitches.
If Friedman swings a deal for a Daniel Hudson or Shane Greene or Amir Garrett, for lessor prospects, then I am fine. There is no guarantee that a Felipe Vasquez will get us a Championship. I have said it all year and will continue to say it.
I still think something strange will happen to, like Joc traded and Castellanos and Greene coming to the Dodgers…. Who knows?
By the way, Negron and White played a nice role last night. Can Ryu handle Coors? No, not the beer… the Stadium!
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Discussion (258)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I have a tendency to hide my disappointment in sarcasm and hyperbole. Was I disappointed that the Dodgers did not improve for the 2019 season after the trade deadline? YES. Do I think the sky is falling? NO!!! Are the Dodgers the presumptive favorites to win the WS? Not anymore. Let me preface this by saying there is no way I would even consider matching what Houston did for Zack Greinke. But I do believe they operate on a different philosophy than AF. If Houston wins it all this year, I would find it disingenuous for anyone to argue that the Dodger philosophy was better, if they value winning championships more than being relevant.
I have said it since AF arrived, that nobody is better at building the best 40 man for a 162-game season. What he has not proven is whether he can build the best 25-man team for the playoffs. It is hard to criticize AF for deals that were never made. We have no idea what was asked for. None of Vazquez, Hand, Yates, or Diaz were moved, or Thor/Wheeler/MadBum/Minor. But it is fair to look at other trades and ask if the Dodgers could have done better. Many have already said that the Dodgers could have beaten the Mets offer for Stroman. I brought up Stroman 3-4 weeks back, and the general consensus was the team did not need Marcus Stroman. I was not overly infatuated with the thought of trading for Stroman, although I would not have objected. Stroman as a #4 in a playoff series would have been a nice option.
I never believed that AF would trade any of their top 7 prospects, especially for a reliever. He could not trade #8 or #9 as they were 2019 draft picks. To trade any of those for a reliever would go against two of his principals – not trading any top prospects who he sees making the LAD ML team, and not overpay for a reliever when there are Adam Kolarek’s available. I also stated that I did not believe the Dodgers needed a closer. KJ is not the 2017 and prior KJ, but he is still a good closer, just not elite. What the Dodgers needed was a late inning high leverage reliever. They needed an 8th inning setup guy. Some say that Greene did not move their needle. That is fair, but name one Dodger reliever THIS YEAR who is having a better year. The Braves traded a #7 LHP prospect. Would the Tigers have taken Dennis Santana or Mitchell White and Gerardo Carrillo? IMO that would have been a better offer, and would not have hurt the organization. Would Greene continue his dominance with LAD? We will never know. We do potentially get to see him August 16-18 in Atlanta. Did AF inquire about Aaron Bummer, Alex Colome’, Michael Lorenzen, Raisel Iglesias, Mychal Givens, Amir Garrett? I am assuming that Seth Lugo was an absolute NO. Did they make an offer for Daniel Hudson? Paul Fry? All of them are better options than Adam Kolarek, but admittedly would have cost more than Niko Hulsizer.
While some will argue that the bullpen will be better with Gonsolin and May out there, that is what was said back in 2017 about Walker Buehler, and we all remember how that worked out. I would prefer proven late inning high leverage relievers over talented rookies who were not even supposed to be on the 40 man until September at the earliest. At the same time, I am hopeful that Gonsolin and May will prove to be a better option than was Buehler two years ago. At least Gonsolin was a college reliever.
It was discussed that it wasn’t the bullpen that faltered as much as the offense in the last two WS. We can debate that, as well as is this team any better offensively than those teams. Sure as long as someone gets hot. The Cubs picked up the best RH bat (Castellanos) that was traded, and did not pay a huge price. Would he have been a better option than Gyorko? I would think so.
Bottom line…Are the Dodgers better after the trade deadline? I do not think so. Are the Dodgers still good enough to win it all? Absolutely.
I think the Dodgers are better after the trade deadline. We got our LOOGY who may surprise some of the posters who were hoping for a top name. We got better defensively. White, Negron, and Gyorko. We may have even gotten better hitting wise as Gyorko has had a decent career and Negron is surprising everyone. 2B and 1B have been fortified. When Gyorko returns, he is our backup for JT, not Muncy. He can also play SS. He can even hit. Kike will be fighting for a job, no doubt. LF will still be a platoon, and we still haven’t addressed Joc’s shortcomings batting against LHP.
As for the BP, if May sticks as a starter, Maeda moves to the BP immediately. For the post season, we’ve got our rotation, and the BP gets Strip, Maeda, the LOOGY, and a choice of Hill, May, and Urias who can all bounce from BP to starter and vice versa. Heck, if that is not a strong army of relievers, I don’t know what is. Add Kelly and Jansen for some excitement, along with Baez, and you have a very nice evening’s entertainment with plenty of thrills. I don’t know why some fans think the Dodgers have weakened.
The biggest question in my mind is will they promote Lux now? If Negron continues to play like he has, they may not. It’s just a question of time. If the Dodgers play like they did in the first half of the season, the WS is theirs. They are the strongest team in the league without a doubt in my mind. Promoting Smith was a huge move. We’ll see who else steps up. I’m very pleased they didn’t do a dope fiend move, but I never thought they would.
Mark-
When can we expect to see Lux brought up? I believe you said soon and we were told to “book it.” When do you think that will happen?
Totally agree AC… Nobody had a clue.. This Dodger team could win it all . So many players with new contracts staring at them and a ring could make it easier for their agents.
To win a WS Jansen and Kelly will have to be better!
Mark, 254 comments on this blog. Is that a record? If so, congrats.
It’s possible the reluctance to make a major move today, may have cost a championship this year. At the time it may have preserved our ability to contend for championships 3 or more years from now. Polarizing topic, but sign me up for the long game.