If were are under the illusion that Bryce Harper was coming to the Dodgers, then you are likely to be asking that question… and it’s possible anything I say will not satisfy you. I was not a fan of getting AJ Pollock and really wanted Nick Castellanos, but Castellanos was going to cost several players – I have no clue exactly who.
It’s not that Friedman won’t trade prospects – it’s just that he won’t trade Certain Prospects, like Gavin Lux, Alex Verdugo and Keibert Ruiz. He’s open to trading some of the others… just not those three.
What I disliked is his injury history and the fact that he costs the Dodgers their second round pick. I’m actually surprised that Friedman signed him in light of losing that pick. However, maybe he believed that the prospects he would have had to trade for Casty would equal more than losing a pick.
He also got a Gold Glove Fielder in Pollock, so there is that. We also hear that he is still trying to get JT Realmuto, if the Marlins will come around to his way of thinking. He’s not including Lux, Verdugo or Ruiz in a deal. End of story – that’s a non-starter. Adding Realmuto along with Pollock would be a huge upgrade, but Realmuto may take longer.
A 4-year deal in the $50 million vicinity is a whole lot better than a 10-year $320 million deal to Bryce Harper. Do the math. The only correlation between long, expensive contracts and anything, is that about 70% of the time, it’s a dope-fiend move that handcuffs a team for many years to come. A few short years ago, fans were singing Arte Moreno’s praises for signing Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols. It didn’t take long to sink that franchise.
Dodger fans were very upset when the D-Bags signed Greinke and were ready to win the World Championship… except that it never happened and now they are in full rebuild. How about the Giants? All of those big contracts worked out didn’t they? You should be happy Friedman won’t do big deals. That means the Dodgers will be relevant for a long time and all you need is a chance in baseball.
I don’t know if he will get Realmuto because I have no clue if the Marlins will budge. I think they will have to, but Houston was not going to include their top prospects, neither was Atlanta and now the suiters are fewer after Washington and Milwaukee signed their catchers.
“Why not just keep Puig if you want a RH outfielder?” Other than the fact he was a knucklehead and annoying to his teammates, threw to the wrong bases, his defense was slipping in LF and he made many mistakes on the basepaths, nothing…. well, other than the fact that he hit like a LH hitter, not a RH hitter. I don’t care what side of the plate he hit from, the results were that of a lefty! That doesn’t help.
Can Pollock stay healthy? Many of his injuries were just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Justin Turner breaking his wrist last spring. Freakish injuries! You never know and sometimes you just get snakebit for a while. The odds are he is due for a good health season. The Dodgers won’t push him hard and give him rest due to their great depth, but you never know.
The thing is: You can sign a player to a $320 million dollar deal and he can go down too. I acknowledge that Pollock has been injury prone. Since his Rookie Year, he has appeared in 137, 75, 157, 12, 112 and 113 games. It’ been 3 years since he has played a full season, so if you are a Glass Half Empty Person, you will say “He can’t be counted on because he’s seldom healthy.” If you are a Glass Half Full Person, you might say “He’s due for a healthy season.”
Either way, if you look at the stats, you have to acknowledge that AJ Pollock can hit, when healthy. I have no special knowledge, but it has already been speculated that Robert Van Scoyoc (RVS) may be excited to work with him since he knows him from Arizona.
The people who complain Pollock is injury-prone and say the Dodgers should have kept Puig, need to consider this: Over the same six-year period, when Pollock appeared in 137, 75, 157, 12, 112 and 113 games (an average of 101 games a season), Puig appeared in 712 games which is just 17 more games a season. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! 17 more games!
Now, where does Pollock play? That’s the big question. I would be inclined to play him in LF, where there would be less wear and tear on his body which would equal a better opportunity to say healthy. CT3 or Bellinger can man CF, but where everyone plays is problematic right now, as the Dodgers have alot of flexability.
My guess is that the Dodgers will strike a deal with the Marlins for JT Realmuto which involves Joc Pederson, Austin Barnes, Diego Cartaya or Will Smith, maybe Yadier Alvarez, Edwin Rios and/or Josiah Gray. Or, maybe it will come down entirely different…
Keibert Ruiz is going to be very, very good, but he is very, very young, so a full year at AAA will do nothing but prepare him. In 2020, the Dodgers let Martin walk and Ruiz caddies under Realmuto. I am convinced that is the plan… whether it comes to fruition is whether the Marlins will accept Friedman’s deal. The Dodgers have no intention of bidding on Realmuto when his contract is over. They have other fish to sign.
Discussion (102)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Everything I see on TV and read indicates the Dodgers would have to give up either Ruiz or Verdugo to get Realmuto. Ruiz would not be missed for a couple of years with Realmuto and Smith on the Dodgers but who would play RF if Verdugo were traded, Hernandez?
I am sure the Padres are trying to wreck the Dodgers plans to get Realmuto…. and they have the assets.
Depending upon what ranking level you look at, the Dodgers have signed more of the Top 15 Free Agents and spent more money than any other team… so far!
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Kershaw
Kelley
Pollock
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Maybe the Nats have spent more… but you get my drift.
See the problem I have with writers is sometimes they have no idea what they’re talking about, Verdugo is coming into spring training playing for a starting every day spot, I’ve herd that from multiple sources who were told this by AF, they mention that he isn’t entitled to a position which I agree. He has to ball out and play like the FO know he can and win a starting spot. There is a reason why the Dodgers havent traded Verdugo and are actively trying to trade Joc, they see him in their future.
In Ken Gurnick’s Inbox responses:
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Does Alex Verdugo or Andrew Toles have a chance to play as an everyday player for the club? If not, should they continue to shop Verdugo for a J.T. Realmuto or Corey Kluber?
— @edware32 via Twitter
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Seager was called up in September 2015, started immediately and played a big role in that year’s postseason. That’s how management handles players considered to be imminent starters. Neither Verdugo nor Toles was a factor down the stretch or through the postseason last year. Dodgers management hasn’t demonstrated that it considers either a likely everyday player to start the season. Verdugo has more trade value than Toles.
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How many innings do the Dodgers project for Julio Urias this year?
— @dmaxlaw via Twitter
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The Dodgers don’t give innings projections. When Walker Buehler threw five innings in 2016 after Tommy John surgery, he followed that with 98 innings in 2017. Urias threw 22 innings in 2018 after shoulder surgery, so I would guess 100-125 innings this year. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said he expects Urias to pitch as a starter and reliever this season as the club monitors his innings.
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Also a good article on the status of the pitchers:
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https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/clayton-kershaw-looks-good-per-rick-honeycutt/c-303106496
I’ve grown to like Joc, he is one of our own.
Joc, Corey, Cody, Julio, Walker and hopefully Alex, have all been our number one prospects in recent years, and none have been traded away, and now form a strong nucleus to our team.
That’s how Championship teams are formed.
https://twitter.com/JoeBaseBalling/status/1088664421671424000?s=19
Joc obviously didn’t take this off season seriously looking this out of shape this close to spring training. You better believe the Dodgers FO looks at this and it has a factor into what the plans for Joc are regarding trades, etc. I know one thing for sure, he is our worst defender in the OF as of today and this doesnt help.
Was wondering if Miami wants us to include Starlin Castro in a trade for Realmuto?
I’m sure they would like to unload his salary if at all possible, and of course The Dodgers have Gavin Lux as a potential replacement.
I guess we could use Castro at 2B, but he is earning $11m this year & $16m next.
From Buster Olney (this is the part that is not paid):
There were moments in recent seasons when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about Yasiel Puig’s daily approach to his work, about his consistency, and Roberts would pause and smile and look down, collecting and perhaps measuring his thoughts.
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Whatever he said after that really didn’t matter as much as that initial tell.
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Puig improved his play after his brief banishment to the minor leagues in 2016, posting an .833 OPS in 152 games in 2017 and .820 in 2018, and there were stretches in which his defensive performance was as good as anyone playing the position. But there continued to be a daily mystery about the manner in which Puig would go about his business — his timeliness at work, his preparation, how he would take his at-bats. Sometimes he was locked in and disciplined, a lot of times he wasn’t.
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Any questions? You have to read the rest of the article…
http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/25849219/from-yasiel-puig-aj-pollock-jt-realmuto-dodgers-plan-takes-shape
I have always liked Pollock. If he had not had a few of those injuries, AZ might have replaced the Dodgers with a few of their Divisions championships. I hope we get his unbroken years. Thanks for grooming him AZ.
I want to clarify my comment about being a true fan of LA
I did not refer anyone in this blog, I mean so many pages, so many chat where 99% of people only criticize, they are negative, they never like anything.
I’m not ” very happy ” for Pollock either, but he’s already on our team, why not wait to see what happens when the season starts?
I, like all of you, am tired of waiting so many years to see a world champion trophy!
I offer an apology to those who have been offended by my comment
And by the way, I do not speak 100% the English language yet, so I still have to use the translator from time to time.
For everyone complicating about losing Puigs “Arm” in the field just read this from MLB Pipline top 10 OF prospects…
“All three players have plus-plus arm strength, and collectively they’ve recorded 130 outfield assists in the Minors. More than half belong to Verdugo, who has 59 career assists and hosed 24 baserunners back in 2015. Robles and Pache have 38 and 33 outfield assists, respectively, and each has had at least one season with 15-plus assists.” So to make it short and sweet, Verdugo will 100% be an upgraded arm over Puig.
Pollock injury problems reminds me Jason Werth. If A.J. he is healthy look out… I’m really happy with the ‘D’ he brings… CF for sure with a day off here n there and Belli 1B where he belongs… Now all we need, which won’t happen is a good defensive 2B to have one of my favorite sayings ‘Defense up the Middle’…
For the statistic-minded:
https://rotisserieduck.com/
The Dodgers are still in a position to not have to do anything or now, anything else. Adding one more position player probably won’t make them locks for a WS title. The best team doesn’t necessarily advance in the playoffs or win the WS.
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As I remember, Scherzer did not win one game against the Dodgers in last year’s playoffs. Joc’s home run ended his perfect game in the top of the 7th and then the Dodgers went on to beat the Brewers relievers. Pitching and defense usual wins but who knows what happens when both teams pitch and defend well.
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Teams are using platoons to generate the offense that a superstar might produce. Pederson and Taylor/Herderson will combine to put up numbers comparable to the single star player on other teams.
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I am not sure if Pollock will play left, Belli center, and Verdugo right or if Muncy will move to second an Belli to first so Pollock can play center.
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My guess is that if Verdugo were to be included in a trade for Realmuto then Hernandez would be penciled in in RF or Belli would be moved to RF. An alternative would have Kike’ or CT3 compete for second and whichever one lost would platoon with Joc in LF.
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Willie Davis hit 42 points worse against lefties than righties at the same age as Peterson.
We’re getting close:
https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1PJ1WF
I have no beef on how they are sailing our ship between reefs. If AF can come up with Realmuto in a fair deal this year AND then corral Noland next season to play third base as a Dodger (bring our OC native home). That’s god-like leadership!
I certainly understand why Hawkeye and others are seemingly upset that Puig is no longer a Dodger. He brought a different dynamic of excitement to the team. There is no question that the tongue wagging RF was exciting and possessed a fantastic right arm. But he was not that good at running back on balls, has a tendency to want to do everything by himself by overthrowing cut off men and running out of innings on the basepaths. When they work, he looks great, but too often they do not.
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I agree with those that believe that Puig was never going to be signed to an extension. Nor was one of my favorites, Alex Wood. He should flourish in Cincinnati, but that does not mean that he would have flourished inn LA. I agree with Mark, I think he was exceedingly talented but wore out his welcome with the team with his antics.
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So it may appear to some that Puig was dropped for an older version in AJ Pollock. I for one believe the difference could very well be the missing ingredient. But hopefully not the only one. Early on this winter when many were wanting Harper, I thought the Dodgers could do better with less committed dollars with DJLM, Pollock, and a trade for Kluber. Those three players would make the Dodgers a better team for about the same AAV as Harper (or just a shade more), but less overall dollars. The Dodgers did not sign DJLM and will not get Kluber in a trade. I had a friend come in to my Starbucks office this AM and remind me when I told him the Dodgers should sign Pollock way back in November.
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Pollock was the JT (heart and soul) of the DBacks. While Goldy was the glue as is Corey for the Dodgers. This is a fantastic FA signing for $12MM AAV for 5 years. I understand that Pollock may in fact be injury prone, but in that same article in The Athletic that Mark excerpted from, there was another statement that seemed to put the injuries into more relevant viewpoint:
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“But for one, position player injuries are very difficult to project. There’s evidence that we use the injury-prone tag too often. For example, Rob Arthur found a rubric with which to project injuries for hitters … and if you plug in Pollock’s age and days missed over his career, it projects Pollock to miss 17 games next year. One disabled list stint.
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Only two teams lost more days to the Disabled List than the Dodgers last year — the Angels and the Mets — but that doesn’t quite capture it. Nobody used the Disabled List more often.
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This is a team built on depth that has figured out how to leverage that depth best: the Disabled List.
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Andrew Simon of MLB tweeted:
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“The risk-reward dynamic with Pollock can be summed up with two stats:
1. Since the beginning of 2014, Pollock’s 469 games played ties him for 218th among MLB position players.
2. Over the same span, Pollock’s 17 WAR, per Baseball Reference, ranks 41st in that group.
Over the past five seasons, Pollock has played in fewer games than fellow outfielders Peter Bourjos, Brandon Guyer, and Ben Revere. Yet he has accrued more value than Charlie Blackmon and Khris Davis as well as fellow free agents Michael Brantley and Andrew McCutcheon.”
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Why are so many exorcised about Pollock’s broken elbow sliding in at home, strained groin, and a broken thumb, but do not seem phased about committing $93MM to a pitcher with a back that can land him on the DL if he sleeps on it wrong, and a bad hip? Or $18MM committed to a pitcher who has had major shoulder surgery and a fully torn groin? Pollock is 3 months older than the 1st pitcher, and 9 months younger than the 2nd. It seems that the two pitchers are more of an injury risk than is AJ. The Dodgers financial commitment to AJ is either $55MM or $60MM with what is reported a $12MM AAV, a little more than Puig’s 2019 salary, and could be less overall depending as to what Puig signs for next year.
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This was a good deal for the Dodgers financially and baseball wise. Pollock is a solid defensive CF who will be a true veteran general in the outfield. He will be a plus plus plus influence in the clubhouse. If Alex Verdugo latches onto Pollock’s hip as Seager did with Utley, this should help Verdugo to grow as well. One can choose to still be upset with Puig playing for Cincinnati, but for me, I cannot wait to see Pollock in a Dodger uni. I am now going to need to retire my Wood jersey for a Pollock jersey.
I love Pollock and am glad we got him. Injuries are hard to predict, but it sure seems like he has brittle bones having broke the same elbow twice. I hope his health concerns are behind him. If so, watch out. This deal really balances out the lineup…
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CT3 2B – R
Seager SS – L
Turner 3B – R
Bellinger LF – L
Pollock CF – R
Munchy 1B – L
Verdugo RF – L
Barnes/Martin C – R
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Lot’s of speed, great defense everywhere except Munchy at 1B, great depth. I love this deal. Sure, I would rather have Harper, but Pollock is a stud. I hope he can stay healthy. If they wind up with JTRM as well, it will be a real coup. This deal really cured my case of off season blues.
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I really can’t see why people are so butt hurt over this deal. Pollock and Puig are at the very least a wash on the field. Puig is a knucklehead. I was sad to see him go. I will miss all those throws, I will not miss all those baserunning blunders. Same with Kemp, another knucklehead, and far removed from “Beast Mode”. Not missing Wood at all.
Eno Sarris of The Athletic has a good read on why Pollack is an improvement over Puig:
https://theathletic.com/784367/2019/01/24/why-going-from-yasiel-puig-to-a-j-pollock-was-an-improvement-for-the-dodgers/?source=dailyemail
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In part, it says:
For one, Pollock has been a better baserunner (BsR) and defender (DEF), and that’s important to a team that might like to play their right-handed outfielder in center field some days, in order to play their left-handed outfielder (Cody Bellinger) at first base. The Dodgers didn’t want to play Puig in center, that much is clear, and they may need last year’s right-handed center fielder — Kiké Hernández — on the infield more often.
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… Because the team has so many players that can play at multiple positions — Hernández, Bellinger, Chris Taylor, and even Max Muncy have experience all over the field — the Dodgers are more ready than most to absorb injury. And if you can absorb injuries, and basically raise your team’s replacement level to around league average, every win above league average becomes super important.
Well, there’s this: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/01/nl-west-notes-joc-dodgers-d-backs-rockies-giants.html
You can’t always rely on injury history. Anyone remember when Matt Kemp played 399 consecutive games?
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I haven’t watched Pollock enough to know whether or not he plays recklessly. But if that’s true, I imagine that it’s something that can be corrected over time with work.
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One of my main reasons for wanting the Dodgers to sign LeMahieu was his defense. Wherever you have it, in the infield, outfield or behind the plate, defense is important, and not to be taken for granted. If Castellanos is a defensive liability, then I don’t care how much he hits. To me, good defense is as important has hitting WRISP.
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Not only will the Dodgers not have to spend prospect capital for Castellanos, but combined with the two prospects we got from the Reds, the Dodgers now are in a better position to work out a deal for Realmuto. Don’t know if it’s the case, but maybe that’s why AF is holding onto and collecting prospects.
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I haven’t been keeping up with rule changes regarding draft picks and international signings. But I do remember when draft picks couldn’t be traded in their first year, and I don’t remember if there were ever any such restrictions for international signings. It probably isn’t the case, but I do wonder if Cartaya can be traded so soon after he signed with the Dodgers. Also, it seems to me that lots of fans throw around the names of prospects that they would include in deals. I try not to do that, since I simply do not have enough knowledge about each prospect to know whether or not they should be traded. I assume that AF knows a lot more than any of us, and I trust that he knows when to trade or not trade a player. I have never seen him pitch, and I know he has issues, but I always wince when someone casually includes Yadier Alvarez in a proposed deal. Maybe he’ll never amount to anything, but I would think twice or three times before including his electric arm in any deal. But if AF does it, then I will trust that he knows a lot more about the player than I do.
1 – Pollock’s injury history is mainly because he plays recklessly. That’s who he is and how he plays. He’s not going to change. Pollock is going to be hurt nearly annually. The Dodgers are betting that they are set up to deal with his injuries due to depth – they just move Bellinger or Taylor to CF.
2 – It is hard to rectify trading away 2 RHH OF and then signing one as a free agent, but Kemp is old, Puig’s a pain (as talented as he is) and is only under contract for 1 more season, and Pollock signed cheaply so it is a good risk. It’s strange but it has a logic to it.
3 – Look it up – Castellanos was the worst defensive OF in the AL last year and the Tigers were apparently asking far too much for him – he’s essentially a DH.
4 – The Dodgers were never going to sign Harper to a contact for as long and as much as he is looking for.
5 – The comment that anyone who disagrees with a move made by the Braintrust is not a true fan is insulting and bizarre. Dr. Alan Bloom wrote a book back in the 1980s called the Closing of the American Mind. His thesis was that the culture demanded the refusal to make value judgements – that anyone’s opinion is as good as another’s and that all cultures, ideas, art, etc are of equal value. This basically requires that everyone turn their brains off and refuse to actually think about things – you know, have an informed opinion.
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So if you are a “real” Dodger fan, all trades are good? Even trading Mike Piazza, Pedro Martinez, etc? All free agent signings are good? Even Andruw Jones, Jason Schmidt, et al? You can’t say that with a straight face.
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So all Dodger fans should be encouraged to use their brains and decide whether they approve of the Dodgers’ latest transaction after getting as much information as possible and putting on their thinking caps.
And Puig was in the last year of his contract. You either let him play out the year with all of his faults and let him walk and get nothing, you let him play out the year and then sign him for a lot more money and more years, which means you’re committed to his knuckleheadedness, or you trade him now and get something of value.
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There is a certain logic to the argument by Hawkeye and others that the Dodgers already had Puig, who is actually pretty good. Why trade him for farm pieces and then shop for an outfielder? I just have a feeling the Dodgers got tired of having to babysit him, and had no intention of signing him long term.
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It’d be nice to have Harper, I’m just not really sold on him for that much money for that many years. You’re paying for his 2015 year, which was great, but he’s underwhelmed before and since. His splits are decent, but his power takes a hit against LHP. His defense is lackluster, so he’s in left.
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Castellanos is enticing, and those LH splits are really impressive – he crushes LHP – but his defensive numbers are pretty Kemp-ish…like really bad. It begs the question again, why pay good prospects for that guy when you have a decent RH bat with suspect defense in Kemp. Castellanos has one year remaining on his contract, same as Kemp. If that’s the kind of player you want, just take the chance that you can convince Kemp to lay off the donuts. Castellanos has a higher offensive ceiling now, being younger, but still, what’s really the difference? And if you really want him that bad, just wait a year and sign him.
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Pollack is a risk, but he’s a much better defensive outfielder that all the other options and can play all three positions. Bellinger can play first base if you want to put Taylor in left, and Pollock is a hedge in case Verdugo struggles in right and can’t contribute in the playoffs.
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And his injury history is strange. It’s not like he’s suffered ligament tears or had soft tissue injuries, which are chronic and red flags. He’s consistently broken bones getting hit by pitches or sliding into the bag. Is it just bad luck or does he have a skeleton made of glass? You could take the gamble that his extensive injury history was more flukey than anything.
I’m tired of reading everywhere the same nonsense about Pollock’s health,
Wait to see if he can stay healthy or not,
I hate negative people, those people who only live criticizing everything
Seeing only the bad side of the things,
People who do not like anything,
They criticize that Dodgers has not done anything
Dodgers do something, and they criticize it too!
Why do not they go to SF?
They are worse than an annoying wife !!
The true LA fans are positive!!
It is actually our 2nd highest non 1st round pick Mark, we are losing pick #64. This makes this deal a little less painful, but it is such a crapshoot move. Our FO fascination with injury prone players is real, and betting he will stay healthy in his early thirties is unlikely. Depth will help deal with his future injury setbacks but since they seem hell bent on staying below the luxury tax line that depth will be compromised when they deal Joc. This is an underwhelming deal, and if we had to lose Joc and Puig and our #64 pick to make this happen I don’t get it. So what is next Kasten and AF? JTR I guess but at what cost?
Puig is better than pollak. Piriod.. pollak was relative cheap and it is ok but is a risk because his lack in health. Pollar is just ok but we need another RH