Rant & Rave Friday

  • OK, you want to be “all in?” Let’s go dream: The Mets trade Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndegard and Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers for Keibert Ruiz, Tony Gonsolin, Ross Stripling and Joc Pederson. Maybe there is one more piece… It’s a salary dump for the Mets and the Dodgers save some prospects, including May in the deal. I really like Tony Gonsolin, but Dustin May is a player I would not trade. Cespedes is owed $30 million next year and may or may not play again. Think about that rotation. Maeda immediately goes to the pen.
  • Hey, didn’t you used to be Ender Inciarte? If anyone still wants him, he’s there for the taking at the trade deadline. A bucket of balls should get the job done. He has lost his starting position and is suffering from Austin Barnes Disease, hitting .205 with a .293 OB%. Yikes!
  • It’s looking more-and-more like the Giants could actually be “buyers” at the deadline. What a run they have been on… They are playing way over their heads, and Bruce Bochy has them wired! It’s not sustainable… is it? However, he may be Manager of the Year.
  • Yasmani Grandal is hitting .259 with a .373 OB%. He has 19 HR and 64 RBI, and leads all MLB catchers in WAR at 3.5 (Realmuto is 2nd at 2.8). However, I am not looking back. Good for him. Let’s see what happens down the stretch.
  • I think the Dodgers handled the Austin Barnes demotion perfectly. Since he is a vet and Kershaw and Buehler’s personal catcher, they had to give him a lot of rope. He hung himself. I hope he can right his ship, but I could also see him being traded…
  • Tyler White could be Muncy-esque. I think Robert Van Socyoc sees something there. He had a very good year in 2018 and tailed off this year.
  • Kike and Mr. Freese could both be headed to the DL. The Dodgers are close-lipped on both. Loose-lips sink ships. CT3 isn’t due back until late August.
  • The Dodgers are a solid #1 in team ERA in all of MLB.
  • The bullpen is now 9th in team ERA, but is #2 in WHIP (yeah, I know there’s that “inherited runner” thing), but if Maeda goes to the pen, the whole dynamic changes.
  • Pedro Moura said a mouthful in TheAthletic.com: “But it will be difficult over the next six days for the Dodgers to acquire a reliever with more potential than Kelly, and impossible for them to find a reliever with a better track record than closer Kenley Jansen. Arguably, the form those two find down the stretch will be more important than any additions.
  • Pedro goes on to say this: “The current team is not deeply flawed. It’s not even a team with much room to add to the roster.” True!
  • There are a number of scouts who believe Dustin May’s stuff will play right now in the majors.
  • Gavin Lux is coming!

Minor League Highlights

  • Gavin Lux was 2-4 with a BB ((.483 BA/1.502 OPS)
  • Kaybear was 2-4 (.357 BA/.928 OPS) Gives you pause about what Smith has done at AAA
  • Tony Gonsolin was lit up.
  • Edwin Uceta pitched 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits
  • Christian Santana was 2-4 as was Avans. Estevez was 2-3 with a BB.
  • Brayan Morales of RC was 3-4 with a BB

This article has 124 Comments

  1. Losing Freese and Kike would be a big loss. But if they can come back by Sept that would be plenty of time to get there timing back for playoffs

  2. Current thinking of some baseball exec’s (from the NY Post);

    So when it comes to Diaz, one interested executive said, “They are open, but I think they are trying to exceed what they paid.” With Diaz struggling that will be a difficult — perhaps impossible — request to meet. As for Syndergaard, an AL official said, “It’s tough to trade [Syndergaard] and make the kind of multiple acquisitions that will leave [the Mets] feeling they have moved the needle forward to a better, contending team next year. That is hard. That is why I am skeptical he will actually move.”

    The Mets GM will also need to convince the Wilpon’s to buy off on any deal.

    1. So long as the Braves, Yankees and Astros don’t get him, I’m fine with the Mets holding onto him. It seems like Brodie might just be in the hot seat already. They aren’t going to turn this team around in two years, not with Cano and Cespedas chewing up payroll. Brodie’s in over his head.

  3. You’re lips to Brodie’s ears! Yes to Thor, that would be grand! Then go back to the well one more time and get Garrett from the Reds. Don’t forget about Abreu from the Chi-Sox.

    Is Tyler White going to be the next Travis d’Arnaud? Is this one of those moves to take up a roster spot until it’s needed by someone better? Or, are the Dodgers going to fix him and make him Max Muncy? Literally, they look like twins!

    Verlander was traded after the July 31 deadline, he had to pass through waivers first and had to pitch better to drive up the price. At the “non-waiver” deadline, Darvish was the better pitcher and the Dodgers got him. They should have known better as Darvish gave up around 10 runs in his last start before being traded.

    As much as I like the Thor trade proposal, I would hate to see Julio get jerked around yet again with his development. I think the Dodgers are going to stick with the plan and get him into the rotation soon or later and no matter what. They need him in the rotation next year and need to stick to the plan and build up his innings this year.

    Yesterday, I stated that the Dodgers needed to…
    Get two arms for the pen – one left and one with experience getting saves
    Get a right handed bat – Abreu, Castellanos, Merrifield.
    Bring up Will Smith

    One down, three to go.

    Castellanos is interesting here. I’ve been looking up articles and found a lot of frustration from him towards the Tigers. He was a SS coming up, moved to third and then to the outfield. They also tried to move him to 1B and he said no. After being an infielder for almost all his life, I would imagine a switch to 1B would be much easier than Joc’s attempted switch. He’s also been mouthing off about center field at Comerica calling it a joke.

    Lux is all the sudden on everyone’s radar. You know that every club that has a closer for sale is asking for him. After reading that article, it explains why he had that one bad year in the minors. Since then, he revamped his swing and put on 20 lbs of muscle. He also fixed his throwing issues from SS. This dude is the real deal and a keeper. He may be a more athletic Corey Seager, let that sink in for a while. Imagine that defense up the middle. He’s never going to have Corey’s arm, but having two shortstops up the middle is something that makes me very excited.

    6 more days…

    1. I guess that there is no sense in going too deeply into the past regarding Verlander and Darvish, but as I recall, Verlander, after a bad start which had some thinking he was over the hill, came on very strongly, I think he pitched a one-hitter against the Dodgers. I do remember big Dodger fan Bryan Cranston using the hashtag “verlanderinblue,” as he kept advocating for him. Darvish was 4-7, I think, when the Dodgers got him. He had been tipping his pitches, and then supposedly straightened it out, but he hadn’t, and the Astros, which had hammered him when he was at Texas, did it again in the Series. Verlander clearly seemed the better acquisition, he was and is a HOF pitcher, while Darvish was a talented head case. If we had gotten Verlander instead of Darvish, it would have been Verlander pitching those two World Series games for us, not Darvish. There is almost no way to imagine that we would not have won the championship. The reason we did not get Verlander, is that we did not want to pick up his expensive salary for the next season. Houston went all in, and they got the title.

  4. More on the Giants…

    Do you remember early on when the Mariners and Mets were both in first place? It’s hard to imagine that people were talking about these teams as playoff contenders early on. And now the’re both bringing up the rear and the talk of the town is the Giants…

    This was the year the Giants were going to start their rebuild. Posey is now a shell of his former self, same can be said about Crawford and Belt. Pence is gone, the Panda is back. Do they have some post-season magic left? Hell no!

    This is Bochey’s last year, do they owe it to him to try to compete for another Wild Card run? They brought in Farhan to make some moves to setup their future, do they abandon the master plan and go for gold?

    I hate the freaking Giants. But, I don’t give a damn if they decide to compete, or rebuild for the future. It brings me no joy having them in last place for several years longer. I don’t care if they begin their rebuild sooner. Whatever they decide, they are NOT going to win a Wild Card this year. The Nats, Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers are all better teams. It would be criminally stupid of them to try to buy at the deadline and make a run. Even stupider would be to stand pat when all the other teams ahead of them are trying to get better. I don’t think Farhan is great, but I don’t think he’s stupid either. The smart move would be to get as much as you can for your expiring assets and pretending like your in to drive the price up is a smart move. Let’s see what happens.

    Now is the time to be patient. Not a single big name as been traded so far with 6 days remaining. If no one makes any trades, it works to our advantage as all of the other contenders have bigger holes to fill.

  5. Why can’t we all agree and whatever happens in a couple daze, let it be a huge surprise…
    Will Smith, may the force be with you!!! All you gotta do is catch and all-star studded rotation and improve on that MLB 26 AB/ .269 career AVG…
    Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan, but AAA OKC ball is a piece of cake for someone like you…
    I remember talking to Val Pascucci, a perennial AAAA player about the transition and it was painful to hear…

    1. That is exactly the point. The jump from AAA to MLB is big. Let’s go back into Peabody’s WABAC Time Machine to 2015. There was a CF who burst on the scene playing great defense and pounding the ball. After 77 PA at the end of April 2015, Joc Pederson was batting .298/.461/.596/1.057. Joc was the new Willie Mays/Duke Snider. Even after May and 200 PA, he was slashing .258/.387/.546/.933. Everything started to change in May, and it didn’t take long for the fan base to turn on Joc. Noooooo, fans aren’t fickle. There are certainly other examples (right Yasiel?). Hopefully, the Fresh Prince will be more sustainable like Corey has been, but he has not been given that mantle of primary catcher until now. We all hope Will D. Smith stays hot and can continue to produce offensively. But when he does struggle (and he will – he always has), I hope previously adoring fans do not turn on him like they did with Joc. Mark is going to go back and find all those that were demanding Barnes be sent down and Smith brought up and call them out by name if they recognize that Smith may have not been ready after all. I hope that does not happen for Smith’s and the Dodgers sake.

      If we all knew when the right person and the right time for every prospect to be called up was, then we would all be MLB GM’s. Nobody can do it all the time. The successful ones have a good track record, and AF has generally been outstanding in making that timing call. I trust his judgement. Smith is here to stay, unless he isn’t…right Austin?

      1. For the record, I like Smith and hope he does well, but one only has to look at what Lux, Ruiz and Peters have done since promoted to AAA and you have to wonder what is up?

        Also, I posted some minor league highlights.

        1. Come on AC, “fickle fans” didn’t turn on Joc right away or Barnes right away.

          Barnes had a horrible 2018, and even worse half of 2019. Even then, it was a few months into 2019 when “fickle fans” suggested Smith be given a shot. And when those “fickle fans” saw Will Smith, they said ,”hey, this guy looks pretty good, and is a top 70 mlb prospect, while the current guy has stunk it up since 2018 started.” The Smith chants only started AFTER Smith got sent down, and Barnes got even worse.

          So no, to answer what I hope is a sarcastic comment, ‘fickle fans” won’t turn on Will Smith even if he starts on a 0 for 20 streak. If he stinks for the rest of 2019, and then stinks for half of 2020, then let’s talk.

          And as far as Joc, it took years of regression, years of lack of progress for “fickle fans” to suggest that it’s maybe time to move on from Joc.

        2. It’s always been said that there’s more MLB talent at AA and more career minor leaguers and AAAA type players at the AAA level. The Dodgers didn’t make a rash decision. Like Mark said, Barnes was given a lot of rope and he hung himself. The multiple throws into the outfield this year on top of a sub Mendoza line average became too much.
          ~
          You could see last season that Barnes lost his confidence and was looking to walk every AB. He started this season with confidence and came out of the gate in a decent fashion. Once things went the other direction you could see him going back and forth between a leg kick and a toe tap. His confidence is shot. Once someone’s confidence is shot, game over.
          ~
          Smith doesn’t have to be the next coming of Buster Posey or Johnny Bench. He doesn’t even have to do what he was doing in AAA. Most likely He won’t. He just has to be an upgrade to Barnes and that is doable. Certainly worth finding out at this point.

  6. Guys i said it : Barnes needed to go to AAA. I think he will be included on a trade probably . MT : There is no way we would get Cespedes or would want to get that dumb contract. I know Diaz is electric and has been really bad this year but has potential to right the ship and be elite. But i would rather get Seth Lugo and Thor. If a cuban is coming it should be Puig but i know that wont happen and there is no space or need for him anymore. But would be nice to see Wild Horse back but now i am rooting for Pollock. But Cespedes no thank you !!! But i know FO does deals like that were they get bad contracts to avoid giving top prospects. I dont think team will trade Ruiz at all ! You will see ! Barnes has been last 2 years one of the worst Dodgers hitters in history ! At least last year he had some OBP but this year he is just an automatic out. I seen him strikeout on 3 pitches multiple times. JUst painful to watch and his defense is overrated ! He has just been a liability there just a warm body occupying a roster spot . All i can say is : It was about time . I have not seen such bad hitter since Milt Thompson and Velez and Luis Cruz in his second season with Dodgers. I still do not understand why they got Chubby White does not make any sense right now. Will see what happens but i am sure something big would happen. This is Dodgers chance to win it all !!

    1. You are probably right Carlos. Maybe Barnes should retire. He is a worthless baseball player. Who the heck traded for him and brought him to the ML anyway? They should be fired too. Maybe they should just sign Kemp and then everything would be great.

      1. Not only should Barnes be demoted, I think AF should personally and permanently demote him with extreme prejudice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYZoxY3sawE

        I think you personalize calls for personnel changes a little too much. I’m sure Barnes is a nice guy. He provided value to the Dodgers, and he has virtues as a player. With the offense as a whole starting slow down, I don’t think the team has the luxury to absorb his lack of production any longer. I’d rather shore up weaknesses and build on strengths to improve the team’s chances of winning the WS rather than field an inferior team because of any emotional attachment to any player.

        I don’t think fans “turned on” Joc as much as his luster wore off as his weaknesses became exposed. I like him, just like I liked Puig, but if moving him makes the team better, so be it.

      2. You said it !! Barnes got send down because he has been a terrible hitter and worst hitting catcher in mlb. I did not said he retires but he can follow the Drew Buteras of the world or just prove he can hit. 2 years of .200 i think they waited too long. If you see it now it was not a good trade. Matt Kemp has been one of the best LA Dodgers players in history either you like it or not and last year if it was not for him carrying the offense in first half team would not had been able to hang in race. Matt Kemp .324 39 126 2011 and .290 21 87 last year when everyone tought he was done !! Those are numbers. Kemp will always be a Dodger . Nothing against Barnes but he has not prouce for 2 straight years .

  7. I guess being best friends with Kershaw is having no effect on the front office any longer as AJ Ellis and now Barnes has found out. I was rooting for Barnes since he’s a Riverside homie but as Mark states “he hung himself”. The Fresh Prince could fall on his face but it’s worth a shot at changing options behind the plate now. Getting him up here and more familiar with our Dodger starters will be key. I was at the game Wednesday and got to see Barnes throw to second go into right centerfield. It was as bad as I have ever witnessed at any level above Little League. Even worse than his at bats. The Tyler White trade is interesting, could it be a flip or a signal that Joc is on the move? I agree with 59 and mostly everyone in here that we need bullpen arms for the playoff run. Another starter would be nice but a long shot at best I think. We will have to over pay for bullpen arms despite our love for all of the prospects. It will be interesting to see who wants the top bullpen arms the most. Hopefully we can rebound from the Angels beatdown in Washington tonight.

  8. From a pure “I hate the Giants” standpoint the best case scenario for a longer drought for them would be

    1) that they keep winning thru July 31
    2) not sell off Smith, Watson, Bum, etc for impact minor leaguers
    3) actually think they’re in this thing and thus spend whatever prospects they have for help on July 31
    4) start losing in August and miss the playoffs

    In that case, they don’t replenish their farm, Smith, Bum, etc leave next offseason, and the Giants drought continues!

  9. So many moving parts, it’s hard to figure out. Wednesday will be interesting. My best guess is that the Dodgers pursue lefty Amir Garrett, if he’s available, and Chris Martin. Maybe Jake Diekman, who wouldn’t cost much in terms of prospects. Maybe Greene. That would make some sense. I think Friedman would love to acquire Smith, but who knows what the Giants are going to do or what that would cost? As to Syndergaard, yah that would work. Kinda of a Gonzo/Red Sox deal. But, I’m not sure the Mets are trading him or Diaz. Although the Dodgers are going to pursue relief, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a deal for a right handed bat if something pops up. It will be interesting to see what they do with Joc since he seems to not have a position moving forward. With all the errors lately, I can see the Dodgers focus on improving defense.

  10. I have said before the Dodgers stay with a player longer than I would. When they finally make a change the player and his teammates have no complaints. Barnes will not say a word and neither will his teammates. They all know this is a business. Martin will be a good mentor for Smith. I hope Barnes finds his hitting stroke. If he does, he could be the back up catcher next year.

    As soon as Kike is on the IL, Lux will be up. They will have 3-4 rookies on this team. Unbelievable. The farm system is loaded. They do a very good job of preparing players for the majors. They have also drafted relief pitchers in the past two years. I think they are trying to develop relief pitchers in their farm system. This is much more stable than trading or signing free agents. AC or DC would know if their are any farm kids ready to come up and be relief pitchers. We can develop relief pitchers in the minors the same as we can develop starting pitcher and position players.

  11. Noah Syndergaard is a name I have never brought up here because I never thought the Mets would trade him this year. But I’ve always been interested in him.

    So now I have 2 guys I’d like to see the Dodgers get. You all know the first guy, Ken Giles and now add the second guy Noah Syndergaard. That’s all we need.

    Now my untouchables as far as prospects are concerned has shrunk to Lux, May, Smith, Ruiz.

    Any prospects NOT named Lux, May, Smith, Ruiz for Syndergaard and Giles. Even add Stripling to those trades. I’m still not budging on Joc Peterson.

    I would think Stripling and Gonsolin and Gray would be a good starting point. Also Ferguson is under control through 2025, Blue Jays and Mets might be patient with Ferguson.

    With Syndergaard you not only add a starting pitcher for the post season but you add a starting pitcher for 2 more years at least. Plus it keeps Urias in the bullpen this season and post season. And if Hill returns you have another lefty in the bullpen in the post season. Not to mention both Hill and Ryu are free agents after this season. Hill is injury prone and up there in age, I don’t see the Dodgers re-signing him unless they get a major discount on him. But still, having more starting pitching than you need is a good problem to have.

    Syndergaard and Giles game over we won. Get it done Friedman.

    1. I like it, but the only problem is that instead of ” Syndergaard and Giles game over we won ” this would be
      ”Syndergaard and Jensen game NOT over we won? ”

      1. The idea is to get him and a closer or good setupman. Jansen is not dominant anymore and is shaky . Needs help and has to humble himself and either pitch better or just play for the team. He has been terrible on World series in 2017 and 2018. We need a Giles, Vasquez, Diaz, Lugo , etc. One of those

  12. AC why would MT be taking names? He’s recently re-posted his link about the Smith Era several times. He said it had to happen “organically”, then he said it did. After all this, why would he point the fingers at others that wanted Smith? I’m very confused.

    Maybe it’s easy to go back and say you were right when you play heads and tails on every coin flip.

    Barnes was hitting 195 and he deserved to be sent down for a catcher that’s supposed to be at worst, Barnes with power. Hell, Barnes could get his confidence back and come back up, even when the rosters expand at the latest. Maybe they both start to hit and Martin’s left off the roster. At worst, they remain as bad as they currently are.

    Go ahead and put me at the top of that list. Unless most people here, I have no problem admitting that I was wrong and that I’m not a GM for a living. I recognize that even GMs are sometimes wrong. I just wonder how Mark’s always right. Heads and Tails, brilliant!

  13. I agree with Dodgers moving Barnes to triple a. They needed to move him sooner than later so he would have a chance to gain back some confidence prior to the milb season being over. He is capable but is in free fall. Mlb is no place to experiment. I believe AF made the move in good faith to improve the team.

    Smith on the other hand is trending up and deserves a shot to find out what he can do. He can handle it defensively and the Dodgers are not at risk of losing offense because neither Barnes or martin have provided any. It is a solid move to help the team. It gives smith a chance to get playoff ready. It will give the team more playoff options when it comes time to make a decision.

    Good for Grandal but I don’t want him back. Yes to Lux it would be fun to see him in the lineup. The Giants are really hot as are the cards. Everything is falling for both teams. Neither are as good as they are playing but I feel the Giants have underachieved and should have been better all along. They have pretty good starters and a much better bullpen than ours. If their offense can keep going they could get there not likely but possible.

    For the Dodgers I would take a look at peters and lux for sure in September. Sad to see Gonsolin heading the wrong direction. I don’t know how Scrubb is valued but white seems a liability. I trust the Dodgers to make the right decision but I don’t see any upside.

  14. MusherPop brought up uninteresting statement regarding Edwin Diaz:
    “Current thinking of some baseball exec’s (from the NY Post);
    So when it comes to Diaz, one interested executive said, They are open, but I think they are trying to exceed what they paid.” What the Mets PAID?
    So what did they pay? The Mariners gave the Mets Diaz and Cano PLUS $20 million to help offset his huge contract. For these 2 and 20 million, the Mariners got; Jay Bruce – later traded to the Phillies along with another 18 million for Jay Scheiner a A+ player, Anthony Swarak – traded to Atlanta, Jarred Kelenic the M’s #2 prospect currently A+, Justin Dunn the M’s #3 prospect in AA and Gerston Bautista currently in AAA with an MLB era of 10.29.
    The Mets in retrospect “paid” 2 non-prospects, 2 prospects and an MLB/AAA pitcher with a 10.29 ERA.
    It doesn’t look to me like the Mets gave up a lot so what would it take to exceed that deal for JUST Diaz? I don’t know what’s happened to Diaz in NY but he is young and, if healthy, I would bet he will be a premier closer again if he gets out of there. I’m not advocating this trade for Diaz, just looking at the Mets statement. And how bad the M’s are.

  15. I saw Vazquez on MLB Central this morning. He showed up in street clothes and this guy is very impressive physically. Not hard to see why he throws as hard as he does. The only problem I see if we trade for him as that both he and Kenley are true alpha personalities. If they both really want to win a WS they’ll make it work, but I’m not 100% sure they would get along with both of them trying to elbow the other guy out of the closer’s spot. If we get him, I think Doc would use them interchangeably in various situations, depending on the batters coming up.

    I absolutely expect the Pirates to trade him in the next few days but I have no idea if it will be to the Dodgers. They could bring in a boatload of prospects and/or MLB roster people for him and if they’re honest with themselves, they aren’t going to make the playoffs anytime soon with their current roster. Use your best asset and improve your team.

    1. Here’s what I would do. The Nightmare gets the highest leverage situations and Kenley can be “the closer”. At the end of the season they tell Kenley that Vasquez is the closer or there’s going to be an open competition. If Kenley chooses to opt out then so be it. The Dodgers have another $18 million per year to work with.

      1. Good idea. Vazquez is the one guy the Dodgers should get, he is the best addition for the biggest need. If the Dodgers let him go somewhere else, it will be another testament to the ownership’s concern about finances over championships. I hope they prove me wrong this time.

        1. Nothing is guaranteed in the post-season. If Atlanta goes and gets Vasquez to line up against Seager, Belli, Muncy, Joc, Verdugo then they have a big advantage at the closer position even if our lefties can hit lefties.
          ~
          Ownership has been at the top or near the top of payroll since they took over the team. It’s been more about AF’s philosophy of building a bullpen. As far as ownership goes they have figured out how to rebuild a once baron minor league system while winning. They plan on winning for the foreseeable future too. Having said that, the Dodgers goal is a world championship not an NL pennant. Go get Vasquez before Atlanta does.

  16. Mark there is NO WAY the Mets would go for your package. Brodie would be strung up! Do you remember what he gave up for Diaz alone last year? No way AF would give up what Mets would want for those two. Now maybe you can get a deal done for Thor with a package including May and Ruiz but Brodie is not gonna just throw in Diaz to get rid of Cespedes. In the end AF gonna get two secondary relievers not costing us our top four prospects

    1. Cassidy, I tried to explain above exactly what the Mets gave up for Diaz last year. It wasn’t much. The Mariners tossed Diaz in to make the trade to get rid of Cano and his contact. The M’s still tossed in 20 million to the Mets. While the Mariners dumped salary starting in 2020, it was every expensive for the Mariners at this point. Diaz will be a dude somewhere in the future and Cano, who I think is a dog, will likely be a HOF’er. At this point the Mariners got 2 good prospects and a marginal MLB/AAA pitcher. So, what is Brodie claiming the Mets gave up?
      By the way Diaz makes the minimum through 2019 I think.

  17. MT – Once again.. If you make it past AA you’re almost there, repeat almost there.. If you’re struggling at AA see if Dad has an opening at the insurance company…
    Alot of fodder at the AAA level especially in the pitching ranks…
    You tear up AAA (around the country, not that hard) and you’re on a plane, first class seat to the Big Club…
    For the sake of boring you which I have already done, Let me end with a couple of key points… Location and command and adjustment…
    Then it all begins again…

  18. MLBtraderumors reporting the Royals are close to completing a deal to trade Jake Diekman and the Dodgers are thought to be a finalist. Hope it doesn’t cost too much and if he is indeed acquired I hope we do more.

    1. Diekman is just another bullpen guy who walks too many batters. His other stats are good but if we get him he’ll wind up driving us crazy. No thank you.
      Go for the gold: Vazquez

      1. Diekman has the 3rd highest Velo from lefties-1) Vasquez 2)Chapman 3)Diekman

        Thought I would try to say something positive.

  19. First a note to AC. Mark and I don’t always appreciate the same players to the same extent. For instance, I have always preferred Smith over Ruiz and never fully gotten behind Verdugo and Muncy. Verdugo has seen his strikeouts rise in July and his OBP drop. Muncy is more and more a HR, K, BB hitter. AC, may I have permission to point this out without you coming back at me about Joc? I am aware of Joc’s strengths and weaknesses and so is everybody else.

    I have hoped that the Dodgers would find a way to get Diaz all year and Mark among others have told me to stop smoking whatever I was smoking.

    I don’t know for sure how Lux would find at bats but I would love to watch him play.

    When we have discussed Kluber I would usually respond that I preferred Syndergard.

    Whatever I have been smoking it hasn’t been all crazy. BTW, I don’t smoke but I do like tacos.

    Might we finish the season with Smith, Lux, Diaz, Syndergard on the team?

    1. Every team is baseball would love to take Muncy and Verdugo. Only a handful would take Joc and he would not bring back much. I do prefer Smith to Ruiz for now and think Barnes sticks around another year to be Smith’s back up.

      1. I am not arguing that. I’m not even bringing up Joc. The Mets would like to have him and they need him. He could be included in a trade for Diaz or Syndergard. I haven’t said Joc is better than Muncy or Verdugo. Everyone knows I enjoy pulling for Joc and I have defended him when the disgust of him rose too high in here.

        Joc is going to make between 8 and 9 million next year and be a free agent after 2020. That alone makes him a less valuable trade chip than Muncy and Verdugo. But if Lux is promoted to the Dodgers he is going to push Muncy to first or make him available to get Diaz and or Syndergard or Vasquez.

        The Dodgers have options and who knows, they might really surprise and do something they haven’t done before.

        1. I think keeping Joc around for his post-season experience and to help Verdugo from hitting the rookie wall is a good thing. If he gets deal he gets dealt but I would love to see as many of the guys who have been knocking on the door get a World Series title.

  20. Fun facts for Friday:

    Since Will Smith was sent down the last time, Dodgers catchers are combined 12-87 (.138) with three extra base hits.

    1. Another fun fact for Friday:

      We started out as one of the best defensive teams in baseball, now we lead the NL in errors.

      Bobby, these are not so fun facts.

  21. Doc is on SiriusXm right now. Says Smith will be the primary catcher, but won’t start tonight. Goal is to get Hill back as a starter in September, but Hill is open to going to the pen if it isn’t doable. Casey Stern asked if we would see Lux soon. Doc was pretty non-committal and avoided a real answer other than it’s important for Lux to be getting his consistent AB’s.

  22. 59inarow—I have pointed this out several times and get Blaaaa in return. Maybe it doesn’t matter so much in a long season, but it is exaggerated in a short 5-7 game series. Before the Angels’ series we went 7 games in a row with 2 or more errors, that is unacceptable. Muncy (13) leads the way with Seager (12) close behind. Our Defensive Efficiency Ratio is the worst in the NL. We have committed more errors than even the Padres. I keep hearing that we are a great defensive team, but the stats show that we are one of the worst. Lots of unearned runs, longer innings, more pitches thrown, etc. But that doesn’t even show the plays we should have made and didn’t (as partly shown in the fact that we have fewer DP than any team in the NL except the Pads). I have said before I believe that part of the problem is that so many of our players don’t have a settled position to practice all the time and get comfortable with.

    Glad to see that others are seeing the same problem…

    1. You’ve been correct every time you pointed it out. As nice as it is to have 20 guys who can play 20 positions, we need to get more settled come Sept/Oct.

      Muncy needs to remain at 1b, and one of Kike/CT3/Gavin Lux needs to take over 2b. Then the rest of the guys can settle in accordingly.

    2. Agree Campy. One of the reasons Garvey, Cey, Russell and Lopes were so successful was that they played so long with each other, not platooned and seemed to know instinctively where each was going to be and who would cover etc. They had many double plays.

    3. I think that by September or possibly mid August, we’ll see the lineup settle into a regular rotation with guys generally playing the same positions most of the time. If we can see how much the leaky defense hurts the team you can certainly bet that AF has noticed it also.
      With a double digit lead in the standings the team can afford to experiment. As they get closer to the playoffs they’ll get serious about the problem. And, of course, we have no idea how many guys on the 25-man roster may not even be in the organization as of August 1st.

  23. I agree with what you say Campy. The starters should be the starters. The subs should give them a rest. Keep all starters in one position. Time for the Joc trial at first to end. Trade Joc. Sorry Bum. The other point I would add to the few double plays is the shift. I have seen infielders throw to first to get an out, when we should of had a double play because no one was covering second. I do not mind them shifting but not three infielders on one side of second base.

    1. Right on the money Campy and Idahoal. Too many unmade plays in the infield including Joc never capable of picking up his infielders. He just can’t play there. Muncy is no Gold Glover at 2nd and probably less dangerous defensively at 1st. All the while, the best first baseman in the NL is playing right field. (Yeah I know – the excuse is he can dive and hurt his shoulder at 1st. I guess he can’t dive in right),

    2. Al, you have made more negative comments about Joc than I have made positive ones.

  24. Now, the transaction may make more sense:

    DODGERS ADD TYLER WHITE TO 25-MAN ROSTER
    IF DAVID FREESE PLACED ON IL

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that recently acquired infielder Tyler White has been added to the 25-man roster and infielder David Freese was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
    White was acquired yesterday from the Houston Astros in exchange for minor league pitcher Andre Scrubb. In 71 games with the Astros, he was hitting .225 (49-for-218) with three homers and 21 RBI. The former Western Carolina Catamount had his best professional season in 2018, batting .276 (58-for-210) with 12 homers and 42 RBI. In parts of four Major League seasons with Houston, he has slashed .241/.319/.410 with 26 homers and 101 RBI.

    This will be the second time this season Freese has landed on the injured list after missing 15 games from June 21 through July 8 with the same injury. The infielder has appeared in 66 games for the Dodgers, batting .300 (42-for-140) with nine homers and 27 RBI. Since joining Los Angeles on September 1, 2018, he has batted .318 (57-for-179) with 11 homers and 36 RBI.

  25. On MLB. RADIO, Doc said that Smith would not start tonight but would start the next two games.

    He was also asked what Kenley Jansen thought about the Dodgers getting bullpen help and he said that Kenley was fine with that. He then concluded with “Kenley is our closer… for now!”

    That seemed to leave a lot unsaid!

    1. “Closer for now” Good one Doc!

      They’re in on someone. There’s too many good closers available. Greene, Diaz, Colome, Kela, Kennedy, Giles, then some more that might be, Hand, Vazquez, Yates, Leclerc, Smith.

      It might just turn into a buyer’s market.

    2. Martin has been Ryu’s personal catcher for awhile now, no surprise there. “Closer for now” says a lot about Jansen and is somewhat surprising.

  26. Nomar had an interesting take on the broadcast a few games ago. He said he has no problem using the shift with no one on base, but if it were up to him he wouldn’t use it with a guy on first and less than two outs. He says it greatly reduces the odds of getting a double play. Sounds like pretty good reasoning to me, although I suppose the front office has stats that show shifting under all circumstances still creates more outs.

    1. I agree with Nomar’s thinking here, but I’m sure the computer would prove me wrong. The lack of double plays could have any number of contributing factors. Fly ball pitchers vs groundball pitchers vs strikeout pitchers, shifts. Leading the league in WHIP would effect it as well because less guys are on base. The number of errors is disconcerting. A throwing error by an infielder can be hidden with a good 1st baseman making the scoop or the swipe, knowing when to come off the back and what direction to stretch. Joc is not a good first baseman. This will settle itself once the deadline passes when Joc gets traded and replaced with a better glove at first. Or when Muncy slides over and Lux plays second.

  27. We all know how Friedman works, and it is very likely that he will get a Jake McGee or Oliver Perez type pitcher, or someone else whom no one has mentioned, and another starting pitcher is definitely needed, maybe a right bat like Castellanos or Abreu, and I’m sure many will want to throw me in front of the bus, but I don’t think Seager is as great as many want to see it or we wish it were, at least until today I have only seen flashes. But as I said, it’s just my personal opinion, and I hope I’m wrong and that he becomes the best player in Dodgers history!

  28. No doubt that some double plays are missed due to the shift. But how many outs do they get that would otherwise have not been made sans the shift. My guess is that the Dodgers and the rest of MLB have done the calculations, and have determined that the shift is beneficial. Since it seems that hitters rarely attempt to beat the shift with bunts, attempting to hit away from the shift, etc., it appears that it’s use is justified by the results. How often are we frustrated by our owns hitters not attempting to hit away from the shift?

    I don’t expect Smith to tear it up as a Dodger, but I am hopeful that his overall performance will be a step in the right direction in comparison to Barnes. But if we know anything, there is no such thing as a sure thing.

    At the very least Smith will provide more power.

  29. MT, Smith will be all right…Keep the vets around him and bug the pitchers until they hide from you..
    P.S. make sure to call the folks after games and enjoy that first class hotel and flights… Oh yeah, the major lg. minimum comes in handy…

  30. Several times lately I have noticed that with less than two strikes we play in more normal positions but with two strikes, when the threat of a bunt is removed, we go into a shift with three on one side of second.

    A gold glove 1B is more valuable than a GG right fielder. A 1B that can make all the plays improves the play of the entire infield, it increases their confidence in making hurried throws and digs bad throws out of the dirt. This is especially true of the Dodgers who have others that can play a good RF

    To show the disparity in turning two– the Cards lead the NL with 112 and we are next to last with 70. That is a big difference even though there are several factors involved.

    1. campy

      I’m sorry. nothing against you, but offense is greater than defense. When Dave Roberts was playing along with Izturis and Cora, the overall offense sucked because of those 3 and the reason why those 3 played is because of their so called great defense.

      1. B and B–I did not even hint that defense is greater than offense. I am only trying to point out that some people suggest that we have a great defense and that is just not true at the moment. And that it needs to be addressed before it gets any worse or continues.

  31. Campy – You’re preaching to the choir!!! I’ve wished Belli was over ever since the musical chairs began at 1B…

    1. Pitching and defense wins games. Joc won’t be at 1st come playoff time. They’re protecting Bellinger’s shoulder and trying to add value to Joc.

      1. If they were trying to add value to Joc then he would be playing LF where it is easier for him and his game would look better. What they are doing is finding a way to keep Joc’s bat in the line up. So the dodgers give a lot of value to the Joc bat.

  32. Dodger offense looks feeble through 6 IP. Making Sanchez look like Cy Young.

    1. Two out rally started by Joc against a LHP w/ two strikes against him and worked a BB. Nice!

  33. Mark,

    You beat me to it. I was going to post the same thing.

    The key to that inning may have been Joc drawing the walk against the lefthander on 3-2 count.

  34. Apparently the Reds are now willing to listen on Iglesias. He’s having a miserable year, ERA wise, mostly due to an increase in walks and homers, but his other numbers have been good, as usual.
    Anybody interested? If so, what do you think it takes to get him?

    1. He is a guy who is not a closer and best used in low leverage situations. I used to like him… a lot, but he might be Jim Johnson. I would not bite unless it was a deal you can’t refuse.

    2. I think I would prefer Garrett but neither have pitched in a true high leverage moment.

  35. Wow. KJ is no longer an elite closer. Are we looking for a closer this week? Poor control, no put away pitch.

    1. This was painful to watch. Pittsburgh’s price just went up, as did everyone else’s.

    1. And then have the hitter, old friend Kendrick, swing and miss at a ball well above the strike zone for strike 3.

  36. We simply cannot go through that in the playoffs. Either we go out and get one of the best closers in the game, or will almost certainly will not win the championship, we might even get eliminated in the first series. Maybe we cannot get Vazquez, but we had darn well better try, and not look for the excuse as to why not. I don’t know who else, but it can’t be one of those guys who was good last year, or once in a while, because that’s not good enough. The bullpen was a real question mark going into the season, and it was mostly ignored by the owners and front office, with the exception of paying for Kelly, off his best year ever. So it’s not as if this is all some kind of big surprise.

    1. What is more concerning to me than the closer is the offensive anaemia of the team. They have stopped hitting well and rely on the HR. All too often, no HR, no win or a major struggle. Too many close games will make the BP look even worse.

      The key to this game was Ryu getting out of a bases loaded no out situation in the 7th. They got out of it with a tie game and Ryu maintained his ERA but lost the win. 1 out Joe Kelly gets the win.

  37. Dodgers have been linked to Jake Diekman on some sites. Can anyone tell me what the fascination is with him as I just can’t see it. Is it his cheap price tag, primarily?, because his numbers are nothing to get excited about and he is not our answer to any BP woes.

    1. The fascination is over 13 k’s per 9 innings but you need to overlook the 5 bb’s per 9 and the ERA approaching 5.00.

  38. At least Kenley had good velocity and movement. Remember when he could throw it wherever he wanted?

  39. One more name to add to the list of (hopefully) available relievers: Kenley Jansen. Never been a fan.

  40. On the postgame TV questions, Roberts looked and sounded sad and concerned when talking about Jansen. In the past, he would usually pass it off, he is always optimistic about his players, says that they’ll be fine, etc. I am wondering as if he has been having discussions with Friedman, the issue being whether to go after a big-time closer, and this game has caused him to decide that this is what we need to do. Of course, he is not the GM or the ownership. But i wonder if anyone else who heard him had the same sense of it.

    1. I was thinking when Doc took that long walk down the dugout after sending Honey out to settle Jansen down and getting Sadler warmed up that AF was on the phone with someone (hopefully Pitts.) saying ‘ok let’s do it’. Doc has to trust his closer and right now it’s an adventure. They go to Colorado next with the 4 and 5 spots in the rotation-should be big fun. Still they got the win and Kenley the save so what’s a little heartburn? All the other pitchers did great and except for JT’s big fly didn’t do much on offense all night. They should look better tomorrow.

      1. I will say that there is one thing that I liked about one of Kenley’s recent outings. When opponents were leaning in looking for the cutter he was busting them inside with a two-seam or four seam fast ball. He’s learning how to pitch. However the added length of time between pitches shows the lack of confidence he has right now. Very similar to when Baez had other pitches but was afraid to throw them.

        1. Are you saying that if we’re lucky Kenley will eventually become as effective a pitcher as Baez? Boy how times have changed. 🙂

          1. I sure hope that isn’t what I was saying. I’m hoping Kenley starts trusting the catchers, picks up his pace and gains some confidence.

  41. Victor Gonzalez is another prospect that has had two promotions this year. Potential Loogy or trade bait?

    1. Victor is not trade bait. He may be a trade asset.

      I wrote this back on July 16.

      “The invisible man is left-hander Victor Gonzalez (23) who was signed back in 2013 out of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He lost the 2017 season due to injury. Gonzalez outgrew the California League this year after 8 appearances with the Quakes and has been a versatile member of the Drillers staff over his next 12 appearances, eight of them starts. He is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA over 43.1 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts and 14 walks. In his last 10 appearances, he has an ERA of 1.89. In his last four starts, he gave up four earned runs in 22 innings. Since then he has been used in long and short relief and given up no runs in 7.2 innings.”

      He is a very versatile pitcher capable of taking on any assignment – long relief, short relief, start. His control has not been as good Ross Stripling’s but his versatility has been. I would not see him as a LOOGY at this point but more as a middle relief guy. I think his starts will be spot starts when he gets to MLB.

    1. Oh please make it so! I would hold on to Smith as well. The Dodgers can make this deal if they want to.

      This is for Bums!
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNVtSrOYTo

      My loogie deal is Amir Garret for Jeter Downs and throw in Brock Stewart. The Reds get one of their prospects back and the Dodgers get a guy who’s death on LHH and some cheap control.

    2. I would do Ruiz plus 2 or 3 more from that list, Vasquez is the prize. Kenley threw s really nice slider 0-2 to Kendrick that I was surprised he held up on and he just missed getting a called 3rd strike. You are right about trusting his catcher to throw that pitch with the bases loaded. Still, it’s an adventure and it shouldn’t be with 2 outs and 2 strikes bases empty with a 3 run lead.

      My under the radar trade for a wipeout loogie with team control? Amir Garret for Jeter Downs and throw in Brock Stewart. The Reds get a prospect they let get away back (and Downs is blocked anyway) plus a rebound candidate that the Dodgers won’t protect in Stewart and Doc gets what he has wanted for awhile.

      This is for Bums, who I usually respond to a Muncy trade mention with a Joc one (but I secretely like Joc)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNVtSrOYTo

    3. Today’s MLB rumors say the Pirates are talking with the Dodgers more than any other team and for now the Dodgers could get Vasquez for Ruiz and May. The Dodgers might include May but will surely swap out May and put another prospect in his place and then add another lower level but intriguing prospect.

      The Mets can keep Syndergard but I still want Diaz. To balance out all the trades this site throws out that includes Joc, I will throw out Muncy for Diaz.

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