I happen to like hitters who have good bat-to-ball skills. I was reminded yesterday that I championed Andy LaRoche to be a star years ago, and it never happened. Yes, I missed that big time. Subsequent to that, I have been an advocate of Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Miguel Vargas. They all have excellent bat-to-ball skills in common. Of course, Verdugo and Ruiz have been traded away, but I think that Miguel Vargas has such a unique bat-to-ball skill that the Dodgers need to keep him. The Dodgers have Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and other players who have a lot of swing-and-miss. Vargas is an excellent complement to those players.
The Yankees have been elevated by Alex Verdugo and his bat-to-ball skills. I would not trade Vargas, as he is what the Dodgers need in their lineup. Verdugo has allegedly matured, and while he is hitting around .260, the season is young. He will not win a batting title this year, but there may be one in his future. Ruiz is struggling to stay around .200 after showing signs of hitting last season. Batting average is down across MLB as pitchers are throwing harder and spinning the ball more than ever before and their arms are dropping like flies.
Yes, I missed LaRoche, but here is the difference: I based my analysis on Andy LaRoche, Alex Verdugo, Keibert Ruiz, and Miguel Vargas based on YEARS of watching these players. I did not base it upon watching a couple of games and saying, “This guy can’t play,” as some morons do. Yes, I am not always right. Thank you for reminding me! You can jump to a conclusion in a small sampling, but years of watching generally is more accurate.
Some of you were down on Teoscar Hernadez because he has been slumping of late. Some even suggested that he should platoon. BULLSHIT! Who in their right mind would say that? Teo Hernandez essentially won the game for the Dodgers last night with two home runs including a grand slam. This is a country where FREE SPEECH is guaranteed (well… unless you disagree with the media narrative), but if you are not aware, Free Speech is not Free. Get it? Got it? Good!
It was excellent to put a good old-fashioned beatdown on the Yankees. It would have been even better if the Dodgers had brought out the brooms today. CT3 even got a hit but struck out three times. In his 88 ABs, he has struck out 41 times. Yeah, he’s close to getting back to what he once was… NOT! His strikeout rate is way up, and his BAbip is way down. That’s a recipe for hitting .100!
Are You a Pessimist or an Optimist?
Ronald Reagan’s favorite story or joke concerns twin boys of five or six. It goes like this:
“Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities – one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist – their parents took them to a psychiatrist.”
First, the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. ‘What’s the matter?’ the psychiatrist asked, baffled. ‘Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?’ ‘Yes,‘ the little boy bawled, ‘but if I did, I’d only break them.’”
Next, the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. ‘With all this manure,’ the little boy replied, beaming, ‘there must be a pony in here somewhere!’
Some fans are just born pessimists. No matter what happens, they are going to see flaws. Me? I’m looking for the pony! Some Dodger fans are secretly disappointed after the first two games against the Yankees as they have nothing to bitch about and their lives are pointless. 😉
Coming into New York, the Dodgers were ramped up to play what is/was allegedly the best team in baseball, and they turned it up. I still believe the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, and if they need to make a move, they will. I am not advocating moving Mookie back to 2B, but if Bo Bichette becomes available at the trade deadline, I would do that. Lux could be part of that deal. Bo and Gavin could both benefit from new surroundings.
It was rumored yesterday that the White Sox had asked for Josue DePaula, Dalton Rushing, and Landon Knack for Luis Robert, Jr. I would do that in a heartbeat. Yes, that is a lot to give. Robert has an extensive injury history, but his upside is too great to ignore. Bichette is a natural SS, and his bat could come alive with the Dodgers. Outman will be back soon, but with Outman and Pages, we need to realize that Outman can’t hit LHP, and Pages can’t hit RHP. We know that about Outman, but it appears to be the same with Pages. Pages OPS against LHP is .866 but is just .662 against RHP. The difference between him and Outman is that he exhibits power against his same-side pitchers while Outman doesn’t.
Try this out:
- Betts 2B
- Ohtani DH
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Muncy 3B
- T. Hernandez LF
- Robert, Jr. CF
- Heyward/Pages RF
- Bichette SS
It could happen. Vargas and Ryan would likely have to be a part of that deal for Bichette. It depends upon their record as to whether Toronto will be sellers. We won’t know until the deadline.
X-CITES
When are we going to see Lipcuis?
Discussion (52)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Teo was named NL player of the week. Well deserved. Judge took home the honor in the AL.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale while the White Sox are “listening to offers” on Robert, the team would be seeking a trade package “greater” than what the San Diego Padres gave to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto.
That’s what Dodgers are dealing with. Note to Sox; Robert Jr is no Soto!
I am rooting against the Trashtros! Always!
If my voodoo powers work , Kyle Tucker will be on the market. I’d be more than fine with an OF of Tucker in RF, Teo in LF and an Outman/Pages platoon in CF.
But I think Robert is much more likely to be traded. AF and his team, I assume, will do a deep dive on Robert’s injury history. Is it a chronic issue or dumb luck? Could the Dodgers help Robert stay healthy with better conditioning?
But speaking of OF, it sure seems that the Dodgers could add a few years to Teo’s deal. Here’s a quote from Teo via mlb.com:
“I want to stay. I don’t want to keep bouncing around the league. I feel good here, comfortable. I think this is a good chance for me to win. That is the most important thing for me. It’s a great group. I would love to stay.”
And Robert’s contract is team-friendly, with an AAV below $20m for the next 3.5 years. He’d cost a few prospects, but would be cheaper than top FA options.
I’m all in favor of trying to get Tucker but can someone please explain to me why we think the Astros can’t afford to re-sign him?
If we assume Bregman won’t be back and Verlander will be gone either after this year or next (he’s exactly on track for innings pitched to vest for 2025), those are two of their higher paid players.
Maybe they don’t want to bring back Tucker for some reason, but I think they can definitely afford him if they want to.
By August 1, Vargas will either be playing in OKC again ..or playing for another organization.
Either way, he’s not going to be on the Dodgers parent club beyond that date.
That’s my opinion/prediction.
I may change my fake name to Mark Timmonso.
If jumping to conclusions were an Olympic sport, we might have some Gold Medalists.
While I cannot definitively say what exactly is happening, I do not think the Dodgers would have called up Miguel Vargas if they were not high on him. “Hey, ya’all, let’s call Vargas up and sit him for no reason because we are not high on him and we are dumb as hell! The Dodgers are not dumb. That I know.
I also know two other things:
#1 – After Vargas had two broken fingers last year, he picked up some bad habits and never felt comfortable, and there are times this year when he still looks uncomfortable.
#2 – He has been spending a lot of time with RVS and Company.
This leads me to believe that they are working on something and that they believe they they can “fix” whatever it is without sending him back to OKC.
Feel free to disagree, but to me, that makes the most sense and of course, they are not going to announce it to the world.
I do not believe for a minute that the Dodgers value Outman and Pages over Vargas… and LH is no problem for him to play. He will be fine there. Just my opinion.
Tucker would be great. Right now, he is on the 10-day IL. It would take a huge offer to pry him away from the Astros. And since Houston is only 4.5 games out of the Wild-Card, probably a little premature to think they will be sellers at the deadline. Their most ideal trade component is Bregman, who is a free agent after the season. I still believe Freidman will NOT pursue a big-name talent at the deadline. It just has not been his MO.
Wayne I didn’t suggest they were slow playing him. They brought him up and they aren’t playing him. What else is it if not slow play? Why is he there and not playing. Perplexing.
Book Em
Bluto that’s good.
But fake name or real you’ll never know.
Duke, why don’t you just give us your insight as to why ‘miguelito’ is on the roster. I did.
You say Rojas is hitting over his head, Eric, and nobody is going to expect him to win a batting title, but this is his 11th MLB season and including this year he has hit over .280 five times.
If you couple that with his excellent defense, he’s definitely an asset. The only disadvantage when you compare him with CT3 and Kike is that he can’t play outfield.
Players poll at The Athletic:
($$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5529966/2024/06/10/mlb-player-poll-overrated-underrated-worst-organization?source=user-shared-article
Ohtani best player.
Betts Best vibes.
Lots more good stuff
Seriously?
I think you need to have a better explanation for why the Dodgers are not playing Vargas much at all.
Can you provide an example of any current Dodgers who were “slow-played” onto the roster?
Roberts has been playing Pages plenty so the Dodgers can better assess his performance at the ML level. Seems clear to me the Dodgers value Pages more than they value Vargas. Last season, the Dodgers did not “acclimate” Outman but put him in CF from the start–and he finished 3rd in ROY voting. His ML achievements far exceed what Pages and Vargas have delivered.
If I understand your reasoning, you are suggesting, in essence, that Taylor is being played so that Miguelito, as a highly valued prospect, can be gradually eased and “acclimated” to the majors. But Vargas has already had 323 ABs in the majors, producing a .195 BA and .291 OBP. He even made the playoff roster in ’22. And let’s not forget that the Dodgers gift-wrapped 2B for him last season –but now they don’t want him playing 2B at all. How much acclimation is necessary?
He mostly played 3B in the minors, but the brass hasn’t used him at 3B in the majors. Alas, he apparently is not considered UT material. I’ve read that he is best suited to play 1B or DH–but it would take an injury to open up those spots. Where is Vargas on the depth chart?
The Dodgers may indeed keep Vargas because a trading partner would understandably prefer Outman or Pages, much as the Rays prefered Jonny De Luca.
Understand that I’d rather see Vargas get the ABs that Taylor is getting. I assume Vargas wants the opportunity too. But I don’t see AF and Robert dictating their roster and strategy to help Vargas. If the brass really wants to help Vargas, they should play him–or trade him.
Kyle Tucker would be fantastic…. but will the Astros be sellers?
Not so sure about that. The Astros are a good, proud franchise that is 4.5 games out in the Wild Card race. Their fans would be pissed if they threw in the towel. A winning streak could get them back into race–and a losing streak could put Tucker on the market.
For that matter, will the Blue Jays sell? They are only two games out of a Wild Card.
Right now, the White Sox, Angels, Athletics, Marlins and Rockies should clearly be sellers. A few teams should join that list.
If the Dodgers don’t believe in Vargas, why is he on the roster. Could’ve left him in OKC. He is being slow played for a calculated reason.
Book Em
Hey Duke definitely not Snider. Why don’t you give us your insight on why the Dodgers are slow playing Vargas. Why is he on the roster? ? Hmmm. Cat got your tongue. Well I guess you don’t have to be a critical thinker to cut people down. Have a take and do not suck. Right.
Book Em
Great series, love this team!
Jack Harris
@ByJackHarris
Some Dodgers injury updates, per Dave Roberts
–– Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to throw another three-inning sim game, then could be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment
–– Bobby Miller could be ready to return after pitching 4+ innings in a rehab outing with OKC last night. No final decisions yet, but with a stretch of 13-straight games starting next week, a six-man rotation is a possibility
I think Vargas gets traded. He has no defensive position, looks very uncomfortable in the OF. Outman is our best CF defender, hopefully he comes back soon and gets back to last year’s production at the plate. Pages should play most days in right with JHey getting the occasional start. Lipsicus should get a chance right now! Kike is a pinch hitter/defensive OF replacement type player only.
Cassidy, Robert was the 23rd best player then, he sure isn’t now. He is hitting .205, hasn’t played in two days, and he has 2 homers and 2 RBI’s. How much is an injury prone player like him worth? Sorry, I just do not see LA getting into a bidding war for an oft injured player. You think the Dodgers are the only team in need of outfield depth? Atlanta would be all over that guy. Dodgers have a lot of mid-level talent, but their star power at AAA is weak. Pages is not as bad of a defender as you might think. He misjudged a ball today, but he has only made one error. He has more homers, a higher OPS, more RBI’s than Robert does. He had a slump and has come out of it. I don’t think they will trade for a star player. I think they go more for a good hitting outfielder who gives them some contact. AF is not going to pay the price for damaged goods.
Therealten, after seeing how Teo responded to my platooning suggestion, I think my work is done! I’m done advocating for more playing time for Vargas. If the Dodgers don’t believe in him, why should I? Fun series. Judge is a beast. So fun to watch him play. CF continues to be an issue for us both offensively and defensively, so I’m all in on Robert Jr. He’s young, cheap and controllable and ESPN had him ranked as the 23rd best player in baseball. We have the minor league depth to make it happen. But I’m good with Lux. Still think there’s a star in him. No on Bichette.
Pages with a rough night. Probably should have caught the ball in CF when he jumped but didn’t have too and then the slide into 3B on Hernandez’s sac bunt with a raised right leg. If he had used that leg to hit the base rather than his bent leg he’s safe. WTH was that?
Just when I’m about to give up on Lux, he gets three hits, showing off those bat-to-ball skills.
Tough loss. Grisham has always been a good player, despite his .100 BA. Seems at his best against the Dodgers. Came up big in the clutch.
Oh well.
Pages hit 3rd with the wrong foot
pay the man!! dodgers can’t let teo get away!!! Glasnow is nasty!!!
Have yourself a series Teo!
Maybe the NYY should forget about Soto and prioritize Teo this offseason
Glasnow has got to be relieved. The Dodgers scored and he was pitching!! Way to go Mookie, lux, pages!! Tried to use a little trash talk to get the bats moving. Take over Cassidy.
And in the Captain Obvious department tonight…..Mookie is not a very good defensive SS. AF has to find a good defensive SS and get Mookie to 2B or RF.
His glove will possibly hurt the Dodgers in the post season as much as his lack of clutch offense. Subjective comment!
I am afraid this will be what we c in the playoffs. Lux, pages, can’t make contact to move a runner. Just throw lux an inside fastball or the top of the zone n he will k. That is why we need a bat. Kike n pages weak against righties and lux just weak. Got to get a bat. Platoon pages in the playoffs mb with outman or Heyward if a move is not made. I believe AF will get a bat.
In business you have to determine wants and needs. Sometimes you might gamble if you have a real need but it’s foolish to gamble capital on wants. Like Mark I started a business from ground up. I’d see my competitions with brand new toys and luxuries that I wished I had for our business. I learned to wait a year or two I could buy their luxuries plus their blue sky on pennies on the dollars. I dealt with small budgets and billion dollar budgets, each are the same, every asset counts whether it’s money or infrastructure. You can’t be afraid to expend money, but if you go out and try the get the best new toy out there and not think of what if might cost down the line, you are putting yourself and your entity in a dangerous position. Okay I’m off my soap box.
Sorry but I can’t see the love for Luis Robert’s. He’s a career .276 hitter, he has struck out 404 times and walked 83 times. His on base average is .323, he’s not a threat on the base paths. I’ll give him the.823 OPS. Is that worth 3 top ten prospects? Use those projects in a trade, I’m all in. We can do much better than Robert’s. Currently we have five regulars with a OPS higher than .823
For what’s it’s worth.
Max Scherzer had a rehab start today against our AAA club.
He faced Lipicus 2x’s and struck him out twice using a total of
6 pitches.
He faced Gauthier 1x and struck him out on 3 pitches.
At least Owings who faced him 1x made contact grounding out to 2nd base.
Yeah
Go Dodgers!!
that would be great, that means Bichette would also be available earlier. ….. Haven’t heard from Bradley lately. Hope he’s ok. His trade ideas aren’t always feasible, but they sure are entertaining!! And he also suggested Bichette weeks ago. …. Really shocked Barnes not in the lineup today. I know it’s a night game, but Doc loves sitting Will on Sundays!! lol. …. hopefully Lux can keep his helmet on tonight!! He seems to have a problem with that!!
If the Blue Jays make star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. available this summer, it appears that the Cubs would be among the suitors for his services. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported this morning that Chicago’s brass have “privately discussed” the possibility of pursuing Guerrero ahead of the trade deadline next month.
7:10 PM ET ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
Dodgers (41-25)
Yankees (45-21)
SP Tyler Glasnow R
6-4 2.92 ERA
SP Luis Gil R
8-1 1.82 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
LF T. Hernandez R
RF J. Heyward L
CF Andy Pages R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B E. Hernandez R
76° Wind 10 mph Out
What a wonderful lift these first two games have given us! Our pitching is as good as anyones, and a great defensive game by Kiki! Good d all around. Called third strikes on kt3 are hard to understand. Please, just go away.
Good look at Alex F over at Dodgers Digest:
https://dodgersdigest.com/2024/06/09/alex-freeland-is-becoming-a-top-dodgers-prospect/
I like this Bruce Kuntz on X, didn’t know he wrote for that site.
Also, today’s Yankee starter is another testament to the idea of trading excess ML talent you are going to lose for nothing in exchange for “lottery tickets”.
Sometimes they pay off. Usually they won’t.
They are slow playing Miguel for a reason. Duh. Subjectively is could be because his first 2 cups of coffee he was so mad because he was failing. Never happened before. He was failing to see the big picture. Fast forward and the FO wants him to get totally acclimated to the players, coaches, and all the small nuances of being in the bigs. Rest assured, Taylor will be dfa’d, subjectively.
Book Em
The Vargas issue, with him not playing while Taylor doesn’t make sense to most of us.
Lately Taylor has been playing a lot – is it because the Dodgers are giving him one last audition before maybe DFA-ing him?
Only watched one of Taylor’s at bats last night – started 2-0, then finished with 3rd call strike with a pitch pretty much in the middle of the zone. To say he is lost would be an understatement.
It will be interesting to see who of us that are subjectively offering our thoughts is the closet to what will actually transpire. Which would then make our thoughts “objective”??
Good call Mark. Robert & Bichette would be awesome. And here’s why. Dodgers FO loves Vargas. They brought him up to get 100% acclimated to the whole big league scene and it’s culture. Be on the bench and learn. In the mean time showcase Outman, Ryan, Pages and hand CT3 & Kike a rope….then
Betts 2b
Ohtani dh
Freeman 1b
Smith c
T. Hernandez rf
Robert Jr. cf
Bichette is
Vargas of
Rojas 3b*
Until Max gets back
Book Em
Another good win by the Dodgers against the Yankees. Teoscar provided the offense, but Gavin Stone deserves some credit as well. His ERA is now 2.93 and he has pitched great all year. He is right there with Yamamoto and Glasnow as the best pitcher so far this season at the bargain price of $700,000 a year! A good example of the Dodgers ability to develop homegrown pitching.
Great game last night
Mark,
Can’t argue with that lineup that includes Robert’s (yes injury concerns) and Bichette.
This makes us younger and more athletic
Talyor, Kike, Lux and Vargas should be included in these trades or DFA’D in Taylor’s case. And yes we are going to lose a bunch of top talent but if not now when?
That’s 4 spots off the 40 man to allow for Robert’s/ Bichette .
Then add to your bench with Lipcius and either Owings or Gauthier.
Only possible concern is that we are Righty dominant, at least until Muncy comes back and replaces one of the lesser performing players.
Pitching is very solid barring any new injures and the potential return of our current injured pitchers over the next 2-3 months.
Andrew, all the posters have done the work for you, make this happen
Go Dodgers!!
I do not like Smoltz too much but he said what many of us here and on other Dodger blogs say too: Need two more bats with high OBP to compliment our sluggers.
If Vargas, Lux , KIke, CT3 can not provide that in the next two months AF has to go the trade route and he will just do that. even if costs some of our blue chip prospects. I agree with the poster who said we are all in this season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only way I MIGHT do that deal with the White Sox’s is they take Taylor and his salary. SO it would be DePaula, Rushing, Knack and Taylor for Roberts. Opens up a spot on the 40 man roster and gives a graceful end to a good guy (Taylor) who needs a change.
I really enjoy these Twit–I mean, X snippets following that follow today’s essay-cum-rant. The rant is OK too.
It would be great to have a contact hitter at the bottom of this lineup. Actually, it would be great if Lux was that guy, but perhaps it’s time to move on….. to Bo Bichette? Maybe.
It’s been reported that the Guardians want Bichette, but I still think the Jays want to build around him and Vlad Jr. But who knows?
A lineup with both Robert and Bichette? That would scary. And it does seem possible, if costly. What the hell–let’s add Mason Miller too.
It will be interesting to see what Team AF does. There are so many possibilities.
In the meantime, it would be great to see what Lipcius can do. It’s been reported that Dodger scouts had been high on him for years, and so the Dodgers jumped at the chance to acquire him. Did the Dodgers coaching tap his new power? Maybe. The Dodgers have revived the career of several pitchers, but it’s been awhile since they fixed a hitter like they did with JT and Max. Maybe Lipcius is one.
I don’t see Friedman dealing for a big bat, but will look to upgrade the offense on the margins with another utility player.
I said weeks ago, If Bichette is available go get him. He would be reborn!! After the game last night i was thinking as another person said earlier, Taylor was in left field for his defense. If the dodgers dont like him in left, where’s he gonna play? …. Gavin Lux? what to do?? Hate to give up on him, but time is starting to run out for him! Maybe he does need a change of scenery. ……. When will we see Lipcius? soon i hope. ……. Teo? He’s gonna strike out a lot. But his production is huge!! leave him alone!! …….. Personally, i would rather trade vargas than pages! Again, i believe Vargas could use a change of scenery also and Andy is much better defensively………. Finally , if i come home from work and the house is a mess i bitch! If i come home and the house is clean i look for other reasons to bitch! Point? that’s what we do! i’m never gonna be a Barnes fan, but he’s a dodger!! So go Barnes!! Love Mookie , Freddie, Will, and rest of the guys. This weekend has been a great showcase of the potential of this team!! It needs a couple of changes to be special! But the Rockies are looming ! 4 in colorado. Lose 2 games or God forbid 3 and we’ll all need white jackets!! So keep the house clean and we will have to look really hard to find something to bitch about!!
Guys I wonder about their roles:
Vargas–2025 LF?
Lux–Some other team’s 2B?
Outman–Platoon CF with Pages moving to RF?
Another rumor has us getting Robert jun. for Cartaya, River Ryan and Outman/or Pages.
Since I would like to hold on to Rushing and dePaula I like that trade more than the one Mark mentioned above.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jacob Meador) vs. Cedar Rapids (Jordan Carr)
12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Alec Gamboa) vs. Round Rock (Max Scherzer)
2 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (River Ryan) vs. Visalia (Adonys Perez)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Jared Karros) at Amarillo (Cole Percival)
Sunday will be the second start of the season for River Ryan, the team’s top pitching prospect. Ryan missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, and pitched two scoreless innings in the Arizona Complex League on Monday in his season debut.
You do A LOT of speculating on significant trades and line-up changes for someone who believes the Dodgers are already the best team in baseball as presently constructed.
So why assume the downside risks of making these major personnel moves if everything is already good enough as is?
Great series to watch and stick to all my Yankee friends and relatives who told me before the series started we would get swept. Shame on them! Alex Vesia is beast among men. You were right on this one Mark. Would be nice to take the brooms out tonight.
Yeah, easier to say now after these last two games against the Bronx Bombers— but I just don’t think you platoon a 23.5M salary….
Cheers…and enjoy Sunday night baseball….