Of course, when the Dodgers acquired Lance Lynn, many Dodger fans went ballistic because of well… his ERA and all that stuff. Then, on top of that, they acquired Joe Kelly, of all people, and gave up Nick Nastrini, Jordan Leasure, and Trayce Thompson. Rumor has it that the trade was so lopsided that the trade simulator went up in smoke as it short-circuited. Fans were throwing rotten tomatoes, rocks, and anything else of little value at Andrew Friedman and Company because they were expecting Justin Verlander and Jordon Montgomery and instead got Lance Lynn. They were expecting Lane Thomas and Nolan Aernado, and they got Kike Hernandez and Amed Rosario!
That’s like expecting a medium rare Filet Mignon and getting a well done Skirt Steak. Furthermore, Lynn and Kelly cost the Dodgers Five (count ’em 5) players:
- Nick Nastrini (he’s the headliner)
- Jordon Leasure
- Trayce Thompson
- Eddys Leonard
- Justin Bruihl
The first three were parts of the deal, but the last two had to be released to free up room on the roster for Lynn and Kelly. Of course, the Dodgers have a few days and can include one or both in another trade, but neither one has much value. Nick Nastrini was the prospect the White Sox valued most. Baseball America had him as the Dodgers #10 Prospect. I had him at #16. He overcame the “Yips” in college and has the stuff to be a #3 or #4 starter, but his biggest problem is control… or lack thereof. At Tulsa, this year, he was 5-3 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He was a good prospect but not close to being one of the League’s Best Pitchers. He was… and is a Prospect! The Dodgers have a plethora of RHP, and trading Nastrini will not hurt one little bit! Bobby said it best yesterday:
“Between Knack, Stone, Hurt, Ryan, and including Miller and Sheehan and Grove who are already here, Nastrini is likely on the bottom end of that list.”
— Bobby
Nastrini was in a rotation with Kyle Hurt, Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Nick Frasso, and Landon Knack (before his promotion to AAA). As a starting pitcher, he has probably been surpassed by all of them as prospects. I am sorry to lose any arm, but you have to give up something to get something. Jordon Leasure could also become a solid middle reliever – that is his ceiling! There is nothing to say about Trayce Thompson other than he had no place to play, and he is a great guy! I wish them all well!
That brings us to Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. To say that many Dodgers fans were not excited to get him is an understatement. The next thing I heard was, “Maybe they think they can fix him… but they couldn’t fix Syndergaard!” I knew that was coming, but the truth is that Thor wanted to be “fixed,” and the way he wanted that to happen was for him to throw 101 MPH again. Lynn does not need “fixed.” He just needs a tweak! Actually, this also applies to Joe Kelly.
You should know by now that Andrew Friedman is a “value buyer.” Some of you will say that he is a “bottom feeder” or a “shopper at Dollar General.” That would be unfortunate because, in his time with the Dodgers, Andrew Friedman only had the best won-loss record in all of baseball! So, there is no arguing the fact that Andrew Friedman is pretty damn good! Yeah, he is not perfect, and the Dodgers could not fix Syndergaard for reasons we all know. However, he made lemonade because he brought Rosario back in a trade. It remains to be seen what he will do and what his role will be.
What to Expect From Lance Lynn?
Lance Lynn has been in MLB for 12 years and is 129-93 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.272 WHIP. He has a 6.47 ERA this season and has given up 28 long balls. What was Friedman thinking? Thanks for asking! I’ll tell you exactly what he is thinking. Andrew Friedman is thinking: “Lynn is 10th in all of MLB in strikeouts, and yet his average fastball is 92.4 MPH (down from 94 MPH in 2020). The pitchers ahead of him are names like Strider, Ohtani, Cole, and Snell. He throws a cutter, sweeper, curve, changeup, sinker, and slider. Last year, he had a 2.43 ERA in 74 innings over the final two months. He is throwing more fastballs for strikes than ever, and hitters are waiting for it. If we can get him to mix in more pitches, he can dramatically improve on what he has done so far this year!”
Also, Lynn and Kelly were playing for a crappy team with some players who had “attitudes.” No names will be mentioned. “But these guys are professionals – that should not make any difference!” The last I checked, the game is played by humans, not robots, and when you play for a crappy team, sometimes you have a crappy attitude! The fact is, the Dodgers are banking on turnarounds for Hernandez, Lynn, and Kelly, and, to a lesser degree, Rosario!
The Dodgers are going to a full platoon with the addition of Hernandez and Rosario. Against LHP, Hernandez, Rosario, Betts, Rojas, and Taylor will play, and against RHP, Outman, Peralta, Betts, Heyward, and Rojas will play. Of course, there is always Busch and Vargas at AAA, and one or both could be a flight away if there is an injury or prolonged slump. Vargas and Busch are smoking hot at OKC. Miguel Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and walk last night and Michael Busch had a game-high and season-high four hits, including a home run and two doubles. On each of his doubles, Busch was thrown out attempting to advance to third base, preventing him from completing the cycle…Busch has now reached base in 23 consecutive games for the longest active streak by an OKC player and tied for the second-longest active streak in the PCL. During the streak, Busch is 30-for-96 (.313) with 14 extra-base hits, 24 RBI and 18 walks.
Right about next week, the Rotation should look like this:
- Urias – I’m leaving him here.
- Kershaw – He will be back shortly.
- Lynn – He will slot nicely here.
- Miller – Becoming a horse.
- Gonsolin – Unless he can’t cut it, but I think he (like Urias) will find it.
That puts Grove in the bullpen, Sheehan back to AAA, and Tyson Miller released. Of course, Verlander is still out there…
Discussion (48)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I will make sure my voice is heard here loud and clearly.
I DO NOT WANT TO UNLOAD PITCHING PROSPECTS FOR NOLEN ARANADO.
I’m content with Marvelous Max. 27 HRs and 70 RBIs compares pretty nicely with 22 HRs and 77 RBIs. I know Arenado has a higher BA and OPS, but I’m telling you again…PITCHING WINS PLAYOFF GAMES. We have enough bats, including Max’s.
Don’t give up promising pitchers when most of your regular starters are damaged goods- Clayton, Walker, Dustin, Tony.
SAY NO TO AREN-ADO!
Scherzer besides the money (and the Mets will pay part of it too) cost the Rangers only their Nr. 5 prospect.
What does that say about Verlander who is 2 years older than Max and a potential trade ? Our Nr. 5 prospect is Andy Pages with NR. 4 being Stone and Nr. 6 Pepiot.
If we could get Verlander for Stone or Pepiot straight up I would do it in a second.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A good win, but shows we need Mookie
A lot of us, I think, have noticed how Outman has stepped up his game in recent weeks.
His stats over the past 30 days: a .290 BA, with an OBP of .424 (!) and an OPS of .873.
He’s taking more walks and reducing the Ks. In 22 games, he walked 15 times and struck out 22 times. One strike out per game is not great, but over the same period JD Martinez had 30 Ks in 20 games and Max had 25 in 22.
Outman’s OPS for the period is the 4th best on the team, exceeded only by Mookie, Freddie and Max. He also led the team with 4 steals, and was caught only once.
Is it too much to think Outman has developed better plate discipline? He’s hitting for average against lefties and power against righties.
Perhaps the next time Mookie is ailing, Outman should bat leadoff.
Both Max and Arenado are 32. Both have several years of baseball ahead.
Max gets roughed up a lot here on LADT, so it’s always gratifying to see him have a good game. Obviously, he’s streaky. When he’s slumping, people forget he’s likely to come around.
He’s not nearly the player Arenado is, but he’s still very good. Max hit better when he played 1B, but slid over to 2nd and 3rd when Freddie arrived. Max’s versatility is another virtue that is overlooked by his critics. Most teams would love to have a Max.
From Eric Stephen in TrueBlueLA:
Muncy has been synonymous with patience ever since joining the Dodgers in 2018. Patience at the plate, with his 4.36 pitches per plate appearance entering Sunday ranked third in the majors. Patience when hearing fans and/or texting relatives bemoan why the Dodgers are starting someone with a batting average that begins with a one.
Even patience in the form of Muncy’s 56 walks and team-leading 15.6-percent walk rate, fueling his above-average .333 on-base percentage despite the .199 batting average.
Or perhaps even Muncy himself needed patience, if he was paying attention at all to multiple reports this week about the Dodgers and Cardinals discussing a possible Nolan Arenado trade. Not that Muncy couldn’t have adapted, as he moved off first base when the Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman before the 2022 season.
Whether Muncy knew or not, Cardinals general manager John Mozielak was saying unequivocally earlier Saturday that Arenado would not be traded, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, at the very least ended that speculation.”
When Muncy produces like this, it makes a potential acquisition of Nolan Arenado a want and not necessarily a need. I consider myself an Arenado fan and would love to see him in Dodger blue; however, I also don’t want the Dodgers to overspend on a player who is about to enter the wrong side of 30.
The Blue Max 3 – Naty Reds 2
Well, who needs Arenado now anyways!
What’s more likely, Muncy hitting 40+ hr or Muncy batting .200 or better??
Some horrible defense by the Dodgers. CT3 couldn’t make a backhanded play and Heyward had no business throwing to home to try and get DeLaCruz allowing the runner to take second on the bad throw home.
Joe Kellly still giving fans heart palpatatiins when he pitches but is indeed throwing hard and got the job done
…or this is just another example of negotiating by Mozeliak.
Good on Sheehan. I would have sent him down after his last start. Good thing Dodgers don’t listen to moron posters!
The bold statement by Mozeliak that they won’t be trading Arenado is probably because the Dodgers would not include Miller in a trade.
The Cardinals need pitching with Wainright retiring and Flaherty being a FA, but they’ve apparently decided to keep Arenado.
Verlander?
Everybody can relax. Cards not trading Arenado.
Muncy!!!! Stop Arenado trade!!! Ha ha ha ha
Obvious now, Dodgers need Verlander. It’s the only workable solution to solve the pitching issues.
Not Bickford!!!
Seriously… Feel bad for the guy, who by all accounts is a great teammate. Rough business… Hope he finds a happier fate
I have been in Ft. Wayne most of the day. My daughter and three granddaughters were back-to-school shopping, so we met up for an early dinner. Ft. Wayne is really a neat, beautiful city. It used to be a shithole but man-o-man has it changed!
DODGER PRESS RELEASE
DODGERS ACTIVATE JOE KELLY
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly and designated right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford for assignment.
Kelly, 35, was acquired yesterday from the White Sox along with Lance Lynn in exchange for outfielder Trayce Thompson and pitchers Jordan Leasure and Nick Nastrini. He will return for his second stint with the Dodgers after going 7-4 with a 3.59 ERA (42 ER/105.1 IP) and 121 strikeouts in three seasons with Los Angeles. This season, he is 1-5 with a 4.97 ERA (16 ER/29.0 IP) and 41 strikeouts in 31 games for the White Sox. He has been in the Major Leagues parts of 12 years with St. Louis (2012-14), Boston (2014-18), Los Angeles (2019-21) and Chicago-AL (2022-23) and he is 52-37 with a 3.98 ERA (352 ER/796.2 IP) and 713 strikeouts in 439 games. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 First Year Player Draft out of the University of California, Riverside.
Bickford, 28, appeared in 36 games for the Dodgers, allowing 24 runs in 42.0 innings. He was 2-3 with 48 strikeouts against 26 walks for the Dodgers this season and he is a combined 8-6 with a 4.40 ERA (76 ER/155.1 IP) and 176 strikeouts in 154 career games. He was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (18th overall) of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of College of Southern Nevada.
WOW. Just had a lightning bolt hit the mountain behind the building. Scared the holy crap out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heyman just reported the Mets sending Scherzer to the Rangers is now a done deal. All the problems have been resolved. Acuna and three prospects heading to the Mets, Scherzer and cash to the Rangers.
Impasse between Rangers and Mets is about Scherzer’s ability to opt out. Rangers want him to waive that.
Vargas a future MVP? My money is on NOT. Remember where Verlander was at Detroit before Astros got him and what he did for them. It’s a big number but I just don’t see this rotation winning a WS as is. And he’s the only possible difference maker
Scherzer, to Houston on hold according to Mark Feinsand.
Doesn’t mean it won’t happen But say are hurdles to clear
Phill Bickford for assignment. His spot will go to Kelly
Will Verlander be next?
I’m not including Miller or Vargas in any deal.
Listening to MLB radio, they explained how Arenado came up in discussions with St. Louis.
The discussion was centered on pitchers Montgomery and Flaherty. The Cards were asking for premium pitching prospects. For that to happen, Arenado would have to be included. Thus the expanded talks.
Whether they go anywhere is still up in the air.
I’m pretty sure Vargas got some spending money to let Kelly to have 17. Happens a lot.
Because Vargas will be traded watch they got rid of Thompson next Vargas maybe Seattle will want him or the Whitesoxs and we could get Grandal as the backup catcher. That would make Bear happy
Kelly will be available to night and will be wearing his familiar # 17.
Rangers and Mets in agreement on a trade for Scherzer pending Scherzer waiving his no-trade agreement per MLBTR and Michael Schwab of Juice Box Journal.
Verlander is under contract for next season for the same salary he gets this year, 43,333,333. He has a vesting option for 35 mil that becomes a player option if he hits 140 innings pitched. He has won 3 of his last 5 starts going 6, 8, 5. 6 and 7 innings. He has given up 6 runs in those games. 3 of those runs came in his only loss, a 6-0 shutout to the Dodgers. His WHIP is 1.146, just a tick over his career WHIP. He is definitely better than most pitchers on the market. We still do not know if the Mets are seriously thinking about trading him and Scherzer. Scherzer criticized the Mets front office after they traded Robertson.
Wow! Bradley you can spit em out! Arenado? Hell yeah! Make that trade Bradley! Bobby Miller? No
Tonight’s lineup. Peralta LF, Freeman, 1B, Smith, C, Muncy, 3B, Martinez, DH, Heyward, RF, Outman, CF, Taylor, 2B, Rojas, SS, SP Sheehan. Betts scratched with right ankle soreness.
If that catcher Diaz is available from the Rockies the dodgers should go after him . Just to have a back up catcher in case smith get hurt and one that can hit better to. Really, don’t give up on Vargas. Did you see how he hit in the majors he is another AAA guy who can hit pitchers in minors like trayce Thompson. But once in majors or the show he doesn’t hit. If he could hit he would be with the dodgers and he isn’t. They need Arenado to give a little sassy ness to this club. To many nice guys. With Freeman and Betts and Smith always laughing and joking with the other players. Now you got some nasty in that club house that will get in guys faces and say stop being pals out there with the other team. You know who brings that attitude to to the clubhouse Arenado Rosario and Hernandez Kelly four guys now added to the mix of Freeman Smith and Betts. It’s called get tough guys and ship some guys out. Because these guys now are to friendly to other opponents. The sleeper in all of this. Will be when they add Brent Rooker from the A’s. He is a clone of Muncy and the A’s would take just about anybody in the minors the dodgers have. So, my take on this and the dodgers will get they will add Arenado, Montgomery, Rooker, and Diaz that’s my guess. That’s only because I saw a potential trade of the Yankees getting Diaz.
Injuries in baseball is something that happens every day, here are three scary situations that the Dodgers must prevent:
1 W.Smith is injured and Barnes has to play most games.
2 Kershaw still injured
3 Phillips is injured
Crearly Smith, Kershaw and Phillips, rigth now, have no one to replace them, the Dodgers must look for a good back up Catcher, a good SP and a good relieve.
Biggest addition for 2nd half might be Vargas!
Or Pepiot out of the pen.
Can someone post the lineup today. I’m heading to Scarsdale NY to see my grandson in a baseball tournament?
I would not give up Vargas in a trade for Arenado or Verlander.
I agree with those who see Vargas a future MVP. Neither VErlander nor Arenado are worth trading him.
A few prospeccts IMHO should be untouchable: Vargas, Miller, dePaula, Cartaya, Joendry Vargas.
Just my two cents.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I go to dodger bleacher report all the time! When not reading that I’m on here! Love all the trade ideas whether realistic or not! Mark and Bear always bring it! I’ve almost stopped watching mlb network, it’s gotten like ESPN, stupid! Can’t stand mad dog although I do listen Alana when she’s on, miss her doing dodger games! I like Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken, Dan O’Dowd and Cliff Floyd. The rest, not so much . Miss Heidi Watney too. Saw miss Watson while we were at Orioles game, pretty girl, and she has gotten better. Saying little dodger prayers for Arenado! If not him go get Thomas kid from nationals. Don’t give Bobby Miller up in any trade, the potential 1-2 of he and Walker Beuler could be electrifying! Need a win tonight!
As I recall, doesn’t Outman hit lefties about equally or better than he hits right handers? So, why platoon him?
Mark, I too appreciate the optimism with the 2 for 5 trade we just made. I don’t share your optimism but am open minded enough and hopeful enough to want to believe.
This is brand new thinking for me so here goes……
I now believe if we want to give us a decent chance to win it all this year, we should go after 40 year old Justin Verlander, and pay the man for the next 3 years whatever Mets don’t Besides, it’s not my money, so I will leave that out of the equation. But I’m now convinced Verlander would be our best or 2nd best pitcher as we enter the playoffs. We need at least 3 guys we can count on. I’m hoping Urias steps up to be that 3rd man but do not expect Gonsolin to. Lynn could be our 4th. I wonder if Gonsolin would be better off coming out of the bullpen for one inning instead of asking him to pitch 5-6 innings?
So yeah, I’m saying it…..GO GET VERLANDER! Give up some over rated prospects like Stone, Vargas, Cartaya, whoever. Too often i notice those guys disappoint anyhow.
Mark & Bear –
I want to thank both of you for your knowledgeable responses to the critics of the Dodger’s trade deadline moves.
As a daily reader of LADT, I spend my time on your site in hopes that it I will learn something new from the collective baseball expertise that exists here.
I am rewarded for time spent on LADT with the dialogue generated here; in particular, how Mark provokes topics and responds to forum comments with his column pieces and how Bear clarifies on an individual basis some posters’ misinformation or missing context surrounding issues on Dodger baseball.
I also spend time on forums for college football and basketball where addressing misinformation or missing context is not really part of the forum experience. The reason I spend more time on LADT than these other forums is because the learning process here is more complete.
I thank both of you for sharing your time and expertise in my lifelong learning experience about Dodger baseball.
I seldom criticize management since we got Friedman and Roberts. I think they both are excellent and wouldn’t trade either one then for any other President or manager. That being said, help me understand why Muncy plays against left handed pitching. He is currently hitting .128 with an on base percentage of .240. Realizing there is bad luck involved like hard hit balls at defenders, .128 going into August is hard to comprehend.
Last week I said I thought Andrew would trade for Aernado and now I am more convinced than ever. The trades we made this week were not blockbusters but we’re part of the plan. Indeed Andrew plays chess while everyone else is at the Cracker Barrel playing checkers.
I believe his plan goes beyond Aernado and this is a TRANSITION YEAR. I think the plan was to use our abundant minor league system to get Nolan and reset our roster. This helps our offense and defense but the transition will be complicated this winter with the acquisition of Shohei Ohtani. It’s only money and the Dodgers have plenty.
In addition Hayward and Peralta will be free agents and that leaves Mookie, Outman and Deluca as our outfielders assuming Taylor goes in the Aernado deal. That leaves us a little short. So we sign a free agent outfielder named Cody Bellinger. It’s only money. With an outfield of Outman, Bellinger and Betts the outfield defense would be one of the best in baseball.
All this gives the Dodgers a team with a 4 year window to win another championship or two.
Andrew is going to school the Podres and Mets on how to build a winner.
Is CWS at least paying salary after this shitty trade.
Hate that I have to root against Nastrini now. UCLA kid and a good one.
For two retreads . . .
Most analysts believe the Dodgers are still in the market for another starting pitcher. That would be my guess too. Nolan Arenado is probably off the board, but Jordan Montgomery is available and perhaps Justin Verlander. Who knows, maybe Blake Snell.
Obviously, Verlander or Snell could be difference makers, but would the Padres make a deal with the Dodgers? Maybe not, but some MLB pundits think it’s possible. Depends on the prospect return, I suppose.
With a team like the Mets, no one is quite sure, but they did move a reliever. A chance to get younger with a better farm system may be appealing. Hard to buy championships in the free agent market. Who would have thought that Francisco Lindor would turn into a .220 hitter. The old guys like Max Scherzer would seem very risky. Apparently a lot more interest in Verlander than Scherzer and the interest in him has been described as mild. Expensive contract there.
Still some helpful starters available and the finish to the trade deadline should be fun with teams finally deciding to part company with some of their players. Verlander could be a last minute deal or the Mets could keep him with a focus on next season. All things considered they would rather move Scherzer, who is now considered to be part of the problem. But Scherzer is costly and hasn’t pitched well so his trade value is far below Verlander.
Obviously, the Dodgers tried to sign Verlander last spring and thought they had a deal done until the Mets owner added a few dollars more.
But, if the Dodgers truly plan to go all in on Shohei Ohtani this winter, how would adding Verlander impact that pursuit. They do have $90 million coming off the books.
Obviously, the Dodgers believe Lance Lynn’s numbers, the rate of strikeouts etc. look pretty good. Someone taking an inside look on MLB TV, believes he has been very unlucky, he has pitched far better than the ERA.
I would agree that a change of scenery and going to a championship club will give him a shot in the arm.
No matter what the Dodgers do next year, they do need to give Michael Busch a legitimate shot to start and play next season. In the past, Paul LoDuca, Davy Lopes, Maury Wills and many others have faced similar situations and have succeeded.
A friend of mine has a cousin whose barber told him Arendao will be a Dodger by Monday. Bank it!
Maybe Amed can become our “Rosario” for 2023. I’m sure you all remember what happened in 2021
I believe, and I hope so, that the Dodgers get another starting pitcher and use Gonsolin as a long reliever (The same thing Julio did in 2020) because he only works for 3 or 4 innings before falling into trouble. And if they get Arenado, and if Muncy leaves (hopefully not) then and only then would I go for Bellinger, to be the left-handed hitter it would take to level the lineup.