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
- 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
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Discussion (124)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Freese could be out for up to 6 weeks.
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!
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.
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!
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.
He doesn’t have to be great to give us more than we’ve got so far!
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…
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.
Pass the baton AJ!
Campy – You’re preaching to the choir!!! I’ve wished Belli was over ever since the musical chairs began at 1B…
Dodger offense looks feeble through 6 IP. Making Sanchez look like Cy Young.
Hey, great win there by Joe Kelly!
Bear Claw was a reliever many Dodger fans pined for… FICKLE!
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.
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?
This is a situation where having Felipe Vasquez would come in handy.
Wow. KJ is no longer an elite closer. Are we looking for a closer this week? Poor control, no put away pitch.
Wow! How ugly was that?
Always a nice feeling when the ump hands you two strikes.
Phew
The fact that Doc said He’s our closer… right now, tells me a lot.
When is the last time KJ had a clean, 1-2-3 inning?
Incompetent pitch calling by the plate ump got Kenley out of that inning.
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.
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.
At least Kenley had good velocity and movement. Remember when he could throw it wherever he wanted?