This could fall under the category of “Go Big or Go Home!
Fans who think the Dodgers should make a trade right about now are simply uninformed or borderline delusional. It’s always been about the trade deadline, not the last day of May. Teams that are out of it will look to sell, and teams like the Dodgers will look to buy. In the NL West, the Rockies will be sellers and, quite likely, the D-Backs (whom I predicted would have a sub-.500 record before the season began). The Marlins and the Mets will look to sell and, to a lesser extent, the Nationals. It is yet to be decided, but the Cardinals, Cubs, Pirates and Reds could also be sellers in the NL.
In the AL, the Red Sox, Rays, and Jays are all teetering around the .500 mark, so they could be buyers or sellers. We will have to wait until the trade deadline. Of course, the White Sox are sellers, but so could the Tigers and Twins in the AL Central. I could also see any team in the AL West becoming a seller: The Mariners, Rangers, Astros, As, and Angels are all underwhelming, but some could also be buyers. The Trade Deadline is August 1st, which means that teams are jockeying for position all of June and July.
Shoot, now that the Braves have lost Acuna and Strider, I could see a scenario where they sell. It’s not likely, but it could happen. There is a lot of time and circumstance before the trade starts going down, and I do believe that you will see a flurry of activity at the August 1 deadline. Who buys and who sells is still up in the air, but the Dodgers will absolutely be buyers.
Let me float an idea that may seem absurd to a team that already has a $312 million team payroll. If the Dodgers are not satisfied with their situation at 2B by the deadline, would they consider trading for Francisco Lindor and moving Mookie back to 2B? The Mets will be sellers. Alonzo and others are rumored to be on the block, but why not a guy who is now 30 and is owed $34.1 million for the next seven years? Yes, he is underperforming, and maybe he won’t be the offensive force he once was, but he is a wizard with the glove, has power, and would certainly be solid at SS.
Lux would have to be part of the deal, but his value is not high. What would it take to get Lindor? Well, the Mets need to rebuild, so it starts with Josue DePaula and Joendry Vargas, and includes River Ryan Landon Knack and a 5th player. That’s a lot to pay, but remember, the Dodgers are getting one of the best shortstops in the game in Lindor! The Mets could easily be persuaded to take back CT3’s contract in the deal.
The lineup would be lengthened immensely with Lindor’s career .809 OPS.
- Betts 2B
- Ohtani DH
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Teoscar RF
- Muncy 3B
- Lindor SS
- Vargas LF
- Outman/Pages CF
Bench: Kike, Heyward, Barnes, Rojas
It is a consideration in my opinion. Print the tickets!
Chris Vallimont
Much of this is from MLBTRADERUMORS.com
The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Vallimont to a minor league contract, as announced by Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman (X link). Vallimont started for OKC last night and went 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, zero runs, 1 BB while striking out 5.
A fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2018, Vallimont has now been a part of five organizations in affiliated ball. He was traded to the Twins in 2019 and subsequently bounced to the Orioles and Guardians via waivers or minor trade. Vallimont’s only major league appearance came with Baltimore last July. The Guardians acquired him from the O’s shortly thereafter but ran him through outright waivers without getting him into an MLB game.
The 27-year-old has struggled in the upper minors. Vallimont carries a 6.07 ERA in 123 Double-A frames and has allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine over 158 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. The Mercyhurst product has a decent 22% strikeout rate in his Triple-A career, though, and he’s coming off a strong showing in independent ball.
Vallimont, who elected minor league free agency last October, began this year with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He threw 27 1/3 innings over five starts, turning in a 3.29 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced. It seems he’ll work as rotation depth for the Dodgers and he has prior experience in long relief.
Discussion (33)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Eric be civil in your comments and not anything personal against Mark, or anyone on the site. State your opinion and reargue the point or points and leave alone after that. Too much drama from you in the past.
CJ Abrams. Push the chips in, whatever it takes..
We can always sign top end starting pitchers through Free Agency, and they always break anyway.
Elite core pieces, when you’re continually selecting at the bottom of the draft are hard to find, so use our stock of middling prospect depth to go get another elite and cheap, pillar of the lineup for years to come. That would give us,
Mookie
Shoehei
Freddie
Will
CJA
We desperately need a premier SS
Start the conversation with Bobby M, The Nats need some SP.
Can extend him and Freddie at any time.
Bichette or Lindor isn’t the point. The point is that the strain of playing SS is wearing down Mookie and already beginning to negatively affect his offense. Whether they do it with Rojas or a trade – the Dodgers need to play someone else at SS so they can move Betts permanently back to 2B this season. ..Or else he’ll be worn out before the summer ends and never be the superstar bat this team needs him to be.
Relax everybody, Walker will be a beast come August, Miller will be back as well, and Kersh on the horizon. Bullpen still missing Kelly , Graduerol, who might be out for a minute,. Also Mad Max will be back, low batting average and all, but still a big time home run threat . And we all know that come July that Freidman is never afraid to make a move at the trade deadline. Not even stressing, WAY too early to get your panties in a bunch. What’s amazing me and also is embarrassing as hell is all these Dodger fans who are living their lives game by game at bat by at bat , pitch by pitch. Fred Roggin on AM 570 sports talk LA said it perfectly today. The season is a novel, with lots of twists and turns, you just have to read the story. It’s only June 1st for God s sake!!! Just chill the hell out everybody , and let things play out. CT3 will either turn it around or he won’t. The outfield will either start producing or Freidman will pull the trigger at the deadline, and he has never been afraid to do so. Crack a damn beer and loosen the top button, it’s all gonna work out.
Once again, the Dodgers return to Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers offense takes another nosedive at home to another last place team, the Rockies. Am I the only one who notices the bad Dodger offense at Dodger stadium?
Ridiculous to have a guy like this shut us down!
Ohtani in left and JDM at dh
This is a tough group, and you all lack vision.
Lindor has a career OPS of .809. Batting average doesn’t mean as much as OPS. WAR also means more than BA.
In Lindors’ first three years in NY he had OPS in the .700’s. Last year it was .806. He is not doing great this year, but he has 9 HR.
RVS and company seem to click with talented players. Lindor is a talented player. In his best year, he put up a .871 OPS with 38 HR and 25 SBs.
Don’t always look at what is or what was… sometimes you have to have the vision to see WHAT CAN BE!
… and he is an IRON MAN. He plays every day.
Robert Jr would be a bettee option with Heyward and Pages and Teo hernandez in the outffield those four can play any of the outfield positions tha be bettee then Tommy Pham.
Don’t the dodgers have enough .180 hitters?? Bring in someone who moves the meter!! If the pirates fall out could McCutchen be an option? haven’t looked but I’m pretty sure he’s hitting. over .250 with power. Although Pham would be a better option from a production standpoint. LM. probably better attitude wise. But hey ,if vargas hits problems solved!!
The Diamondbacks placed Gallen on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a right hamstring strain.
We have our closer back:
05/31/24 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Evan Phillips from the 15-day injured list.
05/31/24 Los Angeles Dodgers designated RHP Elieser Hernández for assignment.
The 40 man roster is now at 39.
10:10 PM ET
Rockies (20-35)
Dodgers (36-22)
SPDakota Hudson R
1-7 5.54 ERA
SP Walker Buehler R
1-2 4.26 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
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Miguel Rojas R
CF Andy Pages R
64° Wind 3 mph Out
NO Vargas
I get every MLB game. Here’s how I do it:
1. Subscribe to MLB.com
2. Buy Express VPN and set your location in Canada.
https://www.expressvpn.com/order
You can even download it on your TVs or smartphones.
I just checked the deadline this year is July 30th, not August 1st.
When we discuss trades, are we just assuming that AF has unlimited amounts of money to spend on payroll every year? Lindor is owed $34 mil per year for the next 7 years after this year. I think that money could be better spent elsewhere.
If we’re going to make that kind of commitment, I’ll take Kyle Tucker who, when he reaches free agency after 2025 will probably get a contract of somewhere in the neighborhood of 10/350. I’d rather use the money on him but would only trade for him this year (assuming he would be available) if we were willing to commit to signing him in free agency.
Although Lindor plays a more important defensive position, Tucker has a lifetime OPS+ of 137, 20 points higher than Lindor’s and 37% above league average. He’s also a better than average fielder.
I would take a wait and see attitude. There is no need to trade for any more players that can’t hit.
I wouldn’t play our butter knives, Taylor and Kike. We know what they can do. Not much. I would give the playing time to Pages, Vargas, Oatman and anyone in the minors that can play 3B. Maybe those could make something happen to solve part of the problem. Maybe Lux and Heyward can return to form.
The biggest weakness seems to be OF. That’s what I would be looking for at the trade deadline.
As usual, another thought provoking piece from Mark. My initial reaction to the proposed acquisition of Lindor, was NO WAY!
However, I concede there may be something to the idea once I considered some of the known factors at hand:
According to fangraphs, over the last 10 years Lindor possesses the highest WAR (48.4) and the best defensive rating (152.2) of all qualifying shortstops. While two former Dodgers rate as the top two offensive shortstops over the last 10 years, despite his disappointing performance with the NYM, Lindor came in 5th overall in offensive rating and ranks 7th in wRC+ (117).
At 30 years old, is there enough in Lindor’s tank to turn things around? Is there enough bark in that dog? Unless, there is a decline in skills, Lindor has shown what he can do in the right environment. In their current state, the Mets are not an organization that is going to produce a winning product unless there is a complete overhaul of that team.
Memories of Adrian Beltre came up when I read the proposed trade idea. While there is no guarantee that moving Lindor out of NY is going to produce an outcome similar to what Adrian Beltre experienced when he left Seattle, like Adrian Beltre prior to his time in Seattle, Lindor has shown an ability to perform at an elite level prior to his time in NY. However, from a pure talent perspective, can the LAD reasonably expect Lindor to turn the clock back to his days with Cleveland? Will LAD brass be willing to absorb that type of commitment in what would essentially be an experiment? I realize we have a good track record of turning careers around; i.e. Justin Turner and Max Muncy. But that is a huge risk, unless LAD brass can convince the Mets to take on dead salaries of our own (i.e. CT3) and offer higher end prospects to persuade the Mets to take on payroll, that type of commitment would be a tough pill to swallow.
On the field, if LAD brass was able to workout a trade, there is a reasonable chance the LAD end up with one of the most athletic and dynamic middle infields in the game with Lindor and Betts up the middle. Wonder how our pitchers feel about that? (sarcasm)
The idea is a long shot in my opinion but not as far fetched once you take a closer at some of the known factors.
Lindor once WAS one of the top ss in the game. Now his is an overpaid JAG on the wrong side of 30. No way I would make that deal you suggested.
Lux plus Knack would be my ultimate offer. Take it or leave it if you want to dump his salary##
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday scores
Oklahoma City 11, Albuquerque 1
Tulsa 15, Northwest Arkansas 3
West Michigan 6, Great Lakes 5
Lake Elsinore 4, Rancho Cucamonga 2
Friday schedule
3 p.m. PT (doubleheader): Tulsa (Orelando Ortiz-Mayr & TBA) vs. Northwest Arkansas (Mason Barnett & TBA)
3:35 p.m.: Great Lakes (Jerming Rosario) at West Michigan (Colin Fields)
5:35 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Patrick Copen) at Lake Elsinore (Eric Yost)
6:45 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Dinelson Lamet) at Albuquerque (Peyton Battenfield)
The Drillers are playing a doubleheader, with the second game the makeup of a rainout on April 27.
If you have yet to read Andy McCulloughs book yet on Kersh, do yourself a favor and read it this weekend.
It was excellent. Took me 3 days to read it, gave it to my son and he never reads and he’s halfway thur.
Its great….. but the final chapter aint written yet….Kersh gets the parade down Figueroa Street with the rest of the Dodgers!
I thought these fantasy trade talks that will never happen is for the offseason when ran out of anything else to talk about
Rojas is hitting .284 with a .790 OPS. He. Plays good defense. Why would I want Lindor?
Mookie is fine at SS. He is actually above avg defensively.
We’ll make moves for sure, but I dont think we need a SS.
Lets enjoy the ride….
Mark,
Now I have to ask what are u smoking? No way the Dodgers take on that contract. The Mets would have to absorb Taylor and pay half of the salary the rest of the contract for starters. Who knows they bought scherzer and verlander then paid part of their salary to get rid of them. I like Lindor as a player but he isn’t worth half what he is getting.
Seriously, Lindor over Bichete? Someone proposed a trade for Bichete and no one thought it was a good idea (I really liked it). But does a trade for Lindor seem like a good idea? Wow!
If it were up to me, I would go for a starter and a power OF who can plays every day. Or in the last case, for a second baseman.
Hey Bradley, you going to Santa Barbara this weekend to watch our Dogs baseball team??
I like your Lindor idea!!! Only one thing i would do different. i would keep Lux , dump Taylor, and use Gavin as utility player. With Lindor at shortstop it would make the left side of the infield better defensively. You would have Mookie at second with Lux and Rojas off the bench. Could even have Mookie play some outfield now and then. Even. Bichette would make a lot of sense! He’s going to get traded! But Lindor is under control so that’s probably the best move. …….. The Rockies been playing a lot better lately!! So don’t take them lightly this weekend!! ………. 3 game homestand and back on the road??? weird schedule! ……. Tommy Pham has always been marked as a discontent. But he’s wanted to be a Dodger for awhile. Wouldn’t hurt to take a flyer on him would it? …. The NBA finals are ready to start. Who gives a sh*t?? Know i don’t!! Good weekend everybody!! Go Barnes!!!
Wondering if anyone out there knows the logic…… And the question is about how the MLB does things, so there’s that… But living in Colorado I’m blacked out for tonight’s game, but the Rockies no longer have a local broadcast partner. So how does anyone in Colorado watch this game? Seems kind of weird to me. But this was their announcement back whenever.
>>a result the Rockies have partnered with Major League Baseball to produce and distribute all Colorado Rockies games in 2024.<<
It says the MLB is producing the games for the Rockies. This just seems stupid to me.
I’ll give credit for the outside the box Lindor trade.
But no way does he garner multiple elite prospects or even one.
Salary dump
A trade for Lindor?
Now that’s probably the boldest idea I’ve seen you float, Mark. And it actually makes some sense, assuming that the Mets would consider it. If they want to fully rebuild, Lindor would certainly bring a big return. The Dodgers have the pieces to pull it off, though they might lack the will.
Lindor would be expensive, of course, but he would provide the Dodgers with a proven SS, top-tier on both offense and defense, and enable Mookie to move back to 2B.
What do the Mets need?
Perhaps the better question is what don’t they need, especially if they deal their marquee shortstop.
Lindor, huh?
Uh, no.
Would Lindor make a difference when it comes to the playoffs? Or the World Series? How much payroll can the Dodgers absorb?
No doubt they need a solution at shortstop. Maybe they should have signed Corey Seager when they had a chance . Or Trea Turner. But Lindor?
Hasn’t Lindor been pretty much a below average hitter lately? You point that out. So this is all about his glove, right? Pretty expensive glove. If I’m the Mets, I’d love to make a deal with the Dodgers. The Mets are an expensive mess. Lindor is a part of the mess, bad contract and all. Let the Mets keep him.
The Dodgers are a very good baseball team. Not a super team, but a good team. We’re on the edge of June. Maybe take a deep breath and see how things look in July. I’m sure the Dodgers will find ways to improve. Not sure shortstop will be at the top of Friedman’s list.
Dalton Rushing is definitely one of the brightest prospects the Dodgers have in the minors.
Good write-up today, Mark.
Why wait untill the trade deadline. Call up the Mets.