The Lip
The 27th of July was the birthday of one of the most successful Dodger managers. Leo the Lip Durocher. Leo Ernest Durocher was born on July 27th, 1905 in West Springfield Massachusetts. His parents had immigrated to the US from Quebec Canada. His mother was a hotel maid and his father worked as a railroad engineer. He died not long after Durocher was born. His family only spoke French, so
The 27th of July was the birthday of one of the most successful Dodger managers. Leo the Lip Durocher. Leo Ernest Durocher was born on July 27th, 1905 in West Springfield Massachusetts. His parents had immigrated to the US from Quebec Canada. His mother was a hotel maid and his father worked as a railroad engineer. He died not long after Durocher was born. His family only spoke French, so when Leo started school, he did not know how to speak English. The Durocher family lived two blocks from Rabbit Maranville. He taught Durocher the game of baseball and gave him a glove.
Durocher became a good athlete in high school and was offered a scholarship to Holy Cross. But he was suspended from school for hitting a teacher, and never returned. Leo became a prominent semi-pro player with many Springfield area company’s competing to have him play on their company teams.
After being scouted by the Yankees, Leo broke in to pro ball with the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League in 1925. He was called up for two games, and then spent 26 and 27 in the minors playing for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, and then the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.
He was called up to the Yankees in 1928. A regular player, he was nicknamed “The All American Out” by team mate, Babe Ruth. Leo was a favorite of Yanks manager, Miller Huggins, who immediately identified him as manager material because of his passion, ego, competitiveness and his capacity to remember situations. But his outspokenness did not endear him to Yankee management, and his habit of passing bad checks to finance his expensive tastes in clothes and nightlife annoyed General Manager, Ed Barrow.
Leo helped the Yanks win their second consecutive title in 1928 and then demanded a raise. He was sold to the Reds on the 5th of February, 1930. Leo played 3 seasons for the Reds, and was traded mid season in 1933 to the St Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were more Leo’s cup of tea. His fiery style fit right in with the Gas House Gang. He was given #2 and wore that number for the rest of his career. He supposedly inspired the Gas House Gang moniker and helped the Cards win the 34 series. He was a vicious bench jockey and rode his opponents constantly. He was the captain of the team and stayed with the Cardinals through the 1937 season and then was traded to the Dodgers. The Cardinals received Joe Stripp, Roy Henshaw, Johnny Cooney and Jim Bucher for Leo. Durocher was never a great hitter. His career BA is .247 and he hit only 24 HR’s. But he was a leader on the field. In 38 and 39 he was the regular SS for Brooklyn. In 1938 , his first year with the Dodgers, he was named player-manager by team president Larry McPhail. They were a combustible combination, and like Steinbrenner with Martin, McPhail hired and fired Durocher a few times. McPhail was pretty open to spending and trading for stars. He added Dolph Camilli, Kirbe Higby, Billy Herman and he bought a young SS from the Red Sox, Pee Wee Reese. By the end of the 1941 season, Reese had impressed Leo so much at SS that he gave up his regular job so Pee Wee could play. Pee Wee would spend 18 years as a Dodger. McPhail picked up some pretty good pieces for Leo, and they went to the World Series in 1941. First time in 21 years. One of those pickups was free agent OF, Pete Reiser. Reiser was ruled a free agent by MLB because of some mess up by Cardinals president Branch Rickey.
It was during his first year as manager that Durocher came into his own. The most iconic image of Leo is him going toe to toe with an umpire until he was eventually thrown out of the game. He valued this kind of fire in his players, and it was during this time he coined the phrase, ” Nice Guys Finish Last” He honestly believed that. Leo was also notorious for ordering his pitchers to hit opposing batters. If he wanted a batter hit, he would simply yell, ” Stick it in his ear”. Durocher’s relationship with McPhail was tempestuous. McPhail was a heavy drinker, and he and Leo would argue and he would fire him, and then rehire him in the morning. McPhail’s leadership of the Dodgers ended when he joined the Army during WWII. His replacement was Branch Rickey. Rickey retained Durocher and the Dodgers engaged the Cardinals in the first playoff in NL history. Durocher also regularly clashed with commissioner, Happy Chandler. Chandler had taken over in 1945 and warned Durocher to stay away from some of his old friends who were gamblers, bookmakers, and had mob connections. All of these people Leo allowed a free rein at Ebbets Field. Leo was very close to actor George Raft with whom he shared a house in Los Angeles. He also admitted to a nodding acquaintance with mobster Bugsy Seigel. He encouraged card schools in the club house and was something of a pool shark.
Things finally came to a head when his affair with married actress Laraine Day came to light. This drew criticism from the Influential Brooklyn Catholic Youth Organization. In spring of 1947, Leo got into trouble again. He and George Raft supposedly rigged a crap game that Dizzy Trout was in and took Dizzy Trout for a lot of money. Chandler suspended him for association with known gamblers, and the Dodgers had to have Burt Shotton replace him for the 1947 season, which was of course, Jackie Robinson’s rookie year. Leo played an influential part in assimilating Jackie onto the team. He let it be known that he would not tolerate the dissent of players on the Dodgers who were opposed to Jackie’s playing with the Dodgers. He said he did not care what color a player was, if he could help the Dodgers win the pennant, he wanted him on his team. There was a petition going around the clubhouse against having Robinson play. Some of the players who signed that petition were eventually traded by Branch Rickey, most notably, Dixie Walker and Kirbe Higby who were sent to Pittsburgh. In 1948, Leo returned to the Dodgers, but his personality and bad results caused a riff with Rickey and on July 16th, 1948, Durocher and Giant owner Horace Stoneham negotiated a deal that allowed Durocher to manage the Giants.
Leo enjoyed a lot of success with the Giants, exacting some revenge when his 51 team beat Brooklyn in the playoffs. He won his only World Championship in 1954 when the Giants beat the Indians. As Dodger manager Leo went 738-565. close to .570 winning pct. He was 637-523 with the Giants who he managed until 1955. Then in 1966 he was managing the Chicago Cubs after a stint as a coach for Walter Alston’s Dodgers 61to 64, getting another ring in 63. He went 535-526 with the Cubs over a seven year run. In 1972 he managed the last 31 games for the Astros and then the entire 1973 season. He went 82-80. and 98-95 over all and then he retired. Leo’s over all total is 2008-1709. At the time of his retirement he was 5th over all in MLB history.
Leo worked a lot in television. He was a commentator on NBC for the game of the week for a while, he also hosted NBC’s Comedy Hour and Jackpot bowling. He played himself in the Red Skelton movie, “Whistling in Brooklyn”. He also appeared in episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies and The Munster’s. I remember that episode well. Herman wrecks the ball field. One of his line drives knocks the scoreboard down. The last scene in the show, Leo is walking with Crazy Legs Hirsch and a football comes flying into his hands. He asks Leo where the nearest park is, and Leo reply’s, don’t ask.
Leo was the first manager to win 500 plus games with three teams. He died on October 7, 1991 in Palm Springs. He was married 4 times. He is buried in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall in 1994.
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Discussion (235)
Disagree, not disagreeable
It was hard not to like Leo Durocher. I first remember him as the third base coach for the Dodgers. Always great to listen to him on an interview show. He apparently lost that coaching job when he criticized Walter Alston for keeping Don Drysdale in the clubhouse while Dodgers relievers lost the deciding playoff game in 1962 to the Giants. After that he co-hosted a sports talk radio show, and was garrulous and charming. Then he got the Cubs managing job, and turned them around to where it looked like they had the best team in baseball in 1969, but they were caught by the Mets, and Durocher is blamed for some of that, it is a fascinating story.
I read this autobiography. He says that he never actually coined the phrase, “Nice guys finish last,” to mean a general rule. Some writer was asking him about some manager who was in last place, and the writer said, “He’s a really nice guy,” and Durocher said, “Yeah, nice guys finish last,” not intending to intimate that all the nice guys always finish last. He wanted to point that out.
Roger Kahn, author of the great book, “The Boys of Summer,” had high regard for Durocher as a manager. In the book “Bums,” a very enjoyable oral history of the Dodgers written by Peter Golenbock, someone said that Durocher was the greatest manager he had ever seen in terms of figuring the strategy of how to manage that particular game. His problems came from being abrasive at times, consorting with some questionable people, and advocating a very intense style of play which often led to beanball fights with other teams.
When the Dodgers would go to Chicago for a series, Vin Scully would interview Durocher, and you could see the mutual regard. Durocher knew so much about the game, and had great insights into strategy and the various players. I guess that one had to take him for what he was, the positive and the negative. He was unique, and there are not really any managers and baseball personalities like him now, which is a shame.
Another great oldie-but-goodie bio, Bear! I’ve really been enjoying them. Wasn’t Durocher involved in the infamous cheating scandal, where the Giants used a telescope in center field to tip off which pitches were coming? I think that Bobby Thompson eventually admitted that.
On another topic, is Seager now expendable for a trade? He will be a FA anyway. Seager for Kimbrel?
Funny how all the chatter about the loss to the Giants, and the Padres adding Scherzer just disappeared around the time AF all of a sudden jumped in and stole the Padres thunder.
The Scherzer trade should be official sometime tomorrow. They are checking the medicals and waiting for league approval. Turner will not be joining the team immediately as he is in quarantine and has to pass several tests before he can play. Knebel had a strong inning yesterday, giving up 1 hit and striking out two. When Turner does join the team I believe it will allow them to use Taylor as was originally intended, as a super sub. He can spell just about everyone on the team. I think the roster victims will be Raley, and McKinstry. Two of the relief corps will probably be sent down or placed on the IL> I think Gonzalez is still not healthy and he goes on the IL. Bickford and Vesia will be the bubble guys. Knebel easily fills a late inning role. Bench will be Beaty, Barnes, Taylor, Pujols and McKinney if they keep him. Of course tomorrow might bring some other changes.
I’ve been dreaming of Scherzer joining the Dodgers for years, especially when the Nats beat the Dodgers in their WS year. I seem to recall hearing that he actually wanted to be traded to the Dodgers years ago. Does anyone remember that?
Love the fact that AF wants to win now. And in this season where we have been plagued by injuries and the TB debacle, getting Scherzer and Trea Turner makes a great story line. Looking forward to the playoff run against the Midgets and Pads. Don’t know much about Duffy. That sure wasn’t on the radar. Do you think AF is done? I suspect not. We’ll see today!
Nice post on Durocher. When I was growing up, he was iconic. Central casting’s idea of a baseball manager. Alston always struck me as boring, but I’ve since heard that he could be an intimidating presence in the clubhouse.
So what will the new lineup be pretty soon? Assuming that Belli’s wheels are healthy, maybe…
Betts RF
T. Turner 2B
Muncy 1B
J. Turner 3B
Seager SS
Smith C
Belli CF
Pollock LF
That is kind of amazing.
I think TT is the Dodger SS of the future, but the easiest move now is to leave the job to Seager. Trea has demonstrated a lot more versatilty than Seager. If Belli’s needs to stay at 1B for health reasons, then Trea plays CF and Muncy takes 2B.
Struck by a couple thoughts: Trea Turner is the kind of player we hope Lux could become. (I’m a little surprise the Nats insist on Lux too and maybe offer Harrison back. Who knows? Maybe they tried.) Also, Turner is a big improvement over my hankering for the speedy Starling Castro, who could have been acquired at a more modest cost. I wonder how long AF has been angling for TT.
I don’t think AF is done. Some of the bench guys could be included in a deal for an RP, perhaps even another big splash.
Both excited about the acquisitions and disappointed to see Ruiz and Gray go. I liked Gray’s stuff. With a DH next year Ruiz may have had a chance to play more but for now he’s blocked since we have to carry Barnes. I think Ruiz will be a star so the Dodgers better win it all to give up those two.
The question remains where do they play everyone. Not so fast casting Taylor back to super sub. He’s been great. Pollock has been excellent too. I’m a Cody fan but he’s a mess. If TT wasn’t on the Covid list I’d send Belli down to AAA to get his act together. He may be platooning down the stretch.
The infield will have Muncy, TT, Seager, and JT. The OF has AJ, CT3, Mookie, and Belli to choose from.
The trade does a couple of things. First, it protects them at SS next year if they lose both Seager and CT3. Second, it protects them if Mookie’s hip continues to be a problem and is worse than what’s being let on.
This is really the first time AF has emptied out the system. Yes, I know Miller and Cartaya are still around but our system has been drained. Lux for Kimbrel for the final piece?
If TB isn’t a complete idiot the Dodgers don’t need to do this although I would still love TT.
When / if all batters are healthy:
RF- Betts
SS – Seager
2B – Turner
1B – Muncy
3B – Turner
C – Smith
CF – Bellinger
LF – Pollock
Bench
Pujols
Taylor
Barnes
Beaty
McKinstry
Starters
Scherzer
Kershaw
Buehler
Urias
Price – Gonsolin (Bauer?)
He never do nothing bad or wrong on the field.
Bullpen
??????????
HOTTIE Watney of the MLB Network reported that Corey Seager will be activated today and back in the Dodger lineup vs the Snakes. Man she is gorgeous!
Well it is a little after 7 on the east coast. 9 hours until the deadline. Who moves today??? Cubs keep trading? Most likely with Bryant and Kimbrel headed to new teams. Padres want Berrios badly. But I am glad we have Scherzer. His playoff resume is impressive. Some guy on twitter who is obviously a Padre fan was saying wow, you guys traded for a guy who’s ERA vs the Pads was about 11. Well, Scherzer only faced them once this season and was lit up. But over his career he is 4-2 against the Padres and his ERA just a tick over 3. He has allowed 10 HR’s in 13 games and struck out 119 Padres in 82.1 innings. He is 4-5 against the Giants, 2-4 against the Rockies and 8-0 against the D-Backs. Since he most likely will start Tuesday’s game at home against the Astros, he is 3-1 against them. He is 7-5 in the post season. Berrios is 0-1 in post season and has a 7-5 record this season with an ERA comparable to Max, but Max is 8-4.
Wow. AF amd the Dodgers really are going for it. Like it.
Giving up Gray and Ruiz is tough but you got to give something to get quality. With Cartaya waiting in the wings the loss of Ruiz is tolerable.
Now go all in and get Kimbrel too. DJ peters has been DFA anyway. So him and a pitching prospect (Pepiot, Beeter anyone not named Miller) and it could be done.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All for giving Bellinger some time to get his stroke back but if he’s still struggling does he become a bench piece brought in for defense late in the game with Turner moving to short (sorry Corey but Turner’s better defensively)? Who would you rather have in the lineup Bellinger or Taylor?
The era of 2 Turners begins.
Very exciting news to wake up to this morning. Always sad to lose potential stars of the future, but you gotta give to get.
It seems to me that much of our chances this season depend on the health of key personnel.
If I’m not mistaken the following are currently convalescing or recently returned to the fray,
Scherzer
Kershaw
Duffy
Mookie
Seager
Lux
Belinger
Turner T (Covid)
Graterol
Knebel
Kelly
Gonzalez
Nelson
Plus the long term casualties.
Seems an awful lot of question marks, but I guess other aspiring teams have the same problems.
There is also a slim chance that Bauer could also return.
What a great position that would put us in for the Post Season.
Think we might add Kennedy today.
Wow, everyone is up bright and early today. I feel like a kid at Christmas. I’ve always loved Scherzer, with his weird eyes and his dirty stuff. He’s intense and is a warrior, a great addition even at age 37.
I was pretty shocked at Trea Turner coming in the same deal, but it makes a whole lot of sense. Doc already said that Seager’s going back to SS and Trea’s taking over at 2B. Of course that’s how they’re going to play it. TT is under control for another year and they don’t want to piss off Seags right before free agency.
Taylor is very valuable to this team as the Super Utility guy and will keep playing as much as a starter allowing them to give Belli a day or two off and some motivation to get this head and swing straight, Mookie time off to rest his hip, Turner and Pollock regular breathers.
Duffy gives them a veteran left handed option in the pen so they don’t have to rely on those lefty kids as much. I would be surprised if they get another bullpen arm at this point. With Scherzer coming and Kershaw coming back, these moves push two starters back to the pen that getting more and more loaded lately with Graterol coming back and Knebel about to return.
After watching this video about Bauer yesterday, I’m more convinced that Bauer won’t be charged…
That isn’t to say that I’m convinced that he will be back this year. We already saw how Manfred reacts to political pressure, so my guess is that he does his best to kick this can into the offseason to give people time to forget about their faux outrage before Bauer comes back to pitch next season. He definitely doesn’t want Bauer on National Television in the playoffs and holding up that trophy.
I’ll be glued to the TV and the Web today to see if Andrew has another trick up his sleeve, or if Preller will now sell out the future and knee jerk a reaction to getting Scherzer plucked out his hand.
Here’s Joe Musgrove’s very unconvincing tweet regarding the Scherzer-Turner coup de gras. It really sounds like he’s trying to convince himself that everything’s going to be okay while pretended they’re not in 3rd place right now.
“It doesn’t change things, man. We feel like we’re better than that team, regardless. We feel like we want it more, we’ve got the pieces that we need. We’ve still got another day, so who knows what Preller’s got up his sleeve.”
Sure you do, Joe. You keep telling yourself that.
Hey Watford Dodger,
You put a smile on my face when you said you agreed with my analysis regarding the Bauer treatment. I figured my thoughts are in the minority and probably not appreciated by many….so hearing a fellow Dodger brother give me a big “amen” was refreshing. Thanks…
PS
I haven’t gotten to many “amens” screaming for Cody Bellinger to either be traded or at least returned to the minors to work out all of his batting issues. Can I get an “amen” for that? Lol
TM
To me, prospects are suspects until they prove they can play in the majors. I think a lot of McKinstry’s problems are directly tied to him being out for a while with an injury. He, like Bellinger, has struggled since he came off of the IL> Not everyone can be activated and do what Crawford did to us today. But McKinstry does not have as much value defensively as Belli does, so most likely he and Raley are sent down. Someone will have to be moved besides Peters. Who might be included in a deal today, who knows. Rockies say they are keeping Gray and may offer him a QO this winter.
Is Andrew Friedman done? Not certain. I can still see him adding a bullpen piece. Craig Kimbrel is still out there or maybe another reliever. I would start Tony Gonsolin over David Price. But if they’re done, that’s okay too as long as Corey Knebel is healthy and ready to go.
The Dodgers can make all the trades they want, however, Roberts handling of the bullpen will probably do them in.
And the era of two Turners.
This trade made sense having Turner included. His versatility is like a huge insurance policy. Gives the option to send Lux to AAA to get his s…. together and come back up in September. If Bellie has to stay on first Turner can go to center. He can spell Cori on ss and Muncy on 2nd.
Oh and I like how they included the other Max in the deal!
Yesterday, before the trade was being talked about, the Dodgers were 4/1 to win the WS. SF was 9/1, Padres 17/2. The money believed that once we get our starters back we are the better team. I agree with the money. Today? When these trades are announced those odds are going to change. We will be in the drivers seat gassed up with new tires.
I still don’t know why the Nationals are trading an All Star 5-7 WAR player for a few prospects It’s like they know something we don’t. Are they confident he will go back in a little over a year? Will they both go back? I don’t think so, but, I don’t know.
I think it’s safe to say Bauer is in the rear view mirror. You don’t bring that toxin back into this. This has the makings of something brilliant. The next 70+ games could be historic. This is going to be fun. Sure hope it gets announced soon.
Yes Turner played CF for a while, but he’s been a shortstop for 5 years. For better or worse Seager is the shortstop here. We have a Gold Glove in center. It’s go to be interesting how this plays out.
Wow, lots of activity on the blog so early in the morning. AF has really done an about face in how he likes to build a championship team starting last year with the signing of Mookie to a long term contract and then signing Bauer in the offseason. Now with acquiring Scherzer and Turner using their top two prospects to help complete Friedman’s most aggressive trade so far. And he may not be done. An additional BP piece will most likely be acquired i.e. Kimbrel or Kennedy. With all the regulars coming back from injury in the next few days and add in this trade, talk about an infusion of talent. It’s staggering.
William, I guess AF did what you were asking for in trading top prospects for superstar talent. The trade may or may not help much in 2022 depending on what happens between now and the beginning of next season. But, it appears that AF has been given the green light to win it all this year and not to worry about next season or the future. Giving up all that talent for two months of Scherzer and a year and two months of Turner could be questioned. But, how much is too much if you win the WS this year. That’s what the Cubs did in 2016. Five short years later they are trading a good chunk of that WS winning team away. I’m very happy with the trade but still surprised that AF did what he did. After going so long with no WS titles and finally winning last year why not go for it again this year. If not now, when?
With this trade bringing Turner over many are concerned about what to do with our team MVP Taylor. I think it’s an easy call. Seager at SS, Trea at 2B, Muncy at 1B, Taylor in CF, and have Bellinger platoon with Pollack in LF. To have your most productive player become a bench player is nonsensical. Cody has been given plenty of opportunities to get his act together and has failed. Platoon him the rest of the season and let him fully recover from his injuries and surgery in the offseason. Then he can start 2022 healthy and ready to go. If I was Taylor I would be pissed to see them march out Cody to see him continue to be unproductive game after game meanwhile, after the this trade, Taylor doesn’t even know if or where he is going to play. To do that would almost assure that Taylor will sign with another team in the offseason to play everyday and at one position. And more important, Taylor is by far more productive right now for the Dodgers.
On this day in 2004, the Marlins dealt Brad Penny, the winner of two World Series games last season, 1B Hee Seop Choi and southpaw prospect Bill Murphy to the Dodgers for Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion…
And by the way, I wasn’t worried about SD assholes having Scherzer, nobody cares about them!
We still need a closer! We cannot let that slip by, in the excitement of the big trade. Kimbrel is going somewhere. All we have to trade for him is Lux, is that enough? We can learn from the last two seasons, when we essentially lost to Washington because we did not have a reliable closer, and then we won the title because we still did not have one, so we used Urias in relief. We know that big games are going to come down to having to hold the one-run lead in the ninth, and who is going to do that? If we cannot obtain Kimbrel, I don’t think there is another high-end closer we can get. I have been surprised that in the last few years, we have not gotten one, we seem to have some kind of wish to never upset Jansen.
I am not intimately knowledgeable about the minor league talent of other clubs, but it does seem that teams like the Yankees and the Padres keep being able to make deals without giving up anything significant in prospects. San Diego has almost built an entire team on acquisitions, and they are still sitting there with their top four or so prospects. So are the Yankees, and I would not be surprised if they landed Kimbrel, because Chapman has been struggling. If San Diego were to get him, look out, because while Scherzer is a big addition, we still have to close in the late innings, and we would not want to face Kimbrel in extra innings, vs. whoever we put on the mound, in the battle to get the automatic runner in from second base.
I was just reading a MLB trade rumors article on the trade. He mentioned that Scherzer joins Buehler and the soon returning Kershaw to provide a strong top three for the playoffs. Also, mentioned that Price and/or Gonsolin would be available to pitch a game four if needed. And the Dodger pitcher tied with the most wins in all of baseball, Julio Urias, not mentioned at all. How do these people get jobs as baseball writers or analysts? Like I’ve said in the past we have some of the most informed baseball people writing on this site than the majority of the “professional” media that covers the sport. Good for us!!
It’s finally here. Friday, the trade deadline is just 5 short hours away. Oftentimes, we don’t hear about a last minute trade untils hours after the deadline passes, but all this madness is going to end soon.
Yesterday was the craziest of days as no one saw this blockbuster of blockbusters coming. I’m still pinching myself in disbelief and the baseball pundits all agree that this is a real game changer. Most of the experts are saying that the Dodgers got the best pitcher and best bat available in one trade and some are questioning whether the Nationals got enough in return. It really does seem surreal and the added oddity of snatching Scherzer from the Padres is icing on the cake and a pile of cherries on top.
The thing I find most fascinating about all the activity in the last couple of days is the Giants failure to make any kind of move one way or the other. After Scherzer came off the board, Berrios’ price tag is rising faster than gas prices and the Giants, Padres or Yankees are going to have to dig deep like the Christmas shopper going to Ebay for that special toy they missed out on at the box stores.
The trade of all trades wound up being firmly grounded in reality. The Nats traded an expiring asset in Scherzer and lined up a tippy top prospect crown jewel and holy grail, a catcher with great, if not elite, bat to ball skills.
Friedman played it perfectly with a prospect they didn’t need, already having a catcher with more power, better defensive skills and much success at the highest level. He insisted that Ruiz was much too valuable for a bat first catcher currently destroying AAA pitching and hidden from MLB pitching careful not to expose his true trade value. He got them to bite and set the hook dangling a coveted and young starting pitcher with a ton of upside and all you have to do is include your shortstop that won’t be sticking around awaiting the forthcoming rebuild.
When it was all said and done, there were no fantastical slumping very young, former MVPs or former 1st round draft picks involved. Andrew is too savvy to plug and hole while creating another.
For those who think a career utility man is going to displace an MVP center fielder just because of a slump, you’re not grounded in reality. This trade allows the Dodgers to use their super utility man as a super utility man and give a breather for slumping players to take a day to figure out how to get back on track. You won’t see a Belli/Pollock platoon unless Belli flops over the next two months. Which makes little sense anyways the way that Pollock has been destroying both righties and lefties this year.
The Giants are now firmly stuck in quicksand. Without the Dodgers bailing them out in the last two series with late bullpen collapses, they would look like a sinking ship. Lucky for them, the Dodgers gave them 3 games across 2 series after the 8th inning. If not for those mishaps, the Giants would have lost all 4 series coming out of the break and would possibly be thinking real hard about selling out and stocking up for their next run. Now, in no man’s land, they are stuck between not selling and bolstering their farm knowing that a one game battle royal against the Padres is looming in their not too distant future.