Earlier in the week, there was a little difference in opinion with respect to the Billy McKinney acquisition. I continue to read how porous LAD’s defense is, and with a gimpy Mookie Betts who may need late-inning defensive help to get him off his hip, a slowing AJ Pollock, questionable defense of Matt Beaty, and the need for CT3 to spend more time in the infield, AF went out and got a decent defensive OF to fill a need THIS YEAR. Carlos Rincon was never going to be anything but a DH, and the Dodgers have multiple MiLB players to fill that role, so AF goes out and spends a lesser AA version of Reks and Raley with minimal defensive skills, to get defensive help. To me it is a win. But apparently, I am in the minority because I do consider defense as critical in winning a championship. I do not know how much of Carlos Rincon any of you have seen, but since I watch a lot of Tulsa games, I have seen a lot of him. He is a DH, and I hope he makes it. He is a good kid. But he is maybe a top 40-50 prospect. Is it too much to spend a 40-50 prospect for help in 2021? I will certainly continue to follow him, as I have Oneil Cruz. In 2017, the Dodgers traded a much higher-rated prospect in Oneil Cruz to acquire LHRP Tony Watson. Watson was not able to get the Dodgers past the Cheaters and he is now struggling with the LAA. OTOH, Cruz is a top 100 prospect with Pittsburgh. Worth the trade? IMO, YES. If the Dodgers find another OF, they can always DFA McKinney.
The Dodgers have three consensus Top 100 prospects: Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, and Michael Busch. Baseball America has LAD with two other top 100 prospects: Diego Cartaya and Bobby Miller. It is not like AF has not traded top 100 prospects before (Yusniel Diaz, Willie Calhoun, Grant Holmes, Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas). Holmes, Cotton and Montas went together in one trade for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick at the 2016 deadline. Willie Calhoun, AJ Alexy, and Brendon Davis were traded to Texas for Yu Darvish in 2017. Yusniel Diaz and 4 others were traded to Baltimore for Manny Machado at the 2018 deadline. So, AF has previously traded highly rated prospects at the deadline for supposed game-changers, none of which worked out. He may try again.
What will AF do in 2021? Nobody has a clue other than AF and his FO staff. I do not think any GM or President of Baseball Operations has tighter control over rumors than AF. Plus, there are several teams who are still considered contenders for 2021, and they are not going to trade away players who can help them get to the top. As more than a couple of teams have shown, you only need to get to the playoffs to have a chance to win the WS. IMO the sun is setting on Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Chicago; however, apparently only the Cubs realize their 2021 fate. With a little more than a week from the deadline, I think the Reds and Cards will recognize their plight. But will they trade?
Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington all seem to believe that they can catch NYM for NL East, but the next week should indicate if those beliefs are dreams or reality. Jacob deGrom is on the IL with forearm tightness that is said to be “improving”. He is set to resume throwing this week. But deGrom has been anything but healthy this year with missed starts because of lat/side issues, flexor tendonitis, and shoulder soreness. NYM is going to need a healthy deGrom to hold off other NL East contenders. All four NL East contenders figure to go hunting in the next 9 days.
The NL schedule Gods did a great job of setting up for a fun next nine days (starting Thursday 07/22/21):
NYM – 3 with Toronto (H), and 5 with Atlanta (H) – Thru 07/29
Philadelphia – 4 with Atlanta (H) and 4 with Nats (H) – Thru 07/29
Atlanta – 4 with Philadelphia (A), and 5 with NYM (A) – Thru 07/29
Nats – 3 with Baltimore (A), and 4 with Philadelphia (A) – Thru 07/29
The AL is also a little muddled (albeit a little less) and will take most of the next nine days to determine buyers and sellers. In the AL East, Boston and Tampa Bay figure to battle to the end. While NYY and Toronto are struggling to stay with the top two, they are in contention for the 2nd Wild Card team, being only 4.0 games behind Oakland for that spot. In the AL Central, CWS is running away with it, but Cleveland is only 5.5 games behind Oakland. In the AL West, Houston and Oakland also figure to battle to the end. Amazingly, Seattle is only 3.5 games behind Oakland and are ahead of NYY, Toronto, and Cleveland for that 2nd WC. IMO Cleveland is not a realistic contender. They just do not have enough personnel to contend with NYY or Toronto or Seattle
AL schedules are also filled with some meaningful games thru 07/29.
Seattle – 4 with Oakland (H) and 3 with Houston (H)
Toronto – Red Sox 3 with NYM (A), and 4 with Red Sox (A)
NYY – Philadelphia 4 with Boston (A), and 3 with Tampa Bay (A)
I cannot see AF making a significant deal while so many teams are undecided as to where they are headed. They do not want to miss out on a potential game-changer. Traditionally, AF looks for sheer rentals (Hill, Reddick, Darvish, Machado), although he did acquire Alex Wood in 2015 with multiple years of control. Acquiring multiple years of control requires a better return of prospects, which AF is reluctant to do. There are no such things as untouchables, but for LAD, besides their five top 100 players, Miguel Vargas and Ryan Pepiot figure to be in that class, especially for rentals.
I am not like some here. I see holes in the Dodgers that need to be plugged if they are going to win another championship. Pitching, both starting and relief, need to be addressed. There has been a lot of talk regarding starting pitching. I think they need one SP who can go deeper in the game than Gonsolin or Price, and be a legit #4 in October. We have no idea how Clayton Kershaw will pitch in August or September, much less October. Right now the only two SP that can be counted on are Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. How well Urias holds up is also open for debate?
Max Scherzer (RHSP) is a rental and his name comes up a lot. Much will depend on the next nine days to even know if he will be available, but even if he is, it will be hard for me to see the Dodgers making that trade. Scherzer has a no-trade clause, and he is not going to waive it without getting something in return. Too much is unknown for 2022 and 2023 for the Dodgers right now. Regardless, Max has 7 years (2022-2028) of $15MM annual deferred contract payments that would be assumed by the trading team. Of course, Washington can pay that down quite a bit, but then the prospect asking price will escalate.
Luis Castillo (RHSP) is not going anywhere. Neither is German Marquez (RHSP) . Pitchers with year(s) of control beyond 2021 who may be available include:
Kyle Hendricks (RHSP) – $14MM for 2022 and 2023, with a $16MM team option in 2024. While I do like Hendricks, it is hard to be convinced that a pitcher who throws 87 can sustain his record for two-three more years. I think the Cubs will want more than AF is willing to spend.
Kyle Gibson (RHSP) – $7MM is owed for 2022, but with an AAV of closer to $9MM. He is certainly affordable and is having a good year. Will he in 2022? That thought process will go into the prospect cost calculation. I am not sure what he is doing in 2021 is sustainable in 2022. Considering that he has allowed 13 runs in 11.1 IP his last two outings, I am not sure it is sustainable in 2021.
Jose Berrios (RHSP) – Is currently earning $6.1MM in arbitration and is pitching decently in 2021, but not enough for third-year arbitration to skyrocket. His prospect capital will be exceedingly high, as Berrios has the potential for top of the rotation. He is an innings eater who has averaged 6.0 IP this year. For 2023.. He has a plus fastball, but his secondary pitch (curve is not). His third pitch (change) does have swing and miss capabilities.
Matthew Boyd (LHSP) – Is currently earning $6.5MM in arbitration and is pitching decently in 2021, but not enough for third-year arbitration to skyrocket, and not as well as Berrios. This is his first year with a sub 4.00 ERA. He is not an innings eater. I am not a fan, but he does seem to come up in deadline trade conversations every year.
Wade Miley (LHSP) – I include him in this group because he has a very favorable team option of $10MM for 2022. Miley is having a fine year, but he is 34. His prospect capital should not be onerous. He is averaging 6.0 IP per start, so he qualifies as an innings eater in today’s definition. Not a big strikeout pitcher, but does not walk a lot either. He is having his best SO/W ration since his rookie season in 2012. He has allowed 7 HRs while playing his home games in Cincinnati.
Sonny Gray (RHSP) – Gray is owed $10.2MM for 2022 with potential escalators, and a club option of $12MM. He is averaging a little over 5 IP, so he does not remotely go deep into games. He is a strike-out pitcher that LAD seems to like. He has 86 K in 66.2 IP. While his ERA is acceptable at 3.65, his 1.350 WHIP in 2021….not ideal at all. He was a fantastic postseason pitcher for Oakland in 2013, not so much for NYY in 2017. Question remains…Can he pitch under big city lights? He didn’t for NYY. If the LAD can get the Oakland Sonny Gray, they would be very happy.
But if AF is more true to prior year’s transactions, then he will be looking for a true rental. Of those, the ones that are being most widely discussed are Jon Gray (RHSP) , Tyler Anderson (LHSP), and Michael Pineda (RHSP). Of the three, I greatly prefer Jon Gray who is having a good year. He seemingly has a good year, followed by a not-so-good year, every other year. In 2021 it is a good year. Since he is a rental, who cares if it is sustainable after 2021. However, I am not sure that Colorado will deal with LAD without a Dodger overpay. I am not a fan, but I would not be at all surprised if the Dodgers dealt with Pittsburgh for Anderson. The prospect capital will be acceptable, but he really is a below-average pitcher, and I would be disappointed if AF dealt for him.
I like Wade Miley and Jose Berrios the most of the possible available starting pitchers. Berrios will be waaaaaayyyy too costly. Miley could be the 2021 version of Lance Lynn.
I recognize that some might include a pair of rentals…Adam Wainwright (RHSP) and Danny Duffy (LHSP). Wainwright turns 40 at the end of August and has had a couple of injury years (2015, 2017, and 2019). I have a very tough time envisioning him out of a Cardinals uni. I could be very wrong, but I do not see him leaving St. Louis. Duffy is another with a no-trade clause who has been with KC his entire career. He has expressed his desire to stay with KC for his career. He is from Goleta, CA, so he may accept a move to a West Coast team. However, he is currently on the IL for the 2nd time this season with a left flexor strain. I doubt that the Dodgers need another injured pitcher in their arsenal.
With respect to relievers, Craig Kimbrel (RHRP) is expensive ($$$ and prospects), but he could be the answer. After him, there are a number that AF will check into, but I have no clue as to who he is interested in.
Taylor Rogers (LHRP) was having a good year until July 11. I liken him to a former Twin, Ryan Pressly, who had a very good 2017, and a similar start to 2018 as Rogers has had before Ryan was dealt to Houston. He was basically unhittable in 2018 after the trade to Houston. Likewise, Rogers had a very good 2019 and is having an okay 2021 (I ignore 2020). To me, he is a LH version of Ryan Pressly. For Eric’s benefit, Pressly’s career OPS against was mediocre with Minnesota, but he turned it around with Houston. His career OPS vs LHH and RHH fits Eric’s algorithm. I think Rogers can do the same if he is moved. He is controlled thru 2022.
Richard Rodriguez (RHRP) looks to be available but could be expensive. Ben Cherington is a much better GM than Neal Huntington was. He will not be cheated.
The Cubs’ Andrew Chafin (LHRP) is having an excellent 2021 campaign (1.37 ERA, 0.737 WHIP, 37 K vs 10 BB in 39.1 IP). Chafin and Chicago have a 2022 mutual option ($5.25MM or $500K buyout). Another Cubs reliever that is having a good year is Keegan Thompson (RHRP). He is a 26-year-old rookie and is having a solid season. I doubt that Chicago makes him available.
If NYY decides to sell, I will go back to my old standby Chad Green (RHRP). Like Rogers, he is controlled thru 2022.
Ian Kennedy (RHRP) is putting up another solid year for Texas. He is a rental.
Now that Kendall Graveman (RHRP) has fully converted to relief, he is having a career year for Seattle and is a rental. However, Seattle is still in contention and may still become July 30.
If LAA decides to sell, they will look to move Raisel Iglesias (RHRP). He is a rental. So so ERA (3.40), but a solid WHIP (0.898). But where he looks to shine is 65 K vs. 8 BB in 42.1 IP. Since May 8: Iglesias has pitched 28.1 innings with a 2.23 ERA and a sub 1.000 WHIP. He has 52 K, 7 BB, and 18 hits allowed. Opponents are hitting .158/.207/.333/.540. He has 12 inherited runners and only 2 have scored. He has 15 saves against 1 blown save. He is in the final year of a 3 year $24.125MM contract. 2021 contract is $9.125MM.
If Atlanta decides to sell, look for Will Smith (LHRP) to be available. Smith is under contract thru 2022 and has a 2023 team option ($13MM or $1MM buyout). Expensive, but the prospect payoff should be acceptable to AF, but his contract may be too costly for LAD.
Would Baltimore look to possibly move Tanner Scott (LHRP)? More likely Paul Fry (LHRP).
Richard Bleier (LHRP) is having a good year for Miami with a 0.884 WHIP and 28K vs. 2 BB in 37.1 IP. Very impressive SO/W ratio of 14.0.
Relievers are very fickle, and outside of Craig Kimbrel, there is not a sure thing. But there are a handful of pitchers who could surprise. I know Mark and a couple of others like Garrett Cleavinger, but with his 1.59 WHIP he is not someone I want SD to see coming down the stretch. Same with Scott Alexander and Alex Vesia. Vesia may be good down the road, but this is a run for another championship, and I do not think he is ready for that pressure. He appears to be a keeper, but probably not before 2022. Jimmy Nelson and Corey Knebel will be added to the roster in the near future. Brusdar Graterol will need to wait until 2022 to make a lasting impression. He throws hard. Now he needs to learn how to pitch. That leaves two other unknowns coming down the stretch. How will Bickford and Sherfy respond to the pressure of a reigning WS champion looking to repeat?
KJ, Treinen, Kelly, Nelson, Knebel, and VGon look to be set. But KJ seems to be leaking back towards the inconsistent and unreliable 2018-2020 KJ. Can he turn it around????? 5 blown saves is not a good sign for a team looking to repeat. VGon may still have plantar fasciitis. If he truly had plantar fasciitis, it is painful and it does not just go away. It can take months to heal. Nelson has a lumbar strain. He had lumbar surgery last year. Will his back ever be able to take a heavy reliever workload? Lat injuries also have a tendency to linger. Will Knebel return as AF hopes? There are just too many questions in the LAD bullpen to be a WS caliber pen.
There is a lot to ponder over the next nine days. AF figures to make a move (or two or three). But we may have to wait until July 30 at 1:00 PM (PT) to find out. There are just too many undecided teams right now.
Discussion (83)
Disagree, not disagreeable
It’s 2:30 in the morning and I have finally calmed down a lot. Still frustrated and angry over what I listened to on the radio side tonight. I could not get the broadcast because Rockies games are blacked out here, and there is no local station that carries their games anymore. I am glad I did not have to watch it, I might have smashed my TV. Reminded me of watching a playoff game against the Phillies when Stairs hit the HR late to beat them. Tonight it happened in back to back innings and it doubled the outrage. What in the world was Nunez doing on the mound in the 9th in a tie game? How can you let a .130 hitter crush a ball the way Hilliard did? When the first 3 hitters got on in the 9th and Turner was up, I thought for sure they would win. Even after he walked and the game was tied I felt there was no way Bard was getting out of this mess. Bases loaded, no outs, Smith coming up. I knew Neuse was the on deck hitter, but I did not even consider Smith would not at least hit a fly ball and game over. The infield was in. The first pitch was a legitimate strike. But Bard was wild and I thought for sure Smith would make him throw another. NOPE. The next two pitches were out of the zone and Smith swung at them both. I expected nothing from Neuse and that is exactly what we got. Pollock was our last chance, hot hitter and at least he knows the strike zone, unlike the ump, who was all over the place all night. But AJ could not connect and the Dodgers big chance died with a whimper. Considering the fact that they have a terrible record in 1 run games, and they were 1-9 in extra’s, I was not confident of their winning a game that should never have been that close. Jimmy Sherfy, who had been ok in his first couple outings is immediately handicapped by the dumb ass runner on second rule, which will be gone next year hopefully. But Story singles, Blackmon homers, their 4th of the game, and the Dodgers go down meekly in the 9th. Gilbreath, who he, gets the save. The guy has an ERA north of 6 and they don’t even get a hit off of him. The pen gave up 5 runs over the last 3 innings of the game. There is little positive that comes out of this game except Bellinger’s bat seemingly starting to find the ball, then he has hammy tightness and is pulled. Being short one position player on the bench, they have to stick with Neuse in a critical moment. He of the .180 BA. I am liking that trade less and less. Of course Mookie is on the bench, and supposedly available. I am sorry, I send Betts up with the bases loaded and one out over Neuse any day. He at least is a professional hitter and all they needed was a fly ball. They stayed away from Kenley, Kelly, Trienen and Gonzalez. And the new kids on the block could not get through the game unscathed. Well, it was a debacle through and through. And even after calming down quite a bit I am still peeved. I do not think the season is over by a long shot. What I do think is that they need to shake things up and to do it quickly because if they wait around until the deadline and lose these next 5 games, or even 3 of them, they are going to be in a hole that it is going to be hard to get out of. The Padres have now won 3 straight. They are lucky Pittsburgh held on and got some late heroics of their own to beat the Giants or they would be 4 back with the Padres breathing down their necks. I do not think the pen is bad because of the arms, I think one of the problems out there right now is guys with little experience. Not Jansen, Kelly or Trienen. But Graterol, who has not been the same pitcher this year as last, and his fastball, while a plus pitch, is straight with little movement and they teed off on it. Bickford has good days and some not so good. He gave up 2 hits when what was needed was him to slam the door shut. There were 2 outs. Vesia did a nice job in the 7th. Graterol and Nunez gave up the lead. And then the offense stalled when all that was needed was a simple fly out. In my humble opinion, AF needs to strike now, not on Thursdays off day when there will be a lot of competition for the top names. I have not advocated that they trade for a rental. I really hate that, but, since there are maybe 3 players in the minors who I believe could help, Ruiz, Pepiot and maybe Jackson, I am open to trading anyone else to get some legitimate MLB arms and a hitter in return. The trade proposal made in True Blue sounds fine to me. Bryant, Kimbrel and Davies for 2 of our top 15 and a couple of other lower prospects. Then trade for Kennedy for a couple of the lower tier guys and you get 3 MLB ready arms. The payroll is way over the limit anyway, and you have Kenley’s replacement in Kimbrel already here for 2022. But he really needs to do something sooner than later. If I never have to see Neuse up in a situation like that the rest of this season, I will be a lot happier. Roberts is getting roasted on Twitter, and this time I think it is justified. If Betts cannot play, put him on the damn IL and get someone up here who can contribute. Or trade with the Pirates for Reynolds. Kid can hit and has decent power. I am totally fed up with this kind of baseball. McKinstry has skills, but he is not doing the job right now either.
Stick a fork in them, Dodgers are done. Too many injuries, too many players not playing up to their talent and a manager who makes too many in game bad decisions.
Why not go for the suicide squeeze with Neuse ? Taylor runs fast and Neuse hits below the mendoza line anyway. Better chance than having him hack and striking out.
If I am AF I think long and hard about being a seller. This team has no chance to win a title and just making it to the wild card round is not worth dealing Ruiz or other top prospects. Better to think about trading guys like Kelly, Jansen (though I doubt a contending team would want him ), Pollock maybe even Taylor if he can not be resigned. Retool and go for it again next season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My heart is broken for Cody Bellinger and us fans. He found his swing and reinjured his hammy. Not fair!
Phil Jones made some very interesting comments about our inability to develop talented position player prospects. That’s been the case since Corey and Cody graduated. There’s a definite pause before the next top graduates arrive.
About Kenley, he seems to need to find the “feel” and won’t be right until he does. He should be never go over 20 pitches, where he really unravels. And never pitch on consecutive nights. And always have bullpen backup. And damn Roberts for not pulling him as soon as he starts to wobble! And damn Roberts for, well, a number of other things…
Of course, the logical explanation for all of this is that we’re just plain cursed and should resort to witchcraft to restore the cosmic balance!
Just another fine job by our POS manager who obviously doesn’t know how use his roster to put the right players in position for us to win the close games, SOS different day!!
What a trade we made. We pick up a OF McKinney from the Mets who is hitting around 200 and we bat him second. Now how does that make sense??? I forgot if you saw him last night against gnats his fielding was a joke and you would be LOL if u saw his throws from the outfield.
Maybe there is good news coming….if we keep losing wouldn’t dumbsh*t roberts be fired!!
Last 6 games: 1w – 5L, all games lost by bullpen.
Another thing that lousy defensive player is Mckinstry, it hurts the eyes to see him play defense
“Season is over” Oh contraire Cassidy… I need the math, thus I will suffer during the interim…
I’m pissed, disappointed etc. etc.
LAD health issues have me mumbling to myself… Wife is concerned… She’s afraid a Corona and a horizontal mirror will show up… Thank God she never saw me during my dark days..
We can’t seem a catch a break, like maybe a set line up… Many of these guys are just not ready for the bigs …
Yep, this is one great bullpen. Along with the great clutch hitting, the Dodgers are now a game and a half ahead of the Padres. The Dodgers are now 1-10 in Xtra inning games. Stellar pen. That along with the stellar clutch hitting, this team is ready to roll. 4 for 15 wRISP.
Yup, we can lose even without Jansen.
Seems easy enough.
The infamous Dodger depth just sucks! Both on the mound and at the plate!
This season is over! Can’t stand to watch this shit show any longer!
Pathetic! Bases loaded and nobody out and we can’t win this game! Please enough of Noisey. Whatever it takes to lose!
I want to hear again how great this LAD bullpen is. Nine in the pen and only Treinen and Kelly are reliable. And who knows if Kelly is even available. I still do not think VGon is healthy. Graterol and Nunez are just not ready. As I said above Graterol throws hard, he just does not know how to pitch yet. Right now Alex Vesia has to be considered a high leverage late inning option. Who else?
BTW, this plate umpire is just horrible.
Dodger 9th…Barnes will PH< then Taylor and McKinney. Not exactly striking fear in the heart of the Rockies closer.
Bullpen more like the bullshit pen
Give Eric his props
But Nunez reminds Doc that he’s a little Aroldis Chapman….hyperbole much Doc. SMH!
That just sucked. Bullpen has been nothing short of crappy. Lousy pitch. If this holds, they will lose ground to the Padres, but not to the Giants. What is most frustrating, and pisses fans off the most, they have had multiple chances to gain ground on the Giants and lost every time. You give up a HR to a guy hitting .130???? wow. Just really bad pitching.
The ballyhooed Dodger depth was fake news.
Giants lose. 6-4. McKinstry grounds out weakly to end the threat. This is maddening.
So far I’m not enamored with Nunez I think he needs a little more seasoning he can’t handle big pressure situations in the major leagues
Graterol comes in and gives up a run, Nunez in now. Bellinger pulled. Muncy’s have a baby girl. Max will rejoin the Dodgers on Tuesday. Giant game now in the 9th. Game tied, and run charged to Graterol as the pen blows another lead. Can’t blame Jansen for this one. Nunez picks off McMahon. Smith, Neuse and Pollock due up in the bottom of the 8th. Giant game is in the bottom of the 9th. Belli removed for hammy tightness
F’en Roberts and his analytics !!!!!
Tulsa threw a 4 pitcher combined no-no tonight.
Clayton Beeter – 2.0
Bobby Miller – 5.0
Jacob Cantleberry – 1.0
Cameron Gibbens – 1.0
Bellinger with 2 extra base hits tonight, one of them, a triple off of a lefty.
Ruiz has 3 HR’s tonight for OKC.
Yes Price looks good, being efficient. Hope we don’t see KJ in the 9th to spoil it all.
( yes still feeling ugly )
Bauer’s hearing postponed until August 2nd.
I t appears that the cure for Belli is to face Chi Chi Gonzalez.
A little more than a week ago the narrative was that it was unfair that Jansen was not in the ASG, some put the numbers and made comparisons with Melancon and that Jansen deserved it more, today after a little more than a week some want him to be go to Curaçao, there is no doubt that baseball is a very difficult game, baseball is hard !!!
Quite a bit of chatter about NYY interest in Trevor Story. Trevor Story to NYY just makes too much sense.
Nunez and Graterol recalled, Muncy to paternity list, and Cleavinger optioned back to OKC.
Brandon Lewis another home run tonight with the Loons. That is seven in his last eight games
Jonny Deluca debuted with the Loons tonight. Has a single and home run in his first three at bats.
James Outman debuted with the Drillers. Has a two-run single in his first AA at bat.
Article in ESPN.com about how badly the Angels have been treating their minor leaguers. Conditions so bad, some players have retired or are contemplating retirement. One player said that 6 of them were living in a 3 bedroom apt, sleeping on the floor on mattress’s. Another said the pay was so low that they could not eat right and some players lost as much as 5 pounds in a week.
Kenley Jansen is still a good closer compared to most out there at the moment, what happens is that we compare him with the old Kenley of a few years ago when he was the best and that is unfair even for Kenley himself, that was a HOF level closer.
It will be difficult to find someone of great quality to replace him for the remainder of the season. When they hired Knebel it was obvious that in the course of the season he was going to take over the role, it was insurance, and there is always the possibility of Treinen, I prefer that to bring Kennedy, Kennedy is not the solution to the problem.
I’m not concerned with pitching or offense, what concerns me is defense and the inability of pitchers to avoid the SB which is also part of the defensive game.
In order to acquire a 41 year old Boomstick, Tampa Bay traded two Top 17 prospects in arguably the deepest and best farm system in MLB. RHSP Joe Ryan (age 25) was the Rays #10 and RHSP Drew Strotman (age 24) was the Rays #17. Both were starting at AAA (Durham) and had good numbers. Ryan is now #6 prospect for Twins, while Strotman is #13 prospect. The Rays also received a 25 year old lottery catcher in the deal. That is what the Twins received for Nelson Cruz. The Rays did this early to keep the price down. Apparently the Pads were going hard for Cruz. What will it take to get Jose Berrios? Kenta Maeda? Taylor Rogers? from the Twins? What is Joey Gallo going to cost, who is not a rental? Starling Marte, who is a rental?
Both SF and SD are discussing Joey Gallo. Giants are very interested in Starling Marte.
LAD has 3 consensus Top 100:
Keibert Ruiz – 41 (MLB), 39 (BA), 61 (Fangraphs)
Josiah Gray – 42 (MLB), 52 (BA), 21 (Fangraphs)
Michael Busch – 81 (MLB), 67 (BA), 99 (Fangraphs)
Other Non-consensus (4):
Diego Cartaya – 87 (BA), 115 (Fangraphs)
Bobby Miller – 99 (BA)
Andy Pages – 112 (Fangraphs)
Jacob Amaya – 117 (Fangraphs)
SD has 4 consensus Top 100:
MacKenzie Gore – 6 (MLB), 33 (BA), 30 (Fangraphs) – LHSP
CJ Abrams (8) (MLB), 6 (BA), 4 (Fangraphs) – 2B
Luis Campusano 31 (MLB), 59 (BA), 20 (Fangraphs) – C
Robert Hassell – 46 (MLB), 45 (BA), 76 (Fangraphs) – CF
Other Non-consensus – NONE
SF has 3 consensus Top 100:
Marco Luciano – 12 (MLB), 8 (BA), 6 (Fangraphs) – SS
Joey Bart – 17 (MLB), 25 (BA), 65 (Fangraphs) – C
Heliot Ramos – 63 (MLB), 64 (BA), 46 (Fangraphs) – RF
Other Non-consensus (5):
Hunter Bishop – 65 (MLB) – CF
Seth Corry – 84 (MLB) – LH Middle Inning Reliever
Kyle Harrison – 84 (BA) – LHSP
Luis Matos – 94 (Fangraphs) – CF
Gregory Santos – 96 (Fangraphs) – RH Middle Inning Reliever – Currently suspended by MLB (80 games) for PED
AJ Preller has already intimated that he is not going to move any of San Diego’s top 4. He is willing to package a quantity deal with the next tier of prospects.
Apparently, for SFG, Joey Bart is the most likely top prospect to be available. I do not follow the Giants farm system very well, but they have certainly built up the farm and have a good number of Tier 2 players they can package. Bart is considered a better prospect than Ruiz. His numbers this year at AAA:
.321/.383/.553/.936. Keibert – .293/.367/.582/.949. Extremely comparable. Both play in a hitters park. Bart is rated a potential GG catcher.
IMO, LAD will have to be overwhelmed to part with any of their top 5. But Andy Pages and Jacob Amaya could be in play. Outside of maybe Ryan Pepiot and Miguel Vargas, I would think that all Tier 2 prospects would be in play. The Dodgers (40) have more players with a Fangraphs FV grade of 40 and above than SD (27), or SF (36). So they potentially have more prospect capital they can leverage.
Do the Dodgers need Kody Hoese, Miguel Vargas, Brandon Lewis, and Alex De Jesus, all 3B (although De Jesus is still playing SS)? They have 12 RHP in their top 30. They are not all going to play for LAD. AF needs to be smart, but he does have capital to expend.
Tonight’s very weak lineup:
SS Taylor
RF McKinney
3B Turner
C Smith
CF Bellinger
LF Pollock
1B Beaty
2B McKinstry
P Price
I’d drive KJ to airport !!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I would kick around with Friedman and his staff the idea of trading Bellinger to Seattle for Lewis. And, if Mookie were out for the year, then I would also kick around adding Hanager. The latter could cost the Dodgers another good young player.
It has been assumed that Scherzer would not waive his no-trade clause without getting an extension but his agent recently said that might not be the case. I would think if the Nationals told him they would compete to sign him as a free agent before trading him that Scherzer, knowing he could return to his Washington home in 2022, would be willing to live in a 5 star hotel for a few months in exchange to an opportunity to win a ring. But, if he wants a 2 year contract extension as part of a trade to the Dodgers, all the better. Bye Ruiz.
The Phillies have been rumored to be willing to exceed the payroll penalty line and want rotation and closer help. Welcome Kenley to the City of Brotherly Love.
Lewis
Seager
Turner
Muncy
Hanager
Smith
Lux
Pollock
Not sure if this was posted – TB trial gonna drag (not that we’re not surprised) – need get another SP
**The news involving Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and the sexual assault allegations he’s been accused of took a step forward today. Bauer and his representation had their day in court on Friday as they argued his side for the first time in an ex parte hearing. The hearing is to determine whether or not a temporary restraining order obtained by the woman with which he had multiple sexual encounters will stay in force.
What we’ve learned so far is that the hearing is expected to last “two to three days” but those days will be spread out over several weeks. The court was recessed at about 2:10 pm PT on Friday with the hearing set to resume on the morning of August 2nd at 8:30 am. August 3rd and 19th are scheduled as well
I think the last three games that Kenley has pitched have probably convinced Andrew, once and for all, that Kenley should not be invited back. With that in mind, unless they decide that Treinen will be next year’s closer, they need to try to get someone now that will also be under control for at least another year.
Kimbrel fits that description, as does Rodriguez of the Pirates, but there are others that we may not have even thought about, who might be available and who now pitch for teams who won’t be competitive for the next two or three years. That’s where you can pay prospects for a closer, depending upon exactly how much AF is willing to give up.
Kennedy and Iglesias are both free agents this year so unless they would be resigned, would not help going forward.
I think Kennedy is a good choice. He’s seasoned, pitching well, hasn’t thrown a lot of innings the last 3 years. Ok. Make it so.
Now, we need a starter.
Another Ex-Dodger was DFA’d today. Jose De Leon was once, I believe, in the top ten Dodger prospects not too long ago( 5-6 years ago). He was traded for Logan Forsythe. He has had a lot of injuries so perhaps AF would be interested.
I am not too knowledgeable about the career of Ian Kennedy, but I recall him throwing at our hitters when he was at Arizona. He was with San Diego, other teams. He had potential as a starter which he never reached. Now he is in the bullpen for a bad team. His stats are pretty good, but does not seem to be anything near a top closer status, nor is he that consistent. He would come here and maybe have a few good games, and people would get excited, and then he would have some bad ones. And then we would have him next year, as an excuse for not having a top closer. I don’t want the bargain shopping for a closer, we need someone who can come in and consistently hold a lead in the ninth inning. If we added Kennedy and then maybe Iglesias or Kimbrel, that might do something to save our shot at a championship.
Just to show you I’m still here, I will say, losing the last two has hurt….a lot. So I’m glad i am able to chat with my fellow Montreal Canadiens friends about all that is going on with the NHL.
I don’t like to talk much after a loss, especially gut wrenching last inning losses…..I get no comfort in reliving the anguish. But I will add my two cents on last night’s loss while I am here:
I blame Robert’s more than Jansen. KJ threw a lot of pitches the night before and again last night. He should have gotten him out of there with 2 outs and us up 3-2. Also, our 2B, who is not really a 2B, didn’t help, as well as the umps. So, I’m not wanting to crucify KJ over that one. But I will conclude this topic with this….we ain’t winning any playoff series if KJ is our closer.
I do wonder one thing….Did Doc make the call in the WS to not use Jansen to close and to use Urias instead ….or was he following orders? Doc’s use of bullpen guys to me is where he is most found wanting.
Lastly, Cody Bellinger….too bad he couldn’t catch the ball hit over his head. He can’t hit, so I was hoping he could do something spectacular in the outfield. Oh well, I guess not. The dude did it hit it pretty well.
Hopefully I can return tomorrow after a win.
TM
I will call them INDIANS. Nothing wrong with that
The Indianapolis Indians have no plans to change their name. They told me that they have had a few Karens complain, but that the support for keeping the name Indians has been overwhelming!
I just bought 5 Rows of 10 Box seats for a company outing for $700 in August. Best ticket in town.
The Cleveland Guardians of the Galaxy
Great post Jeff. What a great comrpehensive, well researched list of potential pitching help. Thanks for taking the time and effort.
* We have a lot of pitching needs and it dawns on me that it’s compounded by what a dip-shit Bauer is for getting us farther into this situation. I’m not commenting on his quilt or innocence, but on the poor judgement on stuff he has admitted to. Thanks Trevor, I hope it was worth it.
* I actually thought Badger might mention this but he didn’t. But I will. Bottom of 2 Orel talked specifically about Bellinger’s head movement on the pitch, especially the head dropping. He offered a visual comparison to JT. I’m not trying to get folks to think I’m smart but I have been pointing that out for a very long time. In fact I’ve never heard that mentioned by anyone else until last night. Just recently, Badger and I were comparing thoughts on his hitting. Badger has great ideas and focus on his bucket foot and my thoughts on a moving head dip. So, maybe a couple of old coaches really do have some clue on how to hit. The fact that he refuses to change, cut down and go the other way and God forbid, bunt the ball is another story. Anyone remember Mantle’s remedy for breaking a slump?
* Interesting play on the ball over McKinney’s head in right. He picks up the ball looking for a normal cut guy to be in a normal position. Instead due to Muncy playing rover in shallow right, Muncy followed the ball and ended up about 30 feet from McKinney who was so startled he spiked the throw. It looks ridiculous for McKinney but no way would he expect Muncy to be there. Muncy probably has to retreat in that scenario of just run out of the pictures to allow a normal cut-off throw. Just another by-product of a the shift, which I really hate.
* Another interesting call by the announcers on the Bunt rule. Walker jerked he bat back on a bunt attempt for strike 3. The announcers said he didn’t pull his bat back in time. The fact is you don’t have to pull the bat back, ever. The hitter just has to NOT make an attempt to bunt the ball. Where the bat is doesn’t matter. That’s a rule that the announcers and fans get wrong every time.
So I was intrigued by the conversation about how our deep minor league system has offered immediate help to the Big Club due to injuries mostly. Some of the replacements have replaced other replacements. I haven’t taken on the pitchers yet. That’s a bigger job.
So I began with our starting lineup day 1 with CT3, Barnes. McKinstry and Beaty who I figured would be on the opening day roster. I added Pujols now as a platoon starter. I took the rest of the players we’ve seen come up and down as position players and compiled their offensive stats.
We’ve had these replacement players in 133 games. They include 8 guys: Burns, Neuse, Tsutsugo, Raley, Reks, Peters, Sousa and Rios who I didn’t know what to do with. I think we had some hope that one of these guys would step up and seize an opportunity to earn a spot in the near future of draw attention from another organization. It hasn’t happened. Nobody with 10 ASB’s has hit over .200. The combined BA of this group of prospects is .149 in the ig Leagues. Even if you include Beaty and McKinstry’s 72 hits, it’s still .201 for that group. Not 1 has really stepped up. That’s why you see guys get PT from guys like McKinney.
So, I guess we could all speculate some things:
* None of these guys were ready for the Bigs (despite some in their mid 20’s
* It’s too small of a sample size for many and they need more opportunity
* The players were collectively overrated and therefore the depth in the Minors
I actually could have guessed these stats pretty closely from the eye test without actual numbers and doing all the research. You can draw your own conclusions.
I may take on all the pitchers we’ve gone through, all 27 of them, but the eye test works here too. While inconsistent, we’ve had some nice relief pitching, Kj excluded the last 2 nights. The bullpen has been very good considering all the stress of having 2 starters now, bullpen games and the groups being overworked. That will get much worse if we don’t get some guys back, Price and Gonzo stepping up or through a trade, which 2D2 has pointed out. This bullpen game stuff isn’t sustainable. We all know that.
* It will be an interesting decision. Do we go for it sort of blindly or does AF try to keep valuable prospects in a year where breaking the bank may be unwise. I think Mookie is the key answer to that question long term as well as CK.
Sorry for all the rambling.
What a weird, wacky season so far. There’s some bizarro world traits to it. The 2nd tier guys are either playing at expectations (Turner, Smith) or exceeding them (Pollack, Muncy, Taylor). Prior to the season, if you’d have told me the 2nd tier guys – which have tended to be a little up and down in the past – would be performing as they have been, I’d have figured we’d be threatening the Seattle record for most wins. On the flip side, the superstars – the guys that are supposed to be steady, dependable – have been anything but.
When you purportedly have three of them on offense, maybe one of them has a down year once in awhile. All three at once is bizarre, and (aside from the mass injuries) I believe the true culprit of why the team isn’t meeting expectations. There’s a Friedman quote I’ll always remember coming off the Boston W.S. loss (paraphrasing), “we feel we’ve built a deep, balanced, and talented roster filled with good players. What we’re missing are great players.” A few years later, we capture a title based strongly on the play of Belli, Mookie, Seager who all played like superstars last October. Now, they’re nowhere to be found. Bless Turner and Muncy, who are trying their best to replicate the same effect, but it’s not the same thing. Those guys are respected leaders for sure, but I don’t believe they inspire hope or confidence the way the trifecta can. I think it’s that production and presence gap that is our main issue.
If they return to form before the end of the season, then maybe we can make things interesting in the post season. Unfortunately, all three returning to form this season or ever again may be a pipe dream. Seems a pessimistic view, considering they’re all 28 and younger in the prime of their careers. Yet, this level of MVP drop off with Bellinger is unprecedented and Seagers litany of injuries at ages when his body should be the strongest and healthiest it will ever be, is unsettling. I am optimistic with Mookie, but hip injuries are one of the scariest injuries to have. Pragmatically, just having one return to form could make a huge difference. All three is a luxury and a dynasty maker. I think the objective view, is we’re a little like those pre 2019 Dodgers teams void of a great offensive player. A good team that can make some noise in the post season if a lot goes right. A lot going right would be quite the bizarro scenario for this season though.
Mets To Acquire Rich Hill From Rays
By Steve Adams | July 23, 2021 at 11:41am CDT
The Mets have reached a deal to acquire lefty Rich Hill in a trade with the Rays, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets will send veteran righty Tommy Hunter (currently on the injured list) and minor league catcher/infielder Matt Dyer to Tampa Bay in the swap (Twitter links). MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had engaged in discussions, and Fansided’s Robert Murray reported that a deal was close. The trade is pending medical reviews of the players involved.
Just read an interesting story on ESPN .com. MLB will begin testing a pitcher-catcher communication device in the California league next month. It would make hand signals obsolete and lessen the chance of stealing signs or location. The device will be worn on the catchers wrist, like the little card they use to decide how to pitch a certain hitter, and will be available in Spanish and English versions. The pitchers receiver is designed to fit in the liner in his cap. Will be very interesting to see how this works. MLB thinks it will shorten the time between pitches, and speed up the game.
My new attitude to the Dodgers is really simple. I don’t need to to know how great your record is. Or who is out for what reason . Or so and so isn’t hitting because. No , I just want to know WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? DID YOU WIN?
From The Athletic:
The Dodgers entered Thursday ranked third in defensive efficiency, the simple measure of being able to convert balls in play into outs. Their defense has largely been sound but vulnerable to some rather notable flubs, like Thursday, when they had the game won until they didn’t.
Excellent points, Phil.
Certainly this was a game of inches and a blown umpire call literally changed the outcome of the game. If the first base umpire makes the right call, the game is over. However, you can’t control bad calls, and good teams overcome them.
The Dodgers have been terrible in close games this year, and their defense has been subpar. Neuse should have stretched more, and he has been a defensive liability this year, even though Roberts seems to think he is a defensive wizard. And Neuse defensive mistakes have cost them at least 2 other games this year. He booted an easy DP grounder against the Padres with a 7-1 lead that would have ended the 7th inning of a game that became a 8-7 loss. He also made an error against the Marlins that extended an inning that resulted in a 3 run HR in a 3-2 loss to the Marlins. And even on Wednesday night he was at 3B in the ninth inning when Flores hit a grounder down the line that Neuse bobbled but was called foul. At the time the foul call seemed like a break, until Flores proceeded to homer in the at bat off Jansen. And last night, after Neuse caught the ball, it looked like he may have lost track of the outs as he looked home after the out call.
But in addition to Neuse not stretching, other Dodger mistakes on that play were made. Taylor did not charge the ball and took his time fielding. Taylor also should have known that the runner on first would have a big lead, and the better play was probably first. Justin Turner made a futile attempt at the ball and then did not cover third base which would have been an easy option for Taylor also. And as always Kenley’s slow delivery allowed the runner to get a huge jump and beat the throw.
A lot of mistakes on a potential game ending play by several players. And the Dodgers not doing the little things well, has been a problem most of the year.
How about that Dodger alum Kike’Hernandez tying that game with two outs in the ninth with a two-run double. I’ll always love Kike’no matter where he goes
Kenley Jansen has had bad luck, I know that, but here is all you need to know about it:
Kenley Jansen has faced 14 batters the last two nights and retired just three! 3!
Our old friend Rich Hill was just traded to the Mets from the Rays.
I disagree, They will be having their best pitchers going the first two games in SF. Urias and Buehler, and as long as they stay away from Jansen, I feel they will feel some urgency and play a lot better. Max will be a new dad, and not be waiting for the child to be born, so he can concentrate fully on being the Giant killer he has been all year. Have faith brother. All will be revealed soon.
After last night’s awful game, I was absolutely convinced that the Dodgers will not win the NL West. To my amazement, the odds still favor the Dodgers, who are -250, to the Giants +175 It looks like a bargain, but the oddsmakers are sharp. However, I have read that they were overweighted on the Dodgers.
My thought is that we will not win more than a game in SF, and that the rest of the season will just be “preparing” for the Wild Card game with San Diego. Not an optimistic prospect, as it looks like we do not have enough to win the pennant; and then we face next season with some very important players gone, and nothing much in the minors to be excited about. We could easily be the third best team in the division, and miss the playoffs for the next few years, looking at our prospective roster. Not enjoyable to contemplate. We had our window, and it stayed open at least partially because our division was so bad, but that is not the case now, and most of our key players are either near the end of their careers, or have injury issues.
Obviously, I cannot suggest to the front office what to do, but I hope we make deals with a focus on building the best team for next season. We do need a starter, but it has to be someone whom we really want to have next season, too, not an innings filler type of guy. We absolutely need a closer, but a first-class one, not another person for Roberts to use erratically in his mix-and-match style. Someone who can close down a game at least most of the time, and in commanding fashion. That is what you usually need to win a title, and we have not had that for a few years; we managed to win one last year, even so, but it is rare, and we basically circumvented Jansen’s role.
This Jansen aspect is an example of where the informed fans actually had a better perspective than they are given credit for. Kenley has not really been impressive for years. In 2019, despite saying that he remained the closer, Roberts did not use him in any crucial situation in the games against Washington. Last season, he was not a key bullpen piece, though he lost Game 4 of the World Series. During the offseason, many of us said that we absolutely needed to trade for or purchase a closer, as well as a top righthanded bat, but the closer was imperative. We got neither, and so the Dodgers went out there with Kenley again. He was better than last year, but rarely dominating. And now he has blown three straight saves, last night’s with a two run lead. The Dodgers gave the Giants only two total runs in the 16 innings prior to the ninth in the last two games, and then Jansen gave up eight runs total, ruining all the great efforts of Urias and Buehler.
We like Kenley as a person, but this has become some kind of human interest saga, where they just feel compelled to not upset him. Roberts wanted everybody to know that this was not Kenley’s fault. Yes, Neuse did not make a good play by somehow not stretching to catch what would have been the last out. .Yes, the half-swing non-call was just wrong. But the fact is that it should never have gotten to that situation. Jansen actually got the first batter out, but then gave up a double, then loaded the bases. Then after the non-call, he gave up a two-run single, and that was the game. Great closers do not do that. All closers fail sometimes, some much less than others, but Jansen should never have been in that position this year, but somehow he has been. And it may be too late to do anything to salvage this now.
So I blame Friedman for standing pat with Kenley, and I blame Roberts for continuing to be so protective of him, wanting to keep his confidence up. The issue is not confidence, it is velocity and movement, those don’t get fixed by just putting him out there. Of course, we do not really have a closer; Treinen is not what he was in Oakland, but is pitching better than Jansen. Kelly is interesting, but still erratic, liable to walk three batters in a row, like he did against Washington in the deciding playoff game; maybe one was a hit batter, same difference. Friedman did not adequately shore up the bullpen; picking up injured players like Nelson and Knebel was a low-risk way to try.
So here we are, three games out, having to play three in SF soon, where they can make sure that we cannot rally to catch them.. And the rest of the season may be a slog where our playoff situation is already determined. I think that we should either make a big trade where we pick up someone who is a major piece, or let it go. Likely we will do something else, which is make a few deals for middling players who will help a bit, but not likely enough to change us from a Wildcard team to one with the home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Just go for Kenta Maeda and get ride of Bellinger.
Enough of the same shit that Bellinger is “just starting his season” or “He had surgery” or keep waiting for him to “get back to his 2019 MVP form.”
He has never been a great hitter and he never will be …
Everything is:
Grounded out to first
Strike out
Fly ball to RF
Strike out
Grounded out to first
Oh wait… Grounded out to second
Again strike out
Grounded out to first
Oh wait… Hit between first and second
And then…. you understand.
Every fucking day I read the same….
Dodgers in on Ian Kennedy
This isn’t terribly surprising news, as every contending team is always interested in improving their pitching arsenal as the trade deadline approaches. What is surprising is that the Dodgers find themselves three games behind the Giants in the NL West, a team that few picked as division favorites at the start of the season. And that divisional alignment is at least somewhat attributable to the fact that the Dodgers have lost to the Giants by blowing ninth-inning leads the past two nights.
Overall, the bullpen hasn’t been a glaring weakness for the club this year. The Dodgers’ relievers, as a whole, have an ERA of 3.73, the 10th best in the Majors. But they’ve also taken some hits lately, with Jimmy Nelson and Scott Alexander heading to the Injured List. David Price has also had to move from the bullpen to the rotation, in order to cover for the recent injury to Clayton Kershaw.
For Kennedy, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will be changing jerseys in the coming week. He is a free agent at year’s end and is currently playing for a Rangers team that is 35-62, behind every team in the American League except the Orioles. Thus far, he’s pitched 31 1/3 innings for Texas, accumulating 15 saves with an ERA of 2.59. Advanced metrics are somewhat skeptical, with xERA, FIP and xFIP pegging him at 3.40, 3.80 and 3.88, respectively. But he has excellent strikeout and walk rates of 26.8% and 5.7%.
Kenley Jansen has been the Dodgers closer for a decade now, and will probably continue in that role. But there are reasons for pessimism in his profile this year. Despite 21 saves, an ERA of 3.05 and a strikeout rate of 27.2%, Jansen has a ghastly walk rate of 16%, more than double his career rate. That’s probably why some advanced metrics think his ERA is a mirage, with xFIP placing him at 4.79 and SIERA at 4.56.
It’s possible this is just small sample noise, since we’re only talking about 38 1/3 innings and Jansen’s Statcast profile still looks quite healthy. But since Jansen is in the last year of his contract and will be 34 years old by season’s end, the Dodgers don’t have to be invested in Jansen for the long term and could certainly pivot to an alternative such as Kennedy if they felt they had to.
On the money side, Kennedy’s is playing on a salary of $2.15MM this year, leaving less than a million still to be paid out. The Dodgers don’t have to worry about tiptoeing under the luxury tax, since they’ve already blown past the top threshold of $250MM. (Roster Resource currently has their luxury tax calculation at $262MM.) But that means that they’re paying a whopping 62.5% tax on any additional salary they take on, which could make a modest contract like Kennedy’s more appealing than a costlier addition such as Craig Kimbrel, who is still owed over $6MM of his $16MM salary this year.
Credit MLB Trade Rumours
Another outstanding and well researched report Jeff. Your time and knowledge is very much appreciated.
It’s going to be a tough call for AF on what to do with this team. With all the injuries and the recovery times up in the air (for us fans) what to do? Having Betts, Seager, Lux, Bellinger being injured or playing injured we still should have won 3 of 4 from the Giants. We still have Muncy, Taylor, Turner, and Pollack playing well. You look at the Giant players they put on the field against us it’s hard to comprehend how can can lose to them. As mentioned above their starting infield is out with injuries.
I’m sure the front office knows if Mookie’s issues are going to linger the rest of the season. Then you have the question of whether Seager is going to be productive on his return. Is Kershaw coming back and if so how effective will he be? Will the BP ever get healthy before the season ends? Will Bellinger come out of his hitting woes? If the determination is maybe or negative to most of those questions then I don’t think AF is going to spend anymore treasure and prospects this season. The Dodgers are very good right now even with all the injuries and blunders. When healthy no one can touch them when it comes to talent. So, why go out and trade for some high impact player(s) when it will probably not get the team to the WS? Like Mark often states “it’s execution by the players”. And, for whatever reason they aren’t executing right now.
Roberts should seriously be a candidate to be replaced after the season. His act is getting old and the players probably feel the same way. He is a weak leader and is a terrible game manager. Like I’ve said for years he’s nothing more than cheerleader and a camp counselor. philjones wrote he even looks like a fool when arguing with umpires. It’s like he checks his in game book and sees “oh yeah, this is when I go out to argue a call”. His press conferences are nothing but a bunch of BS and clichés. They add absolutely nothing. I know he has a great record, but there are probably a dozen managers out there that could have done what Roberts did and most likely better. I find it strange how they rely on analytics so much, but when it comes to crunch time analytics go out the window. You can’t tell me analytics called for Kenley to pitch last night after pitching poorly the night before and had thrown 22 pitches.
It’s been a very frustrating season so far.
A little thing but these are the things the Dodgers are not doing this year. Kapler praised Vosler for getting a huge secondary lead at first being the reason he beat the throw to second. And the rest is history! Thought that you Phil would appreciate that one.
Done with Roberts and Jansen. enough is enough.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
As Buehler went deeper into last night’s game with a manageable pitch count it became apparent that Doc would be forced to have a plan for the ninth. This was playing out like a good suspense novel. Who does he go to based on the night before? Would he risk going to KJ again in the 9th or would it be Treinen or Kelly or who? Would Doc have the huevos to actually go back to Jansen with the game on the line. especially after the fan reaction from the night before. Would he consider that or trust KJ?
The exact scenario faced Gabe Kapler the night before with Tyler Rogers. Rogers had a blown save on Tuesday, his 5th. Sure enough, Kapler put Rogers right back on the horse the next night? He did and Rogers earned his 11th save. Rogers later spoke of his gratitude to Gabe for showing trust in him. Now Doc was faced with the same choice.
So I paused the game after 7 with Striker at 95 pitches and I asked myself, what would I do now? Would I stay with Buehler, go with Treinen and close with KJ? Do I listen to the fans? Remember the old saying “if a skipper listens to the fans long enough, some day soon he will be sitting with them”.
I was happy to see Doc stay with Striker in the 8th. When he got a baserunner, Doc predictably went to Blake to close the inning. Now what?
Holy shit, Batman, KJ was the choice for the 9th. And we all saw the results. It could have been a Cinderella Story had KJ closed the deal. He would have redemption, so would Doc and the fan base could eat crow. And we win a great game. But the fairy tale ending was not to be. A very tough walk and a very bad play by Neuse at 2nd, not stretching for Taylor’s throw from short that would have ended the game, and another walk, set up the 2 run single. Another blown save. Doc replaced Kenley to a shower of boos and the happy ending was shattered.
To add salt to the wound, a guy the Dodgers let walk, closed the game with a save.
It is a cruel game.
Today is Bauer’s hearing date.
Ok I will bow out after this until the Colorado series is over. We could easily get swept here. We will be facing free land who we haven’t solved, Gray who we have struggled with and we have price and Gonsolin up with Muncy out. This could get ugly quickly if the page is not turned. Let’s face it without our regulars we are not very good. We struggle to consistently score, our defense subpar and our starters outside buehler and Urias very beatable, and the bullpen well enough said. I would not lose any prospects over this team. On the plus side we still have Robert’s!!! Yay!!!
More Dodgers Bad News: Max Muncy Will Not Be With the Team This Weekend
It’s looking more and more like ” Let’s wait till next year”
The Cleveland Indians new name is the Gaurdians.
I think our magic is in hiding this year. It will return I just don’t think it will this year. As such, (IMO) let’s drive up the prices of key options and allow the crack to be ingested by others. Keep our prospects and chart our course for how to handle Corey, CT3 and Cody.
I would have liked to see Blake try for 3 more outs last night!
The last few games have taken their toll on all Dodgerdom. I’d be thrilled to be wrong, I just think we need to recharge our magic for next year and beyond.
Keep our assets…..
Good column, Jeff.
After another Kenley Jansen meltdown, I’m guessing bullpen help is a must, although Corey Knebel is getting close to returning. Rehab assignment next week? Expecting a Craig Kimbrel deal is probably a bit of a reach. Look for one of the lesser names and maybe a reliever no one is talking about.
Probably a starter is a must. Lot of competition and the farm system will take a hit. Will Keibert Ruiz be included in a deal. Short term gain, long term loss. I like Ruiz and switch hitters don’t grow on trees. The bat is impressive.
After listening to an interview with Andrew Friedman the other day, no question the Dodgers will be active, probably two or three deals will be made. But at this point what that will look like is just a guess. Doors will open, doors will close. The unexpected will happen. Hey, it will be fun.
But two things seem clear. Trevor Bauer is probably a lost cause and Jansen is a basket case. I cringed when I saw Dave Roberts bring him into the game last night. I really like Dave, but you can like your players too much and make bad decisions. We should just admit it, KJ is a mess. The second straight night of being booed., the chorus growing louder. Two great starts by Urias and Buehler down the drain.
The Dodgers can’t trade for good health which is what they need most. But they still need to address some flaws and holes in the current team.
As Friedman pointed out, what that looks like isn’t exactly clear.
Again, good write-up, Jeff, always enjoy your work.
Wow, there’s a lot to break down here. Thanks AC, for putting together a complete list of just about every possibility. It’s always a pleasure to read your thorough analysis.
WTF Mark? As I wake up with my eyes burning, it isn’t bad enough to rehash last night’s nightmare, you have to make me cry my posting that Vin Scully article. As a married man of close to 30 years, I can only imagine the pain that Vin must be feeling.
My disdain for Roberts is well documented. I don’t really give a crap about CT3’s misplay, the call shouldn’t have been overturned. It looked like a tie at the very least. I don’t give a crap about the check swing call either. At that point Kenley has already faced most of their lineup and any decent closer would have never got into that predicament in the first place. It was criminal to leave Jansen in for as long as he did. Nothing good could have come from it.
My biggest problem is to continue doing the same thing with Kenley even though he looks like a bull in a china shop and a deer in the headlights simultaneously. He doesn’t look like someone that the confidence necessary for the job and he doesn’t even look like a pitcher that has the control or command to pitch at the back end of a ballgame. Even when he was effective earlier in the year, the ball would seldom end up where the catcher’s glove was initially placed. You just knew it was a matter of time before he’d implode and he did so in a big way this past week, with a gascan in one hand and a road flare in the other.
This type of meltdown is what many of us feared even going into the season. I felt pretty good about having Kenley insurance with Knebel and Treinen on the roster and taking a flier on Morrow. That insurance is looking thin right now, but once Knebel and Nelson return it will look much better. Unfortunately neither are available now, seemingly taking a rest rather than nursing injuries that most would have recovered from by now.
I took a moment to watch the postgame interview where Doc deflects that horrible choke job, essentially doubling down on Kenley and places blame on CT3 and the check swing. This guy has the balls of mosquito. How are you supposed to have the trust required to motivate your players when you throw your All-Star utility man under the bus when it was clear that Kenley didn’t do his job? Doc’s character is not that of a leader. He’s a small man in a big job and has been coasting on the backs of others. Yes, the team wins in spite of him. I don’t care about his lofty record. If he managed any other team, it would be a tire fire.
MT, I wanted to give you a big THANK YOU for running this site. It proved to be cathartic last night giving your loyal user base a place to vent. I’m sure people said things in the heat of the moment that they may not feel so strongly about when clearer heads prevail. But, it sure is nice having a forum to think out loud for others to hear and to hear from others with similar thoughts, effectively talking us down from the ledge.
This last series didn’t do anything to convince me that SF was the superior team. All it did was solidify what we all were thinking deep down, but didn’t necessarily say out loud. I’m sure many of us feel the same way about Kenley. Deep down, we love him. He came up as a Dodger and was great for a while. But, none of us felt that we could fully count on him during the offseason. We all wanted to believe in him, but he let us down in the biggest way, hopefully for the last time. This series loss is 100% on Kenley’s shoulders. If you can’t protect a one run lead at home against your division rival, you are not a closer on a Championship team. If you can’t even get a single freaking save in three freaking tries after having time off during the break, you’re not a freaking closer at all. It’s time to move on.
Thanks again to AC for listing all of the possibilities. Hopefully AF can work some magic and bring in reinforcements. But don’t forget, Doc said that Kenley is still the closer in last night’s post game and it’s not entirely his decision. That decision is made by a group of people and AF is in that group. Although AF is a great GM, he really needs to stop micromanaging and let a manager do their job and hold them accountable if they can’t.
July’s soft schedule was a missed opportunity to create a lot of space between us and the inferior competition in our division. This team will now have to do it the hard way. If we can get healthy, I’m sure the cream will rise to the top.
Hopefully, the bright side will be that they learned that they can’t count on Kenley by exposing him during the regular season when they still have a chance to do something about it. Hopefully, this is the silver lining in the dark cloud that hovers over Chavez ravine right now.
Farhan is executive of the year. Kepler is manager of the year and Posey is MVP. It’s mind boggling what the Giants have done this year and they have had a ton of injuries as well. They just about swept us and their entire starting infield is injured and out! Their”depth” is crushing our “depth”!
So Belinger can struggle night after night, but Kenley dips below All Star performance for 3 games and he’s finished.
With some help from Noisy and the 1st Base Umpire it woulda been a different story.
He had some much better movement and decent heat last night – I thought he was unlucky.
Strange how you’ve changed your tune on the basis of one evening’s work Mark?
How come Roberts gets a free pass?
I’m at a loss this morning. I can no longer defend Roberts.
It’s a simple concept really. We talked about it yesterday. Phil gets it. Others get it. Why doesn’t Roberts? NEVER two nights in a row. And 33 pitches? Are you crazy?
Did he deliberately set Jansen up for failure? I find it inexcusable. Jansen is now damaged goods. He’s only good for the 7th and only in low leverage situations.
7 for 34. 1 for 7 WRISP. Buehler with a wasted gem. Sigh.
AFV is right. Mookie is the leader of this group. You can’t lead from the bench. Seager? Where tf is he?
Gut check time.
Sorry I forgot to mention in my post above, another outstanding article Jeff, you are truly an amazing writer and I always look forward to your lead articles. They are well thought out, articulate and are truly paid content worthy.
The Dodgers will surely get something good and adequate, AF has done it before and they know how to do it but assuming they get a great starter and a great reliever if the team doesn’t improve their defense (to me defense is just as important as pitching and offense) and if they don’t avoid the SBs the Dodgers will come up short in October. When two similar forces face each other, the thread breaks because of the thinnest and the weakness of the team is its defense and the inability to avoid the SB which is also part of defense.
I’m not worried about this team about pitching or offense, the team is doing well and will be better, there is too much talent, the Dodgers will win the division by 4-5 games.
Jansen? nahhh it won’t even be the closer in October.
The Dodgers are not going to win without getting healthy and mb not then. You cannot b elite with minor leaguers playing in the majors in a pennant race. We have blown plenty of games do to a lack of a Mlb roster. We could b up 4-5 games but we did not have the necessary depth. This is not a blame game just true.
The Dodgers philosophy is to play the long game with no urgency. Right about now how has that worked this year? It is just the arrogance that we’ll we will rest for the playoffs. The playoffs may never come. I think we have the players without a move but I don’t have any confidence that Robert’s can make the decisions necessary to get the dodgers over the hump.
I was struck by the reactions of 2 different situations. When smith hit the homer the dodgers were euphoric almost disbelief.. when mediocre Flores hit his it was like yeah we expected this. Farman has outmaneuverd the Dodgers and this Giant team expects to win. We have the biggest payroll in the majors and when it counted the most we didn’t have one minor league starter we could even try. So embarrassing for a world champion team.
I have heard all about Robert’s win percentage blah blah blah. He has had exceptional talent and we have been fundamentally weak in some areas. It is up to him and his staff to improve the fundamentals which apparently was the difference in last nights game. I must admit I didn’t watch because I saw a repeat coming. No way Jansen should have been in but I knew he would. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is INSANITY!!!!!
Great summary. You mentioned Pineda but didn’t get into any detail. His numbers are quite pedestrian so I guess a mention was sufficient.
As for.McKinney. At worst he is a placeholder and defensive replacement. And yes defense wins championships.
Once again you hit the nail on the head my friend. You just can’t make this stuff up. My choice for a closer type would be Iglesias. I have watched some Angel games and the guy throws strikes and does not fool around. I felt that they had a lot of the holes you spoke of during spring training. None of us could have imagined the havoc injuries would cause this team. But the fact is that the Giants have had injurie problems too. Mostly with position players though. Our starting pitching has been decimated with the injury to May, Kershaw’s injury and the Bauer debacle. They definitely need an innings eating starter, and although I have always liked Hamels, I doubt after 2 years dealing with injuries that he could be that. Duffy is injured, Scherzer is not only going to cost a lot, he will want a extension and I am not sure AF would be down with that. But I also feel they need a more experienced bench. Right now it is Pujols, McKinney and McKinstry and Barnes. And that is if Betts gets back in the saddle. If Betts, who would have been perfect Pinch hitting for Neuse after the meltdown, cannot hit, field, or run, what in the world is he doing still on the roster??? Get a healthy body, preferably someone with some pop and defensive skills in there and let Mookie heal on the IL. Having a player on the bench you cannot move, well that is counter productive. Also I have a question, when Max’s baby arrives, do they like have paternity leave for the players? I cannot remember if they do. Then they could at least call up a warm body to replace him.
That is indeed a moving article. It really puts a game in perspective.
Bill Plaschke has taken some heat in the past but I really appreciate how he turns an emotional type phrase.
Jeff- this is another double grand slam and a perfect game all in one. Thanks. I hope AF is paying attention to this.
Twenty-year-old Jose Ramos made his debut with the Quakes yesterday and went 2-5 with a home run while leading off.
Eddys Leonard continues to rake. 2-3, 2 walks and his 13th home run.
Brandon Lewis hit another home run for the Loons. He is one of AC’s picks.
One small item from last night’s game that caught my ear during the broadcast. In last night’s game there was a whole new umpiring crew from the 3 previous games and low and behold a controversial ending transpires.
Without a healthy Mookie and Seager.the Dodgers chances to repeat are slim to none. AF should consider this fact at the trading deadline.
Outstanding article, Jeff! I am glad you are with us again!
What’s next? I am hoping for Kimbrel… maybe Bryant, but the Dodgers would have to take Heyward too…
If you haven’t read this, you need to:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-07-20/vin-scully-tries-to-make-the-most-of-each-while-mourning-the-loss-of-his-wife