Who Stays and Who Goes”?

There are thirteen pitchers who love Austin Barnes. He is an “on-the-field-pitching coach.” He is not going anywhere, so get that out of your mind. Hunter Feduccia, who happens to be LH, may or may not be a better hitter, and maybe his arm is slightly better, but he is no Austin Barnes insofar as a receiver. Unless Barnes is injured, he is not going anywhere (did I mention that already?). Quit harping on Barnes! Just stop it… already! Disclaimer: All this goes out the window if Rushing is promoted to AAA.

So, I got that out of the way! That leaves seven more players who could stay or go:

• Miguel Rojas
• Chris Taylor
• Kike Hernandez
• Gavin Lux
• Andy Pages
• Miguel Vargas
• Jason Heyward

Let’s talk about who could stay or go, but before I get there, let’s not forget James Outman, who could very well come back in the second half of 2024. I am going to rank the order that players who could depart from this roster:

1. Chris Taylor is a great guy, an awesome teammate, and a solid Dodger. However, his time is up. There is a 96% chance he will be gone.
2. Andy Pages is the next most likely to be gone. It’s all about whether he can re-adjust. I hope he can, but we have to see. There is a 49% chance he will be gone.
3. Miguel Vargas is untested, unproven, and untried. They have to give him an opportunity. It’s coming. There is a 40% chance he will be gone.
4. Kike Hernandez is not likely to be traded, although if the Dodgers could get a good return, then it could be a possibility. I put it at less than 20%.
5. Gavin Lux could be a part of a trade for a SS, but that seems unlikely dujring the season. There’s less than a 15% chance of that.
6. Miguel Rojas won’t be traded UNLESS a contending team loses their SS and is willing to overpay. The chance of this happening is less than 10%.
7. Jason Heyward is on the team unless he just totally tanks and can’t hit at all. The chance of that is less than 5%.

Note: The above highly scientific calculations were done through a process called WAG (Wild Ass Guessing). Chris Taylor is the most likely to go away and I think it should be sooner than later, so that we can see if Andre Lipcuis is for real or an illusion.

Bullpen Arms

Insofar as trading for a closer, there are just four words: It is not happening! Mason Miller will cost a boatloads and is a huge Tommy John Candidate. Andrew Friedman does not operate that way. The bullpen will be fine. Kyle Hurt should be back at some point. Clayton Kershaw will be back and push Stone to the Bullpen. Dustin May will probably be back. Ryan Brasiser will be back as will Brogden and you will need to keep an eye out for River Ryan. Don’t forget about Joe Kelly or the Bazooka. Bobby Miller is nearly ready as is Evan Phillips. Banda looks like he could be very promising and the jury is out on Yohan Ramirez. The Dodgers have a glut of excellent relievers so their is almost no chance they trade for a reliever… especially a significant one as other teams are lineup to overpay.