There is a lot of speculation out there as to how the Dodgers will deal with the injuries sustained by Yamamoto and Mookie Betts. We already know they have called up a couple of pitchers from the minors to replace Yamamoto and Grove. And the word is , Vargas will be recalled to take Betts roster spot.
Easy call since he is on the 40-man roster. There are no other infielders on the 40-man who are not in the majors. Not Sweeney, nor Lipcius, or Hoese. So it seems the Dodgers for the time being are going to replace Betts at SS, in house with Rojas. Huge falloff offensively, huge upside on the defensive side.
So, should AF trade for a SS? Having closely observed how he has worked since he took over after the 2014 season, my first reaction is that he will not. He waited over a month and a half after Seager went down in 2018 before he traded for Machado on the 18th of July, about 2 weeks before the deadline.
That trade was made out of need. Chris Taylor and Kike were handling the position after Corey went down. Both were ok defensively, but their combined offense was not that great.
But AF knew that Seager was down for the year. They needed an offensive boost, and Machado was their answer. Machado never was the same player he was in Baltimore after the trade. He was hitting .315 before the trade, he ended up hitting .273 in LA with 13 homers. He completely disappeared in the World Series and had four hits, all singles.
Since he went to SD as a free agent, Machado has been a .270 hitter, compared to the .283 he hit in Baltimore. He got a huge deal, and for the Padres, he has done very well. But not really enough to be considered a huge success for that type of money. He surely has not been the MVP type player that Seager or Betts have been.
Considering the fact that Mookie will be out for only a couple of months, I do not think AF will consider making a trade for a rental SS who would cost a lot of prospects: Adames, a high priced SS who is not really living up to his contract: Lindor, or a SS who has one year left before free agency, but who is having a down season: Bichette.
Rojas makes the defense better. He is having one of his best years offensively. He is a team leader in the dugout and on the field. No, in my opinion, AF sticks with what he has.
Pitching wise, the Dodgers are deep in talent in the minors. Knack, Hurt, and Casparius all could lend a hand at some point this season.
At AA, Wrobleski could become this year’s Sheehan and make the jump from AA. Position player wise, there are some choices for position players who could make the jump, but not on the infield unless someone on the present 40-man becomes a casualty. Kike and Taylor are the most vulneable because of their lack of production. Lux has a longer runway. But Lux could also be moved if they decided to trade for a second baseman.
Where the real fly in the buttermilk is, is third base. They miss Muncy’s power bat. And at this point, no one has any idea when the slugging third sacker will return. While I see a ton of suggestions as to which SS they should target, I see no third base suggestions. Used to be that everyone was clamoring for Arenado. Not so much anymore with his sharp decline in offensive production.
I believe AF is just marking time. He has inside info we do not. Muncy has resumed some baseball activities, but he is not facing live pitching just yet. AF has a plan or ten, we just have no clue what it is. Stay tuned between now and the deadline. I am sure we will see movement by then.
ARIZONA COMPLEX LEAGUE
ACL DODGERS 2 – ACL RANGERS 1
Box Score
One – They do not need to make a trade for a SS. Miggy Ro will be just fine at SS. He has superior defense and his bat his also fine. Going into Monday night’s game, in his previous 10 games he was hitting .344/.382/.500/.882. Then he goes out and gets 3 hits on Monday.
Roberts has indicated that Mookie will be out 6-8 weeks. I am going with closer to 6 weeks. Manny Machado had a fracture of the third metacarpal in his left hand in 2023. He went on the IL May 16, and was activated June 2. That was less than 3 weeks. Obviously Mookie’s fracture is worse, and I am nowhere close to getting my medical degree, so I will accede to the experts. 6 weeks takes him right up to the trade deadline (6 weeks from today). 8 weeks middle of August. That should give Mookie plenty of time to get ready for October. And you know, he may be more well rested.
We have no idea whether there is a difference making SS who will be available. The Dodgers have more than enough to bridge a gap. If Bichette becomes available, you have to consider it. If DeJong is available and the cost is a lottery ticket, you have to consider it. If Jackson Holliday is available, now we’re talking.
I do not worry too much about the guys not on the 40 man. AF is adept at making those moves. If AF believes Hoese or Lipcius should be on the 26 man, I see a Cavan Biggio DFA.
I do think the Dodgers miss Muncy. He is a power bat in the middle of the lineup that the pitcher has to worry about. I do not think they worry about Cavan Biggio.
If the Dodgers do go 3B hunting I would still make a call to Mike Elias at Baltimore for Jordan Westburg. Acknowledging not much of a chance on Westburg, Isaac Paredes (Tampa Bay) or Josh Smith (Texas) could be available. And no Bums, Royce Lewis is not coming to LAD.
Anybody like Ryan McMahon? I ask that question not even knowing if I really do. I guess it might depend on what the cost would be, knowing full well that the Rockies don’t trade their young players, because they enjoy finishing last every year.
He’s having a very nice year, quite a bit better than his previous results. He can also play second base as well as third.
Now that I’m reading what I’ve written, I think I would be interested.
I like McMahon. But the Rockies in their history have made very few trades with the Dodgers. When they have, they usually involve relief pitchers or fringe players. One of the reasons Arenado wound up in St. Louis is because of the Rockies not wanting the backlash of sending one of their stars to a division rival. The other Rockies player I really like is outfielder, Nolan Jones. His numbers right now are not good, but he spent two months on the IL>
McMahon is good, but I’ve read that he is a particular favorite of the Rockies owner. Nolan Jones is a huge talent–reminds me of Kyle Tucker–but I suspect AF would want a more proven veteran–at lower cost–to help in the OF.
Seriously, the Dodgers could worse than try to deal with the Angels for Taylor Ward for LF and Luis Rengifo as a UT upgrade. Luis is having a career year. He can play 3B as long as Max is out.
Yes, Rockies GM Bille Schmidt has taken calls on McMahon, but Dick Montfort says NO! Ryan is a personal favorite of the owner. McMahon and Jones are the two tradable players with the most return. That is assuming that Ezequiel Tovar is the untouchable.
I missed on Brendan Rodgers. I thought he was going to be special. I was wrong on that one. Hit on Bregman, missed on Rodgers.
Intradivision trading is very rare, and probably more rare involving the Dodgers. Yes, McMahon should be someone AF/BG should inquire on and strongly pursue. Very team friendly contract: 6 years/$70MM that runs thru 2027.
There is a very good reason, no team in the West wants to help LA get better. If memory serves, the last trade with the Rockies brought the Dodgers Juan Nicasio. One of AF’s earliest trades. I think there will be no trades with teams leading their divisions, and only the also rans are going to offer up their best players. One reason Robert Jr. gets mentioned so much. A’s are going to DFA J. D. Davis, probably today. deGrom is throwing off of a mound now, and Scherzer has begun his rehab for the Rangers.
How about Bregman at 3B? Or is he persona non grata?
Really can’t imagine the O’s dealing Westburg. But with Holliday in the wings, the O’s may deal Jorge Mateo, who is kind of like a younger, more dynamic, much faster version of Rojas. (He’s stolen 11 bases in 12 tries.) A very exciting player who’s been pushed to 2B by Gunnar Henderson.
The O’s need pitching; could be a fit. Mateo would be, at worst, a UT upgrade and possible solution at SS until Freeland or Jeondry Vargas is ready. (He’s not a good on-base guy, but has stolen 11 bases in 12 tries this season.)
I brought up Bregman a week or so ago. I think the only comment I got was…No because he was past his prime and the contract was too much. I am not sure that I agree that 30 is past your prime. Someone should tell Freddie and Mookie. His $30MM salary is costly for the remainder of 2024, but it comes with a $20MM AAV. Cash comes back if Houston wants a good package.
I thought I would get pushback because of 2017, but there wasn’t any. I will never forget 2017, but it is time to move on (for me). If Bregman can help the team (and I think he can), I am all in. After an uncharacteristically slow start, in his last 19 games (82 PA) he is hitting .320/.378/.600/.978, with 5 HR, and a 17.1% K rate. For those Max Muncy fans, remember, Max can play 2B.
$20 million is about 2.5-3 WAR. If he can still do that, and play every day, I’m in too.
Confidential to Watford Dodger: I was in your fair city yesterday with my family, possibly as part of a Harry Potter diversion from our three-week UK romp. Carry on.
This for me was a fun game to watch. Even though their RISP was not great, they managed to score 9. Freddie on base 6 times! Had he walked instead of singling, he would have tied Jimmy Foxx being the only player in MLB history to walk six times in one game. Foxx did it in 1938. Rojas stepped up big time and made a couple of plays I do not think Mookie could have. Ohtani looked really comfortable at the plate. Smith with his first triple. Pages was the only player without a hit. Jay-Hey had two knocks and even Biggio had a run scoring single. They face a lefty tomorrow in Gomber. Let’s hope Buehler has a decent game. McMahon and most likely Blackmon will be back in the lineup for the Rocks. Then they get Feltner and for game four, Ty Blach. Blach has been really good against the Dodgers in his career. He has a 4-3 career record against LA. He is not a strikeout pitcher, only 27 in 50 innings. Vargas, Taylor and Kike will most likely get some ABs against those two. After the Angel series on Friday and Saturday, they will fly to Chicago to meet the White Sox. Brandon Gomes is on the road trip with the team. I have seen numerous reports, well rumors actually from some writers who believe the Dodgers will pull off a major trade BEFORE the deadline. Most think it will involve a SS. I do not believe this will be the case. I still think if AF and Gomes make a trade, it will be more for an outfield bat and a bullpen arm. Feyereisen probably pitched himself back to AAA. There now is no pitcher listed for Thursday’s start. I think they will send Feyereisen down and recall Knack.
Excellent game by Paxton. Maybe his best for the Dodgers so far considering it was at Coors field. JPF not so good. Think he will get the straight ticket back to OKC. Not one of the better signings by AF. At least so far.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JPF was actually acquired in a trade for Jeff Belge. He was acquired after suffering a shoulder impingement. But for all of 2022 (pre-injury), JPF was brilliant. 24.1 IP, 1 run (unearned), 5 BB, and 25 K. 5:1 K:BB ratio? I will take that all day long. He went on the IL on June 3. You have to take a flier on that. I thought AF did well on the trade, it just has not worked out, as you say…yet. Jeff Belge? He was traded to the Cubs May 18, 2024 and is assigned to their AA club. He is a 26 year old LHRP.
Some really interesting takes these past couple of days. For me injuries are a part of sport and you just carry on.
Much chat about the increased and incredible amount of injuries to Pitchers, but interestingly not one mention of the correlation between these injuries and the introduction of the Pitch Clock?
I predicted two years ago that there would be a lot more injuries to Starting Pitchers, and thst notion was brushed off, and lo and behold here we are!
Btw, AF should still push the chips in for CJA!!
That is a reasonable question to ask W. I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else. Not yet anyway. I haven’t really looked either.
Something that was mentioned in the paper this morning, something that has been on my mind, is the leg soreness being experienced by our 35 year old now starting shortstop. I’m not as confident playing everyday is a good idea for him. I hope I am wrong about that.
And yes, FireRisin’ probably just pitched his way to the minors. Knack will be back. Where might Kelly and Graterol be? Will May ever pitch again? Is Miller ready? Will Muncy ever hit like Muncy again? Will Kershaw be effective? Hurt? Gonsolin?
With an 8 game lead hopefully the team will be fine and continue to score until the trade deadline approaches. It’s not yet clear what the market will look like, nor is it clear what exactly this team will be looking for come August/September. Things can change quickly in MLB.
Ahh come on now. Don’t cheat the Dodgers out of that 0.5 game. 😁 They are now 8.5 games ahead in the NL West, and SFG is now #2.
The Wild Card race in the NL is crazy. The 10th team in the WC race is the Cubs, and they are only 2.0 games out of the WC.
The AL is more wide open. Boston is the #4 team in the WC race and they are 2.5 games back. Toronto is next at 5.0 games back. Texas and Houston are 7.0 games back.
Hopefully the Dodgers will be smart with Rojas and give him a couple of days off per week to help keep him fresh. The Mendoza Brothers can fill in here and there at ss. One thing about injuries and the next man up philosophy is that these types of situations can often bring a team together and help be more focused. I’m not saying the Dodgers were mailing it in before the injuries but there will be more guys put in positions to win or lose games. And we know how Roberts loves to platoon so I’m not really concerned— especially with an 8.5 game lead. Lastly, re: the pitch clock and injuries, my opinion is that arms are going down due to the style of today’s pitching— 100 mph on every pitch, high spin rates, etc. it just seems obvious, but maybe it’s a combination?
Good point. I’d rather see Chris Taylor get some starts at SS instead of LF to give Rojas some rest and Vargas more ABs.
Gentlemen, regarding the pitch clock and pitching injuries, I made a post 2 days ago that dealt with possible contributions to arm injuries. Check out #4:
“We think we know that certain things increase the risk for injury within the realm of pitching:
It’s been mentioned by some pitchers. It hasn’t bothered Vesia, who learned to adjust.
Apologies Phil – I missed that in your post yesterday
It’s all good.
What is CJA?
I assume CJ Abrams.
No way DC trades that guy. He was the centerpiece of the Soto trade. He is under team control until 2029. He is the core piece of their franchise.
Yeah, I don’t see Abrams getting dealt.
But Abrams is one of those terrific young shortstops who aren’t playing for the Dodgers. Drafting late, the Dodgers couldn’t get stars like Witt and Henderson, but they also missed out in the international market–but unfortunately traded away Oneil Cruz. I blame AF for counting too much on Lux.
The Dodgers were so thin at SS they targeted several in a draft (including Freeland and Wagner) and traded for Sweeney and Noah Miller. One of these guys–or young Jeondry Vargas–might be options someday.
But what is the solution now? Can 35-year-old Miguel Vargas keep producing at a strong level? Are Taylor and Kike OK as backups? With Mookie out, should the Dodgers get another proven SS?
My guess is that AF will find someone.
They could not have drafted Bobby Witt Jr., but they had two chances to take Gunnar Henderson. They chose Kody Hoese and Michael Busch before Baltimore drafted Henderson. They also passed on Anthony Volpe by taking Hoese.
Cruz is worse at SS than Betts. He has 10 errors. He is hitting .251 with 9 homers and 30 driven in. He has struck out 85 times in 243 at bats. His OPS is below .800 and his OBP is awful at .302. His K to BB ratio is 4-1. Sorry, that guy is not that great. He has tools, but his defense is very iffy.
Oh yes. Vargas is on the 40-man roster and the others aren’t. Now it makes sense!
Anyway, count me in the camp of fans who think Mookie’s injury (but not Yamamoto’s) may be a blessing in disguise. We caught a glimpse of why in the win against the Rockies, with everybody stepping up.
Paxton was terrific at Coors, and kudo to Roberts for the new lineup, with Shohei at lead-off and Will Smith batting second.
I doubt that many of us expected that little wrinkle. Makes a lot of sense, getting a L-R-L-R rhythm at the top. Smith always provides quality ABs. Freddie sure improved his K to BB ratio.
Now Mookie will get his rest and should come back strong in August. The rest of the Dodgers should be motivated to prove how they can succeed without their de facto leader. And The front office should have a better opportunity to assess the team’s needs as the trade deadline approaches.
Who will rise to the occasion?
Lux is one to watch, certainly. I hope he gets starts against both righties and lefties. Will Vargas get similar consideration in LF? We’ll see… But Taylor, Kike and Biggio also need to prove they belong.
So let’s pause to salute the oft-overlooked Miguel Rojas, who has always proven he belongs. He seems to be taken for granted while we fret over the fates of Vargas and Lux.
When AF traded for him, Rojas was just expecte to be a veteran with a good glove who would back up Lux at SS and mentor (and back up) Vargas at 2B. But he became the most indispensable part of the ’23 keystone–and is showing it again with Mookie’s injury.
Talking about stepping up. Starting at SS in place of Mookie, Rojas went 3 for 5, with a double and two singles, two runs scored and 1 RBI. He raised his BA to .292 and his OPS to .799–all while providing solid defense.
If Lux and Vargas were producing numbers like that, we’d be thrilled. And of course Rojas, age 35, is also outperforming fellow veterans Taylor, Kike and Biggio.
If Rojas continues to deliver, AF will be less likely to shop for a SS. No, scratch that: He will shop, but he’d be less likely to deal. But if Rojas fades, that could change.
I still expect AF to make significant moves before the deadline. There is just too much talent on the market and the Dodgers have considerable trade capital.
Allow me to repost my post from yesterday:
“Good post Jeff. Finally a cooler head prevails. I just knew Mookie’s injury would start a firestorm to sign just about anybody perviously mentioned and some that weren’t. I just as soon see the Dodgers overpay for a non-upgrade like Adames and get it over with”.
“Once again, I’m completely amazed at the lack of respect for Miggy Rojas. The guy is more than adequate and an upgrade over Mookie at short with the glove. He’s hitting .278 (NOW .292) and an 8% K rate. Yeah, he doesn’t slug and I can live with that, in spades.”
“Why does everybody want to overpay for temporary help when we don’t need to?
Badger has mentioned he has a sore leg and is 35 but I haven’t seen a decline in his play. He can cover it more then adequately, with Kike and CT3 filling in as needed.”
“What am I missing here?”
Paxton is so fun when he’s ON. He is such a North-South pitcher, living by spotting that fastball at the top of the zone and mixing that nasty breaking ball. It’s really fun to see a craftsman get it done without 97.
Can Michael Toglia, the switch hitting RF/1b, old Bruin, throw at all from right field? It was unimportant but comical. In the first 2 innings, he overthrew the cut guy on Teoscar’s RBI double and it ended up rolling somewhere toward the pitchers mound. Had Teo found the ball rounding 2nd he could have hustled to 3rd. instead he was doing the early Freddie on 2nd. Next, Toglia tossed an off line short hop to the cut guy on Miggy’s single and the third was a toss somewhere to the infield, again way off line to home on Shohei’s single. On the very next play, he sort of misplayed the ball off the wall on Will’s triple. His spray pattern on his arm says “Run on this guy all series”.
Hoping that Ferris can find some much needed success tonight.
“What am I missing here?”
I responded. You’re not buying it.
And I hope you’re right.
That said I think the Dodgers would be wise to keep searching for a Major League shortstop. Please don’t misunderstand me, I really like Rojas, but I prefer him in the role for which he was hired.
I read your response yesterday Badger. I just didn’t include it in my re-post. Your point is well taken and correct in many ways. I’m just such a big fan of Rojas and I think our efforts at the deadline could go to other, more pressing, needs.
Good game, looks like Jeff was right about Miggy Ro, I’m starting to like him a lot. He’s really worked on his hitting and it shows. Maybe he’s the contact hitter the Dodgers have been needing in their lineup for a while.
Good grief that Fereiysien bum is awful. Where in the world did Friedman dig that guy up? Was he working at the grocery store before?
Here is Gavin Lux’s slash line
.211/.261/.284 OPS+ 56
is anyone still believing he’s going to magically figure it out and start slicing the ball all over the field like Wee Willie Keeller? Should the Dodgers give him another 5 years? 10? Can they please get him out of the starting lineup?
Totally unfair about Feyereisen. Pre 2022 injury, Feyereisen was arguably the most sought after reliever in MLB. 24.1 IP, 1 run (unearned), 5 BB and 25 K. It cost the Dodgers LHRP Jeff Belge who is now in AA with the Cubs. If you would not take a flier on that level of a pitcher, there is something wrong with you and not AF. He just has not been able to return from the injury.
He will be gone later in the week when the Dodgers need Landon Knack to start a game (Thursday? Friday?)
sought after based on 24 innings? really?
Yes. I guess you do not get around to other MLB players. Just LAD who do not meet your HOF standards. He was very much sought after. PRE-INJURY.
based on what? I do get around to MLB players, I just don’t hype up mediocre relievers, or utility players. 24 innings is a super small sample size.
just sayin, sorry.
Based on his 100.2 total innings, a WHIP of 1.053 and a sub 3 ERA. 8-5 record with 5 saves. Potential Scott. His last two years with Tampa he was 8-2 with 4 saves and a WHIP of 0.984. ERA was 1.48. Those are not the stats of a mediocre reliever.
I dont know Bear,
Here are his FIPs
2020 FIP 7.80
2021 FIP 4.21
2022 FIP 1.67 (His good year)
2024 FIP 6.70
Well AF saw enough to make the deal. I think he was impressed with the 2-year totals in the AL East.
“Can they please get him out of the starting lineup”……..
Uh….. I got nothin’
Why would you want someone in the starting lineup with this production…
.211/.261/.284 OPS+ 56
Why not. They are not losing.
so your rationale, is to keep playing someone who is not performing because they are not losing?
I want to make sure I’m understading what you’re saying. don’t get mad at me. lol
Jeff,
it’s your blog, and you doing amazing work maintaining it.
but why engage with Scott? He has stopped trying to add to discussion and discourse. He is just performing for shock value and attention.
there’s no there, there. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein.
I’m just telling it like it is Bluto, so you can believe whatever you want.
blowing smoke up everyone’s butt, and just saying how great everything is like you do, provides no value or discourse whatsoever.
But anyways, get bent Bluto, please get bent.
Dude, don’t be a dick! Oops, too late.
Me? last week he called me an idiot, he’s insulted me numerous times. You keep coming to his defense. Are you related to him? are you his cousin? Or did I piss in your cereal this morning?
He can defend himself, he doesn’t need you.
A thousand thumbs up
Shoo fly be gone.
Lux has not hit very well, that is true. But right now, short of trading for someone, he is the best option at second base. How many times in all the years you have watched baseball has a team carried a good glove weak bat player? Dodgers have done it many times. Changes will be made. With an 8.5 game lead, they have time and do not have to do anything drastic.
Paxton and Glasnow both going 7 innings saved the overworked bullpen. Talking about stepping up when really needed, they did it.
Is Heyward doing so well that Outman shouldn’t be a Dodger?
Lux doing fine wrisp.
Lux is doing very well WRISP. He is batting .308/.379/.442/.821. He trails Mookie and Smith in BA, and Mookie, Smith, and Freddie in OPS. WRISP and 2 outs – Lux #4 in BA behind Mookie, J-Hey, and Rojas. And #5 in OPS behind Mookie, Rojas, J-Hey, and Smith. That is a lot of auto outs that are performing WRISP and 2 outs.
Lux’s BABIP is nearly 40 points south of his career number, and nearly 30 points south of the MLB average. He has been hitting a lot of line drives lately that are finding gloves. At some point they will be falling. It may take until next year to fully recover as it did Ronald Acuña Jr. Scott would have DFA Acuña in 2022.
Lux will probably land around his 2022 numbers when he fully recovers.. I will take those numbers all day. His glove is more than fine. But if they can improve the team, I am ready to move on from Gavin. But Paul DeJong is not an improvement (IMO).
The Dodgers have the 2nd best record in NL and 5th best in MLB. They haven’t even hit August when they typically take off. I thought that the idea was to just get to the playoffs and someone needs to get hot. The Dodgers are not losing because of Lux, and they are going to make the playoffs.
The Dodgers were 3-15 WRISP on Monday. The three? Shohei, Biggio, and Lux.
Jeff, come on, you are not comparing Gavin Lux to Ron Acuna Jr. Please tell me you are not.
But let’s see where we are at with Lux by the all-star break. If he’s a league average hitter by then, I’ll maybe stop talking about him, but for him to be even league average, he’s got a lot of work to do. if he’s still hovering around .210 by then with an OPS+ of 55-60, will you finally admit he sucks?
Where do you get that I compared Lux to Acuña Jr.? The only comaprison is that it took Acuña a full season to recover from his ACL tear. You want to cut Lux loose without the same leash. If the Dodgers were losing, fine. But they aren’t. A young middle infielder who was turning the corner in 2022 deserves the same. Maybe he doesn’t make it fully back. But I think he does. Again, maybe not 2024, but he will make it back to 2022 standards. You don’t think he will. Regardless, the Dodgers still are not losing because of Lux and there is no reason to dump him.
If the Dodgers can improve by trading Gavin, they will do so. If there is not a better SS or 2B better available, I continue to throw Gavin out there and let him work things out. Just like Miggy Ro.
Honest question,
would you continue to throw him out there if the Dodgers were in second place? I think having terrible hitters in the lineup is a bad idea. I also think the Dodgers have given him enough leash, and well over 1200 PA.
But if he proves me wrong, then great.
You play what you have. There are no other infielders on the 40-man roster. All of the possible subs are not on the roster. See your theory does not fly because they are not in second place. If they were, then most likely changes would have already been made. But they don’t need some knee jerk reaction. I would like to see you do any better if you had missed an entire year. It took Acuna more than a full season to recover from basically the same injury. Lux does hit better with men in scoring position. If he doesn’t improve, most likely a deal will be in the works.
Plus Lux hit the ball well for outs in a couple of other chances wrisp
“Lux is doing very well WRISP”
That’s 50 ABs. The other 140 at bats he’s blown chunks.
I’m rooting for him. I’ve always liked him. It’s time he hit with none on.
I am fine with him until the trade deadline. If he is still hitting in the .210 and .545 OPS, make a change that will help for the playoffs. There is no reason to make a change right now when nobody knows who is going to be available. Bichette just went on the IL with a calf strain. Right now, I am hoping that Texas continues to collapse and they make Josh Smith available. Smith plays mostly 3rd now, but he came up as a SS. He can play 3B, 2B, SS, and OF. With Corey Seager at SS, Josh Jung at 3B, and Marcus Semien at 2B, Josh really is a utility player for Texas. At 26 he should be more.
I am now up to 3 players who can help in October: LHSP Garrett Crochet, OF Kyle Tucker, and infielder Josh Smith. All could be available, but all three could stay where they are.
“I am fine with him until the trade deadline.”
Me too. And as you said, why not, they aren’t losing.
Lux is not playing up to expectations.
But even if he gets his production up against both lefties and righties, does he really fit the Dodgers’ long-term plans?
I doubt it.
Seems clear to me that the Dodgers prefer to have Mookie at 2B long-term and will seek a true SS.
How about Lux in a UT role? Well, that could happen–but his arm is not as strong as Taylor’s or Kike’s. He now seems limited to 2B on defense.
While Rojas has been excellent, can he keep it up? AF would be remiss not to shop for an SS.
To put it simply, would the Dodgers be better with DeJong or Bichette or Lux? For that matter, UT guys like Rengifo and the O’s Mateo could bring more to the team’s cause, because both can play SS and 3B.
Bichette is having a lousy year, no thanks. And he just went on the IL
Corbin Carol’s 2024 line: .213.304.310.614
Gavin Lux’ 2024 line: .211.261.284.545
Paxton and Glasnow. Weren’t they AF acquisitions last winter?
I like Teoscar Hernandez. He’s good in the outfield, provides a veteran presence and a power bat. He has been a good fit with the Dodgers. Plus, he seems well liked and a good teammate.
He has been blessed with the hitters ahead of him providing plenty of opportunities for RBI. Now moving up to the 4 hole, he will face more demands to come through w/ RISP. And so far he’s been fair, but not great.
There was a reason why Freddie got 5 walks last night and it wasn’t just the pitchers being shitty.
He has had 88 at bats with RISP. A lot for 62 games. But he’s only hitting .216 with a K-rate of 35%. His 51 RBI could be much higher.
Last night, he left 7 guys on base with 3 K’s. He can be a sucker for outside sliders. That was his rep in Seattle, who didn’t have the lineup talent to withstand his 34% K-rate.
He is going to continue to be in situations to drive in runs and we will see how he responds. A little more contact would go along way in those situations even with our slug mentality.
Yep
Obvious answer here is to make Lux (.308/.379/.442/.821 WRISP) the cleanup hitter and move Teoscar to 9th. (for those who are wondering, the Sarcasm Flag is UP). Although……………………………………………..
The Dodgers are stat driven so maybe you are not so far into sarcasm. Staying with the LRLR lineup, maybe Lux finds his way up to hitting 5th. He isn’t generating the OBP stat that puts him on base for the top of the lineup but he is producing wrisp stats that suggest he would be more valuable higher up in the lineup.
While Betts is out of the lineup there is some rationale for a lineup of Ohtani, Smith, Freeman, Rojas, Lux, Hernandez, Heyward (Outman?), Pages. If Pages were not a rookie, he might be flipped with Rojas.
I actually got to watch the game last night. I found a station on Spectrum which only shows the Rockies games. 130. It also shows a replay twice. Once about 2 hours after the game, and once the next morning. The only bad thing was having to listen to Drew Goodman and his drivel. He is the worst announcer in baseball. Since Jenny Cavnar left to be the A’s play by play announcer, they hired another lady to do pre- and post-game stuff. Jeff Huson is still Goodman’s color man in the booth. Spillbourghs is also on the pre- and post-game show. After about 10 minutes, I could not take it anymore, so I muted the sound and just enjoyed the game. Made it much easier to watch.
Don’t look now, but J.D. Davis was just DFA by Oakland. You just know J.D. fits the AF sweet spot. All kidding aside, I would not be surprised to see the Dodgers either pick him up off waivers or wait until he is released. Not predicting it, just will not be surprised.
Dion
Hope you enjoyed your trip to Watford yesterday – you should’ve reached out, woulda been cool
to hook up.
How are you enjoying England 🏴
Hope you’re having a few pints. Where else are you visiting? I’m moving full time to London on July 1st
The talented Craig Goldstein tackles the same problem Bear asks ($$$$)
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/91625/ta-the-dodgers-get-a-couple-of-bad-breaks/
why the most likely course is the most frustrating one: just waiting it out.
there is a lingering worry about how Miller has looked in MiLB.
There’s a paywall behind this article Bluto.
Which is why I put $$$$ before the link, Scott.
I really don’t have anything new to add seeing the 54 comments before me pretty much said much of what I’m thinking:
Andrew didn’t say “I did it!”
He was hoping you wouldn’t notice.
So far, I see why Toronto dumped him for anything they could get. So far.
Bo Bichette went on the IL today with some hammy issues. Scratch him from my trade list. I do not want any damaged goods. I cannot remember a year with so many injuries around the leagues. Verlander placed on the IL today by Houston.
Right calf strain, but yeah a soft tissue injury. Josh Jung had a low grade calf strain and was out 3-4 weeks. Depending on the injury grade that seems a reasonable amount of time on the IL.
Very sad day. The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays passed away today at the age of 93. A great baseball player and a great person.
RIP Willie!!! 🙏
He was the best player I ever saw. 5 tools all elite.
I concur with that. He was so much fun to watch. Dodgers could have had him had they listened to Campanella. He told the front office about the kid. They sent a scout to watch him. Scouts report said the kid could not hit a curve, so they did not sign him. I can still see him running out from under his cap. This was pre batting helmets.
Buehler doesn’t have it. Get him out of there.
Too late.
Die by OPS, Live by OPS.
One of the best finishes I’ve ever seen.
Wah-Ooh!! What a comeback.
I saw them score 5 in the top of the 9th in 2016 to win a game 12-10. At one point they had led 7-1. Rockies scored 5 in the bottom of the 8th to take a 10-7 lead. Clutch Points proposed this trade with the A’s. How many of you would do it. Dalton Rushing, Michael Grove and Kyle Hurt for Mason Miller. I would in a heartbeat. Also, Brandon Gomes said there will be NO significant moves right now. The Dodgers will evaluate the trade market when the time comes.
Somebody would offer the A’s more for Mason than those three players so even if we would say yes, they would say no.
If BG has been correctly indoctrinated as to the Dodger way of putting information out there, we should expect a major trade within 48 hours.
Not a snowballs chance in hell of that happening. They will stand pat, and around the All-Star break we should have a better idea of where they might seek help. Any short-term help will come from within.