I understand the frustration. I have vented myself; lately quite a bit. We need the opportunity to vent our frustration, and we allow for it here at LADC. So if the negative commenters on LA Dodger Talk were directed to LADC, as some have said, welcome. Even those who blindly follow whatever AF or Doc (or Mark) says, and find no fault whatsoever how the Dodgers are currently playing, are welcome as well.
One of the chief LAD protagonists on LADC has vented that both Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates need to be DFA’d. With three more years on Tanner Scott’s contract, he is not going anywhere. Just take a look at the 2024 David Bednar vs. the 2025 David Bednar. AF/BG will be hoping for a do over in 2026 like Pittsburgh did with Bednar. Bednar’s trade value last year and this past winter was in the toilet. They are now in place to get a very good return when they trade him this trade deadline.
Kirby Yates is probably not going to be DFA’d, but there is a possibility, even if it is remote. There is more of a likelihood that AF/BG will manufacture a trade to include Yates as they did with Syndergaard. But they are not going to move him unless they have 2-3 quality high leverage late inning relievers in that trade or other moves. That does not mean it has to be a closer, although one would be helpful. One will be Blake Treinen, and he should be on the 26 man before the deadline. Sunday was a back to back game. Another box checked. Another could be Dustin May (if not traded).
Edgardo Henriquez is not ready to be a late inning reliever for a contending team. He isn’t for OKC. In 2025, Edgardo has relieved 18 games, with 18.1 IP. He has a 5.89 ERA and a 1.691 WHIP. 18 hits and 11 BB give the opponents 1.5 runners per inning. He does have 26 strikeouts. Maybe the Dodgers can work out an agreement with Milwaukee to finish the development of hard throwing relievers with bad command/control. The Brewers organization seems to be able to accomplish that development.
Brewers pitching staff’s career ERA before coming to the Brewers (and their ERA this season in parentheses)
Priester: 6.23 (3.33)
Quintana: 3.74 (3.28)
Megill: 6.03 (2.34)
Grant Anderson: 6.35 (2.85)
Koenig: 5.72 (3.60)
Mears: 4.92 (2.41)
Hall: 4.36 (2.38)
Zastryzny: 4.70 (2.03)— Brett 🙈 (@SaladinoWRLD) July 19, 2025
Jeff Passan has put together an extensive, formidable, and realistic list of Dodgers trade targets. It also includes Passan’s expected percentage of such a trade to any MLB team.
1 Position Player: Steven Kwan – LF – Cleveland (20%)
4 Starting Pitchers:
- Sandy Alcantara – Miami (50%)
- Seth Lugo – KC (80%)
- Taj Bradley – Tampa Bay (25%)
- Edward Cabrera – Miami (30%)
8 Relief Pitchers:
- Jhoan Duran – Minnesota (40%)
- Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland (20%)
- Cade Smith – Cleveland (20%)
- Griffin Jax – Minnesota (40%)
- Felix Bautista – Baltimore (15%)
- David Bednar – Pittsburgh (60%)
- Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay (35%)
- Ryan Helsley – St. Louis (60%)
Notice who is not on that list: Brent Rooker (A’s DH), Ryan O’Hearn and Cedric Mullins (O’s), Nolan Arenado (STL), Oneil Cruz and Mitch Keller (Pittsburgh), Mason Miller or Luis Severino (A’s), Jarren Duran (Boston), Luis Robert Jr. (CWS), Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa (Minnesota),…All, except for Buxton and Correa, are included on Passan’s top 50 trade targets and potential destination.
As Bear has said, Rooker is a good hitter, but he is a poor defensive OF. Yes, the Dodgers could hide him in LF this year, but he has 4 more years on his current contract plus a vesting option for a 5th. The Dodgers already have a DH, named Shohei Ohtani.
Jim Bowden (The Athletic) has mentioned the Dodgers are looking for another utility player because of the prolonged IL stint for Kiké and the unknown of Max’s recovery. Max is due to go out on a rehab assignment this week, but there is no guarantee he will be the Max in the beginning of the season, or the Max before his injury. One name the Dodgers are rumored to have checked on is Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pittsburgh). This is not the first year the Dodgers have shown interest in IKF. I suppose Willie Castro would be in play, but IMO there is no way the Dodgers beat out other teams like San Diego or San Francisco (and others) for Castro of IKF. But SF and SD could be all in on Luis Urias (A’s).
One name that has been mentioned by LAD fans for a while is Luis Robert Jr. I am not predicting it, and I am not advocating it. But I would not be surprised to see Luis Robert Jr. with LAD. CWS would have to take Conforto, they like Outman, and maybe another 15-20 range pitcher (say Maddux Bruns or Eriq Swan). Something has clicked for him in July. For the month, Robert Jr. is hitting .364/.447/.576/1.023, 2 HRs. 8 RBI. Small sample size (38 PA), but it is better than what he was doing. LAD would have to add whatever minimal cash is required to even out the finances. Robert Jr. is going to get traded, the Dodgers have been linked to him for quite a while, and it is being mocked by several out there for LAD.
That is a healthy list of high leverage late inning relievers. It will come down to the prospect capital that is requested in return. Who are the logical prospects teams might be interest in.
- Dalton Rushing
- Alex Freeland
- Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Mike Sirota, Kendall George, Eduardo Quintero, Ching-Hsien Ko, Brad Tunink – One or two of these OF could be moved. Do they need 7 A League and Rookie League OF?
- Jackson Ferris, River Ryan, Patrick Copen, Sean Paul Linan, Christian Zazueta, Eriq Swan, Payton Martin, Hyun-Seok Jang, Jakob Wright, Marlon Nieves. I have my favorites, but nobody is asking me.
- Edgardo Henriquez, Nick Frasso
Others who will be considered are Hunter Feduccia, James Outman, Esteury Ruiz, Ben Casparius, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack, Maddux Bruns, and Jack Little. The Dodgers have wasted another first round draft choice whose draft value is negligible. Maddux Bruns has dropped out of Baseball America’s most current top 30. He dropped out of mine a couple of years ago.
I do not believe that the Dodgers will trade for a SP. There is no need. If I were to handicap it, I would say Lugo because he can be put in the bullpen come October or start.
I don’t know if the Dodgers have a preference on any of the closers. But there sure seems to be a lot of smoke on Griffin Jax.
According to Baseball Savant, Jax sits inside the 99th percentile in strikeout rate, whiff rate, and chase percentage. His name may not carry the same weight as an Emmanuel Clase or Ryan Helsley, but Jax’s advanced metrics are miles ahead of both. The prospect capital will be less for Jax. That seems to be where AF/BG will shop.
Outman saves the day. He needs to play more and Conforto less.
AF needs to prioritize the bullpen at the deadline. We need another lockdown late inning guy. Perhaps two. I can live with an outfield of Teo in LF, Outman in CF, and Pages in RF.
Yates and Scott suck. I don’t trust either late in a close game.
Yeah, we can swap a .170 hitter for a .120 hitter. Although, I’m sure you put more stock on his defensive prowess.
Excuse me, but Michael is hitting .185!
lol…
Defensively I agree. Maybe his bat comes around too with some playing time. He wasn’t doing bad at AAA.
Have you heard of the Peter Principle? Outman may have reached his greatness in Oklahoma….no further up will he go. Maybe….
He gets the start tonight in CF.
I trusted AF on the Conforto signing, but now my trust seems to have been misplaced.
From Opening Day, the Dodgers may have been better off with an OF of Teo-Outman-Pages. If Outman struggled, Edman and Kike were options as well.
That’s my hindsight, anyway.
Every time I read somebody proclaiming that AF is a genius, I remember his blunders. (A keystone solution of Lux and Vargas?)
Conforto, Scott, Yates–all seem like mistakes now. AF said he signed them to prevent the need for shopping at mid-season because the price would be higher. Sounded good… but he paid plenty in the winter, didn’t he?
And now the Dodgers are shopping again, certain to jack up the payroll even more.
Genius!
I think AF is good, but not the baseball savant some people proclaim him to be. The Conforto signing was a panic move when he was afraid he would not resign Teo. He overpaid for all of them. I can live with Yates and Conforto contracts as they were only for one year. The Scott contract was a huge overpay in both dollars and years. I would not have gone 4 years on Teo.
Vesia should probably be taking the closer role, can share it with Treinen when he gets back. Scott and Yates should be in no leverage situations right now.
Yup
Close one and they win it to break the streak. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. SD 3.5 back, Giants now 7 back.
I expect Preller to make at least 1-2 big aquisitions at the deadline. Padres will not go away easily. Dodgers will have to play better baseball down the stretch.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Preller wants to beat the Dodgers badly, especially after losing the LDS last season. Padres are a good team and have decent pitching, especially their bullpen.
When I see LDS I think “Later-Day Saints”… who should never be cheering for a Franciscan order of ballplayers.
Good one.
They are not nearly as good as they were last year, but they will be a factor.
No, they are missing some of their pop.
Dodgers need another high leverage bullpen arm. Scott sadly is not reliable at all this season. Same for Yates.
Treinen is not a sure thing too because of injury concerns.
Good and badly needed win. Lets keep rolling.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Now he is injured and has an excuse.
The staff gave up 9 hits and 6 BB’s. They are quite lucky to have only given up 2 runs.
Scott with an ERA over 4 now. Yates 3.86. Maybe they both get it together for the stretch. Maybe Treinen and Kopech will be back. Maybe Graterol. Maybe May be added.
4 dingers and only 5 runs. “And the villain comes up short”. It was that close.
It will be an interesting deadline this year. It is every year. Pitching, yes. A hitter? Robert Jr could finally be added. I’d be ok with that. Might be just what he needs. Go someplace where it matters.
Jr. finally has his average above .200. His OPS+ is just 73. His defense is excellent, and he is for once healthy. As long as the cost was reasonable, I would take a flier on him. He is a little better at this point than Conforto, but not by much.
I’d try for Jr. too because I still believe his “ceiling” is fairly high. (But as you wrote), as long as the cost is reasonable.
For the life of me I don’t understand all this love for Robert Jr. Are we that desperate? SMH
Why don’t we get a decent player for left field,crap give Ward a chance.What does he have to do to get a call up.Seems unfair to me.
it’s never going to happen, I seriously doubt it was ever close to happening.
I shake my head as well.
Robert Jr. is a one year fix for the putrid OF defense. He has GG capabilities in CF which could move Pages to RF and Teo to LF. You have just turned a poor defensive OF into maybe a plus defensive OF. Robert Jr. is an accomplished baserunner (25 SB and 6 CS). His July hitting is very reminiscent to his 2023 All Star season. Will it continue? Maybe yes, maybe no. He pounds LHP with a .979 OPS. Maybe a Robert Jr./James Outman platoon in CF could work. But my guess is that acquiring Robert Jr. will require Outman to CWS. I am an Outman fan and I would love to see him get that chance as the everyday CF for another team rather than sit on the bench and come in for 9th inning defense for the Dodgers. With their actions, LAD has told Outman that he is not in their plans.
Then again, if the Dodgers want to make a commitment to Outman as the every day CF, I am okay with that as well. I am more focused on run prevention right now, so defense is paramount for me. If the Dodgers could get Jacob Young from Washington, do it. SP is starting to come into view, and the Dodgers need to focus on high leverage late inning relievers. Treinen and Kopech are not enough, because neither can be relied upon to stay healthy.
I would be totally OK with Outman in CF for the rest of this year and hopefully beyond if he has an OPS of .720 or better. I think the Dodgers can survive this year with him. He would greatly improve the defense in CF and move Pages to RF where he belongs. I too am high on defense and run prevention. Look what it did for the Brewers against us.
If you want a great defensive CF, then get that guy we picked up at the trade deadline last year to play CF. I know he retired so we wouldn’t have to give up any assets to get him to get off of his couch to join us. By the way, I forgot his name….
His name is Kevin Kiermaier, and he is not coming out of retirement.
You do not have a problem with the OF defense?
One thing that might make a huge difference for him is having all of these very good hitters around him. Just being around Freddie, Mookie, Smitty and Ohtani might help him.
Not love, just tossing his name in the pot. He is hitting better than Conforto and has improved a lot over the last month. Superior defender.
Me neither. Jr is hitting .206 / .636 with a 33% K-rate. I thought that ship had sailed but his name keeps popping up like a bad penny.
He’s OPS’n 1.042 over the last month.
And dog shit for the previous 3 months
Cmon Phil anyone can change, and some even get better. The guy has the talent, just needs to put it all together. Playing on a winner could totally reinvigorate him.
Jeff you were mentioning that you hoped the Dodgers would get a do-over for Scott in 2026 something similar to what Bednar did. You might have to advance that to 2027. That forearm thing could be an indication that we’re looking at TJ for him.
a true Dodger lol
Yeah, I wrote that before Scott came out of the game..2 years at $72MM, he better be good in 2027 and 2028. 😎
It was a four-year deal for $72 million…
It seems odd that AF was willing to make such a commitment when the Dodgers had so much success polishing tarnished gems like Phillips, Banda and others, and use their wallet to churn through journeymen like Trivino…
May he succeed in his next endeavor.
I liked Trivino and thought he could develop into something.
I hope his next endeavor is in AAA.
Scott will have an MRI today to determine what is happening with his forearm. May got through his 4+ innings, but he wasn’t that efficient or good. Twins hit some rockets off of him and Ohtani. Smith is the best hitter on this team period. Freeman said he found something in batting practice, he lost it during the game. SI reports it would take at least Freeland and Ferris plus a couple other minor leaguers to land Miller. Conforto does not have much trade value at this point, so if they do decide to get rid of him, it would most likely be a DFA. Yamamoto goes tonight. They probably won’t make a decision on who to call up with Scott very likely headed to the IL, until later today. Need for a back end of the pen arm just went a lot higher. So did the price.
I didn’t want to sign Yates.
I don’t want to trade for another reliever at the deadline.
But I was wrong about Yates, and from everything I read, I’ll be wrong about the deadline.
The team won last year with Kopech as the closer, Kopech can be the closer this year. Or you could argue Treinen was the closer, then he can/will be the closer this year. Acquiring a reliever does not mean you guarantee a good bullpen, and there are too many good arms in the pen right now to really need another one.
But I’m gonna be wrong. Again.
this is so ironic, given what Friedman feels while trading for closers at the deadline
Kopech was not the closer last year. It was Phillips. Kopech did get 6 saves in 9 tries. He won 4 and lost 0. But Hudson saved 10, Vesia 5. Treinen had one save in his 50 games. He was more the late inning high leverage guy.
If they have so many good arms in the pen, then why are they ranked 24th in ERA, and at the bottom of MLB in almost every pitching category? Why do they give up so many runs?
I think you can figure that out.
Conforto has zero trade value. That does not mean the AF/BG cannot trade him. Noah Syndergaard was negative trade value and they moved him and cash to Cleveland to get Amed Rosario.
You are absolutely correct that both the need and cost for a late inning high leverage reliever just went way up for the Dodgers. I expect AF/BG to suck it up and pay for it. They did not go all in this year for a 2nd WS to back down now.
Their problem is that they do not have any elite near MLB ready prospects except maybe Alex Freeland. And I would not put him in the elite class. They are not trading Dalton Rushing for a closer. They are going to lose at least one of their OF, and at least one of their top pitching prospects (Jackson Ferris, Christian Zazueta, Sean Linan, Patrick Copen). Heubeck has negligible trade value and Bruns has negative trade value. I do not know how Eriq Swan is viewed. Hate the idea of losing one of De Paula, Hope, Sirota, or Quintero. I doubt that Kendall George moves the needle very much, but he could develop into a decent CF, albeit probably more of a reserve OF and late inning defensive replacement and base runner.
The problem is just one reliever is not going to fix this. The pitching staff is one of the worst in MLB. Only 4 or 5 teams have a worse pitching staff than the Dodgers.
The pitching has gotten worse and worse every year. I remember when the Dodgers used to lead the league, or be near the top in ERA, WHIP, BBs allowed, runs allowed etc, even under Friedman. over the last 3-4 years, they now rank near the bottom of MLB.
None of the pitching prospects are better than average at best. Friedman should look at bringing in someone that can help them learn how to build, utilize a good pitching staff, because they do not know how to do it anymore.
No matter how many times you say it, the Dodgers are not going to tear down the bullpen. And they do not need to. BTW, I said 2-3 high leverage relievers not 1. Treinen will be back in the pen before the deadline, so that is one. My proposal would be Jax and one of Bednar/Clase/Bautista/Duran.
I would include Vesia in that back end group. Since May 20, Vesia has appeared in 24 games, and compiled 20.0 IP. He has a 1.80 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 0.800 WHIP, 5 BB to 27K (better than 5:1), 1 HR and none since May 28. That is not a small sample size. That not good enough for you?
Edgardo Henriquez has been recalled, and I am more of a wait and see on him. He is going to need more movement on his 4-seamer. A straight 101+ 4-seamer is hittable at the MLB level. He strikes out a lot, but he also walks a lot. Could he become a Trevor Megill? Probably not, but we will have to wait and see. Trevor Megill was not expected to be this Trevor Megill. Edgardo is only 23 and could be in that middle relief role to begin with.
Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer have shown they are more than capable to fill a middle relief role. Justin Wrobleski could be included in that discussion as well. Since returning to OKC, Wrobo has 2 starts and 11.0 IP. He has allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits, 1 BB against 10 K. In his 4 LAD appearances prior to the July 5th Houston game, Wrobo compiled 20.1 IP, 1.77 ERA, 2.11 FIP, sub 1.00 WHIP, 3 BB against 21 K, and 1 HR. Is that not good enough for you?
Two of Banda/Klein/May/Yates will have to be moved to make room for Jax and one of Bednar/Clase/Bautista/Duran. When Treinen is activated, one of the remaining two from Banda/Klein/May/Yates would be moved in some way. When Snell returns, Sheehan can move into the pen. I think his stuff would play well in a late inning situation or middle relief.
One of Bednar/Clase/Bautista/Duran to close
Griffin Jax
Blake Treinen
Alex Vesia
Jack Dreyer
Ben Casparius
Edgardo Henriquez
One of Emmet Sheehan/Justin Wrobleski
When Kopech is ready to return someone will be optioned. Hopefully he pitches like he did at the end of last season. Maybe not. Decide then.
Same with Graterol. Graterol has options so he does not need to be rushed.
Backup? Jack Little? He was not good in his MLB debut, but was very good against Houston in his 2nd game. Matt Sauer? He has been hot and cold at the MLB level, but is an emergency multi-inning reliever.
You do not need a tear down. I just provided a plausible upgrade, not pie in the sky, or a requirement of 8 All Star closers/setup relievers.
I have no idea how realistic any of that is especially if the Dodgers are unwilling to include Dalton Rushing. Minnesota says that Duran and Jax are just about unattainable. But are willing to listen on former LAD LHRP Danny Coulombe. Minnesota believes they are close to contending and are not looking for sell off. Besides Coulombe, per MLBTR they are willing to listen on utility Willi Castro, outfielder Harrison Bader, RHSP Chris Paddack, first baseman Ty France, backup catcher Christian Vazquez, RHRP Justin Topa and former LAD RHRP Brock Stewart. Any takers?
David Bednar was my pick, and is someone who will be moved at the deadline. That is where I would focus. I still do not think Cleveland will trade Clase or Cade Smith. I am not sure why they would. Both are controlled for at least three years at a more than reasonable cost. One difference is that Cleveland is one of the very best at developing pitchers. So they probably believe they can replace one of them internally and get some plus prospects in return for one of them.
It is doubtful that the Orioles will move Felix Bautista, but will listen on Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto,Yeiner Cano or Andrew Kittredge. Any takers?
Ryan Helsley is a possibility, but maybe St. Louis says the team has to also take Nolan Arenado in the deal. St. Louis has been trying to dump that Arenado salary and Helsley may be the way to get it done. The prospect capital would certainly be less.
Rosenthal echoes a lot of this. He thinks this will be a very mild trade deadline, and that the Dodgers will have a relief arm and maybe, just maybe an outfielder.
So name some names Scott. Who could Andrew trade for or sign this winter that you wouldn’t complain about?
I agree with you Jeff, that’s why I said before that they are not going to repeat, or go anywhere this year unless they completely rework the pitching staff. Compare the Dodger’s pitching staff to say the Brewers, or Padres, or Giants, or Phillies. There is no comparison.
A team that is the defending World Series champion, with the highest payroll in MLB, the most resources and influence, should never be putting a pitching staff as bad as this year’s on the field. Ever.
If their pitching staff for the rest of this season is the staff they have had for the last two months, I would agree. If (and it definitely remains to be seen) they have a six man rotation of Ohtani, Glasnow, Yamamoto, Snell, Kershaw, and Sheehan or Wrobleski with May in the pen, then their starters are better than any other starting staff in baseball. I just listed seven starters not counting May or Sasaki. That gives them some cushion if one or two of these starters are not able to pitch in the playoffs.
We should withhold judgement on the pen until the trade deadline is over but Treinen is back soon and Kopech seems likely to return by end of August. One or two trade deadline acquisitions plus Vesia, Banda, Dreyer, Casparius give them a chance for a very good pen, not even counting internal improvement from Klein, Henriquez, or excess starters like May, Sheehan, Wrobleski, Sasaki or injury returns like Graterol or Hurt. Not saying it all works out but there is enough depth and talent in that group to build a good bullpen. I did not even mention Scoot or Yates, assuming the worst. I just think it is way too early to say they are not going anywhere without reworking their pitching staff.
Wait, I thought you said they wouldn’t repeat because you think that going to cause the team to play better!
What kind of Dodger fan would I be if I didn’t at least try to do what I can from my couch?
The kind of dodger fan that you are Scott, is definitely fodder for interesting conversation
Some of the names in this article would help. But this is an entire staff wide issue. It’s not like there is one gas can coming in ruining games. They’ve had 1 reliable starter and 3 effective (not dominating) relievers. The rest of the staff has either been injured, or bad. The entire staff is ranked at the bottom of MLB in almost every category. the amount of walks they are issuing is mindblowing Check out the numbers for yourself.
I would at least start by getting rid of the two worst relievers which are Yates and Scott. Looks like Scott is going on the IL, so I would follow that up by giving Yates his unconditional release and eating whetever salary is remaining. That will open up 2 spots that can go to better pitchers.
Addition by subtraction. Here’s hoping Treinen and Kopech can return healthy and to form soon.
Treinen should be back very soon, but they’re talking around end of August for Kopech.
It will be interesting to see how Henriquez does and when/how they decide to use him. He’s got a great arm and strikes out a ton of batters, but he also gives up hits and walks a ton of guys. That’s not exactly the kind of profile that’s going to lead to great success unless he finds a way to work on his command. And that might better be done at OKC.
there is another reliever (Rodriguez???) the team invited to major league camp who Ardaya says they are also high on.
I don’t think his metrics are great in AAA, but I don’t think they care about metrics in AAA. I’m having a hard time figuring out what AAA is for the Dodgers.
Wow, we needed that win. We had to make it interesting in the 9th, but I’ll take it.
Was Scott injured or just shitty?
The top of the order improved to 5 for 15 which was nice to see.
Teo just isn’t right
“Tommy Tanks” is now Tommy went in the tank.
I had to laugh, Ohtani threw a poor sweeper that did nothing, that Buxton hit out in the first inning. Odd choice for the 2nd pitch of the game following the scouting report that said The Twins struggle with fastballs.
He finally threw a wicked sweeper to Larnach for a K. When he got the ball back, the one he had just thrown for a great sweeper, he tossed that ball out of play and asked for a new one. How times have changed.
Back in the day, before balls were one-hit wonders, a pitcher wanted a ball that was darkened by tobacco juice, worn, cut or scuffed by in infielder as it went around the horn. A crafty old-time pitcher would find a cut or scuff and use that ball to his advantage.
Now there’s a new Pearl constantly.
Have you noticed that they now replace the ball after it is thrown around the horn? When it gets to the third baseman, he tosses it in the stands or to the Ball Boy destined for the BP bag.
Many will remember what a shiny new baseball meant to you as a kid. It was better then a new pair of shoes and I treated the Pearl like it was crystal. I’d even use white shoe polish on it as it got worn.
Those thoughts are still with me when they toss out perfectly good baseballs after one pitch in the dirt, after a fly ball or after it being tossed around the horn. I still think it’s a waste.
I suspect they have 12 dozen balls rubbed up for a game and maybe use them all in a game now. A ball goes for the discount rate of about $10 buck each to MLB teams, since MLB owns Rawlings. For a fan, a Pearl at the ballpark can cost $30 to $50 from Fanatics.
144 baseballs per game for the MLB regular season costs about $3.5 million. It seems to me that number could be cut in half and not affect the game.
That money saved could go to MiLB player salaries or even to lower admission or concession prices for the fans.
All of those crazy notions are a product of my frugal youth cherishing one baseball.
Scott felt a sting in his forearm. He is getting a MRI today and according to Doc, he is going to be going on the IL. Just hoping it is not as serious as needing a TJ surgery. They would lose him for all of next season. That’s a lot of money for someone in rehab. About the balls, I think I paid about 1.50 for my first baseball, and it wasn’t even a major league ball. I got about 8 of them for free one night at Jack Murphy Stadium watching the really pitiful Padres play the Cubs when I came home from Germany in 73, About 5,000 people there. I just stood where the left field wall was and caught a bunch during the Cubs batting practice. My first real glove was a Wilson first-baseman’s mitt. I got a Spaulding 6-finger glove on my 14th birthday. I still have 2 fielders’ gloves. Both of them are Wilson’s. Haven’t caught a foul yet.
My dad was still playing when I was a kid and he had an A-2000. I got to borrow it sometimes. I had a Wilson Johnny Antonelli model that were popular at the time. I didn’t know ole Johnny but apparently he was a LHP. I got a 6-finger glove when they came out, which was cool. In high school I got an A-2010 which was the smaller infielder version of the A-2000. In pro-ball, I favored McGregor gloves. I love the shape. They now sell them at Walmart. And the best cleats were made from Kangaroo.
If I played today my glove would be a Mizuno.
Antonelli pitched for the Giants for a while. My six finger did not have an autograph on it, but my first baseman’s mitt was a Jim Gentile model. I later got it signed by Tommy Davis when he came to the home to visit us kids along with Norm Sherry.
Mariners and D-Backs have been discussing a trade for Suarez. Seems the Twins are shopping their short-term players.
I still think NYY gets Suarez. That is a natural move.
LAD has DFA Lou Trevino and recalled Edgardo Henriquez/ Okay, lets see how he does at MLB. Not very good at OKC, but maybe he needs the big lights. Trevino is a no-brainer.
Have to go to Pueblo VA to see the foot doctor and have a new ID card made. Mine is so old it is cracking. Subscribed to MLBTR, just 2.99 a month. They are raising the price in August. Like their content and now won’t have any ads.
More time to heal doesn’t seem to be working for Freddie’s ankle problem.
It looks like this will plague him for the rest of the season. And it IS affecting his offense.
Funny, but just yesterday I speculated that with Treinen due back soon and May shifting to the pen, the need for a front-line RP might not be so great. And I hadn’t even factored in the pending Henriquez promotion.
And then Tanner Scott goes down…
The good news: there’s a surplus of quality relievers on the market. Jax certainly seems interesting. Lugo could make sense. Fairbanks seems logical. (I don’t think you mentioned Kenley Jansen… but except for a couple of rough outings, he’s having a strong season and I’d welcome him back.)
For LF, Is prefer Kwan to Duran–but both are worthy. Kwan is more proven as a hitter and is a Gold Glove defender. (We witnessed the importance of defense in the last two games–with crappy D costing Kershaw a win, and then Outman’s robbery of Correa preserving yesterday’s win. Not the most spectacular robbery, but a lot of outfielders struggle against the wall.)
Kwan or Duran could cover LF through ’27, which should be ample time for the current OF prospects to mature.
I used to think Mullins would be a good fit. While he’d be an upgrade over the (modestly improving) Conforto, I’m not sure he would move the needle much. Promoting But he can play CF and would probably be a bargain.
The Padres could land Mullins.
Good post Duke.
Personally I have no interest in Kenley. He was a high maintenance pain in the ass his last time around and I couldn’t wait for him to be gone. I wouldn’t want to revisit that stuff again.
I did not mention KJ, because LAA is not going to trade with LAD. Yes, a supposition on my part, but I will stick with it.
Let’s say hypothetically that KJ is available to the Dodgers. Would you flip Rushing or Fedducia for him? Not both for him, but one for one.
“Would you flip Rushing or Feduccia for him”
Those two guys don’t exactly have equal trade value.
I don’t particularly want KJ back here but if I did I would most certainly trade Feduccia one for one. Rushing? No way.
No.
I think what the Dodgers need is a good power hitter, not Kwan. For that, it’s better to use Kim in the outfield.
Someone mentioned that the ideal would be to move Betts to RF and use Kim and Edman in the infield.
1B Freeman, 2B Edman, 3B Muncy (Healthy) SS Kim, LF Teo, CF Pages, RF Betts….
I like it, but apparently no one liked the idea…
I think a lot of fans like the idea, but Betts and LAD do not. Who do you think wins in that scenario? Not trying to be a smart ass.
Who wins? The most important thing: The team!
The problem is AF/BG do not agree with you. So if the team does not do what you want, the team loses? As long as Mookie is the SS and not RF, the team loses?
Ethan Holliday signs his contract for $9MM, or $229K over slot. Ethan is now the highest paid high school draftee passing recently signed Eli Willits ($8.2MM). Who didn’t see Scott Boras getting back on top with the highest paid HS draftee? I wish Holliday luck in Colorado…he will need it.
I just read:
Rich Hill is back again. The 45-year-old is joining the Royals and could pitch today, meaning he’ll have played for 14 MLB teams.
Any word on Scott?
Yes, he’s predicting doom and gloom and wants us to trade everybody and start the entire franchise over.
Oh wait, you meant Tanner Scott. Today is his bday!!
I only talked about restructuring and rebuilding the pitching staff. But to be fair I’m not the one blowing games in the 9th inning. 😉
He had the MRI but the team doctor has not released his report yet.
Scott on 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. Alex Diaz recalled from AAA
Alex Diaz? Are you sure about that?
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/dodgers-place-tanner-scott-on-injured-list.html
Yamamoto’s been looking at his thumb.
Another ugly inning. Poor fielding and poor pitching. Sheesh.
We got issues.
For all those who like to look at the back of baseball cards to determine the value of a player, maybe defense should get a little more of a look.
Pages may not have been able to throw the runner out at 3rd, but he played it wrong. He just kept drifting back and caught the ball over his shoulder instead of going back and coming up to catch the ball in front to throw with momentum instead of throwing off his back foot.
Then Miggy’s error, and then Mookie’s drop of the relay from Outman. Probably cannot get the out at the plate, but with the drop, had no chance.
For sure. The Dodgers have not emphasized defense over the years. Certainly they value defensive versatility which is not always conducive to good defense. This year’s team seems particularly bad defensively. Muncy is a below average third basemen and the outfield defense speaks for itself.
Really not sure how much more of the Conforto experience we need to see this year. Another ground ball to the right side – double play. Kill a rally. I am curious to see if they release him or make him a fourth outfielder by August 1st. The difficulty is they have two outfielders – Conforto and Teoscar – who have been below average offensively and defensively – for two months or more (in the case of Conforto). I admire their patience but they have been beyond patient with Conforto.
Conforto rolled over on an outside pitch that he could have let travel to hit into LF.
And then Outman smokes it but right at France.
Pages kinda shows where there thinking may be.
94% he makes the right defensive play.
HIs bat is special.
Why not take the former with the latter?
That said, Conforto’s ability to ground out to the right side of the infield with staggering regularity is truly breathtaking.
this sounds to be totally accurate, it’s unbelievably frustrating to watch. But the Dodgers don’t seem to care. They just don’t seem to preference defense at all compared to other traits and metrics.
Agreed — I had the exact same thought — a high fly ball like that, he had plenty of time to go back and set up a throw to third — he did not appear to have any such plan.
Mookie needs to borrow Muncy’s glasses.
Can Pages’ glove catch up to his bat?
AF is gonna have to get more than one arm for the bullpen.
Maybe Scott is not far off.
I didn’t mind Diaz there. Gave up a soft contact single. The slider had nice movement.
I don’t even recognize these guys.
Right now, we might have the worst bullpen in baseball. Wow!
True, but irrelevant.
Irrelevant, that the Dodgers have the worst bullpen in MLB? You said, “I don’t want to trade for another reliever at the deadline.” Being irrelevant, does that mean that you think the Dodgers can fix the bullpen internally and still be a WS champion? Just asking. Or that it really does not matter how bad the bullpen is, and LAD will win anyway? Again just asking.
I thought I wrote this. I don’t want to fix the bullpen because I think it’ll be fine when it matters.
I also wrote that I’m probably wrong and they will trade for a reliever.
yes. I did write this above.
Last year they won the WS with a probably lesser bullpen then how they will end this year IF everyone comes back healthy.
Winning the WS is too dependent on luck for me to sweat over. It’s getting to the playoffs in good form that matters.
if the players come back healthy, I think they’ll be in fine form.
4 unearned runs. That’s relevant.
The pitching staff sucks! Nine runs, 6 walks in less than 2 innings from casperius and Klein. How many games like this do we have to see here?
The pitching has been awful all year. The depth has been equally awful. You can’t win with a pitching staff this horrible, that is why they continue to lose. It’s not just a slump.
Also I think Jeff D is right, the defense is just as bad as the pitching. Two more errors and other misplays and lapses.
This is not the championship team from last year, this year’s team is like a sad cheap knockoff. Last year we got a Louis Vuitton, this year we’re getting Lou Vito.