Rays, Dodgers Interested In Casey Blake

Yes! I don't care who gets him or what we get in return, just get him out of Cleveland!

I don't see the Dodgers touching Blake now without Sabathia being part of the deal. While I kind of get their thinking, given Blake's strange ability to only hit the ball when he has RISP and the Dodgers' lack there this season, I don't see how they slot him in, especially when they have a surplus of 3B, unless they plan on moving DeWitt to SS. Both DeWitt and LaRoche are WAY too much to give up for Blake straight up, and I don't think the Indians are looking to move Cliff Lee as well in some sort of larger deal.

Blake can also play RF, LF, 1st base, and maybe even short and 2nd if he needs to (he has filled in at short once...I don't think he's ever played 2nd).

"Blake can also play RF, LF, 1st base"

Everyone of those positions is locked down on the Dodgers by a better player than Blake. Loney, Kemp, Ethier.

"Blake can also play RF, LF, 1st base"
"Everyone of those positions is locked down on the Dodgers by a better player than Blake. Loney, Kemp, Ethier."

...Yet none of those players plays each and every day, and the bench is not exactly the strongest. Add to it the injury to Pierre, the Jones issues, LaRoche possibly being dealt and DeWitt not producing as well as of late...

Blake would probably play 5 or 7 days ~ which is probably the reason the Dodgers wanted him the first place, dont ya think?

But that said, I think the Indians dont even deal him (I wish they would, but I dont think they will)

"...Yet none of those players plays each and every day"

I really don't get how you make that comment about Loney, as he has played in every single game this season, and has started all but 3 of them.

Other than a tiny number of games, Kemp has played each and every day except during his suspension.

Ethier's uncharacteristic struggles against lefties have seen him sit down in favor of Young (who needs to get ABs anyway) in a few games this year, though he has still only missed 10 games the whole season.

"and the bench is not exactly the strongest."

Subtracting Sweeney and adding Nomar means the team has 2 legit bats on the bench with Young and LaRoche, a decent bat with a very versatile glove in Maza and a suspect bat with a good glove in Berroa (leaving out Ardoin because he doesn't play anyway and will always be the last option). Repko probably should have been DFA'd a lot time ago, but he can run and has a decent eye and he will be gone once Pierre comes back anyway.

"Blake would probably play 5 or 7 days ~ which is probably the reason the Dodgers wanted him the first place, dont ya think?"

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. I do think Blake is a perfect bench guy, because he is versatile and has no fear with runners on. Still, I don't think he is worth trading for without being part of a Sabathia package, as he isn't really worth much by himself.

Huh? Kemp has started 74/88 games this year, Ethier is at 71/88 (combined 82% of possible games) and both would be even lower if not for Jones (and now Pierre) struggling/being hurt. And I’m not sure what your point really is to begin with since the team apparently actually wants Blake bad enough to pass on CC if he couldn’t be dealt with him…

And honestly, they probably wanted Blake that bad because they want to send DeWitt back to the minors ~ a .256/.321/.374 (81 OPS+) line just doesn’t even begin to cut it at the hot-corner, and its become rather obvious that the rest of the league has caught on to him while his luck has simultaneously run out (what is he, something like .200/.250/.250 in his last 40 games?)... DeWitt (who I did forewarn you about, right?) and LaRoche (a player they don’t want to actually play outside of his random starts vs lefties) both having options available, the team would probably just send them both down at this point if they could bring in a more proven 3B and/or SS option.

Bringing in Blake would have allowed for quite a few possibilities. First, it would have allowed for the possibility of trading Kemp or Ethier (since Blake could fill the vacant spot until Pierre was back). Second, if an OFer wasn’t dealt, Blake could have handled 3B with Nomar getting some starts there, but most at Short; and Blake in the OF from time to time. Third, if they pulled in CC/Blake/Wilson then you have Blake as an OF/3B/1B super-sub the rest of the year.

Blake to the Dodgers makes a ton of sense, I just don’t see the Indians actually dealing him… (I am one of those that think Blake controls his destiny; that the teams irrational love-fest with him has left us in that state… Do hope they trade him, just don’t count on it…)

"Blake would probably play 5 or 7 days" "Kemp has started 74/88 games this year, Ethier is at 71/88 (combined 82% of possible games) and both would be even lower if not for Jones (and now Pierre) struggling/being hurt."

82% of games, plus 2 outfielders owed millions and millions of dollars, does not equal playing every 5 of 7 days. Dodgers have a very crowded outfield and while Blake would get some 3B at bats, that seems about it, maybe OF once a week.

"Kemp has started 74/88 games this year, Ethier is at 71/88 (combined 82% of possible games)"

Of course, you leave out that Kemp was suspended for 3 of those games, missed one due to a problem with his eye, and the other non-starts came rather early in the year.

"they probably wanted Blake that bad because they want to send DeWitt back to the minors ~ a .256/.321/.374 (81 OPS+) line just doesn’t even begin to cut it at the hot-corner,"

Of course, DeWitt's struggles started popping up when they started mixing LaRoche in, and are magnified by the fact that LaRoche starts against Lefties, who DeWitt has mashed all year. Further, he is a better defensive option than LaRoche or Blake anyway. Blake himself has benefited from a hot streak that came just about the same time DeWitt went into his slump, so it is not as if he will continue this.

As for Blake making or breaking the Sabathia deal, you can't be so naive to think that is actually the case. The real reason is that the Tribe probably insisted on Kemp and/or Kershaw and the Dodgers told them that it wasn't happening.

"Kemp has started 74/88 games this year, Ethier is at 71/88 (combined 82% of possible games)"

Of course, you leave out that Kemp was suspended for 3 of those games, missed one due to a problem with his eye, and the other non-starts came rather early in the year.

"they probably wanted Blake that bad because they want to send DeWitt back to the minors ~ a .256/.321/.374 (81 OPS+) line just doesn’t even begin to cut it at the hot-corner,"

Of course, DeWitt's struggles started popping up when they started mixing LaRoche in, and are magnified by the fact that LaRoche starts against Lefties, who DeWitt has mashed all year. Further, he is a better defensive option than LaRoche or Blake anyway. Blake himself has benefited from a hot streak that came just about the same time DeWitt went into his slump, so it is not as if he will continue this.

As for Blake making or breaking the Sabathia deal, you can't be so naive to think that is actually the case. The real reason is that the Tribe probably insisted on Kemp and/or Kershaw and the Dodgers told them that it wasn't happening.

“82% of games, plus 2 outfielders owed millions and millions of dollars, does not equal playing every 5 of 7 days.”

…Before replying, it might be best to read the entire post…

“Of course, you leave out that Kemp was suspended for 3 of those games, missed one due to a problem with his eye, and the other non-starts came rather early in the year.”

…ok, and are those 4 games not easily made up for the fact that the Dodgers have been without Jones for half the season? Yet still Kemp/Loney haven’t started more than 8/10 really... How does that one work? Anyway, whatever man…

“Of course, DeWitt's struggles started popping up when they started mixing LaRoche in, and are magnified by the fact that LaRoche starts against Lefties, who DeWitt has mashed all year”

…Oh, so DeWitt just doesn’t have the ability to play good when other players are around? Ok…

“As for Blake making or breaking the Sabathia deal, you can't be so naive to think that is actually the case.”

…I can only go by the report that said the Dodgers pulled out when Cleveland wouldn’t include Blake… You can try to twist it into whatever theories you like, but…

Ok enough with the little post grudge matches.
I like Blake because the dodgers are awful with RISP, but in the whole realm, Blakes .279, 8 hr numbers arent gona make the dodgers contenders all the sudden, so you mine as well let the kids play at 3B-they still have lots of potential.