There's no question that the Dodgers will look to be major players at the deadline this year, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link). The Dodgers want to add a starting pitcher, a couple of bats, and bullpen help, but it's not certain that they'll get all of that accomplished. The club's farm system isn't terribly deep and they might not have the prospects necessary to entice teams. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- While the Dodgers figure to be aggressive on those three fronts, Rosenthal expects the rival Giants to zero in on bullpen help and possibly bench upgrades. They are unlikely to trade a top prospect for immediate help, like they did last year by trading Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, but there are other ways for the Giants to improve their team.
- The Rangers have the ability to pull off almost any move thanks to a talented farm system and financial flexibility. However, right now it seems that the only thing they might do is improve their bench. They could be in on Justin Upton, but he may not fit on their roster as they have plenty of outfielders. They've also talked about getting an elite starting pitching but if Cole Hamels re-ups with the Phillies, that's another top hurler off the market. Teams are also concerned about Zack Greinke's long layoff and how much he can be trusted down the stretch.
- The Nationals could be an even better club down the stretch if they add another starting pitcher who can fill the void when Stephen Strasburg is put on the shelf. However, Rosenthal believes that the club's recent comments about gauging the youngster by the way he looks rather than the number of innings that he throws suggests that they may let him approach 180 innings rather than 160 or 165. The right-hander has logged 105 innings thus far.
The Nationals could be an even better club down the stretch if they add another starting pitcher who can fill the void when Stephen Strasburg is put on the shelf.
They could trade for a pitcher right now and go directly to a 6 man rotation. Why put Strasburg on the shelf? I mean if you’re a Nats fan, I would want him in there! How many chances at the playoffs does a team get? The Orioles shut down Arrietta in 2010 because of elbow chips and what did that do? Nothing!
While the Dodgers figure to be aggressive on those three fronts. Those three and the “Russian Front” That’s where Colletti is going to be this Winter, the owners are going to send him there! =)
Anyway. why don’t the Dodgers try to bring back Blake DeWitt? In fact, why didn’t the Orioles try to get him instead of Omar Q from the Mets?
how do giants fans feel about the beltran trade? clearly they gave up a great arm in wheeler and beltran was underwhelming. i would imagine the worst part is that beltran is again an elite player this year.
we giants fans are pissed off.
Not really ya it sucks that they didnt make the playoffs but i respect that the GM wanted to do what it took to make a playoff run and at this pount wheeler is still just a really good AA armm, it might sting more if he does well at the major league level
Well it could of gone either way. Everyone knows he’s injury prone. He could of just as easy been on the DL. Bummer he’s not doing well with us this year but it really didn’t seem like he enjoyed his time here.
I’m over it. We have other really good arms in Heson, Crick, Blackburn, Hembree, Bochy…..and we’re in first place.
The point is if we resigned Beltran, no one would be complaining. In my mind it’s Sabean’s fault for sending top tier talent for a rental player…AGAIN!
To be fair, had the Giants resigned Beltran, it would have been unlikely they would have traded for Melky, who’s been money for us in all aspects on the field. Pagan would have been acquired I think anyways given we needed a lead-off hitter and that guys like Torres and Ramirez were expandable (the latter because of an already deep bullpen). And Schierholtz was the preferred starting RF going into the season (before Blanco lit pitching up in spring training to take the job away from him) because of his solid defense and clutch hitting in the first half the previous year before missing most of the second due to injury.
Beltran liked being with the Giants in his short time there, but he expressed multiple concerns about the difficulty hitting in their ballpark. And in the case of Beltran going into the season, he was no lock to be playing 150+ games a season due to his recent struggles of staying healthy over a full season. As much as I would love having Beltran on our ballclub, he would take away what has been the new dynamic for the Giants outfield this season; speed and defense. Cabrera, Pagan, and Blanco have 10+ stolen bases each and have all performed well in the outfield (with some blunders coming from Pagan from time to time). Beltran is not the five tool player he once was given the knee injuries which has mobilized him from stealing bags and having stellar range. And there is no guarantee he would be hitting the same as a Giant as he is in a stacked Cardinals lineup filled with protection.
Looking back, that trade for us was probably the worst out of Sabean since the Pierzynski deal (though there’s still a lot of time to determine whether Wheeler will actually pan out long term), but at the time, the Giants had lost a valuable piece in Posey in the lineup and needed a big bat to go along with Panda. With the urge to defend their tittle and their pitching staff being even better than it had been a year before, all the Giants needed was some offense to get back to the playoffs. However, shortly after being acquired, he landed on the 15 day DL. When he came back though, he managed to hit .323/.369/.551 with 7 hrs and 18 rbis. But that wasn’t enough to support what was still a weak Giants offense. Sabean may have made some blunders over his GM tenure, but within the last five years, his good trades have managed to outweigh the bad and has made many solid moves to bring this club from dead last to being a year in/year out contender again. To make you feel better, Sabean pulled off a heck of a deal acquiring Melky for Sanchez, which I think has to be one of the biggest steals of a trade in a long time.
Their is 1st baseman the dodgers could go after. that is Kendry Morales from the Angels. They have plenty of bats and they talked about possibly moving him. Why not go after him now. Make an offer and start testing the waters now, I know he is back from an injury and can be prone to injuries but anything is better than James Loney.
Dodgers lineup…for asap…Leadoff batter-Jimmy Rollins(SS), Mark Ellis(2ND), Eithier, Kemp, Kendry Morales(1ST),Aramis Ramirez(3rd),Rivera(left) and Ellis (CATCHER)