Here’s the latest out of the NL West, with a focus on several injury situations and how they impact two expected division contenders:
- It’s no surprise to hear that the Dodgers rotation is thin at the back end, but as MLB.com’s Steve Bourbon writes, the recent bombing of Carlos Frias brings the matter into focus. (Of course, Mike Bolsinger remains a surprising success story thus far.) While bigger moves are probably still months away, the immediate need for depth is evident. Joe Wieland is one internal option, says Bourbon, while the club will also hope for continued progress from the rehabbing Erik Bedard and Brandon Beachy.
- While he has been more a swingman than a regular starter over most of his career, righty Chad Gaudin could also be a possibility for the Dodgers as a spot starter or pen piece. As MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports, Gaudin is about a month away from beginning to throw after undergoing carpal tunnel release surgery on his pitching wrist.
- Another rehabbing starter, Josh Johnson of the Padres, is experiencing nerve issues in his neck and will put his throwing program on hold, MLB.com’s Corey Brock reports. The issue “doesn’t sound serious,” per Brock. Johnson has gone nearly two years since his last MLB appearance, and a scuffling San Diego outfit would surely welcome a chance to put a vintage JJ on the rubber.
- The Padres are also hoping for a return from Brandon Morrow, who was pitching well before shoulder issues put him down. Brock says that Morrow is set to throw a sim game later this week. It seems that Morrow is on track with his recovery, though he surely still has a number of boxes to check before returning to action.
- Of even greater concern for the Padres, in the long run at least, is the status of Wil Myers and his injured left wrist. As Brock reports, Myers has yet to be cleared to take swings and will obviously not be ready to come off the DL when first eligible tomorrow. Instead, he is headed back for another look at the wrist to see how it is healing.
Dodgers getting Cole Hamels ends all this pitching problems !
Exclude Pederson/Urias/Seager and you got a deal.
It can’t get done without one of those three though and that is the problem.
Then shake hands and move on.
and Harang….
I would like to see them chase Kazmir Leake or (as Scann already said below) Harang instead of Hamels. If Grienke opts out they can then throw his big salary at Cueto or Zimmerman. Hamels would be a great pick up for them but the cost is too great.. Especially, since they already have Kershaw and Grienke atop the rotation..
Grienke gone in off season ! Hamels you get to keep for four more years and cheaper.
Yeah, but 23.5 million a season isn’t a whole lot cheaper plus they will have to give up a stud prospect to get him. They can get Zimmerman who will only be 29 to start next season for that or just a little bit more in free agency. I like Hamels a lot but the Dodgers don’t need an ace right now. They need a guy like the others I included above, Kyle Lohse, or even trading for Haren back. They need a #3 more than they need another #1 since they already have 2 of them. If they are going to go after a stud I would like to see them chase Samardzija. They will probably go after one or more of the top pitchers in the off season and I would like to see how Samardzija would do with a LA tryout.. Hamels is just too spendy and since the White Sox didn’t give up much for Shark to begin with I think they would let him go responsibly.
I’am not saying that they can’t get Mediocrity pitching want , Hamels get the Dodgers into and Thru to World Series. If you think Lohse is the answer be on the Phone now to Brewers they will even sweeten the Deal with Gaza.
Garza is overpaid and he has years left on his contract. Lohse is a free agent after this season. If the Dodgers trade for Hamels then they won’t be able to chase Grienke, Zimmerman, Cueto, or Samardzija in the offseason. Next year McCarthy will be back, Beachy and Ryu should be healthy. De Leon, Anderson and Urias will be knocking on the door. The Dodgers already have a $270 million payroll if they pick up Hamels they will be pushing $300. The top of their rotation is set with Kershaw and Grienke. They don’t need another ace. They need mid-rotation workhorses. When Grienke opts out then they can chase Hamels. But would you trade someone like Seager for Hamels this offseason when you could just simply sign any of the above named pitchers?
The Dodgers could throw money at Grienke and Cueto or Zimmerman. This is one thing many fans don’t seem to get about the Dodgers.
So, in your opinion the Dodgers are going to invest close to $90 million a year in 3 pitchers?
They could if they wanted to. Friedman has never had this type of flexibility financially. We’ll see what their plan is in a short six months.
Yes. That’s the point. Thanks for getting it.
Haren would be a good one year solution.
Chad Gaudin? The Dodgers don’t need another pen piece. They are swimming in pen pieces. What they need is a solid mid-rotation, or better, starter,
Can you say Arron Harang for a decent prospect Catcher Leon.
I could say it, but not without choking.
Finally, we agree on something.. Harang could be had for a middling prospect. Vanegas or Brigham should be enough to get it done..
There’s absolutely no chance of that. Harang has the highest bWAR this season of any National League pitcher, higher than Greinke, Scherzer, or Miller. He’s unlikely to finish at the top but everything is going right for him.
Last year the Dodgers gave up two players rated higher than Vanegas and Brigham for six weeks of Roberto Hernandez.
There are a limited number of pitchers available on the market and you aren’t going to get the guy who is pitching the best for fourth months for a middling prospect. You might not even get Matt Garza for that.
Harang will come down to earth. He is a soft tossing late 30’s pitcher..
Andrew Friedman is talking like he wants to solve the Dodger pitching problems now. You think that the Dodgers will wait a month or two so that Harang gets rocked a bit and the price will come down? If Harang starts stinking up the joint why would the Dodgers want him? I doubt the price will ever drop below what they paid for Hernandez last year.
Dodgers need pitching and have too much offense.
Mets need offense and have too much pitching.
Both want to make a trade as soon as possible.
Both claim nobody is willing to trade yet.
Agreed. There is so much speculation between the Cubs and the Mets when there should be just as much if not more between the Mets and the Dodgers. The Mets have Jon Niese who is probably available. He would be a perfect arm to help the Dodgers finish the year. The Dodgers have their own stud pitching prospects coming up and they are rumored to already have a deal for Yadier Alvarez set for July 2nd. So, a rental to finish this year off might be best as opposed to trading for someone like Syndergaard or Matz and losing someone like Seager or Pederson.
Niese isn’t a rental, he has like 4 years left on his contract.
Yeah, I kind of went all over the place with that comment.. Personally, I would like to see them grab Lohse.. I think they can get him pretty much for nothing..
Because that’s pretty much what he’s worth.
As opposed to getting yet another #1 starter? How did that work out for Philly with Halliday, Lee, and Hamels?
Fairly well. The 2011 Phillies are the last team to win 100 games.
Have the Mets made statements that suggest that they want to make a trade as soon as possible?
Considering they had an average at best lineup and now their best player is out indefinitely, yes. Sandy has said the thing holding him back is a lack of trade partner. But then again that is what every GM in baseball is saying.
“we have too much good pitching” <—-said by no manager in MLB history!
Why are there talks about possibly trading for another starting pitcher? The Dodgers organization has shown that money is no issue. Why possibly split up Urias or Seager when we don’t have to trade anything for a FA? If a trade is made, go for a rental! Harang or Kazmir type, and make sure Greinke is coming back then look for another top tier pitcher.
The Dodgers two top prospects are probably untouchable but this is one place where all the money in the world isn’t going to provide much leverage. The immediate need is to replace Ryu as the #3 and that need cannot wait until 2016. They are not going to want to enter a postseason having to start a Harang or Kazmir type. This, together with the uncertainty over Grienke next year, argues strongly in favor of making a play for Hamels.
So you don’t think the Dodgers would be thrilled to have Kazmir as a #3 through the playoffs?
Kazmir I like better than Harang or Garza or Lohse, but still a long way from thrilling.
you don’t need “thrilling.” when the Dodgers had Koufax & Drysdale, that was “thrilling” enough. All they needed was a solid #3 starter and Podres and Osteen provided that stability. With Grienke & Kershaw, all they need is a guy who can go .500 and give them innings.
On paper, maybe, but every team wants a solid 1-2-3 in the postseason. Then also consider Kershaw’s lack of postseason performance. This is turning into something almost legendary (see also: Don Newcombe). Putting even more pressure on Kershaw isn’t going to help. That said, of the pitchers not named Hamels, probably Kazmir is the best fit. The Dodgers also have some connections with the A’s that could work to their advantage if they choose to make that deal.
The Dodger system is pretty barren after Urias, Seager, and Holmes. They may have a tough time putting together a package for Kazmir.
You haven’t seen that system lately if you think its barren. Jose De Leon, Austin Barnes, Kike Hernandez, Julian Leon, Scott Schebler, Darnell Sweeney, Chris Anderson, and Alex Verdugo would be interesting pieces for any team in a deadline trade.
So you would give up Seager for Hamels?
Well, I don’t make the trades, but I will venture a wild guess that the Dodgers aren’t giving up Seager or Urias for anybody.
Money no Problem for the Dodgers, and about all those guys coming back and being productive is an Unnecessary Gamble , when Hamels money pitcher !
Hamels is a #1.. The Dodgers don’t need a #1 or a #2.. They need a #3..
And of course your #3 can only be so good or you’ve broken an unwritten rule of baseball.
I think you’ll find that money IS a problem with the Dodgers.
No team wants to go into luxury tax territory. The large market teams are already getting bled by revenue sharing.
2015 – $274.9M…..Est. Total Payroll w/ Options (Guaranteed + Options + Arb + Other) 2016 – $222.9M 2017 – $201.6M$ 2018 – 206.7M. They are already in Lux Tax land but i agree with you. At some point every team has to draw a line. Some fans suggest that the Dodgers will go out and sign two of the “Big 4” possibly coming up next year… I just don’t see $50-$60M a year for two more TOR arms
Why does it seem as if most Dodgers fans believe Greinke will opt out and not be open to coming back to LA? If he opts out he is clearly doing it to chase dollars, which gives the Dodgers a huge advantage. He is also having a better season than the other ace types who will be available next offseason.
They should have just signed Shields in the off season and avoided the injury prone McCarthy, Anderson and Beachy. They went for quantity over quality. Shields would have been a great #3 and could have moved right into Grienke’s spot if he opts out.. Especially, since he is only making $10 million this year. I can understand how they were confident in Ryu’s health though. Only throwing over 200 innings twice going back through his days in Korea and one of those seasons being 201 innings.. I really would have liked to have seen Shields go to them though. Those anemic offenses of Kansas City and Tampa didn’t give him the support that he deserved.
If the Dodgers can get Hamels without giving up Seager or Urias then perfect, but highly doubt that happens unless you can pull off a miracle which is always possible. And in regards to Greinke and opting out, he’d be stupid not to. I worry, that as good as Greinke is, he is going to want a contract that takes him into his late 30’s, right around 37 or 38 with more money. He’s looking for more security as well as this will be his last big deal. But do the Dodgers pay him $25 mill a year or more up until his late 30’s as good as he’s been? I love Greinke but I wouldn’t do it. Every pitcher begins to see a decline late in their careers and Greinke has had minor elbow situations come up and who knows if that becomes a problem down the road as he gets older. I’d prefer to sign Price (Freidman boy), or Cueto (if there is no current issue with his elbow), because they are 2 years younger and you can pay them $26 or $27 mill or whatever they are going to be demanding, during their early 30’s and I would feel more comfortable with that knowing they are still young and can be productive. If the Dodgers do sign Greinke, it has to make sense for the team as well.
If Grienke continues to pitch the way he has, he opts out for sure. Any team who signs him beyond this year is taking him into his late 30s, that’s just a given. How much the Dodgers or any other team pay him for that part of his career makes no difference to me as a fan. The only real baseball issue is whether that team locks up a roster and rotation slot on someone who might not be very effective in the out years of his contract.