There’s “a lot of trade interest” in Diamondbacks outfielder Jarrod Dyson, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. We already know the Cubs are among the teams that have eyed Dyson. It’s not clear, though, whether the Diamondbacks – who are in the wild-card hunt – will trade the 34-year-old. Dyson, who’s in the last season of a two-year, $7.5MM contract, has enjoyed a considerable bounce-back campaign with the bat. He’s still not much of a threat offensively, having hit .250/.332/.360 (83 wRC+) in 298 plate appearances, but the fleet-of-foot Dyson’s exemplary defense-base running combination gives him a high floor and could help someone in the postseason.
- The Twins, continuing their wide-ranging search for relief help, have shown interest in Marlins closer Sergio Romo, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio tweets. The soft-tossing, 36-year-old Romo has pitched well for the Marlins since he joined them on a $2.5MM guarantee last winter, making him a strong bet to depart by the trade deadline. Romo has recorded a 3.58 ERA/3.89 FIP over 37 2/3 innings, also adding 7.88 K/9, 3.11 BB/9 and 17 saves in 18 opportunities.
- The injury that forced Brewers righty Jhoulys Chacin to the IL on Thursday is a lat strain – not an oblique strain, as was previously believed – per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Brewers expect Chacin to miss two to four weeks. After back-to-back productive seasons, the 31-year-old has managed an awful 5.79 ERA/5.69 FIP across 88 2/3 innings in 2019. Chacin’s struggles, not to mention his injury, are among the reasons the Brewers could bolster their rotation ahead of the deadline.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Casey Stern of MLB Network Radio on Friday that Will D. Smith will take the reins as their primary catcher going forward. The Dodgers recalled the well-regarded Smith from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday and sent their previous No. 1 backstop, the slumping Austin Barnes, to the minors. Smith, 24, is now teaming with the grizzled Russell Martin to comprise the Dodgers’ catchers. Martin started LA’s win over Washington on Friday, but the plan is for Smith to handle the Dodgers’ next two games.
- More on the Dodgers, who sent corner infielder David Freese to the IL on Friday with a left hamstring strain. The move made room for just-acquired first baseman Tyler White. It seems especially inauspicious that Freese went to the IL with the same injury just over a month ago. It cost him a minimal amount of time then, but it’s unclear whether that will be the case again. When healthy, the 36-year-old has been one of the Dodgers’ most effective hitters, albeit in a limited role. Through 163 trips to the plate, Freese has slashed a tremendous .300/.399/.579 (157 wRC+) with nine homers.
I never thought of Russell Martin as “grizzled” before, but now I can’t stop.
I hadn’t either, and then checked the definition. His beard isn’t gray. I just learned it’s definition. Thank you MLBTR for refining my vocabulary.
He’s 36. He has no potential. Grizzled is an apt description.
Perhaps you should look up the definition of grizzled like the previous poster did.
You have no potential.
I really don’t see the dodgers trading for a catcher. Hopefully this works out for them. They need to win the WS with this group.
They need relief pitching or they’re not winning anything. Jansen is becoming a head case. And the rest of the bullpen is horrible. Although Baez has been mostly good.
If relying on Baez is the plan it’s gonna be another disappointing October.
The Dodgers have at least three highly regarded rookie or minor league catchers in Will Smith, Keibert Ruiz and Connor Wong. There are also several young outfielders and a few starting pitchers like Tony Gonsolin and Ross Stripling. I would hope that packages for Felipe Vazquez as well as for two other quality relievers could be put together, especially with Jansen struggling and Baez also beginning to have troubles again.
It’s wonderful that the Dodgers have a strong minor league system. It’s remarkable that the major league squad has such depth with almost every positon player capable of playing multiple roles. Winning the division several years in a row is something to be proud of, but the greatest thing of all would be a World Series championship in 2019. Call some of us Dodger fans spoiled if you wish, but 1988 was 31 years ago, and memories of Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser just ain’t cutting it any more.
Dodger Stadium has 40,000-55,000 fans attend every single home game. There are vocal groups of Dodger fans at almost every road game. An estimated 70 percent of the fan base cannot watch the games on TV unless it is a national broadcast or some social media gimmick. The merchandise is selling. Us fans have done our part.
Two or three high quality bullpen arms, not the usual question marks, need to be acquired in the next few days. Sadler was a nice pickup for now, but I fear like so many others over the past few seasons, his tenure with the team will prove to be temporary.
I’m a big original “Twilight Zone” fan, and one of the first episodes, “Walking Distance,” has a wonderful Rod Serling line about there being “only so many summers.” Clayton Kershaw has played 11 years. How many more summers in his playing career remain? The same can be said for others, but also for many fans. Most Dodger fans under 40 probably have little or no memory of living through the 1988 World Series. Film and video clips cannot substitute for living through a World Series victory with your favorite team.
Andrew Friedman needs to step it up this time. Failing to do so now would be the very definition of “stupid.” The scouts will soon find replacements for those several young guys who get traded now for two or three quality relief pitchers, one of whom must be Vazquez.
Just curious…I am not sure what it would begin to take to get Vazquez from the Pirates. What if they ask for Verdugo plus more? At what point do you realize maybe Vazquez isn’t the guy you get?
The Pirates have said Vazquez is unavailable for trade so how do y’all figure they’re going to get him if the Pirates aren’t willing to trade him. Yes it’s possible they might change their minds for the price but that’s likely going to be a lot more than Verdugo with the deadline 4 days away.
He’s available, they’re just playing the deadline game. Buster reports it will take Ruiz.
Unless the Pirates ask for a totally unrealistic package, then the Dodgers need to make the deal. Last off season, the Marlins reportedly insisted on Bellinger for Realmuto. If one looks at that objectively, there’s no way that’s a fair deal.
The Dodgers and Pirates have made trades before during the Friedman era in L.A. If the Dodgers truly prefer Smith over Ruiz, then offer Ruiz for Vasquez. That’s a fair deal. The Dodgers reportedly offered Verdugo to Cleveland for Kluber or Bauer. The Indians declined. I personally would prefer that the Dodgers trade Pederson over Verdugo, but if one of them must go to get a really good reliever who is controllable for at least another season or two, then the Dodgers ought to do that as well.
I guess I can root for the Dodgers if the Cubs don’t make it. They are the best team this year.
The Dodgers aren’t the best team.
They play in a lousy division for sure. Pretty sure Houston or The Yankees would take them in WS and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Braves beat them in the playoffs even though the Braves BP is no great shakes
NL West vs NL Central 61-51
NL West vs NL East 57-55
Total 118-106
Terrible division, smh.
Where in the East Coast are from?
Houston could beat the Dodgers but the Dodgers should be favored. The Yankees & that weak starting staff would get pummeled.
Very well said!!!
Thank you.
Well said, alanofla.
Thank you, 22Leo.
The Pirates have said Vazquez is not available for trade.
The Dodgers have the prospects and/or young players to make it well worth it for Pittsburgh. Friedman just has to want to actually do it.
I think Friedman and Kasten appreciate the sense of urgency Dodger fans are feeling and will make a very strong effort to obtain Vazquez. They will also be in on Iglesias, Giles and even Smith.
I will say this about the significance of winning a WS in comparison to being a successful (dominant) franchise—on the precipice of winning the division seven years in a row.
First, the two are not at all mutually exclusive. The Dodgers have been on the doorstep and frankly could’ve just as easily won one or two WS as not over the past 6 years. The MLB playoffs and WS are won by the hottest/best team playing in October— not necessarily the best team throughout the season. Peaking in October is partly designed and partly pure luck.
Second, as a baseball fan that follows the sport year-round and watches almost every Dodger game online or in person — the last seven years have been seven of the best years watching baseball in my lifetime. I started watching the Dodgers faithfully and passionately in 1959. Yes, there have been some very great teams and each of the World Series championships have been incredible. Personally, as a fan who follows the game daily, the day in and day out dominance of this franchise over the past seven years is at the very top of the list for me. I live in Northern California and watching Giants fans suffer on an almost daily basis for the past three years (and now facing the reality of a brutal rebuild) has made me realize that winning a World Series provides a fan base a truly limited amount of satisfaction. For the past seven years, every day during the baseball season, I not only enjoy the sport, I am ALWAYS hopeful and optimistic about my team. Over the course of a six-month season, that means a lot.
I have great confidence that the Dodgers will win a World Series very soon under the leadership of this FO. In the meantime, when my Giant friends mention their recent (and fleeting) good fortune, I remind them that in my lifetime it’s still 6-3 in favor of the Dodgers as far as WS championships are concerned.
BTW, you neglected to mention Diego Cartaya among the great Dodger catching prospects. Only 17 from Venezuela, he was the top international sign just a year ago.
I was going to add Cartaya to the catching depth list but you beat me to it. The Dodgers are enviably deep at that position. But they are shallow in other areas, particularly relief pitching. Some of the starters coming up may convert to relievers (Gonsolin comes to mind) but beyond that they’ve got nobody in the system who seems likely to support the back end of the bullpen any time soon, let alone, step into Jansen’s shoes when the time comes (and it looks for all the world like it already has). Friedman and Co. have selected well in many areas but I don’t see any defense for their work in the bullpen. It has been objectively bad, and it has made a clear difference. No, the “best team” doesn’t always win the World Series, but it sure helps to be that team. All fans know that.
As someone who has lived through a lot of Dodger history too (and is also paying the skyrocketing season ticket prices) I have to agree wholeheartedly with the top post. We all know that Dodger fans were subjected to two, very lousy ownerships. Those wilderness years were painful to endure. But that’s long in the past now and so it no longer serves as any kind of pass to the current ownership.
All this said, and having watched how this ownership and management operates, I am not nearly as confident as you are that they appreciate how this loyal fanbase feels about the 31 year championship drought. When I hear Friedman say that he is sure the fans don’t want him to do anything “stupid” and how putting together a quality bullpen doesn’t “guarantee” winning, then I have to conclude that he just doesn’t get it. Or maybe he does but doesn’t really care.
So I think you might want to at least entertain the idea that their priorities and the fans’ priorities might not be exactly the same. They may view fielding a competitive team most if not every year as being more important than winning a World Series. Financially it works just as well for them to come in second, and if they can continue to raise ticket prices, then what do they care? Really, why would they?
As a fan, I find myself admiring what they’ve been doing in Boston. They aren’t going to field a high-probability winner every year, but when the pieces look like they are coming together, they make the trades and spend the money to give themselves a good shot at getting over that line. Does that approach sacrifice some of the future for the present? Sure, but I doubt even the most demanding Red Sox fan would complain about not being a likely postseason team every year when they’ve the four championships in 15 years. No Dodger fan would either.
Teams don’t get to the World Series two times in a row very often, let alone, three or four times. If ownership is really serious about fan urgency, they’d display some themselves about fixing the obvious problem with this team and giving us better than crapshooter’s odds of it happening this year. Yes, Mr. Friedman, maybe it’s time for you to do something “stupid.”
As I have responded to you in the past, neither of us speaks for the Dodger fan base. We speak for ourselves. Clearly, we have different opinions, while sharing a passion for the Dodgers.
I’m very happy with the state of the franchise and the leadership. I certainly agree that many of the decisions around bullpen construction have not worked out the way this FO would want. That said, few if any, FOs over the past 7 years have made as many excellent executive decisions (player acquisition, scouting, development) as the LAD. No FO is always going to make the right call every time. You have to take the good with the not good.
I respect you for your opinion.
Thanks and likewise. You’re right of course that none of us can speak for anyone but ourselves. But I can also report the mood in Dodger Stadium when someone comes in from the bullpen in almost any situation now, no matter how close. Tense. Sometimes groans, and few cheers, not even for “California Love.” Everybody knows, it’s never “game over” with this group. It’s really been that way for most of the last four years but the problem was papered over by couple of relievers who were carrying most of the weight, one of them always being Jansen. Now that he can’t carry his own weight anymore it’s time for management to acknowledge that their approach to the bullpen needs some adjustments. I’m hoping that Diekman being off the boards means Friedman is going after someone better. But I’m feeling more like I and thousands of my fellow fans in Dodger Stadium do in the 7th, 8th or 9th innings of just about every game. Tense. Understandably so, yes?
You are right about the mood in the stadium. I’m sure it’s also that way at the bars and restaurants with Spectrum and for those of us at home who put with Sp;ectrum’s attitude and pricing just for the sake of having the Dodger channel. Without the Dodgers and Lakers, Spectrum would likely not be in business much longer unless they changed their evil ways, to quote Santana.
I knew there was another good catching prospect, that’s why I wrote “at least three.” I just couildn’t think of Cartaya’s name when I was writing the comment. No disrespect to Cartaya intended.
I appreciate the fact that the Dodgers never really go into rebuild mode any more, but there’s just comes a time when a team really needs to go for it. Everyone knows the Dodgers’ weakness, and because it has gone on for a few years now they will likely have to pay more than another team might, and surely more than they would have, say three years ago, if it had truly been addressed then. Why they ever let Tony Watson go to keep Tony Cingrani is beyond me. Besides, despite Friedman and Zaidi’s friendship, I can’t see the Dodgers and Giants ever making a truly significant trade.
They let Watson go because signing him back would have put the payroll over the CBT limits. They’ve made it very clear that paying a luxury tax, even a modest one, is not in their financial plans, and they mean to stick with that plan no matter what’s at stake. This is where I find my evidence that ownership and management’s priorities are not the same as the fans. And you know after last year’s elimination, I waited for Friedman or Kasten or anybody to talk to the fans about the disappointment they must feel and how they have to be committed to winning it all next year. Days of silence. Finally when Friedman did talk to the media it was essentially a session of self-congratulations and nothing about that other thing. Galling. This is also where I find my evidence of a disconnect with the fans.
FWIW, I can’t recall when the Dodgers have ever gone into a true rebuild mode. At some point during the Fox and McCourt ownerships they might have been advised to do a teardown, but instead they bumped along with modest payrolls while disinvesting in scouting and development and producing mostly mediocre results.
well if you know the dodgers they made it well known they dont trade top prospects . that why they have so much depth in the minors.. so dont expect a good player if it means giving up one of their top prospects
Yes, that is the Dodgers usual way to do business. I am arguing that it needs to change at this time, for this situation. I wouldn’t expect the team to keep trading prospects, but this is kind of an emergency situation.
They still haven’t worked out how LA’s own fans can watch the games? What a bunch of crap.
It hasn’t effected their bottom line one bit so they simply don’t care. People still fill the stadium & parking lot, and buy all the overpriced food & merch. They have no reason to care most fans can’t (legally) watch the games, and unless the fans give them one, nothing will change sadly.
Short of buying the broadcasting rights back from Spectrum, the Dodgers have no control over how they are carried. You may have heard that the Angels are now blacked out to a half million Dish Network subscribers in a dispute over the costs to carry Fox Sportsnet. The entire live sports media system is broken. No one team can fix it.
In the early 90’s I owned a satellite TV store (the big dish variety). All I can say is I saw this coming. To avoid a 25 paragraph statement, I’ll keep it simple.
Cities sold out to Cable Companies who convinced them that they should have exclusive rights and thereby control the market. Gave millions to the cities who turned around and gave themselves millions in inflated pension rights. A total fkng rip off. It was never necessary to grant territorial ‘rights’ to cable companies. City builds the network, city gets appropriate revenue from renting cable lines, cable companies compete for customers business. That’s called capitalism, what we have now is socialism.
What? No. The teams own their in-market broadcasting rights and have the authority of MLB to sell them to whoever they want for as much as they can get. It is then up to that company to try to make a profit on what they bought. Nothing to do with cable company franchise, or cities, pensions (??) or anything of the kind. It is in fact an exercise in pure capitalism.
The whoever they want is limited by the control of the cable companies over which cities. MLB, like cities grant ‘exclusive’ rights. If ‘cable’ companies were more fluid, i.e. program service providers, there would not be an artificially constructed high price for ‘exclusivity’. Socialism, not capitalism. It’s a one company controls it all arrangement.
If a household or business is not willing to put up with Spectrum/Time Warner Cable, or is not in its service area, then no Dodgers. Spectrum/TWC also has the Lakers’ rights, but the other service providers worked out a deal with Spectrum/TWC for the Lakers because that deal came first. Another fee for the Dodgers on top of the Lakers’ fee just a short time apart continues to be seen as too much for the market.
31 more would be grand.
I hope it’s 31 more.
The Pirates don’t need outfielders. Polanco, Reynolds, Marte, Dickerson, Ozuna, and Cabrera pretty well fill the roster. If they would choose to move Vasquez, which is doubtful, it would be for pitching.
I really think Pittsburgh is going to trade both Vazquez and Marte for a bundle. Dodgers aren’t the only players in this. Probably down to last minute.
It doesn’t have to be outfielders. The Dodgers have young catching and pitching prospects as well as a few infielders. The point is that something can be worked out which makes sense for both clubs, just as long as the Dodgers are willing to trade top minor league talent for a change.
If the Brewers lose Gonzalez to the IL, which is likely, they have to make a move for at least one starter if not two, and soon. I guess they move Houser, Guerra, and Peralta into the rotation. Not only is that a dismal rotation, it depletes their bull pen. They only sit a couple of games out of first, but they won’t be able to out slug their way to the top.
If the Cards keep playing the way they are playing it won’t matter anyway. Best bet is to hope for a wildcard. And the way the Nats have been playing that seems improbable
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t a 3.58 ERA bad for a reliever and horrible for a closer for romo? I mean I’m sure some of that came as regular relief appearances with only 18 save ops but that’s giving up a run in less than 3 times out assuming 1 ip.
First L.A is all about entertainment and Hollywood. So it’s all about make belief. As long as L.A can keep the hopes and dreams alive with their fans then they will continue to tease that there is always a chance. I agree that they playing a weak division. That’s why they are said the be the best or have the best record. Yes having a big lead looks good. But compared to the other divisions it isn’t all that impressive.
IF the dodgers really wanted to go back (for the 3rd time) to the world series and FINALLY win it , they would go after the players that would bring them the championship,no matter the cost. I don’t think they will give up the farm , but I can see them giving up money. They are building what looks like an amusement park next year,and I’m sure they will make the cost of that up with the fans paying to see a dynasty on the field.
Let’s check out your “weak NLW” theory by looking at combined division winning percentages as of today:
ALW: .523
NLW: .519
NLC: .501
NLE: .500
ALE: .490
ALC: .466
Turns out to be as much garbage as your “entertainment” and “make believe” theory. What a surprise.
Ewww stats don’t mean shhiii dodgers have such an awesome record. Do great March to September. Then CHOKE in October. Um let’s we. World Series 1 LOST to the Astros.World Series 2 LOST to the Red Sox. Hmm such a great record during the season gets them what? Two world series lost and a reliever who took 5 months to find the strike zone. A so called ace that gives up home runs. And a bunch of AAA players who come up do good a deal go back down
I wonder how much the Marlins would want from the Rays if they wanted to reacquire Romo.
Considering that the Twins are playing .600 baseball with only two All-Stars, Rocco Baldelli should definitely be Manager of the Year!
I’d hate to see Dyson go, but Arizona doesn’t seem likely to break out from the crowded NL Wild card field. If he can bring back a decent minor league piece, it may be worth it to move him and other pending free agents. I don’t see the need to move guys like Greinke, Ray and Peralta yet, unless someone overpays.
Ewww stats don’t mean shhiii dodgers have such an awesome record. Do great March to September. Then CHOKE in October. Um let’s we. World Series 1 LOST to the Astros.World Series 2 LOST to the Red Sox. Hmm such a great record during the season gets them what? Two world series lost and a reliever who took 5 months to find the strike zone. A so called ace that gives up home runs. And a bunch of AAA players who come up do good a deal go back down