Sunday: Chargois, as it turns out, has been acquired by the Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB’s Pacific League, according to a report from Jim Allen of the Daily Yomiuri.
Saturday: The Dodgers have released right-handed pitcher JT Chargois in order to facilitate his signing with a team in Japan’s NPB, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times.
Chargois, 29, spent the last two years in the Dodgers organization, splitting time between the big league club and its Triple-A affiliate. In 60 games with the team, he posted a respectable 4.53 ERA over 53 2/3 innings, to go with an even better FIP (3.98). He struck out 68 batters over that same span (11.4 K/9) and was generally a fine reliever for the Dodgers, though he ran into trouble with the home run ball in 2019, allowing four in 21 1/3 innings of work.
A former second-round draft choice, Chargois broke into the Majors with the Twins after a nice collegiate career at Rice University. Since his professional debut in 2012, he’s stormed through the minors at every stop but has struggled to stick on a big league roster. The path to regular playing time would’ve again been tough in 2020, and Chargois figures to be in line for a bigger role with whichever Japanese team he’s chosen to join.
This could be the last we’ve seen of Chargois in the Majors, but then again, it’s not unheard of for American players to make pit stops abroad in hopes that their value will build with more consistent playing time. Eric Thames, Josh Lindblom, and Miles Mikolas are some recent examples of Americans who have struggled in their first crack at the Majors but parlayed their performance in Asia into another MLB contract.
A little surprising to see him go while still on the 40 man. Good for him though chasing a better opportunity.
How much did the Dodgers get for him? He was sold for cash?
Cheap need money
Im not a fan of Chargois, but can the Dodgers really afford to just release relief pitcher with MLB experience at this point? SMMFH
Yeah they can. JT was out of options along with Yimi, along with Sadler, and Floro. We know they weren’t going to carry 4, more than likely they 1 would survive. So really with the spot or two they have open, which is a mop role(s), they are going to have to cut another. There bullpen as much maligned as it was started to see guys figure it out towards the end of the year. It’s pretty set. The only questions that remain really is who fills the mop role and whether they trust Gonzalez yet as the last LHRP.
There is 0 chance Gonzalez makes the roster.
They are all junk
You have an , “MFH???”
That can be treated, though a legal hold may be in order.
I’d much rather experience Japan than a other year in the minors.
Good on the Dodgers for letting him go.
So release Yimi, release JT but still have Kelly and Pollock. Hoping for a better announcement but at this rate, Blake is looking like our only signing. Not even for a Keuchel, when he was available or a Donaldson or even a trade. Not yet at least.
Patience grasshopper…..
The vibe the market is giving me right now is that all the big FA’s will come off the board, then the trade market led by Bryant and Lindor, will explode. Dodgers are waiting.
You are kidding yourself if you think Friedman is going to make any significant trades
At this point coming from a long time dodgers fan is that they
Is “online patience” any oxymoron? It seems likely.
LOL!
They aren’t going to just release Kelly and Pollock… geez. Yimi was horrible… and JT wasn’t even going to make the team, and they are both on minimum salaries that mean nothing and are worth nothing to other teams.
Keuchel is not very good and wouldn’t move the needle for the Dodgers in the slightest. Kelly was good for them after his horrific start and no I dont wanna hear about Roberts leaving him out to die on the mound.
Kelly was great for Howie Kendrick.
You know that if they released Pollock and Kelly the Dodgers would be responsible for paying off their whole contracts right?
I don’t get the Pollock hatred. Striking out every time in the NLDS by definition at least tied an awful record but it’s not like anyone not named Turner, Muncy, and Martin (2-4 w HR & 2B and never saw the plate again. Thanks a lot Roberts) was any good. Bellinger (.211), Seager (.150) , and Smith (.077) were rotten but they seemingly gets passes. Pollock hit .288 w 13 HRs in the 2nd half after he got his elbow sorted out. I don’t really care about the guy but I’m trying to look at this objectively. I’ll take an outfield of Bellinger, Verdugo, and Pollock. This post is not just directed at this above poster but everyone with similar beliefs. I have a lot of problems with Friedman this offseason and Roberts after his unbelievably horrific Game 5 mismanagement but Pollock doesn’t bother me going into ‘20.
I agree, the Pollock signing will probably work out okay in the end. But if you want to see less mismanagement of players, some better players where everyone knows they are needed would help a lot. Also some better coaching so maybe the heart of the lineup doesn’t hit for less than a couple of bucks when it really matters.
“some better players where everyone knows they are needed would help a lot.”
Better players never hurt…lol…but I think you’re holding on a bit too tight when u think that the dodgers aren’t trying to win because they don’t get every single player you want them to get.
The reality is that the dodgers have one of the most talented 40 man rosters in MLB…right?
Matter of fact…Id be willing to bet that there’s about 25+ fanbases that would kill to have our GM, our Roster & our farm system going forward…
Non sequitur.
Roster and farm yes, Friedman is highly over-rated and really easy not to like if you ever give him a listen-
He has strengths (scouting, small trades, develpment) but his flaws are too glaring (no balls, horrible in free agency, no personaility/fire) to say that hes a hot commodity
ALso on Pollock nobody was paying him 75% of that, thats my biggest gripe, you sign guys like this for a deal or pass, AJ Pollock held no leverage during his free agency, Id bet him and his agent didnt take long to ink that offer after it was proposed
Non sequiter…lmao
You said the dodgers needed better players. I pointed out they have one of the most talented rosters in MLB…which is factual.
Did trading Fan Favorite Matt Kemp(1st time) take balls?
How about when he traded for Machado or Darvish?
Would he have balls if he had traded seager & Urias for hamels?
Would he have balls if he had moved Bellinger or Buehler, or Verdugo or May or Lux or Ruiz for any of the many names they’ve all been connected to?
If having balls means we would’ve traded any of those guys then I think I like that he uses something other than his balls to make trades.
I’m perfectly fine with him not using his balls while hes stealing guys like Yasmani Grandal, Chris Taylor, Alex Wood, Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray, Kike Hernandez, Austin Barnes etc at minimal cost.
Balls aside…
We’ve won the most games in baseball since he took over(5yrs).
He’s built a very talented roster that has an awful lot of cheap and controllable talent on it. He’s built a farm that keeps that cheap and controllable talent constantly flowing to the big club.
All in all I think the dodgers are quite happy with what he’s done to get them to this point and I think that extension they just gave him probably means they’re quite happy with him managing this organization that he’s built up for the foreseeable future…
My complete statement was “some better players where everyone knows they are needed.” What am referring to here should be obvious. You ignored it. You also ignored the hitting/coaching issue, which is beyond obvious to anyone who paid any attention to what went down. So yes, your response was a complete non sequitur. Adding snark only makes it more so.
@JD. The only way I can imagine the Friedman fans keep their worship of him intact is by never listening to the man speak. On the rare occasions when he does, you can’t detect even a milligram of passion for the game coming from him. We hear buzzwords and babble, mixed in with a certain amount of distain for the fans.
The new ownership at one point more than tripled the payroll from what it had been under McCourt and spent a bunch revitalizing the farm and scouting operations that had been gutted by two successive ownerships. Not that this was unnecessary, far from it, but what is often overlooked is that Friedman was the beneficiary of all that.
On Pollock, I don’t know. I still believe this signing is likely to work out. The talent is there. I’m more concerned about the top of the rotation and the back end of the bullpen. These were all fixable issues. If Treinen doesn’t have a resurrection year we’ll be right back where we started, wishing and hoping Kelly and Jansen don’t stink.
Oh I totally agree Blue Sky the guy is unsufferable to listen to and lacks an ounce of passion i doubt he truly even likes the game of baseball-
Most fans are under the impression that he made some great resurrection of this team when actually it was set up very well from the day he came in – One can argue he was brought in to take this to the next level and well we know how thats gone…….
The bullpen has been an issue for 7 years now, hes made no effort at a pretty simple task- Its mind boggling and almost insane considering the budget and values in place from guys still under arb
“The bullpen has been an issue for 7 years now, hes made no effort at a pretty simple task”
It’s a nice narrative. It just isn’t the reality. Not even close.
Friedman’s been here 5 years.
Bullpen rank(ERA)
2014 – 22nd(pre Friedman)
2015 – 19th
2016 – 1st
2017 – 4th
2018 – 8th
2019 – 4th
Lol. That’s pretty good for “no effort”
“I’m more concerned about the top of the rotation and the back end of the bullpen. These were all fixable issues.”
You guys act like these things are as easy as just deciding to do them.
It’s like you guys think there’s some pitching fairy going around asking teams what they need and all Friedman has to do is ask for a top of the rotation SP and a couple shut down relievers and magically his problems are solved.
The reality is that it’s not easy. The reality is that there’s 30 teams trying to accomplish the same exact goals…and every single year at the end…29 of those teams fail.
The reality is that Friedman has done an outstanding job since he’s got here. He’s done great job rebuilding the organization from top to bottom. From the farm to the 40 man. Scouting to player development etc etc
Sorry for the premature finish…I got attacked by my twin nieces…
Look…i respect your “passion” and I can certainly understand some frustration about having no rings since 88 and going thru the fox & McCourt eras. Fox & Mccourt absolutely killed me as a fan too.
But I don’t think any of those things matter now and I don’t think they should matter in friedmans decision making.
The best decision is the best decision is the best decision.
Regardless of whether we won last year or whether we won in 1906.
Call me crazy…but I want Friedman to make decisions with his brain. Not with his “B@lls” or his “passion”.
I think he’s done a pretty good job so far and I also think the best is yet to come…but I’m obviously biased and maybe that’s my passion getting the best of me…lol
Solid!
AJ Pollock signing is just frustrating. He never could stay healthy which was expected and his stats were underwhelming. which was expected as well because Friedman was hoping for AJ’s one great year (2015) to happen. The last time the Dodgers signed someone that was this boring his name was JD Drew and Lady Drew was once of the least liked Dodgers of all-time.
Agreed
Well both Garcia and Chagois combined made about a quarter of what Pollock made alone in 2019.
Now you can tell us why that matters.
You responded to him, why don’t you tell us
I have no idea. That’s why I asked.
Who is JT that Dodgers released?
Friedman continues with the big moves of the offseason.
We are going 162-0 this upcoming season!
Nah…. gotta beat DeGrome …. lol
What are you looking for?
Gerrit Cole and Rendon are Mark Walter and his Guggenheim buddies, not Friedman.
Remember Mark Walter? Where is Mark Walter hiding?
Relax, blue crew….Lindor’s your starting SS in April….Frankie will absolutely OWN LA (not an easy thing to do)…..
I’m a big fan of J.T. and see him as someone who needed consistent innings in lower leverage situations to fully develop in MLB. He’s got wicked stuff and movement. I was pretty miffed when the Twins designated him, then proceeded to trot out numerous relievers in ‘18 and ‘19 with nowhere close to the talent he possesses. Wishing him great success going forward and hope he ultimately makes it back to MLB to showcase his talent.
His numbers don’t look that bad, albeit a limited sample. Hopefully he can increase his value in Japan and come back in a couple of years and make an MLB BP roster.
He’ll pitch to a 4.58 ERA overseas and secure a 4-year, $23M contract with San Diego next year, days ahead of Preller’s firing.
Dude’s thinking ahead.
[Sarcasm]
Any chance Baez prefers Japan?
I really want Joe Kelly to work things out and be the pitcher he can be, but he gives you same confidence as Pedro Baez does.
I am not hating on Baez but it’s hard to have confidence when he seems to screw up at key moments.
I know Baez figures aren’t that bad.
The question with Kelly is what kind of pitcher he is when he’s the pitcher he can be. He’s managed one, arguably two, good seasons out of eight. What Friedman saw in him remains a mystery.
He saw a guy who throws 98-100 with tail and a nasty curve. Pretty clear what his upside is.
Upside is perhaps the most dangerous word out there when signing a player…Theres a million players who throw 98-100 mph now that doesnt move the needle-
As Blue Sky knows Fried is a moron when it comes to spending on players, its not in his genes…who the hell was giving kelley anywhere near that kind of cash last offseason….. same goes with Kazmir Mcarthy Hill Pollock upon signing….
No balls and pays retail when he shops at the swap meet even confusing the merchants probably –
Upside is one of the most misused terms in baseball. It should mean buying low, buying potential not seen by others. In the case of Kelly they bought high. Very little in his history pointed to him being the man they needed. I believe Friedman bought velocity and spin rate, and set aside the fact that his history is an inability to put that together for sustained effectiveness. His record is very spotty to say the least. And what about that mystery injury that cost him the last month of the season? I don’t actually care how much they paid him (or anybody else), only that good or bad, we’re stuck with him. The solution for Friedman fans is Roberts can always be blamed for playing him and then allowing Friedman to skate on signing him.
Yawn. Familia, Robertson, Soria, Britton, Miller all got paid similar to Kelly. McCutchen and Brantley the most comparable to Pollock got decent deals too. They absolutely were going to get those type of deals so stop playing armchair GM.
Kelly gave them a scoreless 9th. With Jansen, Kolarek and the rest of the pen available he left Kelly to die on that mound. But sure Dave didn’t mess that up one bit.
Stop playing armchair GM. That’s hilarious.
Yup and all those guys had way better track records than Kelley Pollock so you are hurting your point here but I dont think you even had one to begin with-
Do you know what website you are on btw?
McCutchen had a down year in SF and was on the decline. Pollock has always been a solid hitter. I have news for you Kelly has worked out better than every one of those guys i listed besides Britton. Your idea no one was paying them that is nonsene.
Yup that one year he sure was a solid hitter, the other 6 well……. oh and if thats not telling enough can I ask you who or I guess “who did not ” start the last game of our season last year???… Yea……solid indeed …….our big offseason splash pickin slpinters outta his ass while another season gets torpedoed and now we get the luxury of having THAT the next 4 seasons……. I sure hope he has a good season 2021 and opts out
The biggest dodger news this off season
Could be worse, we coulda inked another Kelley/Pollack for 8 years combined –
I know they probably are too pig-headed to ask for help but Freid needs to hire an independant consultant firm/co to help with just the free agent signings….they dont have a clue here
Hiring a GM would be a good idea. They’ve allowed that position to remain vacant for a year with no sign that it will ever be filled. I believe this has happened because with Friedman in charge a GM would have no authority to make any decisions. Nobody wants a job where they feel powerless and redundant.
That would be to overt for them, cmon hire a new Gm finally break the 30 year drought? I dont see Frieds name in that title enough…….. Im fine with an under the table consultant long as it keeps this guys paws off the checkbook
JT could not find consistency or reliability. Not sure why Friedman stuck with him for so long, but nothing personal but glad he’s gone. Hopefully, he’s replaced on the roster by a quality arm that can pitch in high leverage situations.
Yeah he really stuck with him on the waiver wire OKC train, that made some big league appearances but never sniffed a playoff roster. Aka the types of players every team has. How dare Friedman
Exactly how dare Friedman fill his team with guys who are not fit to contribute to the playoff roster. He did the same with other castouts. Maybe part of the reason they tank in the WS, aside from cheating by Astros.
I have news for you no team has a 40 man roster without cast offs or guys like Chargois lmao
The fact is that LA has not been able to win WS. In part, it’s because of having enough quality arms in high leverage situations. Chargrois on their roster was not the answer in fact, I would argue his roster space could have been used to develop a young pitcher who may or may not have been able to help in the playoffs. But because Friedman goes dumpster diving with Chargrois we will never know.
Chargois has a pretty violent throwing motion and his mechanics need to be more consistent to avoid injury. When he’s on, he can be absolutely dominating, but he’s started to rack up a nasty injury history.
Going to Japan, where he can cash in with a higher salary for a couple years and cushion himself against the possibility his arm just can’t go the distance is a good gamble for him.
Who ?
J.T. Chargois
Dodgers should still win a lot of games when the weather is 85+.