Ahead of the Wednesday evening deadline to protect qualified players from next month’s Rule 5 draft, the Dodgers announced today that they added righty pitcher Mitchell White, utility man Zach McKinstry and outfielder DJ Peters to the 40-man roster.
We discussed the deadline in depth yesterday speculating that was a lock while believing that White was on the bubble. The addition of McKinstry came as a complete surprise.
The 24-year-old White was originally selected in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft out of Santa Clara University. In four seasons on the Los Angeles farm, he has posted a 14-15 mark with a 3.97 ERA (130 ER/294.2 IP) and 311 strikeouts against 102 walks. In 2019, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, going a combined 4-6 in 23 games (20 starts) with a 5.09 ERA (53 ER/93.2 IP) and 105 strikeouts.
McKinstry, 24, spent the majority of the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa and was named to the Texas League Mid-Season All-Star after hitting .279 (95-for-341) with 16 doubles, four triples, 12 homers and 52 RBI in 95 games for the Drillers. He was promoted to Triple-A on August 3 and finished the campaign with Oklahoma City, slashing.382/.421/.753 with eight doubles, two triples, seven homers and 26 RBI in 26 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
In four combined seasons with the organization, McKinstry is a .270 (331-for-1226) hitter with 61 doubles, 14 triples, 30 homers and 149 RBI. The Ohio native has moved all over the diamond in his Dodger career, playing 153 games at second base, 102 at third base, 78 at shortstop and 16 in the outfield. The left-handed hitter was originally chosen in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Central Michigan University.
The 23-year-old Peters joins the Dodgers 40-man roster after splitting the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 68 games for the Drillers, he hit .241 (60-for-249) with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 42 RBI while batting .260 (54-for-208) with 10 doubles, 12 homers and 39 RBI in 57 games for Oklahoma City.
In his career on the Los Angeles farm, he has appeared in all three outfield spots, recording 25 games in left field, 94 games in right field and 311 in center field. The Southern California native was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft out of Western Nevada Community College. In four seasons with the organization, he has hit a combined .269 (461-for-1714) with 92 homers and 271 RBI.
With Wednesday’s roster adjustment, the team’s 40-man roster now sits at 40 players.
(Juan Dorado furnished some information provided in this report)
Think Blue Planning Committee 
And there we have it.
McKinstry appears to be able to hack, plays several positions and bats left handed, all attributes that Friedman values. Having him available may make Taylor or Kiké expendable.
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McKinstry only had about 90 at bats at OKC last year after spending most of the year at Tulsa. I agree that he might be a potential left handed alternative to CT3/Kike but doubt it would be at the start of the year. That said, I don’t expect to see both CT3 and Kike on the opening day roster.
Stripling/Maeda, CT3/Kike, Rios/Beaty – I expect to see one of each of those three pairs on another team by opening day.
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Maybe Friedman was on the phone asking rival GMs which players they would claim if the Dodgers didn’t protect them. My guess is that Farhan expressed an interest in McKinstry. Perhaps an AL GM liked Mitch White. Oh, the beauties of collusion. 🙂
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It seems to me that teams only collude when it benefits both sides so I’m not thinking that Farhan would give AF that kind of information. Maybe he faked him out and said he was interested in McKinstry when he actually wanted Santana. (mysterious music plays in background)
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Watch Farhan claim Sheffield, Cristian Santana, Joe Broussard and Shea Spitzbarth. Instant bullpen, lus an infield bonus. Will Smith is not forgotten.
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And then he can trade us Sheffield, Broussard and Spitzbarth in July to shore up our bullpen
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Well, wrong about White. But that is not the first time……
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Cotton DFA’d by the A’s.
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I saw that. He was an interesting prospect for a while, but injuries derailed him. It happens.
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It happened to DeJong too. And no doubt will happen to others.
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Rays traded Jose De Leon to the Reds today. Boy, was there ever some hype behind his arm years ago. Some folks thought he was as good as Urias until he ripped his UCL.
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There sure was and that is the problem with a lot of prospects. They are so hyped, the chances of ever living up to all of that are pretty slim. White is one of those guys as was Alvarez, who has been nothing short of a major disappointment. Duffy DFA’d today by the Rays. He was thought to be their 2B for the next several years, but has been hampered by injuries. Jacoby Ellsbury cut loose by the Yankees with 29 million left on his deal. Never really worked out for him in NY.
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The question that immediately comes to my mind is who would they drop first in the event of Signing a free agent? My guess would be Tyler White or JT Chargois ( though I like Chargois swing and miss stuff). This would assume there was not a trade first to open up a spot or two.
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All of that being talked about here is the reason I just chuckle when I hear the hype around depth and prospects. I know you have to have them, but with a 25 (now 26) as good as ours, I only remain interested in the Top 5 prospects every year, and those names can change every few months. The way I look at it there are no “can’t miss” prospects, but there are plenty of “will miss” prospects. It’s always been my position that I hang on to 1-5 and use anybody else in trade when necessary. Sometimes we miss (Alvarez) much of the time we don’t (Kershaw, Seager, Verdugo, Lux, Urias). Jury still out on some. Those not on the 40? Like I said, oh well. If Farhan can use them, adios and worst of luck to you up there.
We’re in good shape. We just need to tune the engine a bit.
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Old friend Yasmani Grandal just got himself a 4 year/73 mil contract with the White Sox.
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He’s been a steady 2-3 WAR player that is now over 30. His dWAR for the first time dipped below 0. His career passed balls went over 70 this year. In his 8 year career, the only stat he has led the league in is passed balls and he’s done that 3 times. His caught stealing % is about league average. His value, and the reason he got that contract, is his oWAR.
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I take you back to the 2018 World Series when the powers that be decided Austin Barnes should start most of the games rather than Grandal.
I’m thinking if we just ignore 2019, we can get Barnes about 4/80 when he becomes a free agent. Or is my thinking flawed? 🙂
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I don’t want either of them Jefe. And your thinking is coherent The humor comes through loud and clear.
As you know I am a Ruiz fan. With Lux and May on the 26 Ruiz has moved right up the ladder and is now our top prospect. I hope to see him this year. He’s a switch hitter who is by scouting reports better from the left side. If he and Smith are as good as they appear to be we may have more WAR from the catching spot that any team in the league. Counting playoffs there are about 760 plate appearances for the #6-7 hole in the order. As far as I’m concerned – divide them up.
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Well we will soon see which way the Friedman blows. He quietly signed his new contract with little fan fare. They had I guess a handshake agreement while they crossed the T’s and dotted the i’s. Grandal is the first major offensive piece off of the board, and I think, but am not sure that the Dodgers play the AL Central this year. If nothing else we will get our fill of watching him in spring since the Sox share our facility. Dodgers farm system currently rated #3 by MLB.com. Lux is the # 2 prospect and odds on favorite to garner the ROY this year. I honestly believe the Dodgers are not just going to hand the kid the second base job in spring. A lot is going to depend on what happens between now and late March. Prospects are just that, and I have seen far more fail than succeed. And it is not always the top choices who become stars. Just think how things would have changed had the Dodgers traded a 61st round draft choice because his defense was very iffy. Kid named Piazza. Giants have a new in charge guy, son of the majority owner. Royals sale approved, so now they can finish their search for a manager.
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Royals named Matheny manager about 3 weeks ago. They were originally going to wait until the new owner was official but he told them to just go ahead and hire whichever guy they wanted to…………………and so they did.
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Also an interesting piece on MLB.com about 5 trades that would work. They have Betts coming to LA, with out an extension guarantee for Pederson, May, and Ruiz. How many here would pull the trigger on that? Not me.
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Mark Feinsand, the guy who wrote that piece made two assumptions that I think are false.
1) They should attempt to get a window to extend him before making the trade (no way that happens), and if they can’t,
2) L.A. is an easy place to convince someone to re-sign (yeah, right…………except if someone offers him a dollar more)
No way I do that deal for one year of guaranteed control.
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Me either. But, I’d do Pederson, Gonsolin, Rios and Wong
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Nope, not giving away a certified MLB player and 3 others for 1 year of Betts. My reasoning? There are no guarantees Betts resigns with LA and he does not all by himself make them the favorite to win the WS and that is supposed to be the goal. They will not win a WS with the bullpen they have. That is the main need, not more offense. Besides, Belli is a better defensive player. He add some RH pop, but not enough to trade 4 guys for him.
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My proposal gives a .240 power hitting average at best defensive OFer, ( who I add will be a free agent after 2021) a potential bottom of rotation rookie P (who will be 26 in May) and two depth excess, probably career minor leaguers for one of the top 5 or 10 players in MLB. A 2018 MVP, batting champion, gold glover, .300 hitter, WS winner, etc. Hi walks, low Ks and can steal bases. This wouldn’t prohibit acquiring bullpen help, which would not guarantee a WS either.
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Well Gary, we can agree to disagree because I will tell you right now, this trade does not get made. The Sox do not want the lower tier guys, and the Dodgers want some assurance of extending his contract. The bullpen is the priority, or it should be. Joc is a pretty good fielder, not Betts class of course, but he has more power. The thing is, they do not need Betts. The needs are elsewhere, and Betts contract demands are going to be pretty high.
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As much as I like Gonsolin, I would do that deal in a second. Only problem is the Sox would never do it.
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I’d do Pederson, Gonsolin, Rios and Wong in a heartbeat. That’s something the Red Sox will laugh at, however. I like your line of thinking, though, that’s the exact type of offer I would have drawn up. Probably an offer Friedman would like, too.
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Unfortunately, it takes two sides to make a deal.
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The Sox will almost definitely find a way to trade Bradley Jr. They will probably also try to dump the Sale, Price or Eovaldi contract on someone who is willing to take a big gamble on their health. Of course they would have to eat some salary or take back a bad contract, but Bradley and one of those three pitchers might be enough that they don’t have to move Mookie unless they get a real haul for him such as the equivalent of the Feinsand trade we originally spoke about. I can’t imagine any team doing that for one year of Betts but you never know.
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That’s an interesting trade proposal. I think I’d do it too, but I would check Betts temperature on becoming a Dodger first. I also agree the Sox believe they could do better and we really don’t need Betts. We need pitching.
I’d like to believe Gonsolin is about to take a huge step forward. His stuff looks back end bullpen Major League ready, and he’s actually a starter. Our bullpen OR our 4th starter answer might already be here. Yeah, I’d like to believe that and convince Boston of that too. But I think I would have a tough time doing that. I’d start with “Rios could be Alvarez and Pederson would tear up AL East ballparks” and end with Gonsolin’s superior spin rate stats,and Wong is Austin Barnes Duex. He rather quietly had his best year at AA OPS’n over 1.000. That’s a lot to give up for 1 year, but if Betts wants to be a Dodger? Damm. What a lineup.
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Betts is exactly the kind of player we need. Meaning, he provides power, speed, defense, high average, etc. we don’t have many like that, and he hits right handed. Lindor is another in this category, but a switch hitter. There is always risk in any trade or free agent signing. If the Dodgers truly want a big move or two this winter, these guys as well as Rendon and Cole should be considered. Expensive to trade for or sign, you bet. Risk comes with all players including relief pitchers. Over the last several years we’ve acquired many, still no WS. Latest rumor I saw was to sign Betances, the former Yankee. Great when healthy, but coming off injury.
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As long as we’re discussing right handed hitters, if we can’t sign Rendon or trade for Betts or Lindor, how about Kris Bryant? He’s got an arbitration thing going on with the Cubs as to whether he has one or two years of control remaining, but let’s say he winds up with two. He could be used at third or even in left on occasion. Anybody interested? What would you send them in return?
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The Cubs are looking at escalating salaries for their stars, so they would likely be looking for top prospects. Their ask would probably start with Ruiz and one of May, Gonsolin or Gray plus maybe a lower prospect. So again, would be difficult to give up so much for 1 or 2 years. Now, if he were obtained, I’d look at converting him to 1B long term, if he were to extend.
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Can’t argue with your answer but I don’t think I would do it. I might consider it for Ruiz and Gonsolin but probably not. Maybe we could tempt them with Maeda, Kike/CT3 and Gonsolin. They don’t want to do a full rebuild so that would give them two cost controlled starters and a good prospect. It’s still only two years of control, and I’m still not sure I’d even do that trade. I’m very indecisive tonight. Maybe I’ll have more clarity in the morning after Scoop’s first cup of coffee. If I could do the above and then sign Cole and Pomeranz and maybe trade Joc for a decent reliever, I’d be pretty happy. He might be happy to extend because he’s from Vegas and has hit very well at Dodger Stadium.
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Man, I think I’d trade Ruiz and Gonsolin for three years of Bryant without even blinking, especially considering the current depth at catcher. In all honesty, I think I’d go Ruiz and May.
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I really like the idea of many, many years of a Smith/Ruiz C tandem on The Dodgers. I don’t like the idea of trading either guy.
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I don’t think Bryant has 3 years before hitting free agency?
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It’s actually two.
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I wouldn’t trade Joc for a Reliever unless a RH OF power bat was already obtained. Despite all this trade talk, I am really a real advocate for growing our own and for keeping our own stars to win. With that said, we do need to balance our offense going forward with a RH star. Pollock didn’t do the trick and seems to be regressing.
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Gary, How can you say Pollock regressed? Pollock had surgery early in the season, and when he came off of the IL, he was one of their better hitters through late July through September. Was he a huge success? No, but he wasn’t that terrible either. He and Turner both had 3 HR games, no one else on the team managed that. He moved to LF and did a pretty good job out there for never having played the position before. The only real knock on the guy outside of the injury, which since he has been injury prone in his career, was his bad performance in the playoff series. But he was not the only one who fell on his face. I for one, believe if he manages to stay healthy for the entire season, he is easily a 20 homer 80 RBI guy with and average up in the 280’s
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Yes, Pollock was a productive hitter post all-star game when he returned from the 60 day disabled list. And, i hope he is effective in 2020. But, given the current roster he is likely to be the RH platoon in LF with Joc with Verdugo and Bellinger as the other starters. Well, maybe the regression comment comes from (1) He came over with the expectation to provide Gold Glove Defense and speed as the starting CF and he ended up being demoted to LF as Bellinger, Verdugo, Taylor and Hernandez all were better options for CF (2) in the post season he was over matched no matter who he faced. 14 plate appearances, 11 Ks 1 walk. Maybe he needs glasses! Right now he is the 4th OF, so that is regression based on expectations. Maybe platooning will help him stay healthy. Hasn’t played in more than 113 games in a season since 2015. By the way, you may recall that Joc didn’t’ hit 3 in a game but did hit 3 in consecutive at bats and had 5, plus a double and a walk in 8 plate appearances over a 3 game period. And the double missed by what 6 inches or he may have had 5 in a row?
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He was not demoted. The best way to get him into games was move him to left, and he was playing against both RH and LH pitching. The wanted Bellinger in CF and that is where he played most of the time down the stretch. Verdugo was on the IL and never came back. Pollock was one of their hottest hitters the last 2 months, and except for a day off now and then, he made a majority of the starts. Yeah, I remember Joc;s hot streak. Players do that. Pollock was hot and happened to go into a funk at exactly the wrong time since Seager, and Bellinger did the same thing. I am not concerned with what he did in the post season because slumps and bad performances seem to be an epidemic on this team.
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I still think given the current roster construction, Joc and AJ platoon.
VS Lefties: AJ .323/.370/.535/.906 Joc: .224/.240/.265/.505
VS Righties AJ: .239/.308/.435/.743. Joc: .252/.349/.571/.920. All of his 36 homers
Verdugo actually has reverse splits and should start everyday.
Yes, the offense has bad performances at times. Too many guys subject to Ks. That is one reason I like the idea of adding guys such as Rendon, Betts or Lindor. They put the ball into play more consistently. None will likely be acquired but I think players with higher OBAs who still crush it make for better team offenses. When Ruiz arrives, with his very low K rate, he will be a great balance to Smith and may eventually garner the majority of games at C. I enjoy the debate with you.
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Emotionally my first impulse is to say I want to trade both Joc and Pollock but statistically it makes a lot of sense to just platoon the two. If you had one player with their combined stats (the good ones) you’d be thrilled. That combined guy would make the All Star team. We know that Joc has adjusted to being that platoon guy but we don’t know how AJ would feel about doing that permanently. My guess is that he wouldn’t be happy, especially since Joc would be getting the majority of the at bats. I guess they could do it this year and next year Joc will be a free agent anyway and I doubt he signs here.
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In reality, the way Roberts rolls, whoever starts the game will in likelihood be subbed at some point when the opposite handed pitcher comes in. in an at bat that matters, so they would like split at bats about 400-300. And of course injuries to any of the OFers will change the mix. And Taylor and Hernandez will get some time as well.
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One thing you will learn about me Gary is that I am a realist. I do not dream for things to happen. I look at the way the team was built, and the way AF has operated over the last five years and take a lot from that. I am also not a huge saber metric fan and all those fancy stats they use mean nothing to me. I use the eye test and I watch almost every game since I live far enough away to get them all. That being said, if they retain Pederson and he is not traded, he will not be the one who would platoon with Joc. Joc plays RF 90 percent of the time. if anything he would be platooned with Verdugo. Bellinger is pretty much going to be the regular CF moving forward. No one would trade for Pollock with the contract he now has unless the Dodgers ate a huge portion of it. He was not signed to be a platoon player and I doubt he would have signed in the first place if he had been told that was what would happen. The outfield is not the problem. They have a ton of guys who can play out there. Now if Joc gets traded, I am pretty sure they are not trading him for another outfielder. Sending him to Cleveland as part of a Lindor deal makes more sense. But I doubt that happens either. Betts is a pipe dream and even though the rumors are out there, they seldom come to fruition. Same with Rendon. I think they are much more likely to sign Donaldson than Rendon. Their main focus is and should be pitching. That’s were the weakness is. As for Ruiz, he will no doubt start the year at AAA . Either Barnes or some other veteran catcher will serve as a backup to Smith.
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Did you mean to say “if they retain Pollock” Bear? You said Pederson.
Pederson can play left and right. Verdugo and Bellinger can play all three outfield positions but since center and right are considered harder than left I’m thinking that’s where they would spend most of their time and if Joc is in the lineup with those two he’ll play left. Of the three, he is the weakest outfielder, although he still plays a decent outfield (except center). I may be mistaken but I think you’ll find that Joc only played right when Verdugo wasn’t in the lineup.
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No Jefe, I meant Joc. He is far more trade bait than Pollock. His contract and production lest year makes him that plus the fact that he is left handed. They are loaded from the left side even without Joc. Pollock’s contract makes him less desirable to other teams. I am sticking to my guns on this because there are already rumors out there about Joc and none about Pollock. Cotton traded to the Cubs, and the Yankees hired a female hitting coach…baseball is doomed! LOL
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This is what you wrote: “That being said, if they retain Pederson and he is not traded, he will not be the one who would platoon with Joc. ” so I guess you meant to say “he will not be the one who would platoon with Pollock”, since it would be hard for Pederson to platoon with Joc. I agree that Joc is far more likely to be traded than Pollock but I still say that in an outfield of Joc, Belli and Verdugo, Joc plays left. By the way the Cubs have also hired a female hitting coach.
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Von Scoyac’s wife, I presume.
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If her name is Rachel Folden, then yes. She has quite the resume.
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No edit capabilities. My bad.
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I’m gonna try retooling the entire site over Christmas break. I’ll keep you guys posted.
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Any major changes planned?
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I think we’re gonna discontinue the wordpress.com platform altogether, as long as I can find something specific to our needs as a baseball journal. This will allow us to control all of our own advertising without another entity profiting from our efforts. Of course, another priority is to have an extremely user-friendly comment section for you guys.
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Sounds like an ambitious undertaking. I hope you’ll be able to continue to let us know via email whenever someone comments. I know that’s a pain to some who prefer not to be bothered, but I enjoy it.
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We’ll make sure it’s perfect before we proceed. Maybe we’ll set-up a prototype site to work out the bugs before we switch everything over. That might be the best bet in determining if the comment area meets everyone’s expectations, too.
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Thanks Dennis…..it would be nice to eliminate screwups….
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Wait, you want to eliminate screwups? Does this mean you don’t want me to participate any more?
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Very funny Jefe….
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Joc appeared in LF 84 times, RF 39 times. He basically started appearing in RF after Verdugo went on the IL. In 2020, Verdugo will play RF due to his superior arm. I am also a realist, but I enjoy the speculation during the Hot Stove season. No, they did not acquire Pollock to be platooned. At the time, they didn’t know Verdugo would be so good so soon, and probably did not expect a Joc to hit 36 HRs. My comment regarding Ruiz was meant for the future. I agree he will start the season in AAA. I am also old school regarding statistics. I bleed Dodger Blue 365 days a year for over the last 60 years. I live in Virginia, but watch almost every game, sometimes staying up to 1-2AM watching and read their minor league box scores most days. I love the fact that most players are home grown and proud of all the ROYs we’ve had. I will be in Scottsdale efforts 10 days during Feb-Mar for Dodger baseball as well as some golf. So thes winter we will either see some of the usual tweaks as you believe, or maybe something more exciting!
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Hey Gary… You should try to hookup with Jeff D when you’re out in Arizona during the upcoming spring camp.
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I would if traveling on my own, but will have others with me.
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I’m finding your comments a good addition to the conversation here Gary and hope you’ll continue to voice your opinions, even though you refuse to meet up with me in Spring Training. 🙂
We may not be there at the same time anyway, since I usually head to Glendale around mid March.
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Yea, I will be back East by then. I’d rather be there mid-March too, but my companions have other reasons to come earlier. Go Dodgers!
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I know when Joc started playing in right, and I know when Pollock started playing left. I actually went back and watched that game about a week ago., It was the same game that Joc had 2 homers and that double off the top of the RF wall down the line, and he got hurt later in the game making a catch where he ran into that low wall. I do not think Verdugo is as highly regarded as he once was. He was trade fodder before and I believe some of his antics have not been well accepted by the Dodger brass. He would be more desirable than Joc or Pollock to any team looking for outfield help, and would bring a better return. The rumors of that have been out there for some time. They were none too happy that he did not play after the 4th of August, and his injury as such was really undefined. I have been a fan a little longer than you. They have always been my team, and when they moved to LA in 58 I got to see them a lot. But I am no big AF fan, I think the guy still uses small market tactics, and I do not believe anything that comes out of his mouth. He said last off season that the Dodgers were going to acquire a significant free agent. They did not, he picked up very little help at the deadline, even though the pen was the obvious need. 13 guys on the 40 man are from other organizations, so they do have a lot of home grown talent. But I doubt Af ever signs a major arm, or bat. If they improve this team at all , it will have to be via a trade. And the hot stove is more hot air than anything else.
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Bear, I know you’ve mentioned a few times the Dodger brass being unhappy with how Verdugo handled his injury and playing at the end of the season. Can you tell me where you’ve heard/read this? I know they were not happy with his overall attitude early in his career but I’ve read that they totally changed their opinion in the last year or so and that they felt he had made great strides. Also they allowed him to be in the dugout during the playoffs and I’m thinking if they were pissed at him they might not have agreed to that. He is certainly worth more than Joc or Pollock as a trade chip but I’m not ready to trade him (although I guess for the right player I might make an exception).
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I forget exactly where it was, but it was on one of the other Dodger blogs, like Dodger Digest or Dodger Nation. I think he was in the dugout simply because he was not doing any re-hab anymore and he did make contributions to the team over the course of the season. Those reports surfaced prior to the playoffs, and a heard a little chatter right after they were eliminated too. We will see. The kid has a lot of fire and he is young, but I think they just do not like attitude problems on this team. I also think I read about it on yardbarker.com. But they get 90% of their stories from Dodger blogs anyway.
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To me Verdugo is a guy that plays with passion and desire. From the Dodgers side, they rarely seem to want to play injured players until they are 100%. And they have used or misused the injury list probably more than any other team. Other than the recent bit about them being unhappy with him, what makes you think he had control over his wellness and ability to play, rather than the Dodger medical staff and trainers? I’m taking that rumor with a grain of salt until proven otherwise. And while he has greater value as you say, it seems contradictory to team policy to not trade their top young talent.
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I don’t know who was doing what, and pretty much every time it looked like he was supposed to be back, something would set the date back, and my thinking is that they got pretty frustrated with that. And they never could pinpoint what exactly was wrong, first it was his oblique, then his neck and finally his back. I think players tend to rush back on their own sometimes. I know Kemp did it before he was really healed all the way after the 2012 season. Hill was obviously not the same pitcher he was earlier. Even carrying him on the post season roster was dumb. I do not believe all the rumors, but this one had some legs because if I remember right it started with someone in a position to know. Half the things you hear are nothing but hearsay anyway. They might not trade him, and then again sitting where we are we have no clue what Ol Andy is up too. I just wish he would get off his ass and do something. The Braves have added 2 free agents already and LA has not done diddly.
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Yep, AF is patient to a fault. The Braves also resigned Chris Martin who they traded for last July. He declared free agency and then resigned with them a couple of weeks later. The Braves know what they need, and they have gone after it. Oh, they also resigned Markakis, another of their own free agents. The Whitesox are also being proactive with signing a Grandall and extending Abreu.
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No way I would put May and Ruiz in a deal for one year of betts, if the FO wants to trade those two they could get much better value somewhere else.
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I forgot they hired Matheny…my bad!
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I give you guys points for creativity, but none for reality. And the reality is, the Sox are going to want at least 2 of our top prospects for 1 year of Betts with no window to get him to agree to a deal, which I will guarantee AF will never consider. And sorry we do not need Betts. And as for the relievers they have picked up over the last few years, not one of them was what would be considered a one A reliever. That’s where the need is. They have offense a plenty and a pretty decent defensive outfield as they now stand. Yeah, they could trade Joc, but do the Sox even want Joc? They have an outfield glut of their own. What they are looking to do is what the Dodgers did last year in reverse. They want to dump salary for youth and pick up some talent for their depleted farm. Lindor is not going to come cheap either. I like Bryant and he solves a couple of problems if they went after him. RH power and he moves Turner to 1st for his last year of his contract. I am not on the same page as any of you simply because I do not think Friedman is going to suddenly change spots and make a major addition to the team. He might spend some money on free agents, and he might just tweak the roster over a major overhaul. I do think they will make an effort to bring back Ryu. Thus solving the vacancy in the roster, and they have the cash to do that without getting close to the Luxury Tax. And as always, Friedman is not going to jump into the waters early. He will be late to the dance as he has been almost every year he has been in charge. So dream on ladies, but the ball has been cancelled.
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Ruiz and May for 1 year of Betts is a definitive no from me. I’d be tempted with a sign and trade but that doesn’t happen anymore. Betts is likely one and done here and it’s my opinion both May and Ruiz are going to be solid performers with the Dodgers for years. I remind you, we outscored the opposition +273 without that RH power bat you are all Jonesing for. We didn’t win a championship because once again we ran out of pitching gas in the late innings of the last game of the year. Address that. As for hitting I’m looking for Verdugo, Lux, Seager and Pollock to all have good years. Not sure about Smith, but I see no reason Bellinger and Turner won’t do well offensively.
This is a good club. We will score. If Ryu leaves we might need to replace him, and I say “might” because I think May and Gonsolin are both candidates for a starter role. I’m not saying they will do what Ryu did, but I think they can do well. I would like to see a strong bullpen addition made, but I see no need for major additions and like Bear I would be surprised if Friedman did. I think it’s more likely he will wait and address any real needs in July.
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Part of the reason for these proposals are a look down the road. While we have a plethora of middle IF talent on the way, I don’t really see any RH OF, IB or 3B being ready by 2021. While it’s entirely possible that a Betts or Lindor might not resign, the Dodgers are one of only a few teams that can both afford the big contract and pretty much guarantee they will be in the playoffs. I also don’t like giving up our top prospects on risky trades, so maybe signing Rendon this year and go after Betts in 2021, would be the better strategy.
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Another reality is that these so called A relievers will also come at high cost, because other team know the Dodgers have great depth on both the MLB roster and minor league system. And their is no guarantee for Expected year to year performance from these A relievers either. While Josh Hader was voted best in NL over Yates ( a travesty in my opinion), he blew 7 saves and gave up 15 HRs in 75 innings. Other guys considered as A, last year or in recent history were Diaz, Iglesias, Treinan, W. Davis, Kimbrel and Melancon. Their 2019 performance didn’t come close to A performance. And Vazquez was an A, but turned out to be a scumbag of the highest order. Our FO, already blew one opportunity when W. Smith went to the Braves quickly. So who are these A relievers that will give us that elusive WS victory? I still contend that last years group may have been good enough if Kelly and Kershaw had not been mismanaged agains the Nats.
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Valid points Gary. Relievers, even the best of them, simply aren’t all that consistent from one season to the next, for whatever reason. If we apply that possibility to Will Smith, maybe we won’t be all that sad we didn’t sign him.
We had a good discussion about right handed hitters. Who would we even want to trade for in the way of an “A” type reliever? Any suggestions? And while you’re at it, suggest a trade from our end. The floor is open for discussion.
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Jeff, that is a tough one, because no team wants to trade an A reliever unles they are trying to control salary or are in a rebuild, so they are going to look for young controllable major leaguers or top prospects. I wouldn’t trade Verdugo, Smith, Lux, Ruiz, May, Gray. Not even Downs, because if we don’t get a Rendon or Lindor and Seager ends up moving to 3B in the near future, then we may be looking at an IF that includes Seager, Lux and Downs in a year or two. I would trade White, Busch, Rios, Peters, D. Santana, Sheffield if not drafter, Sborz, Chris Taylor., Barnes, haha.
Maybe a Trade for Lindor could be expanded to include Brad Hand. Or a trade with Toronto for Giles (Stripling and one of lower prospects I mentioned?)
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None of the guys you mention that you would trade would get a top flight reliever, maybe not even the entire group in one package, and then you still wouldn’t be sure the guy you got was going to perform up to his past standards. It’s not an easy problem to solve.
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I agree. Now if we do something big in the way of a free agent signing or one of the trades that have been discussed, then maybe some dominoes fall and we can give up certain players. will it be an interesting winter or ho-hum?
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I agree that they’ll start by asking for a lot for Betts. The real questions are how badly do they want to reduce payroll, by how much and do they have other alternatives. Bradley Jr. is one but that probably isn’t enough. If they can also dump the contract of Sale, Price or Eovaldi without taking back too much salary (fairly unlikely) that would probably be sufficient. Otherwise, it will be a game of chicken where they either decide to keep Mookie anyway or decide they have to trade him for less than they wanted. I don’t see any team giving up two top 5 prospects for him.
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Remember how much Baltimore got for Machado? When a player is considered a rental the price goes down. What is one year worth? Betts might put some team over the top, but doesn’t do that for us.
Admittedly Betts is in his prime NOW. Next year he should be as good as he is now, and who knows, maybe he’s one of those guys that can continue to produce into his 30s. He’s another one of those free agents that is going to get paid later for what he is doing now. Two things come to mind: I think it’s quite possible his best WAR years are behind him and we already have a right fielder. In fact, we don’t need another outfielder. Unless we plan on moving Joc and Pollock our outfield for next year is set.
Relievers are an unpredictable group. There are a few names that show up year after year, but month after month the names often change. Holland, Miller, Britton, Kimbrel, Jansen, Hader, Melancon, Smith, Diaz … who’s it going to be next year? I don’t think that can be predicted.
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And so we have the Friedman Cunundrum. Relievers, even good ones, are unpredictable. If you attempt to trade for a top 10 reliever it’s going to cost you a lot in MLB players and/or prospects, and you don’t even know if the guy you get will continue to produce. I have to think that’s why Friedman continues to sign the Morrow’s of the world in the hopes that he gets them in the year or two they’ll be exceptional. Once in a while you get lucky and find a guy in your own system (Kenley) and then you ride him until he breaks.
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Whether they trade Betts or Bradley, they will be looking for an OF to replace them at a lower salary, because they do not really have much OF depth as Martinez really should primarily be there DH and both of the Bs provide GG defense. The three pitchers mentioned all are coming off mediocre, injury riddled seasons, so they won’t get much return help other than dumping salary. They are set at SS. 3B, C, DH and two of three OF positions if they trade Betts or Bradley, so I think they would ask for Verdugo and either May or Gonsolin and maybe Stripling from the Dodgers. I wouldn’t include Verdugo, without a 3-5 year extension from Betts. From my other post, I’d go after Rendon now and pursue Betts after 2020, or in July if offer became more reasonable.
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I’m still with Gary. Betts for peterson and 3 career minor leaguers who will have a tough making any major league roster, let alone the dodgers. Or we can use these players to try to trade for a reliever. Either way there is no real value in those 4 players. Scoop is right. Hang on to the top 4/5 prospects. The rest don’t matter much. We way overvalue prospects and 25/26 year olds are not even prospects. At that age they are career minor leaguers.
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I agree with that. Pederson and Stripling/White, plus another A prospect is enough. I don’t give Verdugo or anyone else in our Top 5 for a 1 year rental that doesn’t really put us over the top. Who knows what Betts would do here, but not likely 6.8 WAR again. Here’s something else – Joc put up 3.3 WAR in 514 PAs. Betts 6.8 WAR in 706 PAs. And Betts made $20m, Joc $5m. All things considered I think Pederson would be a big hit in Boston. They don’t like that offer they can pound sand.
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I think the distance between the ask and the guys AF would be willing to part with on Betts, Lindor or Bryant probably makes a deal pretty unlikely considering the years of control remaining. As someone mentioned, we can wait a year and go after Betts as a free agent if we want him starting in 2021.
In the meanwhile we have Stripling, Maeda, Kike, CT3, Rios and Beaty who are all decent trade chips under the right set of circumstances. Use them to bring in one or two higher end relievers (understanding it’s a gamble) and then go out and sign at least one of Cole, Strasburg, Wheeler or Ryu.
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Your first sentence says it all. The ask for Betts will be 3 top prospects, but the get won’t be anywhere near that.
I believe some may be under valuing Joc. I think he’d hit a lot of long home runs in the AL East.
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An old rumor has resurfaced. And it makes some sense. Verdugo to the Indians for Kluber. Dodgers not too happy with Verdugo because of the extended stay on the IL , he did not play after August 4th over a still undefined injury.
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That rumor doesn’t make any sense to me, but AF rarely listens to me. Why trade Verdugo’s entire career for 2 years of Kluber after he pitched about 20 innings last year due to injury. There is always the chance that his effectiveness as a pitcher is a thing of the past. I’d be happy to give up something else for Kluber but not a guy with Verdugo’s potential. Where did you hear the Dodgers weren’t happy with Verdugo (which would indicate they think he could have played and chose not to).
Remember when the Spurs thought Kawhi was playing games with his injury and wound up having to trade him? How did that work out?
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The thing about them re-hiring AF is this, he gets points for not trading away their best prospects. He loses points for not upgrading the bullpen with a quality arm over the last 3 years. He has done nothing as far as bringing any kind of star power to LA. A city known for having stars on it’s rosters. He had adhered to ownership’s mandate to stay under the tax, and I honestly believe that will continue, hence, no major free agent signings this year. He will not offer the kind of deals that would land us a Cole or Rendon. He will once more go after the 2nd and 3rd tier players he loves so much. The guy is not a genius. He is pretty smart as far as that goes, but genius? Nope.
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