The Dodgers have been making calls in regards to acquiring position players, but thus far haven't had much success, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The Dodgers have found "no real match" in what is thus far an "extremely limited market," writes Olney, who notes that the team had been exploring trade opportunities even before Matt Kemp's latest hamstring injury.
With the Dodgers in first place and the Magic Johnson-led ownership group willing to spend, the team has been expected to be active before the trade deadline. Only right field (Andre Ethier) and catcher (A.J. Ellis) seem like set positions for the Dodgers at this point, as they have been hamstrung by injuries and under-performance almost everywhere else on the diamond. The Dodgers signed Bobby Abreu earlier this month and called up prospect Alex Castellanos to help fill the void left by Kemp, but GM Ned Colletti is still probably looking for extra outfield depth. James Loney and Dee Gordon have respectively struggled at first and shortstop, second baseman Mark Ellis is out until August with a sprained MCL and while Jerry Hairston Jr. has played well in limited action at third base, that's probably also a position of need.
The Dodgers also made an offer to Roy Oswalt, though with Ted Lilly's DL stint expected to last not much longer than the minimum 15 days, pitching doesn't appear to be a major concern for the team.
We got this guy, Bryan LaHair…
LOL The Twins have this GG dude named Justin Morneau and the LAD have new ownership with cash burning holes (literally) in their pockets..
Lets see.. Career MiLB guy, or one of the best…
Edit:
Not picking on ya BTW. Just thinking before long Morneau is headed to the LAD, or Toronto..
Hey, man, I gotta push my guy. I’m on the phone with billboard people in LA. hah
The cash is *literally* burning holes in their pockets?
Isn’t Morneau locked down for several years? I dunno, don’t follow the Twins that closely.
This year and next at $14 per if I’m not mistaken….and he’d look super in a Jays uniform!
As the poster below mentioned.. 14m this and next season and the Twinkies are in ‘sell mode”, with Morneau and his 14m not exactly affordable to everyone.. This guy would fit like a glove at the Grand Canyon known as Chavez Ravine, as well as in Toronto.
A large stadium, as in LA wouldn’t bother his game too much and LA could afford him. I cannot think of a move LA could make better than Morneau, even if it meant eating every last penny of Loney’s contract this season and sending him off somewhere.
seems like the best deal that the dodgers could make, and if he stays healthy would be a steal at 14m for this year and next
Although I agree it’d be smart to move LaHair while his value is as strong as it is, I’d much rather move Soriano to the Indians (who need RH power badly, have a hole in LF and could platoon him with Pronk at DH), and stick LaHair in left when we bring Rizzo up.
Way I see it, Sori’s a sunk cost no matter what. Might as well see what we have in LaHair rather than letting someone else do it for us.
In my opinion, if you can move both in worthwhile deals, do it.
We already have a lefthanded first baseman who hits righties 100 points higher than lefties (.272 to .171) Lahair hits righties 200 points better than lefties. If only Lahair was right-handed, he and Loney would make a great platoon.
Well we are talking about 22 at bats here versus left handers. Not saying being skeptical of LaHair isn’t a reasonable approach though.
Amazing how the team with the best record in baseball can have so many holes.
It doesn’t.
starting pitching has been great thus far, but they won’t have the best record long if they can’t get some offense.
As of today: #4 in BA and #2 in ERA. That combo will get you there.
maybe fourth in batting average, but 13th in the statistic that matters – runs. Take Kemp out of the equation, and that will start to head towards the 20something ranking.
Kemp hasn’t been a factor in weeks and the other statistic that matters is runs allowed. Look that one up too while you’re at it.
BlueSkyLA, as much as I bleed Dodger blue, any objectional fan can see they have holes. Can’t argue with production thus far, but many would argue that it’s not sustainable with the current roster.
Take off the tinted glasses, and leave the condescension at the door.
If someone is going to quote runs scored without also citing runs allowed then they are deliberately painting half a picture, and it isn’t condescending to point that out.
Dodgers’ MVP up until this point has been Tinkerbell.
I thought Tinkerbell worked for the Angels.
The A’s seem an obvious match in terms of outfield/pinch-hitting depth with Smith and Gomes. Do they have anything in the system they would be willing to part with that would entice Oakland?
Nothing is my guess. Despite what the article says, the Dodgers don’t have depth issues. It’s because of roster depth that the injuries haven’t tanked team. A team that has likes of Abreu, Hairston and Gwynn in reserve are not hurting for depth. The other misleading statement in the article is that either of Loney or Gordon are in danger of losing their starting jobs. Loney maybe if absolutely the right deal comes along, but otherwise, no. Gordon is experiencing growing pains but I have not heard hint one that he is not the starting shortstop.
how about you take coco and his $ and call it even!
Thanks for the huge downgrade offer!
If we can get a well-performing SS it’s likely Dee will get sent back down to Triple-A. He was brought up too early anyway.
Such as? Gordon did great for nearly a half a season last year. Donnie says he still believes in Gordon and I’ve gotten used to seeing Donnie as a straight shooter.
You could say the same about Loney. Dee just needs some seasoning before you stick him in the oven.
Except that Gordon is just getting started and Loney is a five year MLB pro. Note that you didn’t answer my question.
Put Herrera in SS, or maybe Castellanos if he can prove himself in the majors. Either on would be better than Dee Gordon. And the fact that Loney is a veteran and has never lived up to his potential is reason enough that he needs to go. McCourt is gone; we can do better now. And how do you consider Mattingly to be a “straight shooter”? Some of his lineups have just been bizarre. Our success this year seems to be more the result of the players’ comradery/chemistry than the manager’s decisions.
I don’t know what you are talking about, but I am talking about a manager who communicates to fans what he feels is going on with his players and team much more candidly than Joe Torre ever did. I think Mattingly has done a great job juggling lineups through injuries. I’m not going to turn nasty on him just because the team is going through its first bad patch of the season, if only because I can see what he’s accomplished to date with what he’s got.
“It’s because of roster depth that the injuries haven’t tanked team.”
Not always true now.. You cannot count on your starting 3 OF to be on the DL for like.. 3 months minimum with injuries?? Ross/Ellsbury Crawford and only the 4th OF healthy.. Sort of.. in Sweeny?
Having 7OF on the DL at one time is kinda’ odd and no depth in the world will fix it..(Boston)..
Well, no, but you do have to plan on some injuries, which is why depth is important. And in the case of the Dodgers, it has been “only” two of the starting outfielders not three. This is why I liked the signing of Gwynn this winter and the pickup of Abreu. Neither of these players create offensive or defensive holes if you are forced to start them.
Seth Smith or Jonny Gomes seem like ideal fits for the dodgers. Wouldn’t take too much to acquire either of them.
The Professional Hitter Seth Smith sure, Gomes, meh… Don’t dislike him, just meh.
We might be able to get Hosmer while hes in his sophmore scuffles
LOL. Okay.
Good idea. Speaking as a Dodgers fan, I’m incredibly surprised that we’ve been as good as we’ve been, and a new first baseman is DEFINITELY long overdue.
Does Castro from CHC seem like a fit for the dodgers?
I doubt teams will be willing to give up their franchise players, the Dodgers’ farm system doesn’t have enough chips to woo a team to throw their best at them.
Agreed. Also, I don’t think that it’s fair to give up on Dee Gordon just yet.
those are good points, although the dodgers system is packing with some young pitchers, there just not a lot of options out there to make a trade for
Not pitchers that will catch Epstein’s attention about Castro though, they don’t have Arizona or Atlanta’s pitching prospects.
Or even Morneau from Minn….
Castro would be awesome, so would Morneau…others mentioned, not so much.
Morneau has a no trade clause. He’ll use it to stay in MN.
I like the idea of castro, seems he would be available for the right deal. he is as young as Gordon, in my opinion he has more power and is already proven he can hit in the MLB Level would definitely be an upgrade at that position…
I’m sure you like that idea, but the trade would be too rich for the Dodgers to afford. The Cubs would have to be blown out of the water.
so you don’t believe what buster olney said, would take just a couple top prospects?
Bob Nightengale? Oh and it was debunked, despite the awful track record Nightengale has.
was it him my bad i thought it was olney
I think that Justin Mourneau and Carlos Quentin can be had for one solid pitching prospect each. But if the Dodgers ownership has “money to burn”, I think that they should use it to build a long-term force rather than to pursue one-year rentals. Pitching is solid unless Cole Hamels becomes available and then all bets are off. I think that Mark Ellis (if he recovers) and Dee Gordon are fine as number 7 and number 8 hitters and Ivan de Jesus can sub for Mark Ellis in the interim. The key spots are 3B, 1B and left field in that order. The Dodgers did well to keep Loney for this 2012, but next year they will want an upgrade. Loney plays great defense and by season’s end will likely be hitting .280+, but his lack of power will relegate him to a small-market team or reserve role.
you think its worth the gamble with Morneau with his injury history?
i have also thought about Quentin being an option, that would be a decent possibility..
Confirmed that Kemp is on 15 DL.
Sigh.
I think the big shakeup that could really help the Dodgers is Chase Headley. The Padres need starting pitching, and the Dodgers are overloaded with righty starters on the farm, Jedd Gyorko waiting in the wings for the Padres it could be a good fit. Plus getting him would keep Uribe on the bench when he gets back from the DL.
The another option is Youk from the BoSox. Again Boston in need of pitching, and with Will Middlebrooks holding down the Fort at 3B the BoSox have room to move him.
I like your idea of Youkilis a lot, makes sense to me.
Boston has Matsuzaka coming back in a couple of weeks, Bard probably will be forced from the rotation and back to the pen. They are not looking for SP and already have 3 BP arms at Pawtucket who deserve to be in Boston already, but the MLB pen is stacked and doing an outstanding job, plus Bailey will be back in July as the closer.
They just may be moving Youk, but it probably is going to be for prospects, not MLB ready arm(s).
Oswalt would have been an exception had he signed as he was a top guy and cannot see Youk bringing back a kershaw (joking) to take the place of Beckett, Lester, Doubrant, or even Bucholz who has looked better of late. Bard is the only one who probably has a chance of being removed.
Ugh, please not YouKillUs. What value does he have, except maybe a power bat off the bench? We’ve had our share of aging veterans prone to injury under McCourt. No more.
Josh Willingham seems like an alright option for the dodgers
Willingham doesn’t really work, Dodgers are already overloaded for corner outfield spots between Rivera, Abreu, Either, and Gywnn when Kemp gets back. Dodgers need corner infielders not outfielders
Dodgers should go for Morneau and do it before he starts balling. I’m sure we’d take the salary, but the twins would prob. want to eat some of it to get back a better package.
If Castro is on the plate, then Gordon would be the main piece going over there, he can afford to go through growing pains on there roster all year.
I’m not sure I’m fond of the idea of dealing Gordon, but it’s something to consider.
you want VW?
what do y’all think about cubs willing to pay 45m out of the 54m left in sorianos contract, would that be a reason the dodgers look into that?
would pretty much cost them 3m each year for the next 3, for a player that will hit you 20+ HRs, not saying hitting home runs is a must
but they do need some protection for kemp and ethier.