The Dodgers announced on Friday that they’ve claimed left-hander Henry Owens off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Arizona had claimed Owens off outright waivers from the Red Sox earlier this winter.
Owens was once considered to be one of the game’s best overall prospects. However, he’s managed just a 5.19 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 in 85 big league innings and saw his control of the strike zone, which has long been an issue for him, utterly evaporate in 2017 when he walked 115 batters, hit 17 more and threw 17 wild pitches in 126 Triple-A innings this season.
Owens has a minor league option remaining, so the Dodgers will have the luxury of being able to send him to the minors to attempt to get back on track if they wish, though the Triple-A Pacific Coast League isn’t exactly a friendly environment for a pitcher looking to refine his mechanics and reestablish his confidence. Nonetheless, Los Angeles has made a habit of collecting optionable players and leveraging the flexibility those assets provide, in conjunction with the shortened 10-day DL minimum, over the course of a full big league season.
Not only do they have zero pitching at AAA, they STILL need 2 or 3 starting pitchers for their major league rotation PLUS either a closer or setup guy depending how they slot Brach. About a month ago they “checked in on” Miguel Gonzalez, but as of 12/22/17 they have acquired exactly 0 pitchers to fill their needs at any level. Can anyone explain what the O’s are doing?
Oh and I think we need a right handed starter. Someone who’s actually really good. Doesn’t need to be a ace but a clear number two.
Can anyone explain what this comment has to do with Henry Owens and the Dodgers?
I was responding to a comment by someone who asked why BAL didn’t sign Owens, but that post has mysteriously vanished.
Exactly.
Well typical Orioles mode of operation under DD is they choose 3 minor league Rule V draftees pitchers and wait for the remains of free agency that they can sign for cheap.
Dodgers really aren’t doing much this offseason except shedding salary. I get it but I don’t necessarily like it. You either get get better or get worse you don’t stay the same so hopefully they will still be better and can win it all next year. Just feel like we need a late inning reliever and a lefty bat off the need. Hopefully Toles comes back the same.
They just won 104 games and were one win away from a WS title.
Dodgers have lefty bats everywhere. Thats the last thing they need
Not so much anymore, with the departure of Gonzales and Ethier. Toles is doubtful and Verdugo probably not ready.
why is Toles doubtful? Most recent reports that he started hitting last month and is running
Because he is coming back from a major injury and a fully-missed year, and it wasn’t as if he was a fully-developed player even before the injury. All things considered he very possibly starts the season in the minors.
Toles or not the Dodgers have depth that makes another bat not needed. Only position they may sign a backup for is 2B, but even that is highly unlikely
Gonzales and Ethier were basically useless last season. It shouldn’t take much to replace those guys.
Not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with me but those two provided some LHB depth, which they no longer have. Grandal could at one time be counted as providing some also, but possibly not any longer, even if they don’t decide to trade him.
I think Verdugo is ready
Not sure what gives you the confidence but we’re probably going to find out one way or another.
I think Verdugo is ready and going to hit this year
It’s about getting under the luxury tax and resetting their penalty. Really what needs do they have? They’re set on offense, the rotation, and BP minus a set up man. They’ve hit the last 2 season with Blanton/Morrow on cheap contracts and are probably hoping to do the same again this year. If it really came down to it they could simply transition Maeda into a set up/long relief role.
Not happy with the moves, this off-season has been pretty lame. Yawning
This means that no one else claimed him. They should DFA him now, and hope everyone passes on him again.
Doesn’t it go by league first? Like the dodgers were the last NL team that could make a claim but then he still has to pass through the whole AL? although I guess he did the first time….
No. Revocable trade waivers go by league first, but they are the only type of waivers that work that way. Outright assignment waivers (used to outright a player off the 40-man roster to the minors) and outright release waivers (used to unconditionally release a player) go in reverse order of record with no regard to league.
Revocable trade waivers being different is a historical artifact of now-defunct rules around interleague trades. At one time, players being traded from one league to another needed to pass through revocable trade waivers within the league they were being traded out of at all times of year. They only had to pass through waivers in the other league if it was after the trade deadline.
Will this material be on the final exam?
😉
I remember when Henry Owens was dangled as the centerpiece for Cliff Lee. Then Owens was the big pitcher to be packaged with Manuel Margo for Cole Hamels. Owens sucked then as he does now, a lifeless 92 MPH fastball.
The Pirates need to learn from this and tell the Yankees “NO” we don’t want your busted prospects headed for the waiver wire.
My favorite part were all the Red Sox fans that said he was too good to trade for Hamels. I hope they are happy with how things turned out with that.
And Mookie Betts. He is why it didn’t happen. People keep forgetting that.
I’m not sure what Owens has to do with any other prospect in the game. A lot of them bust. I mean, I remember Brien Taylor and Mark Appel and Jesus Montero and Brian Mausz and Neftali Feliz and Pedro Alvarez and…I mean, we can go on and on. Prospects are, of course, a lottery tickt, as they’ve always been. the vast majority of pitching prospects, especially, don’t make it.
So Frazier and Adams (who the Yanks are dangling) are headed for the waiver wire?
Well Casey’s partner you are wrong Owens wasn’t the centerpiece for that trade. The Phillies wanted Mookie Betts plus And that is why the trade did not happen.
As a Red Sox fan I am glad they didn’t make that trade.
He can go 14-6 in the nl west
Oh yeah that weak division that had 3 playoff teams
Got heeeeeeem!
WOW, Wild Thing Hank Owens? Get this guy some glasses and turn him into the next Ricky Vaughn.
Guess the Dodgers are going to try and work some of that Alex Wood magic on Owens.
Rich Hill would be the perfect mentor for Henry Owens.
Will he be another Micah Johnson, being hot potatoed around?
Johnsons probably sticking around now. Seems lined up to play in a platoon capacity for the Rays
We have space on our 40 man from the Braves trade. Hopefully we keep him and Honey fixes his mechanics. Adding some muscle to that lanky frame won’t hurt either.
Owens has a great changeup the problem is he has no fastball command. If he can get some fastball command I believe it will make all the difference.
Unfortunately he just got worse and worse with his fastball command really hope the Dodgers can fix his mechanics and get some fastball command. He should be very serviceable if he can spot his fastball but if you through 87-91 mph fastball you have to be able to locate it.
“Throw”
Doesn’t he have a high-spin rate on his fastball too? If that is so, I smell some mentoring by Rich Hill in the works. Rich Hill has found great success using his really high spin rate on his fastball to result in a league-high swing and miss rate on it, despite only throwing about 88-90mph.