The Dodgers are among the teams “known to be interested” in Royals left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. They join the Nationals in that regard.
As a 32-year-old who could reach free agency after the season, the rebuilding Royals are likely to part with Diekman before the July 31 trade deadline. The club figures to say goodbye to as many non-core veterans as possible in the next two weeks, and has already started the process in the past few days. The Royals have traded two impending free agents – right-hander Homer Bailey (Athletics) and catcher Martin Maldonado (Cubs) – since the weekend. Diekman does have a $5.75MM mutual option (or a $500K buyout) for next year, though the Royals probably wouldn’t exercise their half of it.
Like Bailey and Maldonado, Diekman isn’t someone who figures to bring back a large return in a trade. Although Diekman boasts 96 mph heat, he has only managed a 4.97 ERA in 38 innings this year, thanks in part to an unpalatable walk rate (5.45 BB/9). That’s not to say Diekman hasn’t been serviceable for Kansas City, though. On the contrary, Diekman has struck out just over 13 hitters per nine and posted a career-high swinging-strike rate (16.4). He has also logged a 3.71 FIP, induced grounders at a 46.5 percent clip and generated infield pop-ups at a 20.0 percent rate. Diekman has been useful against lefty hitters (.289 weighted on-base average) and righties (.313 wOBA) in the process.
The Dodgers are in possession of the majors’ best record (63-34), which plainly suggests they’re low on weaknesses. Their bullpen has been vulnerable, though, including when it helped turn what should have been a win into a loss against the Phillies on Tuesday. Kenley Jansen, Pedro Baez, Dylan Floro and Joe Kelly have all taken notable steps backward compared to their 2018 production, while lefties Tony Cingrani (out for the season) and Scott Alexander (out since June 7 with forearm inflammation) either haven’t pitched at all or have seldom been available.
The absences of Cingrani and Alexander have left Julio Urias as the lone southpaw in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Urias, to his credit, has been eminently effective. Still, judging by the Dodgers’ reported interest in Diekman, Felipe Vazquez and Will Smith, they wouldn’t mind adding another late-game lefty to a righty-heavy group.
And in other news, water feels wet…..
I don’t get this. His numbers aren’t very good. I haven’t watched him pitch so maybe he’s just the victim of a poor team and bad luck but still. I’d take any of our arms out of the bullpen over this guy.
He’s decent. I would assume they would still be shopping for another reliever even if he’s added. Could be similar to the year they added Watson and Cingrani.
Very good peripherals but he would have to be a complement to another trade. As their only acquisition it would be underwhelming, but not bad #2
Yost uses him for full innings (against RH and LH hitters). I’m sure Roberts would use him situationally against LH hitters only, and sometimes against one hitter only.
Yost is obsessed with bullpen roles, and only wants to use Diekman in 8th inning. A more creative approach could lead to more success. Stuff has been filthy.
It’s Ned’s fault Diekman is leaving fastballs up in the zone and hanging sliders?
Wasn’t aware Ned had the power to control a pitchers arm while he’s on the mound, but I guess some of you Ned haters will blame him for literally anything. Him throwing him in the 8th occasionally has nothing to do with his ERA and it’s hilarious to me that you think it is.
Well someone’s butthurt about that Royals rebuild.
The Royals have one of the best defenses in baseball and had one of the best defensive catchers in baseball as well. Has nothing to do with being on a “poor team”. He was leaving fat pitches down the middle and hanging sliders.
If the Dodgers want to win the World Series, they better go deep sea fishing and bring back a stud for their bullpen. Why they have now isn’t going to do it. They also need a closer. Jansen is getting worse by the year.
Agreed. They need to unload a sweet haul of prospects on Pittsburgh for Vasquez.
When have you ever seen Friedman get a big fish reliever at the deadline? That’s just simply not going to happen. Dodgers are going to pick up a couple rental arms who will be good but not great and piece together the bullpen from there. Also about Jansen: yes he’s not other worldly like he has been in the past but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good closer. I’d say he’s still in the top half of the league in terms of closers and I’d take him over almost other relievers in the game. The dodgers don’t need a new closer and even if they did they would still stick with Jansen anyway, that’s just how they run their front office. Have a little faith in the dodgers front office who, may I remind you, have built a team who have won the NL pennant the last 2 years and been to the playoffs the last 6 (soon to be 7 years).
unfortunately…. we are seeing upper level talent tee off against him… his HR rate …is going through the roof…. we have the talent… to go get at least 2 … I say we need 3 relievers to win the series….
I was at the game last night … 4th row behind Dodger Dugout…. 91 mph Cutter with little movement…
and not fooling anyone…
We?
Dumpster diving again. WE NEED HAND, VASQUEZ OR GREENE
yes….Jansen just lost a bit after his heart operations. He’s no longer that shut down guy, still I’m fine with him being alive and maybe sliding into a setup role sooner rather than later. Or is he tipping his pitches?
This is actually an interesting trade deadline. If Kelly is actually getting his game together he could be the guy the team is trying to trade for.
You are correct. High leverage situation and the current bullpen don’t go together very well.
The Dodgers aren’t winning a World Series with their current Mgr. He will burn out his bullpen like he has the last 2 years and blow it. Manages good during the season and come Series time he chokes at the first hit or walk pulls the starter and the bull pen gets beat around.
Well this is exactly the type of pitcher the Dodgers like to pick up! A guy who averages 5BB/9 with a career 1.40WHIP. That 3.88ERA looks tempting also.
That Phillies loss was a harbinger of the playoffs. The pen as currently constituted will implode, whether it’s in the 7th, 8th, 9th, or extra innings. The odds are that at least one of the pen pitchers in any given game will pitch poorly. Going cheap now will not win a World Series, much less the NLDS or NLCS.
this pen may not even make it out of the first round. It’s depressing.
as it sits… not a problem…. but winning a Pennant… nope… I totally agree…. read my comment below…
we have some good pieces…. I say … maybe trade Joc for a Serious Bullpen Piece… i think a 20 HR guy…. and leadoff hitter does it… as I see it… Kenley is a 7th inning guy a this point in his career… set up at best…. what I think they need…. and they are so close…. is 2 late inning guys…. (not named DIekman)….. and Will smith… form the Giants… and Alexander, Hill, to get healthy…
They have plenty of internal solutions that can get them through the NL playoffs. Its beyond that where you need the help
If you are going to say that then you will have to name those internal solutions. Start with the situational lefty they completely lack.
Keywords there were NL playoffs. This team is head and shoulders better than the rest of the NL and the majority of other teams in the leauge have the same pen issues. Internal means the same group as now + Maeda or Hill going into the pen for the playoffs and the possibility of May and Gonsolin. There is no clear situation lefty but I expect Urias to have a bigger role in october where he could pitch 1 night then come in the next day to face a lefty. Dont get me wrong they need help bad and I expect it to come, but in the past 14 hours i have seen a ton of “were gonna lose in the NLDS” and I think that’s pretty ridiculous.
I’m not trying to predict the outcome of a five-game series played ten weeks from now against an unknown opponent, I’m simply not seeing the internal options where they are really needed, right now, today. Either way, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to talk about the NL playoffs as being somehow separate from the World Series. Yes, the Dodgers may match up well against NL opponents but not only is the margin not as large as it could be easily, if they hope to get to the series and actually win it this time those changes have to be made in the next two weeks. That’s why IMO we should not be talking about the NL playoffs and internal options. We should be talking about the World Series and what it takes to win one.
Good news is were exactly 2 weeks from the deadline so whatever happens is going to be very soon
Kenley
Kelly
Baez
Urias
Hill
Maeda
Stripling
Ferguson
JT Chargois
Floro
Yimi Garcia
Gonsolin
May
Alexander
Certainly not saying each and every one is or will be a world beater come playoff time but I do think its a pretty deep group to pick from that does have some real potential.
I could go down this list and mark off why each one isn’t the answer to the question, but suffice to say, not a situational lefty among them. The other point to make here is we should have graduated from players with potential to players with established track records of results. Because you know it should be about not coming in second again.
Who cares about Situational lefties? They are completely overrated and they most certainly are not required in today’s game. All that matters is getting people out and the dodgers have guys that can get LHB’s out.
2019
LHB vs Stripling sOPS+ = 76 & tOPS+ = 86
Vs Hill = 66 & 51
Vs Baez = 43 & 3
Vs Kenley = 82 & 53
Vs Chargois = 55 & 23
Vs Ferguson = 66 & 95
(100 is league average. In this case below 100 is better for the pitcher)
As for the rest of your comment…no one in the dodger organization is playing for second place.
Fans cried about playing for division titles when we made the puig/kemp/wood/farmer trade.
Fans cried about playing for division titles when we didn’t pursue Stanton/Harper/machado.
Aren’t we past this silly notion of questioning the front offices commitment to win a WS yet?
Friedman certainly isn’t perfect(verlander) but anyone complaining about second place either lacks perspective or isn’t paying attention…and I don’t think anyone would say that you don’t pay attention.
***complaining***
***I meant to say that anyone that’s talking about second place as if it’s acceptable to the front office either lacks perspective or isn’t paying attention.
One of the pitchers you list is a starter. Another is now and could very well be required to remain in that role. Another is in the minors because when he was up he was awful. Another has faced a grand total of 15 left-handed batters this season. If you look at his career splits against lefties you’ll find that his tOPS is 133. Hey, you brought it up.
I think you’ll find that the Dodgers do go after a situational lefty, whether you believe that concept to be overrated or not. The only real question is whether they get a good one, or another hope-for-the-best retread. You know, like the guy in this story.
I don’t claim to know what anyone in the Dodgers organization is playing for, not for sure, except money. It’s a business ultimately and we are the paying customers. As for perspective on all that, I have decades, and too many of them waiting. But what would I know, I’m only a paying customer.
What?
Paying customer?
You don’t know, not for sure, that they care about anything but money?
Seriously?
Wait…before I continue this convo can I ask a couple questions?
Were you one of the those fans who cried about the dodgers not caring about winning when we made the kemp/puig trade?
Did you complain that the dodgers didn’t care about winning when we didn’t sign Harper or machado? Or when we didn’t trade for Stanton?
Wait…now that I think about it…are you the one who lost your mind when the dodgers picked up Travis d arnuad? Lol
I’m sorry you don’t understand the concept of paying customers. I suppose you must be one of those people who believe the revenue from baseball grows on the baseball tree.
No, I did not complain about the Dodgers not signing Machado, Harper or trading for Stanton. I said here that I didn’t expect the Dodgers to go after any of them and got lambasted for it. I completely expected and understood the Puig trade, and was one of the few who liked the Pollock signing. The Kemp experiment was over before the end of last season, everybody could see that. Any other fantasies about my opinions you’d like to entertain?
I can’t imagine what d’Arnaud has to do with any of this, but my actual opinion was it was pointless, and it turned to be exactly that. If that was losing my mind then I’d like to lose it every day.
Pointless? Lol ok.
Pointless is talking about being a “paying customer”.
Pointless was the ridiculously hilarious tantrum you threw because of the d arnuad move.
Pointless is continuing this conversation if “You don’t know, not for sure, that the they(dodgers) care about anything but money“
It’s hard to find an organization that is better positioned to win now and in the future and if that doesn’t convince you that they care about winning then there’s nothing I can say that will convince you otherwise and that’s ok. Just seems a bit…pointless…to keep trying.
You are officially a troll. Congrats.
Not a troll at all.
Just not interested pursuing this conversation further if you genuinely believe this statement…“You don’t know, not for sure, that they(dodgers) care about anything but money“
Best record in baseball and a team overflowing with quality depth.
A farm system/scouting/player development program that’s performing like few others in the game.
The money invested in the MLB payroll, front office, scouting department, player development, facilities etc has brought us back to the very high end of the scale following the dark days of the McCourt era.
Yes, we haven’t won a WS yet.
Yes, our bullpen could use some help.
But those 2 things do not = “You don’t know, not for sure, that the they(dodgers) care about anything but money“
Not to anyone who’s paying attention and has the least bit of perspective.
So yes…spare me your response about being a “paying customer” or about how hard it has been waiting since 88 to get another ring or about having higher standards than the rest of us.
As I said previously…it would be…entirely pointless.
Absolutely true !!!
Would they be willing to take Wily Peralta as well?
Let’s hope
He needs to be gone
Diekman is aces and spaces, he’ll have several outings in a row where he’s outstanding and then his fastball control disappears and he’ll get knocked around for a week or two. I put him in the slightly above Maldonado in terms of the return required to be happy with the trade, but not much. If we get a 17 y/o lottery ticket from someone’s DSL team with a 100 mph fastball and 6 BB:9, I’ll be thrilled.
absolutely agree with you…. the one thing you need in the Post: Control… and Diekman …well… does not have it…
so I was at the game last night…… Dodger Fan living in Philly… anyway… Diekman.. good against lefties… pedestrian against righties… the Dodgers have some hard questions to ask…. I hate to say this because I am Kenley’s biggest fan… but he is done…. unless he develops some respectable secondary pitches… upper level hitters in the post season will tee off against a 91 mph cutter that has little movement anymore… no.. I see Kenley at best a set up man at this point in his career… what the Dodgers Need… is Smith from the Giants… and at least 2 late inning relievers…. one from each side… if they want to win the WS…. that is what it will take…this is as close as I have seen my Dodgers since 88 be as complete a team… they are by far better than the last 2 WS teams…
Just to clarify a point made in this article, the Dodgers really have no lefties in the bullpen. Urias doesn’t count as one because he is being used strictly in a long relief role, 2-3 innings at a time with an equal numbers of days off in between. He is likely to be folded into the rotation at some point anyway. Diekman as a situational lefty would be better than nothing but then nothing is what they have now.
Alexander is coming back at some point…. and i remember diekman a few years ago… in the post season could not get anyone out… he was all over the place…. that is all I am saying… you cannot be wild in the post season… walks are magnified…. nope… do not want the Diek.
Alexander is also just barely better than nothing. He is mediocre overall and not a real lefty specialist. In fact he has almost no splits differential at all. I don’t know that Diekman is any kind of answer but he’s the kind of answer Friedman is likely to try. All I know is if Friedman doesn’t make a serious effort to fix this glaring defect on what is otherwise a great team he deserves to be hung by this thumbs and drawn and quartered by Dodger fans.
Dodgers have a great chance to go to World Series because they didn’t trade the best prospects why would they start ? Hope they do get a arm because our closer has struggled so I’m hoping we do get someone who era isn’t almost at 5
there are times to hold and times to let go of prospects… this is the time to let go….. I think they could trade Joc and a mid level prospect.. and get a nice bullpen piece…