The Dodgers are still deciding among fifth starter options, manager Dave Roberts informed Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters Friday. Southpaw David Price is competing against righties Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, who impressed as rookies during the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series-winning campaign. As a five-time All-Star and a former AL Cy Young winner, Price certainly carries the best track record of the three – not to mention the highest salary – but he didn’t pitch at all last season after opting out over COVID-19 concerns. Any of those three would join Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías in what will be a loaded season-opening starting five.
The latest on a few more pitchers around the game:
- Reds righty Sonny Gray, who has been dealing with a back problem for a couple of weeks, came out of a sim game unscathed Friday, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. After throwing two innings and 30 pitches, Gray said, “I felt good. It was definitely a step in the right direction.” Gray will start the season on the injured list, but he doesn’t expect to miss much time. That’s uplifting news for a Reds starting staff that lost the aforementioned Bauer during the offseason.
- Eduardo Rodríguez was recently set back by a dead arm but seemed to make some progress this morning. The Red Sox left-hander came out of a bullpen session feeling good about his chances of soon returning to game action, although a season-opening injured list stint remains a possibility (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). Manager Alex Cora says the club will evaluate how Rodríguez feels tomorrow before making any decisions about his recovery timeline.
- The Yankees have optioned right-hander Deivi García to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to a team announcement. The move suggests Domingo Germán will enter the season as the No. 5 in the Yankees’ rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery, though odds are that García will make his share of starts this season. The 21-year-old, a former top 100 prospect, made his debut last season with a 4.98 ERA/4.21 SIERA with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate against a stingy 4.1 percent walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
- Athletics righty Mike Fiers will begin the season on the injured list, manager Bob Melvin announced to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters. Fiers has been dealing with left hip inflammation since midway through the month and hasn’t faced live hitters during his recovery. His injury could open the door for any of Daulton Jefferies, Cole Irvin or A.J. Puk to at least temporarily join the A’s rotation. Fiers tied for the A’s lead in starts (11) and finished second in innings (59) last season, but he struggled to a 4.58 ERA/5.41 SIERA and managed a personal-worst 14.4 percent K rate.
German should be the number 2.
He could be up there with Cole as co-ace by the end of the year. Personal life aside German was really hitting his stride and learning how to pitch and get better each and every time out.
Those 18 wins were not a coincidence and here is something that will trigger the analytic crowd, wins are an important stat, more so today than ever. They signify that as a SP you are efficient with your pitches, cognizant of the score of the game and are mentally tough. Don’t worry guys….one day they will come up with some pitch efficiency/mental fortitude/score differential analytic stat that we can use to sum up a SP’s worth.
Devils advocate, it could mean your team scores a lot of runs when you pitch.
Bruin.. It also means he can go for at least five innings. Sad as it is to say, going five innings is an accomplishment in today’s game.
Very true. For the most part throughout the games history the SP’s who had the most wins also led in the advanced stats as well.
Man I miss big pitching matchups. It honestly felt like a heavyweight fight. Halladay vs. Pedro, Johnson vs Smoltz….it really wasn’t that long ago either.
Make a quality start. 7 innings and 2 runs. Under an era of 3.00 to me is quality in any generation. You’ll then see who the really valuable starters are in today’s game.
Not too many pitchers last seven innings in today’s game.
Those were the days, but I remember a game Me and Wife went too, Nolan Ryan vs Phil Niekro, heat vs finesse it was great. Bravest won, 1-0, Hubbard hit solo off Ryan in 7 inning i believe. God the memories.
7 innings times 32 starts would be 224 innings. Good luck finding a pitcher who can throw 200 especially after last years shortened schedule.
@Joe
I think there’s truth to what you’re saying, even as someone who is solidly in the pro-analytics camp. A pitcher who wins a lot of games is clearly doing at least something right (even if his overall numbers aren’t spectacular) and that’s true of German, who had a solid K% and did an excellent job of limiting walks.
I see the analytics community’s take on wins as being less about invalidating the efforts of pitchers who win games and more about giving context to those wins to differentiate between pitchers (for example, why were Jacob DeGrom or Max Scherzer’s 11 win seasons in 2018 more impressive than Ivan Nova or Andrew Cashner’s)
Although I was being highly sarcastic there to prove a point I still believe in analytics. I just think they have gotten carried away with them.
Sometimes there are outliers and the analytics back those instance up such as Degrom, Cashner and Nova. And Bruin is definitely right, sometimes it means your team just scores a lot of runs for you.
The thing is though I’ve watched guys like CC and Andy too many times to know there is something to getting the win while being efficient with your pitches. There were many times a pitcher would give up a run or two so they can get a couple more innings eaten up.
Maybe the 5 of us should be the creators of that stat haha
Hmmm lemme think should I listen to some lame comment from an obvious yankee fan or all the ex pro baseball analyst that have been around the game for decades ??? Wins are more of a team stat than an individual stat. You could be pitching a shutout but if your team doesn’t score then you don’t get the win, on the contrary you only manage to make it to the 5th but give up 5-6 runs but your team completely rakes and scores 10, you get the win regardless.
What about all the retired players who are speaking out against the overuse of it? The ones who have spent lifetimes and generations in the game. Do we just call them demented idiots and excommunicate them from the game that THEY made as popular as it is today.
And yeah those are a couple scenarios that can happen. See my comment above, those are some other scenarios that can happen. There are endless scenarios that can happen, that’s baseball Susan. My point is until there is a stat that can accurately sum up all that a win symbolizes than we still can’t completely discount wins. That stat still hasn’t been created, therefore I still look at wins as an important benchmark.
Joe momma – Blue Jays pulling Matt Shoemaker after 3 shutout innings of around 28 pitches is the best example of overuse and overmanaging. It is absurd. It does not help the teams when a manager is not allowed to deviate when necessary. If a starter capable of throwing 6-7 innings and 100 pitches must be pulled after 3 scoreless and 28 pitches, there is a problem.
Of course the real example is Blake Snell pulled in the 6th game of the WS.
Analytics are not about what has already happened. That’s called statistics. Analytics are about predicting what is going to happen. If a pitcher’s wins are indicative of future success, then they have analytic value. If not, then other statistics will get turned into more valued analytics. For some pitchers, win totals are consistent from season to season, often along with other statistics. Yet, for other pitchers, win totals fluctuate. History is full of 18 game winners. Heck, Elroy Face, 18 and 1. Fabulous.
No matter what they call him, German IS the #2. PC aside of course.
Agreed. I figured there had to be something Cashman really liked when he was the lotto ticket throw in with the Eovaldi/Prado trade. Especially since he went down with TJ almost immediately. If you watch him pitch he is definitely going to be a solid 2 or 3 pitcher if he can stay on the field. Right when he seems to be putting it together he gets either hurt or suspended. He has certainly come a long way from being a skinny A ball throw in to an otherwise meh trade. If he finally figures it out and Severino comes back as his old self the Yankees will be tough the second half. The season pretty much relies on those 2 and Britton pitching to their potential while staying healthy. Hopefully the Carl Pavano/Jacoby Ellsbury Memorial MRI Tube stays offline this season. It was definitely used far too often the last couple of years.
It must really be frustrating for May and Gonsolin to see a Bauer signed at a position of strength. Chances are one of them (or both) can only crack the rotation via injury.
Meh. Injuries happen too. The biggest challenge fir this rotation will be managing all that talent, maxiiits great potential.
*maximizing its great potential.
I think a lot teams are gonna utilize a 6 man rotation, shorter starts or extra rest due to the fact that no one pitched very much last year. Any sign of fatigue or struggles I think will push a start back or make their turn in the rotation get skipped. May only really pitched 4/5 innings a start last year and his FIP was a good bit up from his ERA. He might be the perfect guy to go 3/4 innings when they wanna limit the innings of one the main rotation pieces.
There’s no way any team gets thru this year with only 5 starters. And the dodgers usually run about 10-12 out per year in a normal season. There’s plenty of starts to go around. Almost no one (maybe no one) is throwing 200 innings this year imo
Can you imagine using those 2 out of the bullpen in the second half? Plus the Dodgers could use one at the deadline to land whomever they view as the missing piece. They still haven’t won a championship without an asterisk in over 30 years. This will be the last year the Padres will still be figuring their team out. Starting next year they will be extremely tough for the next half decade or so.
Dodgers need to roll with a 6 SP rotation. Keep Price in the pen. He has already said he is comfortable and willing to do it.
Probably a good idea especially considering how poorly Kershaw, Buehler and Bauer have pitched in Spring Training.
Awfully expensive bullpen arm even with the Red Sox paying half. I think Price has to start and have one of May/Gonsolin in the pen and the other waiting in AAA
The Dodgers don’t care how much he costs, so why should you? Might as well say that May and Gonsolin are too good to pitch out the bullpen, which would be true on most other teams, but that doesn’t matter any more than how much Price is being paid to do whatever he is best suited for doing right now.
He’s getting paid the same whether he starts or comes out of the bullpen. Put the best product on the field, that’s what matters. Wins and losses aren’t affected by the salary of the guy who gets in.
Starters like to make 30+ starts a year so I imagine Kershaw or Bauer would have a problem with a 6 man rotation. I can’t speak for them but just a hunch.
I don’t know a lot about Bauer beyond his reputation for a quirky personality, but I know Kershaw has always been prepared to do whatever is asked of him.
With Price’s mentality he’d flourish in the bullpen.
Does anybody see Price earning the closer or either setup position? I personally do not, and I am not sure that Price will be okay being just a middle reliever/spot starter. Hopefully he is.
I see Price as a glass-hearted, soft pitcher who wilts during crunch time. He’ll be a great 7th inning pitcher when behind in games. That’s his mentality. If May and Gonsolin look good in spring they should be ahead of Price in the pecking order and then the Dodgers can bench Price for the playoffs. No liabilities in October.
Price in the 2018 World Series
13.2 innings. 3 appearances including a relief appearance. 1.98 ERA. 156/250/267 slash against
Since 2017? How about a 2.76 ERA, 8 appearances and 5 starts. 195/278/347. That’s a 626 OPS against in the playoffs since 2017!
Want to put that in perspective? In 2019, that 626 OPS would be lower than ANY qualified hitter in MLB. 3.1 PA game. 633 was the bottom of the list
Or are you now judging someone not based on recent history, but only history 5+ years in the past?
That all qualifies as wilting to you? Seems like your opinion is based on… nothing to do with facts
sounds like Kersh until last year. im sure the Dodgers are so angry!
Oakland trying to keep Fiers away from Houston again.
Every team wishes they had a May/Gonsolin problem. I thought after signing Bauer they would of traded Price if they paid some of his contract.
The only way they’re gonna get value for Price is he pitches and shows he’s the 3.00 ERA guy who was in Boston in 2019 before pitching injured and feuding with an announcer
If they want to deal him, he’s gotta pitch first. Again they’re not going to give him away for nothing. At 15M he has a chance to be a fantastic value. If anything the desire to trade him means he should be in the rotation
The Dodgers probably hope he opts out of the season again.
No, they don’t.
bang bang!
“OH GOD, WE’RE FACING THE TRASHSTROS, QUICK, HIDE OUR”
*checks*
“*EIGHTH* BEST STARTING PITCHER!”
(somethingsomething head somethingsomething rent-free)
Wow the Dodgers are so deep in their staring pitching there isn’t one team in Baseball, besides the Dodgers, that May and Gonsolin don’t easily make the starting rotation.
Maybe Price can do a John Smoltz and turn into a dominant late inning arm.
The problem is what comes after that: turning into a really boring sportscaster.
Chicks dig the long ball, not the bald spot.
youtu.be/gobOqy6d178
The Dodgers are the only team I can think of that has 3 quality arms for it’s 5th spot in the rotation. I still say most teams should run 6 starters this year until Starters rebuild themselves to pitch 150+ innings
did Puk cut his hair!? F in the chat.
He cut his hair awhile ago man. Still looks like he eats squirrels though
Lol @ Price. Just personally don’t like the guy but that’s a good problem for LAD to have. Don’t worry about his attitude (even if it sucks) make him throw out of the pen. Roberts runs the team (lol, run…get it? 04 ALCS). Players should do what they’re told. Go help the team win. Period.
What are you talking about? Theres NOTHING that indicates Price is not doing what the team wants him to do. In fact he said he’s fine going to the pen if that’s what’s best
Get outta here with these BS takes just to rip a player
And yet you come here to come ripping? Dude, Price should be on a mission and yet he is willing to settle in a no-pressure situation. He is a no pressure player.
Flip the L to a J in your name. More fitting.
I didn’t come here to rip. I came to read an update about a pitcher on my favorite team. But I am happy to correct people when they have really bad takes. He claimed price has a bad attitude. Right here
“ Don’t worry about his attitude (even if it sucks) make him throw out of the pen. ”
See that? So I said, there’s nothing to indicate his attitude is a problem. He offered to go the pen to help the team. This is FACT
You think that Price should have DEMANDED a rotation spot, to prove his worth? You think that would have made him a BETTER clubhouse person? I’m sure you have a degree in psychology
And his problem in Boston wasn’t the clubhouse. It was the announcers. There’s nothing ever to indicate he’s a clubhouse nuisance or has a bad attitude. Even the fortnight thing, he was playing WITH OTHER TEAMMATES. That’s all just media BS, which Gotham seems to have bought as fact
Btw, jurking isn’t a word genius
Actually Price acted like a 2-year-old when a HOFer didn’t say super nice things about him. He’s a doofus, and he does have a bad attitude. His teammates say they like him, but name one time where teammates have come out and said, “Yeah, my teammate who makes 20MM/year? Yeah, we don’t like him.”
Price would benefit from listening to the advice of someone whose shoes he will never come close to filling ……
And yankee clipper. There’s plenty of instances where we hear a guy was a clubhouse problem once he is gone. Anonymous players+training staff love to whine
Yet NOTHING like that happened when he left Tampa or Boston. Neither place. And Boston media loves to stir the pot. Still, nothing. You realize you are pushing BS, right?
Eck FTW my man! Price couldn’t sharpen his spikes.
@Lurking: That’s a very valid counterpoint. Yes, I suppose if he were a problem for the clubhouse guys generally, he would’ve had issues surface after he left.
So, I’ll correct my statement to say he publicly demonstrated a poor attitude with Eckersley, a known commodity (salt of the earth, as they say) which, given the magnitude of consequences and his lack of self-awareness, leads me to believe it’s innate for him. Based on that, and my interactions with him I don’t care for his attitude, personally.
Eck has to work in a booth to pay the rent at 66 years old. Price will never have to work another day of his life after leaving baseball. Price wins in life.
My comment was based off others and the idea of Price going to the pen. Ya dunce. Get out of here with your fanboy bs. Use your head genius…if he’s fighting for a spot in the rotation, he’s going to the pen. I doubt he’ll squeeze in the OF. Point being, he’s an ego player who won’t be happy with not being food enough to start.
Just…shut up.
Hahaha, I should just shut up. Are you 10 years old?
Your argument is based on what you’ve told me, and what you seen here!? You have ZERO evidence to back up your claims. You have nothing to show he’s a player with a huge ego. You’re the one pushing the bull man. Maybe take your own advice and stop pretending you’re an expert when you have nothing but your raggedy opinion
Zero evidence? lol. Have you watched baseball in the last 10 years and Prices whiney antics? Ah. Wait, a loud mouth LAD fan who probably hasn’t watched a game prior to 2012. $25 if you know Hershishers first name without googling. LOL. You are the mold of a bandwagon fan. I bet you already have a Mookie jersey hahahahahaha.
Your last comment will not age well. I bet you sold Bitcoin at $5. HA!
Just left your mothers apartment, she said she is not proud of you. *fart noise
Seems to me if you have any playoff aspirations you’d be better served with a 5 man rotation. Just manage the IP’s/pitch counts early on. Think I would rather use that 6th guy 2-3 times a week than once every 5 days.
Run a 6 man for half the season and let injuries and performance dictate the move from there.
No one runs a 5 man rotation in the playoffs. You run your 3 or 4 best starters, maximum. So who cares if 2 guys move from the rotation to the pen in Aug/Sept vs 1?
Because those 3-4 starters would be going from 5 days rest to 4 or 3. My argument is you can manage workload just as well (perhaps even better) with a 5 man rotation than 6.
If the playoffs have a regular schedule (not 2020) and you have 4 starters you trust, you can pretty easily get them 4 days in Oct.
With that said. I see your point. If they are truly against a committed year round 6 man rotation, the dodgers have a history of taking a guy from the bullpen and starting him to give others an extra day or skip a semi-hurt guy. Stripling was that guy for many years. Gonsolin or May would be that guy. In theory the two guys could piggyback and hopefully cover 8+ innings
What will be interesting to me is do both 5th starting “losers” stay with the big club or go to AZ to stay stretched out?
Overall, I fully believe Gonsolin and May will total at least 30 combined appearances where they throw 4+ innings. Whether starts or piggy backing or whatever else. The effect is the same. Less innings for the key pen guys and other starters to cover. So is that a starting5+ MLB’s version of a 6th man? If they pitch enough I’d call that a 6 man rotation personally, even if they don’t take a turn every go. But it’s semantics
I just don’t expect many guys to throw even 6 innings this year. They are going to fear dead arms late in the year. So i see a lot of innings that need to be picked up
Price could be a trade candidate for a team needing a starter. Toronto comes to mind as a possible destination.
Price for Yates.
WAJ, How about Price for George Springer, Jays kick in 50M?
See how mine isn’t funny? Yours isn’t either
Nobody would ever accuse you of being funny or intelligent. But Price for Springer as a baseline for a bigger package? Hmmmm…
Even the best pitchers threw ~75 innings last year. No team is in a position to give away a MOR or better arm for giggles
Great take. Wow! Riveting. No kidding pitchers did not rack up huge innings. Way to deliver the goods here.
From the moron who suggested a Tommy John patient is the proper return for Price, i figured you needed the explanation
Dude you talk way too much. Enough LAD knob gobbling. Congrats, you won half a WS and couldn’t see it in person. Sweet. Now shut up…again.
That was awful, that so, so awful
You tried talking smack, but it wasn’t really thoughtful.
When I roast you, there’s nothing left of you-just gone
I’ll leave you with this-How many rings have you won?
Hey Dodgers how about, Jose Suarez and Luis Rengifo for Price? The Dodgers get from under that 22 million a year, yes that is what the Dodgers are paying him even after what the Roid Sox portion. The Angels get someone who could help them in the starting rotation.
Bundy
Price
Heaney
Quintana
Cobb
Ohtani
Sounds better than what it looks like it could be right now. Could even put Cobb in the Bullpen and let Canning start.
The Dodgers are paying $16M per over the next two years for Price. And what use would the Dodgers have for Suarez or Rengifo?
Unless you think Price makes 44M a year, you’re wrong. And if you do, you’re still wrong
google.com/amp/s/dodgerblue.com/mlb-rumors-red-sox…
His remaining deal was 3/96. 32M per year. Boston+LA agreed to split the deal. 32/2=16M a year
Lad paid Rich Hill in his last year here, which was last year before Price acquired, 15M for 50 innings. Price is not an expensive rotation option if he’s pitching even like a MOR arm
Why the hell would the dodgers give the angels Price for a guy with a 38 ERA last year& 8 for his career, plus a fringe bench guy who wouldn’t make the team? Do better
The Red Sox picked up 48 million per over the length of the contract. That is correct. But it wasn’t divided up evenly over the the the three seasons. Last season. The Sox paid 20 million of his 36 million dollars. Which leaves the Sox paying 28 million over over the next two years. 28-14=14. 36-14=22. Gavin Lux was just as bad as Adell was at the plate last season. Kiki is now with the Sox. Who is the Dodgers utility infielder? Suarez is 23 with minor league options left. Those two players combined make less 1.5 million. Which helps the Dodgers Luxury tax. Price also has a full no trade clause, which means he could void any trade if he doesn’t want to play for the team. Which he would probably accept a trade to the Angels, to play for Madden again. It’s about the Dodgers getting out of the contract. Not the players they get in return. They only took Price, to give up less for Betts. The Dodgers never had interest in Price.
Where do you get your numbers? Every report I’ve seen has the Red Sox paying half of Price’s contract for each of three remaining years, at $16M per.
baseball-reference.com/players/p/priceda01.shtml?u…
It’s also kind of weird to argue that a team had no interest in a player who they traded to get.
The utility infielders for the Dodgers are Taylor and McKinstry. They moved on from Rengifo a year ago.
You could get Price for basically nothing if your willing to pick up all his 2/32 left –
3 problems with your trade tho
1- Renigfros value has shrunk
2- Arte would hold the teenage grudge mentality
3- Dodgers already have a 40 crunch,/adding fringe characters wouldn’t suffice/appeal
**Ive always thought these 2 teams lined up well
Make it a bigger deal for Marsh you get the Dodgers attention….We do lack OF prospects and the Angels lack Catcher/Pitching which we have in spades
Soemthing along the lines of Price Cartaya Peters Alexander White for Marsh + lottery , Angels pay 75+% cash on Price…Dodgers wouldn’t mind shaving 2 40 spots today as well
Nay to including Cartaya in any trade. I also prefer keeping Price. In a year where it will be all about nursing pitchers to the finish line, a team needs as many multi-inning relievers as they can get. Price, Gonsolin, and Nelson more than fills the bill. Price is also a solid clubhouse citizen, which is why Dombrowski acquired him twice and Friedman was willing to take him in the Betts trade. The Dodgers didn’t just take Price off Boston’s hands; they got a quality pitcher who is very much a team player. Here’s a guy who has volunteered to go to the bullpen because it would serve the team best. And let’s not forget that last year he gave $1,000 each to 190 Dodgers minor leaguers that he’d essentially never met. Screw Sawx fans and Dennis Eckersley. This is a solid pitcher and human being who would be the Sawx opening-day starter if he was still on the team. Price has a chance to be lethal this year in a swingman role.
Re Marsh, I would trade Ruiz, Alexander, and White. At this point, Marsh isn’t worth much more than Ruiz since neither is an established big-leaguer and Ruiz plays a more critical position. Dodgers clear some space on the roster, Angels acquire three players who can immediately be added to the opening-day roster,
Being mean to Dennis Eckersley is apparently a mortal sin.
No, but being a jerk to a retired professional, who’s attained a status Price never will, for no reason, and demanding he leave the bus is downright juvenile and unprofessional.
What about the fact that Eckersley is one of the biggest jerks in the game?
Is he? Or is that just to cover for your boy? I’m so glad Price bailed on his team last year because it’s indicative of his true character. He missed out on a ring because he wasn’t a true teammate. Opt out? Please, you’re a ML pitcher. What a joke.
Oh, examples, please? I’ve heard the opposite since he retired. Maybe in the game (ya know, before Price was born?), but in retirement? Also, does Eck being a jerk negate Price having an attitude? No. That’s a classic pivot to avoid the real issue, but that’s no surprise.