Dodgers Emailbag: Topics Include Center Field, Shortstop, Rotation, Bullpen, Bench and Shohei Ohtani
And hopefully for the final time, Trevor Bauer.
Pitchers and catchers report February 13. I can almost taste the grass and smell the crack of the bat. Or something.
With Spring Training in mind, since I haven’t done a Dodgers Emailbag in some time, and because I’m fortunate to have gotten some great questions from the faithful via Twitter, let’s get right to it.
Q:
A: The Dodgers open the 2023 season Thursday, March 30 at Chavez Ravine versus Arizona, presumably opposite DBacks ace right-hander Zac Gallen, which as things stand today means lefty-swinger James Outman in center field. He’d likely face northpaw Merrill Kelly Friday and sit vs. southpaw Madison Bumgarner Saturday in favor of Chris Taylor or Trayce Thompson. Again, as things stand today. But a trade is a distinct possibility. I’d do cartwheels for a Bryan Reynolds deal with Pittsburgh and happily welcome a trade for the Cards Dylan Carlson (.317/.377/.492 lifetime vs. LHP), but be disappointed to see Andrew Friedman go for an unproven hitter like Seattle’s Taylor Trammel (.174/.267/.376 lifetime majors, .277/.375/.406 minors) or Jarred Kelenic (.168/.338/.589 majors, .295/.369/.540 minors).
Question:
Answer: The Dodgers tried to sign high-priced free agent Bryce Harper four winters ago and failed and missed out on Justin Verlander recently, balking at the likes of Corey Seager, Trea Turner, Aaron Judge, Max Scherzer Carlos Rodon among others the last two offseasons. Ohtani is an entirely different animal, a one-in-a-million, two-way free agent cat, who should be the most-coveted and richest free agent in baseball history. Would 10 years and $500 million get it done? I’m not so sure, but I believe the Boys and Blue will make every effort. And with Arte Moreno remaining in Anaheim for the foreseeable future (boob that he is), I can see the club trying to swing a midseason blockbuster, with the condition that they be allowed to negotiate a contract extension with Ohtani first. In fact, I can see L.A. trying something of the sort any minute now.
Q:
A: Bauer has done his damage and can no longer hurt the Dodgers. If only the same were true for the better half of our species. Coincidentally or not, Bauer’s friend and former Cleveland rotation mate, Mike Clevinger, is under investigation for domestic violence as we speak. My guess is Clevinger will get a year off for bad behavior, without pay. And coincidentally or nay, the latter’s deeds may affect the former’s, with the two “men” being unofficially banned for life.
Q:
A: They could’ve, but while Justin Turner was out there pressuring them, the Dodgers had a chance to grab J.D Martinez for a year at $10 million and weren’t going to sit around for their old guy to lower his contract demands. A guaranteed $15 million for one year, with as much as $23.7 mil for JT’s age-38 and age-39 seasons combined, which is what the Red Sox signed up for, was untenable. Friedman did the right thing. Boston didn’t.
Q:
A: In a word, no.
Q:
A: In a word, no!
While Miguel Rojas wouldn’t have been my choice, it was obvious from the moment Lux’s name was floated as a possible full-time shortstop that it was spin, if not pure fiction. I wouldn’t have traded Jacob Amaya for Rojas, and I am convinced it’s a short-sighted move, but at least Rojas is s real shortstop — an excellent shortstop — and Lux simply isn’t.
Barring injury, Rojas will appear in more games and record more innings at short than will Lux this year. And you are sure to be horrified watching the latter attempt to play the position in the spring.
Q:
A: Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone are being hyped from hero to Vero Beach, but for me the guy to watch is Ryan Pepiot. He’s improved with a second opportunity at every level in which he’s appeared and will benefit from his 2022 experience with the big club in this, his second time around. The 3-0 record, 3.47 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings he produced as a rookie was good considering the odd rest he was given between chances, pitching on six or more days off in four of his seven starts, and on normal, four days’ rest just once.
I expect Pepiot to be the first hurler called upon to replace an injured rotation man, and I expect it to be early in the campaign, if not prior to. Baseball Reference projects a 5-3 won/loss, 3.73 ERA, 1.300 WHIP, 72 Ks in 70 innings in 2023, and interestingly, two saves, and I think the 25-year-old right-hander can beat that mark. And I’m looking forward to watching him try.
Q:
A. Given my response to the previous question, if Miller and Stone are called upon early, and assuming the club sees what I see in Pepiot, the Dodgers are in trouble. Because that means injuries to three of their five starters. But a spot start as early as April for either man wouldn’t surprise me.
Q:
A: They need to trade for an SP, and preferably a difference maker. If there is something burning, I’m not aware of it, and with Minnesota and Miami having just swung a whooper of a deal involving the reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez, the Marlins right-hander Pablo López and two teenage prospects, the price for a starter has just gone up. Aside from the Ohtani trade I’m dreaming about, I don’t see L.A. dealing for an arm unless and until one or two of the incumbents hits the injured list for an extended period of time. Meanwhile Michael Wacha are Zack Greinke remain available on the free-agent market.
If it’s my team, Heyward goes to Oklahoma City. He goes directly to OKC (to see if he can hit Pacific Coast League pitching before trying his luck in Tinsel Town, as Kevin Pillar did to some success last season). He does not pass Go. He does not collect $200. Well, not from his current employer, anyway. The Cubs are on the hook for $22 million, minus major league minimum ($720,000) if the Dodgers or some other club coughs up an active roster spot).
Q:
A: The spin out of 1000 Vin Scully Avenue is closer by committee, but I’m not buying it. If Daniel Hudson returns in one piece following anterior cruciate ligament surgery, it’s either him or Evan Phillips. And probably Phillips.
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ICYMI:
The Dodgers have signed right-handed reliever Tyler Cyr to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Cyr made his major-league debut with the Phillies and Oakland in 2022 (2.70 ERA, 1.077 WHIP, 11.1 strikeouts per nine) at 29 years old after seven years in the Giants system. I’ve learned to trust Andrew Friedman with this type of thing, as should you.
Former Rangers manager Chris Woodward has returned to Los Angeles, where he was the team’s third base coach from 2016-2018, as special assistant to the front office and roving instructor.
And former MLB Network host and Apple+ Friday Night Baseball play-by-play man Stephen Nelson will call 50 games while Joe Davis is traveling with his Fox Television duties.
Former Dodgers Bobby Abreu, Andre Ethier, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Gary Sheffield and Jayson Werth were not elected to the Hall of Fame by a vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Scott Rolen was. Also, in a Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee election which took place at the Winter Meetings in December, former Dodger Fred McGriff was.
Media Savvy:
C. Trent Rosecrans takes a look at the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot at the Athletic.
Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield forecast the 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 HOF ballots at ESPN.com.
The Dodgers rank sixth in ESPN.com’s “MLB Power Rankings,” by several writers.
Here is “After 42 years, Fred Roggin bids farewell to Channel 4,” by Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times.
And sadly, veteran baseball writer Gwen Knapp, of San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Times, has passed away. Here is her 1993 Inquirer story, “‘Let’s play two’: Phillies flirt with daybreak: The second game of the doubleheader started at 1:25 a.m. and finished at 4:40.”
Baseball Photos of the Week:
Willie Davis.
Duke Snider.
Mookie Betts.
Pedro Guerrero, 1981 World Series.
Steve Yeager and Jerry Reuss, 1981 World Series.
Roy Campanella and Walter O’Malley, Spring Training, 1959.
Tori and Yency Almonte
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the Internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter. Follow OBHC on Twitter here. Read OBHC online here.