Dodgers: Andrew Friedman Confirms Getting a Starting Pitcher is a Top Priority
The worst kept secret in all of baseball is out. The Dodgers need starting pitching. And that could play against them in a big way heading into the July trade deadline. With the need to clear and apparent to other teams, Los Angeles doesn’t quite carry all of the cards this time around.
The Dodgers were already missing Dustin May for the year due to Tommy John surgery. They also likely lost Trevor Bauer indefinitely with an impending felony assault charge and subsequent investigation. Add in uncertainty with Clayton Kershaw and they have a mess on their hands.
Naturally, the expectation is that the Dodgers will be in the market for an arm over the next 2 weeks. But Andrew Friedman made it seem like if there were a relief option out there, they could also go that route. He spoke with the OC Register’s Bill Plunkett about it this week.
We have to handle July – especially in light of not having August trade waivers anymore – in a way to protect us against injury or anything else that might come up as best we can. …I think augmenting our pitching is something that is definitely front of mind for us. If it’s a starter, that’s ideal. But we can’t just manufacture a starter that’s available and fits. So if it’s strengthening the ’pen that’s something we’ll look at as well. That’s primarily where our focus will lie in the next two weeks.
There are several directions the Dodgers could go with starting pitchers, but trading for one seems to be the easy choice. It’s just a matter of which arms they want to target. Guys like Charlie Morton, German Marquez, and Kyle Gibson should all be on the market with their teams on the decline.
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But if the Dodgers do go the reliever route in the market, it seems logical to assume David Price would stick in the rotation. The Cubs could look to move Craig Kimbrel and the Pirates could opt to trade Richard Rodriguez. Seattle’s Kendall Graveman would be a great target and even Anaheim’s Raisel Igelsias.
But one thing is for sure: something is in the works.
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That new SF Giant president seems to know how to build steam better than Freidman?
They need a starter!
Not just any starter, but an elite starter w/ playoff experiences……and a high- leverage LH reliever.
Get one of those relievers and Morton.
A deal for Morton and a reliever as well may mean someone off active roster would have to be included along with a prospect or 2. However Morton does hit FA after this year. But no team will be willing to help us out necessarily.
With the Braves picking up Pederson and only being 3 or 4 behind the Mets, I believe they think they could win the division. Met’s ace just went on the IL.
Morton may not be available but he’d be a good pick up.
Dave Bellinger is available.
For the second half, aquire Barrios from the Twins or Duffy from the Royals. Make a deal with Trxas for Ian Kennedy for the bullpen and promote Keibert Ruiz. Get it done Friedman.
Need a starter w/ playoff experience AND a LH shut-down reliever. WHY? Because:
May: gone. Bauer: probably gone. Buehler: solid. Kershaw: fragile. Urias: on fumes, arm-weary. Price: limited repertoire, 50 pitch max. Gonsolin: not trusted in big game. Need a shut-down reliever in BP to complement righty Treinen to bridge to Jansen. Vesia, Cleavinger, Alexander, and Gonzalez cannot trust to shut-down inning. Might have to give up quality to get quality, for a championship. You know Zaidi and Preller will also get the Giants and Padres aggressively moving to better the Dodgers.
AF get the best available elite SP you can negotiate for. You see the difference in performance of the team between a BP game and an bonafide starter pitching? Also need a high leverage LH reliever to shut down the 8th along w/ Treinen as the righty option to bridge to Jansen. Watching Urias and Buehler start the game compared to a BP start tells the story of how the game is played w/ intensity.