The Dodgers’ Lesson Of “The Best Team Money Can Buy”
Currently, spots three through five in L.A.’s starting rotation are a tire fire, featuring more fringe names than the Republican presidential field. The Dodgers have a high profile need for starting pitching in a market with high profile names greasing the rumor mill, even after Johnny Cueto was sent to Kansas City Sunday afternoon.
There is no indication the Dodgers have put Corey Seager or Julio Urias on the table, and while the farm system is light years better now than when McCourt was forced out, they don’t have a lot of chips to spare.
Prospects blocked by other prospects. That type of thing. The likely cost of David Price or Cole Hamels will have a real impact on the Dodgers. At least with Hamels, they’d acquire a guy who’ll be around for a few more seasons, and provides a nice insurance policy should Zack Greinke walk.
But anyone thinking the acquisition of a high end starter guarantees anything should ask the A’s about Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester. Baseball’s playoffs are as close to a total crapshoot as any postseason can be.
While their suddenly tenuous hold on the division complicates things, the Dodgers are still well positioned to make the playoffs. Once you get there, weird things can happen. For what has been a .500 team over the last 70 games to sacrifice too much in the layer of depth behind Seager and Urias (Grant Holmes, Jose DeLeon) for rentals feels shortsighted.
It makes just as much sense to target as much bullpen help as can be found, and then hit the bin of solid-but-unspectacular arms (Dan Haren, anyone?) to help add some predictability behind Clayton Kershaw and Greinke.
The impact could be equally significant (in some scenarios, greater), but the cost wouldn’t be as high. The Dodgers wouldn’t be the first team to advance on the strength of a couple good starters, great bullpen work, and a solid defense.
The Dodgers are getting close to achieving the full, self-sustaining vision of management. It’s a process requiring some short term sacrifice in order to continue advancing the process.
It’s worth it, though, because if they get there, the Dodgers become the Cardinals — seemingly able to clone excellent Major League players at will — with much, much deeper pockets. That would truly be the best team money can buy.
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