For those who’re a significant league group attempting to maneuver a $250-million contract, what different group would you probably name first?
The Dodgers, after all.
On Sunday, the Boston Purple Sox traded Rafael Devers, a three-time All-Star two years shy of 30. Andrew Friedman mentioned he by no means heard from them.
That made sense. The Purple Sox had been now not utilizing Devers as a 3rd baseman, a choice backed by publicly out there defensive metrics and the presence of Alex Bregman. The San Francisco Giants, the group that acquired Devers, say they’ll use him as a primary baseman and designated hitter, and the Dodgers are greater than lined there by Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.
However, within the wake of the most important commerce to this point this season, I believed again to the mission assertion the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations put upon himself final winter. Right here we’re two weeks from July, and right here was that Friedman assertion from December: “I do not want to buy in July.”
What Friedman doesn’t need won’t matter a month from now. He might see a fairly image, or he may need a fairly pitcher.
For all of the scrutiny of their shortcomings, the first-place Dodgers are in a fairly great spot. They lead the majors in runs, dwelling runs and OPS.
They’ve received six of their previous eight video games, all in opposition to the groups instantly beneath them within the Nationwide League West standings: the Giants and the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers lead the hardest division within the majors by a season-high 3½ video games over San Francisco, 5 video games over San Diego.
After the Padres depart city Thursday, the Dodgers play 12 consecutive video games in opposition to groups with shedding data, together with the group with the worst report within the NL and the worst report within the American League — the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox, respectively.
Friedman would somewhat not commerce in July as a result of the fee in prospects tends to be excessive. Nevertheless, for the Dodgers, the annual expectation of successful the World Collection trumps that.
“It’s been our goal the last three or four years not to buy in July,” Friedman mentioned Tuesday. “It hasn’t necessarily played out according to plan.”
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts chats with outfielder Michael Conforto throughout batting follow earlier than a recreation in opposition to the Pirates in Might.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
On offense, the lone gap is evident. The one beginning place participant not performing above league common on offense is left fielder Michael Conforto, who’s batting .168 with a .277 slugging share and a destructive WAR. The Dodgers do have Hyeseong Kim as a wild card on the bench, and on a roster loaded with positional flexibility.
“To date, obviously, Michael hasn’t performed up to what he expected or we expected,” Friedman mentioned. “But, watching the way he is working, watching the progress being made, I would bet that his next two months are way better than his last two months.
“Obviously, like we will with all of our players, we will continue to assess where they are. The important thing is, if we have an injury or (poor) performance, do we feel like we have different ways to maneuver? We do.”
Is there a risk of buying and selling for a left fielder?
“Never say never,” Friedman mentioned, “but I think we would hold a very high bar and find it very unlikely.”
By the center of July, the Dodgers would love their beginning rotation to incorporate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the just lately returned duo of Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, and the rehabilitating duo of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.
On paper, that might be a fairly candy rotation.
On the sector, Yamamoto has a 5.65 earned-run common this month. It’s unlikely the perennially cautious Dodgers would let Ohtani and Kershaw make each begin from now by way of the top of the season, even when the 2 stayed wholesome. And it’s unsure whether or not Glasnow and Snell can return wholesome and efficient by the point Friedman must resolve whether or not to commerce prospects for a beginning pitcher.
No purchase in July?
“I’m still optimistic,” Friedman mentioned. “It requires guys coming back on or close to the timelines that we have penciled out.
“We have shown that, if we’re not in position to do that, we’ll be aggressive to add. But our strong desire is not to.”
It’s not that the Dodgers take into account a bullpen recreation some form of failure, or final resort. The Dodgers ran a bullpen recreation in an elimination recreation final October. They received that recreation, and one other bullpen recreation by which they clinched the NL championship.
They’ve run bullpen video games in every of their previous 4 video games in opposition to San Diego, they usually have received three. They’ll basically run one other one Wednesday, since Emmet Sheehan might be activated after 4 triple-A begins, none of which lasted greater than 3⅓ innings.
Up to now, so good. However the Dodgers are about October, and getting there is probably not painless with Jack Dreyer making one fewer begin than Glasnow, and twice as many as Snell.
