ettin

Well the original title was just "Four True Outcomes" which is a refence to the baseball term "Three True Outcomes", which are a strikeout, walk, or home run. The title got something added after I sent it. As always everyone is welcome to their opinion. If the Angels are serious about Scioscia not being here then you have to consider the Dodgers a trade partner to move his salary, it's that simple. Whether it is likely or not all depends on what Arte does with Mike, right? Ideally Arte won't want to just dump Mike's salary? Rosenthal reported those trade discussions (link is in the article). You can doubt that all you want but Ken doesn't go out of his way to report things that aren't vetted and sourced so I would disagree with you readily about that remark.

Regarding your first sentence, the Dodgers excellent record is probably the main reason why Mattingly didn't lose his job in mid-July. Despite your opinion and hate for Scioscia there are many teams that would sign him in a heartbeat if he was available on the open market and that includes the Dodgers who would probably go out of their way to place him on a pedestal and announce to the world that their World Series hero has come home to manage their franchise. It may sound far-fetched to you Hamiltown but it is a reality you shouldn't ignore.

Kendrick seems to definitely be in play. I don't think the Dodgers really want to spend lavishly on Cano and Kendrick represents a good, cost-controlled 2B for a lot of teams. If the Dodgers are willing to part with Zach Lee (and that has to be the minimum starting point) then I'm sure talks will continue into the off season about it. It really seems like the Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Royals, and Orioles are teams that would have significant interest in Kendrick at this time.

As I mentioned in my original Kendrick article, I was concerned that the Angels won't do trades with the Dodgers because of a possible, perceived battle for the Los Angeles fan base. However, Rosenthal did clearly report that Kendrick was in play with the Dodgers so when it comes to business I think Dipoto looks past that issue and looks to see if the deal makes sense for both sides and would pull the trigger if that was the case. I think nothing short of a World Series visit saves Mattingly's job. He was about to be fired in early July before the team went on its massive win streak. And a large part of that has to do with the players themselves, performing, than the manager leading. That isn't necessarily a knock on Mattingly but you have to think the Dodgers were exploring their options in mid-June to replace him and Scioscia would be an ideal target for them whether or not Arte would even consider it or not. Three losing seasons in a row might convince Moreno otherwise. Like I said if Arte has decided Scioscia has got to go then this scenario is in play and the Dodgers are a prime trade candidate.

Mainly I think they would pursue Seager because he is one of their top prospects and he would give us a choice of SS prospects moving forward. Rondon is obviously a possible future SS but we also thought Brandon Wood was a future 3B? Having additional options is important (depth). It also increases the likelihood that we trade Aybar before his contract is up if one of the two excels and forces their way onto the big league team. Otherwise one of them is a trade chip once Aybar's contract expires. Edit: Also Seager is a power-hitter while Rondon is more of an Aybar like player with a wider skill set. Two different beasts which would also allow us to select the one that best fits into our team composition if they both become MLB-ready.

So AJ, do you really think it is Mattingly's coaching skills that have brought the Dodgers back? Up until late June they were horrible? The Dodgers have a LOT of talented players on their team so I think you'd have to be inside the Dodgers organization to really know if Mattingly is making the difference or not. I think the Dodgers would jump at the opportunity to sign Scioscia if it presented itself. I mentioned those Kendrick deadline talks because, according to Rosenthal's sources, they had been ongoing for the better part of a month (all of July essentially). It is not unreasonable to believe that the Dodgers were "this close" to sending Don on his way and possibly acquiring Scioscia. When the Dodgers turned their season around it probably was determined to wait until the off season to reconsider any possible trade. Essentially they decided not to mess with the awesome run they were on. It is just my opinion AJ, that if Mattingly doesn't at least get them to the World Series that the Dodgers would consider not renewing his contract and trading for Mike. If you can't at least see the history in Mike's playing years and his continued success as a big league manager as a very attractive option for the Dodgers I think you may not be looking at what might be best for both teams. I like Scioscia on several levels but if the message has grown stale then perhaps a fresh voice is needed and I am simply suggesting that the Dodgers would be an ideal trade partner if Arte decided that Mike was the one to go. I could be totally wrong about this but it makes some level of sense as far as the fit for both teams. In my original Kendrick article I was concerned that we wouldn't do business with the Dodgers because of the possible perceived competition for the Los Angeles fan base but I think Dipoto knows business is business and if a deal makes sense you make it, no matter what team it is with.

Which was my point. Just because we don't necessarily need his HR power and fringe OPS, other teams would want that to compliment their rosters. Trumbo has real value. It is up for debate about how much I just happen to be someone who thinks Trumbo could net us a top pitching prospect (or top prospect in general).

Not sure if that was directed at me but I am not suggesting we do that. Kendrick, Trumbo, Aybar, or even Bourjos should only be traded for starting pitching period. If, for instance, you trade Kendrick he has a lot of value and could bring back a young starting pitcher plus 1-2 additional prospects, one of which could be a MLB-ready reliever or prospect that is near-ready.

I have to disagree a bit. Power like Trumbo has is getting more and more rare in an increasingly non-PED's environment. 30 HR power doesn't grow on trees and because of that it commands a higher value in trade discussions. Additionally Trumbo has 3 more years left before he is a free agent. That has quite a bit of value. It may be enough to convince a team for one of their top young starters in my opinion. If you had too, there is no reason you couldn't throw in another prospect to acquire the right SP target.

Jeff's sister said to Cory, "You wanna touch them?" and he just kissed her instead.

The only way Aybar goes is if we get a really good offer in return. I think Dipoto would rather move him next off season if we find ourselves out of contention or in need of more rebuild. Romine is a pure defensive backup. If you have to run another player out there on a regular basis it would seem like Tommy Field might get that opportunity but who knows. Kendrick seems more likely to go than Aybar, imo.

With the usual disclaimer that none of us are really privy to what is actually being offered and discussed during trade talks I offer the following: Trade Kendrick to either the Dodgers or the Orioles for a young, cost controlled starting pitcher (Zach Lee, Kevin Gausman, or by some bizarre miracle Dylan Bundy). Also trade Mark Trumbo to a team like the Pirates (for Jameson Taillon) or the Cleveland Indians (for Danny Salazar). Then resign Jason Vargas for 3 years/$30 million. Resign Jerome Williams in long relief (or alternatively place him in the 5-spot in the rotation and have Blanton in long-relief). This gives you the following rotation: Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, Jason Vargas, and Jerome Williams. At AA/AAA you would have, for instance, Zach Lee and Taillon as pitching depth (7 deep). With someone like Blanton or possibly others in AA/AAA you'd have upwards of 8 or 9 starting pitchers as depth in case of injury. On the offensive side you replace Kendrick with either Grant Green or a platoon of Taylor Lindsey and Green which should make up for approximately 80% of Kendrick's production. You'll lose Trumbo's home run capability but it would allow you to run Kole Calhoun out as a replacement outfielder/first baseman about 3-4 times a week. Also you could add Conger into the DH role when he isn't catching to keep his bat sharper. Calhoun and Conger would provide some thump with the bats and both have a better eye than Trumbo does so part of the loss in Slugging would be made up with on-base percentage (more getting on base but less home run power). This scenario would help balance out the team in terms of offense and defense. The rest would rely on Hamilton gaining some (but certainly not all) ground from his horrible outing this year and Pujols being healthier. Finally the bullpen would need an upgrade. It is not unreasonable to get a young, power arm in a trade of Kendrick or Trumbo included in some type of package (even if it means we include more in the deal). Ideally we need to acquire two relievers who could compete for a late inning role in the bullpen. Because we are using trades to gain our starters it is not unreasonable that we could sign a reliever like Parra in addition to a trade acquisition. That would upgrade our bullpen significantly and some of our Minor League guys could be depth in case of injury. That's my 2 cents.

I don't think the TV deal was contingent on signing Pujols either. However it certainly may have had an impact in how much the deal was worth, including partial ownership of Fox Sports West.

Why is everything always about Double D's with you?

Ouch!

I agree with AO. As far as I am concerned RePLAY can post as often as they would like.

This is why trading Kendrick or Trumbo (or Bourjos if you don't like him too) is probably the best way to acquire a good starting pitcher.

Trout is a Fame whore. Hall of Fame that is!

Jeff's sister only dates baseball players.... in other words no glove, no love.

When Cory first laid eyes on her was he s-mitt-en?

I'm sure she's a good receiver? It's in the blood right?

He did?

Not to be a bit of a party pooper but he is rolling out a .398 BABIP. Considering that he has speed this may not be an issue but that is a high number. I hope I am 100% dead wrong and he just kicks so much ass and runs a .450 BABIP throughout the Minors and into the big leagues.

Don't forget the Reliever of the Decade, Scot Shields.

I think the main reason they have a short shelf life is because of the extra stress they put on their throwing arms and the higher likelihood they can suffer an injury. Beyond that they may have only 1-3 good to average pitches to throw but to help counter that they usually only come in for one inning which makes it difficult for hitters to find a rhythm or weak spot against them. The relievers with crappy stuff would fit your above statement as they will get tagged up a lot more often by decent hitters. Also most relievers throw a fastball and either a slider, curve, or maybe a change up. They tend to throw a lot of those heavy off speed pitches that have been proven to cause greater injury to the arm if they are thrown more than approximately 30% of the time. This is one reason why I believe Dipoto was worried about Ervin Santana and traded him was because Ervin, as a starter, throws his slider on the order of 35+%.