This is it. The first-ever Los Angeles Dodgers mailbag on DodgerBlue.com. We’re going to try and do these once every couple of week, so please send us your questions via Twitter or Facebook — you can tweet @JeffSpiegel or send us a message on Facebook.
We’ll try and get to 5-10 questions every week depending on the depth, so send ’em our way.
Are we gonna try to make a move for a pitcher and bat at the deadline? — @MrBully404
I would imagine this is the question on the minds of most fans at the moment: What can be done to shake things up? For starters, you’re right in assuming that nothing is happening for a while.
It’s so early in the season that no teams are going to start ‘selling’ until they’re much closer to actual elimination. If there’s one subtly impact that the second Wild Card spot has had on the sport, it’s on the number of teams that don’t become sellers simply because they have a mathematical chance at reaching the postseason.
As for whether the Dodgers might make some trades as we get closer to July 31, I’d wager a good deal of money the answer to that question is ‘yes.’ Sure, if the Dodgers are still hovering around the bottom of the league that answer might change, but I’m firmly in the camp of folks who aren’t panicking.
Interestingly enough, Dodger starters have been really good this season — you just wouldn’t know it from their record. Entering the week, the Dodgers boasted the third-best starting rotation in the NL according to WAR.
To me, this says the need is far less in the rotation and far more in the bullpen (which ranks near the bottom of the league in every category possible).
As for a bat, I think I’m a little more skeptical. On paper, the Dodgers lineup should be far better. Obviously losing Corey Seager hurts, but it’s not like they’re plugging that hole with Minor Leaguers.
Kiké Hernandez or Joc Pederson/Alex Verdugo (if Chris Taylor plays shortstop) are all more than capable hitters. And probably better than most options who will be available at the trade deadline.
If you forced me to pick, I’d guess the Dodgers add two relievers to the roster before all is said and done. Beyond that, I’m skeptical.
What can be done to improve the bullpen? — Samuel Nealy
This is the great mystery of 2018, and I wish there was an easy answer. At the moment I’m beginning to think the Dodgers are putting too much weight on the shoulders of players who don’t deserve it.
Kenley Jansen aside, the Dodgers have patched together a group of cast-offs and bargain-bin finds while hoping for the best. Entering the season I had some confidence in Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, Pedro Baez and Ross Stripling.
But none of them screamed ‘high-level set-up man.’ Unfortunately, that’s the role one of them needs to fill. Honestly, I think the answer needs to come from the outside and it needs to come soon.
The Dodgers did well to add Cingrani and Tony Watson at the deadline last year, and they’ll need to do something even bigger this season if they want to have a shot at contending.
Should we be concerned that so many guys on the roster are players that were cast off by other teams? — Daniel Kelly
I do think it is honestly concerning that JT Chargois, Daniel Hudson, Pat Venditte, Max Muncy and Breyvic Valera are seeing significant playing time for a team with World Series aspirations, even if it is because of injuries.
Hudson and Venditte were both signed to Minor League contracts before the season, while Chargois, Muncy and Valera were all designated for assignment at some point in the last year.
Muncy is currently 12th on the team in at-bats, while Chargois is tied for third on the team in pitching appearances (and at one point looked like the best arm they had). In a lot of ways, all of this is concerning.
The Dodgers can spin it by saying they saw something in these aforementioned players that no one else did — just like Justin Turner — but at the moment many of them are playing to the level everyone seemed to expect.
The front office has a magnificent track record of finding diamonds in the rough, so I’m all for taking chances, but when they start seeing serious innings/at-bats it becomes a bit worrisome.
How is Julio Urias coming along? — Richard Lopez
The most recent update we got is that Urias threw off a mound for the first time this week, which is obviously a positive sign. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has indicated they would be counting on Urias in the second-half of the season.
As someone asked above about adding a pitcher — it could be Urias who the team is hoping to add. Obviously, having been out for so long, you’re not sure what you’ll get, but if they can get something close to what Urias showed as a rookie (3.39 ERA and a 5-2 record), he’d offer a massive lift to a team that needs it.
Should the blame be on management for the lack of moves/trades? — @Mrpalogrande3
We all know the Dodgers were dead set on staying under the luxury tax this season, and while you may not like the ramifications of that decision, it’s hard to argue with it from a long-term business/sustainability perspective.
As a result, the Dodgers did basically nothing this offseason (outside of the weird Matt Kemp salary swap). One signing they did make was to add Tom Koehler to the bullpen, who promptly got injured and who has yet to appear in game.
And Koehler isn’t anywhere close to doing so in the near future, either. The Dodgers also traded for Scott Alexander (who for the most part has been terrible), in addition to the Minor Leaguers and those mentioned earlier who were designated for assignment.
On one hand, when these moves work (see: Brandon Morrow), everyone is thrilled. Of course, the odds are stacked against that happening consistently, and so the question needs to be asked as to whether this was the best strategy.
Personally, I trust the front office a great deal and I understand the limits they had placed on them this past offseason. I think they can be faulted for buying a bunch of lottery tickets and coming up empty on all of them (for now).
But when you only had $10 to start with, it’s hard to be upset about not becoming a millionaire.
