June 28th, 2012 at 7:35 am 
by Ron Cervenka Talk is cheap.
It’s easy for new Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten to say that he and the rest of the new Guggenheim Baseball Management Group want to build a championship Dodger team and that they have the resources (money) to do so, but it’s an entirely different matter to actually go out and do it. Well here’s the deal, guys – the time to do it is now.
As might be expected, morale is at a season low in the Dodger clubhouse after having been swept by the hated Giants in three consecutive shutouts (something that has never happened before in L.A. Dodgers history), and coming off of a dismal 1-8 road trip it should come as no surprise that the once jovial Dodger clubhouse is uncomfortably subdued of late; and if the Dodgers don’t snap their current losing streak, it will only be a matter of time before frustration takes its toll and the blaming and finger pointing begins. Guys are already looking over their shoulders hoping that a big name acquisition suddenly appears, just as the new owners promised would happen during various press conferences and in the media. Simply put, the battered and bruised Dodgers are in desperate need of help; help from the front office and not from Albuquerque.
Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Quentin and Zack Greinke are three names being toss around on the trading block, all of whom would come at a very high price in money and/or prospects.
With the July 31 trade deadline only weeks away, the trade rumor mill is running rampant and everyday there seems to be another big name added to the mix; names like Rockies superstar outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (although Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd insists that Cargo isn’t going anywhere) and Padres slugger Carlos Quentin. Either one of these guys would be a HUGE acquisition for the Dodgers; not to mention Brewers ace Zack Greinke, whose name is also being mentioned as a possible trade candidate. But the biggest name who the Dodgers should be pursuing (in my opinion) is 29-year-old Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales. Nobody can argue that the 7-year Loney experiment has failed (and miserably) or that the Dodgers are in desperate need of a power-hitting first baseman; and with the Angels signing future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to an insanely long contract which effectively bumped pre-Pujols heir-apparent first baseman Mark Trumbo to a platooning DH / third baseman / left fielder role, the Angels are up to their eyeballs in first basemen. Add to this the fact that Morales’ agent is none other than the baseball Antichrist himself Scott Boras, who just so happens to be a Dodgers season ticket holder (and not the cheap seats, mind you) and who also just so happens to be a very close friend of Stan Kasten (do you see where this is going?). If money truly is no object (as they claim), the time for Kasten and general manager Ned Colletti to deal for any one of these guys is right now, because if they wait until the July 31 trade deadline, these guys will most likely be gone or given contract extensions with their current teams.
With the Dodgers in desperate need of a power-hitting first baseman and the Angels having an abundance of them, now would be a great time for Stan Kasten to have a chat with his good friend (and Kendrys Morales’ agent) Scott Boras. (Photo credit – Chuck Solomom – SI)
The Dodgers had a good run… a great run, in fact; but the bottom line is that the Dodgers current 25-man and 40-man rosters simply do not have the players needed to get them into the World Series – injuries notwithstanding. Sure, the 2012 edition of Dodgers baseball has been extremely exciting and fun to watch, but if Dodger fans are being completely honest with themselves, they knew that this day would undoubtedly come; they knew that it wasn’t fair to compare the 2012 Dodgers to the 1988 or 1981 Dodger teams. The only real comparison that can be made between the 1988 Dodgers and the 2012 Dodgers is that they both needed (and need) to go out and get a power bat. The 1988 Dodgers signed free agent Kirk Gibson during the off-season and we ALL know how that worked out. Even more recently, how about the 2008 Dodger team who acquired Manny Ramirez just hours before the trade deadline? We ALL know how that worked out too – Manny hit .396 with 17 home runs in his 53 games with the Dodgers and almost single-handedly led them into the post season.
There is certainly a down side to going after big name players at the trade deadline – acquiring them will undoubtedly come with a huge price tag, not only in money but in prospects. Coincidentally (or not), over the weekend, the Dodgers promoted their 20-year-old 2010 first round draft pick and top pitching prospect Zach Lee from Advance Single-A to Double-A where he joined 22-year-old 2011 first round draft pick Chris Reed, who had been promoted a few weeks earlier. These two highly touted top-tier pitching prospects received signing bonuses of $5.25 million and $1.598 million respectively. Is it possible that the Dodgers made these recent promotions to showcase their top pitching prospects as possible trade bait for a power bat or a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher?
Dodgers assistant general manager of player development De Jon Watson spends a lot of time in Rancho Cucamonga watching the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Quakes, who recently promoted top pitching prospects Chris Reed and Zach Lee to Double-A Chattanooga.
Another down side to trading for big name players who will be free agents at the end of the season is that they are basically rental players for the remainder of this season and will be seeking huge free agent contracts during the upcoming off season. Trading top prospects for them for two months of service can decimate a team’s farm system and they could very well end up with nothing in the long run – a risky proposition at best.
Regardless, Stan Kasten and Ned Colletti need to pull the trigger and pull it right now or the 2012 season for the Dodgers could very well be over in the next few weeks.
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EDIT – June 28th, 2012 at 9:00 am
The Dodgers reportedly just signed 21-year-old Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig (pronounced Pweeg) to a 7-year / $42M deal.
Yasiel Puig
(Photo Courtesy of granma.cubaweb.cu)
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Holy Schnitzel! I guess they just pulled the trigger – the Dodgers reportedly just signed 21-year-old Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig (pronounced Pweeg) to a 7-year / $42M deal which is an awful lot of money (and years) for an untested prospect. That said, if he can hit like his countryman Yoenis Cespedes of the A’s, I’m good with this signing.
Is that pronounced “p-i-g”
Quite frankly I don’t think signed Puig is what you meant by “pulling the trigger”. Agreed we need help right now!! We are on a slide that doesn’t seem to have a prayer of ending with all the DL’s. I am not prepared to being looking forward to ST – I want post-season!!
It is pronounced Pweeg (as noted above), but rest assured, he will get the Pig thing a lot (as I imagine he already has).
As Bluenose Dodger will tell you, I never projected this 2012 Dodger team to make it into the post season. In fact, I projected (and predicted) them to finish 3rd or 4th in the division this season. HOWEVER, I DID project the Dodgers to be contenders in 2013 and I still believe that they will be – this primarily because of new ownership with a fat wallet. This is why I believe that ST13 will be HUGE (not to mention a great time for all of us TBLAers).
As for the Puig signing, I see it as a VERY big deal and one that could help this year’s team significantly. Although he may not have the home run power that Cespedes has, he is almost dead even with him on doubles and ahead of him in triples because of his blazing speed. He was rated as the fasted baseball player in Cuba.
I suspect that Puig will go straight to Triple-A Albuquerque but fully expect him to be with the Big club well before the September call-ups.
The signing of Puig is something to get real excited about. This guy is a 5 tool player. He was Cuba’s best outfielder on the National team and he’s young. He hasn’t played much lately because they suspended him due to previous defection attempts. Frankly, it’s miraculous that he made it out of Cuba. Many say he’s better than Cespedes and I tend to agree based on the video clips I have seen. I thought for sure he’d end up a Yankee or Red Sock. Take a look at a you tube clip or two. Fluid swing, power to all fields, decent speed, there’s a clip of a diving catch and rocket throw to second base. This kid is a superstar in the making. An outfield of Puig, Kemp and Ethier is a dream outfield.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpT5672AOa8
Get out of my head, Evan!
If you had told me 4 days ago that the Dodgers were going to sign Puig, but they’d have to get swept on 3 consecutive shutouts by the Giants. I would have said, “OK. I’ll take that.”
I for one am hoping that they go after Josh Hamilton next year in free agency. I am not familiar with how these things work, but can they talk with his agent now and let them know they are interested?
No, not until a week after the final game of the World Series. The current team gets the first week to make their player an offer.
Having just signed Puig for $42M, I think that door is now closed.