July 17th, 2012 at 10:55 am 
by Ron Cervenka Don Mattingly: “What angle are you after today, T.J.?”
T.J. Simers: “I’m on vacation and decided to drop in on my favorite baseball team, but since the Angels are out of town, I came here instead.”
…and so it began.
I knew it was going to be an interesting pre-game interview when I saw T.J. Simers in the Dodger dugout. Simers could piss off the Pope. (Photo credit – ladodgertalk.com).
I knew that sparks were going to fly the instant that I spotted T.J. Simers in the Dodger dugout prior to Monday night’s game between the Dodgers and Phillies, and Simers didn’t disappoint. But whether you like Simers or not and say what you will about the obnoxious and perennial antagonist, he definitely isn’t shy when it comes to asking the $64 dollar question, or in this case the $21 million dollar question – “When are you going to give up on Juan Uribe?”
“Never,” answered Mattingly without so mush as a hesitation. “He’s here, we’ve got to try to keep working and keep trying to get something out of him. I know it hasn’t been pretty, but to give up on a guy is quitting and that’s just not part of my DNA and I don’t think that’s right. As long as he’ll keep working and he’ll keep trying, I don’t think we can give up. Does that mean he’s going to play a ton? Not necessarily. But that doesn’t mean you give up on him… I’ve just got to look at other options at third base.”
When asked when he was going to give up on Juan Uribe, Mattingly immediately answered “Never… that’s just not part of my DNA.” (Photo credit – Rob Tringali)
“What about James Loney?” asked the relentless Simers.
“I’m not going to give up on James Loney (either),” Mattingly answered, again without hesitation.
“Why not?’ asked Simers, unwilling to yield.
“I just told you why not… ditto with the Uribe reasons,” answered Mattingly, also unwilling to yield, in spite of T.J.’s efforts to get him to bite.
The exchange was curt, with the pompous Simers clearly feeling that he had won and with Mattingly pleased that he had not allowed the irritating Simers to get under his skin; and the exchange was prompted by yours truly when, just moments earlier, I had asked Mattingly “Has there been any consideration about bringing Josh Fields up from Albuquerque to play third base?”
“We’ve paid attention to Josh Fields and seen what he has been doing,” answered Mattingly. “Obviously, right now he’s not on the (40-man) roster… it involves making a move, somebody has to come off (of the roster). That’s where you kind of run into trouble. We’re talking with Ned (Colletti) about all of the different options, but we’re paying attention to what Josh is doing,” he added.
Isotopes third baseman Josh Fields is absolutely tearing it up in Triple-A, hitting .344 with 8 home runs and 51 RBIs. Fields has 5 years of MLB experience with the White Sox and Royals and is a very viable replacement for Juan Uribe as the Dodgers everyday third baseman. (Photo credit – Zach Hill – abqisotopes.com)
Not being one to miss another opportunity to take a shot at Mattingly, Simers quickly asked “You can’t find one of the three guys around here to get rid of? Can we help you?” (Ok, I have to admit that this was funny, but unfortunately, also quite accurate).
“It’s still a roster spot and guys are under contract. We’re going to play the guys we’ve got,” answered Mattingly.
And then came the burning question that has been kicked around for over a week now (and it wasn’t from Simers) – “What about putting Todd Coffey on the 60-day DL to open up a roster spot?”
“This is a Ned question, about why you don’t do that. (If you make that move) then what happens at the trade deadline? If something goes on, then who do you take off (of the roster)?”
There it is, folks… there’s the answer to the question that has had all of us scratching our heads since the instant that we learned that Todd Coffey needed Tommy John surgery and is out for the season – Colletti is saving that roster spot for a possible trade deadline acquisition. This is why there is no Josh Fields at third base; this is why we’re getting Stephen Fife (who is already on the 40-man roster) instead of the better qualified John Ely (who is not) to make a spot start for Chad Billingsley, who will be placed on the DL today (retroactive to July 8th so that he will most likely miss only one start).
But there is an obvious and inherent problem with Colletti’s and (apparently) Mattingly’s flawed way of thinking… and I mean very obvious: There is a very good chance that the Dodgers could be upwards of 8 or 10 games out of first place by the time the July 31 trade deadline gets here, and saving that coveted roster spot until then could (and probably will) take the Dodgers completely out of contention for a post season berth… and for what? For a lesser quality third baseman who would inevitably cost the Dodgers a fortune in money and/or pitching prospects when they already have Fields, who would come at a fraction of the cost and cost the Dodgers zero prospects? Come on, Ned, you’re killing us!
The problem is immediate; it’s right here and right now and it needs to be fixed right here and right now, not two weeks from now. Put Coffey on the 60-day DL; put Josh Fields on the 40-man roster in Coffey’s spot; DFA (or DL) Juan Uribe or Adam Kennedy; put Josh Fields on the 25-man roster in their spot; and make Fields the everyday third baseman – period. That’s it. That’s the answer right there. We’re not curing cancer here. This isn’t rocket science. This is a very simple and obvious solution to a very simple and obvious problem; simple and obvious to everyone except Ned Colletti, that is. And when the July 31 trade deadline gets here and if a trade is still needed, deal with roster issues then. Delaying this move right now, even if only for a few days, could spell doom for the Dodgers’ post season chances.
As much as I respect Don Mattingly as a person and as the Dodgers manager, I am reminded of one of those golden rule cliché things that we were all taught as youngsters – “Never say never.”
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TJ is a scumbag !! Glad Mattingly knew how to handle him !!
You won’t get an argument out of me on that, Gary; but he did shake the tree to get Mattingly to address the Uribe issue which, of course, was the entire point of this post.
Matt Angle is on the 40 man roster. I don’t mean to demean Matt and his dream, but I expect he is not very high on the Dodger depth chart. Alfredo Silverio isn’t on the 60 day DL.
I expect Chris Withrow to be traded so a spot will open there. I think Chris is going to become a power reliever.
Holding the spot seems counterproductive. As you say, deal with the roster at the time of the trade/s. I expect more than one deal to go down, but also think it may well be too late by then. It is my hope the deals are being made with an eye to the future, beyond the 2012 season.
Ron, what else are the Dodgers going to say ? Until they actually do the deed they have to say they have not given up because as soon as they do say it the player shuts down. The fact that the Dodgers are known to be looking for corner infielders and pitching states it clearly that JU & JL are toast ! What TJ did was state the obvious knowing full well that Mattingly and Colletti couldn’t say a word except to be in support with who is on the roster at the moment.
You and I differ in our opinions Big Time on this one, that’s for sure. As you well know, I always “call ’em like I see ’em” and not one to sugar-coat the issue at hand. As I frequently say – sometimes the truth hurts.
I also have an issue with your “…as soon as they do say it the player shuts down” comment. For heaven’s sake, Gary, Juan Uribe shut down the day he arrived in L.A. Get rid of the useless slob, for crying out loud.
It is what it is, and for Mattingly to try to justify hanging on to Uribe makes Donny look like an idiot, not to mention that it is a slap in the face to Josh Fields and the entire Minor League system. Uribe is toast and it’s time for Mattingly and Colletti to admit it and get rid of him; and I’m sorry if this hurts Uribe’s feelings – this is about winning a World Championship, not a bunch of touchy-feely bullshit.
If they did otherwise Gary, we would be all over them for dissing players publicly. The issue is with Josh Fields. He has paid his dues, played well, worked hard, etc. Albuquerque is where careers go to die. Guys are picked up just to fill out a roster.
If I told any of my employees they were going to get fired in 3 weeks they would spend their remaining time looking for a new job and do less then acceptable work. If Mattingly or Colletti were to TELL the real story and say Uribe is toast but we need him for 3 weeks until we can find his replacement he wouldn’t give a rats ass about making the DP or dive for a ball to his right or left. He’d let it go through and tank even worse then what’s proving to be the best he can do now. At this moment I think he’s trying to do better and save his job. You don’t deal with people by telling them they’re worthless !!
You have completely missed the point, Gary. The Dodgers need to get rid of Uribe right now, not three weeks from now. They have a ready-made replacement in Josh Fields. I don’t know how else I can explain this to you and ask that you please read the entire post again.