MLB NEWS/RUMORS Thread

meh
send his entitled punk ass down already

Is it time to send Cody Bellinger to the minors?
by Houston Mitchell | Dodger Dugout — 3 hours ago

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I know the exact reason why “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is failing at the box office: The guy playing young Han Solo acts nothing like a young Han Solo.

What’s wrong with Cody?

We could ignore it at first, since it seemed the entire offense was mired in a slump to begin the season. But now, as the Dodgers emerge from their slumber to once again look like the 2017 team, it is impossible to ignore the Bellinger in the room: What’s wrong with Cody?

Let’s look at some numbers.

2017: .267/.352/.581/143 OPS+/4.2 WAR
2018: .225/.298/.413/95 OPS+/0.4 WAR

April 2017: .286/.375/.571
May 2017: .245/.316/.566
June 2017: .286/.361/.743
July 2017: .263/.372/.463
Aug. 2017: .292/.370/.615
Sept. 2017: .252/.350/.505

April 2018: .280/.339/.458
May 2018: .180/.265/.390

Projected 2018 numbers over 548 plate appearances, the same he had last season (2017 numbers)

Hits: 111 (128)
Doubles: 23 (26)
Homers: 18 (39)
RBIs: 58 (97)
Walks: 51 (64)
Strikeouts: 136 (146)

Bellinger has a 14.5% swinging strike percentage, compared to 13.2% last season, and he makes contact with pitches he swings at in the strike zone 71.6% of the time, compared to 77% last season.

So, Bellinger is in a terrible slump. It started in the World Series, and really hasn’t stopped this season. While his average was OK in April, his home run power has all but disappeared. He looks lost at the plate, constantly talking to himself, and he still hasn’t figured out he should not swing at low and inside breaking balls.

Pitchers are throwing him more curveballs this season and more fastballs, and he looks unprepared for either of those pitches, with his swing going through the strike zone about the same time the catcher is returning the ball to the pitcher (at least that’s what it seems like).

So, what’s the problem? Could be any number of things. Pitchers could have discovered a hole in his swing and are taking advantage of it. Bulking up in the off-season could have slowed his swing enough that he can’t catch up to fastballs. He stands up too straight in the box. He played over his head last season and isn’t as brilliant a hitter as he seemed. The World Series slump hurt his confidence. And the list goes on.

Which is it? I have been trying to figure it out when I suddenly realized that I don’t need to figure it out. Bellinger and the Dodgers do. But I do know that the Dodgers need to do at least one of three things:

1. Move him back to first base. Since moving to center, Bellinger is hitting .133/.220/.311. As a first baseman he hit .250/.317/.445. If Max Muncy is ready to play second, you could put him there and Bellinger back at first.

2. Move him lower in the lineup. He is slugging .517 when hitting sixth or lower, .397 when batting fifth or higher. Moving Yasiel Puig to eighth took all the pressure off him last season, and he responded with a great season. Why not try it with Bellinger for a couple of weeks?

3. Send him to the minors to figure things out. Sending the defending Rookie of the Year to the minors would be a huge move. Some fans are already calling for that to happen. But I’d rather see them drop him in the lineup first. It’s easy to say “send him down” from the comfort of my living room, but I have no idea how that would impact Bellinger mentally. Maybe he is fragile and sending him down would just destroy him. Maybe it would light a fire under him. I don’t know. It worked with Puig, but Puig also had a couple of seasons of poor play before they sent him down. Same thing with Joc Pederson. I think Bellinger deserves a little more time in the majors, especially now that the rest of the lineup is hitting better and they can tuck him down low.

When asked about Bellinger and sending him to the minors, here’s what Dave Roberts had to say on Sunday:

“We’re not there yet. I think whatever we decide for Cody — whether it’s to keep running him out there, giving him days off — entertaining that option, obviously, we’d have to really think through it. It’d have to be in his best interest, in our opinion. We haven’t got to that point yet. But you can see that it’s been tough sledding for him for the first two months of the season.”






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wow, pedo homo

 

They’ll all be back on the DL by July 11th

 

let the (over)trade speculation begin
rangers will probably ask us for verdugo and buehler lol

5 potential landing spots for Cole Hamels at the Trade Deadline
by Evan Grant | Dallas News Staff Writer — 12 hours ago

ARLINGTON -- There are plenty of reasons for concern and caution regarding Cole Hamels. His fastball continues to age. He is giving up home runs at an unprecedented pace. He is still trying to bounce back from the worst season of his career.

Yet here's the good news for the Rangers: His value keeps going up.

And you thought your 401(k) was doing some crazy stuff lately.

The last two days have been eventful for the future of the Rangers, and it has nothing to do with anything that's taken place on the field. This season is no longer about results, but about processes, growth, development. Or as you and I know it: "rebuilding."

On Thursday, the Rangers all but acknowledged as much. Ownership extended the contract of general manager Jon Daniels. Then Daniels talked about the future and implied that 2019 might be more about development than contention. That means the next eight weeks leading up to the trade deadline will be about breaking the current roster down and peeling off pieces that may help accelerate future growth.

Enter Hamels. Or more accurately: Exit Hamels.

Of all the pieces the Rangers have to trade, Hamels, a starting pitcher with some big-game pedigree, is still likely to bring the most in return. It's not going to be what the Rangers got for Mark Teixeira a decade ago. Might not even be what they got for Yu Darvish last year. But, as a stand-alone commodity, he's their top-shelf Tequila.

This despite carrying a $23.5 million salary this year, of which about $14 million remains, and a $6 million buyout or $20 million salary for 2019.

For the first time this season, conditions may be turning in their favor. By this, we suggest you check Friday's MLB headlines. From Los Angeles: Shohei Ohtani heads to disabled list with sprained ulnar collateral ligament. From New York: Masahiro Tanaka leaves game with hamstring tightness. From Washington: Stephen Strasburg exits.

And that was just Friday.

To go with Tanaka's tight hamstring, fellow Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery checked out for the rest of the season with Tommy John ligament repair surgery earlier in the week. Boston placed Drew Pomeranz on the DL. The Los Angeles Dodgers used eight pitchers in one nine-inning game Wednesday and used nine on Thursday.

There is a legitimate market developing for Hamels. Teams might even be willing to get a little bit aggressive. Daniels has maintained for a month now that the Rangers will listen to offers if others come along, but there was little in the way of conversation while teams prepared for the amateur draft.

The draft is over.

Let the jockeying begin. Here are five potential landing spots for Hamels that make the most sense:

New York Yankees: With Montgomery out and Tanaka potentially following him, the Yankees have legitimate need for a starter. When they were in Arlington in May, Hamels addressed the possibility of going to the Yankees and returning to the playoffs.

There is the matter of his no-trade clause, which would allow Hamels to veto a trade to all but nine teams, including most of those on this list. But Hamels indicated in May that the no-trade clause is just another little leverage chip.

Los Angeles Angels: Perhaps the Angels can stand the loss of Ohtani, for whom they created a six-man rotation. But none of their top three pitchers -- Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney -- have pitched 100 innings in the majors in the last two seasons. They need a workhorse for the rotation. Hamels, with 10 seasons of at least 180 innings, qualifies.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers are so thin right now, they pitched bullpen games on back-to-back days and have pressed Southlake's Ross Stripling from long relief into the rotation. They are locked in a tight, still-developing race in the NL West.

He can veto a trade to both the Angels and Dodgers, but would a San Diego native who has a career ERA of 2.23 in Anaheim and 1.64 in Los Angeles really stand in the way of a deal there?

Seattle: Hamels can't block a trade to the Mariners, though, and they are the surprise leaders in the AL West. Felix Hernandez is really struggling, and he's the only experienced arm to pair with James Paxton. The Mariners, who haven't been to the postseason since 2001, have already shown a willingness to make a move, adding relief help and outfield depth in a deal with Tampa Bay.

It would be a great scenario for the Rangers if two AL West teams got into a bidding war for Hamels.

Philadelphia: The Phillies traded Hamels to the Rangers in 2015 to kick off their own full-scale rebuild. Now that they are seeing results and are the NL East's surprise team, they sure could use a veteran to pair with Jake Arrieta at the top of the rotation. And who doesn't like a nice homecoming story?

Hamels can't block a trade to Philadelphia either. Or to Atlanta or Washington, the two other teams jockeying for the NL East title.

The trade market is about to heat up.

For the Rangers, that means a rare optimistic turn in a season that has quickly gone wrong.​

 

can't disagree
but you never know...
rube should be able to construct a deal where we get both hamels and villar