DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS thread

• Chili Davis has been hired as hitting coach of the New York Mets after spending last season in that role with the Chicago Cubs. Davis was hitting coach for Oakland manager Bob Melvin (2012-14) and Boston manager John Farrell (2015-17) before moving to the Cubs under manager Joe Maddon. Davis was fired in October. The Cubs were 22nd among the 30 teams, with 167 home runs and finishing 13th with a .410 slugging percentage despite a .258 batting average that was third behind Boston and Cleveland. A three-time All-Star during a 19-year career that ended in 1999, Davis replaces Pat Roessler, who was fired after Mickey Callaway's first season as Mets manager.

 

lolz 0-for-1 and counting ...

Bob Nightengale ✔@BNightengale
The #Phillies say they’re still interested in signing Manny Machado
to play third, as well as Bryce Harper in the outfield and Patrick Corbin
on the mound. Hey, it’s only money, right?
8:05 PM - Dec 2, 2018

 

diff is that if Muncy regreses like Taylor did he would still be as good as Taylor was his breakout year.
If Muncy drops 150 ops pts he would still be over .850 ops which was the great Taylor season.
Muncy has twice the potential as Taylor.
And Muncy has done it recently.

Muncey can GTFO but you are right we gotta keep Muncy.

 

Im not.
Im comparing Taylor at his best vs Muncy if Muncy regressed to the same level that Taylor regressed.
If Muncy regressed at the same rate that Taylor regressed we would still have a pretty decent season out of Muncy.

 

This is 3 views on Muncy next year if he is platooned most of the time and gets 400 to 450 at bats.

If he came back as a really a good player.
.260, .390, .550, 35HR, 75RBI
If he had a decent season.
.250, .365, .495, 30HR, 65RBI
If he regressed as much as Taylor regressed.
.235, .345, .445, 25HR, 60RBI

Still not bad.
You have to take that shot.

 

there’s really no way to tell
i like max
all i’m saying is if you’re going to trade him his value will likely never be higher
and unlke turner or taylor, he’s not as versatile

 

ugh on lemahieu

Entering the Winter Meetings with a wide variety of potential moves under consideration, the Dodgers will “in all likelihood” move an existing starter via trade, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Just what the might look like isn’t yet clear, but the club’s numerous options will surely hold appeal to rivals. To be sure, the Dodgers have found ways on numerous occasions in the recent past to juggle seeming roster overloads, but Gonzalez says that the ability to utilize a player such as Kenta Maeda as a trade piece (while improving in other areas) will likely prod a deal of some kind.

• The Dodgers, meanwhile, are “showing continued interest” in second bagger DJ LeMahieu, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Certainly, the club has seen plenty of the 30-year-old over his career, virtually all of which has taken place with the division-rival Rockies. LeMahieu would presumably be seen as a near-everyday piece at second base in Los Angeles, though it’d hardly be surprising to see a lefty hitting platoon mate utilized to some degree if he’s added. Beyond the team’s general predilection for such arrangements, LeMahieu has been 80 OPS points better against left-handed pitching in his career.

 

hmmm...

Reds Reportedly Interested In Trading Scooter Gennett
By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2018 at 9:54am CDT

The Reds are interested in dealing second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Though the hometown hero had previously seemed to profile as an extension candidate, Cincinnati president of baseball operations Dick Williams recently threw cold water on that concept.

Gennett is entering his final season of arbitration control at a projected $10.7MM price point. On the heels of consecutive standout seasons at the plate, the 28-year-old would be among the best second basemen available on the market. But he’s also limited to playing at the keystone defensively and has historically struggled against left-handed pitching, limiting his appeal.

Beyond that, as Rosenthal notes and as we have emphasized repeatedly of late here at MLBTR, it’s hardly an opportune time to be shopping a player at that position with so many others available. It’s not immediately clear what the Reds would be looking for in a trade scenario.

Presumably, the organization would be interested in improving its rotation if at all possible, though doing so directly in a Gennett trade would be challenging. After all, any hypothetical suitor would need to be in a win-now stance. That said, teams such as the Dodgers (Alex Wood), Nationals (Tanner Roark), Pirates (Ivan Nova), and Yankees (Sonny Gray) do have similarly priced rental starters who could theoretically be swapped in some kind of arrangement — though there’s no indication at present that those or any other particular clubs would be interested in trying to work something out.

Moving Gennett for some kind of prospect return would surely also be a consideration, particularly if it’d mean freeing assets (trade chips and salary) for pursuit of other players — with a center fielder and rotation upgrade likely at the top of the wish list. Rosenthal says that the organization is motivated by the desire to open the door to top infield prospect Nick Senzel, who could step right in at second, perhaps in partnership with a veteran utility infielder. Such a reallocation of resources could make sense for a team that is clearly interested in improving its near-term product without sacrificing its vision for the future.

 

lolz rosenthal

11:06am: MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon hears that, to the contrary, the Reds are “not actively looking to trade” Gennett. (Twitter link).