DODGERS 2017 NEWS/RUMORS/AROUND MLB Thread

Trayce Thompson likes this.

 

Urias expected to remain in AAA for string of starts
by Daniel Starkand | Dodger Blue — 6 hours ago

Julio Urias went through expected struggles a pitcher encounters as a rookie in the Majors. However, he eventually settled in and became one of the Los Angeles Dodgers top starters down the stretch of last season.

After beginning this season at extended Spring Training in order to limit his innings, Urias joined the Dodgers rotation at the end of April. He immediately picked up where he left off in 2016, allowing up just two runs in 17 innings through his first three starts.

However, Urias then began to struggle, in large part because of shaky command. That led to 13 runs allowed (12 earned) in just 6.1 innings pitched over two starts.

Those poor outings resulted in Urias being sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City to continue to develop. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently explained why the young southpaw is not expected to make a quick return, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:

“To make the decision to send him to OKC, you really want to make sure he works things out,” Roberts said. “For him to repeat that over the course of three or four starts is what we’re looking for. … For Julio’s development it’s important.”​

Roberts made his comments prior to some uncertainty setting in with Brandon McCarthy. The right-hander is suffering from a blister and was in danger of being scratched from a scheduled start on Tuesday.

But McCarthy threw a bullpen session without issue and is on track to take the mound. Had that not been the case, Urias was the likely candidate to fill in against the Washington Nationals.

The 20-year-old has found success in four starts with Oklahoma City this season, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Urias allowed one run on six hits, and had four strikeouts in six innings in his first and only start since being sent back to OKC.

He was scheduled to start over the weekend but had the outing pushed back because of illness; McCarthy’s status may have factored into that decision as well.

 

break them up?
fuck no
i like them right where they are, sucking dick... meant that figuratively, although literally applies as well

Is it time to break up the Giants?
by Jerry Crasnick | ESPN Senior Writer — 6 hours ago



The San Francisco Giants' clubhouse has been a bastion of stability during the team's run of three World Series victories and six first- or second-place finishes in the National League West since 2009.

Catcher Buster Posey, the face of the franchise, has grown accustomed to looking around and seeing Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Madison Bumgarner and Hunter Pence in the immediate vicinity. Each summer, Posey and the other Giants mainstays take comfort in the knowledge that management will do everything in its power at the trade deadline to upgrade the club's chances of closing with a rush.

It's been a long time since "buy, sell or hold" was a topic of debate on chat boards and Bay Area sports talk radio.

The harsh reality of pending change is reflected in the NL West standings this year. The Giants are tied for last in the division with a massive amount of ground to make up to become relevant. The nucleus is aging, the roster has numerous holes, and for the first time in a while, the front office might have to think about sending players packing rather than seeking reinforcements.

"It's really the first time in my career where we've been in the spot where that's a possibility," Posey said. "I guess it's like anything else. There are always going to be rumblings about different things. You just have to try to do your best to keep that tunnel vision on trying to win."

The Giants have been underwhelming enough in all facets of the game to wonder if they can get back to .500, much less compete for a postseason berth. Their minus-64 run differential ties them with the Phillies for worst in the game behind the Padres, and they've gone 53-77 since rolling into the 2016 All-Star Game with the best record in the majors. They rank last in the National League in runs and homers this season, 14th in the league with a 5.24 road ERA and 25th in the majors in Baseball Prospectus' team defensive efficiency rankings.

"We've got to pitch better. We've got to hit better. And on defense, there have been times where we've played well and times where we've scuffled," Posey said. "Honestly, I don't think there's really one thing to point to."

So what factors will come into play as general manager Bobby Evans and the front office try to retool the roster and return the Giants to a state of prominence? Money, naturally, plays as big a role as talent or lack thereof.

The Giants' Opening Day payroll of $181.5 million was the fourth-highest in the game, and the roster is filled with contracts that will be difficult to unload. Other than Bumgarner -- who will earn a total of $24 million in 2018-19 if the Giants exercise their two club options -- there's not a Chris Sale on the roster who combines age, affordability and performance in such a way that San Francisco can expect to receive a mother lode of young talent in return.

Even if the Giants were to try to move Bumgarner, he has a full no-trade clause that requires him to sign off on any deal. So do Posey, Crawford, Pence and closer Mark Melancon, who are owed a combined total of more than $200 million over the duration of their contracts.

Brandon Belt ranks eighth among MLB first basemen with an .825 OPS since 2012, but he's owed $64 million between 2018 and 2021. Would he fetch much in return?

Jeff Samardzija is 13-18 with a 4.02 ERA since signing a five-year, $90 million deal in December 2015, and he has a list of 21 teams to which he can't be traded without his permission. The circumstances certainly seem to align toward him staying put.

Eduardo Nunez is eligible for free agency in November. Joe Panik is a nice complementary player who is probably worth more to the Giants than anything he would bring in a trade. Matt Moore might be appealing to clubs because of his reasonably priced club options in 2018 and '19. but he's a 28-year-old lefty who has shown enough flashes to make the Giants think he can be a solid piece of their rotation moving forward.

Johnny Cueto is likely to generate a lot of buzz, but any trade discussions involving him are complicated by his contract status. Cueto is in the fold for a guaranteed $89 million from 2018-21, but he can opt out of his deal after the World Series. So how does a potential trade partner even know what to offer? Does it assemble a package for the long-term Johnny Cueto or the two-month rental? Contract aside, Cueto has a 4.38 ERA and has served up 12 homers in 76 innings. He hasn't performed like a $21 million pitcher this season.

Beyond the big league roster, San Francisco's farm system needs a talent infusion. ESPN's Keith Law ranked the Giants' system 20th among the 30 MLB teams this spring, and pitcher Tyler Beede (ranked No. 62) was the only San Francisco prospect to crack his top 100. The organization's top four minor league affiliates -- in Sacramento, Richmond, San Jose and Augusta -- have a combined 80-135 record in 2017.

As the Giants muddle along and jockey with San Diego for fourth place in the division, the clubhouse veterans are trying to maintain a kind of tunnel vision. They're either doggedly determined or putting on a brave front, depending on your level of optimism.

"Who are we going to lose at the trade deadline? I don't think any of us are thinking about that or worried about that," Crawford said. "If you look at the standings, it can get a little overwhelming. You could say, 'Yeah, we have no shot this year.' Me, personally, I'm not looking at that. At this point, I think the only thing we can worry about is winning games ourselves and not worrying about what other teams are doing."

Evans, executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy are paid to worry, and the 2017 product clearly isn't up to the standards they're used to seeing. At some point soon, the Giants might have to ditch their cherished continuity and take some bold, big-picture steps.

"Without question, we're in a different situation," Bochy said. "There's a time when the brain trust will get together and decide what we do."

The July 31 trade deadline looms, and the Giants' decision-makers are about to ask themselves some questions that no one in the organization finds especially appealing. They might like the answers even less.

 

definitely
i've also noticed him hitting some balls back up the middle too
he's a much more complete/dangerous hitter when he's using all fields

 

this exactly
people who consider him an hr are mistaken
when puig iswas at he best he was a gap/alley hitter

 

you gotta walk before you can run
Puig is doing the best thing he can do
which is not to listen to people like us who have no idea about the journey/work but just want to see the destination/results.
first he needs to relearn how to take read pitches, then take them, then get on base, then get good contact, put the ball in play where you can, attempt to put the ball where you wish, add power little by little, then let loose once you get back to your comfort zone.
But you cant ask him to hit line drives when he is still trying to relearn how to hit to different parts of the field.
Once he is comfortable hitting singles to different parts of the field then he will start throwing some more weight behind those swings to turn them singles into line drive RBI producing XBH. At that point power will come back on its own. Abd he will hit 20 HR just from line drives that carried long.