Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: Dodgers Lose Kershaw
How do you replace the best pitcher in baseball? The Dodgers hoped they’d never have to answer that question. But now that fateful day has come. Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw is headed to the disabled list.
Maybe we should have seen the writing on the wall Sunday when Kershaw turned in his worst outing of the year against Pittsburgh. Later Kershaw complained of lower back discomfort (the Internet joked that it was from carrying the Dodgers on his back) but manager Dave Roberts was adamant that Kershaw was still in line to start Friday against the Rockies. The panic meter went up a notch when it was revealed that Kershaw was headed to a back specialist. Dodgers fans rioted in the street (okay I made that up) when it was announced that Kershaw was headed to the DL with a mild herniated disc. No firm timetable has been established though at least it looks like Kershaw won’t require surgery.
There are plenty of adjectives you could use to describe Kershaw’s 2016 season—brilliant, mesmerizing, remarkable—but none of them really do it justice. Kershaw has been operating on a completely separate plain from the rest of the baseball universe, dazzling his way to a superb 11-2 record with 145 strikeouts and only nine walks (gasp) in 121 innings. He leads the majors in ERA (1.79), WHIP (0.73) and pretty much any other pitching category you could think of.
On top of his utter dominance over the past half-decade, Kershaw has also been surprisingly durable. He’s logged at least 200 innings and made 32 starts in five of his last six seasons. The lone exception came in 2014 (the year he won National League MVP) when he missed all of April with a back injury. Given his enormous workload, it’s surprising that Kershaw has lasted this long without a major injury.
The Dodgers worked quickly to replace Kershaw in the starting rotation. Thursday the team acquired Bud Norris from the Braves in exchange for minor league pitchers Philip Pfeifer and Caleb Dirks. The Dodgers also landed outfield prospect Dian Toscano and a player to be named later. Norris is far from dominant—he carries a 3-7 record this year with an ERA north of four. But he’s pitched better recently (2.15 ERA over his last five starts) and can eat up innings while Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery) and Brandon McCarthy (Tommy John surgery) finish up their minor league rehab assignments. Norris won’t have much time to settle in. He’ll make his Dodgers debut Friday against Colorado. The Dodgers will be his fifth team since 2013 so Norris is used to being the new guy in town.
Give the Dodgers front office credit for targeting the rebuilding Braves in trade talks. The Braves are looking to rebrand themselves ahead of next year’s move to SunTrust Park in Cobb County. To do that, they’ll have to tear the current team apart and it looks like they’re already well on their way to making that transition. The Braves dealt veteran reliever Jason Grilli to the Blue Jays at the end of May while ace Julio Teheran and stud closer Arodys Vizcaino are rumored to be available. Recent trades have already stripped the Braves of stars like Craig Kimbrel, Andrelton Simmons and both Upton brothers. Atlanta could be a ghost town by July 31 if the Braves decide to bottom out.
Don’t expect the Dodgers to stand pat after landing Norris. They also have their eye on Rays right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. The 26-year-old has pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen this year but Ramirez does have starting experience (63 MLB starts) and it wouldn’t take that long for him to get stretched out. The question is whether the Dodgers still want him after another poor outing Thursday against Detroit (3 H, 2 BB, 4 ER in 1/3 of an inning). Ramirez has seen his ERA balloon from 2.83 to 4.35 over his last five outings. His slump might actually work in the Dodgers’ favor. The lower his trade value sinks, the easier it will be for the Rays to cut him loose.
Editor’s note: Subscribe to the Rotoworld Baseball Podcast on iTunes. Please remember to rate and review if you dig it. New episodes come out every Friday.
Marlins Snag Rodney
The Dodgers and Braves weren’t the only teams moving pieces on Thursday. The Padres and Marlins also brokered a deal with Fernando Rodney heading to Miami in exchange for minor league pitching prospect Chris Paddack. It’s an obvious win-now move for the Marlins, who are creeping up on the Nationals and Mets in the NL East. Miami hasn’t reached the postseason since 2003 (you might remember it, Cubs fans) but GM Michael Hill must feel the team has a decent shot of getting back there in 2016.
Rodney’s career was hanging by a thread when the Mariners dumped him last year but he resurrected himself during a 14-game stretch with the Cubs late last season and parlayed that into a two-year deal with San Diego. The 39-year-old archery enthusiast has been almost unstoppable this year, converting all 17 of his save chances with a masterful 0.31 ERA. With Carter Capps injured (Tommy John surgery) the Marlins are pretty thin behind closer A.J. Ramos and Rodney will provide some depth. Ramos is still Miami’s go-to guy in the ninth, meaning Rodney won’t be getting many save chances.
While Thursday’s trade essentially makes Rodney irrelevant in fantasy (unless you play in a league that counts holds), it elevates Ryan Buchter to must-own status. With Rodney out of the picture, Buchter figures to get first crack at the closer role in San Diego. The left-hander did have a meltdown the other day against Baltimore (five runs in 1/3 of an inning) but aside from that he’s been brilliant with 13 holds and an eye-popping 13.2 K/9. He’s clearly surpassed Brandon Mauer (5.73 ERA in 39 appearances) as the team’s No. 1 relief option.
Buchter certainly has the goods to be a solid fantasy contributor but his save tally will ultimately depend on his team’s performance. You have to be ahead in the ninth inning to get saves and the Padres haven’t done that consistently this year. San Diego’s 33-46 mark is third-worst in the National League behind Atlanta and Cincinnati.
Over the last year, no team has changed as drastically as San Diego. The Padres looked poised to make a run in the NL West last season but fell flat and traded away Craig Kimbrel and James Shields to begin the rebuilding process. They’ve done well to acquire prospects and Chris Paddack is another youngster with serious potential. The 20-year-old prodigy didn’t allow a hit over his last three starts for Low-A Greensboro, recording 28 strikeouts and only one walk during that span. He’ll begin his Padres tenure in the Midwest League with Low-A Fort Wayne.
Editor’s Note: Don’t whiff on this special FanDuel offer: win your first contest or get your money back (up to $10) to keep playing. Try FanDuel now.
Quick Hits: Curtis Granderson will be shut down for the next few days after undergoing an MRI on his strained calf. Juan Lagares (thumb) is expected to come off the disabled list Friday and will probably receive regular playing time if Granderson faces an extended absence … According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Steven Matz was “seriously considering” surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. Instead, he made his scheduled start Thursday against the Cubs, scattering seven hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision … Yoenis Cespedes crushed a 466-foot moon shot into the upper deck at Citi Field Thursday against the Cubs. That’s tied for the longest home run in the stadium’s history. Unfortunately Cespedes won’t be taking his act to the Home Run Derby at Petco Park this month. He said he was asked to participate but bowed out because of concerns about his wrist … Madison Bumgarner won’t be in the Home Run Derby either, but he did get to bat for himself Thursday against Oakland. That’s the first time a team has used the pitcher in place of a DH since Rays manager Joe Maddon made a mistake on his lineup card that forced Andy Sonnastine to bat in 2009. Bumgarner went 1-for-4 with a double … The Athletics placed Sean Doolittle on the disabled list Thursday. He’s been diagnosed with a strained shoulder. The A’s should have a better idea of his timetable after he gets his MRI results back … The Cardinals fell to the Royals on Thursday to finish 12-13 for the month of June. It’s their first losing month since June 2012 … Brandon Moss ripped a 477-foot homer on Thursday, the longest in Busch Stadium history. All 17 of his home runs this year have come against right-handers … Carlos Carrasco notched a season-high 14 strikeouts in Thursday’s win against the Blue Jays. The victory extended Cleveland’s winning streak to 13 … The Braves signed Omar Infante to a minor league deal on Thursday. He’ll head to Rookie-level Danville to “get his legs back under him” before settling in at Triple-A Gwinnett. Infante hasn’t played in a game since June 6 … Andrew Heaney will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday. Heaney received a stem cell injection in April but didn’t show much progress. The operation will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles … The Tigers scored eight runs in the ninth inning to steal a 10-7 win over the Rays on Thursday. That’s the most runs Detroit has scored in the ninth inning since August 8, 2001 against Texas … Stephen Strasburg (back) was able to throw a bullpen session on Thursday. He hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday’s start against Cincinnati but manager Dusty Baker says the team is leaning toward using Lucas Giolito instead … Martin Prado made an error Thursday against Atlanta. Before his miscue, the Marlins’ infield had gone 28 consecutive games without making an error. That’s a major league record … The Rangers have reportedly shown interest in Rays left-hander Matt Moore. Texas could use another arm with Yu Darvish (neck, shoulder), Colby Lewis (lat) and Derek Holland (shoulder) all sidelined … Taylor Motter played his college ball at Coastal Carolina. Here’s how he celebrated the team’s win over Arizona in Thursday’s National Championship … Ronald Torreyes has done fine as a backup infielder for the Yankees this year but this might be the worst swing you’ll ever see. Brace yourselves.
