With injuries to the pitching staff and a desire to improve the bullpen, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to do some patchwork. Additionally, general manager Ned Colletti says the team will call up two prospects from Triple-A Albuquerque.
On Sunday Colletti told Jim Bowden on Sirius XM Radio that the team will promote prospects Joc Pederson and Alex Guerrero from Triple-A on September 1. The 22-year-old Joc Pederson has been awaiting his promotion, but the Dodgers' crowded outfield with Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig has delayed the transaction. Pederson is batting .301 with 30 home runs, 68 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in Triple-A this year and also put up formidable numbers in AA last year and A+ in 2012.
Alex Guerrero's promotion has also been delayed because of the Dodgers' middle infield. Hanley Ramirez has remained durable for the most part this year (aside from his recent DL stint) and second baseman Dee Gordon leads the league in stolen bases (56) and triples (10) along with his solid .288 average. The Cuban infielder was signed to a four-year, $28 million contract last October and hopes to soon receive a long stint in the majors (he's already 27 years old). Guerrero is batting .308 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in Triple-A Albuquerque.
As for their pitching, Los Angeles is looking for bullpen help and they could certainly use another starter after placing both Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Beckett on the disabled list. Ryu suffered a right gluteus strain last week against the Atlanta Braves and will be out until the end of August (at least) while Josh Beckett landed on the DL for the third time this year with hip and groin issues. His durability is a major question mark as the Dodgers approach the postseason.
Colletti might be interested in contacting the Texas Rangers regarding the availability of Yu Darvish (who just cleared waivers) and relief pitcher Neal Cotts (who is expected to clear waivers). Prior to the trade deadline, Colletti spoke to the Phillies about Cole Hamels' availability, but Philadelphia wanted a lot of young talent in a deal and the Dodgers are unwilling to surrender their top prospects in Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias. But now the interesting case of Yu Darvish - if the Rangers are willing to trade him - could be of importance for the Dodgers.
They could acquire the Rangers' ace on the cheaper side (although it still won't be very cheap) since he was recently placed on the disabled list because of elbow inflammation in his pitching arm. Additionally, Darvish is owed $31 million over the next three seasons as opposed to Hamels' $100-plus million through 2018. The team's rotation has only Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke as their stellar arms, while they've plugged in Roberto Hernandez (acquired from Philadelphia) and Kevin Correia (acquired from Minnesota) following injuries to the staff. Dan Haren is also in there, but he's largely been inconsistent the entire year.
As the team waits to hear more news on the injuries of Ryu and Beckett, it could be in Colletti's best interests to ask about Yu Darvish, whose addition would probably give them the best rotation in baseball.
