Would Trading Chad Billingsley be Beneficial to the Dodgers?
Chad Billingsley is one of the more intriguing pitchers throughout baseball. At times, he’s as dominant as anyone in baseball. At other times, he’s as hittable and inconsistent as anyone in baseball. So what to do with him? Well- you have two choices. Resign him to a deal where you’re going to have to pay him A LOT of money (likely AJ Burnett type money), or trade him for large value. The Los Angeles Dodgers are obviously having some money issues with the divorce proceedings going on, they’ve recently traded quite a bit of their farm system away, leaving them wide open in that aspect, so I might make the unpopular claim here- but I believe it would be more beneficial to trade Billingsley this offseason.
Think about it- who is the ace of this Dodgers staff? Yes- Clayton Kershaw. What kind of money is he going to get? Scary to think about isn’t it? Chad Billingsley is a number 2 who pitches like a 1…or pitches like a 4. Why would you want to pay him the kind of money I suspect he’ll get, when you could take that money and go after some offense, or TWO pitchers who could really hold the fort down for some of the young talent to emerge. Everyone is on the lookout for pitching, and I think you’ll get someone to bite on this guy for quite a bit. I also have some worry with his mechanics. After breaking down some of his tape, I believe he’s got a little bit of a timing issue, which puts excess pressure on the shoulder mainly- based on his whip action. Now what this means to me is, when he plants, his arm isn’t ready to come through (at times) meaning the arm has to rush to the throwing position instead of naturally getting there on time. We’ve seen many pitchers go down with shoulder and arm injuries and some never return. This to me is a HUGE risk, and when we’re attaching 65-80 million to him- it’s not a risk I would be willing to take. Free up that money, and start restocking the farm system- that’s how I’d attack this organization
Will this happen? Who knows? Should it be talked about internally? Absolutely.
Dodgers Lose Martin- Time for Changes
It’s only been a couple days and 1 Ted Lilly Start since the deadline. The fact of the matter is- Losing Russell Martin to a torn labrum in his hip is going to really hurt this team moving forward. When you lose your catcher, your quarterback- your in trouble unless your playing with a ton of season, or are in a weak division. I don’t think the Dodgers have a replacement that’s going to be able to do what Martin was able to do- especially for the pitching staff.
Look- it’s time to reailze that this team is not going to be in the postseason this year. You’ve stripped the system of some good prospects to take your shot. Okay great- they took the shot…and missed. The Padres are not going away, and the Rockies are surging. The funny thing is- I’m not even throwing the Giants into that boat.
Why is it such a terrible thing to realize it’s time to wave the white flag- and move your assets. We all know about the ownership position, the lack of money, so why would we continue to hold on to some of these guys?
Manny needs to go. Lilly needs to go. You start there and see what you can get for a Chad Billingsley. If you open up some payroll- you might be able to attack a Cliff Lee next year in the off season. The fact of the matter is- this team is a sinking ship- so let’s spare our crew…and move on.
The Dodgers Should Have Been Sellers
The Los Angeles Dodgers were buyers this year as the deadline has come and gone. They traded young pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smil as well as servicable Blake DeWitt for Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly. Are you kidding me with this? Not to mention the opportunity to rid themselves of Manny Ramirez’s contract was present, and ignored. Do the Los Angeles Dodgers REALLY believe they’re in this race? That the San Diego Padres will fall down in September and the San Francisco Giants will choke? Give me a break. This Dodgers team is NOT better than either of those teams right now, and adding payroll to the situation of the front office was a joke. The system already isn’t exactly tip top and they sent 2 of their better prospects for a 34 year old left hander whose lost velocity, had shoulder surgery, AND is a free agent at the end of the year. Ryan Theriot a sparkplug? What exactly is he going to spark? Is he going to teach guys how to not take a pitch? How not to get on base, evident by his .320 OBP? Blake DeWitt wasn’t worth more than Ryan Theriot? Did Ned Colletti lose his mind or forget to remember that Ryan Theriot’s career year was now 2 years ago?
The Dodgers had some pieces that could have been coveted by other teams. Look no farther than Manny Ramirez. Mannywood hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype this year, with his “injuries” popping up often. Ridding the remainder of his contract would have been glorious while adding a couple of prospects. Nope- instead they’ll hold on to him and watch him leave for free agency. Good move. They could have traded Casey Blake for a couple mid level prospects. Hiroki Kuroda for a couple mid level prospects. Vincente Padilla could have attracted some buyers. Heck- you could have moved Chad Billingsley at the high as well which would have saved some money. Sometimes, you have to be realistic about your roster. Sometimes you have to say ” you know what- it’s time to move on from this roster, build around Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and the big man Broxton at the back end of the bullpen. Instead, the Dodgers hurt their future, while NOT helping their present.
Terrible moves and moves that should get Ned Colletti fired.
Billingsley Hurls Shutout, L.A. Wins 7th-Straight
On a day when offense was hard to come by, Chad Billingsley hurled a shutout over the first-place San Diego Padres and Russell Martin’s RBI single was all the streaking Dodgers needed to win their season-high seventh-in-a-row, 1-0.
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Kershaw Pitches Dodgers to Sixth Straight
Kershaw pitched a three-hit gem and James Loney hit a towering shot to center as the hottest team in baseball won their sixth straight over the first-place Padres, 4-1.
It was another masterful outing for Kershaw (3-2, 3.55) as he kept the Padres off-balance all night long throwing seven strong and allowing only one run off three hits, seven K’s, and only two walks.
The lone run came in the first inning after walking lead-off man Scott Hairston, who later scored on Chase Headley’s fielder’s choice. After giving up a lead-off double to Yorvit Torrealba in the second, Kershaw retired 12 of his next 13 batters.
It just goes to show that when Kershaw’s control is on, he is one of the most dominant pitchers in the league; the lefty started the Dodgers’ tear last Sunday striking out nine in a two-hit, eight-inning shut-out over the Rockies.
“He keeps it together,” head coach Joe Torre added. “He doesn’t unravel. For a kid his age, it’s pretty remarkable. It’s a lot of fun to watch him grow into his ability right now. He’s not going to give you the ball. You’re going to have to take it away.” (from Yahoo Sports)
Ramon Troncoso added a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts and then Jonathan Broxton came on to secure the ninth with his sixth save in eight chances.
Loney’s fourth home-run of the season came in the top of the second to tie the game 1-1. Shortstop Jamey Carroll (2-for-3 with a run and a RBI) continued to swing the bat well with a go-ahead single in the fifth scoring Casey Blake. Carroll later scored off Russ Martin’s single to center, and then Garrett Anderson added an insurance run with an RBI triple in the sixth. Just enough offense to squeak by the Pads.
The win does come with some bad news, though, as the Dodgers found out they’d be without slugger and triple-crown leader Andre Ethier, who missed the game with a broken right pinkie.
Ethier said he was taking swings in the indoor batting cage when he pinched his right pinkie against his bat. He took a few more swings during batting practice before telling hitting coach Don Mattingly the problem. Ethier also said the finger bothered him while he was playing catch. According to team officials he’ll be examined by a hand specialist today, but he doesn’t expect to miss more than a few games.
The win does bring the Dodgers within three games of first place, and L.A. could close more ground with a win tonight. After getting over that .500 mark for the first time Friday night, the Dodgers look to build on the momentum with a sweep over the Padres, which would mark back-to-back divisional sweeps.
Chad Billingsley will be looking for his third win in four starts, and second straight on the road. He’ll be taking on Padre left-hander Wade LeBlanc (2-0). Billingsley is 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Padres, and has earned wins in four of the last six match-ups. Bring out them brooms, Blue!
