According to beat reporter Mark Saxon of ESPN LA, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the market for a starting pitcher now that Hyun-jin Ryu is contemplating shoulder surgery and after already losing Brandon McCarthy for the season.
Saxon believes they’d be willing to move Cuban infielder Alex Guerrero, given their excess of third baseman. The 28 year old Guerrero was initially signed to play second base, but the Dodgers didn’t like what they saw and shifted him to third base and then shortly after that to left field. Sounds like someone we already know.
Still, Guerrero is batting .328 with a .361 OBP, four doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI in 72 plate appearances this season, although he’s starting to slow down as pitchers have the book on him.
Jimmy Rollins could be another candidate, but may be a tough sell as he’s seen his defense and offense drop significantly.
Of course, every infielder who becomes available between now and the trade deadline will somehow be translated into a probable fit for the Mets, even if it’s a square peg in a round hole as is the case with both Guerrero and Rollins.
In the case of Guerrero the scouts all had it right, he’s not a middle infielder at the MLB level, so exactly what purpose would he serve on the Mets?
And as for Rollins, can the Mets really afford a 125 point downgrade in OPS at shortstop for someone who is now just a small upgrade defensively over Wilmer Flores? Is that where we really want to go?
Then there’s the cost. The Dodgers are looking for a solid arm to bolster their rotation. They wouldn’t be looking at Niese or Gee, they’d most likely want Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard. We already know Sandy Alderson will not move any of his top young arms. So how exactly are we going to trade for Rollins or Guerrero, even if they could serve a role on this team – which they don’t.
Common sense people…. You don’t make trades for the sake of making trades, haven’t we had enough of that? You make trades because they improve the team, are a good fit, and the price in players going back is worth it.
