Dodgers lose Shawn Tolleson to Rangers, plus 40-man & Rule 5 Draft

This was surprising: the Dodgers lost reliever Shawn Tolleson via waivers on Tuesday to the Texas Rangers.

Tolleson, 25, appeared in one game for the Dodgers this season and 40 in 2012. The reliever with great minor-league numbers struggled with injuries in 2013 (a back and hip, primarily). He's also a Tommy John surgery survivor (senior year of college).

In 127 2/3 career minor-league innings, Tolleson has an eye-popping 1.34 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 13.0 K/9. In his limited time with the Dodgers, he didn't show quite the same potential.

Affordable relievers with great swing-and-miss potential don't usually hit waivers, so it was surprising he was available. The Dodgers were probably trying to sneak him through on this day of many roster moves, as teams must choose to add players to their 40-man rosters by 9 p.m. tonight. If some minor-leaguers aren't added, they'll be eligible for the Dec. 12 Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings.

The only way this move makes sense is if the Dodgers think Tolleson's injury history is too much for him to overcome. Otherwise, I can't make sense of the move. The Dodgers already had eight open spots on the 40-man roster and have expendable players like Mike Baxter, Javy Guerra and Justin Sellers who could easily be outrighted before losing a reliever of Tolleson's potential.

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In seemingly unrelated news, the Dodgers should be adding reliever Yimi Garcia to the 40-man roster sometime in the next few hours. He's the only Dodger minor-leaguer eligible for the Rule 5 Draft I'd add to the roster.

Garica, 23, had a 2.54 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 12.7 K/9 with in Double-A this season. He posts great numbers thanks to a low-90s fastball with some movement and a legitimate wipeout slider. He doesn't throw exceptionally hard, but he has better-than-average control and command, but he got bit by the home run bug a bit in 2013 -- (1.3 HR/9, nine home runs in 60 1/3 IP. That appears to be an anomaly, as he gave up just five home runs in his first 189 1/3 innings minor-league innings.

Some other notable prospects who are Rule 5-eligible this year are as follows:

Pedro Baez

Brian Cavazos-Galvez

Jon Garcia

Garrett Gould

Jarret Martin

Aaron Miller

Red Patterson

Scott Schebler

Blake Smith

Of all the players listed, I'd give Patterson the best chance of being nabbed. The 26-year-old is a versatile reliever who doesn't light up the radar gun, but gets outs. I could see a team taking a flyer on Baez, but I'm not confident in that. The only other guy who could get popped is Martin, who has a mid-90s fastball and sometimes-wipeout breaking ball from the left side. Other than them, none of these guys will get chosen.

If a player is chosen, he has to remain on the active roster (25-man) for the entire season, or the drafting team would have to offer the player back to the original team at half the $50,000 price tag.

I'll do a post previewing players the Dodgers could choose in the Rule 5 Draft when it gets closer.

Photo credits
Tolleson: Epic Memories by Ron, Flickr
Patterson: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers' Low-A affiliate Great Lakes Loons playoff-bound after slow start

Coming into the 2013 season, the Great Lakes Loons looked like the fourth-best team of the four full-season Dodger minor-league affiliates. Well, they could be the only one to make the postseason.

The Loons clinched a playoff berth with a win on Thursday night behind the right arms of Chris Anderson (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K) and Brandon Martinez (3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). It’s the third playoff berth in the club’s history.

The team got off to a rough start, losing four of their first six games and went 11-13 in April. Things got even worse in May, as they went 7-23 and any hopes of the postseason looked bleak.

Loons’ record by month

April: 11-13

May: 7-23 (18-36)

June: 18-9 (36-45)

July: 14-14 (50-59)

August: 16-10 (66-69)

Luckily, playoff participants are broken down into first half and second half records. The Loons went 26-43 in the first half. They’ve gone 40-26 thus far in the second half, with three more games.

When the season started, the Loons had Corey Seager and a bunch of young guys or guys repeating the level. Tyle Ogle, Jharel Cotton and Carlos Frias were Midwest League All-Stars. Cotton and Frias were promoted before the game, so Ogle was the team’s only representative.

The team got a huge boost from the arrival of then-16-year-old Julio Urias. I did a double-take when I heard he was making his professional debut with the Loons. But Urias, despite (rightly) being on a strict innings limit (75), has pitched like a player well beyond his years.

Urias’ 2013 statistics

18 starts

2-0 W-L

2.48 ERA

1.10 WHIP

7.3 H/9

2.7 BB/9

11.1 K/9

4.19 K/BB

2.87 FIP

These numbers would be impressive for a 20-year-old, but this is a 16-year-old (turned 17 a few weeks ago) doing this against hitters about six years older than him on average. Amazing.

The Loons also got a boost from the 2013 MLB Draft class. The Dodgers’ top three picks began their pro careers with the club -- Anderson, Tom Windle and Brandon Dixon.

Anderson has a 1.96 ERA in 46 innings while Windle has a 2.77 ERA in 48 2/3 innings. Dixon, unfortunately, hasn’t found his stroke, hitting just .169/.215/.246 in his first 55 professional games.

Other 2013 draftees to play for the Loons include CraytonBare, Rob Rogers, Thomas Taylor and Brandon Trinkwon.

The pitching has been the story for the Loons, as the Midwest League isn’t particularly hitter-friendly.

Miguel Sulbaran was having a fantastic season before the Dodgers (foolishly) traded him to acquire Drew Butera earlier this month. Even with the loss, the Loons can roll out a rotation of Urias, Anderson and Windle as their 1-3. However, each pitcher is on an innings limit. Anderson and Windle were reportedly going to throw only 50 innings in their debut. Both are close to that limit. With the playoffs near, I wonder if the Dodger brass would let Anderson and Windle go a few more innings if it means giving the Loons the best chance to win.

Outside of that trio, the Loons can also throw guys like Zachary Bird (reigning MWL Pitcher of the Week), Ralston Cash, Brandon Martinez and Jonathan Martinez for a few innings. The bullpen has been solid this season, too. Scott Griggs won a Pitcher of the Week honor while Craig Stem was the team’s closer before being promoted to Rancho Cucamonga.

Pitching wins, but runs also have to be scored. There’s enough raw talent for the Loons to score, but it remains to be seen if they can put it all together. James Baldwin has improved as the season progressed. He may not reach his ultimate ceiling, but he’s a better player now than he was last year. Aaron Miller has been surprisingly productive making the conversion from the mound to the batter’s box. Jeremy Rathjen is a lot like Baldwin. He started out slow but has picked it up as the season moved along.

Outside of Seager’s .309/.389/.529 triple slash, there aren’t many pretty slash lines on the Loons’ team. And the team will be without the supremely talented 19-year-old. But guys like those mentioned above and Ogle need to step up if the Loons want to go far in the MWL playoffs.

The Loons went from a floundering team with not a lot of talent to the most exciting team with loads of talent in the Dodgers’ farm system. They nearly did a 180-degree turn, not unlike the parent club. We'll see how they do in the playoffs starting next week.

Photo credits

Urias: Courtesy of the Great Lakes Loons

Anderson: Ali Messick, courtesy of Great Lakes Loons

Dodgers' draft strategy isn't as high school-oriented as it's perceived

Since Logan White took over as scouting director (now vice president of amateur scouting and assistant general manager), the Dodgers have been known for drafting high school players.

White’s first draft pick was James Loney in 2002, a high school first baseman (who some viewed as a pitcher) from Texas.

While White’s crew has selected prep players in the first round (and supplemental first round) 13 of 19 times, it seems the philosophy has changed -- especially in recent years.

Here it is in table form.

Year	College	HS	HS%
2013	31	9	22.5%
2012	26	14	35.0%
2011	36	14	28.0%
2010	32	18	36.0%
2009	30	21	41.2%
2008	26	19	42.2%
2007	19	20	51.3%
2006	21	29	58.0%
2005	25	26	51.0%
2004	30	22	42.3%
2003	14	36	72.0%
2002	22	30	57.7%
Total	312	258	45.3%

As you can see, there has been fluctuation in the types of players drafted by White. But never had he drafted high schoolers less than 40 percent of the time before 2010. That’s been the norm for the last four years, capped with just 22.5 percent high schoolers drafted this year. And the team has drafted more college players than high schooler players since 2002.

Three of White’s last five first-round picks have been college players: 

• High school: Zach Lee, Corey Seager
• College: Aaron Miller, Chris Reed, Chris Anderson

In White’s first draft, he selected 30 high schoolers compared to 22 college players. In 2003, he selected 36 prep players compared to just 14 college players. That would be the highest percentage of high school draftees in any White draft. This year, the Dodgers drafted 31 college players and just nine high schoolers -- a drastic shift.

Some say it could be the new ownership having a say about who to draft (i.e. Stan Kasten), some say the team wants guys who are closer to the majors. While I’m not against drafting players who are closer to the majors, I am against passing on higher-ceiling prospects for lower-floor guys. I know those guys are a must in all farm systems, but it seems the Dodgers took that too much to heart in this year’s draft.

Cody Bellinger was the team’s only high school draftee in the first 10 rounds, and they didn’t select a prep pitcher until the 13th round (Ty Damron). That’s unheard of for White and Co.

The Dodgers had a poor farm system from the late 1990s until White took over. Guys like Chin-Feng Chen, Angel Pena and Ben Diggins were among the team's top prospects. In just three years, White made the Dodgers a Top 5 farm system in baseball for a number of years. Once the draft philosophy shifted from prep to college, the farm system’s overall ranking went down. It could be coincidence or it could be the fact ex-owner Frank McCourt hamstrung the Dodgers’ spending. But the fact is, the Dodgers haven’t been a Top 15 farm system in since graduating Clayton Kershaw during the 2008 season. after being a perennial Top 6 system for four years in a row in the mid-2000s.

There’s nothing wrong with drafting college players, but college players – unless choosing near the top of the draft -- offer less upside than high school players in most cases. Most college guys offer little projection but more present-day value.

I’m partial to high school talent. I wanted the team to take Ian Clarkin (who just signed with the Yankees) instead of Anderson. But I’ve warmed up to Anderson. The team had to go nearly $300,000 more than slot to sign its lone prep draftee in the first 10 rounds in Bellinger. Other than those two, the Dodgers didn’t draft guys with much impact potential. That’s thanks in large part to the poor draft class but also because they didn’t take nearly enough chances.

There’s some maneuvering with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Dodgers landed Ross Stripling in the fifth round last year for nearly $100,000 less than slot. Fast forward a year and Stripling is an easy Top 10 prospect in the system and more likely a Top 5 guy. He’s the exception, not the rule.

Here’s hoping the Dodgers and White get back to their high school-drafting ways. While the 2012 draft looks like it could be one of the best in White's tenure, the 2013 draft could go down as his most lackluster.

Graphic credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers select Chris Anderson with the 18th pick of the 2013 MLB Draft

I think I said it best on Twitter, "Well, he's better than Chris Reed." The Dodgers selected Jacksonville University right-handed pitcher Chris Anderson with their first pick in the 2013 MLB Draft.

When the pick was made, an audible "ugh" was uttered by this blogger. It's going to take some time for me to warm up to this selection, but it's not a bad pick.

Vitals

• 6'4, 225 pounds
• 20 years old (21 on July 29)

Anderson has a pretty good fastball/slider combination. His fastball has touched 97 MPH and sits in the low-to-mid 90s. It's even better because of plus sink. He also has potentially plus changeup and a "show me" curveball.

Anderson's slider projects as a plus pitch and is a true swing-and-miss pitch. It could get him a bunch of strikeouts going forward. If Anderson can turn his changeup into a legitimate weapon, he could have lots of success. He's also been praised for his control.

Keith Law said Anderson profiles as a No. 2 stater, while Peter Gammons said his best comp is Chris Carpenter. So, that's comforting.

Anderson was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 35th round of the 2010 draft. He dominated at Jacksonville University -- something you have to do if you're going to be selected in the first round of the draft.

The Dodgers are allotted $2,109,900 for this selection. If the team can get him to sign for less than slot, then I'll like this pick a little bit more.

Video



The top player left on my board was Ian Clarkin. As of pick No. 21, he's still available. The next-best player on my board was Hunter Harvey. The Dodgers have bucked their trend of drafting high school pitchers.

Since 2009, they've has drafted three college pitchers with their pick (Aaron Miller, Reed and now Anderson) compared to one high schooler (Zach Lee).  There were worse options on the board at the time of the Dodgers' pick, but there were also other players I preferred.

Anderson is probably a Top 10 prospect in the Dodgers' system before even throwing a pitch, so I guess it can't be that bad. He should be sent to -- at worst -- Ogden after he signs, but I'd like to see him pitch with the Loons in Great Lakes.

At least Anderson is a starting pitcher and profiles as such. I could see him reaching the majors as a reliever before eventually moving to the rotation. As you'll hear in the draft episode of "Dugout Blues," they took the "right" Anderson.

Dodgers move former pitching prospect Aaron Miller to the outfield

The Dodgers have a propensity for drafting players who are athletic and two-way guys. Darren Dreifort was one of the more notable ones, when the team made him the No. 2 draft pick in the 1993 MLB Draft. While most viewed him as a pitcher, the guy could hit.

James Loney was viewed by many as a pitching prospect in 2002. The Dodgers made him a first baseman. Ethan Martin was looked at as a third baseman, but the Dodgers drafted him as a pitcher in 2008.

And now we come to Aaron Miller. The 2009 supplemental first-round draft pick was a standout two-way player at Baylor University. The Dodgers made him their first pitch that year and, to some surprise, made him a pitcher. In fact, the Dodgers' first two picks that year were good, two-way college players -- the other being Blake Smith.

Miller was moved to the outfield and will get his first shot at being a full-time outfielder with the Great Lakes Loons.

While the Dodgers need pretty much anything but another outfielder, the options are limited for the lefty.

Miller burst onto the scene in 2009 by posting a 2.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 in his debut season. The following year, he pitched well with the Inland Empire 66ers before getting promoted to Chattanooga. To say he struggled on the hill with the Lookouts would be an understatement. He posted a 7.04 ERA in six starts.

Fighting through injury for much of the 2011 season, he threw just 36 innings that season. He was decent, but not great.

Last season, he made 25 starts for the Lookouts and was adequate at very best. His control just isn't there and hasn't developed the way the Dodgers had hoped.

However, Miller showed promise with the bat last season. He hit .297/.333/.541 with a home run, two doubles, two triples and struck out just a quarter of his plate appearances. For a pitcher, that's not half-bad.

The 25-year-old pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen this season (11 games, one start). The options are: make Miller a reliever who might be just a LOOGY or convert him to the outfield.

The Dodgers chose the latter.

Eric Stephen of True Blue LA has some quotes from Vice President, Player Development DeJon Watson.

"'This was something the organization has been talking about for close to a year. His velocity had dropped and he’s had some nagging injuries. He was a two-way player coming out of Baylor when we drafted him and we liked what we saw in his bat when he pitched.'"

and

"We felt this was the right time to make the switch given his age and his desire to continue pursuing his big league dream and help this organization."

Here's hoping the conversion is successful. The Dodgers had success with moving Kenley Jansen from the field to the mound and, as of now, are having limited success doing the same with Pedro Baez. If Miller makes the transition successfully, he'll be the first to make this conversion in quite some time.

The Loons are struggling offensively. Normally, a 25-year-old going to Low-A would help that, but it remains to be seen if Miller can make the transition.

We'll see what happens.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Yakkers: Examining the best sliders in the Dodgers' farm system

The slider is associated with power. Most times, it's a power pitch thrown by a power pitcher. There are few exceptions to this rule.

Clayton Kershaw came up as a fastball-curveball-changeup pitcher. Some, in the back of their mind, wondered if the three-pitch repertoire would work. Well, Kershaw added a slider to his arsenal, and he took off.

Not surprisingly, pitchers who throw sliders tend to rack up the strikeouts. The Dodgers traded a couple of pitchers last year who would have qualified for this list: Logan Bawcom and Ethan Martin. Both have at least average sliders, while Martin's can be an above-average pitch at times.

Previous entries in this series

• Power
• Fastball
• Speed

Starters

Matt Magill
- Magill's slider is quickly becoming one of the best in the system. He's racked up an 8.9 strikeouts per nin innings in his minor league career thanks in part to a knockout slider. It profiles as an average pitch right now, but it could easily be an above-average offering going forward. It sits in the low-80s.

Aaron Miller
- Miller gets an obligatory mention here as average or better sliders among Dodger starting pitching prospects are few and far between. Miller broke in as a fastball/slider guy, which could ultimately mean he's destined for the bullpen. His slider is a 79-82 MPH pitch and could be a solid weapon out of the 'pen.



Chris Reed
- I tabbed Reed as having the best slider in the system, just a tick better than Magill's. Reed complements his low-90s fastball with a hard mid-80s slider that is especially effective against left-handed hitters. Like Miller, Reed could end up in the bullpen where his slider would play up.

Relievers

Steve Ames
- Ames might be an exception to the slider rule. He doesn't overpower hitters with his 90-93 MPH fastball, thus he doesn't overpower them with his low-80s slider. But it has enough bite to it that it keeps hitters off-balance. Ames has a career 12.3 K/9, and it isn't because he's throwing 95-plus MPH.



Yimi Garcia
- Garcia's slider has helped him immensely since graduating from the two lowest levels of the minor leagues in 2011. Before that, he had a pedestrian 7.7 K/9. Since then, he's been a strikeout machine, averaging 13.1 strikeouts per nine -- thanks in large part to his low-to-mid-80s slider. He looks to be a classic fastball-slider strikeout pitcher going forward, if he can command his pitches well enough.

Paco Rodriguez
- Rodriguez is one of only two pitchers on this list (Wall) to show off his slider at the Major League level. It helped him be the Dodgers' second-round draft pick in last year's draft. It's effective against lefties and righties and sits in the low-80s with good bite.


Josh Wall
- Wall pairs his mid-to-upper-90s fastball with a mid-80s slider that, when it's on, is a tough pitch to square up. Wall dealt with the rarefied air in Albuquerque last year, but still posted the second-best strikeout rate of his career (8.7). He's a longshot to make the Dodgers' bullpen out of Spring Training, but he'd likely be among the first recalled when the Dodgers need a power reliever.

Dodgers' full-season minor league team preview: Chattanooga Lookouts

This is the third in a four-part series projecting the Dodgers' full-season minor league teams. Up next, the Chattanooga Lookouts.

• Part 1 of 4: Great Lakes Loons
• Part 2 of 4: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Of all the Dodgers' minor league teams, this one should be the best. Once you see the roster, you'll see what I'm talking about.

The Lookouts were the only full-season Dodger minor league affiliate to make the postseason, thanks to a 41-29 second half.

Pederson

Chattanooga faced off against the Jackson Generals (Mariners), filled with a bevy of prospects (James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Mike Zunino, just to name a few). Jackson took the first two games of the series before an absolutely dominant pitching performance by Chattanooga gave the team its only playoff win. Jackson would take the series with in the next game.

Led by Nick Buss, Blake Smith and J.T. Wise, the Lookouts actually struggled a bit. They received some late-season reinforcements from Rancho Cucamonga in the form of C.J. Retherford and Bobby Coyle, but it wasn't enough to help the offense.

The pitching is where the Lookouts thrived. The team started the season with Nathan Eovaldi, Matt Magill, Ethan Martin and Allen Webster in the rotation. Unfortunately for the Lookouts, only Magill is still with the organization. The team did add Zach Lee, Chris Reed and Andres Santiago to bolster the staff late in the season -- all of whom are expected to be Lookouts for at least a portion of 2012.

The bullpen was great, with Geison Aguasviva, Steve Ames, Logan Bawcom (later traded), Red Patterson and Javier Solano leading the way.

Joc Pederson and Onelki Garcia made cameos in the playoffs and both could be two of the brightest starts on the squad.

The 2013 roster will be filled with all kinds of talent, including the $42-million man: Yasiel Puig.

Projected roster

O'Brien

Catchers (2)
Gorman Erickson
Christopher O'Brien

Infielders (6)
Joe Becker
Casio Grider
C.J. Retherford
Miguel Rojas
Angelo Songco
Scott Wingo

Outfielders (5)
Bobby Coyle
Omar Luna
Joc Pederson
Yasiel Puig
Kyle Russell

Lee

Starting pitchers (5)
Onelki Garcia
Zach Lee
Aaron Miller
Rob Rasmussen
Chris Reed

Relievers (7)
Ryan Acosta
Freddie Cabrera
Kelvin De La Cruz
Jose Dominguez
Eric Eadington
Jordan Roberts
Andres Santiago

Guys like Erickson  and Retherford could see promotions to Albuquerque, but there's a lot of players in line ahead of them. The offense looks like it could be strong, especially if Songco has a bounce-back season. The outfield will likely be formidable with some big-time prospects.

The pitching looks absolutely filthy. The rotation is headed by three of my top eight prospects, while Rasmussen could be a nice fit after his acquisition from Houston.

The bullpen probably won't be as good as it was last season, but Dominguez, after his 25-game suspension, should be the team's closer. Santiago, who has ability as a starter, is forced to the 'pen in favor of former supplemental first-round pick Miller. Those two are interchangeable in my eyes. Cruz could make the roster as a non-roster invite and gives the Lookouts three left-handers (along with Eadington and Roberts).

My lineup
Wingo 2B
Pederson LF
Puig CF
Songco 1B
Retherford 3B
Russell RF
Coyle DH
Erickson/O'Brien C
Grider SS

I don't think it's too likely Wingo leads off (hell, he might start with Rancho Cucamonga), but he has good on-base ability -- second only to Erickson in this lineup -- but there's no way Jody Reed (yes, that Jody Reed) bats his catcher leadoff. The 2-7 spots could be damn good, if everyone is clicking.

The rotation should be the team's bread and butter, as it has six legitimate starters and some highly ranked prospects.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers add prospects Matt Magill and Steve Ames to 40-man roster

In an unsurprising move, the Dodgers today added right-handed pitchers Matt Magill and Steve Ames to their 40-man roster, thus protecting them from December's Rule 5 Draft.

Both were members of the Chattanooga Lookouts this season and both performed well.

I named Magill my Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in September after he was the Lookouts' best starting pitcher.

Magill, who just turned 23, pitched in the Southern League against advanced competition and enjoyed success. His rate stats were impressive and some were among the best in the organization. He went 11-8 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 7.8 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 10.3 K/9, 2.75 K/BB and a 2.91 FIP.

Magill led the organization in strikeouts with 168. His rate stats show that he's a much better prospect than many thought and definitely warrant's a spot on the Dodgers' nearly full 40-man roster (38 spots occupied).

Ames, 24, enjoyed perhaps his best season at his most advanced level. While his stuff doesn't blow hitters away, he was still able to amass a 10.2 K/9 (72 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings). He knows how to pitch.

Ames is in the long line of Dodger relief prospects and he should be the next prospect in line for a promotion. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make his major league debut in 2013.

While right-handed relievers seemingly grow on trees, Ames has a chance to be a solid middle reliever in the majors.

Magill and Ames were just two of many players who were eligible to be added, but they were the only two who were worthy of being added.

Some players had no chance of being added (Michael Antonini, Jose Dominguez, Juan Rodriguez) while some, I'm sure, were under consideration (Aaron Miller, Blake Smith, Rafael Ynoa).

Of the players left unprotected by the Dodgers, I'd be shocked if anyone of them were chosen by a team during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft.

Guys like Cole St. Clair and Ynoa probably have the best chance, but St. Clair had a poor season at Triple-A and Ynoa has never played at a level higher than Double-A.

For now, Magill and Ames are safe and could both make their debuts in 2013.

Three days until the trade deadline, who are the Dodgers going to get?

It sounds greedy, but the Dodgers aren't done yet. After filling a need a third base with Hanley Ramirez and left-handed relief pitcher with Randy Choate, the Dodgers still have a couple more needs.

General Manager Ned Colletti wants to acquire a starting pitcher and another position player.

The Dodgers were rumored to really like Matt Garza, but his recent diagnosis (fluid in triceps) means he likely won't be dealt before Tuesday's trade deadline.

The Dodgers have also been in on Ryan Dempster from seemingly the beginning of his availability. The smart money is on Dempster donning Dodger Blue by Tuesday, but they could go in another direction.

Zack Greinke was dealt to the Angels on Friday, which was a hell of a deal for Anaheim. Now, the two biggest names linked to the Dodgers are Marlins' starter Josh Johnson and Rays' starter James Shields.

Frankly, either one would be a fantastic addition to the rotation. Johnson has injury concerns but is the more talented pitcher. Shields is a workhorse and he showed his true potential last season with a fine campaign.

The Marlins are reportedly asking for every team's "top two or three prospects," while the Rays are asking for more than the Brewers got in return for Greinke.

The likelihood of the Dodgers ending up with either Johnson or Shields are slim, but the fact they're even been rumored to have serious interest in big names such as these is so refreshing.

Ted Lilly is throwing a rehab game in Rancho Cucamonga next week. His pending return, coupled with an acquisition, should set the Dodgers' rotation for the rest of the season.

I'd bet on Dempster being a Dodger and the team sending Garrett Gould and Aaron Miller to Chicago for his services.

As for hitters, the name Justin Morneau keeps coming up. While I like idea, I'd almost want the Dodgers to acquire an outfielder before Morneau. I'll explain shortly.

Shane Victorino remains on the radar and while he's a real possibility, I really don't want him in Blue.

Hunter Pence, Victorino's teammate, would be the ideal acquisition. He's not a free agent until after 2013 and is about the best bat available -- if the Phillies decide to formally make him available. Pence's acquisition would also allow the Dodgers to bat Ramirez in the leadoff spot, which might be the best thing for the team right now.

Pence would be pricey, but I don't think I'd have much issue dealing two or three top prospects for him.

But back to Morneau. While I wouldn't be opposed to the Dodgers taking a chance on him rebounding to his MVP form, I'm more worried about his defense. He's not a great defender at first, but he's serviceable. However, with Ramirez at third base and Dee Gordon at shortstop, the Dodgers are going to need a a good defensive first basemen. Despite James Loney's struggles at the plate, he's still a great defensive first baseman. He's among the best -- if not the best -- at digging throws out of the dirt. Ramirez and Gordon aren't exactly known for their defense, so if the Dodgers can upgrade at another position, they can afford to keep running Loney out there at first base.

Who knows, maybe he'll realize it's nearly August and he'll kick it into gear.

So, we're about 73 hours away from the 1 p.m. deadline. There are still a lot of pieces in play and the Dodgers appear determined to upgrade the roster even more.

The team had its ups and downs this season. With the possibility (probability) of upgrading the team to be a playoff and even championship contender, this is one of the "up" moments.

Prediction

The Dodgers land Dempster and Victorino. Victorino, as much as I can't stand him, could be in the same boat as Ramirez as needing a change of scenery. He's a free agent after the season and the Phillies aren't going to re-sign him. The cost for Victorino would be minimal (a guy like Angel Sanchez could probably get him) and there's a slight chance he could revert to his previous form.

I can't stand Victorino, but I could see him starting in left field on Wednesday for the Dodgers.

Photo credits

Johnson: MissChatter, Flickr

Victorino: wonderwallwoody, Flickr

Chad Billingsley's elbow MRI could impact John Ely and Ryan Dempster

News broke this morning that Dodgers' starting pitcher Chad Billingsley was scratched from his start because of an "undisclosed injury."

Undisclosed injury progressed to elbow tenderness which progressed to him needing an MRI.

Oh boy. Elbow MRIs are never a good thing. Even if it isn't the worst (torn ulnar collateral ligament), he'll probably need a disabled list stint.

Reports are Billingsley felt the pain for the last few starts, but thought it was just normal soreness. He told Manager Don Mattingly about it yesterday (something Mattingly wasn't happy about), leading to today's scratch.

It's hard to know how long Billingsley's been hurting. His fastball velocity has been inconsistent in his last five starts.

Date       Avg       Max
6/16       91.5       93.7
6/22       92.4       94.5
6/27       91.5       93.0
7/2         92.3       93.8
7/7         91.4       92.6

So, we'll see what happens with the results of the MRI. I'm not optimistic.

That means we could see John Ely quite soon. The 26-year-old is having a stellar season for the Isotopes in the Pacific Coast League: 3.22 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 and a 3.29 FIP.

If anyone in the minors deserves a shot this season, it's Ely. His turnaround has been remarkable considering he struggled mightily in Albuquerque last season: 6.11 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 4.78 FIP).

It also means we could see a trade sooner rather than later. It's 16 days to the trade deadline and the Dodgers have been linked to Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Cole Hamels. The Dodgers have scouts watching both teams.

I wrote about Dempster and Garza last month, but I've yet to write about Hamels. Apparently, the Dodgers have a deal on the table for Dempster that includes two pitching prospects. Some speculated (myself included) about who the pitching prospects might be. Garrett Gould, since he was on the table for Carlos Lee, is likely to be one of them. It's anyone's guess who else it could be, but the names Chris Withrow and Aaron Miller came up.

We'll see what happens with the MRI and the potential trade, but I'd bet a lot of money that Dempster will be in Dodger Blue within the next 10 days.

Photo credits

Billingsley: SD Dirk, Flickr

Dempster: mootown, Flickr

Dodgers promote top prospect Zach Lee to Double-A Chattanooga

In a move that was expected in a month or two, the Dodgers today promoted top prospect Zach Lee to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League.

Lee, 20, was the subject of a post I penned 10 days ago in which I pointed out he was having a great season even if some of his numbers looked a little below-average.

Lee is the second first-round pitcher to be promoted to Double-A this season, as Chris Reed was promoted in early June.

The Dodgers have rarely been afraid to be aggressive with their pitching prospects, so this isn't much of a surprise. However, the fact that Lee is 20 and will pitch in Double-A is sure to raise some eyebrows.

Chad Billingsley, Scott Elbert, Clayton Kershaw and Greg Miller all pitched in Double-A at age 20. Edwin Jackson one-upped the four of them by pitching with the Jacksonville Suns (the Dodgers' affiliate at the time) at age 19.

Aside from Miller, all the other pitchers have made it to the majors and had success (some more than others).

With Lee and Reed being promoted, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' pitching rotation has been stripped of their two best pitchers. Ryan O'Sullivan was assigned to Rancho earlier today from Great Lakes to presumably take Lee's spot. They also have Garrett Gould and Angel Sanchez. And Jarret Martin could be promoted at any time.

The impact on the Lookouts is also apparent.

To say there's a pitching logjam in Chattanooga would be an understatement. The Lookouts now have seven who can start: Lee, Matt Magill, Ethan Martin, Aaron Miller, Reed, Allen Webster and Chris Withrow (when he comes back from the disabled list).

It remains to be seen what the Lookouts will do. Magill has thrown poorly of late, Martin has been mediocre, Miller has been decent but isn't throwing a lot of innings, Reed is still getting acclimated to the league, Webster seems to have finally figured it out and Withrow struggled before going on the DL.

I like how aggressive the Dodgers are with their minor-league pitchers, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles advanced hitting in perhaps the most talented level of the Minor Leagues. Before the end of the season, he'll work out of the bullpen to limit his innings.

But no matter what happens the rest of this season, Lee will begin in Double-A in 2013.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue