Dee Gordon to play OF in winter ball in last-ditch effort to make him valuable

If the Dee Gordon era wasn't officially over yet, it is now. The shortstop (and part-time second baseman in Triple-A) will try his hand in the outfield during winter ball.

Gordon will play center field for Licey in the Dominican Republic. The team's general manager is, purely coincidentally, Manny Acta -- the man I either want to replace Don Mattingly (if he's not officially back, because that isn't totally official yet) or be his right-hand man on the bench (hat tip to Mike Petriello). But I digress.

Gordon is a good example of how volatile prospects can be. Once thought to be the next Jose Reyes (with far less power), now he's going to struggle to have a prolonged Major League career.

Many, including myself, ranked Gordon among the Dodgers' top prospects for a few years. Oops.

His speed was never a question -- dude can run. But that's the extent of his plus tools (or even close to average). The adage is, "You can't steal first base." Once again, that adage holds true.

Gordon's best game came on April 7, 2012, against the Padres. He went 3-for-4 with two walks, three stolen bases and drove in the game-winning run. That is the Dee Gordon everyone was expecting (not every night, mind you, but more often than not). His inability to adjust his game is frustrating. He obviously has a below-average bat and no power, so why not adjust and try to walk more?

If Gordon could even get on base at a .330 clip, he'd be a top 10 shortstop in baseball because he could wreak havoc on the basepaths. He'd steal 50-plus bases with ease. Alas, he did not compensate for his poor bat by walking more, putting himself in this position.

I wrote in January moving Gordon off shortstop would be a bad idea. Now, it's almost a necessity.

"If Gordon isn't traded, he could be the Isotopes' shortstop, because it doesn't make a lot of sense to make a guy with Gordon's potential a utility player so soon.

There's little doubt Gordon could handle the outfield, but any value in his bat goes out the window with a move. His bat is barely passable at shortstop. In his first 143 games, it isn't passable.

Gordon's position won't matter if he doesn't start hitting better -- something else that isn't guaranteed."

Almost everything written above can be said right now. Gordon is a trade candidate, if any team will have him. If he is dealt this winter, he'd likely be a throw-in as part of a bigger package. Teams interested in him last winter include the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners.

But back to Gordon's defense. His defense at shortstop hasn't improved, so he'll need to market himself in another way to remain a potentially valuable major leaguer.

Side note: In 3 2/3 innings at second base this year, Gordon had a defensive run saved. While an extremely small sample size, perhaps his future lies there. It'd be much better than center field.

We'll see what happens. Gordon could become a capable center fielder (because that's the only outfield spot he could conceivably play), but I'm not confident it's going to help his bat.

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Here's a full list of Dodgers playing winter ball (those who played in the organization in 2013).

Australia (Adelaide Bite)
James Baldwin
James Campbell
John Cannon
Chris Jacobs
Blake Smith

Dominican Republic
Pedro Baez (Licey)
Angel Castro (Cibaenas)
Kelvin De La Cruz (Cibaenas)
Carlos Frias (Cibao)
Dee Gordon (Licey)
Alexander Guerrero (Cibao)
Elian Herrera (Cibaenas)
Luis Vazquez (Licey)
Rafael Ynoa (Cibaenas)

Mexico
Matt Angle (Culiacan)
Juan Noriega (Los Mochis)

Puerto Rico
Freddie Cabrera (Mayaguez)
Noel Cuevas (Mayaguez)
Jose DeLeon (Caguas)
Jon Garcia (Santurce)
Matt Magill (Mayaguez)

Venezuela
Eliezer Alfonzo (Magallanes)
Chili  Buss (Lara)
Elevys Gonzalez (Margarita)
Jeremy Hazelbaker (Aragua)
Luis Meza (La Guaira)
Hector Nelo (La Guaira)
Matt Palmer (Magallanes)
Red Patterson (Lara)
Joc Pederson (Lara)
Chris Reed (La Guaira)
Miguel Rojas (La Guaira)

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers designate Alex Castellanos for assignment, claim OF Mike Baxter

Alex Castellanos, the player acquired from the Cardinals for Rafael Furcal in 2011, was designated for assignment on Thursday by the Dodgers in favor of Mike Baxter.

The Dodgers claimed Baxter, 28, off waivers from the Mets. This is an all-important roster move in October.

No it isn't.

While I think Castellanos should get a chance to be a fourth- or (more likely) a fifth-outfielder in the majors, it won't come with the Dodgers. Castellanos has produced in Triple-A, but he's played in one of the most hitter-friendly environments around, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.

Castellanos, 27, is an all-bat player with a really good arm. He was unsuccessful in trying to play second- and third base for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2012 and 2013. He got his feet wet in the majors, going 7-for-41 (.171) with a couple home runs and 13 strikeouts. If he isn't hitting, he's a career minor-leaguer. That's probably the safest bet at this rate.

His minor-league numbers have yet to come close to translating to the majors due to lack of opportunity and, more likely, a lack of overall skill. Despite that, I'd be surprised if another team doesn't pick him up.

Baxter isn't much of a player, posting a .229/.335/.348 triple slash in 415 plate appearances spread over four seasons. He actually made his Major League debut against the Dodgers in 2010 with the Padres. He was San Diego's fourth-round draft pick in 2005.

I'd be surprised if Baxter is still on the 40-man roster come February or March. Then again, I thought Matt Angle would have been gone long before he actually was, so Baxter has a better chance of sticking than it may seem.

He's really not any better than, say, Nick Buss right now, whom the Dodgers already have. This is probably just a procedural move because Castellanos was likely to be outrighted this winter anyway.

So, there's the roster update. Now about the Game 6 in St. Louis... more on that tomorrow.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers after Carlos Lee, Corey Seager signs, Puig contract official

Look, I understand the Dodgers are struggling right now. They've lost six games in a row, Matt Kemp is still on the disabled list, Andre Ethier could end up there and the they've scored a grand total of 15 runs in their last 11 games.

Still, that's no reason to panic. That's no reason to trade valuable assets for Carlos Lee.

As I'm sure you've heard, rumors popped up last night of the Dodgers' interest in Lee. But, as often happens on Twitter, the first reports weren't accurate.

It went from Zach Lee and Garrett Gould for Jed Lowrie to Zach Lee and Gould for Carlos Lee to Gould for Lee in the span of 20 minutes.

Lowrie would be a nice acquisition, as the 28-year-old has an .839 OPS and 14 home runs while playing shortstop. That's premium production, but Lowrie's problem has always been staying healthy. His career-high in games played is 88, established last season.

But as it stands, Houston isn't including Lowrie in this deal. And I wouldn't give up Zach Lee to get Lowrie either.

As it stands right now, the offer appears to be Gould for Lee. It's up to Lee to waive his no-trade rights. That's the hold up.

"Carlos Lee says Dodgers have made an offer and he's mulling whether to accept it."

I don't like this deal one bit. Chad Moriyama, per usual, nails it.

"As I was expressing on Twitter, I’m not thrilled with the idea of trading prospects for Carlos Lee. A solid segment of fans disagreed though, as they were generally enamored with acquiring an upgrade over James Loney. I’m just not sure Carlos Lee is the guy they’re looking for.

Carlos Lee’s current slash line is .290/.342/.412/.754, which is in line with his recent production, and he projects to hit .276/.328/.434/.762 the rest of the way. Additionally, consider that he’s a terrible defender in the outfield and a fringe to poor defender at first base.

James Loney’s current line is .236/.303/.323/.626, which is partially the result of lower than normal BABIP. He projects to hit .266/.327/.387/.714 the rest of the way. Plus, he plays above-average to plus defense at first.

Now 50 points difference in OPS is nothing to scoff at, but factor in the defense and then consider that Loney has a .802 OPS career against righties (.669 against lefties) and Juan Rivera has a .821 career OPS against lefties (.747 against righties). Now the gap is basically non-existent.

You know how to tell that this trade is an iffy upgrade? When it’s even arguable as to whether a potential acquisition is an improvement over James Loney and Juan Rivera."

Someone needs to forward this to Ned, Stan and Co. Yes, Loney sucks with the bat and Rivera isn't much better. But when combining the two, you basically get Lee with better defense.

This doesn't even qualify as an upgrade. And if the Dodgers are so hell-bent on acquiring Lee (seems like just a matter of time now), they shouldn't be giving up quality, tradeable assets to get him.

I wrote a scouting report on Gould over at Moriyama's blog and I know he's not a lock to be a No. 3 or No. 4 starter in the majors, but that's his potential. Potential has tradeable value. Using this value to acquire a player who is of little value makes no sense.

If this was the Lee of three years ago, OK. But he's basically a singles hitter right now and has some extreme reverse platoon splits:

• .335/.383/.456 vs. RHP
• .143/.213/.268 vs. LHP

Maybe the Dodgers trade for Lee and he goes all Bobby Abreu on us. But Abreu (like the entire team) is slumping and the shine is wearing off.

I'm all for trading prospects to get quality players in return. And I know fans tend to overvalue their own team's prospects, but this proposed deal doesn't make a lot of sense.

Seager signs

The Dodgers are set to sign first-round draft pick Corey Seager. The deal should be announced today. He'll receive a $2.35 million bonus.

That's a spot of good news. Seager, 18, was drafted at No. 18 in the 2012 MLB Drat by the Dodgers earlier this month. There was little question that he'd sign with the team, it was just a matter of how much he was going to get.

The slot recommendation for the pick is $1.95 million. The Dodgers were a little more than $300,000 under budget, so this signing leaves them $98,500 over budget with second-rounder Steven Rodriguez still to sign. In all likelihood, he'll sign for at least $98,500 less than slot to avoid the Dodgers having to pay a luxury tax.

The signing leaves 12 unsigned draftees, with just one (Korey Dunbar, 39th round) saying he won't sign.

Martin to the DL

Jarret Martin was placed on the 7-day disabled list and has returned to Arizona -- presumably Camelback Ranch -- to rehab.

This isn't particularly newsworthy, but I'm going to do a little speculating.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to send Martin from Michigan (where the Loons play) to Arizona for a one-week rehab stint. There are two possibilities here:

1. He'll be on the DL for more than seven days
2. He'll be on his way to Rancho when he's healthy

I'd like to think it's the latter, despite his struggles in the last month. The main thing is he gets healthy and back to pitching.

The man who replaced him on the roster was 15th-round pick (Duke) Dalton Von Schamann. He made his Low-A debut last night and fared pretty well: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Not bad for a guy who was pitching in college a month ago.

Dodgers finalize Puig deal

The Dodgers finalized the Yasiel Puig's 7-year, $42 million Major Leauge contract on Friday. He was assigned to the Arizona League and placed on the temporary inactive list. He'll need a stint there before being moved up.

Also, since the contract was a Major League deal, a 40-man roster move needed to be made. Justin Sellers was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Puig. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Sellers is healthy and another spot is needed (or when the Dodgers inevitably acquire Lee). Guys on the short list include Matt Angle, Michael Antonini and Stephen Fife. I'm betting Angle and Fife are the ones to go.

Photo credits

Lee: SBoyd, Flickr

Seager: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Report: Elian Herrera on his way to the Dodgers

Elian Herrera

Wait, who? Oh, Elian Herrera (I'll give you a few minutes to look him up).

Tony Jackson of ESPN LA tweeted the news tonight:

"I'm told Elian Herrera on his way up. Not sure what it means other than that Gordon probably will move out of leadoff spot"

Not sure what to make of this, other than the Dodgers might be making a rash decision (which I'll get into later in the post).

Herrera, a 27-year-old career minor-leaguer, is hitting .358/.381/.550 with two home runs, nine doubles, four triples, nine stolen bases and 22 runs scored in 28 games for the Albuquerque Isotopes this season.

OK, so he's mashing at Triple-A, but who isn't (you know, besides Jerry Sands, who has responded to my post from last night with a two-home run game tonight and nine total bases).

Herrera hasn't exactly distinguished himself outside of the friendly confines that is Isotopes Park (1.046 OPS at home, .816 on the road), but he's done enough, apparently, to earn a call-up.

Herrera is a career .282/.363/.388 hitter in more than 2,000 minor-league plate appearances. So, his on-base skills are decent for his career, but they aren't nearly as impressive this season. I guess hitting .358 doesn't leave a whole lot of room for walking, but he's drawn just five walks in 127 plate appearances.

To make room on the 40-man roster, someone needs to be designated for assignment. The candidates: Matt Angle and Trent Oeltjen. Mike Petriello threw out Adam Kennedy, but that'd be too good to be true.

Herrera is the definition of a utility player, as he's played five positions in 28 games, with 10 games coming at second base, six at second base and four at shortstop.

Jackson also speculated either Matt Kemp could hit the disabled list (having an MRI on his hamstring tomorrow after coming out in the fourth inning today) to make room for Herrera. But the one move I thought about immediately involves Dee Gordon.

Dee Gordon

My guess Gordon is getting demoted to Albuquerque after posting a .211/.250/.273 line in 136 plate appearances for the 23-11 Dodgers.

If a move must be made, I'd prefer Gordon get dropped in the lineup (to eighth) before he were to be demoted to Albuquerque. The Dodgers are in first place with a six-game lead in the division. If there's any time for them to allow a young player to work through his struggles with the big league club, it's now.

It wouldn't be the worst thing for Gordon to get more seasoning in the minors, but he's already here -- the Dodgers just need to let him fight through it. He did post a .304/.325/.362 line in 233 plate appearances last season, so the ability is there.

We all knew Gordon would have his growing pains. That's the kind of player he is. But if the Dodgers feel like a duo of Justin Sellers and Herrera is better at shortstop right now, then sobeit.

If it's between Gordon getting demoted and Kemp going on the DL, I'll take the former. Let's hope it's Juan Uribe's wrist acting up, Kennedy getting Das Boot  or something else completely unforeseen... or maybe not.

Photo credits

Herrera: mwlguide, Flickr

Gordon: bridgetds, (Flickr), UC International (Wikimedia)