Dodgers need to rid themselves of Juan Uribe as soon as possible

It's no secret I've been against the Juan Uribe deal since he signed with the team two winters ago. I'm not usually in the business of saying "I told you so," but, well, it's quite fitting at this time.

Uribe is mired in a miserable slump (yes, even more miserable than his Dodger career totals). Since rejoining the team from injury on June 11, he's 5-for-49 with three doubles, two runs scored three walks and 15 strikeouts. Even worse, he's on an 0-for-25 streak right now.

When the Dodgers signed him, Uribe was coming off a big postseason with the Giants. Well, that's what Ned Colletti would tell you. In reality, he went 7-for-47 with two home runs and eight RBI. Unfortunately, those two home runs came at "clutch" times, thus leading people to believe Uribe was some kind of postseason hero.

He's actually one of the worst players in baseball and the Dodgers just need to cut their losses short with him.

There are two things keeping him around right now: his defensive ability (which isn't exactly Adrian Beltre-esque no matter what his 21.2 UZR says) and the fact the Dodgers have zero third base depth in the minors. Why do you think guys like Elian Herrera and Luis Cruz have even seen time in the majors this season?

The Dodgers drafted Corey Seager to be the eventual long-term third baseman, but he won't be ready for at least three years -- and that's being extremely optimistic. Other than that, guys like Josh Fields (not a prospect), Jake Lemmerman (more of a utility/middle infielder) and Pedro Baez (can't hit) are the next guys in line and they're not exactly realistic options.

But as for right now, the Dodgers are better off playing Jerry Hairston at third base the majority of the time. But since he's not an every day player, playing career minor-leaguers like Herrera and Cruz (and maybe even Adam Kennedy) are better options than Uribe. He's a black hole at the plate and has no business being on a Major League roster right now.

The Dodgers -- mainly Colletti -- have a really hard time known when to cut bait. If there was ever a time he was going to own up to his mistake, this would be the time. The fact that guys like Mike Petriello, Eric Stephen and Jon Weisman are saying there's a chance Uribe could be designated for assignment means there's some hope.

If the Dodgers sack up and actually DFA Uribe, they won't stick with the trio Herrera, Cruz and Kennedy for long. My expectation is they would step up trade efforts for a third baseman, particularly guys like Chase Headley or Jed Lowrie (who plays short but could slide over to third).

First thing's first, though: time to trim the excess fat (pun intended).

Minor league moves

The Dodgers made a number of minor league moves this week. Here are some of the more notable ones:

• Seager was assigned to Ogden and has already played in a couple games
• Steven Rodriguez was signed and went straight to Great Lakes
• Angelo Songco was promoted from Great Lakes to Rancho Cucamonga
• Darnell Sweeney was promoted to Great Lakes from Ogden to take Songco's spot

Seager beginning in Ogden is no surprise. He'll finish his first professional season there.

Rodriguez, the Dodgers' second-round pick, going to Great Lakes doesn't surprise me, but him signing for slot ($610,800) surprises me. That means the Dodgers will have to pay a luxury tax which comes in a little less than $75,000. The expectation was the Dodgers could get Rodriguez signed cheaper than slot to offer Seager a little more to forgo his commitment to South Carolina and because Rodriguez was overdrafted a bit.

Songco was rehabbing at Great Lakes and actually struggled a bit: .175/.281/.367 with six home runs. The home runs and walks were nice, but the .175 batting average was not -- especially since he played in the league a couple years ago. No clue how long he'll be in Rancho, but I'd like to see him in Chattanooga before the season ends.

Sweeney, the Dodgers' 13th-round draft pick, had a solid triple slash in 16 games: .303/.380/.379 for a glove-first shortstop. Drawing nine walks (against eight strikeouts) and stealing 10 bases were both positives for a 21-year-old fresh out of college.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr

Dee Gordon out six weeks after thumb injury, get familiar with Jed Lowrie

Pretty much. Dee Gordon will undergo surgery on his right thumb after an MRI today revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Gordon injured his thumb sliding head-first into third base during Wednesday night's game -- a 4-1 Dodger victory.

The Dodgers recalled Luis Cruz a few days ago, so he'll be Gordon's primary replacement until he's either healthy or the Dodgers acquire someone else. This is where Jed Lowrie comes into play.

If you'll recall, the Dodgers were discussing trade options with the Houston Astros on Friday that, presumably, began with a Zach Lee-for-Lowrie swap. The talks later devolved into Garrett Gould-for-Carlos Lee (who was traded to the Miami Marlins yesterday... hooray!).

It appears the Dodgers have some interest in the 28-year-old shortstop and willing to deal their top prospect. And now the Dodgers are desperate for a replacement and to stay in the National League playoff chase. The Astros could be chomping at the bit to deal a guy having a career year for a Top 50 prospect.

Lowrie has never played more than 88 games in a season (2011) and has already amassed a 2.5 fWAR this season. There's no doubt he has talent, but the injury bug has always been a question mark.

The switch-hitter is struggling against left-handed pitching this season (.185/.303/.323), which doesn't represent his career numbers (.299/.369/.494), so who knows what that's all about. Something to note about his home/road splits: His OPS is 200 points better at home than on the road.

I would not be at all surprised to see the Dodgers make this move. When Gordon comes back, Lowrie can slide over to third base where his .809 OPS will play. It seems like an overpay to me, but the Dodgers have been known to do that from time-to-time. However, it'd be nice to get Lowrie without having to give up Lee. Then the Dodgers could use Lee to nab Chase Headley from the Padres, but that's another post for another time.

It's too bad Justin Sellers got hurt. This would have been the perfect season for him to get some extended playing time. I'm not saying he would have been better than the guys the Dodgers have put at second- and third base in the absence of Mark Ellis (who's been activated!) and Juan Uribe (who is terrible at baseball), but he does have decent on-base skills and a solid glove.

Photo credits

Gordon: SD Dirk, Flickr

Lowrie: sdowen, Flickr

Could the Dodgers replace Todd Coffey with Brian Fuentes?

When the Dodgers signed Todd Coffey this offseason, I was puzzled. The bullpen had (seemingly) been set and the Dodgers brought him in. The Dodgers quickly rectified the clutter by releasing Mike MacDougal in April.

But just when Coffey had gotten things going, his season (and likely Dodger career) as a Dodger is over after suffering a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. The 31-year-old will need Tommy John Surgery.

Coffey had a 4.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 7.9 H/9, 4.2 BB/9, 8.4 K/9 and a 3.59 FIP. He had a rough start to the season, spent some time on the DL, came back and pitched well. Before Monday, he had been lights out in his previous 16 outings: 15 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 12 K, .120 batting average against. He was one of the Dodgers' most effective relievers for more than a month.

Shawn Tolleson was recalled (after literally just being sent back to Triple-A) to take his place. But I wonder with the Dodgers' lack of left-handed relievers (just Scott Elbert) if the recently designated Brian Fuentes is a possibility?

Fuentes was designated for assignment by the A's on Tuesday because he's pitched poorly this season. However, he still has value as he throws 90 MPH and is left-handed. I'm not especially keen on the Dodgers picking up pitchers who have a 6.84 ERA and a negative fWAR (-0.4), but Fuentes can give Don Mattingly some flexibility out of the 'pen.

Fuentes isn't fairing well against anyone this season, but he does have a career .220 BAA vs. left-handed batters and has given up just 13 of his career 63 home runs against lefties. This, mind you, after pitching in Colorado for the majority of his career.

The Dodgers could probably snag him for the minimum, though, I'm sure there are other teams interested in his services. If they have to offer a little more than the minimum, I'd be OK with that.

This would free Elbert up to throw more meaningful innings, i.e. against right-handed hitters. Elbert is actually much better this season vs. RHH than he is LHH:

• vs. RHH: .179/.267/.282 in 45 plate appearances
• vs. LHH: .296/.361/.444 in 61 plate appearances

So, acquiring a LOOGY (and this is the way to go about it, Ned; not by trading prospects) might help the Dodgers' bullpen in the long run. It's said the Dodgers are looking for one and there is one available for cheap. Seems like just a matter of time.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr

Dodgers sign five players on first day of new International signing period

The Dodgers signed five International free agents on Monday, the first day of the International signing bonanza. It was also the first day under the new rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Teams are limited to $2.9 million total to spend on International free agents. This comes on the heels of the Dodgers signing Yasiel Puig to a 7-year, $42 million deal -- the largest contract for a Cuban defector.

The four players the Dodgers signed are 16 years old. If that didn't make you feel old, here's one more: they were born in 1996.

From Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:

"(T)he Dodgers on Monday announced the signing of a quartet of 16-year olds.

The Dodgers signed Mexican pitchers Lenix Osuna and Victor Gonzalez, as well as Venezuelan pitcher William Soto. Osuna is the son of former Dodgers pitcher Antonio Osuna.

'We are pleased to announce we have been extremely active in the July 2nd signing period and have signed multiple players with more on the horizon,' said assistant general manager Logan White in a statement. 'We are able to get three fine young arms with bright futures.'

The Dodgers also signed Mexican catcher Julian Leon, whom White called "one of the best catching prospects on the International market."

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles TImes reported the total spent on the four players was roughly $1 million."

Of course there's a former player's son in this group. It would have almost been disappointing if there wasn't.

They also signed Dominican shortstop Cristian Gomez, who is also 16 years old. From Ben Badler of Baseball America:

"Gomez, 16, is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds and stands out in the field with soft hands, good range and an average arm. He's an instinctive player in the field and has gap power from the right side of the plate. Terms were not available but Gomez was expected to sign for a low six-figure bonus.

Gomez is from Nizao and trained at La Academia. His trainer is Alberto Mercedes, better known as "Pelkin" in the Dominican Republic, where his recent players have included Indians shortstop Dorssys Paulino and Mariners shortstop Ketel Marte, two of the better shortstops in short-season ball."

The fact is these guys will not play this year due to the rules and they won't even be on the prospect map for a couple years at minimum. White always speaks well of his signings and draft picks, so it isn't surprising to hear him praise the signings.

It's almost like the Dodgers are so amped up to get back into the international scene that they overpaid for Puig (which I don't have a problem with ) and can't wait to hype up the players they sign -- even if said players aren't viewed among the top International free agents available. They also sent out a press release earlier this season announcing they had signed some 20-plus international free agents. It's a good PR move, but that kind of thing happens every year. It's not uncommon.

So, it'll be interesting to see how these guys develop and how many more international free agents the Dodgers can land. Aside from Puig, no one they've signed were among the top international prospects. Six of Baseball America's Top 20 International free agents are still available. I'm hoping the Dodgers can land at least one of them, but preferably multiple (as the Blue Jays, Phillies, Rays and Yankees have).