Los Angeles Dodgers pluck Curtis Granderson from Mets
By Nick Tylwalk
The Grandy Man can … look forward to some postseason baseball now.
With a ridiculous 86-34 record and a 19-game lead in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting in a position where they could just cruise to the finis line, try to get healthier and hope that’s enough to bring home the World Series.
But true contenders don’t rest on their laurels, as impressive as they might be, which is why the Dodgers went ahead and added Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets.
Rumored to be going down earlier on Friday night, the Dodgers themselves tweeted out the news.
Dodgers have acquired Curtis Granderson and cash considerations from Mets in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 19, 2017
To make room on the 40-man roster, Dodgers designated right-hander Dylan Floro for assignment.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 19, 2017
The 36-year-old Granderson is a three-time All-Star and popular figure wherever he goes. While he’s hitting only .228 this season, he has a very respectable .815 OPS and has slugged 19 home runs in 395 plate appearances. His defense isn’t stellar at this stage of his career but won’t kill his team either.
While the Dodgers aren’t exactly hurting at any position, their outfield hasn’t exactly been terrorizing opponents this year. Joc Pederson has struggled at the plate, and while Yasiel Puig has been more good than bad in 2017, he remains mercurial. At the very least, Granderson could spell the starters down the stretch and provide the team with a left-handed power bat in the playoffs, something no contender ever considers a bad thing.
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Bleacher Report notes that Granderson is in the final year of his contract, so while this figures to be a rental, the Dodgers have the luxury of being able to just pony up whatever if they decide they want to keep him around. It’s a deal where the rich get richer, at least in the on the diamond sense, and that’s something that has to make fans of other NL teams unhappy.