The Moonshot: Guardians–Dodgers, key injuries and MLB Trade Deadline hindsight
Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
With the hindsight of a month’s worth of baseball, which MLB Trade Deadline addition has turned out to be most significant?
Terrence Jordan: I’ve gotta go with Yusei Kikuchi, who has been lights out since the Astros got him from Toronto. Kikuchi has given up just 10 earned runs in six starts with Houston, and the Astros have won every game in which he’s taken the mound. His most recent start was a 12-strikeout, zero-walk masterpiece, but the most encouraging aspect of it might be that he allowed only four fly balls. It’s no coincidence that Joe Espada’s club was a game behind the Mariners at the time of the Kikuchi trade, and are now six games up.
Zachary Rotman: As great as Kikuchi has been, I’m going to go with Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees. He’s been limited to just 24 games thanks to an elbow injury, but he’s been on fire ever since he put on the pinstripes, slashing .333/.374/.667 with nine home runs, 15 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in just 99 plate appearances. He adds a legitimate threat to hit behind the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and has done all of this while playing a new position - third base. He’s been extraordinary for a Yankees team that desperately needed more length in their lineup.
Robert Murray: Michael Kopech. When I found out the Dodgers acquired Kopech from the White Sox, my first reaction was: “It won’t be long until he’s one of the best relievers in baseball.” He has always had all the talent in the world. Now, with a contending team capable of developing and maximizing pitching, he was in a strong position to thrive. Kopech has done just that. Since the trade, he’s posted a 0.59 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. He has pitched like the best reliever in baseball and has been a massive addition to the Dodgers’ bullpen and makes an already dangerous team that much more potent.
Zach Pressnell: I would like to say Jazz Chisholm Jr., but in an attempt to continue keeping this answer diverse, I’ll go with Jack Flaherty. Has Flaherty performed better than Chisholm, Kopech or Kikuchi? No, he hasn’t. But the Dodgers starting rotation is so ravaged with injuries that this pickup is going to continue to be more significant as time goes by. With Glasnow, Yamamoto, and even Kershaw battling injuries, Flaherty is going to be heavily leaned on for the rest of the year. His performance could make or break the rest of the Dodgers’ season.
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The Guardians and Dodgers kick off a three-game slate on Friday. Are you buying or selling this as a possible (and possibly compelling) World Series preview?
Terrence Jordan: The Guardians have been the most underappreciated team in baseball this year, yet they showed a lot in winning five of six recently to extend their A.L. Central lead after briefly losing it. They can absolutely rise above the Orioles and Yankees, who have been on a path of mutually assured destruction since April. While I have no doubt that Rob Manfred’s office would prefer the Yankees in the Fall Classic, the storyline of MLB’s “Little Team that Could” going against the Evil Empire Dodgers would make for a true baseball fan’s dream. Shohei Ohtani vs. Emmanuel Clase. Jose Ramirez vs. Tyler Glasnow. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez vs. the Naylor brothers and Steven Kwan. My body is ready.
Zachary Rotman: This is an easy buy. The Los Angeles Dodgers are, predictably, one of the best teams in the majors thanks to their stars. Nobody expected the Cleveland Guardians to be where they are, but there’s a reason they’ve been among the MLB leaders all season long. They have several stars offensively led by Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, and Josh Naylor, and have arguably the best bullpen in the majors led by Emmanuel Clase. Having an underdog Cleveland team go up against the powerful Dodgers would be awesome to see.
Robert Murray: 100 percent buying. I don’t think it’s the most likely matchup, with the Yankees, Orioles and Astros all looming as serious threats in the American League. But the Guardians are for real. Their bullpen, led by Emmanuel Clase, is dominant and the best in baseball. The offense has key, young contributors who should have the Guardians in contention annually. But don’t discount the impact that new manager Stephen Vogt has had in that clubhouse. He had long been coveted as a manager, even when he was still playing, and the Guardians are seeing firsthand why he was so coveted.
Zach Pressnell: Absolutely buying on this. Not only are these two teams incredible, but they are such polar opposites that it would be a Hollywood ending to the season to see them matchup in the World Series. The Dodgers went out and purchased their team in the most egregious of ways while the Guardians are paying nobody on their roster more than $20 million this season. David versus Goliath would now be featured in the World Series if this matchup came to fruition.
Which ongoing injury matters most not just for the playoff race but the actual postseason?
Terrence Jordan: Every contending team is dealing with injuries at this point of the season, but only the Astros are thriving while missing an MVP-caliber hitter from their lineup. Kyle Tucker was one of the best players in the game when he went down with a fractured shin in early June, and it looks like he’s going to make it back just in time for Houston’s annual October push. If he can regain his early season form, the rest of the American League could be in trouble.
Zachary Rotman: The Atlanta Braves have the pitching to get to the postseason and make a deep run, but the question regarding them is can their offense keep up? Both Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley are out with major injuries with timelines that give them the chance to return either just before or during the postseason. Can the Braves survive without those two All-Stars in addition to Ronald Acuña Jr.? If they get to October and get Albies and Riley back, they might have a team capable of making a run even without Acuña and Spencer Strider. That’s how good the rest of their team is.
Robert Murray: I think both answers above are very good, but I’ll go with Christian Yelich. The Brewers’ offense is young and having a player like Yelich — a veteran, former MVP who was having a great season — would have been crucial for a team with World Series aspirations. They especially needed a player of Yelich’s caliber with the pitching staff lacking a true ace like it had in previous seasons, with Corbin Burnes in Baltimore and Brandon Woodruff out for the season. The Brewers still have a real chance of advancing to the World Series. It just becomes a lot more difficult without Yelich.
Zach Pressnell: The Los Angeles Dodgers and their pitching staff. They currently have a rotation of Flaherty, Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler and Gavin Stone. This certainly doesn’t look like a postseason rotation. With Ohtani having such a special year, it would seem like a bit of a waste of they were bounced in the first round because their pitching was that bad. Obviously, they could slug their way into a World Series title, but they would look a ton better if they had a healthy pitching staff with Kershaw and Glasnow back.
Robert Murray notebook:
- It wouldn’t be surprising if Teoscar Hernandez reached free agency after the season. That said, given how well the slugger has performed in Los Angeles and likes being with the Dodgers, a long-term pact should not be ruled out.
- My Manager of the Year picks are Pat Murphy in the National League and Stephen Vogt in the American League.
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