Podcast: ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 168 – Trade deadline, Puig, Urias, Alvarez

On this episode of “Dugout Blues,” Jared Massey (Dodger Blue) and I recap what turned out to be a pretty active trade deadline for the Dodgers.

They landed Rich Hill and Josh Reddick for (friend of the show) Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes and Frankie Montas. It may look like a lot to pay on the surface for two rentals, but considering the market, it was a solid deal.

They also made a couple minor deals for Jesse Chavez and Josh Fields. Both have already pitched meaningful innings for the Dodgers.

The biggest news was the fact the Dodgers demoted Yasiel Puig to Triple-A. I wrote about the whole situation. It was probably the right call, but the front office could have handled it better. Also, he has probably played his last game for the LA Dodgers.

Clayton Kershaw was moved to the 60-day disabled list. That means the soonest he could come back is Aug. 27. We’re still pessimistic that he’ll pitch at all again the rest of this season.

Brock Stewart made his second career start — this time in Coors Field. It was as bad as you’d expect. Julio Urias is on the active roster. He hasn’t pitched since a 3-inning relief appearance in Colorado that wasn’t great. He’s starting today. I have no idea what this alleged “plan” is for his development this season. It has been nothing short of baffling.

On the minor-league side, I saw Yusniel Diaz, Johan Mieses and Ariel Sandoval on Wednesday night. The Quakes might have five future MLB position players in those three, Erick Mejia and Will Smith. Of the trio I saw, Mieses was easily the most impressive. He’s on a tear right now. Mejia is making a fan out of me as a future utility player. Even Yaisel Sierra looked not terrible. Yadier Alvarez had another really strong showing for Great Lakes, and that hype train is gaining some steam. Carlos Rincon, a $350,000 signing during the last July 2 period, was promoted to the Arizona Rookie League Dodgers and has continued to hit. He’s a guy to keep an eye on. Finally, Jose De Leon appears to be ready for a shot in the majors, but the newly 24-year-old might not pitch for the Dodgers this season. We’ll see.

We got a ton of questions for our Q&A. Thank you so much. Keep ’em coming.

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Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we’re always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you’d like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us ([email protected]) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also “Like” the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.