Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
On this episode of “Dugout Blues,” Jared and I are back to bring you all the Dodgers’ news, which wasn’t terribly plentiful.
The Rule 5 Draft protection came and went and the Dodgers added five prospects to the 40-man roster (thus protecting them from December’s draft): Yadier Alvarez, Matt Beaty, Edwin Rios, Keibert Ruiz, Josh Sborz. The biggest surprise is Beaty, but it makes sense. Sborz makes a lot of sense since the back-end of the 40-man roster is getting a bit thin, pitching-wise. Alvarez was more of “let’s see if we can get anything out of this investment,” while Rios is one of the better hitters in the system. The only no-brainer was Ruiz.
Drew Jackson and Connor Joe were left unprotected. Jackson’s name has come up a lot in Rule 5 discussions and his athletic profile could be too enticing for some lower-level teams. Joe is a right/right corner guy (as I learned in this episode) who had a good season at Triple-A, but it wasn’t enough for him to get the nod over Beaty and/or Rios.
The Dodgers named Robert Van Scoyoc as their new hitting coach. He replaces Turner Ward, who left a couple weeks ago for Cincinnati. Chad had a nice write-up on him here. We both are fans of the hiring.
Kenley Jansen had successful heart surgery on Monday. He should be ready for next season, but the most important thing is his physical health. It’s good to hear things went well.
Jared and I identified two of our most preferred free agent/trade targets this winter. You’ll have to listen to know all four, but I’ll give you one of mine: J.T. Realmuto.
To close, a solid Q&A. Please keep the questions coming.
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Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday (or every other Monday during the offseason). 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.
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