In the morning, they activated hurler Eric Stults from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.I would rather move Kuo to the 60-day DL, cut Vargas, and keep Jones. Is it just me?
After Wednesday's game, the club also optioned third-string catcher A.J. Ellis to Albuquerque and designated for assignment outfielder Mitch Jones.
The Minor League rehab assignment for pitcher Claudio Vargas and his sprained right elbow is up, and he is expected to be activated to replace Ellis on the 25-man active roster. A 40-man spot would be needed for him, possibly by moving reliever Hong-Chih Kuo from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. Without being activated, Vargas could declare free agency. Before that happens, management wants to see if he can help on the Major League level.
Why the hell do the Dodgers need Vargas when they have two other options who have already sorta proven themselves in Weaver and Milton? The bullpen isn't a problem, but the bench has been absolutely terrible, and Jones is pretty much the only pinch hitter that can hit the ball out of the park right now.
5 Comments:
I agree on how weird this is. I had almost forgotten that Vargas signed with the Dodgers.
The ridiculous thing is that they are likely bringing Vargas back because he has a guaranteed Major League deal. Pretty stupid, given that he is making less than a million dollars.
I also agree about Jones. He was completely misused situationally by Torre and didn't get a chance to show his power. Having a guy like that sitting on the bench is invaluable, because he can turn a game on one swing. In the situations where Jones is best used, with men on, his K rate is not as big a deal because it only means one out. If Loretta is out there, it means a bigger chance of a GIDP. On the other hand, Jones makes no sense in a bases empty situation, because Loretta is a guy who is more effective at getting on base. Also, Jones is more expendable early, as he isn't much of a defender, while Loretta can play the entire infield.
This doesnt have anything to do with Manny, but more with the roster:
'Jason Schmidt recorded a second win for Triple-A Albuquerque in his Minor League rehab assignment Wednesday night, allowing Memphis four runs on seven hits in six innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Schmidt made 85 pitches, 60 of them strikes.
In other Minor League news, Josh Lindblom is scheduled to make his first Triple-A start Thursday after last week's promotion. Infielder Tony Abreu has been promoted from Double-A Chattanooga to Albuquerque. Journeyman left-handed reliever Brian Mazone was dealt to Philadelphia for future considerations and lefty Carmen Cali was released.'
http://kengurnick.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/07/schmidt_wins_again.html
Schmidt looked good and LINDBLOM IS STARTING lol.
Alireza-I don't even what a healthy Vargas would contribute to the Dodgers. They have nothing but league average bullpen arms in the minors. I guess guaranteed money and ego is still more important than winning.
I'm still not sold that Jones is the best bench option, but he's the only one who has a chance of being a late inning power option of everybody left.
LDY4L-I can't really say anything positive about Schmidt. I've heard positive reports before, but i'm not going to be fooled again.
Kensai - I actually agree that Jones isn't the best option. The best option has a staph infection in his leg that won't go away. The second best option is Jamie Hoffmann, a guy who projects as a poor man's Matt Kemp and makes a great 4th OFer. For some reason, the Dodgers insist on keeping him in the minors to get ABs, even though he was getting ideal time in the majors.
Yeah, I would like Xavier Paul back as well.
Jamie Hoffmann would be a very poor man's Matt Kemp though. :o
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