Dodgers Always Trade For Stuff At The July 31st Trade Deadline

Is it that time of year already? The July 31st trade deadline is fast approaching. It’s such a weird time of the season. Everyone raves about the trade deadline. For some people it’s a magical time of wonder and fun. Like when you were a little kid on Christmas running down the stairs to see a mountain of presents under the tree. All of them wrapped with care, and big bows and stuff. But instead of the gifts being toys, or clothes, or a coffee maker, they’re Baseball players. Like you open your gift, and bam it’s David Price. Or that gift from weird Aunt Sarah ends up becoming a solid left handed reliever instead of an ugly sweater.

Ned Colletti will get some stuff at the trade deadline, people will still complain becasuse it’s fun to complain-Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

For some people though the trade deadline is scary and intimidating. It can be kind of like that bully from junior high school that used to give you wedgies, and pummel you at lunchtime. I guess it all depends on where your club is at the time.

For us writers it’s supposed to be like your birthday. Wonderful things are supposed to happen. Page views spike. You become instantly rich, and all your wildest dreams come true. I’ve never thought of the trade deadline in those terms. For me it’s always just been hectic. Because the Dodgers are always doing something at the trade deadline. And then we have to hear 800 times about how Ned Colletti has made at least one trade for the last 23 years in a row.

Maybe Colletti will troll us all and not do anything at the trade deadline. Yup, no David price, high priced veterans, nothing. Fooled you!

But that’s not going to happen. Because the Dodgers need stuff. And the trade deadline is the way teams get stuff. Good stuff. Sometimes. But whatever, the Dodgers need stuff. And why not raid the crappy teams for parts?

So what stuff should the Dodgers go shopping for? They need a lot of stuff this year. Boy I hope stuff is on sale.

1. Bullpen help

The Dodgers need some bullpen help. This is like what Santa gets us if we’ve been really good. See the Dodger bullpen hasn’t been very good this year. I mean it’s been a lot better the last month or so, but it still hasn’t been good. It was supposed to be very good. It’s not good. The Dodger relievers have suffered 16 losses, the most in the majors. They also rank 20 in ERA (3.71) And they’ve issued 119 walks, which is the third most in the majors.

But the Dodgers could make it better with the trade deadline’s help. That’s what this thing is all about. Making stuff better.

The problem is the Dodgers have three terrible relievers this year. Brian Wilson, Chris Perez, and Paul Maholm are all terrible. Maholm’s terribleness is limited because he only enters games when the club is either up by eight runs or down by eight runs. But Wilson and Perez are supposed to be their seventh and eighth inning guys. The Dodgers need a better way of getting the ball to Kenley Jansen. Better set-up guys would be a great start. Who can the Dodgers get? Oh I don’t know. Huston Street perhaps? Maybe a Chad Qualls or something? A left hander would probably be ideal. Just go around asking all of the awful teams if we can have their relievers. Odds are they’ll say yes. We have a Carlos Triunfel we can give them. These clubs are going to dump these guys anyways.

1. A Catcher

Nobody likes talking about this. Anytime you or I bring it up most Dodger fans get irrationally angry. I think it’s because it means saying something bad about A.J. Ellis. It really isn’t about that. It’s just about getting stuff now rather than later. What happened to A.J.? He’s had an awful season. Batting less than .235 all year. Being hurt or injured for most of the season as well. No home runs, and only four runs drive in on the year. I don’t know what happened to him. Maybe it’s his knee injury? Maybe it’s because he’s 32 this year? I don’t know. At some point he should start to hit again. But what if he doesn’t? Federowicz and Butera are good catchers, but neither of them can hit a lick too. The Dodgers have gotten no production from the catcher position this season.

At some point the Dodgers are going to need a catcher. Maybe not until next season, or 2016, but at some point they will. If we can get a catcher now, why not do it? I mean if the Pirates are going to just give us Russell Martin for nothing, we should do it now right? The Dodgers have zero depth at catcher.

1. A True centerfielder

This one the Dodgers need pretty badly. We know Matt Kemp cant play canter field anymore. The Dodgers don’t like the idea of moving Yasiel Puig out of right field. So what else can the Dodgers do? They have to keep playing Andre Ethier, and Scott Van Slyke. Ethier is a pretty decent center fielder, but can’t hit much anymore. Van Slyke can hit but can’t catch up to balls out there. Although to be fair he hasn’t been that bad in center.

So the Dodgers need a center fielder. A real center fielder. Not a makeshift one. We need a natural center fielder. Just sing that center fielder song in your head over and over again.

There’s the stuff the Dodgers need at the trade deadline. GM Ned Colletti is pretty good at getting stuff at the trade deadline. Now go forth and conquer Ned. We need some stuff.