Finally, it’s official. The Boston Red Sox have traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both players now appear on the team’s official roster which suddenly looks all glossy and neat.
Therefore, it’s time for the talking heads to start speculating how the new look Dodgers will perform. Of course – that conversation quickly turns not to the certainty of the regular season – but October baseball. Recently Rich Eisen talked about the Dodgers and their presumptive upcoming October with their new additions.
First off, Eisen couldn’t love the addition of Betts more in terms of a shot in the arm for the Dodgers’ offense. Still, he has a question that remains.
“Altogether, Mookie Betts is exactly what the doctor ordered for this lineup. Exactly, okay. I mean, exactly what the Dodgers need in October; which they were going to make with Betts or without. They are that good. Can David Price come out with the frame though?”
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To be fully honest, I am with Eisen. In their current state, the Dodgers should roll towards a division title and probably the top record in the NL. From there, I wonder how their pitching staff will fare. And so does Eisen, who sounds like he believes in little in the starting rotation beyond Walker Buehler.
“Man I know this is a response to not getting Gerritt Cole. But if you ask Dodgers fans which two would you rather have? You can have Cole, or this trade. Which one would you take? Cole is a guy that you know will hang two or maybe three W’s on the wall in a seven game series. All you need is enough offense with a Cole to scrape out a win. Usually pitching is what gets you through October. I’m telling you that Betts is exactly what the Doctor ordered for the offense. But the question is the pitching, can Buehler take a step forward? Can Kershaw finally get his moment?”
These are worthwhile questions. Of course my hope is that the Dodgers get a hot hand or two to emerge this season no matter who it is. For instance, you can find an example of a pitcher who rose up and over performed his expectations to be a no. 3 or no. 4 starter dating back to 2016.
With the pitching depth the Dodgers have, that’s realistic to hope for. And if that doesn’t happen by midseason, they still have the prospects to go out and fortify that unit if they want to.
NEXT: Passan Sees 100+ Wins and a World Series for Dodgers in 2020
