Monday, August 17, 2015

ESPN's Waiver Deal Projections Involve Dodgers, Benoit, Benjamins

Deal does not involve this tiny-headed player, despite what the headline might imply.

Conspiracy theorist ESPN.com analyst Jim Bowden has some waiver deals he thinks might happen (link insider only), one of which involves the Dodgers:

4. The Padres trade Joaquin Benoit to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Zach Lee.

The Dodgers' bullpen is a disaster, and they have just two weeks to do something about it. The question here is whether Benoit would get claimed by another team during the waiver process before the Dodgers get a shot at him. I think it's a long shot that Benoit actually gets to the Dodgers unclaimed, though stranger things have happened. If he does, the Dodgers should claim Benoit and send pitching prospect Zach Lee to the Padres for him. Benoit, 37, is having another banner season as a setup man for the Padres, including a 2.17 ERA in 51 appearances, with a 0.85 WHIP and only 25 hits allowed in 49 2/3 innings.

Lee, 23, is finally starting to put it together, and a change of scenery is exactly what he needs. There might be no better place for him to land than pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Worth noting: Lee was originally drafted by Logan White when he ran the Dodgers' scouting department, and White is now one of the top talent evaluators for GM A.J. Preller and the Padres.

Benoit comes with a team option for 2016 at $8 million or a $1.5 million buyout, so the move isn't necessarily a rental-type deal, which the Dodgers tend to stay away from.

Bowden also thinks the Giants will pick up Chase Utley from the Phillies in exchange for a mediocre pitching prospect (Kyle Crick), in order to fill the gap of the injured Joe Panik. I suppose we'll see; two weeks to go!

4 comments:

Fred's Brim said...

Benoit turns into Jim Johnson if he comes to LA

Dusty Baker said...

God damn he has a tiny head.

Hideo Nomo said...

As a wrestling fan, I get a little twitchy at the name Benoit.

karen said...

Thank you Gnomes...I figured I was the only one whose tummy got queasy at that name.