Michael Pineda and Taylor Rogers to the Dodgers? Trade rumor season is upon on us, and on MLB Network, one host, Mark DeRosa, was throwing out some Trade Deadline scenarios for teams around the league. One trade that he proposed involved the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins.
In this scenario, the Dodgers would acquire two pitchers, one being a right-handed starter in Michael Pineda, and a left-handed reliever in Taylor Rogers. These acquisitions would address two needs that the Dodgers currently possess. For essentially the entire month of May, the Dodgers have had to reply on bullpen games to hold down the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Now the Dodgers do expect Tony Gonsolin to return to the rotation soon, but they don’t have any insurance starters in case one of their starting five land on the IL. Pineda adds a veteran presence and has pitched in eight Major League seasons, while earning a career 3.99 ERA. In 2021, he’s made nine starts for the Twins and has a 3-3 record with 3.40 ERA over 47.2 innings pitched. His SO9 is at 9.1 and his WHIP is 1.070. Pineda was an All Star for the Mariners in 2011. He’s also pitched for the New York Yankees, but he’s never appeared in a postseason game over the course of his career. Now the Dodgers don’t need to rely on him to start big games, but he would help absorb innings over the grueling months of summer and help keep the rest of the arms fresh, which would reduce the taxation on the bullpen.
Michael Pineda, Nasty 82mph Slider…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/qqxNO2fAyg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 15, 2021
Left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers would also be sent to Los Angeles. Rogers has spent his entire six year career in Minnesota. Rogers has pitched in 22.1 innings for the Twins and has four saves with a 2.82 ERA. Arguably one of his biggest abilities is to generate strike outs. His SO9 is currently at 12.5. Rogers throws a hard sinker that averages 95.5 MPG and he throws a slider with some nasty tail movement. The Dodgers could use a second bona fide lefty reliever to pair with Victor Gonzalez. The current injuries to Scott Alexander and Garrett Cleavinger along with the inconsistencies of Alex Vesia make sense for the Dodgers to target this type of veteran arm. Dodgers do have David Price, but his role remains unclear.
Taylor Rogers, K'ing the side. pic.twitter.com/juiwqxoICS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 4, 2021
The framework of this deal puts the Dodgers in a position where they wouldn’t have to surrender a lot. Pineda would be a free agent at the end of the season, and Rogers would have one year remaining of control. Look for the Dodgers to offer some lower level prospects, more likely than not outside the top 20. It’s also possible the maybe the Twins want Luke Raley back, they did acquire him in 2018 for Brian Dozier. He was then sent back to the Dodgers in 2020. This trade might not be the most flashy, but it certainly adds some needed depth to the Dodgers ,who have been decimated by injuries since day one.
Author: Kevin Klein
Twitter: @Klein25
photo credit: Getty Images/USA Today
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