While Hyeseong Kim was not the impetus for my next forthcoming post, he is prominent. But for this post, I wanted to touch on Diego Cartaya. As mentioned by many on Friday, Cartaya was DFA. The Dodgers have 7 days from DFA to trade him or waive him. I am guessing that the Dodgers exhausted their efforts to trade him without the DFA.
This was both a surprise and expected at the same time for me. Everyone knew that it made no sense to carry three catchers at the AAA level, and get all of them meaningful time behind the dish. Brandon Gomes said the Dodgers were going to accentuate Dalton Rushing’s catching this year. Hunter Feduccia has already established that he can be a productive MLB backup catcher. That left Cartaya as the odd man out. He is only 23, and has been a consensus top 20 overall prospect. MLB Pipeline – #14; Baseball America – #18; Baseball Prospectus – #19.
Another factor for the Dodgers actions is that once Diego was optioned in 2025, he would be out of options. He is going to need to stick with a MLB team by 2026 or be subject to being released. The Dodgers did it a year early. That will be the same concern for any team signing him to a MLB contract, which I sincerely hope he does.
I know many out there consider me a negative nelly with respect to prospects. I consider myself more cautious with expectations. Those expectations come with a dose of reality. I think everyone knows that I believe the Dodgers are devoid of elite non-pitching talent but have a plethora of options for platoon/depth position players.
With the signing of Teoscar Hernández (last year), Jason Heyward, Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim, I think it shows AF/BG prefer the veteran to the unknown of the prospect. Gavin Lux, Andy Pages, James Outman would probably be a regular for many MLB teams, but are depth platoon players for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers do not have the luxury of waiting for a prospect to become established at MLB. Other teams like KC and Pittsburgh have that luxury.
MJ Melendez is the regular LF for KC. He has a career slash line of .221/.303/.397/.700 at the MLB level. Not much of a line for a corner OF. Would this be acceptable for the Dalton Rushing fans? However, before being moved to the OF, like Rushing, Melendez was a one of highest regarded catcher prospects in all of MiLB. Of course having Salvy Perez as the regular starting catcher had a lot to do with getting moved to the OF. In 2021 in MiLB, Melendez batted .288/.386/.625/1.011 (531 PA), with his AAA numbers of .293/.413/.620/1.033 (184 PA). He had 41 HRs for the season, with 13 at AAA. In 2022 (at 23), he was promoted to the Big League Club, but in three years has not come close to putting up those 2021 numbers. His HR totals for the three years are 18, 16, 17.
KC has had the luxury of waiting for these type of players to click at the MLB level. They are doing the same with Vinnie Pasquantino. The Dodgers do not have that level of patience.
Another highly regarded catching prospect moved to the OF to get his bat into the game is Dalton Rushing’s teammate and predecessor at catcher for Louisville, the Pirates’ Henry Davis. Davis was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. As a 23 year old, he was first brought to MLB in June 2023 as a RF. He certainly did not establish himself as a fixture in MLB. In 255 PA, Davis hit .213/.302/.351/.653. For most fans that is grounds for immediate DFA. For Pittsburgh, it was sufficient to start 2024 with the MLB team. In 102 PA, Davis hit .153/.267/.235/.503, and was dispatched to AAA after June 14.
At AAA, Davis again showed why he was highly regarded by hitting .307/.401/.555/.956 in 254 PA. He was recalled August 26 where he had 2 singles in 19 AB the rest of the season. A forgettable MLB season for Davis. Davis will probably find himself fighting for a position on the 26 man roster this ST. I am sure Pittsburgh is hoping that he turns the corner to be considered a regular everyday OF. It will not be as a catcher, with Joey Bart finally established at the MLB level.
Teams like the Pirates can afford to wait for players like Jack Suwinski to finally blossom with on the job training at MLB. The Dodgers? No. Heck, the Dodgers did not give Gavin Lux ST to establish his bona fides as a MLB SS. At best Pages is now a 4th OF after putting up decent numbers last year, and with a couple of WS HRs to boot. After being #3 in ROY in 2023, James Outman is fighting for a job.
With the exodus of Diego Cartaya, Rushing will get a healthy dose of catching at AAA, with Hunter Feduccia. Rushing will also get OF time and DH time. Feduccia will also get DH time. Just in case, OKC should have a 3rd catcher in reserve. Griffin Lockwood-Powell has moved from catcher/1B to almost exclusive 1B. I no longer believe that Rushing will be traded this winter.
That being said, I ask the question again, why are so many out there so eager to accept Dalton Rushing will hit MLB pitching? He is only a year removed from having questions about his ability to hit higher velo. MiLB velo is not nearly the same as MLB velo in terms of both velo and movement. MLB is SOOOO much harder than MiLB, especially in a very hitter friendly league like the PCL.
I hope Rushing goes off this year, but the LAD front office has spoken. They do not believe that as a WS contender, that Dalton Rushing is preferred to Michael Conforto on the Dodgers roster. And they also do not like their prospects sitting on a bench in a platoon/reserve role, when there veterans available to do just that. LAD prefers their prospects to get steady AB in MiLB. That system has worked very well for the Dodgers, and I expect it will continue this year.
I also hope that Diego Cartaya lands on his feet and establishes himself as the prospect many expected of him.
Only three seasons ago I was reading that young Diego Cartaya, then catching at Rancho Cucamonga, was a sure thing with a winning personality that could make him a future “face of the franchise.”
He was a Salvador Perez-type whose talent would push Will Smith over to third base. He’d bat ahead of Smith in the middle of the order, knocking all-star Miguel Vargas in with regularity.
Cartaya and Vargas used to be rated 1-2 among Dodger prospects. Now we know that un-hyped guys like Luke Raley and Zach McKinstry will have longer ML careers.
If the Dodgers win only another championship in the next 3 years, would that be considered a success or a failure? I guess winning 2 out of 3 would be wonderful, let alone winning 3 out of 3…. I ask because there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t read that they’re the best team and the best management and the best players and the best fans and one of the best stadiums…. Someone mentioned that if they don’t win another ring, they’ll be worse than the Braves.
I have always felt that prospects are suspects until they prove they are not. AAA is not MLB.
“I know many out there consider me a negative nelly with respect to prospects.”
I don’t. I accept your take on prospects as well researched.
“I think everyone knows that I believe the Dodgers are devoid of elite non-pitching talent”
Me too. And I’ve said as much several times. There will be one or two that will be promoted to the Dodgers varsity squad, the rest are trade bait.
I don’t see Rushing as an outfielder. I’m with Cassidy on this one. Leave him behind the plate, do those drills that speed up his bat and put him in as backup catcher in ‘26.
I still believe Pages could be a decent everyday outfielder. If not here, maybe with the White Sox.
I await two significant moves then ST. Especially ST. Winter sucks.
So is the infield going to be Muncy Kim Betts Freeman Smith and Rojas Kike the backups once they trade Lux Outman And Chris Taylor I heard tslk the Philies woukd take luc tsylor outman for Bhrom to play thirdbase then that would move muncy to second and Betts to short and you still have Edman in centerfield sure sounds like a team where slmost rvery nute you could have a different lineup of players with all those guys that can play seversl positions the only set guys are Freeman and smith.
Have to admit the HKim signing caught me by surprise. Seems like a low risk signing. I wish the Dodgers would just move on from Taylor. I was also hoping the Dodgers would bring Kike back.
Jeff,
Since you are closer to the mindset of a MLB player than anyone else here, I have a question.
Let’s flip the POV.
If YOU (or anyone reading) were Rushing which would you prefer:
Option A: Spend more time at OF where a path to the MLB may be optimal, even though the organization thinks it’s not an optimal value fit.
Option B: Spend more time at C where a path to making the most money is clearest, but a path to regular playing time in the short term is murkier.
I read a lot about the Dodgers getting younger. I prefer to hear how they can get better.
Stumbled upon a bit of context as we consider who should play CF for the Dodgers next season….
About 11 months ago, MLB Network produced it’s list of the Top Ten centerfielders heading into the ’24 season.
How about that? Less than a year ago, Outman ranked 6th here, between Harris and Buxton. Pretty good company. Then came the dreaded sophomore jinx. On most other teams, Outman probably would have been able to work through his slumps at the ML level–as he did with the Dodgers in his rookie season. Instead, he was optioned to OKC, where he played well, with a particularly strong finish after his daughter was born.
Also notice that potential trade target Luis Robert Jr ranked 3rd, ahead of no less than Mike Trout. Robert also had a disappointing ’24 season. The only guy who really shined on this list was Judge… well, at least until that fateful fifth inning.
Right now, the assumption is that Edman will start at CF and Outman will have an uphill fight for the role of 4th outfielder.
But what if Outman has a strong spring? His offensive upside, especially in a platoon, is greater than Edman’s. Both play solid defense, so perhaps an Outman/Edman platoon would make sense.
Another possibility, certainly, is that Lux gets traded and Edman or perhaps Hye-Seong Kim takes over 2B, clearing the way for an Outman/Pages/Taylor job share in CF.
I hope the Dodgers either play Outman or trade him.
“The Dodgers are better than they were last year.”
So are the dbacks, giants, Mets, probably the Phillies, and maybe the Padres. The point being every team is attempting to improve and every team has LA circled on the calendar.
What COULD still be done to make this team not just a better starting 9 every night but deeper on the bench and in the bullpen.
It sounds like some believe the team is set, or at least good enough. I don’t believe that.
There are still weeks before the team collects in Glendale. There is plenty of time for tweaking. Again, I don’t believe the front office is done.
Gavin Lux traded to Cincinnati
Hey Bluto. Looks like we were correct (as they say in the media, Bluto had it first) that the minute Gomes announced Lux would be the second baseman after the Kim signing he should have started packing.
“Dee Gordon is our second baseman” lives!
From what I’ve read Dodgers have long wanted Sirota. Here is Glaser:
Some background here: The Dodgers drafted Sirota out of high school and were very disappointed they couldn’t sign him.
They’ve liked him and wanted him for a long time. Now, they finally got him.
other interesting angle is that when Santander signs the pick will fall to #41. last year’s 41st pick had a slot value of nearly $2.3M, a considerable amount to add.
Mike Sirota,
From Baseball Savant
2024
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45
Sirota was relatively unknown when he was selected out of the Connecticut high school ranks late in the 2021 Draft by the Dodgers, but he went on to play for Mike Glavine at Northeastern University in Boston. He had hit everywhere he’d been, from his first two seasons in college (1.060 OPS) to back-to-back turns in the Cape Cod League (.942 OPS), making the grand-nephew of Whitey Ford the best Huskies product since Carlos Peña went No. 10 overall in 1998. He failed to live up to top-of-the-first-round expectations by really scuffling for much of his junior season, though he righted the ship enough to land to the Reds in the third round and sign for right around slot value.
Lean, athletic and strong, Sirota has an intriguing collection of tools. He has plus bat speed with excellent bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate, though his timing was off for much of the spring, keeping him from squaring up the ball as consistently as he has in the past. There’s raw power for him to tap into — he had 18 homers in his sophomore season — and when combined with his plus speed, he has 20-20 potential at the highest level.
That speed makes Sirota a legitimate longterm center fielder. He makes good reads and routes and has a tick-above-average arm to boot, with his all-around tools and makeup giving the Reds confidence he can rediscover his consistency.
Bring Kike back!!!
So this is another surprise: Lux goes to the Reds for OF prospect Mike Sirota and and a player to be drafted later.
All I know about Sirota is that the Dodgers drafted him out of high school but didn’t sign him. Nice to get a draft pick.
I am puzzled by the Reds’ thinking, with Matt McClain slotted to play 2B. Will they now flip Lux to Seattle or maybe the Yankees? I was hoping Lux would go to a team that really needs a new second baseman–a place where Lux could play full-time and bat high in the order.
The deal is great news for not just Kim, but also Alex Freeland. One less obstacle to moving up. And Outman could benefit too.
If Kim struggles, Edman could shift to 2B.
Yes, I really want Outman to get a fair shake this season…
I apologize but I got my elevated heart rate again, and I need to lie down and will not be able to finish my post.
Some info on Sirota from mlb.com:
“Relatively unknown in high school, Sirota was selected late in the 2021 Draft out of the Connecticut high school ranks by the Dodgers, but went on to play for Mike Glavine at Northeastern University in Boston. He had hit everywhere he’d been, from his first two seasons in college (1.060 OPS) to back-to-back turns in the Cape Cod League (.942 OPS), making the grand-nephew of Whitey Ford the best Huskies product since Carlos Peña went No. 10 overall in 1996. He failed to live up to top of the first round expectations by really scuffling for much of his junior season.
Lean, athletic and strong, Sirota has an intriguing collection of tools. He has plus bat speed with excellent bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate, though his timing was off for much of the spring, keeping him from squaring up the ball as consistently as he has in the past. There’s raw power for him to tap into — he had 18 homers in his sophomore season — and when combined with his plus speed, he has 20-20 potential at the highest level.
That speed makes Sirota a legitimate long-term center fielder. He makes good reads and routes and has a tick-above-average arm to boot. He’s a better, more physical player than the best college bat in the area last year, Travis Honeyman, who went in the third round, and while he may have fallen out of the first-round picture for many teams, his all-around tools and makeup should keep him from falling too far.”
I like the sound of “legitimate long-term center fielder.”
So instead of Lux-in-a-blockbuster, we get a chess move. And it looks good.
Reminds me of how AF flipped Busch (and Yancy Almonte) for top prospects Ferris and Hope. The Dodgers reportedly wanted to draft both of those guys, only to be beat out by the Cubs. And we know that Dodgers scouts were so high on Sirota that they actually drafted him out of high school. And in addition to a top prospect in Sirota–he hasn’t played pro ball yet–they also get the competitive balance pick, which is essentially a high 2nd round choice.
The deal also reminds me of when AF flipped RP Dylan Floro for prospects Alex Vesia and Kyle Hurt. The Marlins–or was it the Rays?–got a proven veteran to help close out games, and the Dodgers got some raw talent that they made better. Vesia, of course, is cog in the current pen, while Hurt recuperating along with Stone, Ryan, Sheehan…. The Dodgers might have a six-man rotation on the IL.
Certainly wishing Lux all the best. If the Reds let him play full-time and he starts to hit lefties, he still has all-star potential. There is speculation that the Reds could shift either Elly De La Cruz or Matt McClain to 3B to accommodate Lux. The current third baseman could shift to 1B. The Reds are an interesting team.
The big winner is Kim, who will open Spring training as the frontrunner for a full-time job at 2B. In Korea, he hit both lefties and righties and played gold-glove quality defense.
Gee, it seems that the Dodgers may have learned from the mistake they made when they gift-wrapped the 2B job for Miguel Vargas.
Disappointed to see Gavin Lux traded from the Dodgers. He was the top prospect in the MLB in 2019 and spent his entire career with the Dodgers after being drafted out of high school. He overcome several injuries once he reached the MLB and his first season was also the Covid year. He had a couple of really good stretches in the big leagues in 2022 before hurting his shoulder in August, and during the second half of 2024.
Lux was one of my favorite Dodgers and it is sad to see him shipped out. He was only making $2.7 million yet they could not fit him into their $350 million budget. And the only return is a college draftee from northeastern and a draft pick this year. Neither will help them win in the next several years. The front office is brilliant and very successful, but also not very attached to their homegrown or long time players. With Buehler, Bellinger, Turner, Seager, Busch and others, the team seems to prioritize the external free agents. I prefer to keep homegrown talent and to supplement it with trades and free agents. But the Dodgers have an unlimited budget that they can spend on external talent primarily. At least Smith received an extension and Kershaw will be back.
Best of luck to Gavin Lux in Cincy and thanks for contributing to two World Championships.