It might sound funny, considering he finally hit his first home run of the season and drove in four runs, but I think it could be time to consider trading James Loney.
The home run on Wednesday came in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park (a notorious bandbox), and it barely cleared the short porch in right field.
It didn't even look like Loney thought he hit it out and Jayson Werth seemed surprised in the outfield. So it's not like he suddenly started raking the ball over the field.
After going 3-for-5 with four runs driven in, he's still batting just .277. The RBI total of 25 is good, putting him on pace to drive in over a hundred. He plays stellar defense, so it's not like I am suggesting trading him without thinking of how good he actually is or can be.
It's just that his power decrease is concerning. He should be hitting more home runs, and not going 154 plate appearances without one.
I also think he has stranded more base runners than any other Dodgers, except maybe Russell Martin.
The biggest reason to trade him isn't because he's not good, because he is, but I think he could bring a lot back in return.
The first thing that comes to mind is trading him to the Florida Marlins for Jorge Cantu.
Cantu is going to make $5-6 million dollars next year, and Loney is just becoming arbitration eligible. The Marlins love taking on cheaper players, and in return the Dodgers would get a top notch bat at the corner.
Cantu's defense is worse, no denying that, but the Dodgers might even be able to squeeze a pitcher like Andrew Miller or Anibal Sanchez out of them by including a prospect.
This could fill two needs by bringing in a power bat and adding another arm to the starting rotation.
Clearly, this is all just speculation, and it's possible that my idea might not even be close. I think Loney will be a very good player, but maybe the club should use him as a chip right now?
I don't know, it's just an idea. Let's hear some thoughts
A firstman should always be a slugger! Loney is gonna be always a hittier for avarage. We need rbi 's and home runs.
I want to start out that I think that Loney is an above average 1B, with great defense and the ability to hit .300. I'm serious when I compare him to Mark Grace (sorry cubs fans), which is why I feel that if we trade him we should get the quality pitcher we are looking for. I like the trade proposal that Matt gave with Florida but I dont see them giving up one of their prized young arms for a guy that can go through the arbitration process. Loney is a big guy and you would hope that his power will develope. I would love to watch him take batting practice to judge from that his power capabilities. It would be a different story if Kemp and Martin were supplying more power along with Furcal...then a .300 first baseman wouldnt matter.
When playing xbox there is the clutch factor for your players making them better in key situations...this clutch factor is what Loney is lacking...I would rather see everyone else besides Martin bat in the clutch before Loney.
I love Casey Blake...not only does he hit monster homeruns, but he pisses the rest of the giants off including wilson!!! Poor guy someone mocked his celebration! I'm not being insensitive towards his father, but if you put it out there then expect it! You dont see Johhny Cakes celebrating after blowing someone away with a 100mph cheese...he clenches his fist then walks off...take a look at real class giants fans and players!
Even though Cantu is better right now, I don't think that is enough for Loney. I like Matt's train of thought, thinking the Marlins would trade one of their underachieving pitchers (certainly not Johnson or Volstad) but maybe someone that is due for a raise soon. I think it's plausible. It would take a pretty decent prospect. The Dodgers certainly need some pop. Other than Blake, no one is going deep these days.
if they can sell high on loney and get some power and/or an arm, it would be a good deal... i think we all like loney, but his lack of power development has to be a concern for us and the organization.
Sooner or later all of these young players will start to make money. So the ideal thinking is that some of them will have to go...and i think Loney should be one of them. I am also of the mind set that first base should be a power spot, and i dont think Loney will ever really be a power guy. He is of the JT Snow,Lyle Overbay, John olerud mold. Great glove, hits for average, 10-15 dingers.
Florida sound like a good fit, but I think that we need a more proven pitcher, plus I think that the Marlins got a top prospect first baseban in thier system, Gabe Sanchez(?).
How about next off season signing Matt Holliday and moving Andre Either to first?
Mud
Why not move Holliday to first? Ethier is the superior defender. I dont want Holliday anyway.
This was part of an ongoing convo I had with Kensai. I would either 1) trade Loney for and some good for an elite first baseman (Howard, Morneau, Fielder, etc) or 2) trade Loney for a young talented prospect and a few other pieces.
It would be nice to be ahead of the curve and pick up a guy like the next Adrian Gonzalez. His name (I think) is Kila Ka'aihui. Big Hawaiian kid with a great eye and good power. It might not pan out and he very well may be the next Hee-Slop-Choi. Yeah, anyway, thats what I'd try to do. Maybe not Kila, but someone other than Loney. Dude is league average. Its nice as long as he is cheap, but as soon as he costs us anything more than a million, he is not worth it.
hitting only .277 -- wes parker's lifetime BA: .269.
64 dingers in 9 full seasons (highest: 13 in 1969).
silly trade proposal.
why break this team up?
btw, you said, "...his power decrease is concerning."
concerning in this context is not a word.
it may be disconcerting.
or you may have concerns about his decrease in power.
but his decrease of power cannot be concerning.
you can take cantu, but you're crazy if you think we will include andrew miller or anibal on that deal
Terrible idea! You don't need power to win ballgames,
the Dodgers are playing a different kind of baseball and a smarter kind. It's more consistent, Loney is hitting for average but also has 20 walks in 36 games. An OBP. of .355 should not be overlooked, that's positive and I think Loney's just been cold for the beginning of the season. In the last 10 games he had four "o'fers". But then in the last two he homered in each one. I think he will start to warm up and hit around 35 doubles like last year but with a higher OBP. I doubt he will be a big power hitter, but I still think its worth keeping him around as he can hit 30-40 doubles in a season, and he WILL, in time to come, hit 15-25 homers a season. His defense is fantastic, and defense as a whole is always underrated.
You talk about wanting a guy that is clutch, well I seriously doubt that in a higher-strung atmosphere like, LA that Cantu can deliver. Sure his power would be welcome but he also strikes out a lot (which is hardly clutch) and remember, he couldn't stand up to being a top prospect in Tampa Bay.. It's not a safe trade and the ends wouldn't justify the means. Remember, they need PITCHING, but that doesn't mean they should just take a chance on pitching prospects and give up youth movement "heroes" like Loney. Loney, Ethier, Martin, Kemp, Kershaw, McDonald are all key to the future and have shown that they should be untouchable for quite awhile.
I am all for including Loney in some sort of grand package to land an ace pitcher. I mean an absolute ACE like a Halliday or Peavy.
MY master plan would be to start training this kid LAMBO on the fine art of first base. it sounds like hes got corner IF power, although we dodger fans have been force fed that bull** before. Remember Ashley, Garcia, and even now with Loney and Kemp. The dodgers have been overhyping these kids for years, so you just never know.
Anyways, McCheap cant pay all these kids, and Im all for letting J. Martin there go away, and take his big ego and unimpressive stats with him. Loney would be the next to go. Id use either of them as a centerpiece for a trade for pitching and hope Lambo pans out at first
How about getting matt holliday?
Holliday
Dana Eveland
for
Loney
Hu
The only trade I would make that would include Loney, would be a blockbuster in the division
Dodgers get:
Peavy
Gonzalez
Padres get;
Loney
Dewwit
Mc Donald
Paul
Hu
Elbert
Lindblom
Cantu should have been had 2 years ago! We were looking for a 3B then and he was the perfect Low Risk / High Reward guy...
I don't think we would be able to squeeze a Sanchez / Miller without giving up a couple major league ready top prospects or a Martin / Kemp.
I actually don't mind Gabriel's suggestion if it weren't for the fact that Peavy would be a free agent next year and Gonzalezs' team option for 2010 would become 'null and void;
Both Peavy and Gonzalez would be looking for at least 14 mil 4+ years...we/the dodgers would be investing 110 mil + for two players...
Loney will and should just stay put...
Loney isn't your prototypical first baseman, but as long as he can hit for league average his defense will more than make up for it. He had a slow start to the season, be patient Matt, it's May. At least wait until late-June to begin this discussion. Cantu is a stiff glove and you'd be better off trading Loney to a team where you can get a good pitching and first base prospect in the deal. Remember, pitching and defense wins trophies.
great trade gabriel. loney should only be in a trade that is bringing back an ace. i dont think san diego would trade gonzo that quick though. and to trade him in the division would cost us extra
To reiterate what someone said before, the first baseman doesn't need to be a slugger to win. Look at Kieth Hernandez.
Horrible post. we're in first place and james loney is clutch he seems to show up when we need him. he also led the team last year with rbi so thats also what 1st baseman do, isn't it?
What's more clutch than that grand slam in the NLDS?
Are we hitting the panic button here? Trade Loney? He's the most consistent hitter we have! From the kids, he's the only to PERFORM in the post season. Come on guys, give up the love for the long ball, the kid's got 26 rbi's with less homers than Ethier. He doesn't need to go on a tear to produce. The Dodgers' offense is fine, don't get greedy and mess up something that's working.
i find it funny that people knock on loney for his power numbers even though he hit probably the most important home run in recent dodgers history
theres no need to trade loney due to lack of power. he will drive in over 100 runs and his power numbers will come around. the dodgers offense is based on getting speedy guys like furcal and hudson on base so the rest can drive him in. even if manny didnt get suspended, the dodgers arent going to have any players competing for the league lead in homers.
they have done a great job keeping youngsters that they could've traded like kemp, martin, loney, ethier, bills, kershaw. not to mention the trades that may look ok now but dumb in the future (would kill to have edwin jackson in the rotation right now). the young kids took us to the NLCS last year and are still going to grow. no need to give up on them now.
kieth "whitelines" Hernandez.....I hope Loney has a better career than him.
I wonder how many players in the 80's were coked up, and if that made them better players? worse?
The reality is that down the road some of these young kids are going to have to go due to money, other prospects, etc.
With that in mind does it make sense to trade Loney now that he still has a lot of value and potential and risk watching him become the next Adrian Gonzalez with the Blue Jays or keep him, and risk watching him become Jt Snow Version 2.0. Its risky trading any young player. Adrian Gonzalez came up through the minors as a good fielding, doubles hitter that could hit for power one day...and who did the Rangers get for him Adam Eaton. Plus the Rangers sent Chris Young in that trade too.
Man, the padres got over on that trade.
mud
Gabriel, that trade will get Ned fired for being the stupidest GM in the history of baseball.
Oh, wait... you may be onto something there. Maybe you should send that proposal to his email so he might consider it, then get the ceremonial boot.
You're not serious are you? Why don't you include Ethan Martin and Andrew Lambo, too? Holy cow...
Have you checked Gonzalez's career numbers against lefties? The man is barely over the Mendoza line. Not that I wouldn't love to have Peavy, but that price is way too steep.
I understand the arbitration concerns for the young players, and I agree that one or two of the "young core" will likely have to go. However, consider that Schmidt's contract is done after 2009 ($16M), Andruw's has been re-worked, and Pierre will likely be traded or re-worked as well, and we don't have to panic. If Loney and Kemp have 1st-year arb cases that end up like Ethier's (likely, if they put up .300/20/90 as Andre did last season), then we're looking at Loney getting $3M, and Kemp about the same - maybe $3.5M due to his speed. Billingsley will likely get a raise to around $4.5-5M, and Martin and Broxton will get small raises again. But all those arb cases combined won't even total Schmidt's $16M.
So we're fine. No knee-jerk reactions on Loney. Let's finish out the year with him, and go from there. If he tanks, oh well, less arb reward. If he hits beyond his potential, he'll be worth it through the arb years.
Wow. This post blew up. I didn’t expect this. I want to thank everyone for reading, even the people who think I am an idiot. I don’t mind people voicing their opinion and disagreeing with me, but telling me my post is horrible? Come on. It sparked conversation and it’s plausible. It’s not horrible. Thanks for coming out fella.
Secondly, I have to say that Matt Holliday is not coming to the Dodgers. He doesn’t seem to be a superstar away from Coors Field, and Manny Ramirez is probably not going to opt out. Even if he did, I think Holliday should play first before Ethier.
So I probably don’t have a new friend in Tom from Wisconsin. Thanks for correcting my grammar, old sport. Much appreciated. Oh wait, it’s a blog. Who cares? I write these posts in 10 minutes most times. If you read my professional work, you’ll find my grammar will be correct. Thanks professor.
As far as Loney being like Keith Hernandez, I wouldn’t mind if his career was similar, sans the cocaine addiction, the horrible mustache and the lack of power. If Loney plays 17 seasons like Hernandez did, he better hit more than 162 homers. As for Hernandez being a “winner” as somebody said, he didn’t have much to do with winning the 1986 World Series. Bill Buckner, Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley had more to do with it.
I looked at Loney’s numbers with runners on, and they are pretty good. He’s hitting .320 in his career with men on, and this year he’ll probably drive in 100. Loney’s production is fine. All I am talking about is his lack of power. If he hits 15-25 a year, I’ll take it. I’m just not convinced he will.
Lastly, I just need people to understand I am not saying they should trade him, I am asking you what you think. I am not hitting the panic button, just raising an interesting question.
btw, you said, "...his power decrease is concerning."
concerning in this context is not a word.
it may be disconcerting.
or you may have concerns about his decrease in power.
but his decrease of power cannot be concerning.
Tom if you understood what the guy meant then what is the big deal...keep your posts relative to sports, we would prefer baseball and the Dodgers....cheese head!
Kyle are you kidding? Peavy and Gonzalez (Cy Young and 100RBI gold glove 1B on a crappy team!), for good players but I'd do that deal in a heartbeat...Only name I would want off that list is Lindblom...Those two would give us a legit crack at a WS title now and next couple years, and our pitching staff will be the best in baseball, I dont want to sell the farm, but I would rather 1 WS title and give up a lot to get it.
Main goal is to win our first WS since 1988 right?
I say no to the Dodgers trading Loney. You don't trade a young talented hitter like Loney for the reasons you mentioned. Loney may end up hitting many more HR's than you think this year. You may remember him the last couple of years hitting some huge blasts, although not as often as I would like either. HR's are a bit overrated though, it's the RBI's that we need to look at, and he led the Dodgers last year, and is on pace to do it again (Manny -50). With the right training, The 6'6 Loney can be like Daryl Strawberry without the strikeouts (and the issues). I say give it some time for the Homers to be a bigger part of his game.
I left a comment on MLBTradeRumors on May 12 that I thought Cantu would be a good pickup for the Dodgers and that perhaps they should consider moving Loney due to his alarming lack of power.
And I actually find Loney to be a little bit overrated defensively. Not that he's bad--he obviously isn't--but I don't think he's anywhere close to a Gold Glover.
Ok, this is what i think:
A. Gonzalez is going to be a young FA in 2 yrs. hold onto Loney until then. Cantu is having the luckiest strecth of his life, it wont last. If we can sign Gonzalez, trade loney for pitching. If not, trade him for a power 1B. By then, we will know what his power will be and even if its only 10-20Hrs, teams will take a lefty whos patient and hits 300
And I actually find Loney to be a little bit overrated defensively. Not that he's bad--he obviously isn't--but I don't think he's anywhere close to a Gold Glover.
Loney is up there with the best defense. He makes the normal plays, but even more so, the tough, beautiful ones. If you ever watch a LAD game, if a sharp grounder goes to any infielder, most hope its loney.
i say don't trade him! he is an excellent player.