The Dodgers made their first major move before the trade deadline by trading for Casey Blake from the Cleveland Indians. He'll quickly become the starting 3rd baseman, replacing Andy LaRoche and Blake DeWitt.
In return, the Indians got a couple of minor leaguers, though they are good ones. Carlos Santana was at Single-A Inland Empire. He's a switch-hitting catcher, and has some big numbers at .323 AVG, 14 HR, 96 RBI.
Jonathan Meloan is probably the most well-known player involved in this deal. He's a hard-throwing righty at Triple-A Las Vegas. His numbers are a little weird, as he's only 5-10 with a 4.97 ERA. But, he does have 99 K's in 105 IP.
Back to Blake, and it's a good trade in my mind. The Dodgers have a ton of young talent, and at some point, they had to let some of them go in order to improve the big club. LaRoche and DeWitt have good talent, but they've been lost at the plate lately. It was time to make a move.
Here's a breakdown of Blake's numbers. Right now, he's at a .289 AVG, 11 HR, 58 RBI. Much like the Dodgers, the Indians have had a rough time offensively this season, so those numbers could be higher with better production around him.
What's important to note is that in the last 2 months, he's been fantastic. In the first 3, not so much. He was only at a .225 AVG entering June, but it's shot way up since then. So, it's a good sign that they got somebody who's been hitting very well recently. During June and July, he's hitting .352 with 7 HR and 29 RBI. Man, those numbers alone would make him an instant LA hero!
My guess is that he'll hit just about anywhere in the lineup. I wouldn't be surprised to see him hitting in the #3 spot since he's swinging so well. Any way you slice it, it's a good move. Then again, I did say that about Andruw Jones...
Ah, nevermind. Let's stay positive!
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