The Dodgers waited a while for Claudio Vargas to get healthy. Once he proved he was, he's now on his way out.
Vargas was traded to the Brewers for minor league catcher Vinny Rottino. The deal was done in order to free up a roster spot for George Sherrill.
In eight appearances this season, Vargas has done a nice job with a 1.64 ERA. For him, he was a victim of the numbers crunch. With Sherrill on board and Hong-Chih Kuo back, someone had to go.
Rottino was with Double-A Huntsville, where he's hitting .249 with four homers and 48 RBIs. It doesn't seem like he's a major prospect, but then again, Vargas isn't a major addition to the Brewers.
Showing posts with label Vargas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vargas. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
5th starter battle is heating up
*** UPDATE ***
Shawn Estes is done. The Dodgers did themselves a favor by cutting the veteran lefty with a hefty 8.44 ERA in 5 games this spring. He says he can still get people out. Maybe he meant Little League.
***
With Jason Schmidt not being able to grab a stranglehold on the 5th starter spot, the Dodgers find themselves in the same position they did last year at this time - who to put in that spot. From what I can tell, it's down to 3 guys: James McDonald, Claudio Vargas, and Josh Lindblom.
Now I know what you're thinking, Who's Josh Lindblom? Trust me, I did the same thing. Here's what I found. He was the 2nd round pick by the Dodgers in the 2008 draft after pitching first at Tennessee and then at Purdue. Currently, he's the #4 ranked pitcher in the Dodgers' farm system. He's only pitched in 35 Minor League innings, but that didn't stop him from K'ing 3 in 2 IP against the Royals the other night. Scouts were rightfully impressed.
Even with that, I'd still be surprised if he does get the nod. But as far as making the team? Well, he did pitch at the AA level last year, so a promotion to AAA would make sense.
McDonald came off of 5 lousy relief appearances this spring to pitch 3 flawless innings against the Indians on Saturday. He's pitched 11 1/3 innings in the Bigs late last year, including the postseason, without allowing a run. The 2-time Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year would seem like a favorite for the job. He's got quality pitcher written all over him.
The last is Claudio Vargas, who is already on his 5th team in 7 seasons. He has a 6.57 ERA this spring, yet guys like Shawn Estes and Eric Milton have been so bad, that's actually considered good. That's pretty sad. Needless to say, I have never little confidence that he could be even a decent pitcher.
My guess is that most fans would like to see McDonald get a crack at this spot. He's definitely got the stuff to get the job done. He's also 24 with only 6 games of experience in the Majors. The Dodgers already have Clayton Kershaw in the rotation, so will they want another young gun in there as well?
I think the team would definitely want a veteran to step up and take the job, but that's just not happening. Because of that, we may be seeing the beginning of the James McDonald era in the starting rotation.
Shawn Estes is done. The Dodgers did themselves a favor by cutting the veteran lefty with a hefty 8.44 ERA in 5 games this spring. He says he can still get people out. Maybe he meant Little League.
***
With Jason Schmidt not being able to grab a stranglehold on the 5th starter spot, the Dodgers find themselves in the same position they did last year at this time - who to put in that spot. From what I can tell, it's down to 3 guys: James McDonald, Claudio Vargas, and Josh Lindblom.
Now I know what you're thinking, Who's Josh Lindblom? Trust me, I did the same thing. Here's what I found. He was the 2nd round pick by the Dodgers in the 2008 draft after pitching first at Tennessee and then at Purdue. Currently, he's the #4 ranked pitcher in the Dodgers' farm system. He's only pitched in 35 Minor League innings, but that didn't stop him from K'ing 3 in 2 IP against the Royals the other night. Scouts were rightfully impressed.
Even with that, I'd still be surprised if he does get the nod. But as far as making the team? Well, he did pitch at the AA level last year, so a promotion to AAA would make sense.
McDonald came off of 5 lousy relief appearances this spring to pitch 3 flawless innings against the Indians on Saturday. He's pitched 11 1/3 innings in the Bigs late last year, including the postseason, without allowing a run. The 2-time Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year would seem like a favorite for the job. He's got quality pitcher written all over him.
The last is Claudio Vargas, who is already on his 5th team in 7 seasons. He has a 6.57 ERA this spring, yet guys like Shawn Estes and Eric Milton have been so bad, that's actually considered good. That's pretty sad. Needless to say, I have never little confidence that he could be even a decent pitcher.
My guess is that most fans would like to see McDonald get a crack at this spot. He's definitely got the stuff to get the job done. He's also 24 with only 6 games of experience in the Majors. The Dodgers already have Clayton Kershaw in the rotation, so will they want another young gun in there as well?
I think the team would definitely want a veteran to step up and take the job, but that's just not happening. Because of that, we may be seeing the beginning of the James McDonald era in the starting rotation.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Claudio Vargas signed
Veteran righty Claudio Vargas was signed yesterday to add depth to the Dodgers' rotation and compete for a possible starting rotation spot. The deal is only for a year and for the minimum $400,000, but could be bumped up more with incentives.
I can't help but think of last year when the Dodgers signed Chan Ho Park in very similar fashion and I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous it was. Then he went out and appeared in 54 games with 5 starts, and posted a 4-4 record and 3.40 ERA. Obviously, a minor signing turned out to help them big time, and he was great pitching out of the bullpen and in spot starts.
So, maybe it can happen again with Vargas. And if any team can make it happen, it's the Dodgers. They've done it with guys like Jose Lima, Wilson Alvarez, and Park. From my fantasy baseball playing days, I know that Vargas was once a promising rookie with the Montreal Expos a few years back, but that never panned out.
With Brad Penny gone to the Red Sox and Derek Lowe probably to the Mets, the Dodgers have to try to replace them. Vargas won't set the world on fire, but like I've pointed out before, maybe the Dodgers can continue to rebuild broken down pitchers into getting a solid season out of them.
I can't help but think of last year when the Dodgers signed Chan Ho Park in very similar fashion and I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous it was. Then he went out and appeared in 54 games with 5 starts, and posted a 4-4 record and 3.40 ERA. Obviously, a minor signing turned out to help them big time, and he was great pitching out of the bullpen and in spot starts.
So, maybe it can happen again with Vargas. And if any team can make it happen, it's the Dodgers. They've done it with guys like Jose Lima, Wilson Alvarez, and Park. From my fantasy baseball playing days, I know that Vargas was once a promising rookie with the Montreal Expos a few years back, but that never panned out.
With Brad Penny gone to the Red Sox and Derek Lowe probably to the Mets, the Dodgers have to try to replace them. Vargas won't set the world on fire, but like I've pointed out before, maybe the Dodgers can continue to rebuild broken down pitchers into getting a solid season out of them.
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