- Jonathan Broxton will eventually get the chance to be a closer again, reports Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com, but will not take on that role initially. I still say the longer the Dodgers can avoid assigning any one person to that role, the better. Broxton threw in the 94-97 mph range in his first rehab outing Tuesday.
- Jerry Crasnick pays more than lip service to the notion of expanding rosters to 26 players – he provides all-points opus with pro and con arguments on the subject at ESPN.com.
- I enjoyed this piece on former Dodger pitcher Guillermo Mota by Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles.
- Kenny Shulsen of Lasorda’s Lair posted video of Dodger prospect James Baldwin III.
He’s just there, not being especially terrible. That doesn’t have a ton of value — it’s called replacement level because the idea is that you can find an equally capable pitcher by trolling the waiver wire — but after 81 games as a Giant, I realized that I’ve never thanked Mota for not being Wayne Franklin, Waldis Joaquin, Merkin Valdez, or Osiris Matos. He’s not Vinnie Chulk, Erick Threets, or Randy Messenger. He’s not Billy Sadler, nor Brandon Medders. He’s not even Al Levine.
He’s just Guillermo Mota. Which is to say, just a reliever. He comes in a yellow box with “RELIEVER” written in black lettering on the front. He’s not bad. He’s not good. He just is. By definition, that doesn’t have a lot of value — but he could be a punchline, an anecdote, a pitcher you tell your kids about so they’ll go to sleep quicker. I’m glad he’s not.
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