Dodgers notes: Nolan Arenado, James Outman, rotation needs

Less than two weeks have passed since Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak downplayed the idea of trading superstars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. St. Louis has gone 6-5 in their past 11 games since then, trailing 11½ games behind the first-place Brewers in the National League Central and 10 games outside of the wild card standings. This has prompted the team to at least listen on a deal that would send Arenado to a legitimate contender, with the Dodgers being a team that could land the six-time Platinum Glove Award winner.

Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports the Dodgers and Cardinals have talked about an Arenado trade:

“The Cardinals would want young pitching in a deal; they have eyed Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Ryan Pepiot, and Emmet Sheehan in talks, according to people with knowledge of the situation. A trade would also likely include the Dodgers sending Max Muncy or Chris Taylor, if not both, to St. Louis.”

Arenado this season may not be the best defensive third baseman as he’s been in years past, as he has both a negative DRS at -4 and a minuscule dWAR of just -0.3, marking the first time he’s posted numbers in the negative for both stats. While his defense has tapered off, his offensive output has risen after a sluggish start to his season.

Arenado began the season with a .239 batting average and an uncharacteristic .600 OPS at the end of April. Since the beginning of June, Arenado has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball, now hitting .287 with a .857 OPS and a 130 wRC+ on the season. He might not be the same player that accumulated a 7.9 bWAR last season, but he has been a bright spot for the Cardinals since the start of the second half of the season, helping lead to series wins over two playoff hopeful teams in the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks.

If the two sides agree upon a deal, the Cardinals would likely package Arenado with a starting pitcher on an expiring contract, such as Jack Flaherty or Jordan Montgomery, reports Castillo.

While the move would be an automatic upgrade for the Dodgers’ left side of the infield (and rotation), Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted that the report about Arenado only willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Dodgers is inaccurate.

Links

• James Outman has been one of the better hitters for the Dodgers so far in the second half, as he is hitting .333 since the All Star break and has an OPS of .940 in the month of July. J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register writes on Outman’s recent turnaround, and how his fellow teammates and manager Dave Roberts have reacted to the rookie being able to persevere through his early struggles.
• Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic breaks down the recent struggles the Dodgers rotation has endured, listing potential starting pitchers the Dodgers could look to add at the trade deadline.
• Rustin Dodd and Andy McCullough of The Athletic evaluate and grade the Dodgers most recent trade with the Guardians, acquiring shortstop Amed Rosario from Cleveland in exchange for Noah Syndergaard and cash.