Dodgers Dugout: Here’s how the Dodgers can still make some trades

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and it’s a shame most of us won’t be able to watch Yu Darvish’s debut on television.

More trades can be made

Last Monday was pretty exciting, with the Dodgers making a flurry of moves before the trade deadline ended. But if you think that’s it and no more trades can be made, then you are wrong. It is still possible for the Dodgers, and every other team, to make some trades before the postseason begins.

July 31 was the last day for non-waiver trades. Non-waiver deals are the easiest because all you have to do is call another team’s GM and work out a trade. But after the non-waiver trade deadline ends, making deals gets a bit tougher.

Let’s pretend that the Dodgers want to trade Clayton Kershaw. Here’s how it works:

First, the Dodgers would have to put Kershaw on revocable waivers. That starts a process in which each team in baseball can claim Kershaw off waivers. If more than one team claims Kershaw, then the team in the NL with the worst record gets first priority, and so on down the line.

Let’s say the Giants claim him. That gives the Dodgers three options.

1. They can take Kershaw off waivers and keep him.

2. They can work out a trade involving Kershaw with the Giants.

3. They can let Kershaw go to the Giants, who then would get him basically for free (the Giants would take over Kershaw’s contract).

If two days go by and no one claims Kershaw, the Dodgers are then free to trade him to any team in the majors.

Most teams will put several players on waivers in August, if only to judge which teams are interested in them.

Sometimes, a team will claim a player on waivers just to block a potential deal. So, if Arizona thinks the Dodgers want to trade Kershaw to the Angels for Mike Trout, they could claim Kershaw on waivers, blocking the deal. There is often a “gentlemen’s agreement” not to block trades in this manner, but that agreement has been broken.

There also is drawback to claiming a player because you think you are blocking a trade. Let’s say the Dodgers have a player with a high salary who is underperforming. They put the player on waivers and another team claims him. The Dodgers simply could let that team have him, getting rid of his salary.

Last season, the Dodgers made a waiver deal, sending A.J. Ellis to Philadelphia for Carlos Ruiz. The multi-player deal that brought Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers in 2012 also was a waiver deal.

So, it is still possible for the Dodgers to make some trades, but they are probably pretty satisfied with the team they have now.

Walker Buehler to the bullpen?

Remember the Angels’ 2002 World Series title team? Near the end of that season, they brought up Francisco Rodriguez to the majors, and he struck out 13 batters in 5 2/3 innings, becoming a dominant setup man for closer Troy Percival. He was key during the postseason, striking out 28 batters in 18 2/3 innings.

It’s possible that the Dodgers could try the same thing with Walker Buehler.

Buehler, a first-round pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2015 draft, has had an excellent minor league season this year, with a 3.11 ERA, a 1.062 WHIP and 106 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings as he has rocketed up the chain from Class A Rancho Cucamonga to triple-A Oklahoma City. He’s a starter in the minors, but there are rumblings that the Dodgers could use him to bolster the bullpen.

Good news

For those of you living in the L.A. area, six more Dodger games will be on KTLA Ch. 5 this season. All of them will be on a Tuesday. They are:

Aug. 22, 4 p.m. at Pittsburgh

Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m. at Arizona

Sept. 5, 7 p.m. vs. Arizona

Sept. 12, 7:15 p.m. at San Francisco

Sept. 19, 4 p.m. at Philadelphia

Sept. 26, 7 p.m. vs. San Diego

Comparison

The Dodgers are trying to win their fifth consecutive division title. Let’s look at this year’s record and how it compares to the same point in the last four seasons.

2017: 76-32, first place in NL West, 14 games ahead of Arizona

2016: 60-48, second place, two games behind San Francisco

2015: 62-46, first place, three games ahead of San Francisco

2014: 61-47, first place, 2 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco

2013: 59-49, first place, 3 ½ games ahead of Arizona

Ask Ross Porter

Evan Sirkin asks: If the Dodgers had won Wednesday night in Atlanta, they would have had their third double-digit winning streak this season. Is that rare, Ross?

Ross: Very rare, Evan. The Dodgers would have done it for the first time in their history, and it would have been only the third such feat since 1896. The 1906 Cubs registered four double-digit winning streaks and the 1954 Braves three, but Milwaukee finished in third place, eight games behind. (Courtesy of STATS)

Bill Maresh asks: Ross, what were Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax‘s highest pitch counts?

Ross: Ryan 279 in 12 innings and Koufax 205 in 13 innings.

Curtis Johnson asks: What is former Dodger GM Fred Claire doing?

Ross: Fred is making an encouraging recovery from jaw cancer, Curtis, and is hosting a golf tournament for City of Hope on Aug. 14 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. A large group of Fred’s friends will be on hand.

Danny Balber Jr. asks: Hello Ross, will Cody Bellinger hit more home runs or Kenley Jansen record more saves this year?

Ross: Terrific question, Danny. Cody has 30 homers and Kenley 28 saves. How about 41 each?

Chris Rubalcaba asks: What were your most memorable play calls, Ross?

Ross: Shawn Green‘s fourth homer at Milwaukee one day in 2002 and all three of Reggie Jackson‘s homers in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, which I broadcast over the CBS radio network and 600 stations around the world.

Ross answers reader questions every week. Email me, and I will pass your question on to him.

Next series

Friday, 4 p.m. PT, Dodgers (Yu Darvish, 6-9, 4.01) at New York Mets (Jacob DeGrom, 12-4, 3.29)

Saturday, 1 p.m. PT, Dodgers (Rich Hill, 8-4, 3.35) at New York Mets (Seth Lugo, 5-3, 4.53)

Sunday, 5 p.m. PT, Dodgers (Hyun-jin Ryu, 3-6, 3.83) at New York Mets (Steven Matz, 2-4, 5.50)

Note: Pitchers are subject to change

And finally

Yu Darvish makes a big first impression on his first day with the Dodgers. Read all about it here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter:@latimeshouston.

Houston.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimeshouston