Dodgers Dugout: Special guests Mason and Ireland discuss Kershaw, Puig and the team’s playoff chances

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I know that when I think about Las Vegas, the first thing I think about is hockey.

Before we get to my special guests for today’s newsletter, let me say this: The three-game sweep of Washington serves as a reminder that this team does play with a lot more spirit than the last couple of seasons, and they have proven multiple times that they can rally and pull victory from defeat. In that way, they do remind me of the 1988 Dodgers. It will be tough to catch the Giants and win the NL West, but this team has the capability to do so, and they have shown they can certainly grab a wild-card spot. It was just nice to see them sweep a team that many consider to be better than the Dodgers.

Mason and Ireland discuss the Dodgers

I have been doing this newsletter for more than a year now, and those of you who have been with me from the beginning know how I feel about the Dodgers. For more than a year, you have been reading me twice a week (or more during the playoffs). Even I don’t like listening to myself that much. So, periodically, I am going to invite special guests to talk about the Dodgers for a different perspective.

Next up are Steve Mason and John Ireland, who are the hosts of my favorite radio show, the “Mason and Ireland Show” on ESPN radio 710 AM each weekday from noon-3 p.m. Ireland is also the radio voice of the Lakers, while apparently Mason does nothing else constructive at all.

They both answered a few questions by email.

Question: How would you assess the Dodgers’ season so far, and do you think this team has a chance at making the playoffs and winning the World Series?

Steve Mason: The pitching staff has been so much better than expected. This is the best we’ve seen of Clayton Kershaw. Sharper than I’ve ever seen him. Kenta Maeda has been spectacular. He’s guaranteed only $3 million (obviously he’ll hit some of his performance bonuses). Scott Kazmir is solid. And one of the best bullpens in the NL with Blanton, Baez, Liberatore and Kenley. The offense has been just downright awful. The inability to score runs is what killed them in the playoffs last year, and they have, unfortunately, picked up exactly where they left off.

John Ireland: I think they can win the wild card, but not the NL West. The Giants, barring any big injuries, are too deep -- especially in starting pitching. But speaking of injuries, I think the whole key is that the Dodgers get healthier. If you look at their roster, half of the starting rotation, and half of the outfield have been on the DL. If some of those guys don’t come back, I think the Mets, Cardinals or Pirates take those two wild-card spots.

Q: If you asked fans who the most disappointing Dodger is, most would probably say Yasiel Puig. You get to be Andrew Friedman for a day: Do you trade Puig, send him to the minors, hope he breaks out of his lengthy slump? What do you do with him?

SM: I am selling on Puig. I would include him in a package for either Carlos Gonzalez or Ryan Braun. He’s still young, and he is cost-controlled. He has real upside for Colorado or Milwaukee. In my mind, Puig may just be “a guy.” So much unfulfilled potential. Raw tools, but he may never be able to put it all together, and the Dodgers don’t have time to wait to find out.

JI: I would try to move him now. Look at his career: He was great as a rookie, still good as a sophomore. But the last two years he’s been descending. At some point, he is what he is. I think the pitchers have figured him out. If you move him now, he still has trade value. One more year like the last two, and you won’t get anything for him. Of course, that may already be the case. If you can’t get any value, then you can always keep him and hope he figures it out. An outfield of Puig, Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson would be great defensively, but they have to hit better or it won’t work.

Q: How important is winning a World Series to Clayton Kershaw’s legacy as a Dodger?

SM: It is necessary. But he cannot do it alone. Last year, he was great in two starts against the Mets, you can’t hang it on him. His postseason numbers are deceiving. Apart from a couple of horrific starts against the Cardinals, he has been solid-to-excellent. But let’s observe greatness. He is a once-in-a-lifetime pitcher. The best I’ve ever seen. Never saw Koufax, but can’t believe that he could’ve been much better than Kersh.

JI: Critical. We talk about this on the show all the time. Kershaw is the best regular season pitcher of my lifetime. He’s almost super-human. But in sports, we measure greatness by championships. If he never wins a title, that’s a giant hole in his legacy. I don’t know anybody in any sport who is considered the greatest ever, who hasn’t won a title. Fair or unfair, that’s the reality of sports history.

Q: What grade would you give Andrew Friedman’s performance since being hired?

SM: I give him a good solid A. People will disagree, but he has built a farm system. No. 1 in MLB, according to Keith Law. He resisted the urge to trade Pederson, Seager and Urias. De Leon and Frankie Montas will be big-time pitchers. Great grab with Trayce Thompson. There is no question that he’s been told that he must cut payroll. Down to $240 million this year and only $174 million in guaranteed money. The playoffs are a crapshoot, if the Dodgers “live” in the playoffs, they’ll hit the jackpot one of these years. I’m not ruling out this year. They won’t catch the Giants, but wild cards have won the World Series pretty regularly.

JI: I’d give him a B, maybe a B minus. He’s built a deep roster, and protected his prospects, but this team can’t hit. The pitching has been better than expected, but as you, Houston, pointed out earlier this season in this newsletter, if the Dodgers threw a no hitter, you would first ask the question, “Did they win?”

Q: Let’s pretend for a moment that it is the trade deadline and the Dodgers are in contention for a playoff spot. You have the chance to acquire a key bullpen arm or a big bat, but the team wants any two of the following: Corey Seager, Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, Frankie Montas, Joc Pederson. Do you make that trade and who do you give up?

SM: I don’t trade any of them. I would deal Puig, Austin Barnes and maybe one lower level prospect. Maybe two. It would be enough, but their best chance is a June deal. Jump the market. Make something happen before anyone else starts thinking about it.

JI: I wouldn’t trade Seager. Everybody else on that list is available, in my opinion. I’m not sure why, but a ton of Dodgers fans (including Mason) over-protect these prospects. I would have traded Pederson or Urias for Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto last year. If guys like Jay Bruce, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez or Jonathan Lucroy hit the market this year, I’d consider giving up anybody on that list except Seager. The Dodgers have no bats in their system, and they can’t hit. We have no idea if Pederson or Urias can play at this level. Same with De Leon and Montas. Kershaw is only guaranteed to be here two more years. He needs a team that can compete now.

Q: Final question. The Rams are back in town (and their games will be broadcast locally on your radio station). Right now, the Lakers are the most popular team in L.A., followed by the Dodgers and Clippers. Do you see the Rams surpassing any of those teams in popularity?

SM: The NFL is a 365-day-a-year sport. Our research has consistently shown that the NFL (in general) is the most popular sport in L.A. Above the Lakers and Dodgers. Realistically, the Lakers and Dodgers are woven into the fabric of this town. But the Rams will easily surpass the Clippers instantly. When the new stadium opens, when the Super Bowl is here in 2021, look out.

JI: The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, and that includes Los Angeles. But I think it’s impossible to surpass the Lakers, and while the Dodgers haven’t won in 28 years, they have a championship legacy. So I’ll say this: The Rams can be in that conversation. They have to win, but if they do, I think their popularity explodes. I think the fact that they waited a day to announce they had traded for the No. 1 pick because they didn’t want to step on Kobe Bryant’s last game shows that they get it, too. They want to be part of the L.A. sports fabric, and I think they can get there.

Ask Ross Porter

Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the season. Email me a question for Ross, and I will pass it on. His latest response:

Joe Bridge asks: Why aren’t the Brooklyn Dodger Hall of Fame uniform numbers (Dazzy Vance for starters) retired and up in the outfield? Same for Branch Rickey? Is this oversight, Ross? This is a great piece of our heritage, but it is not on display anywhere at Dodger Stadium.

Ross: You are right, Joe, when you point out that some Brooklyn Hall of Famers are not saluted on the field where fans can see their names. But they are honored in a display case on the ground level of the stadium on the way to the Dodger clubhouse. If you take a tour, you will probably see the exhibit.

Here are the 10 Dodgers whose numbers have been retired and can be seen on the field:

No. 1: Pee Wee Reese

No. 2: Tommy Lasorda

No. 4: Duke Snider

No. 19: Jim Gilliam

No. 20: Don Sutton

No. 24: Walter Alston

No. 32: Sandy Koufax

No. 39: Roy Campanella

No. 42: Jackie Robinson

No. 53: Don Drysdale

All are in the Hall of Fame except the well-respected Gilliam, who spent 28 years in the Dodger organization and played on four World Series champions. His uniform number was retired two days after his death just prior to the start of the 1978 World Series.

No uniform numbers were worn in Dazzy Vance’s first 12 seasons in the majors. In 1932, his final year in Brooklyn, Vance wore his first number--15. He also donned 18, 19, 17 and 21 to close his career.

What Vin Scully means to me

I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memories, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me.

Tim Curry: I grew up a Cardinals fan and moved to California in 1985. I drove a contract mail route carrying the mail to three mountain post offices and became friends with a carrier that loved baseball and started sharing stories about his Dodgers and me my Cardinals. He said you will grow to love the Dodgers, and I said no way, we are rivals. He said you will fall in love with Vin Scully and in time they will be your second team. He was right. While listening to Vin call games on TV or radio I couldn’t help but love his quiet, descriptive way and making you feel like you were in the park watching the game. I also love his unbiased way of calling the games (except when it’s the Giants) and when the Dodgers played my Cardinals he went crazy over Ozzie Smith. I am living back in Missouri again and any time I can catch a Dodger game where Vinny is calling it I will sit and listen to the entire game. I miss the days of catching games on radio when I drove up the San Jacinto mountain range. I will miss Vin Scully , wish him a fine relaxing retirement, but think they should have Vinny do the World Series for a going out with style retirement.

The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact:

For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS ([866] 363-4377). (I hope you like form letters).

For Time Warner, click here.

For DirecTV, call (800) 531-5000 or click here.

For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website.

And finally

Andy McCullough talks to Andrew Friedman in an interesting interview. We will break it down in the next newsletter, but in the meantime you can read all 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