Dodgers should trade for Marlins Slugger Giancarlo Stanton

The Los Angeles Dodgers not only are the best team of 2017, they stack up against some of the best to ever do it. However, the team could always get better.

When you’re on pace for 115 wins in the regular season, it’s hard to justify making the kind of trade it would probably take for the Los Angeles Dodgers to get Giancarlo Stanton. Although I’m an irrational, biased, crazy (my wife’s words) Dodgers homer. Trust me I would win the “Bill Simmons Homer” award if it existed.

So as fun as it would be to watch the Dodgers get those 115 wins without Stanton, the Dodgers (I mean me) should be thinking selfishly caring about 11 wins in October. Cue the arguments about nothing is guaranteed in October all you want, but if Yu Darvish was a Ferrari (Kelley Jansen’s word) then Stanton is tank ready to reduce pitching staffs to rubble.

Stanton is currently on a tear that could lead to 60 home runs, he’s hit 22 home runs in his last 34 games including in 10 of his last 11 games. I don’t care how good the Dodgers are nobody on the team is capable of producing that kind of power. Frankly, no player in the Dodgers lineup is that scary for pitchers to face either if the Dodgers trade for Stanton every pitcher facing the Dodgers just had their job get more difficult.

Los Angeles currently sixth in batting average, but are first in on base percentage while second in slugging percentage. All those numbers shoot up if you plug in a player of Stanton’s power. Simply adding Stanton to a good lineup turns it into a great lineup, pitchers trying to be careful against Stanton means pitch counts go up for everybody. If pitch counts go up, the more likelihood that mistake pitches go up too.

The Dodgers have a huge hole right now in their lineup and it’s the fifth spot. This year the Dodgers are getting a slash line of .205 BA .303 OBP .345 SLG .648 OPS in the fifth spot easily the worst spot for them this year other than the pitcher’s slot. Slotting Stanton who is hitting 283 .374 .640 1.014 would plug that hole right up.

More from Los Angeles Dodgers

A home run in baseball still counts as just one run, but if you look at the Dodgers past futility in the playoffs you’ll realize just how important a home run could have been to their success. In the 2013 National League Championship Series (NLCS) the Dodgers were shut out twice while only hitting three home runs in a six game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the 2014 National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Cardinals the Dodgers were out homered 7-3 in a four game series while losing two games by one run.

In their 2015 NLDS loss to the New York Mets the team was out homered 7-2, losing the winner take all game five 3-2 on you guessed it a home run by Daniel Murphy.

You could probably guess how the 2016 NLCS turned out against the Chicago Cubs, again the Dodgers were out homered this time 7-4, not only were they out homered but the Cubs had 23 extra base hits compared to just nine by the Dodgers. That kind of hitting puts pressure on pitching staffs and leads to more wins than losses.

So don’t tell me home runs just count for one run not when the lack of longballs to the tune of 23-12 have meant year after year of playoff losses these last four years. By the way, the two series Dodgers did win during these last four years they out homered their opponents 13-5.

Next: Three concerns for the Dodgers down the stretch

Giancarlo Stanton makes this Dodger team go from great to stratospheric, I don’t care what it costs gut the farm system, take on the huge $300 million dollar contract, seize the moment and step on the National League’s throat. For Dodger fans, if the ticket to the World Series comes down to an at bat, ask yourselves this who do you want at the plate, Joc Pederson or Giancarlo Stanton.

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