NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 15: Curtis Granderson #3 of the New York Mets smiles in the dugout before the game against the New York Yankees during interleague play on August 15, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MLBBy Matt Clapp on

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball. Hell, they’re one of the best teams we’ve ever seen in baseball.

They’re 12 games better than any other team in MLB right now at an absurd 86-34, and are 13.5 games up on the Nationals for the No. 1 seed in the National League. They absolutely do not need to add anything to this loaded roster, and — barring injuries to multiple stars — will enter the postseason as the World Series favorites.

But if they can get better, why not do it? They’ll never get a better chance to win a title than now, so why not go all-in for it, especially if it won’t require giving up premium prospects (and with the roster in great long term shape anyway)? Why not increase their chances every little bit they can to try to stomp on the wacky, random, “crapshoot” ways of October baseball?

That’s why they acquired Yu Darvish at the trade deadline buzzer. And that’s why they just acquired Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets:

When you just take a quick look at Curtis Granderson’s 2017 numbers, they seem good, but not necessarily great. The 36-year-0ld has a .228/.334/.481 slash line, 113 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR according to FanGraphs.

However, since May 1, the veteran outfielder has been outstanding, with a 263/.383/.570 and 147 wrc+.

He’s also been terrific away from Citi Field this season…

Granderson at home: .179/.286/.346, 72 wRC+.
Granderson on the road: .271/.376/.597, 147 wRC+.

And he’s been great against right-handed pitching this season, with an .853 OPS and 14.9 walk percentage. His on-base and power skills allow him to fit anywhere in the lineup vs right-handed pitching.

Defensively, Granderson belongs out of center field at this point of his career, but he’s capable of playing it, and the metrics think he’s been great in right field (7 defensive runs saved in 221 innings).

Oh, and he’s like the coolest dude in the league that will be a great addition to the Dodgers’ clubhouse.

The Dodgers do not need Granderson, but he can certainly help them, and just makes their awesome depth even more awesome. He provides the roster with more flexibility — especially against right-handed pitching — and he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball since May 1. The move may not at all seem necessary or significant, but it does make the Dodgers better, and every little uptick in their title chances that they can find seems very worth it as they prepare to get through the frequently cruel October tournament.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp

1 thought on “Dodgers acquire Curtis Granderson from Mets, because why not”

  1. WOW they just send the Mets a Bucket of money and that is it they get another great bat.

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