Plenty Of Pitching Options For Dodgers

Nov 012012
 

By SBRForum.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers would appear to have a pretty good team on paper heading into the 2012 offseason. They’ve got their outfield locked up with Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp – all of whom should be healthy by spring training – and the infield looks to be in good shape. If there is one area where the Dodgers might want to put some focus, it’s in their pitching rotation.

While they do have an ace in Clayton Kershaw, who has led the National League in ERA for each of the last two seasons, they might want to supplement him with a little help. Veterans Josh Beckett, Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang will be back but the concern right now is for Chad Billingsley. Billingsley has partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and received two platelet-rich plasma injections in September. He began a throwing regiment and will gradually increase the intensity but he still might need Tommy John Surgery. If that’s the case, he’ll be out for all of 2013, which would put a lot of pressure on Kershaw to carry the load.

Some other options are available in free agency, such as Zack Greinke, Dan Haren and Jake Peavy. While Greinke would be the ideal choice, he will also be the most costly. Since the Dodgers already have a top-of-the-line starter, a really good No. 2 like Haren or Peavy will do.

The question is if the Dodgers plan to spend in the offseason and whether they want to spend on pitching. It’s conceivable that if Billingsley is healthy, they won’t need any more arms but if he’s out, he’ll leave a huge void behind.

MLB odds makers are likely to make the Dodgers among the National League favorites next season but a boost to their starting pitching will surely help their cause.

 11/01/2012  Posted by at 7:35 pm Dodgers Rumors, Recaps From The Ravine 2 Responses »

Would Dodgers Want A-Rod?

Nov 012012
 

By SBRForum.com

The New York Yankees are coming off a rough postseason where all of their main hitters went cold and the team was swept out of the American League Championship Series. While the slump was team-wide, much of the blame fell on Alex Rodriguez, who finished the playoffs 3-for-25 with a .120 batting average.

Considering how much A-Rod has been making with the Yankees, it’s fair to say that he’s been a lightning bolt for criticism. The problem is that at one point in time, he played like an MVP and was one of the league’s special players. Nowadays, he’s 37-years-old and has hit less than 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons. That’s low for him considering you’d have to go back to 1997 to find a year where he hit less than 30. He’s still paid like an MVP but he’s not playing like one.

He’s owed a whopping $114 million over the next five seasons but would the Dodgers be interested if they got him at a discount? There are only a handful of teams in baseball that can afford to take him on and the Dodgers have already shown a propensity to take on big contracts. A-Rod would just be one more.

He’d fit well into the infield and there wouldn’t be nearly as much heat, pressure and spotlight on him in Los Angeles as there is in New York. He’d also just be one of the guys in a lineup that is already filled with star batters like Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp.

MLB odds makers are listing the Dodgers and their cross-town rivals, the Angels, as the favorites to land A-Rod if he’s traded. The Yankees would have to severely discount the contract – maybe throwing in about $75 million – just to make it palatable. Even so, if the Dodgers can get A-Rod at about $8 million per season, it might be worth the risk. He’s got pedigree, experience and rings. That would definitely boost the team as long as the price is right.

 11/01/2012  Posted by at 7:24 pm Dodgers Rumors, Recaps From The Ravine 1 Response »

Dodgers Ink Brandon League for 3 Years — Not Done Yet

Nov 012012
 

After the impressive closing out of the season in replacement of Kenley Jansen, Brandon League has earned himself a 3-Year $21 million deal with the Dodgers.

With Jansen out with an irregular heartbeat and despite his season ending surgery to correct it, the Dodgers are keen to keeping League as the closer in the new season.

Among the bullpen which ranked 4th in the national league in ERA with a 3.23, the Dodgers are moving quickly to fill their roster and turn around a season that slipped through their fingers.

With one player ticked off their list, the Dodgers will look to reliever Randy Choate for a new contract as well as field the market for another starting pitcher. As he was mentioned last year James Shields appears to be on the top of that list. With Shields finishing out the season with a powerful complete game, multi-strikeout game, it is hard to ignore what he can do for the Dodgers.

 11/01/2012  Posted by at 2:31 am Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »

Starting Pitching Still A Priority For Dodgers

Aug 282012
 

colletti-phone

Update: Roy Oswalt has cleared waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal. He believes the Dodgers will look into acquiring him. Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox have placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on waivers, Olney also adds that  along with Matsuzaka, Mark Buerhle is another big contract pitcher that would fit well with the Dodgers.

Update: Erik Bedard has been released by the Pirates today. I fully expect the Dodgers to kick the tires on Bedard, especially considering he wouldn’t require the Dodgers to give up any prospects for his services.

The Dodgers aren’t done yet folks. Ned Colletti is still working around the clock to find a starting pitcher for the final weeks of the season. Though a third of the Dodgers roster has been acquired via trade over the last few weeks, the Dodgers aren’t done shopping yet, tweets Ken Rosenthal. However, no trade appears to be imminent. Rosenthal adds that he doesn’t think the Dodgers are going to be able to acquire the impact pitcher they are in search of.

The Dodgers have already acquired two starters via trade this summer, adding Josh Beckett, and Joe Blanton. The rotation currently consists of Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley (currently on 15-day DL), Ted Lilly (expected back from DL within a week), Chris Capuano, and Aaron Harang.

Colletti must complete a deal by Friday to enable the new player postseason eligibility. The Dodgers could trade for a starter in September, but he would not be eligible for the postseason should the Dodgers qualify. This of course makes no sense because that’s the sole purpose of an acquisition at this point.

There are no known pitchers that have cleared waivers at this point. However, that doesn’t mean anything as I am sure you know. Today we heard that Justin Vargas and Kevin Millwood had been placed on waivers, no word if either has been claimed by the Dodgers yet. My guess is it would be difficult to find an upgrade on the market right now, so I would be surprised to see any trades get done in the next day or so.

Here are some players who could potentially be available on waivers right now; Ubaldo Jimenez, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, James Shields, Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Carlos Zambrano, Edinson Volquez, Aaron Cook, and Jon Lester.  Any pitcher mentioned you would want to see in the rotation?

 08/28/2012  Posted by at 7:19 am Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »

Dodgers, Red Sox Close To Multi-Player Blockbuster

Aug 242012
 

8:43pm According to Michael Silverman, the Dodgers are expected to pick up more than $260MM of the $271.5MM in the combined Red Sox salaries. Wow! That’s astronomical. The deal is being reviewed by Commissioner Selig tonight, so I wouldn’t expect a decision until tomorrow. All that’s left is for Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to waive their no-trade rights. This is not expected to be an issue according to multiple sources including Jon Heyman, Ken Rosenthal, and others.

5:52pm The Dodgers and Red Sox have agreed in principle on a deal that will send Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, and James Loney to the Boston Red Sox for Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto. There is cash going to the Dodgers, but there are no other details at this time. The Red Sox have yet to secure permission from Beckett, who has 10-and-5 rights, or Crawford, who has a partial no-trade clause. Neither player is expected to block the deal. Medical records are currently being reviewed. The trade should be completed by early tomorrow.

4:44pm Here it is, not final yet, but it’s Webster, Rubby, Sands, Ivan De Jesus, and Loney going to Boston for Beckett, Gonzalez, Crawford, and Punto. Rubby would go as PTBNL I suspect, and Webster is not on the 40-man roster so he doesn’t need to clear waivers. This thing is close as close can be without it being final.

4:33pm Rubby De La Rosa has been demoted to the minors. Rubby is expected to be a PTBNL in the eventual deal. A-Gon has been scratched from today’s lineup. Jerry Sands is not in the Isotopes lineup. The Adrian Gonzalez picture at Fenway has been taken down. James Loney has also been scratched from the lineup today. When asked why, he smiled, my numbers aren’t good against Eovaldi.

4:30pm Jon Paul Morosi points out that CrawfO.D. Gonzalez, and Beckett are owed roughly $250MM after this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are close to completing to completing a deal that would send Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers, according to multiple sources. There are two proposed mega deals on the table right now, things are serious, and a deal could be done today. The first proposed deal would send Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers. The other is a reported nine-player deal that would send Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers. The Red Sox would get some players consisting of Allen Webster, Zach Lee, Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, James Loney, and possibly others.

Though nothing is finalized yet, a deal is expected to happen. The Red Sox will get prospects in either deal, in return the Dodgers will get some cash from the Red Sox.

Here is a breakdown of all the big contracts the Dodgers may be absorbing in the next 24 hours.

Adrian Gonzalez will earn $21MM per season through 2016 and obtain a raise to $21.5MM for 2017-18. The total is about $131.82MM when factoring in the remainder of his 2012 salary. The Dodgers are not on his no-trade list.

Josh Beckett will earn $15.75MM per season through 2014. Beckett can veto any deal.

Carl Crawford will earn $20MM in 2013, $20.25MM in 2014, $20.5MM in 2015, $20.75MM in 2016 and $21MM in 2017. His contract allows him to block trades to two teams, no word if the Dodgers are one of them.

Nick Punto earns $1.5MM per season through 2013.

Things are about to get very interesting. It seems that A-Gon will be a Dodger one way or the other. One of the biggest trades in MLB history is in the final stages, stay tuned.

 08/24/2012  Posted by at 4:28 pm Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »
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