Dodgers Outright Alfredo Silverio To AAA

Nov 042012
 

The Dodgers have outrighted top outfield prospect Alfredo Silverio to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to the report by Ken Gurnick earlier today. The 24-year-old prospect was coming off a huge breakthrough season in 2011 when he hit .306/.340/.542 with 16 homers and 90 runs scored for Double-A Chattanooga.

Silverio, in most circles is considered a top ten prospect in the Dodgers farm system. considered. Of course his ranking took a dive after being seriously injured during a car accident in his native Dominican Republic on January 23. Silverio missed the entire 2012 season because of the injuries he sustained in the crash including a severe concussion and damage to his throwing elbow, which required Tommy John surgery in May.

With the roster move, the Dodgers now have four openings on their 40-man roster. The Rule 5 Draft is set for December 6th, during the Winter Meetings. So with just over a month away, the Dodgers may want to get some of their potential Rule 5 draftees on the 40-man roster to block other teams from taking them, this move is a step in that direction. The Dodgers will also likely have some free agent signings or some trades between now and then, so either way flexibility is created wherever the Dodgers may need it.

 11/04/2012  Posted by at 7:24 pm Dodgers News, Prospects 2 Responses »

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 Will Revisit Pitching Needs As Offseason Begins

Nov 012012
 

By SBRForum.com

Manager Don Mattingly believed that the Los Angeles Dodgers squad he brought out of spring training would be good enough to make the playoffs. Although few people believed him, the team’s 31-13 start proved otherwise. Along the way, the Dodgers added a slew of talented veterans, including Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and along with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, the Dodgers have the core of their team set for the next handful of years.

However, they still failed to make the playoffs and clearly have a bit of work to do as the offseason begins. At one point, it seemed that starting pitching would be a strength for the Dodgers but experts and MLB odds makers saw it become a weakness in the 2012 season.

On paper, the Dodgers look healthy with Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Beckett, Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang and Ted Lilly. However, Billingsley may require surgery for a torn ligament in his elbow, which could cost him the 2013 season, Lilly is fresh off surgery himself (although he should be ready for spring training) and Kershaw battled a hip injury towards the end of the regular season.

That leaves Capuano, Beckett and Harang, who are all veterans but are somewhat inconsistent. It would be ideal to see Beckett return to the ranks of the league’s elite pitchers because that could potentially give the Dodgers as stellar trio with Kershaw and Billingsley. However, if he doesn’t regain that caliber and Billingsley is out for 2013, the Dodgers are again putting too much weight on Kershaw’s back.

New ownership has already invested a lot of money in the team but picking up a stud like Zack Greinke would be a huge boost to the Dodgers. Regardless, they need another good arm to feel better about their chances in 2013.

 11/01/2012  Posted by at 7:16 pm 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 »
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