Saturday Rumors: Colletti Zeroing In On James Shields

Jul 282012
 

Update 2:10pm: The Rays are looking for a package north of what the Brewers got for Greinke, tweets Jon Heyman. He also says the Cardinals have entered the mix. Ken Rosenthal mentioned on a live Fox interview that there is a 20% chance the Dodgers trade for Dempster and either LaHair or Soriano. It’s safe to assume the Dodgers are waiting on the Phillies and Rays before making a deal with the Cubs.

Update 10:54am: Buster Olney is tweeting that rival executives are starting to believe the Rays will ultimately deal James Shields before Tuesday’s deadline. This conflicts of course with a report in the Tampa Bay Times that quoted manager Joe Maddon as saying he doesn’t believe Shields will be dealt. Olney is one of the most reliable sources in the business, so my money is on Shields being dealt.

[singlepic id=2 w=180 h=180 float=left]The clock continues to go tick tock and Ned Colletti continues to work around the clock to land the starting pitcher, and additional big bat the Dodgers desire. Unfortunately the starting pitching market is dwindling by the moment. Cole Hamels has extended with the Phillies, Zack Greinke is an Angel now (poor guy), Matt Garza  is hurt, and won’t be dealt before the deadline. So that leaves James Shields  as one of the best remaining pitchers on the trade market. The Dodgers are reportedly zeroing in on Shields but no word how far along talks are at the moment.

Shields, 30, owns a 4.52 ERA this year but finished third in the Cy Young Award voting just last season.  A case could largely be made that he was actually more deserving of the award, but was overlooked in large part because he’s pitching for the Rays.  Tampa Bay has club options for 2013 ($9MM) and 2014 ($12MM) in his contract, so Shields is obviously highly desirable. He’s also proven he can pitch in the AL East, the toughest division to pitch in. It’s a new day, with the deadline just a few short days away, there figures to be plenty of rumors circling the web today. I will keep all the Shields’ rumors on top for today just to keep things simple around here.

The Dodgers are emerging as a front-runner for Shields, but the Braves, Indians, and Rangers are still in the mix as well.

 07/28/2012  Posted by at 10:52 am Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »

Colletti Switching Focus To Shields, Willingham, Morneau

Jul 272012
 

The Angels of Anaheim have acquired Zack Greinke from the Milwaukee Brewers. This obviously takes him off the table for the Dodgers, not that the Dodgers were all that interested in him anyway.  Matt Garza is expected to remain with the Cubs after news of a MRI revealing  a slight fluid buildup in Garza’s triceps area. He is expected to miss his next start for sure and could miss up to two weeks. The Dodgers were all over Garza, but will now have to go back to the drawing board. Cliff Lee is reportedly not going to be dealt anytime soon, so the Dodgers can scratch him off the list.

So that leaves Ryan Dempster, but the Dodgers are not having any luck making progress towards a deal. Though reports came out earlier today that the Dodgers were working with the Cubs to acquire Dempster and Alfonso Soriano or Bryan LaHair in a package deal with Dempster. So far that hasn’t gotten very fair either. It seems the Cubs and Dodgers can’t agree on a whole lot right now, but word around the league is that Dempster will be a Dodger before the deadline passes.

It seems the Dodgers are moving on to James Shields and Josh Johnson, perhaps the Dodgers are moving on since they realize time is no longer on their side. The Angels are trying to move Ervin Santana and Vernon Wells,  let’s hope the Dodgers stay clear of that situation. That’s more of a Frank McCourt type move anyway, so we should be in good shape. Fingers crossed. The Marlins are also working hard to trade Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Lee. Yikes! I don’t which is worse.

As far as bats go, it looks like the Dodgers are deep in talks with the Twins about Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham. More to come. For now we Stephen Fife headed to the mound in search of a win over the first place Giants. Go blue!

 07/27/2012  Posted by at 6:09 pm Dodgers Rumors 2 Responses »

Dodgers Injury Report: Kennedy, Lilly, Elbert

Jul 262012
 

Amid the Dodgers rejecting the Cubs’ offer to send Dempster to Los Angeles, all the rumors swirling around the web, I figured an injury report was a good way to break things up.

Adam Kennedy has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain. No word yet on the severity of the injury yet. Replacing him on the roster is Shawn Tolleson from Triple-A. A curious move as the Dodgers just shipped him back to Triple-A after optioning him when the Dodgers acquired Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate.

To me it would’ve made more sense to put Kennedy on the DL yesterday, preventing the useless journey that Tolleson just went on. Obviously no word on what’s going on with the roster at the moment, but something is up. Regardless, Mattingly has his work cut out with all of the roster manipulation he’s got headed his way.

Next up for the disabled list could be Scott Elbert, who is dealing with left shoulder discomfort for several weeks. With the acquisition of Choate, the Dodgers bullpen shouldn’t miss a beat.

Meanwhile, Ted Lilly is progressing well and could be in line to return to the Dodgers starting rotation in the next week or so. He pitched three innings in a simulated game on Tuesday, reports thus far have been positive.

Matt Guerrier could also be in line for a return in the next week or so. Guerrier has been throwing every day for a little over a week now with no setbacks. The Dodgers are headed towards a 25-man roster disaster with all the injured players coming and going, not to mention the players that will be acquired via trade over the next five days.

Out indefinitely is Blake Hawksworth, who is in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season after having his rehab discontinued on July 1. Justin Sellers is still recovering from his bulging disc in his lower back and has started baseball activities. His return is still up in the air.

Dee Gordon is scheduled to have a pin removed from his thumb in the next few days, putting him on schedule to return sometime in the later part of August. With the acquisition of Hanley Ramirez and the solid play of Triple-A call-up Luis Cruz, the Dodgers haven’t missed Gordon all that much.

 07/26/2012  Posted by at 8:56 pm Dodgers Injury Reports, Dodgers News, Transactions 2 Responses »

Dodgers Reject Cubs Offer, Dempster Deal On The Rocks Again

Jul 262012
 

With Ryan Dempster next scheduled to pitch on Tuesday, the non-waiver trade deadline date, the Cubs are working hard to ship Dempster out of Chicago. The Cubs are moving closer to sending Dempster to the Dodgers and are discussing various trades including a multi-team deal. The Braves and Cubs had a deal in place, but Dempster blocked the trade, and said he wants to pitch for the Dodgers. Now that’s a guy I want to put a Dodger jersey on.

David Kaplan is reporting via Twitter that the Cubs are “moving closer” to trading the coveted right-hander to the Dodgers. The Dodgers and Cubs have been close to a deal on numerous occasions, but the Cubs felt they could get a better deal elsewhere. They were in fact correct, however, the Cubs have pretty much lost all leverage in talks because the only team Dempster is willing to waive his no-trade protection for is the Dodgers.

The Cubs are currently asking for one of the Dodgers more promising pitching prospects, Allen Webster. The Dodgers rejected this trade just moments ago.We heard in the original deal the Dodgers were offering Chris Withrow and Garrett Gould to Chicago, but that deal ultimately fell through obviously. It seems the Dodgers are standing their ground, as they should be, but it appears things could be souring by the hour. This thing is still far from over.

 07/26/2012  Posted by at 6:24 pm Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »

Shields, Dempster, Garza Top Dodgers Shopping List As Deadline Nears

Jul 262012
 

While most of you are still trying to get over the shock from the Dodgers landing Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins, Ned Colletti is working around the clock to bring another bat and at least one starting pitcher to Dodgertown.

The Dodgers new ownership group made it very clear once again that they are here, ready to build a winning franchise. Though the move resembles much of the gamble that brought Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers back in 2008, it’s a gamble certainly worth taking.

But that’s not all, as a matter of fact, Colletti is just getting started. Rumors are flying around the web, so I am going to get you all up to date on all the latest, legit, Dodgers rumors from around the web.

Starting Pitchers: The Dodgers are currently out on Zack Greinke, but the Dodgers have an offer on the table for James Shields. The Dodgers are still optimistic about getting a deal done for Ryan Dempster after he blocked a trade to the Braves. The Dodgers are still discussing Matt Garza as well, though it’s not clear who the Dodgers like most. My guess is Dempster because he would cost less in prospects. The Dodgers are still keeping tabs on Cliff Lee, Josh Johnson, and Zack Greinke just in case the aforementioned three fall through.

Outfielders: The Dodgers and Phillies have been discussing Shane Victorino. The Phillies want a Josh Lindblom for Victorino swap. However, the Dodgers want to do some more checking around before pulling the trigger on the deal. The Indians are listening to offers for Shin-Soo Choo, no word if the Dodgers have made an offer. Right now the Dodgers appear to be more interested in Victorino and Hunter Pence. The Dodgers are also said to have some interest in Carl Crawford, but his contract makes him near impossible to move. Corey Hart is somewhere in the mix as well, but most execs see Hart still in Milwaukee after the deadline.

That’s it for now. Dempster is the name to watch over the next 24 hours or so. The Dodgers are said to have  things lined up to make a deal for at least one starting pitcher and another bat. Not one or the other. This is actually fun for the first time in half a decade or so. Go blue!

 07/26/2012  Posted by at 1:23 pm Dodgers Rumors 1 Response »
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