Dodgers Looking For Emergency Shortstop

The Dodgers placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the DL today, and MLB.com's Ken Gurnick says they're trying to acquire an emergency replacement. Furcal will be eligible to return on May 21st. He's been perhaps the game's best hitting shortstop to date. Perhaps the Rays' Andy Cannizaro would make sense? The Dodgers have been using Chin-lung Hu at short; despite his lack of offense it may be best to just stick with him.

Odds and Ends: Doue, Furcal, Kuroda

Here are today's links. Dave Cameron notes Nelson Cruz's video game numbers in Triple A and suggests he deserves another shot. Japanese catcher Hayato Doue was expected to join the Red Sox organization, but visa problems have gotten in the way. Buster Olney notes that Rafael Furcal will test free agency if he can't hammer out an extension with the Dodgers by midseason. Shigetoshi Hasegawa denies the notion that he pushed Hiroki Kuroda toward the Dodgers. Athletics Nation sees Billy Beane targeting pitcher Tanner Scheppers if he's available with the 12th pick. Also, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has an overall...

Rosenthal's Latest: Hudson, Turnbow, Laird, Kershaw

Rumorland Ambassador Ken Rosenthal has posted yet another Full Count video. Let's get sifting: Rosenthal thinks Orlando Hudson could be shown the money this offseason if he opts to explore free agency. Hudson most likely won't be offered market value by the Dbacks. Rosenthal posits the Orioles, Cards, Dodgers, and Mariners as potential buyers. 4 unnamed teams are interested in Derrick Turnbow, who is making $3.2MM this year. According to KR, the Brewers would need to throw money in a deal or get a comparable salary in return - as the saying goes, you trade contracts, not players. Turnbow needs...

Juan Pierre Not Happy Being A Bench Player

Juan Pierre, who has been the odd man out in the crowded Dodgers outfield this year, said following the team's 5-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Thursday that he still has not accepted his current role with the club as a bench player: "I don't see myself as a bench player. I haven't accepted that. I know if they don't want me to play out there, that's their decision. But I don't see myself as a bench player." One reporter asked Pierre if he wanted to remain with the Dodgers to which the 30-year old responded: "I'm not going...

Rockies Sign Juan Castro

FRIDAY: The Rockies win the Castro sweepstakes. Ken Rosenthal notes in a sidebar that the silver lining to the Tulo injury could be Barmes getting a chance to build up trade value. Rosenthal doesn't see the Rox pursuing Brian Roberts for second base help unless they battle their way into contention first. THURSDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News has been all over the Juan Castro situation. The 35 year-old shortstop became a free agent today, and four clubs are in pursuit. The Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, and Rockies are all after him. Jackson says the Dodgers and Rockies would...

Free Agent Stock Watch: Rafael Furcal

Indicators predicting a big year for Rafael Furcal included his impending free agency, a return to health, and a strong Spring Training performance. After 28 games, he sits at .371/.459/.586 (tops among shortstops). When Furcal first reached free agency after the 2005 season, he was only 28 and was coming off a .284/.348/.429 season. He chose to maximize his yearly salary rather than take a four or five-year deal. The three-year, $39MM contract Furcal signed with the Dodgers allows him to re-enter free agency at age 31. Furcal is in line for a monster contract even if he can't maintain...

Odds And Ends: Thomas, Jays, Myers, Nomo

Expect another one of these today. There's lots of little stuff, but not much in the way of substantive rumors. The Mariners were one of four teams contacted by Frank Thomas's agent. The A's were obviously another. So who were the other two? With 24-year-old backstop Robinzon Diaz mashing in AAA, the Jays might look to spin off either Gregg Zaun or Rod Barajas come July. 39-year-old southpaw Mike Myers requested and was granted his unconditional release from the Dodgers. After DFAing him on Sunday, the Royals have placed Hideo Nomo on release waivers. If unclaimed by noon on Tuesday,...

Fred Claire Q&A

Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire was kind enough to answer questions for MLBTR readers. Fred enjoyed this; we'll have to do this again in the future. He wrote a book four years ago; my copy just arrived in the mail. Here we go with the Q&A... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MLBTR: What is the best way for a college student to break into a MLB front office, in any baseball operations capacity? Claire: This is one of the most common questions that comes my way and one of the most difficult to answer for a very basic reason—there are so many young people...

Odds and Ends: Burrell, Pedro, Fukudome

Today's link collection. Jon Heyman notes that Pat Burrell only wanted to go to the Yankees or Red Sox when the Phillies tried to trade him a few years ago. They're not great fits, but perhaps Burrell will have those two clubs at the top of his list when he hits free agency. Ross Newhan looks at the Dodgers' trade of Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields. He rates it the worst in franchise history. He also names the Brad Penny acquisition as the fourth-worst. Josh Kalk takes a look at Kosuke Fukudome's hot start for RotoAuthority. The Dodgers and Juan...

Gammons' Latest: Crisp, Piazza, Wells

ESPN's Peter Gammons has a new blog post up. Peter Angelos might put the kibosh on any Brian Roberts trade. The Red Sox apparently wouldn't mind shipping Coco Crisp to the Cubs for Sean Gallagher and another prospect. The Sox might hope Crisp is the Cubs' backup plan to Roberts. Gammons says Tommy Lasorda suggested the Dodgers consider Mike Piazza as a backup catcher; they are not interested. It would've been fun to see Piazza finish his career in L.A. Another free agent, David Wells, "hasn't gotten a sniff from any team." It's only April 23rd, so desperation hasn't quite...

Questions For Fred Claire?

Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire has agreed to answer some questions from MLBTR readers. I'll choose the best ones from the comments. Fred was the team's GM for about a decade, and also served in other capacities in the front office before that. Fred is keeping busy these days with an MLB.com column, radio show appearances, consulting, and civic involvement.

Rosenthal's Latest: Furcal, Tejada

Ken Rosenthal did an Inside Pitch video yesterday; let's discuss. Rosenthal says Rafael Furcal and the Dodgers are open to discussing an extension during the season. Furcal makes $13MM this year and would be a hot commodity on the free agent market. If the Dodgers re-sign him, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu becomes valuable trade bait. Rosenthal notes that the biggest downside to Miguel Tejada's age revelation is his reduced trade value. It's possible the 'Stros could look to clean house in July or after the season.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Derek Lowe

I was skeptical when the Dodgers signed Scott Boras client Derek Lowe to a four-year, $36MM deal in January of '05 following an awful season for Boston. Lowe proved his detractors wrong by demonstrating durability and effectiveness over his first three Dodger seasons. He's off to a nice start in this year as well. Since the beginning of the '05 season, Lowe's 3.64 ERA ranks 11th among all starters with 600 innings. He doesn't get enough credit - he's been a legitimate #1 starter during this contract. Lowe will sign his next deal as a 35 year-old (he hasn't had...

Odds and Ends: Schilling, Piazza, Howard

Tax day roundup... Some mild drama over whether Curt Schilling would consider pitching for the Yankees next year. He reiterated that he won't. It takes two to tango, anyway. Pedro Martinez may be out until June. Nelson Figueroa's chance continues, with Claudio Vargas as the backup plan. The Mets still have a solid rotation without Pedro. Mark Healey has heard rumblings that the Reds and Yankees are looking at Mike Piazza. Phillies Nation on why they would trade Ryan Howard. Bill Barnwell looks at the four trades Randy Johnson trades. I thought the Unit looked respectable last night, though it's...

Rosenthal's Latest: Roberts, Jones

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has his latest video "Rosenthal's Full Count" up and running. First, Rosenthal calls Andruw Jones the "early candidate for worst free agent signing" noting that Jones is now batting 7th. Rosenthal goes so far as to say that the Dodgers' best outfield right now includes Juan Pierre and does not include Jones...The Dodgers are truly lucky to have Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp on the cheap right now ($840K combined), because Jones ($14.1M) and Pierre ($8M) are a lot of dead contract weight for one outfield. And we can thank Rosenthal for keeping Brian Roberts in...

Stark's Latest: Roberts, Crisp, Loretta

ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up. Let's examine some of the hot stove material. There's nothing cooking with the Cubs and Brian Roberts. The O's still intend to trade Roberts this year, along with pretty much all of their other veterans. Their hot start is unlikely to halt the farm sale. The Red Sox don't want to eat any of the $11MM owed to Coco Crisp over the next two years, and for now there are no trades in the works. Roberts, Crisp, and Joe Crede were three trades we all expected to go down....

Red Sox Acquire Eric Hull

The Red Sox and Dodgers made a deal last night. The Sox acquired 28 year-old righty pitcher Eric Hull for 23 year-old shortstop Christian Lara. Lara was once Boston's top shortstop prospect, but he's been passed by Jed Lowrie and several others. A couple years ago Baseball America wrote that Lara had "a chance to be a plus defender." They weren't impressed with his bat. The Sox challenged him by putting him at Double A in 2005-06, but he was demoted to High A for '07. Hull seems like an organizational arm, though he did intrigue last year with an...

Dodgers Almost Sign Marcus Giles

THURSDAY, 1:45pm: Not so fast. Miller has an update to his initial report below, which came from Marcus' brother Brian. Marcus' agent is now saying that Brian was misinformed - they never finalized anything with the Dodgers and he's not playing for them, after all. THURSDAY, 8:14am: Scott Miller says Giles will report to Triple A for the Dodgers, after all. The Dodgers still seem to have some interest in Wes Helms though. TUESDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News chronicles the odd tale of the Dodgers' near-signing of infielder Marcus Giles. Apparently an agreement was reached but Giles...

Helms Designated For Assignment

3:07pm: According to David Murphy, Helms has been DFA'd. Any suitors will probably try to wait it out so as not to pay his salary. 8:53am: Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's likely that Wes Helms will be moved by Saturday, when closer Brad Lidge is set to come off the DL. Hagen suggests the Dodgers as a good fit. Ned Colletti could offer up a player to be named later, or just wait and see if the Phils release Helms. He has $2.9MM left on his contract. The Dodgers had been eyeing Alex Cintron and almost...

Odds And Ends: Quintero, Rios, Pierre

A few random notes from around the MLBiverse... Henry Schulman says the Giants are in need of a backup catcher and a logical choice may be Astros backup Humberto Quintero, whom Bruce Bochy is familiar with from his days with the Padres. He also notes that the Rays have two experienced catchers that were just reassigned to the minor leagues in Josh Paul and Mike DiFelice. The Jays and Alex Rios are closer today to an agreement on a long-term extension than they were yesterday. That according to Rios' agent, Paul Kinzer. Yesterday it was reported that the Jays had...

Rosenthal's Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza

Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let's take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say: Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros' Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals' Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers' third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu. He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt...

Dodgers Release Rudy Seanez

THURSDAY: Seanez might not retire if he finds the right fit. A few clubs have already contacted his agent. WEDNESDAY: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers released reliever Rudy Seanez last night. The move should save the Dodgers about $400K and could open up a bullpen spot unless the Dodgers begin with an 11-man staff. Jackson believes the 39 year-old Seanez will now retire. If so, he leaves on a high note - he posted a 3.79 ERA and 8.6 K/9 in 76 innings last year. Seanez played in 11 different organizations in his career.

Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends. Doesn't look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles. Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country's best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star's Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog. Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he's heard: Cubs, Sox, A's, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning. John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money...

Rockies Notes: Giles Fails To Make Team

The Rocky Mountain News is reporting Marcus Giles was informed he won't make the club despite his solid spring. Giles wasn't on the list of players being sent to the minors (a list which included Victor Zambrano), but the speculation is that he will be released and given a chance to hook on with another team. The Dodgers would seem like an obvious fit, but it's likely several teams will be in the running. Giles hit .321/.457/.536 over 13 games, with four doubles and nine runs scored. He was also 3 for 3 in steal attempts. However, the likely starter...

Dodgers Scrambling for Infield Help

With veteran infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent both likely to miss opening day, the Dodgers are scrambling to find themselves some backups. Ken Rosenthal says that since the Astros are unlikely to trade Mark Loretta while Kaz Matsui is out, L.A. is considering Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals. Another possibility, Morgan Ensberg, seems unlikely, as the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster yesterday. Joe Crede of the White Sox and Brandon Inge of the Tigers are both probably too expensive. This could impact roster decisions Los Angeles will make on Monday, when...

Astros Rumors: Patterson, Loretta

If 30-year old righty John Patterson clears waivers today, Ed Wade will give him a call. Patterson hails from Orange, Texas and was released by the Nationals on Thursday. You can read about Patterson's injury-packed history here. In other Astros news, Wade is not likely to deal infielder Mark Loretta, despite alleged interest from the Dodgers. The Dodgers want Loretta to sub for perennially injured 3B Nomar Garciaparra, who will not be ready to go by opening day. However, there may be wishful thinking going on in Los Angeles, as the Astros are also coping with an unpleasant injury to...

Market For Crede Dries Up

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says the market for Joe Crede has "dried up," as the Dodgers and Giants have little interest. Tough luck for Josh Fields, who seems headed back to Triple A. Ozzie Guillen's explanation for the lack of Crede interest: This game has gotten to be a bunch of political, a bunch of [expletive] budget, a bunch of [expletive]. They forgot about the talent. I'm not sure what Ozzie means by that. Perhaps the "political" comment has something to do with Scott Boras, who represents Crede. SI.com's Jon Heyman offers an alternative explanation, quoting a scout...

Rosenthal's Latest: Loretta, Ensberg, Lopez, Ring

Ken Rosenthal has some Spring Training odds and ends this morning. Rosenthal adds Mark Loretta as a possible third base acquisition for the Dodgers. Given their desire for a relatively affordable guy who can also handle second, Rosenthal has linked them to Ron Belliard and Esteban German previously. Loretta shouldn't be too hard to pry away from the Astros. Though he can't play second, Morgan Ensberg could be an option if the Yankees let him leave. The Nats are shopping Felipe Lopez, who's said he wouldn't be content on the bench. Rosenthal says the Nationals have their eye on awful...

Inge Unlikely For Dodgers

It figures that the Dodgers would step up their efforts to bring in a third baseman given news of Nomar's microfracture. Jon Paul Morosi says their search has intensified, but Brandon Inge is not a likely target. The Dodgers don't want to spend that kind of money. This might imply that Joe Crede is the perfect fit, but Morosi also says the Dodgers want a player capable of playing second base. Given those criteria, the Royals' Esteban German and the Nationals' Ron Belliard seem to make the most sense. Ken Rosenthal wrote on March 9th that both players had attracted...

No Crede Trade Imminent

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that it's become "increasingly likely" that Joe Crede will get the Opening Day nod at third base for the White Sox, with Josh Fields heading to Triple A. It's an unfortunate situation for the 25 year-old Fields, who doesn't have much left to learn in the minors. Gonzales adds that trade talks with the Giants have "all but ceased," and the Dodgers don't seem all that interested either. Crede is trying to shake off the rust (his last regular season game was June 4th of last year) and prove he's an above average...

Pierre's Days With Dodgers May Be Numbered

The Orange County Register speculates this morning that Juan Pierre may be on the verge of losing his job after only one season with the Dodgers, which may force a trade. If true, the Dodgers will have received only one year of service for their $44MM investment. Tony Jackson notes that with center field belonging to Andruw Jones, that leaves two spots for Pierre, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Ethier and Kemp have shown this spring that they may be ready for everyday jobs. Jackson also suggests that Pierre is not an ideal candidate for the bench even if the...

Odds and Ends: Inge, Salcedo, Corey, Nathan

I write this odds and ends post with two less wisdom teeth than I had yesterday. Looks like applesauce for dinner. Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Tigers haven't talked lately, and doesn't see L.A. taking on Brandon Inge's $19.1MM. Aside from the standard Giants suggestion, Heyman puts on his speculation cap and wonders whether Inge could catch for Houston. What is J.R. Towles, chopped liver? This is questionable, but hey, it's a Friday. Hi5 is a popular social networking site in Central America. A reader sent me a link to this page, which may belong to future superstar kid...

Nats To Pass On Weaver

Scott Boras found a deal for Kyle Lohse; will he now focus on getting Jeff Weaver a job? On Monday, Jeff's brother Jered said the Nationals and Cardinals had expressed interest. The Cards are surely out of the mix now, and MLB.com's Bill Ladson says Weaver has seemingly "priced himself out of the Nats' pay range." I'll guess the Nats were thinking $2MM or so. So if the Nats and Cards are both out, what's the elder Weaver to do? Baltimore seems to be his best option. Toronto could work. Perhaps the Astros as a long shot. In a note...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds

The biggest name remaining in the free agent market is one Barry Lamar Bonds. The most recent rumored destinations for the all-time home run champ have been the Rays, Mets and even Japan. The Rays say there was never any serious consideration and the Mets say they are not interested. The biggest question mark concerning Bonds is whether his production at age 43 is worth the circus that follows, both in the clubhouse and in the media. Yesterday at my home base, Rays Index, I contacted Chone Smith of Anaheim Angels All The Way, and creator of the CHONE projection...

White Sox Not Happy With Crede Offers

We knew that Joe Crede's name would be an oft-mentioned this spring. Further, we knew that he'd be connected with the Giants, who have infield needs. It appears the two teams have been discussing possible swaps, but the Sox are less than impressed with what's been offered thus far. According to Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune, the Giants have been offering up the likes of recently-cut Scott Williamson, recently-optioned Randy Messenger, and outfielder Dave Roberts, though not all in the same package. On the other end, GM Ken Williams is looking for "one of the Giants' top prospects and...

Video Mailbag: Capuano, Sabathia, Pierre

Time for another video mailbag. All sorts of topics are covered, including the Brewers' pitching surplus, C.C. Sabathia, and Juan Pierre. I'm looking into getting a wireless mic for these, in case you were wondering.

Odds and Ends: Baldelli, Salcedo, Piazza, Rivera

Time for today's linkage. RotoAuthority looks for some fantasy baseball sleepers at second base. Rocco Baldelli has a rare muscle condition that does not allow his body to recover after a short workout. He'll hit the DL but won't retire. The Rays will likely decline his option but maybe they'll re-sign him at a lower price. The Indians are in the running for 16 year-old shortstop Edward Salcedo, but the Boras client remains unsigned. IGN has their own What Might've Been type series, and recently they took a look at the Mike Piazza trades of 1998. Haven't heard much on...

Dodgers Haven't Discussed German With Royals

On Sunday evening, Ken Rosenthal wrote that Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals were "attracting the Dodgers' interest." However, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports today that Royals' GM Dayton Moore has not been informed of any interest in German by the Dodgers. German is known for his .373 career OBP and his versatility, though Baseball Prospectus says he is "capable of playing second, third, and the outfield equally poorly."