Last night, the Dodgers saw a glimpse of what the newly-acquired Josh Beckett might be capable of when he turned in 6.2 strong innings of work on the way to a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Ned Colletti & Co. will be hoping to see more of the same as they look to make their playoff push. Here's more out of Los Angeles and other notes out of the NL West..
- Other clubs are convinced that the blockbuster deal which brought Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers took them out of the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The other usual suspects, like the Red Sox and Yankees, are unlikely to be in on the outfielder as well, which makes it hard to predict where he might end up. One AL exec guesses that a mid-market team will come out of the woodwork to sign Hamilton.
- Rockies slugger Jason Giambi has no plans to retire and hopes to continue playing in 2013, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "I would to love to play if I can get a job," Giambi said. "That's kind of up to everybody else. If I have an opportunity, I would love to play."
- Pricey Cuban import Yasiel Puig isn't particularly concerned about how long it might take him to reach the major leagues, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. If he proves worthy of starting, it may be hard for the Dodgers to find a spot for him as they have Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford under contract through at least 2017. The Dodgers signed Puig to a seven-year, $42MM contract back in June.
It’s Yasiel, not Yasel.
Yasel Pig?
Yep 1 great start lets all talk about Beckett like he’s the Beckett from 2007 again. I’m SO glad we got rid of his bum (explitive) just wish it would have come sooner.
Would love the Tigers to sign Giambi as a pinch hitter in 2013. We have none.
Does anyone else see the Braves as a threat to sign Hamilton? They’ll be clearing quite a good amount of money this year with Chipper retiring and Derek Lowe off the books. I think the Braves see Martin Prado as their future 3rd baseman and Hamilton would slot in nicely in left there. The Braves might prefer righty hitters given their current lineup but if the spot is open I wouldn’t put it past them. This team will be lacking a definite superstar with Chipper’s retirement and McCann simply hasn’t eclipsed such a level.
Pittsburgh Pirates will sign Hamilton
i dont think they need a DH
Puig has been on a role in the minors who could be in the big leagues very soon
Why would Puig care? He got his big pay day….guys that get drafted from US have to work 6 years to see a deal like that. Thank god they fixed the system.