Dodgers Sale Approved In Court
The sale of the Dodgers to the group headed by Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson was approved today in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing. Ultimately, this should mean that the club will be under their control by April 30th, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
A number of issues were addressed during the hearing today, including FOX's concern that the new group had an informal TV agreement with Time Warner Cable starting in 2013, but FOX was assured that no such deal is in place, Shaikin writes. Major League Baseball also argued for the time and opportunity to review the conditions of the sale such as financing and debt, but ultimately the judge approved the sale (via Twitter).
Central Notes: White Sox, Twins, Carroll, Brewers
Things are looking good on the South Side of Chicago as the White Sox find themselves on a three-game winning streak. They'll look to make it four straight tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Tigers at home. More on the White Sox and other items out of the Central divisions..
- White Sox GM Ken Williams termed the club's quiet hot stove season as "boring," writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "At the same time we were confident in our young players," the GM said. "We were still feeling around that veteran deal, something that could bring it all together. It was just different. Not as active. My phone bill was lower."
- Some were skeptical this offseason when the Twins gave 38-year-old Jamey Carroll a two-year deal to be their everyday shortstop. Rob Neyer of SBNation looked at other players who went from utility roles to starting jobs so late in their career and was unable to find a true comparable. Carroll's contract guarantees him $6.75MM with a third year vesting option worth $2MM if he gets to 400 plate appearances in 2013.
- The Brewers reinstated right-hander Mark Rogers from the restricted list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Milwaukee will assign the 26-year-old to Triple-A.
Quick Hits: Padres, Berkman, Giants, Rays, Royals
Here's the latest from around the league, on the night Yu Darvish made his MLB debut…
- Padres owner John Moore has retained investment banker Steve Greenberg to broker a sale of the club, reports Dan Hayes of The North County Times. Hayes says the club could fetch up to $700MM after the Dodgers sold for $2 billion last month.
- "If I could go back in time, I would have explored free agency earlier in my career," Lance Berkman told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran missed the boat on truly massive contracts for first basemen, but he's still earned upwards of $100MM over the course of his career. Berkman, 36, is earning $12MM this year from the Cardinals.
- Giants owner Charles Johnson told Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle that he plans to stay out of the club's day-to-day operations. The billionaire upped his stake in the club in September 2011, making him the team's top shareholder.
- In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bill Chastain says that he wouldn't be so sure that Rays fans have seen the last of Wade Davis as a starter. James Shields will make $12MM in 2013 and it's not clear if the Rays will bring him back at that number or deal him. If that were to happen then Davis would likely return to the rotation.
- Many writers scoffed when the Royals handed the closer’s role to Jonathan Broxton this spring, but so far it looks like he might be ready to return to form, writes J.P. Breen of Fangraphs. The 27-year-old's deal is worth $4MM plus $1MM in incentives based on games pitched.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Athletics Designate Brandon Allen For Assignment
7:55pm: Manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Joe Stiglich of The Bay Area News Group and MLB.com's Jane Lee) that the plan was for Barton to be the first baseman all along. Kila Ka'aihue played better, and he expects Allen to get claimed off waivers (Twitter links).
3:58pm: The Athletics designated first baseman Brandon Allen for assignment, according to a team press release. The move allows Oakland to reinstate first baseman Daric Barton from the disabled list.
Allen, 26, was acquired from the Diamondbacks at last year's trade deadline along with reliever Jordan Norberto for right-hander Brad Ziegler. With a glut at first base, the A's were said to be shopping Allen over the winter.
The first baseman/leftfielder has a .286/.401/.555 slash line across parts of three Triple-A seasons but yet to put it all together in the majors. In 109 big league games for the D'Backs and A's, Allen has hit .205/.291/.375 with eleven homers.
Rosenthal On Cubs, Brewers, Aybar, Padres, Volquez
It's no secret that the new regime in Chicago will need time to turn the Cubs around, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the changes to the draft rules will hamper their progress even further. Both the amateur draft and free-agent market are more difficult for high-revenue teams to exploit, giving Epstein a significant speed bump to deal with. In Boston, Epstein went over-slot to draft core pieces such as Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, and other assets used to trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Jason Bay, and Victor Martinez.
In the short-term, the Cubs need to get as much as possible out of Jeff Samardzija, Anthony Rizzo, and Brett Jackson. For the long-term, they can consider trading Matt Garza for prospects or, go in the other direction and sign the right-hander to an extension. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- If the Brewers wind up falling out of contention, Milwaukee could be an interesting seller at the trade deadline. Potential free agent right-handers Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and reliever Francisco Rodriguez would all be in high demand if the Crew isn't in contention in late July. The club will have to restock their farm system at some point as they rank near the bottom in MLB.
- Rosenthal opines that the Angels shouldn't hesitate to sign shortstop Erick Aybar to an extension. Many believe that the Halos could let him go and turn to prospect Jean Segura, but the youngster is playing above Class-A for the first time this season and has struggled with injuries in the past. The Angels signed Howie Kendrick to a four-year, $33.5MM extension earlier this offseason.
- A scout following the Padres saw them often in spring training and raves about the team’s future. San Diego is unlikely to sign major free agents but eventually could swing a Mat Latos trade in reverse, using prospects to acquire young impact players. Edinson Volquez, who is earning just $2.2375MM, could have immediate value at this year's trade deadline.
Red Sox Notes: Bard, Theo, Valentine, Cook
While three games isn't a great sample size, it's never too early to panic in Boston or New York. Some items on the Red Sox this afternoon..
- The season may be young but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports fears that the Red Sox's bullpen issues might be a sign of a long-term problem. Rosenthal writes that it might be time for the BoSox to turn to Daniel Bard as the closer since it is far too early in the season to trade for a reliable replacement.
- Theo Epstein left behind quite a mess from his final years in Boston, writes Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe. When adding up the salaries of Carl Crawford, John Lackey, Bobby Jenks, Andrew Bailey (not an Epstein acquisition, though), and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox effectively have more than $60MM on the disabled list.
- Is skipper Bobby Valentine looking to take Moneyball out of the equation in Boston? While some of Bobby V's decisions have raised eyebrows early in the year, Rob Neyer of SBNation says that it's far too early to tell one way or another.
- Veteran Aaron Cook can opt-out of his minor league deal on May 1st but it's more likely that the 33-year-old will have a place on the major leauge roster by then, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Cook will earn the prorated portion of $1.5MM if he is called up to the varsity squad.
Minor Moves: Indians, Hu, Padres, Rangers
Today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..
- The Indians and Phillies reversed a trade from earlier this winter which sent Chin-lung Hu to Philadelphia. Cleveland then released Hu soon after. The middle infielder joined the Phillies in camp in late March but wound up failing his physical. Hu, 28, spent his entire MLB career in the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Mets last offseason.
- The Padres released right-hander Dennis Tankersley who signed with his former club a month ago in an attempted comeback. The 33-year-old was ranked as San Diego's second-best prospect in 2002 (behind Sean Burroughs and ahead of Jake Peavy) but hasn't appeared in the majors since '04 and the minors since '08.
- The Rangers cut former Rule 5 pick Mason Tobin, who appeared in a handful of games for Texas last season but spent most of the year on the disabled list. The right-hander has been beset by arm trouble since 2008.
Poll: When Will The Dodgers Contend?
After the much maligned Frank McCourt sold the team to a group headed by Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson, it's once again a good time to be a Dodgers fan. In the short-term, the news is likely to spark attendance at Dodger Stadium. In the long-term, patrons are hopeful that they will see the club spend the money necessary to win. Despite being in the nation's No. 2 media market, the Dodgers have just the 12th highest payroll in baseball this season after spending about $50K more than the Twins and about $50MM less than the Phillies.
While they didn't make a Prince Fielder-sized splash this winter, they did manage to lock up Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160MM deal that will keep him in L.A. through his age-34 season. They also signed Clayton Kershaw to a two-year, $19MM deal, but they'll really have to break out their checkbooks to sign the left-hander into his free agent years. They'll also have to dole out major money to keep Andre Ethier next winter if the outfielder stays healthy and plays up to his ability in 2012.
The Dodgers might not be ready to play with the big boys just yet, but they do have pieces in place and it appears that they'll have the money needed to build on that. However, it's not yet clear when they'll start spending and how soon those dollars can translate to wins. Some have speculated that the Dodgers could add to their payroll prior to the deadline if they appear to be in the mix for the playoffs. Others think that the club will hold off on their spending splurge until the offseason. All things considered, when do you think the Dodgers will find themselves back in contention?
When Will The Dodgers Be Contenders?
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2013 28% (2,774)
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2012 27% (2,697)
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2014 21% (2,100)
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Not anytime soon 18% (1,773)
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2015 5% (510)
Total votes: 9,854
Quick Hits: Greinke, Astros, Votto, Padres
On this day in 1970, the Cardinals sent first baseman/outfielder Willie Montanez to the Phillies as part of a compensation package for Curt Flood refusing to report to Philadelphia when he was dealt in October of 1969. Flood's story is now part of baseball lore but Montanez would go on to have a solid career of his own. Montanez played 14 years in the majors and hit .275/.327/.402 for his career. Here's a look at tonight's links..
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) writes that in order for Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke to restore his value, the hurler has to to alter the perception that he can be a troublesome clubhouse presence. Olney writes that there are already some teams who won't consider him because of the reputation he earned in Kansas city.
- The Astros were able to land outfielder Justin Maxwell off of waivers from the Yankees earlier today thanks to their top position on the waiver wire. Houston GM Jeff Luhnow says that while he hopes to win more games, he plans on taking advantage of their wire position, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- Locking up Joey Votto doesn't come cheap but the Reds made the right move when they made him a $200MM man, opines B.J. Bethel of the Dayton Daily News. The Reds, he writes, have not produced a bona fide superstar since the days of Barry Larkin and Eric Davis.
- Jay Paris of the North County Times thinks that Padres owner John Moores needs to do more to endear himself to fans if he hopes to keep the club's attendance numbers up.
Rangers Notes: Kinsler, Hamilton, Pitching
Ian Kinsler and the Rangers have been working hard to hammer out a contract extension but so far the two sides have yet to reach agreement. Here’s more on the second baseman and other items out of Arlington..
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com’s (via Twitter) gut feeling is that second baseman Ian Kinsler and the Rangers will work out a long-term deal. Earlier this week the two sides were working towards a new deal that would guarantee Kinsler’s 2013 option at $10MM and add five seasons at about $14MM per year.
- In a piece for ESPN Insider (sub. req’d) Christopher Cwik of Fangraphs writes that Josh Hamilton‘s move to center field could cost him millions on the open market. Hamilton will hit free agency along with a group of other defensively-talented players at the position including Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino, and B.J. Upton.
- It has taken the Rangers about six years of commitment to transform into a pitching-first organization but they’ve pulled it off, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. “We were known as an offensive organization,” club president and CEO Nolan Ryan said. “We chose to put at least as much emphasis on pitching as we did hitting…We were committed to becoming the most balanced organization we could be.”