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West Notes: Hamilton, Dodgers, Volquez, Suzuki

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark turned to executives, scouts, and other baseball people to try and figure out what has gone wrong with Josh Hamilton since he joined the Angels.  While some expressed doubt over whether he can rebound, GM Jerry Dipoto said that he's confident that his sizable investment will pay off.  "I still believe in Josh's physical ability. I still believe in the player. … And we've seen signs, over the last three weeks [as Hamilton has put up a .329/.414/.539 slash line over a 19-game stretch], that he's getting back to doing the things that Josh Hamilton does," the GM said.  Here's more out of the AL and NL West..

  • The Dodgers signed Edinson Volquez shortly after he was cut loose by the Padres, but there were plenty of other suitors.  The pitcher says that he chose L.A. over the Reds, Blue Jays, Orioles, Phillies, and "a couple more" teams, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  Volquez added that he's willing to start or relieve for the Dodgers.
  • Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter) notes that even though Don Mattingly said that Volquez would come out of the bullpen for the Dodgers, he was seen taking batting practice with the starting pitchers.
  • Kurt Suzuki is glad to be back with the A's and the feeling is mutual within the organization.  Manager Bob Melvin says that one advantage of reacquiring Suzuki is that he won't need a whole lot of time to get acquainted with the Oakland pitching staff as other backstops would, writes Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com.

NL West Notes: Puig, Dodgers, Cano, Giants, Pence

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Dodgers manager Don Mattingly benched Yasiel Puig at the start of the fifth inning of last night's 4-0 victory over the Cubs, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says it was the right call.  Mattingly gained respect in his clubhouse by benching the 22-year-old, said one Dodgers player.  The player added that Puig also gained respect by taking the advice of the club's veterans and accepting responsibility in his postgame chat with the media.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • Hunter Pence told Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) that he'd still pass up free agency to sign a multi-year deal with the Giants, but the club hasn't brought him anything yet.  Pence has made no secret of his preference to re-up with the Giants rather go out on the open market.
  • Robinson Cano's bid for big bucks is hurt by hints that the Dodgers might not be totally flush with cash after they lock up Clayton Kershaw to a new deal, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com in his list of the top 50 free agents for this offseason.  The top ten includes three NL West representatives: Ricky Nolasco of the Dodgers and Tim Lincecum and Pence of the Giants.
  • The Dodgers signed Edinson Volquez as another option for the backend of the rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the struggling Chris Capuano will be bumped, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  The Dodgers might use Volquez as a sixth starter at least once to give the other starters an extra day of rest.

Dodgers To Sign Edinson Volquez

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Shortly after it was reported that the Dodgers had interest in Edinson Volquez, they went out and made it a reality.  Volquez and the Dodgers have agreed on a major league deal, pending a physical and other details, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

The Dodgers took interest in Volquez just hours after the Padres requested release waivers on him.  The 30-year-old had a decent 2012 for himself, but he wasn't able to carry that momentum into 2013.  On the year, Volquez posted a a 6.01 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 27 starts for the Padres.  Volquez is a client of Wasserman Media Group, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

The Dodgers are likely eyeing Volquez as a new option for the backend of the rotation.  Starter Chris Capuano has had a stronger year than Volquez in total (4.74 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9) but he has struggled in his last four starts.

The Padres on the hook for the remainder of his $5.73MM contract ($1.03MM), less the prorated portion of the minimum salary.  Buster Olney of ESPN.com first reported that the Dodgers were interested in signing Volquez.

Dodgers, Phillies Interested In Edinson Volquez

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The Padres requested release waivers on pitcher Edinson Volquez earlier today but it doesn't sound like he'll be unemployed for long.  The Dodgers have serious interest in signing Volquez given Chris Capuano's struggles, sources tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).  Meanwhile, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says that they have discussed the former All-Star internally, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.

For the Dodgers, Volquez could be plugged in as the No. 5 starter in place of Capuano as they gear up for the postseason.  Capuano, 35, has a 6.98 ERA across his last four starts and has struggled with consistency all year long.  The Phillies obviously aren't going anywhere in 2013, but they could plug Volquez into their rotation and evaluate him as an option going forward.  Volquez hasn't been terribly sharp in 2013, as evidenced by his 6.01 ERA on the year with 7.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 27 starts.

Quick Hits: Sabathia, Red Sox, Indians, Cardinals

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C.C. Sabathia's deal with the Yankees could turn out to be an ugly one, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com writes. "That contract might not be a disaster of A-Rod-ian proportions, but unless Sabathia finds a way to turn it all round, it might turn out to be the next-worst thing," Matthews writes. Sabathia has three years left on his contract, plus a vesting option for 2017 that the Yankees can avoid only if Sabathia has a left shoulder injury. All told, the Yankees are likely to be on the hook for $96MM after this season. Sabathia's season arguably isn't as bad as his 4.81 ERA makes it look — his peripherals are indicative of ERA about a run lower. But his declining velocity is a serious concern. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Red Sox's huge trade of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto to the Dodgers one year ago gave them the payroll flexibility to acquire Ryan Dempster, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew, Koji Uehara, and Jonny Gomes, Scott Miller of CBS Sports writes. But that doesn't mean the Dodgers are unhappy with their end of the deal — Miller notes that it "changed the path of both franchises." Miller also quotes Dodgers manager Don Mattingly noting that his team likely would have pursued Victorino (for whom they had traded in July 2012) as a free agent if they hadn't acquired Crawford.
  • The trade also gave the Sox the flexibility to acquire Jake Peavy, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal notes. Peavy's matchup against Chris Capuano on Sunday reminds MacPherson that the Red Sox made a "desperate attempt" to acquire Capuano from the Mets in 2011. The talent gap between Peavy and Capuano is significant, and MacPherson argues that the trade with the Dodgers made the difference in acquiring Peavy this time.
  • There will be interest in Asdrubal Cabrera and Chris Perez this offseason if the Indians want to trade them, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Cabrera has struggled this season, hitting .237/.292/.389, and he's set to make $10MM in the last year of his contract in 2014. Perez, meanwhile, is set to earn a raise in arbitration on his $7.3MM 2013 salary before becoming a free agent after 2014. His pitching hasn't been stellar in 2013 — he has a 3.30 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Hoynes may be right that the Indians could deal Perez if they wanted to. For example, the Red Sox's offseason trade for Joel Hanrahan, a pitcher with a similar salary and contract situation, perhaps shows that teams are always willing to deal for an established closer. But that deal also demonstrates just how volatile closers can be, and Perez has never been dominant in the way Hanrahan once was.
  • As the August trade deadline approaches, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that his team is unlikely to make a trade, Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch tweets. That makes it unlikely that the Cards will wind up with Dan Haren of the Nationals. The Cardinals recently lost Jake Westbrook to injury and have replaced him in the rotation with Tyler Lyons, at least for now.

West Notes: Mattingly, Angels, Padres

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At one point, the Dodgers might have been two days away from firing manager Don Mattingly, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. That was on June 21, when the Dodgers were 30-42 following their second straight loss to the Padres. Shaikin cites a source saying that if the Dodgers had lost the last two games of that four-game series, they would have dismissed Mattingly. Since then, the Dodgers have got 46-11, and Mattingly appears to be a contender for the NL Manager of the Year award. Here are more notes from out west.

  • For the Angels, one of the few bright sides of an awful season is that they now have the opportunity to see which of their zero-to-three players can help in the near future, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez writes. Gonzalez notes that, with several big contracts (Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson) consuming much of their payroll, it's particularly important that the Angels get value out of cost-controlled players. The Angels will look to players like Grant Green, Chris Nelson and Cory Rasmus (all of whom were acquired this year) to see if they might be able to contribute.
  • Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo have become friends since being traded for each other in early 2012, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Rizzo says he's rooting for a win-win deal. "I hope [Cashner] has a great career; I hope I have a great career as well," Rizzo says. "There’s no winning or losing this trade. … I hope we both have Hall of Fame careers and everyone’s a winner.”

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Fife, Federowicz, Kennedy

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Yesterday, Alex Speier of WEEI.com gave us a fascinating look at last August's blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and the Dodgers.  It turns out that one of the biggest deals in recent memory came together rather quickly and Boston could have gone down a number of other paths that would have altered the future of both franchises.  One year later, both teams are pretty happy with the way things turned out.  Here's the latest out of the NL West, including more on the Dodgers..

  • The Dodgers took a significant gamble in the Boston blockbuster and it has paid off, writes Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times.  While GM Ned Colletti & Co. knew that they would have lots of money to work with thanks to the new ownership group, they weren't expecting anything on this scale.  “They were pushing to go,” Colletti said. “I had my staff with me, standing there, right in the back of this booth. They looked at me, kind of stunned, and said, ‘Can we really do this?’”
  • Aside from Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, a pair of former Red Sox farmhands are also thriving in L.A., notes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  Pitcher Stephen Fife and catcher Tim Federowicz came over to the Dodgers as a part of the three-team 2011 Erik Bedard deal.
  • Flyball pitcher Ian Kennedy is enthusiastic about playing within the confines of Petco Park with the Padres, writes Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego.

Dodgers, Kershaw Were Close On $210MM Deal

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The Dodgers and star pitcher Clayton Kershaw were close to agreement on a hefty seven-year deal worth roughly $210MM, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, the Dodgers wound up backing off and the two sides have not negotiated in months, according to sources.

Talks are unlikely to pick back up between the two sides until the offseason and Kershaw's asking price could be even higher by that point.  The 25-year-old leads the majors with a 1.72 ERA, which would be the fourth-best among all pitchers with 150+ innings since the mound was lowered in 1969.  He also has a career-best 2.0 BB/9 rate to go with a solid 8.5 K/9 in his third consecutive All-Star season.

The contract discussed would have included an opt-out clause, giving the left-hander the right to become a free agent after five years, sources said.  The average salary of approximately $30MM would have put him right next to the AAV C.C. Sabathia got on his one-year extension with the Yankees in October of 2011 on the all-time list.

The Dodgers, of course, still want to strike a deal with Kershaw, who is eligible for arbitration after this season and can hit the open market after the 2014 season.  An opt-out clause after year five for Kershaw would delay free agency, but he'd be on the open market again at the age of 30.

Dodgers Owner Interested In Extending Ramirez

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Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is '"absolutely" interested in exploring a contract extension with shortstop Hanley Ramirez over the offseason, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. Ramirez is set to earn $16MM next year before reaching free agency for the 2015 season.

Walter explained that Ramirez is a "special, special player" who is "fun in the clubhouse" and "inspires other people." Indeed, he has lived up to his talent since coming to Los Angeles: Ramirez's .348/.395/.629 line over 243 plate appearances this year has been good for a 186 wRC+, second-best in all of baseball (minimum 200 plate appearances). We learned recently that Ramirez would be open to a long-term deal to stay in L.A., which Ramirez reiterated when he told Hernandez that he "want[s] to stay here forever."

Still only 29 years old, Ramirez could command a raise on his already-sizeable six-year, $70MM deal. Though his recent injury history could dampen his value somewhat, Ramirez has proven this season that he can still handle shortstop, making his bat play up that much more. The six-year, $106MM deal that brought Jose Reyes to the Marlins could provide an open-market comparable, though Ramirez will be somewhat older than was Reyes at the time of that deal.

As MLBTR's Mark Polishuk has explained, even the big-spending Dodgers will need to keep a close eye on future payroll in considering a new contract for Ramirez. Los Angeles already has at least $122MM on the books through the 2017 season, and ace Clayton Kershaw is sure to command a record salary if and when he is extended. 

Quick Hits: Scully, Martinez, Twins, Phillies

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The Dodgers' latest move is one we can all celebrate: the team announced yesterday that incomparable broadcaster Vin Scully will return to the Dodger booth next year for the 65th straight season. As usual, Scully dropped some wisdom on the occasion: "Just the thought of walking away from it to retirement — and looking out the window or something? It's just too good." Indeed, it is. Elsewhere around the game …

  • With starting backstop Alex Avila still working back from a concussion after scuffling for most of the year, the division-leading Tigers might have found themselves scrambling to add catching depth. Instead, the club made a risky move that could pay long-term dividends, putting primary DH Victor Martinez back behind the dish for the first time since August of 2011. The initial returns were positive, and the club could suit Martinez up for interleague matchups down the stretch or in a hypothetical World Series.
  • Always productive on Saturday mornings, Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com offered a spirited defense of the Twins' decision not to bring in any high-priced starters last year. (All links to Twitter.) Rejecting the suggestion that Minnesota should have signed Anibal Sanchez and pointing to the Royals' acquisition of James Shields as an ill-advised, premature plunge, Mackey summed things up with a broader philosophy for a small-market team like the Twins: "Draft. Develop. Sell high. Supplement your core with smart spending. Lock players in before arbitration. Avoid stupid contracts." 
  • For next season, Mackey further tweets, Phil Hughes could be a nice target for Minnesota. The suggestion could make sense, given Hughes' youth, the potential to buy low, and Target Field's home run suppression.
  • The Phillies, needless to say, face a number of questions as they finish out a second-straight disappointing season with an aging core. Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer took an interesting look at one major forthcoming task for GM Ruben Amaro Jr.: "completely rebuilding one of baseball's worst bullpens." In his tenure as GM, Brookover notes, Amaro has signed seven free-agent set-up men or middle relievers for a combined $22.85MM (not including year two of the Mike Adams deal). They have combined for a 4.76 ERA. Neither has the organization been successful at developing its own bullpen arms, says Brookover, who does note that some current youngsters — in particular, Jake Diekman — offer hope. 
  • Looking ahead to 2014, Amaro seemed to imply that the Phils will likely be shopping for turnaround candidates in the free agent market. "Sometimes you have to be lucky to get those guys," Amaro said. "There are times when even a change of scenery can help someone. Those are the kinds of things we will look for."
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