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Quick Hits: Kurt Suzuki, Scott Hairston, Nate McLouth

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After an arduous start with the Dodgers, Brandon League has settled in nicely as the team's closer, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. The right-hander turned his season around thanks to 18 scoreless appearances out of his last 19, giving him a 0.44 ERA during that stretch. Here's a look at the news and stories making headlines on the final Sunday of the regular season…

  • Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki has exceeded all expectations for Washington after the team acquired him from the A's at the non-waiver trade deadline, writes Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. The 28-year-old's strong performance has come on both sides of the ball, especially with his bat. "He's gotten clutch hits," Ryan Zimmerman said. "I think we all knew he was a better hitter and his track record shows he was a better hitter than what he was doing this year.
  • Thanks to a strong campaign replete with increased playing time, Mets outfielder Scott Hairston heads into the offseason looking for a deal that will allow him to continue to expand his role in 2013, says Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Hairston will be able to use his 1.9 Wins Above Replacement as a negotiating chip as he looks to become an everyday player for the entirety of the season. "I pretty much played in every role possible, and the last few weeks or so I've been playing every day," Hairston said. "It's just one of those things where I really don't know what's going to happen. I'm just going to prepare myself this offseason as if I'll be playing every day."
  • The resurgence of Nate McLouth hasn't been an easy endeavor for the former All-Star, but the hard work has the scrappy outfielder playing a major role in the Orioles' success, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. "It's part of the path that God has laid out for my life. And I don't question it. Were the last couple years tough? Heck yeah they were. But I know I am stronger and better because of it," McLouth said.

Phillies Acquire Stefan Jarrin

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The Phillies announced that they have acquired infielder Stefan Jarrin from the Dodgers. The move completes the July 31st trade that sent Shane Victorino to Los Angeles for Ethan Martin, Josh Lindblom and player to be named or cash.

Jarrin, 22, spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Dodgers' Rookie ball affiliate. The 2011 40th round selection has a .211/.309/.336 batting line in 175 plate appearances over the course of two seasons with the Arizona League Dodgers. He played one game at shortstop but has spent most of his professional career at second base. Jaime Jarrin, the Hall of Fame Spanish language broadcaster of the Dodgers, is Stefan Jarrin's grandfather.

Colletti On Gonzalez, Crawford, Mattingly

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Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti confirmed that he and manager Don Mattingly will return in 2013, Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com reports. The GM also reflected on the eventful 2012 season in an extended interview with Bloom. Here are some highlights…

  • Colletti explained that the team’s midseason trades should help the team in 2013 and beyond, regardless of whether the Dodgers make the playoffs this year. “When we made these trades, we thought that these players were going to be with us for a while,” Colletti said.
  • The GM said he'll be pleased if Gonzalez can continue producing at this clip for the remainder of his Dodgers career. Gonzalez has a .276/.328/.431 batting line with 21 RBI in 134 plate appearances.
  • There’s a chance Carl Crawford will open the 2013 season with the Dodgers, Colletti said. The left fielder’s throwing arm should be at full strength by May, but he could open the season with the club if he’s progressing well.
  • Colletti said it’s been a great experience working with the Dodgers’ new ownership group, including veteran MLB executive Stan Kasten. “He's someone who understands baseball very well,” Colletti said. “He's been in the game for three decades.” 
  • Manager Don Mattingly succeeds for a variety of reasons, Colletti said. “He continues to learn every day. He's open-minded. He's ultra-competitive. And a very hard worker.”

Dodgers TV Deal Allows For Limited Revenue Sharing

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The Dodgers' 2011 bankruptcy court settlement gives the club's new owners a chance to cap income subject to revenue-sharing from a proposed regional sports network, five people familiar with the agreement's special terms tell John Helyar, Steven Church, and Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com.  The deal, which was first reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, calls for revenue sharing from a TV deal to be capped at $84MM while TV sports-rights experts say the team could net as much as $225MM a year from a network’s rights fees.

The terms of the agreement likely boosted the value of the franchise, resulting in their $2.15 billion sale in April and allowing them to make upwards of $400MM in future commitments to Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, and others.  One TV sports-rights expert notes that the deal could prompt other owners to seek similar treatment and relief from revenue sharing in relation to broadcast rights.

Meanwhile, Robert Manfred Jr., an MLB executive vice president who deals with revenue-sharing matters, insists that the team will share based on its income from the actual contract and not the settlement-set $84MM figure.  Manfred Jr. went on to say that the club's record-setting price tag was the result of it being a flaghsip team in the second-biggest media market and not because of the special terms related to the TV deal.

Four Agents Join Excel Sports Management

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Four MLB agents are joining Excel Sports Management, the firm owned by baseball agent Casey Close and two others, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter link, subscription required). J.D. Smart, Jim Murray and Matt Laird from Hendricks Sports Management and David O’Hagan from CAA Sports are joining Excel Sports Management, Close confirmed to Mullen. 

It’s not clear if the agents are bringing their former clients with them. Smart has been representing Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

Derek Jeter, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon are among the players represented by Excel Sports Management, as MLBTR's Agency Database shows. NBA agent Jeff Schwartz golf agent Mark Steinberg and Close own the agency.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Blue Jays, Phillies, Dodgers

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is angry at manager Ozzie Guillen for comments the manager made that were critical of him, a person who spoke with team officials told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  Guillen made a series of comments on Friday that touched on his own job security and Loria's relationship with previous managers.  Earlier today we ran down the latest news out of Miami.
  • Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters, including Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, that he believes the Orioles' success is due in large part to their strong bullpen.  Looking ahead, Anthopoulos says that he hopes to emulate that.
  • Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer previews what the 2013 Phillies might look like and sees a team with Chase Utley at third and a big ticket acquisition in centerfield.  The feeling around the club is that the high-priced pickup will be someone like B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.
  • While some have posited that the Dodgers' woes are due to a lack of team chemistry, some club officials believe that the team is plagued by raised expectations, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Dodgers went from David to Goliath in the blink of an eye, which has led some to believe that a number of hitters are pressing.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Greinke, Dodgers, Pirates

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Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, via his Full Count video…

  • The Dodgers did not try to acquire Zack Greinke before the trade deadline, but expect them to pursue him as a free agent this winter. They won't shy away from the best starter available despite concerns about his ability to pitch in a big market.
  • The Brewers spent roughly $180MM less on Aramis Ramirez than the Tigers spent on Prince Fielder, but Ramirez has provided similar production. The 34-year-old is hitting .299/.363/.536 with 25 homers and an NL-best 47 doubles.
  • Few in baseball will be surprised if changes are made to the Pirates front office given the club's second half slide and recent reports of Navy SEALS type training for their top prospects.
  • The Braves tried to acquire Greg Dobbs at the deadline, but the Marlins declined because they felt his presence was too important to the clubhouse. That was after the Hanley Ramirez trade, suggesting that other clubhouse issues exist.

Heyman On Hamilton, Upton, Peavy, Victorino

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Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com checked in with an American League executive to get his predictions on what kind of deals this winter's top free agents might get.  Here are some highlights..

  • The exec sees Josh Hamilton getting a five-year, $150MM deal, giving him a guaranteed average annual value of $30MM and eclipsing the record set by Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM pact.  The Rangers aren't known for giving out excessively-long deals, meaning that he would likely have to take five years to stay in Texas.  One person in the know wondered if the Rangers would even go to five to keep the outfielder.
  • Executives believe that the Rays will make the qualifying offer of around $13MM for B.J. Upton as his nice all-around season should net him at least a four-year deal elsewhere.  The exec sees $60MM over five years for Upton, but Heyman notes that it's a pretty good center field market with Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino also out there.
  • White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy could get a two year deal worth $25-30MM in the opinion of the AL exec.  Heyman adds that it isn't hard to see the Dodgers making a play for Peavy after years of watching him dominate for the Padres.
  • The executive thinks Dodgers outfielder Shane Victorino could fetch a two-year, $25MM deal and Heyman sees the Nationals, Mets, Braves, Phillies, and Giants as possible fits.  However, he'll have to lower his expectations after originally seeking a five-year deal.
  • The AL exec sees Angels pitcher Zack Greinke getting $125MM over six years.  Nats pitcher Edwin Jackson is in line for a four-year, $55MM deal, according to the exec, though Heyman thinks he'll get less. 

NL West Notes: Hudson, Kennedy, Dodgers

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The Rockies have never lost 100 games and despite a disappointing season that has them last in the NL West, they'll likely avoid the 100-loss threshold again in 2012. Here's the latest from their division…

  • The Diamondbacks offered Daniel Hudson a contract extension this spring, but didn’t make Ian Kennedy an offer, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. GM Kevin Towers approached both pitchers and expressed interest in discussing long-term contracts. They were instructed to have their agents call Towers if they were interested. Hudson’s agent, Andrew Lowenthal of Proformance, called, but Kennedy’s agent, Scott Boras, did not. “I never heard anything from that, and I took that to mean [Kennedy and Boras] didn’t have interest,” Towers said.
  • The Dodgers’ starting pitchers have an assortment of health issues, so the team could find itself spending on free agent pitching this offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Dodgers won’t rely on prospects in 2013, so their “only choice is to spend and spend some more.” Zack Greinke wasn’t one of the team’s midseason targets, but he could appeal to GM Ned Colletti as a free agent.

NL West Links: Dodgers, Rockies, Headley

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The NL West was pretty much settled entering tonight's action, with the first-place Giants enjoying an eight-game lead, but the Dodgers were very much in the Wild Card hunt, only a game behind the Cardinals. Here's the latest …

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti maintains that regardless of where the team finishes in the standings, he'd make the slew of midseason trades over again if given the chance, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. "Just like the players that are traded, you can't measure this on what they do in 2012," Colletti said. "As time goes on, you can evaluate the trade for a lot of different reasons. But with ownership allowing us to be aggressive, we decided we would take chances and we would go for it.
  • The Rockies are hoping to hire Marlins special assistant Mark Wiley as their new director of pitching, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. In this role, Wiley, who previously worked for the Rockies before joining the Marlins, "would have responsibility and authority over all parts of the organization, from scouting and drafting, through development, and all the way to bringing pitchers to the major leagues."
  • If you're looking for an NL MVP sleeper, Padres third baseman Chase Headley deserves strong consideration, writes Jeff Sanders of the North County Times. Headley has been on a second-half tear, leading the Majors in both homers and RBIs since the Midsummer Classic entering Tuesday night's action, to go along with 6.6 fWAR on the year. It seems hard to believe now that Headley was a trade candidate leading up the July deadline, but his stock will probably never be higher than it is heading into the offseason.
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