Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Dodgers Rumors

Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Posey

By | at

MLB executives don’t question Josh Hamilton’s ability on the field, but they’re hesitant to commit long-term to the outfielder, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Hamilton figures to ask for $20-25MM per season and executives are wary of guaranteeing that kind of salary to a player with off-field questions, Olney writes. Here’s Olney’s latest on the market for Hamilton, who hits free agency for the first time this offseason:

  • The Rangers have their doubts about how long they want to invest in Hamilton, Olney writes. They’ve done background work on outfielders such as Justin Upton and Jacoby Ellsbury since they realize they could be in the market for an impact outfielder within a few months.
  • The Dodgers had no intention of bidding for Hamilton even before they acquired Carl Crawford. The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Braves, Nationals and Orioles don’t seem like logical destinations for Hamilton, Olney writes.
  • One GM said the Tigers could surprise rival teams and enter the bidding for Hamilton. Owner Mike Ilitch has a history of spending aggressively on free agents such as Prince Fielder and Magglio Ordonez.
  • The Giants could have interest in Hamilton, but Olney suggests it’d probably be conservative. The Giants will make an effort to sign Buster Posey long-term, according to Olney. Mark Polishuk recently previewed a possible extension for the San Francisco catcher.

Dodgers Agree To Extend Ned Colletti

By | at

The Dodgers and GM Ned Colletti have agreed to a contract extension, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The two sides have been discussing an extension lately and his current deal included mutual options beyond 2012. The new agreement is a multiyear deal, perhaps as many as three years according to Heyman.

Colletti has been at the Dodgers' helm since November 2005. The team has gone 586-530 under his watch, thrice winning the NL West and never winning fewer than 80 games in a season. They advanced to the NLCS in both 2008 and 2009. He survived the Frank McCourt ownership fallout, and the new Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson led ownership group showed no indications that they were considering a switch at GM.

Our Transaction Tracker shows all of Colletti's moves as Dodgers GM, the second of which is acquiring Andre Ethier from the Athletics. Other notable moves including hiring manager Joe Torre, acquiring Greg Maddux, signing Hiroki Kuroda, extending Matt Kemp, and acquiring Adrian Gonzalez. Clayton Kershaw was also drafted under Colletti's watch.

Colletti: Mattingly Will Return Next Season

By | at

The Dodgers have won just seven of 19 games since their blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, and they're now one game out of a wildcard spot. Despite their second half slide, GM Ned Colletti told reporters (including Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles) that manager Don Mattingly will return next season.

"I think he's done a really good job of keeping it together and there's never an excuse," said Colletti. "He doesn't give any and he doesn't take any. I don't have any doubt that our efforts every day are there, and I think that's one of the main jobs of a manager, to make sure guys are into it … You know that if you get beat, it's not a happy room, it's not one people take lightly and are cavalier. It means something to everybody and that's a credit to him and his staff."

Mattingly is under contact through 2013, and in fact yesterday we heard that the Dodgers are likely to look into a contract extension for their skipper this winter. It's not uncommon for a new ownership group to make changes in the front office and/or coaching staff soon after taking over, but the Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson led group have been nothing but supportive of Mattingly since they took control of the team in April.

Managerial Notes: Girardi, Dodgers, Marlins

By | at

The Astros are the only team currently looking for a manager, but within a few weeks there’s a good chance other MLB teams will be in the market for managers of their own. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports lists those who could be managing for their jobs between now and the end of the regular season. Here are the highlights…

  • Joe Girardi of the Yankees is a good manager who doesn’t deserve to be fired, Rosenthal writes. However, Girardi’s job security will be in question if the Yankees don’t win the AL East.
  • It’d be reasonable to ask if Jim Leyland got enough out of the Tigers roster if Detroit misses the postseason. The Tigers could decide it’s time for a change after seven seasons under Leyland, Rosenthal writes.
  • Though Mike Scioscia is under contract through 2018, Angels owner Arte Moreno would be disappointed to miss the playoffs after an offseason of aggressive moves.
  • The Dodgers will likely pursue a contract extension with manager Don Mattingly no matter how their season ends, Rosenthal reports.
  • Bobby Valentine won’t be back in Boston. If the Red Sox can’t pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, they’ll have to look elsewhere for a replacement.
  • Some Marlins people believe their season started deteriorating when Guillen spoke publicly about Fidel Castro in April. However, it appears more likely the Marlins will re-structure their front office than fire Guillen.
  • Rosenthal suggests Terry Francona could be a fit in Cleveland if the Indians dismiss Manny Acta following their disappointing second half. Francona will likely have options elsewhere and he might be prohibitively expensive for Cleveland.
  • Fredi Gonzalez probably won’t have to worry about his job security as long as the Braves make the playoffs.

Samson Talks Ozzie, Beinfest, Hanley

By | at

Marlins president David Samson said executives, coaches and players share responsibility for the team’s disappointing season, Barry Bloom of MLB.com reports. Samson also discussed the team’s recent trades and potential next moves in the interview with Bloom. Here are the highlights:

  • Samson characterized manager Ozzie Guillen’s first year on the job as disappointing. “It just didn't turn out the way we thought it would when we drew it up,” he said. “That's how life goes sometimes.”
  • Samson said he can’t “imagine being in the game" without president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. However, he stopped short of saying Beinfest has complete job security. Owner Jeffrey Loria will evaluate all of his employees after the season, Beinfest included.
  • The Marlins traded Hanley Ramirez, their longtime star, because they felt it was time to move on without him. “We just realized we couldn't win with him. It was that simple,” Samson said.
  • Owner Jeffrey Loria said he’s asked his staff for recommendations and will start making evaluations toward the end of the season. Loria declined to speak about Guillen and Beinfest in specifics earlier in the week.

Dodgers Notes: Colletti, Billingsley, Kasten

By | at

The Dodgers sit 4.5 games behind the Giants in the NL West but still have six games left to play against their long-time rivals.  The two teams face off in the last series of the year and in a three-game set starting on Friday at AT&T Park.  Here are some news and notes out of Los Angeles…

  • With the Dodgers pursuing an extension with GM Ned Colletti, Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times recaps some of Colletti's best and worst moves and argues that Colletti is deserving of the new contract.  
  • Chad Billingsley may miss the entire 2013 season due to a slightly torn UCL in his right elbow, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  Billingsley will try to rehab the injury without Tommy John surgery, but if he needs to go under the knife, it will cost him all of 2013 no matter if he undergoes the procedure now or in the spring.  Since signing a three-year, $35MM extension in March 2011 that covers the 2012-14 seasons, Billingsley has posted a 3.92 ERA, 2.17 K/BB ratio and 7.5 K/9 in 57 starts.
  • The Dodgers' recent major player acquisitions served as "a statement of purpose" for Dodger fans, team president Stan Kasten said during a speech at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit (as reported by MLB.com's Matthew Leach).  "Players like Adrian Gonzalez, players like Hanley Ramirez, they're not available. You can't get them in the free agent market," Kasten said. "This was a way to improve the team right away, while at the same time maintaining our core belief in also building the scouting and player-development system. That was always part of our model."

Dodgers, Colletti Working On Contract Extension

By | at

The Dodgers have opened talks with general manager Ned Colletti on a long-term contract extension, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  Dodgers chairman Mark Walter confirmed that the team had extended an offer to Colletti, though the GM and team president Stan Kasten didn't comment.  Colletti is in the last guaranteed year of an extension signed after the 2009 season, though Colletti could have returned in 2013 under a mutual option.

Colletti was hired as the Dodgers' GM after the 2005 season and has led the team to no fewer than 80 wins in each of his six full seasons in Los Angeles, good for a 584-525 overall record.  The Dodgers have made three playoff appearances (two NL West titles and a wild card) under Colletti, advancing as far as the NLCS in both 2008 and 2009.

Despite Colletti's contract status and a new ownership group taking over, there has been relatively little speculation that Walter, Kasten and Magic Johnson would hire a new general manager, probably due to the Dodgers' surprising success this year.  Walter commented that he was impressed with how Colletti negotiated and completed the blockbuster trade with the Red Sox that saw the Dodgers take on roughly $260MM in salary in the form of Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto. 

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Rockies, Giambi, Puig

By | at

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.

West Notes: Profar, Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Victorino

By | at

Here's a look at the latest out of baseball's two West divisions…

  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the Rangers calling up top prospect Jurickson Profar. He says the 19-year-old shortstop gives them flexibility going forward, allowing them to possibly market Elvis Andrus in a trade. 
  • Even though the August waiver trade deadline came and went, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy won't rule out a trade or acquisition in the coming days, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  Baggarly adds that General Manager Brian Sabean continues to explore the market for players that can help down the stretch.
  • The Padres are set to name cross-checker Billy Gasparino as their new scouting director, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Law, who worked with Gasparino in the Blue Jays organization, likes the move for San Diego.
  • The Dodgers logjam in next year's outfield is a good problem to have, but still a problem nonetheless, writes Eric Seidman of Fangraphs.  Recently, Shane Victorino said that he would like to return to Los Angeles in 2013 but scoffed at the notion of signing up for a bench slot.  The Dodgers will likely need someone like a Victorino to act as an insurance policy for Carl Crawford or keep the seat warm for Yasiel Puig.  Convincing someone of Victorino's caliber to sign up for a non-everyday role, however, will be challenging.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Rosenthal On Pierzynski, Ortiz, Cardinals, Marlins

By | at

Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • A.J. Pierzynski is in a slump but all in all, he's having a strong year at the age of 35 and could be an interesting name on the open market.  The Yankees could have interest if they look to replace Russell Martin, the Marlins could look to reunite him with Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle, and the Dodgers were close to signing him after the 2010 season.  As for the White Sox, no one knows what direction they'll head in, but price could be a major factor.  The catcher is making $6MM this year.
  • David Ortiz accepted arbitration from the Red Sox last season to take himself off of the open market, but this year could be a different story.  This would be a smart time for him to reject a one-year deal and pursue a multi-year contract with leverage on his side.  Both the Yankees and Blue Jays could have interest in him as a DH.
  • The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign Kyle Lohse, who should be one of the top starters available this winter.  They also are unlikely to overpay on an extension for Adam Wainwright, who has one year left on his contract.  St. Louis has a glut of talented starters both in the majors and waiting in the wings and is against locking up too much money in the rotation long-term.
  • The Marlins' top front office execs are signed through 2015 but other clubs say owner Jeffrey Loria is considering a major shakeup.  Team president David Samson told Rosenthal that they'll go through their usual evaluations after the season and take a hard look at everyone, but he added that it is only September 1st and they'll won't get into it until after the season.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top