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Quick Hits: Collins, Red Sox, K-Rod, Dodgers

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Links for Thursday, as the minor league season opens and Bryce Harper and others make their pro debuts…

  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan explains how 5'7" left-hander Tim Collins went from being an aspiring carpenter to a promising rookie in the Royals' 'pen.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports know the winless Red Sox aren't as bad as they've seemed for the first five games of the season, but he argues they aren't as good as they seemed in January.
  • The Mets and Francisco Rodriguez continue to say they aren't worried about the reliever's vesting option for 2012, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. Rodriguez finished his first game of the season last night and with 54 more games finished, he'll have his $17.5MM option vest.
  • MLB’s main concern with the deal Dodgers owner Frank McCourt recently proposed is that it would relieve McCourt’s debt without necessarily improving the product on the field at Dodger Stadium, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick anticipates some milestones that players may reach in 2011.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Ekstrom, Wagner, Ishikawa

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The Pacific Coast League's transactions page gives us the update on three recently-designated players.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Dodgers

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The Dodgers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

You've heard repeatedly that the biggest story of the offseason for the Dodgers was owner Frank McCourt's divorce.  At this point the question is whether Commissioner Bud Selig will approve McCourt's proposed television deal with Fox, allowing him to settle his divorce and resolve some of the team's massive debt.  While the situation surely prevented GM Ned Colletti from bidding on Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth this winter, he did guarantee over $125MM to 11 free agents and Chad Billingsley.  The Dodgers were one of the most aggressive teams in baseball in free agent spending as Colletti assembled a team for new manager Don Mattingly.

The Billingsley extension was Colletti's best move of the offseason, as two free agent years were acquired affordably and a club option was included.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith estimated savings of at least $6MM for the club.  Not to take away credit from Colletti, but it appears this extension fell into his lap.  Reportedly, agent Dave Stewart recommended the pitcher wait until after the season but Billingsley instructed him to broker a deal as soon as possible.

Kuroda

Similarly, Kuroda (pictured) was eager to re-sign on a team-friendly deal with the Dodgers, and he never felt the need to field offers from other clubs.  Re-signing the second-best free agent starter on a one-year commitment was a big win for Colletti, who at least deserves praise for the original signing in '07 that led to this goodwill.

Had he made it to the open market, Lilly might have placed ahead of Kuroda as the second-best free agent starter – especially if the Dodgers chose not to offer him arbitration.  Instead, they extended him at a fair price in October after a strong 12-start stint.  By early November, the huge rotation uncertainty expected from Kuroda and Lilly's free agency was resolved. 

The Garland signing was the icing on the cake; a solid 200 inning arm fell to the Dodgers for just $5MM.  Garland probably won't actually hit 200 innings in 2011, as a spring oblique strain should have him right around the 190 inning threshold that could turn this into a two-year deal.  I liked the depth added by the affordable Padilla signing as well at the time, but since then the righty required elbow surgery.  Colletti didn't out-fox other GMs in signing so many pitchers below market rates, but the moves do reflect well on the organization.

The Uribe and Guerrier additions were market-rate signings.  Uribe rose to the top in a weak free agent market for middle infielders, but it's a sizeable commitment for a guy with a .300 OBP.  His versatility should come in handy, at least, and it's nice to hurt the Giants slightly.  The Dodgers were also the one team willing to add a third year for Guerrier, whose recent success has relied on limiting hits allowed rather than striking batters out.  I'm wary of that kind of commitment to a 32-year-old reliever who struck out 89 in 147 1/3 innings over the last two years.

The Dodgers' pitching staff looks strong top to bottom.  Scoring runs should be an issue, with the low OBPs of Uribe and Barajas and a possible lack of corner infield power from James Loney and Casey Blake.  The left field mix of Thames, Gwynn, and Gibbons figures to prove dicey offensively or defensively, depending on who's out there.  I'd hate to see the Dodgers waste this pitching staff, which includes Clayton Kershaw's last cheap season.  To compete, they'll need big offensive years from Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Rafael Furcal, plus a few surprises at other spots in the batting order.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Olney On Astros, Castro, Dodgers

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney is not buying Boston's slow start, though no World Series winner has ever opened the season with four consecutive losses. Another 0-4 team, the Rays, entered the year with a fragile equation for success and may be more vulnerable than their struggling division rivals, Olney says. Here are more rumblings from around baseball:

  • Rival scouts don’t see much MLB caliber hitting on the Astros other than Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn and Carlos Lee. The over/under for Astros wins in 2011 should be 60, according to one scout. Houston won 76 games last year and has a solid rotation, so I'll take the over on that one.
  • A couple of years ago, Cubs GM Jim Hendry described Starlin Castro as someone who could remind us of Edgar Renteria. The 21-year-old shortstop already has 10 hits this season and could become one of the top shortstops in baseball.
  • The Dodgers are paying some deferred money this year, but Olney points out that their payroll has dropped from $118MM to $92MM since 2008. Owner Frank McCourt is trying to come up with $200MM to maintain the rights to the franchise.

NL West Notes: Bell, Kemp, McCourt

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The latest from the NL West, as Troy Tulowitzki hits his first home run of the season…

  • Padres closer Heath Bell, who has expressed his desire for an extension, says he will stop discussing his contract status in the media, according to Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres. The Padres had preliminary discussions with Bell about an extension earlier in the spring. If they don't sign him long-term, he'll become a free agent after the season.
  • Matt Kemp is in a different state of mind this year, writes Yahoo's Tim Brown. The talented Dodgers center fielder says he's putting his disappointing 2010 campaign behind him.
  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt sent representatives to meet with the commissioner's office about preserving the rights to the team, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. McCourt's people proposed a plan that involves a TV deal with Fox that could help stabilize the team. 
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com, who first reported the meeting, says that McCourt needs $200MM to settle his divorce and keep the team.

Dodgers May Guarantee Redding’s Deal

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The Dodgers plan to use a fifth starter next Sunday in San Diego and could choose to call upon Tim Redding, who is not on the 40-man roster, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  Adding the 33-year-old would require guaranteeing his $750K salary and moving a player off of the 40-man roster to make room for him.

Alternatively, the club could call upon John Ely, who is already on the 40-man roster, to make the start.  The Dodgers will have both Ely and Redding pitch Tuesday in an extended spring training game, which puts them on schedule to pitch Sunday.  Right-hander Jon Garland is also lobbying to make the start as he recovers from a strained oblique.

Redding last pitched in the majors in 2009 for the Mets, making 17 starts and 13 relief appearances.  In eight major league seasons, Redding owns a 4.95 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

NL Notes: Kroon, Edmonds, Dodgers, Padres

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Links for Saturday, as Ichiro Suzuki will attempt to pick up the one hit he needs to tie Edgar Martinez for the most in Mariners history (2,247)…

  • Giants pitcher Marc Kroon confirmed (via Twitter) that he has decided to remain with the Giants and report to Triple-A Fresno.  The right-handed reliever said at various points this offseason that he would not accept a demotion to the minors.
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wasn't shocked by Edmonds' recent comments regarding the Reds.
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon passes along a quote from Jim Edmonds, who blasted the Reds in a recent radio interview. "The worst thing I did was accept that trade for [Reds GM] Walt Jocketty," said Edmonds, who went from the Brewers to the Reds last summer. "I should have shut it down and went home. I would be healthy right now and probably playing." He also criticized the Reds' medical staff.
  • ESPN's Tim Kurkjian listed 11 stories to watch in 2011, including the impending free agencies of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers opened the season with a payroll exceeding $95MM, up from $83MM last year. The team also owes $15MM in salary deferments from previous seasons.
  • Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune explains why a recent Forbes report indicating that the Padres had a $37.2MM operating income in 2010 could be misinterpreted.

Quick Hits: Kroon, Sanchez, Cubs, Pirates, Rays

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The Red Sox announced the passing of longtime executive Lou Gorman, who built Boston's 1986 American League Championship team. Our condolences to Gorman's family and friends. Here are this evening's links…

  • Giants GM Brian Sabean confirmed to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News that right-hander Marc Kroon has an out-clause in his contract that can be triggered on June 1st (Twitter link). The Japanese league vet will head to Triple-A after signing a minor league deal earlier this year.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report indicating that Romulo Sanchez has signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles for $475K plus bonuses (Twitter links). The Yankees released Sanchez so he could purse a job in Japan last week.
  • Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball reports that 234 players (27.7%) on MLB rosters on Opening Day were born outside of the United States. The all-time record is 29.2% in 2005.
  • Cubs chairmam Tom Ricketts told Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune that he's okay with eating the $11.5MM left on Carlos Silva's deal in order to release the right-hander. "We knew it was a possibility that there might not be a spot for him, and that’s just the way it is," said Ricketts. "You’ve got to have the best team on the field, and that’s what counts."
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy rounded up all of last week's minor league transactions. See what familiar names were signed and released as teams finalize their minor league rosters.
  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette challenges Pirates leaders to change the perception that the team is focused on profit, destined never to compete.
  • Cork Gaines of Rays Index shows that the Rays' payroll dropped 41.7% from last year, all the way down to $41.9MM. The Rays committed $12.6MM to Wade Davis yesterday, an especially substantial investment for a team on such a limited budget.
  • White Sox director of international scouting Jerry Krause is stepping down to join the Diamondbacks, according Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The former Chicago Bulls GM will assist Arizana executive Jerry DiPoto.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Dodgers can overcome surrounding distractions to become a playoff team in 2011. In fact, he predicts an NL West title for the Dodgers.

Dodgers Designate Link, Lindsey For Assignment

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The Dodgers have designated reliever Jon Link and first baseman John Lindsey for assignment, the club has confirmed.

Link, a 27-year-old right-hander, made his Major League debut with Los Angeles in 2010, appearing in nine games, after spending time in the Padres and White Sox organizations. For his minor league career, he has a 3.84 ERA, 9.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.

Lindsey, 34, debuted in the bigs with the Dodgers in 2010 after a lengthy minor league career. He appeared in 11 games with the big club after a 16-year minors career in which he posted a respectable .284/.361/.478 line in 6,342 plate appearances. Lindsey was a 13th-round pick of the Rockies in 1995.

Quick Hits: Ethier, Buehrle, 2011 Salaries

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A few items of note as Opening Day 2011 winds down …

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed that he and Andre Ethier's agent, Nez Balelo, have had vague discussions about a contract extension for the outfielder, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. We first learned of the extension talks Wednesday, when Balelo issued a statement in which he said the subject had been broached but no formal offer was made.
  • White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle has no idea about whether he factors into the South Siders' long-term plans, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Buehrle is in the final year of a contract extension he signed during the 2007 campaign and said, "if [extension] talks do happen, I'm sure my agent will let me know or the White Sox will let me know."
  • USA Today has published its list of the payrolls of the 30 Major League clubs. Not surprisingly, the Yankees pull in at No. 1 at roughly $202MM while the Royals are No. 30 at roughly $36MM. Interestingly, the AL Central has the most top-10 teams between the White Sox, Twins and Tigers, writes Bob Nightengale.
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