Los Angeles Notes: Kemp, McCourt, Carroll, Locker
Now that Oscar Night is fading into people's memories, here are some items about Tinseltown's two baseball clubs…
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com profiles Matt Kemp, recapping the outfielder's tumultuous 2010 season and looking at how Kemp is preparing to bounce back this year.
- Jamie McCourt and her attorneys have submitted a court filing asking that she receive fuller disclosure of the Dodgers' financial dealings, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. This latest step in the McCourts' ownership struggle stems from a recent report that Frank McCourt was looking for a $200MM loan from Fox, a proposal that was rejected by Bud Selig.
- Jamey Carroll tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he doesn't feel "bitter" about not having a starting job with the Dodgers, despite a fine .291/.379/.339 slash line in 414 plate appearances last season.
- Jake Locker tells Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that he doesn't have any plans to pursue a baseball career. There were rumors that Locker, who received a $250K signing bonus as a tenth-round pick of the Angels in the 2009 draft, might turn to baseball if the NFL were to enter a protracted work stoppage. Lockout or not, Locker will make much more as a quarterback than he would as an Angels farmhand — Locker is projected to be one of the top QBs taken in April's NFL draft.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Dodgers, McDonald, Clippard
Links for Thursday night..
- While I wondered if the Braves could be a match for the Cardinals as they look for pitching, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that the Rockies could be a match. A major league source told Rosenthal that the Cards will first explore internal options before looking out-of-house.
- Commissioner Bud Selig has rejected a proposal under which FOX would have loaned about $200MM to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, three people familiar with the talks told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
- Ex-Giant Juan Uribe is happy to be aboard with the Dodgers, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Former Dodgers pitcher James McDonald is excited to turn over a new leaf with the Pirates, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com. McDonald was shipped to Pittsburgh along with Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel last season.
- Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard says that he will continue to be represented by agent Casey Close, who is leaving CAA Sports, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Brewers right-handers Justin James and Shaun Marcum were drafted by Toronto in the same year but took very different paths to wind up in Milwaukee, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. James claimed off waivers by the Brewers from the A's this offseason.
West Notes: Dodgers, Ludwick, Mariners
On this day in 1957, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley announced that his team could play as many as 10 exhibition games in California in 1958. It ended up being a bit of a lengthier stay, as the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles following the 1957 season. Just like O'Malley, we're looking to the west coast (or at least the western divisions) for these news items…
- If the Dodgers aren't satisifed with their Jay Gibbons/Tony Gwynn Jr./Marcus Thames platoon in left field, ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill lists some of the left fielders that could be available in a trade. Of the five players on Churchill's list, only Carlos Quentin would seem to be an everyday option, but if he's playing well enough to attract the Dodgers' attention, it's unlikely the White Sox would want to move him anyway.
- Ryan Ludwick tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times that the two months that followed his trade to the Padres last season were the "worst two months of my big league career." Ludwick hit just .211/.301/.330 in 239 plate appearances in San Diego last year and admitted he struggled with the pressure of trying to take the Padres to the postseason.
- The Mariners are likely to keep Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda in the minors until at least June, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Both players "have areas of their games that could use further AAA development," but Baker also figures the Mariners want to avoid having either of their prospects qualify for Super Two status.
- Angels right-hander Rich Thompson seemed to turn a corner last season, but since the Australian is out of options, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon says the Halos could lose Thompson unless he makes the team.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has acquired six players (Henry Blanco, Geoff Blum, Russell Branyan, Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady and Brian Sweeney) this offseason that played for the Padres when Towers was that club's general manager, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. "These are character guys, veterans that I knew would have a strong presence in our clubhouse," Towers said. "I knew what their intangibles are, which I thought was important….When you have history with individuals, you know what they're about as well."
- The Rangers have invited Yhency Brazoban to their Major League Spring Training camp, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Brazoban signed a minor league deal with Texas in December that didn't include an invite to the team's big league camp.
Quick Hits: Millwood, Furcal, Drese, Varitek, Young
Some links to sift through on a slow Sunday evening…
- Kevin Millwood is working out and throwing simulated games at agent Scott Boras' training facility according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter). He says the righty is "waiting for the right widespread panic," similar to Kyle Lohse prior to the 2008 season. Earlier today we learned that Millwood rejected a minor league offer from the Yankees.
- Rafael Furcal isn't thinking about the $12MM option in his contract, writes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. Yesterday we found out that the option can automatically vest with 600 plate appearances this season.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells the story of Ryan Drese, who is attempting a comeback with the Orioles this year.
- Having embraced his role as a backup, Jason Varitek wants to play into his 40s, writes MLB.com's Ian Browne. Varitek will turn 39 on April 11 this season.
- If Michael Young had to choose a villain in the ongoing saga of his trade request, it's best that he chose Jon Daniels, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Jon Paul Morosi takes a look at the communication issues that led us to where we stand now in regards to the Young situation.
- This will be Dustin McGowan's last attempt at a comeback, writes John Lott of the Ottawa Citizen. McGowan has undergone two shoulder surgeries and a knee surgery since 2008, and says he won't endure another shoulder surgery if the injury barks up again.
2012 Vesting Options
Vesting options are always worth keeping track of during the season, especially since they can often have consequences that are less than desirable. Last year Magglio Ordonez ($15MM), Kerry Wood ($11MM), and Brian Fuentes ($9MM) all had big money options that did not vest, though Darren Oliver ($3.25MM) and Trever Miller ($2MM) had some smaller ones that did.
Here is a list of 2012 vesting options to keep an eye on this summer…
- Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu hasn't come to the plate fewer than 589 times in a season since 1997, his rookie year.
- Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: His $9MM option for 2012 and $12MM option for 2013 will lock in as long as he does not finish 2011 on the disabled list. His second place finish in the 2010 Cy Young voting was step one of the vesting process.
- Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: $16MM option vests if he is named MVP of either the regular season or League Championship Series, or if he is traded at some point in 2011.
- Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Furcal has come to the plate 600+ times just once in the last three seasons (2009) due to injuries.
- Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland hasn't thrown fewer than 191 1/3 innings since becoming a full-time starter in 2002.
- Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the season.
- Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara hasn't reached either milestone in his first two big league seasons, though he came close in 2010: 43 appearances and 22 games finished.
- Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season.
- Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances, which he's done in three of his four big league seasons. The chances of it coming into play are microscopic, but Soria has a $6.5MM option for 2012 that could vest with 334 1/3 innings pitched (400 IP in 2010 & 2011). That was obviously put into his contract in case the team ever moved him into the rotation.
- Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler reached 64 games in 2010, but had at least 69 in each of the previous five seasons.
Mark Buehrle is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season and although he doesn't have a traditional option in his contract, he gets an extra year at $15MM tacked onto his current deal if he's traded at some point this season.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.
Belisario Could Miss Season Due To Visa Issues
Dodgers right-hander Ronald Belisario's arrival at Spring Training has been delayed by visa problems for the third straight season. The reliever told Venezuelan newspaper Lider en Deportes (as passed on by Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times) that he had lost his passport and was working to get it replaced, but this news surprised Belisario's agent Paul Kinzer, who told Hernandez a day earlier that Belisario was unlikely to be approved to enter the United States and would probably have to miss the seaason.
Kinzer said on Wednesday that he was "not very optimistic" about Belisario pitching in the majors, and said the following day that Belisario's claim of a lost passport was "news to me." Kinzer also admitted that he hadn't heard from his client "in a few weeks." If Belisario isn't at Spring Training by February 26, Hernandez notes the Dodgers could remove him from the 40-man roster but still retain his rights by placing him on the restricted list.
Belisario posted a 2.04 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 rate in 69 relief appearances in his 2009 rookie year, but struggled both on the field (a 5.04 ERA in 59 games) and off (a month-long leave of absence from the team that was reportedly due to substance-abuse rehab) in 2010. ESPNLosAngeles.com's Tony Jackson hears from Kinzer that Belisario's problems in obtaining a visa are related to his off-the-field problems last summer.
Belisario was pitching extremely well in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, but given these repeated problems, you wonder how long the Dodgers will tolerate him. The team's recent acquisitions of Juan Rincon and Lance Cormier — plus their interest in Jeff Weaver — indicates the Dodgers are already getting some right-handed options in place should Belisario indeed not be able to pitch.
Dodgers Considering Jeff Weaver
The Dodgers are considering Jeff Weaver, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). GM Ned Colletti signed Weaver to a minor league deal worth $800K plus incentives last February, so the right-hander has experience signing late.
Weaver, 34, posted a 6.09 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 44 1/3 innings for the Dodgers last year. The 11-year veteran induced more fly balls than ground balls for the second time in his career in 2010. Weaver, a Scott Boras client, is presumably in line for a minor league deal.
Make Or Break Year: Casey Blake
It's not quite as bad as Zambrano-for-Kazmir, but you have to think that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti would love to have a do-over on the trade that sent Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan to the Indians for Casey Blake and about $2MM in 2008. Two-and-a-half years later, Santana has developed into one of the two best young catchers in baseball while Blake finds himself at a career crossroads.
Following the trade, the now 37-year-old Blake hit .251/.313/.460 with ten homers in 233 plate appearances. The Dodgers re-signed him to a three-year, $17.5MM contract after the 2008 season, and Blake rewarded them in 2009. He hit .280/.363/.468 with 18 homers in 565 plate appearances, though he did battle nagging hamstring issues throughout the season.
Last season was a much different story. Blake came out of the gate well, hitting .273/.354/.482 in his first 39 games, but it all went downhill from there. His final 106 games featured a .238/.307/.378 batting line, and he struck out in 28 of his final 69 plate appearances of the season. The end result was a .248/.320/.407 line, a 99 OPS+ that was his worst in three years.
The Dodgers owe Blake a reasonable $5.25MM in 2011, then must decide whether to exercise his $6MM club option for 2012 or buy him out for $1.25MM. Given his declining performance and age, the latter looks more likely right now. The free agent market for players in their late-30's and relegated to the corner infield spots is not robust, so the best case scenario for Blake likely has him playing well enough that the team picks up that option.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Dodgers Sign Lance Cormier
The Dodgers signed Lance Cormier to a minor league deal, the team announced (on Twitter).
The 30-year-old right-hander logged 62 innings for the Rays last year in his second campaign in Tampa Bay. He posted a 3.92 ERA despite walking more batters (34) than he struck out (30). Cormier's FIP (5.22) and xFIP (5.21) suggest he was lucky last year. However, he posted a strong 49.8 % ground ball rate in 2010, just below his career mark or 51.1%.
Quick Hits: Johnson, Dodgers, Aardsma, Padres
Sunday night linkage..
- Kelly Johnson's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- Dodgers owner Frank McCourt needs to be more open and direct about his financial troubles, writes T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.
- Before suffering a hip injury, Mariners pitcher David Aardsma was a major trade candidate. After undergoing surgery in December, the hurler is still unsure of when he'll be able to return, writes Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.
- Recent trades have weakened the Padres bullpen, says Bill Center of the Union-Tribune.