Dodgers Rumors

Ted Lilly Seeks Three-Year Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 30, 2010 at 8:33am CDT

The agent for Ted Lilly anticipates mutual interest between his client and the Dodgers, but suspects other teams might make better offers.

“I’m just not sure the Dodgers at this point are going to get to a range that will be very easy for us to achieve come December,” agent Larry O’Brien told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “I’m pretty confident that there’s a minimum three-year deal out there for Ted.”

Lilly, who turns 35 in January, has pitched well for the Cubs and Dodgers this season. He has an overall ERA of 3.71 with 7.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 186.2 total innings. He and teammate Hiroki Kuroda will be among the more appealing free agent starters not named Cliff Lee.

As Rosenthal points out, Lilly currently projects as a Type A free agent, but not by much. It may not matter, since the Dodgers would have to offer arbitration to obtain compensation picks and that doesn’t seem likely given their recent history.

Odds & Ends: Papelbon, Yankees, Pujols, Webb

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 27, 2010 at 7:14pm CDT

Links for Monday, as Roy Halladay attempts to lead the Phillies to another division title…

Good news for Jack Zduriencik: Mariners president Chuck Armstrong told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that team executives are "not thinking about changing the general manager at all."
Jim Donaldson of the Providence Herald asks a question the Red Sox are likely wondering about, too: does Jonathan Papelbon deserve a raise in 2011?
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that the trio of Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson provides the team with a well-rounded outfield going forward. The Yankees could always bid on Jayson Werth or Carl Crawford, but those outfielders appear to be luxuries, not necessities.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes (on Twitter) that Albert Pujols would approve trades to the Astros, Marlins, Dodgers and Angels. The first baseman isn't going anywhere, but Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel has a little fun and wonders what it would take for the Marlins to acquire him.
Brandon Webb, who hasn't pitched in the majors since making his 2009 season debut, won't pitch for the Diamondbacks this year, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Webb is about to hit free agency and will be looking for a significant base salary. He'll have to prove he's healthy first, so he'll pitch in the instructional league this week. Webb reiterated his desire to return to the D'Backs, and new GM Kevin Towers is open to the idea as well.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Dodgers, Fielder, Konerko

By Zachary Links | September 26, 2010 at 8:55pm CDT

Links for Sunday as Phil Hughes takes the mound against Boston..

Brewers manager Ken Macha will have to wait to learn about his future, GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com writes that even a turnaround in playoff fortunes wouldn't have changed Dodgers skipper Joe Torre's mind about retiring.
Mark Kotsay told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he does not anticipate returning to the White Sox next season.
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that Prince Fielder may have played his last home game in a Brewers uniform today.
Whether or not manager Ozzie Guillen returns to the White Sox will be one of the many factors that play into Paul Konerko's decision, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets that Trevor Hoffman earned an extra $250K today when he closed out the Brewers' home finale.
Reliever Takashi Saito's career could be in jeopardy as he is hampered by shoulder tendinitis, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson will have a say in whether soon-to-be free agent Brandon Webb returns to action this year, writes MLB.com's Andrew Pentis.
Thomas Harding and Joey Nowak of MLB.com spoke to Rockies outfielder Jay Payton, who is happy to still be playing baseball at the age of 37.
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says the future looks bright in Chicago, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

Indians Acquire Preston Mattingly

By Zachary Links | September 26, 2010 at 2:20pm CDT

The Indians have acquired Preston Mattingly from the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Roman Pena, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter). Of course, Mattingly's father Don will take over as Dodgers skipper beginning in 2011.

Mattingly was the Dodgers' first-round selection (31st overall) in the 2006 draft. The 23-year-old was being groomed as a middle infielder up until 2009 when he spent the bulk of his time in left field. The youngster split time between Rookie ball and the Dodgers' Inland Empire affiliate, hitting just .218/.247/.291.

Pena, 24, has a .189/.300/.313 slash line at the A-plus level. The left-handed batter has experience at all three outfield positions.

Odds & Ends: Pettitte, Marlins, Laird, Pirates, Ely

By Luke Adams 2 | September 26, 2010 at 12:13pm CDT

Sunday links, as the Rays look to extend their league-best winning streak to five games….

Andy Pettitte tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that his participation in the government's indictment of Roger Clemens won't impact his baseball future. The 38-year-old also says he doesn't expect to still be playing at age 40.
Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets that the Marlins have no timetable for when they'll hire a permanent manager, though they have a short list of four or five candidates.
Like teammate Jeremy Bonderman, Gerald Laird isn't sure whether he'll be a Tiger next year. "If a better opportunity presents itself, I'll probably take that route," the backstop told Tom Gage of the Detroit News (Twitter link)
GM Neal Huntington discusses the Pirates' upcoming offseason with Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, noting that the club may pursue a platoon partner for Garrett Jones at first base.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun wonders if the Orioles will aggressively go after an impact bat this winter.
John Ely may be pitching himself out of the Dodgers' 2011 plans, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.

Dodgers Notes: Gibbons, McCourts, Lilly

By Mark Polishuk | September 24, 2010 at 10:22pm CDT

Some news items as the Dodgers do battle with the D'Backs tonight…

Jay Gibbons is expected to be re-signed by L.A., writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Gibbons may get some interest from Japanese teams, but it seems likely the California native will stay close to home.
There has been no settlement yet in the ongoing McCourt divorce case, tweets the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez. The trial continues on Monday.
The Dodgers could be setting themselves up for a future bad contract if they re-sign Ted Lilly to a long-term deal, warns Jon Weisman of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: LaRue, Martin, Ortiz, Minaya

By Mike Axisa | September 24, 2010 at 12:22pm CDT

On this date four years ago, Trevor Hoffman set a new career saves mark when he retired Ryan Doumit, Jose Bautista, and Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates in order. His 479th save moved him past Lee Smith and into first place on the all-time list, a spot he still holds today with 600 career saves on the nose. Other than Mariano Rivera and the soon-to-retire Billy Wagner, no active closer is within 310 saves of Hoffman's mark.

Here's a collection of links from the last week of the baseball blog world…

The Hardball Times takes an in-depth look at the legal implications of the Johnny Cueto–Jason LaRue brawl that led to LaRue's retirement.
Disciples of Uecker checks in with the players the Brewers traded for C.C. Sabathia back in 2008.
Pittsburgh Lumber Co. looks at how the Pirates bullpen has performed since trading away some key pieces at the deadline.
The Process Report follows up a previous post and explains how Jose Lobaton continues to help the Rays even though he's never played a game for them.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness breaks down the Dodgers' options with Russell Martin.
Red Sox Beacon tries to figure out what Boston should do with David Ortiz.
Amazin' Avenue audits Omar Minaya's front office.
Crashburn Alley discusses the genius of Charlie Manuel.
Drunk Jays Fans looked at the merits of Rays' bench coach Dave Martinez as a potential Cito Gaston replacement.
Feeling Dodger Blue says Tim Wallach should have gotten the Dodgers manager job over Don Mattingly.
A Fan's Opinion plans out the Angels offseason.
DesigNate Robertson does the same, but for the Tigers.
Lookout Landing guesses at the Mariners' 2011 payroll.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Stark On Crawford, Werth, Beltre, Torre

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 23, 2010 at 4:30pm CDT

Commissioner Bud Selig told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he’ll consider expanded instant replay and adding a second Wild Card team. Stark also passes along news on the player-agent industry and rumors from around the league:

The MLBPA and MLB have agreed to move up the date by which teams have to tender contracts and offer arbitration to free agents in an attempt to hurry the offseason along. This development could mean that we see fewer unsigned players late in the offseason.
The players’ association is working to better regulate interactions between players and agents. For example, agents can’t promise anything of value to players who they don’t represent. No more free trips or cars from rival agents!
Players who can go to arbitration or file for free agency will now have to check in with the MLBPA before changing agents.
Five of the six executives Stark surveyed named Carl Crawford this year’s best free agent position player (Jayson Werth received one vote).
The Yankees are more likely to bid aggressively on Crawford than Werth, but Cliff Lee figures to be their top free agent target.
Stark says the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, Tigers and Giants seem like the best bets to pursue Werth this offseason.
Adrian Beltre puzzles Stark’s sources, since he has so much upside, but tends to flash his ability most tantalizingly in contract years.
Three baseball people who are all acquainted with Joe Torre say the Dodgers manager would like to manage the Mets next year, but they don’t think it’ll happen.
Atlanta GM Frank Wren anticipates that the Braves will be in the market for a veteran reliever again this winter.

Olney On D’Backs, Hinch, Martin, Werth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 22, 2010 at 11:38am CDT

Now that the Diamondbacks have hired Kevin Towers to be their new GM, their priority is to assemble an improved bullpen, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Olney says it’s likely that the Diamondbacks will part ways with one or two of their hitters this offseason, because their lineup strikes out so much. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors:

Former Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch joined the Padres scouting department because he believes they have a “good pro scouting staff in place with some building to do.”
Rival GMs believe Russell Martin will have some trade value if the Dodgers decide to move him (Twitter link).
Multiple talent evaluators tell Olney that they see Jayson Werth as a distant second to Carl Crawford among free agent outfielders (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Lilly, D’Backs, Crawford

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 20, 2010 at 1:09pm CDT

On this date in 1990, the Dodgers signed Miguel Cairo as an amateur free agent. These days, Cairo's playing all around the diamond for the Reds, as they approach their first playoff berth since 1995. Here are today's links…

Pirates president Frank Coonelly has “veto authority, but he most definitely does not do any of the day-to-day GM work,” according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier in the day that some baseball people see Coonelly as the team’s de facto GM.
Ted Lilly and the Dodgers have an understanding that they'll talk about a new deal after the season, when Lilly hits free agency, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
The D'Backs appear to want a GM whose forte is scouting and player development, according to Olney (on Twitter).
Houston native Carl Crawford told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he likes Houston and has nothing against the Astros. Crawford, who hits free agency this winter, says his friends see him playing for a winner. Despite their strong second half, the Astros are five games below .500.
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Blue Jays are being "incredibly open-minded" as they search for their next field manager.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Dodgers Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect