Dodgers Out On Damon, Prefer Right-Handed Bats
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he isn't pursuing Johnny Damon. The club could pursue a left field platoon partner for Jay Gibbons, but right-handed hitters are preferable for the Dodgers. That rules out Damon and suggests Scott Podsednik, another left-handed hitter, is not a fit in L.A. either.
Manny Ramirez is not an option, but Marcus Thames and Scott Hairston are potential fits (in my opinion). Gibbons, who boasts a career .259/.319/.464 line against right-handers, could be effective in a platoon with a righty batter like Thames (.838 career OPS against southpaws) or Hairston (.829 career OPS against southpaws). Both free agents have spent the majority of their careers in left field.
Colletti told Shaikin that he's open to adding relief help.
Boras Talks Damon, Andruw, Manny
Scott Boras told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that Johnny Damon, Andruw Jones and Manny Ramirez can boost fan interest, TV ratings and revenue for MLB teams. Not only that, the agent insists his clients can be key players on winning clubs.
"These guys are star players," Boras said. "They're championship-caliber players. Owners and general managers know they have extraordinary abilities, and they can be a force in the locker room and around young players."
Crasnick surveyed MLB executives and scouts about the three stars and heard the Angels and Rays mentioned as possibilities for Damon. The Dodgers, who have also been linked to the 37-year-old, are “unlikely” to sign him, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking. The Yankees haven’t ruled out a reunion with Damon, but they’re only interested in him as a fourth outfielder, according to Crasnick.
Jones, another Yankees target, “still has value as an extra outfielder who can fill in at all three spots and mash left-handed pitching," an AL assistant GM said. The Braves briefly discussed a reunion with Jones and the Rockies are another possible fit.
Despite speculation that Ramirez could be a fit in Toronto, where former Red Sox coach John Farrell will take over as manager, it isn’t a likely match. In fact, Crasnick suggests Farrell’s familiarity with the slugger could make the Jays less likely to sign Manny. Tampa Bay could be a fit for Ramirez, who definitely wants to play in 2011, according to Boras.
Dodgers Notes: Ownership, Manny, Roman Colon
It was one year ago today that the Dodgers signed Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal. Gibbons made it to the big leagues for the first time since 2007, and hit well enough in limited action (an .819 OPS in 80 plate appearances) that he earned himself a Major League deal with the club for 2011 and potentially a regular platoon gig.
Here are some fresh items about the boys in blue…
- A potential sale of the Dodgers could be worth as much as $1BB, reports Mike Ozanian of Forbes. One "billionaire" team owner tells Ozanian that the Dodgers have "a vanity premium" for many potential buyers. Ozanian hears from some owners, executives and sports bankers that the belief exists that Frank McCourt will not be able to raise enough money to keep control of the club. McCourt, unsurprisingly, thinks otherwise, and said as much to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
- The newly-signed Tony Gwynn Jr. could win the center field job with a strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Such a move would shift Matt Kemp to right field and Andre Ethier to left. More realistically, however, Kemp and Ethier will stay put in center and right, respectively, and the Dodgers will use a left field platoon of Gibbons and either a yet-to-be-acquired right-handed bat or possibly Casey Blake.
- If the team does sign another right-handed hitter, it won't be Manny Ramirez. To the surprise of nobody, Don Mattingly tells Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times "I don’t think Manny is a viable option right now."
- The Dodgers signed right-hander Roman Colon to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matthew Eddy. Colon has been pitching in the Korean League since he was released by Kansas City in May. The right-hander has a 5.12 ERA in 121 Major League appearances (all but eight of them in relief) with the Royals, Tigers and Braves since 2004.
Quick Hits: Garcia, Delgado, Nationals, Rockies
Happy birthday to the Big Cat, Johnny Mize! The Hall-of-Famer was born on January 7, 1913 in Demorest, Georgia. Other notable players born on this day include Jon Lester, Alfonso Soriano, Eric Gagne and Francisco Rodriguez.
Onto the news items….
- A reunion between Freddy Garcia and the Tigers is "possible, though unlikely at this point," writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. Garcia, who made three starts for Detroit in 2008, "is believed to be open" to the idea and Tigers officials at least discussed the prospect, Beck reports. The right-hander appears to be behind at least Jeremy Bonderman and Brad Penny on the club's list of veteran depth options for the rotation.
- Carlos Delgado is recovering from his third hip surgery but still hasn't ruled out a Major League comeback, writes Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
- The Nationals are counting on a much-improved defense to help them in 2011, reports Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.
- While the Rockies haven't made any huge additions, their moves to keep their young core players gave them the most successful offseason in the NL West, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com.
- Ed Wade says the Astros might consider acquiring a replacement for Jeff Keppinger if none of their young infielders can fill the backup role in Spring Training, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says the Indians need to start seeing some production in 2011 from the young players the team received in the Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia trades.
- Frank McCourt met with executives from the comissioner's office to outline his plans for keeping control of the Dodgers amidst his divorce proceedings, reports the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin.
Discussion: The Angels’ Offseason
Three months ago, who would've guessed that the Dodgers would have the most active winter of any Los Angeles ballclub? Following a barrage of criticism from fans and media over how the McCourts' divorce and ownership dispute was hurting the franchise, the Dodgers added a bullpen arm in Matt Guerrier, rebuilt their catching corps following Russell Martin's departure, and re-signed all three of their free agent starters (Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Vicente Padilla), also adding Jon Garland to the rotation to boot. Not every move has been well-received — the Juan Uribe contract jumps to mind — but overall, it's been a solid offseason for the Dodgers.
Compare their situation to that of L.A.'s other team. The Angels suffered their first sub-.500 season since 2003 and looked primed to add at least one top-tier free agent to their roster. Almost all of the Halos' top targets, however, went elsewhere: Carl Crawford signed with Boston, Adrian Beltre signed with Texas and some longer-shot targets that the Angels at least mildly explored (Cliff Lee, Derrek Lee, an Adrian Gonzalez trade) failed to pan out. The club added left-handers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi to the bullpen, but those have been GM Tony Reagins' only major moves of the winter.
In the wake of Beltre signing with a division rival, the knives have come out in regards to the Angels' underwhelming winter. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says "not only have the Angels shown they're not prepared to compete financially with the big boys, but they've shown they can't even compete financially with the big boys in their own division." Fanhouse.com's Tom Krasovic says the club has had "one stinker of an offseason…so far" and quotes an unnamed AL executive who says that missing out on Crawford was a big mistake.
"If [the Angels] are being scared off from premium players in the market, they're in big trouble," said the AL executive. "They don't have a lot of talent coming up. They are known for being difficult to trade with. They are going to have to spend wisely in free agent to make up that difference, but that's getting harder and harder to do with what's out there."
Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer during the Winter Meetings that the Angels wanted to stay away from "unaffordable bidding wars" over players who were asking for more than the Halos thought they were worth. This policy certainly has merit, and given that L.A. had signed the likes of Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu in recent years, Los Angeles can't be criticized for ignoring the free agent front. As Knobler points out, however, it doesn't make the team look good when owner Arte Moreno promises to spend and then comes up short.
Spencer also notes that the Angels didn't do anything this winter to combat the perception that they aren't "capable of engaging [Scott] Boras in meaningful dialogue," which is an obvious issue given the number of top players Boras represents. Rafael Soriano, for instance, is a Boras client, though even if the Angels went after the top-rated free agent left on the market, a top closer is a much less pressing need for the Halos given the Downs and Takahashi signings and the presence of Fernando Rodney.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes identified a third baseman, an outfielder/DH type and a leadoff man as the primary "unfinished business" the Angels had to address before Opening Day, mentioning recent rumors tying the club to the likes of Scott Podsednik and Johnny Damon. The Rangers' signing of Beltre also may open the door for Vladimir Guerrero to return to Los Angeles, while Spencer suggests the Angels might consider trying to re-acquire another former Halo in Chone Figgins.
There's still plenty of time for the Angels to make moves that will make their team better next year, but barring something surprising, it will be hard for the team to shake the perception (or perhaps its own feelings) that the 2010-11 offseason was a missed opportunity.
Eric Chavez To Work Out With Dodgers, Two AL Clubs
Eric Chavez will work out with the Dodgers on January 20, and has two other private workouts lined up with American League clubs, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The AL teams aren't named, but Slusser says the A's aren't one of them, and specifies that the Dodgers are the only southern Californian team in the mix. (Twitter link) We heard last month that Seattle had "checked in" on Chavez, so they could be one of the two mystery teams.
The Dodgers were rumored to have an interest in bringing Chavez in for a workout. They fit Chavez's preference to remain in southern California and Slusser notes that Chavez has spoken to Don Mattingly. The left-handed hitting Chavez could be a nice platoon partner with incumbent Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake, a right-handed hitter who only managed a .663 OPS against right-handed pitching last season.
The big question, of course, is Chavez's health. He has undergone two back surguries and three shoulder surguries in his career and he has played in just 64 games since July 26, 2007. Chavez told Slusser that his "throwing has been unreal" in workout sessions at the Athletes' Performance center in Arizona (which is of particular interest given Chavez's Gold Glove defense in his prime) but he "needs to see live pitching to judge the hitting accurately."
Dodgers Sign Tim Redding
The Dodgers have signed Tim Redding to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 32-year-old will provide depth for the Dodgers, who already have starters Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla.
Redding didn't appear in the majors last year, though he logged 109 innings in the minor leagues. Pitching for the Yankees' and Rockies' Triple-A affiliates, Redding posted a 2.89 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 as a starter. He last appeared in the majors with the 2009 Mets, when he posted a 5.10 ERA in 120 innings as a swingman.
The Dodgers added Dana Eveland in a similar move earlier in the offseason. The Redding deal is one of many minor league contracts GM Ned Colletti has negotiated this winter. Agent Tom O'Connell represents Redding.
Bill Me Later: Backloaded Multiyear Deals
Most multiyear free agent contracts are backloaded to some extent. For example, Adam Dunn's four-year, $56MM deal has an average annual value of $14MM but pays the player $12MM in 2011. The White Sox will pay Dunn about 85% of his deal's AAV in the upcoming season, which reflects the average first-year percentage for the 36 multiyear deals signed so far this offseason.
Some teams have opted for a more drastic "bill me later" plan, however. The biggest example is the Phillies' five-year, $120MM deal with Cliff Lee. That works out to $24MM a year on average, but they'll pay him only $11MM in 2011 – just 46% of the AAV. The backloading is accomplished by $25MM salaries in the final three years, plus what appears to be the biggest option buyout ever at $12.5MM. The deals for A.J. Pierzynski, Jayson Werth, and Orlando Hudson are other examples of heavily backloaded contracts that pay the player less than 70% of the AAV in 2011. Including part of his signing bonus, Werth will make only $12MM in '11.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti did some big-time backloading this winter in his three-year deals for Matt Guerrier, Ted Lilly, and Juan Uribe. Overall the trio will be paid 67% of their AAV in 2011. Lilly, for example, will make only $7.5MM in 2011 but $12MM in '12 and $13.5MM in '13.
Teams can also pay later by negotiating deferred money into the contract. This is the case with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Paul Konerko, and even Carlos Pena's one-year deal. These deferrals are often without interest, so the team benefits greatly.
Some teams prefer balanced contracts. Including his signing bonus, the Red Sox are paying Carl Crawford a full $20MM in 2011, almost the same as his AAV. They didn't backload Bobby Jenks' deal either. The contracts for Victor Martinez, Aubrey Huff, and Jorge de la Rosa are also spread out evenly.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for contract details. Click here to download a spreadsheet used to create this post.
Unfinished Business: NL West
We've covered the NL East and Central. Now it's time to examine the remaining unfinished business for NL West clubs.
- Diamondbacks: None. New GM Kevin Towers suggested eleven days ago that the signings of Xavier Nady and Henry Blanco might be his last of the offseason. Check out our Transaction Tracker for a look at Towers' winter.
- Rockies: Starting pitching depth, lefty reliever, Carlos Gonzalez extension. Having added Matt Lindstrom recently, the Rockies' major changes may be done. They may be minor league deals, but it appears GM Dan O'Dowd could add extra starting pitching depth with a Bartolo Colon or Josh Fogg type. They were also thinking about re-signing lefty reliever Joe Beimel earlier this month, though Troy Renck suggests they might stick with internal options. Extending CarGo this winter appears unlikely.
- Dodgers: Right-handed hitting left fielder. At last check the Dodgers had interest in Marcus Thames and the Hairston brothers, who are still free agents. But GM Ned Colletti told Ken Gurnick there's a chance he'll go into spring training with his current group of internal candidates. The Dodgers could also try to do a multiyear deal with Chad Billingsley.
- Padres: Backup infielder. They had plenty of needs, but Jed Hoyer appears to have addressed most of them once the Brad Hawpe deal becomes official. They could sit back and try to snag a bargain middle infielder on the free agent market.
- Giants: Backup shortstop, sixth starter. The Giants haven't ruled out Edgar Renteria, who doesn't have experience beyond shortstop. It was 20 days ago that John Shea linked them to Orlando Cabrera, Ramon Santiago, and sixth starters as well.
Mets Acquire Chin-lung Hu
The Mets acquired infielder Chin-lung Hu from the Dodgers for left-hander Mike Antonini according to the Dodgers (on Twitter).
Hu has appeared in 96 games over the course of four seasons with the Dodgers, but has not seen regular big league playing time since 2008. Before that season, Baseball America ranked the middle infielder 55th among big league prospects, but he has yet to produce much in the majors.
Hu, who turns 27 in February, posted a .317/.339/.438 line in 223 plate apperarances at Triple-A last year. It seems likely that he'll compete with the likes of Brad Emaus, Luis Hernandez and Ruben Tejada for a job this spring.
Antonini, 25, started 25 games at the highest levels of the Mets organization last year, logging 168 1/3 innings and posting a 4.49 ERA. He limited walks (1.7 BB/9) and posted relatively strong strikeout numbers (7.0 K/9), as he has done throughout his four-year minor league career.