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Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Overbay, Hawpe, Lilly, Marlins

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Links for Friday…

  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says (via Twitter) that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti hasn't asked anyone to waive their no-trade clause, which would include Manny Ramirez.
  • Lyle Overbay was pulled from tonight's game in the 6th inning, and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says there has been trade interest in the Jays' first baseman recently. However, Overbay left for precautionary reasons as he's been feeling under the weather according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter links).
  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that Brad Hawpe chose the Rays over the Red Sox was because there was "a perceived better fit in terms of guaranteed playing time."
  • The Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on waivers today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported yesterday that the Dodgers aren't inclined to trade Lilly.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports that Marlins president David Samsom directed millions of dollars to owner Jeffrey Loria. Samson has said publicly that he did no such thing, but Passan contests that "what Samson said was so provably false that it was akin to a 3-year-old trying to hide his peas under a pile of mashed potatoes."
  • Stephen Strasburg will probably need Tommy John surgery, according to the Nationals.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the idea of Joe Girardi leaving the Yankees for the Cubs this offseason is "pure insanity," since the Yankees will always provide Girardi with the chance to win.
  • However, Cubs sources confirmed to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Cubs will pursue Girardi to manage, possibly as the leading candidate, if he is available.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told MLB.com's Corey Brock that he and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein joked about the inevitable Adrian Gonzalez rumors last winter. As Brock shows, those rumors are a thing of the past for the first place Padres.

Dodgers “Not Inclined” To Make Trades

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Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he is "not inclined to move anyone so long as [the Dodgers] have a chance" (Twitter link). The Dodgers, who trail the Giants by 5.0 games in the Wild Card race, have until Tuesday to decide whether to trade Manny Ramirez to the White Sox, hand the slugger over, or hold on.

The Dodgers have six games remaining against the Giants, six against the Padres and nine against the Rockies, so they could re-insert themselves into the playoff picture. At this point, it's undeniably in Colletti's best interest to say that he has no intention of trading Ramirez. Admitting the intent to part with the 38-year-old would give the White Sox leverage.

Click here to vote on what the Dodgers should do.

The Dodgers’ Decision

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The Dodgers have a choice to make: trade Manny Ramirez to Chicago, hand him over to the White Sox, or keep him. GM Ned Colletti's decision will impact the pennant race in both leagues, so let's break it down:

The Dodgers' Future

Long-term, the Dodgers would be better off trading Ramirez or handing him over. They could obtain prospects for him or, at the very least, save themselves a significant amount of money. Ramirez hits free agency after the season and he won't see an offer of arbitration, so his time is nearly up in L.A. If the Dodgers don't think they can contend in 2010, there are better ways to spend $4MM.

The Dodgers' Present

The Dodgers are fringe contenders, but aren't in the thick of a pennant race. Baseball Prospectus gives them a 3.5% chance of making the playoffs. The Giants lead the Dodgers by 5.0 games in the Wild Card race, but the Dodgers do have many intra-divisional games coming up. Starting tonight, they'll play nine games against the Rockies, six against the Giants and six against the division-leading Padres. It's not an easy schedule, but the Dodgers could make up ground, in theory.

A hot-hitting Manny Ramirez would give the Dodgers a much better chance of reaching the postseason. When healthy, Manny can hit, as his .313/.407/.513 season line shows, so the Dodgers improve their chances of winning in 2010 if they hold onto Ramirez.

The Decision

By Tuesday afternoon, the Dodgers have to decide whether to trade Ramirez, hand him over or keep him. What would you do? Click here to take the survey and here to see the results, but keep in mind that they might not matter. Manny has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Winfield, Gio, Hawpe, Cubs

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On this date three years ago, the Astros fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura. They were replaced on an interim basis by Cecil Cooper and Tal Smith, respectively. Cooper kept the job until he was fired last September, and the team is now under the direction of Brad Mills. Ed Wade took over the GM job about a month after Purpura was fired, and has held it since.

Here's a look at what's being written in the baseball corner of the web…

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

Dodgers Consider Options

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FRIDAY, 10:24am: Manny is not asking for an extension, according to Rosenthal on Twitter.

THURSDAY, 9:17pm: The White Sox will know by Friday afternoon if they can or will get Ramirez, reports Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune.

7:55am: The Dodgers and White Sox have have discussed a potential Manny Ramirez trade, but according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Los Angeles has spoken to at least one other team about the 38-year-old. The Rays and Rangers are interested in Ramirez, though the Dodgers are not fully committed to making a trade.

Ramirez wants a one-year extension to waive his no-trade clause, a source tells Rosenthal and Morosi. If he clears waivers, Ramirez could have the leverage to make such demands, but if a team claims him, the Dodgers would only be able to negotiate with that club. The White Sox intend to claim Ramirez, according to FOX, though that won’t necessarily happen.

Teams have until the end of the week to claim Ramirez, who hit waivers yesterday. If he’s claimed, the Dodgers will have until Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal. Click here to vote on whether a National League team wil claim Ramirez and here for more detail on trading in August.

 

Heyman On Managerial Openings

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Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman examined three of the winter's open managerial posts (the Cubs, Mariners, and the potentially open Dodgers job) and passed along some info on who might be in the dugouts for those clubs come Opening Day 2011…

  • Chicago. Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg "has been seen by everyone as the most logical choice."  Heyman cites Joe Girardi as the second-most likely option to manage the Cubs in 2011, though he expects Girardi to remain in New York.  Interim manager Mike Quade is "something of a longshot" and Heyman mentions Bobby Valentine's name due to Valentine's track record of working with young talent.  Heyman's fourth-most likely Cubs manager is Tony La Russa, and while that hiring might equally horrify both Cubs and Cardinals fans, Heyman only opines that La Russa would "be an interesting choice," not one that's a distinct possibility.  
  • Los Angeles.  "According to some in the know," Tim Wallach will be the next L.A. manager.  Wallach is a former Dodgers hitting coach and has managed their Triple-A squad for the past two seasons.  Los Angeles would save some money by hiring Wallach, though Heyman writes that the franchise has (and will) cut enough payroll to make signing a big-name manager feasible if the team wants to go that route.  The intended Joe Torre/Don Mattingly succession may be no more given how that plan was the one favored by Jamie McCourt, not current sole owner Frank McCourt.  Heyman ranks Mattingly third on his list of likely Dodger managers behind both Wallach and Dusty Baker, as "there are unsubstantiated whispers" that L.A. will make a play for Baker if he doesn't re-sign with Cincinnati.  Of course, this could all be moot if Torre decides to return for another season, though Heyman feels Torre is probably done in Los Angeles. 
  • Seattle. Valentine appears again on the list of Mariners candidates, sandwiched between Heyman top choice Ted Simmons and No. 3 choice Willie Randolph.  Simmons, the San Diego bench coach, has never been a manager, though he has a lengthy front office resume.  Both Simmons and Randolph have worked with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik before, and Randolph is also helped by the fact that Zduriencik told Heyman that "big league managerial experience will weigh heavily" in his decision.  That said, Zduriencik also noted that he's just starting to explore a list of around 20 candidates.

Stark On Cubs, Manny, Lilly, Moyer

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If you like the idea of trading draft picks, you may be in luck. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears from an American League official who says "just about everyone I talk to is in agreement with" the idea that "there's no reason not to [trade picks] anymore." The MLBPA doesn't oppose the idea either, so perhaps teams will be able to trade picks after the next collective bargaining agreement expires in 2011. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • Stark hears that the Cubs don't intend to pursue "celebrity managers" this offseason. They have signed Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella, but may go for an under-the-radar candidate this time.
  • Manny Ramirez has to play well between now and the end of the season if he wants a significant amount of guaranteed money for 2011, but one executive predicted that he could make $6-7MM as a DH if he finishes strong.
  • Teams that have been in contact with the Dodgers don't get the sense that the team has interest in trading Ted Lilly. They may want to re-sign him, though recent history suggests they'll be hesitant to offer arbitration.
  • Jamie Moyer says he hasn't given up on pitching this year and doesn't want his career to end because of his current elbow strain.

Dodgers Talking Trade With White Sox

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7:39pm: Ramirez has told friends that he would waive his no-trade clause to approve a deal to the White Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).

6:50pm: Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times hears that the Dodgers and White Sox are discussing a potential Ramirez trade (Twitter link).

5:43pm: The Dodgers are preparing for trade talks with the White Sox, according to Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Dodgers are reviewing scouting reports on some of Chicago’s minor leaguers, since the White Sox have previously shown interest in Manny Ramirez, who hit the waiver wire today. Ginnetti reports that the Dodgers “appeared to be trying to negotiate a trade” instead of handing Ramirez and his salary over.

All National League teams have to pass on Ramirez for the White Sox to trade for him, but the Dodgers seem to be anticipating a claim by Chicago. As ESPN.com's Buster Olney pointed out on Twitter today, any team that takes on Ramirez's salary would be "committing $4MM for a player whose last hit came 57 days ago." The slugging left fielder has struggled to hit in the majors since returning from the disabled list, but the White Sox could use an upgrade at DH.

Odds & Ends: Weeks, Blue Jays, Daisuke, Vazquez

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Links for Wednesday, after a roller coaster win by Joey Votto and the Reds…

Manny Ramirez On Waivers

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The Dodgers placed Manny Ramirez on waivers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. As Morosi explains, teams have until Friday to claim Ramirez. If there's a claim, the Dodgers will have until next Tuesday to work out a trade. 

The Pirates have the National League's worst record, so they get first dibs on Ramirez. If every NL team from the Pirates to the Padres passes on Ramirez, American League teams will have the chance to claim the slugger. That's when things could get interesting; the White Sox intend to claim Ramirez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Since they have a worse record than any other AL contender, Chicago will have the chance to claim Ramirez if he makes it past all 15 NL clubs.

As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported earlier in the week, about three quarters of Ramirez’s salary is deferred. That means he makes just $1.1MM between now and the end of the season despite his hefty $20MM salary. Ramirez earns the remaining $3.4MM in deferred payments, which would presumably make his salary easier to absorb.

Click here for more details on trading in August.

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