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Odds & Ends: Harper, Dodgers, Romero, Hermida

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Sunday night linkage..

  • Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports implores the Nats to get a deal done with Bryce Harper.
  • Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some interesting comments to make about the club's negotiations with Harper, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (in these tweets) says that rival agents think that the Dodgers will offer first-round pick Zach Lee roughly $3MM and at least one of them thinks that will be enough to get a deal done.
  • Toronto manager Cito Gaston told David Ely of MLB.com that he didn't think Ricky Romero would feel any pressure after signing a lucrative contract extension.  The lefty didn't show any signs of jitters today as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Angels.
  • Boston outfielder Jeremy Hermida is making the most of his time in the minors, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.  Hermida was just thirty days shy of accruing enough major league time to decline a demotion when he was sent down by the Red Sox.

Poll: What Should The Dodgers Have Done?

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Sitting seven games back of the Padres and five-and-a-half games back in the wild card chase on deadline day, the Dodgers decided to burn up the phone lines and upgrade their roster.  Despite the impact that the McCourt divorce may have on the club's financial situation, Los Angeles surprisingly became one of the deadline's most active teams. 

After acquiring Scott Podsednik from the Royals, GM Ned Colletti decided that he wasn't done.  He swung a deal for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from the Cubs and also grabbed Pirates reliever Octavio Dotel.  The Lilly deal would cost them Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, and Kyle Smit.  For some observers, the Dotel deal was the real head-scratcher as Colletti surrendered pitcher James McDonald and outfield prospect Andrew Lambo.  While each player has suffered their own setbacks, both continue to hold promise and could blossom into real contributors.

Ultimately, the Dodgers rolled the dice for a chance to gain some ground in the home stretch.  To date, the upgrades have not helped them in the standings as they are 60-58, ten games back in the NL West and six-and-a-half games behind in the wild card chase.

Should the Dodgers have been buyers, sellers, or stood pat at the Trade Deadline?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Draft Signings: Hahn, Shipers, Cates, Cone

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The deadline for signing draft picks is fast approaching, as teams have until tomorrow night at 11 CST to finalize deals with this year's draftees. Here are a few notable above-slot agreements, with any new updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Sixth-round pick Jesse Hahn has signed with the Rays for $525K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. Hahn was projected as a first-rounder at one point, but Tommy John surgery hurt his value. Still, he easily exceeded MLB's recommended $150K maximum for players drafted after the fifth round.
  • The Indians signed 23rd-round left-hander Tony Dischler for $255K, tweets Callis.
  • The Mariners agreed to terms with 16th-round pick Jordan Shipers for a deal worth $800K, according to Callis. That bonus is the highest so far for any player draft later than the fourth round.
  • Third-rounder Zach Cates reached an agreement with the Padres for a $765K bonus, the highest to date for a third-round selection. Callis reports that the right-hander more than doubled MLB's recommended bonus of approximately $380K for the draft slot.
  • Derek Cone, the Dodgers' 31st-round pick, signed with the club for $150K, according to Callis (via Twitter).
  • For a summary of which first-rounders and sandwich picks have signed so far, click here.

Rosenthal On Manny, Cardinals, Braves, Inge

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We already took a look at Ken Rosenthal's updates on Joe Torre and Dusty Baker, but those weren't the only items of interest in his latest Full Count video at FOX Sports. Here are the others:

  • Manny Ramirez should be on his way back to full health in the coming weeks, but if the Dodgers want to move him before August 31st, his no-trade clause may make things difficult. Rosenthal indicates that the Dodgers might be careful about when they place Ramirez on waivers, perhaps doing so if and when the White Sox are behind the Red Sox in the standings. As Rosenthal notes, Boston winning a waiver claim on Manny would make a trade highly unlikely, whereas the White Sox and Dodgers could have a better chance of working something out.
  • The Cardinals and Braves are both searching for third base help. The Cardinals plan to give Allen Craig some time there and the Braves have been content with in-house options so far, but Rosenthal suggests Brandon Inge is a player who could be a fit for both teams. If Inge is placed on waivers, another contender may put in a claim to block the Braves and Cards from having a shot at him.

Manager Rumors: Baker, Torre, La Russa

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Looking ahead to the offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that as many as ten teams could be searching for new managers. Let's check out the latest updates on a few of the National League's current skippers….

  • In his newest Full Count video, Rosenthal suggests that Dusty Baker will likely have a handful of suitors if the Reds decide they can't afford to give him a raise next year.
  • Adding that Jerry Manuel is looking more and more like a "goner," Rosenthal says the Mets may be the only team Joe Torre would consider managing if the Dodgers' skipper doesn't return to Los Angeles.
  • For his part, Torre tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he won't announce his plans for next year while the Dodgers are still in contention for the playoffs. Having dropped their last three games, the team now sits 6.5 games back in the wild card hunt.
  • Tony La Russa also won't discuss his plans for next season yet, but admits to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that he's been weighing his options.

The Dodgers’ 2011 Rotation

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Los Angeles fans might be focused on the closer's position today, but as we look ahead to next season, the Dodgers will go into the offseason with three-fifths of their starting rotation on the free agent market.  Here's a tentative look ahead at what the Dodger rotation might look like (barring injuries or any other unforseen incidents) on the next Opening Day.

Firstly, let's look at the starters who are under the club's control.  Clayton Kershaw can be safely pencilled in as the Dodgers' number one starter next season, so if you hear any news about him this winter, it will likely be the Dodgers exploring long-term contract talks.  (Kershaw is eligible for arbitration after 2011.)

Chad Billingsley's name has been mentioned in trade rumors for everyone from Roy Halladay to Roy Oswalt, but the right-hander has remained in Dodger blue.  Billingsley has paid off the team's faith in him by developing into a solid starter: a 3.59 career ERA and a 2.05 K/BB ratio over five seasons.  He has even shown signs of harnessing his control issues by posting a career-low 3.2 BB/9 ratio thus far in 2010.  Billingsley is making $3.85MM this season and has two more arbitration years left, so he might be another target for a long-term deal. 

Looming over any contract talks for either pitcher (or any offseason move for the Dodgers) is the ongoing dispute over the Dodgers' ownership stemming from the divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt.  One would think that L.A. would find enough money to lock up their two young starters, especially with the likes of Manny Ramirez's contract coming off the books.  The Dodgers have shown that they've been willing and able to spend a bit in the wake of the McCourt divorce, but if a sudden cash crunch pops up in the winter, it's possible that Billingsley could be swapped instead of given what could be substantial arbitration raises for the next two years.

That leaves the Dodgers' three pending free agent starters: Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly and Vicente Padilla.  If last year was any indication, L.A. won't offer salary arbitration to any of them, though it seems quite unlikely that Lilly or Kuroda would accept.  Lilly seems destined to test the market for a big deal and will no doubt get attention from several teams.  Given the Dodgers' payroll uncertainty, it seems safe to presume that Lilly will be pitching elsewhere in 2011.

Kuroda is approaching the end of the three-year, $35.3MM contract he signed with Los Angeles in 2007, and has been the definition of a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher since coming to the majors from Japan.  Kuroda will turn 36 in February and has a couple of DL stints to his name, which will probably keep him from getting a long-term deal.  It's easy to picture a number of teams bidding on the right-hander, so again, the Dodgers could be priced out of the market. 

Padilla has put up very good numbers (3.29 ERA, 8.2 K/9 ratio in 22 appearances) since signing with the Dodgers in August 2009, though his L.A. stint has been marred by a two-month stint on the DL this year with a forearm injury.  Padilla agreed to return to the Dodgers on a one-year, $5.025MM contract for this season, and given his love of pitching at Dodger Stadium, it's possible to see Padilla return on something akin to a two-year, $14MM deal, possibly with an option year and some incentive clauses.

What will the Dodgers do to fill these holes in the rotation?  Help could come from within in the form of John Ely, who threw eight quality starts out of 14 in Padilla's place this season and looked like he belonged in the majors.  Charlie Haeger and Carlos Monasterios also started games for L.A. this year, but Haeger pitched terribly and Monasterios projects better out of the bullpen.

Down on the farm, L.A.'s best pitching prospects seem at least a year or two away.  Right-hander Josh Lindblom (the Dodgers' second-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft) looked to be on the fast track to the majors after he zoomed from A-ball to Triple-A within two years, but Lindblom struggled badly (7.06 ERA) as a starter at Triple-A Albuquerque this year and was converted back into a reliever.

Two Dodger pitching prospects made Baseball America's midseason top 50 prospects list (right-handers Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow) though both are struggling with control issues.  Martin has a 5.7 BB/9 ratio and a 5.57 ERA in high-A ball this season, while Withrow (the #48-ranked prospect in BA's preseason list) has a 4.8 BB/9 ratio and a 5.84 ERA in Chattanooga.  With this relative lack of major league-ready arms coming up, it makes the deal of James McDonald for short-term rental Octavio Dotel at the trade deadline seem pretty curious.

Between the ownership issues and Joe Torre's possible retirement, there are still enough changes to come in Los Angeles that it's hard to predict exactly what the Dodgers will do with their rotation next season.  Barring any payroll increase, however, it seems likely that L.A. will look to low-cost veterans who might take a Padilla-esque short-term deal to revive themselves pitching at Chavez Ravine. 

In his examination of Cincinnati's 2011 rotation, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted that Aaron Harang is likely to have his option declined by the Reds in the winter.  A pitcher like Harang, who has struggled but still put up decent peripheral numbers over the last three seasons, could regain his All-Star form in moving from the Great American Ballpark to Dodger Stadium.  Free agent NL West veterans like Kevin Correia or Jeff Francis (who will likely have his $7MM option declined by the Rockies) could be possible Dodger targets as well.

Minor League Transactions: Marti, Anderson

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Yadel Marti generated some buzz a couple winters ago when he defected from Cuba. It took a while, but the righty signed with a major league organization. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the details and other transactions from August 2nd-11th:

  • The Braves became the third team to release Josh Anderson this season. The Reds and Brewers also released Anderson, who has combined for a .448 OPS for those three organizations.
  • The Red Sox released infielder Tug Hulett.
  • The Dodgers released former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston. The lefty logged 56.1 innings for the 2007 Reds.
  • The A’s signed Yadel Marti from Veracruz of the Mexican League. The 31-year-old pitched for the same team as Luis Heredia, a top pitching prospect who’s drawing interest from the Pirates and Blue Jays, among other clubs.

The Dodgers’ Approach To Matt Kemp

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He “was slow to learn to be a professional,” someone who drew the ire of his manager and “infuriate[d] some members of the organization” with his approach. No, we're not talking about Matt Kemp, though similar things have certainly been said about him this season. Various reporters used those words to describe Yunel Escobar before and after the Braves traded him to the Blue Jays last month.

By all accounts Escobar did not fit into Bobby Cox's system. Now, on the other side of the country, Kemp is in a similar situation. Earlier in the week, Joe Torre benched him twice, ostensibly to keep Jay Gibbons in the lineup. That decision probably didn't sit well with Kemp, but it's not what his agent complained to the LA Times about. Dave Stewart, who represents Kemp, suggested that coaches Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa criticize Kemp unfairly. A trade, Stewart said, might be best for Kemp and the Dodgers.

The Dodgers seem to realize that mid-twenties players who have hit well before will often rebound. Kemp's .777 OPS is less robust than the Dodgers would like and some in the organization have openly questioned his fundamentals, but he still has talent.

Escobar, who was struggling at the plate in Atlanta, has returned to form north of the border if his first 96 trips to the plate are any indication. He has his only three homers of the season as a Blue Jay to go along with a .315/.351/.461 line and strong, sometimes spectacular, defense. 

Just last month, Escobar appeared to be “a negative presence within an otherwise harmonious clubhouse,” a malcontent who wasn't playing fundamentally sound baseball or hitting as well as he should. Braves fans and players may be glad to have the steady Alex Gonzalez at short, but the Blue Jays are surely thrilled to have bought low on a young player with star potential. Plus, the criticisms that followed Escobar earlier in the year have quieted down.

Kemp and Escobar are individuals under different sets of circumstances, so the comparison only goes so far. As the Dodgers know, Kemp has both the talent that made him into an elite player and the tendency to make infuriating mistakes. 

Half of MLBTR voters say the Dodgers should seriously consider trading Kemp, but GM Ned Colletti has the vote that counts. He told the Times that Dodgers are not about to do anything drastic, and have no intention of dealing their center fielder. Kemp will probably continue to make the occasional mental mistake, as Escobar does, but it seems probable that his play will improve and it looks like that improvement will happen in a Dodgers uniform.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Royals, Rays, Burrell

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On this date 41 years ago, Major League owners unanimously elected Bowie Kuhn to a seven-year term as commissioner. It was under Kuhn that the reserve clause was eliminated, paving the way for free agency as we know it.

We've got a lot of links to get to, so let's dive right in…

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

Dodgers Do Not Intend To Trade Matt Kemp

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Dave Stewart, the agent for Matt Kemp, suggested to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times that the Dodgers should consider trading his client, but GM Ned Colletti says the organization does not intend to make such a move. Stewart says Kemp faces “a bunch of back-seat crap," particularly from Dodgers coaches Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa.

"I'm almost to the point — and maybe so are the Dodgers — where I'm thinking that this just isn't going to work," Stewart told Plaschke. "The Dodgers have gaps on this team, and maybe they could fill them by trading Matt. It could be good for the team, and good for the player."

Stewart has not formally demanded a trade, but says it’s “very, very difficult to play under the circumstances that Kemp is playing under." Frustrated with inconsistent play from their center fielder, the Dodgers have benched Kemp, most recently this week. That doesn’t mean they intend to make a deal, though.

"No, I have no plans to trade [Kemp]," Colletti said. "He's got a chance to be one of the best players in the history of the franchise."

Kemp, 25, makes $6.95MM next year and is eligible for free agency after 2012. He has a .263/.319/.458 line in 489 plate appearances this year and UZR data suggests his defense has deteriorated.

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