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Dodgers Release Garret Anderson

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The Dodgers released Garret Anderson, according to the MLB.com transactions page. They designated the veteran outfielder for assignment over the weekend. Anderson, 38, hit .181/.204/.271 in 163 plate appearances this year. He has played 34 games in the outfield and Joe Torre used him regularly as a pinch hitter.

The Dodgers, who committed $550K to Anderson before the season, appear to have some interest in another outfielder: Jose Guillen. Anderson now hits the free agent market, but finding another big league job this year will be a major challenge.

Dodgers Interested In Jose Guillen

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3:23pm: The Dodgers' interest in Guillen is "thin," according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).

1:32pm: The Dodgers have "strong interest" in Jose Guillen for a part-time role, tweets ESPN's Enrique Rojas.  He adds that the Dodgers might wait for Guillen to be released, as the DH/outfielder was designated for assignment by the Royals five days ago.  The Giants are the only other team known to have some measure of interest in Guillen.

The Dodgers are 5.5 games out of the wild card, but it is surprising to see them showing interest in another outfield type.  The current group includes Scott Podsednik, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Reed Johnson, and Jay Gibbons.  Manny Ramirez is on the DL with a calf injury.

Guillen, 34, is hitting .255/.314/.429 with 16 home runs in 437 plate appearances this season.  The Royals are expected to assume most of his remaining pay one way or another.

Dodgers Sign Geoff Geary

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The Dodgers signed Geoff Geary and assigned him to Triple A, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 5.37 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 58.2 innings for Triple A Oklahoma City this year. He allowed 83 hits, including seven homers, and the Rangers released him last month.

Geary, a seven-year MLB veteran, has a 3.92 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 351.1 career innings. He has made 287 big league appearances, all of them in relief. The former Phillie and Astro has not pitched in the majors in 2010.

2011 Vesting Options Update

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We began the season with nine potential vesting options for 2011, but they're dropping like flies.  With Alex Cora and Magglio Ordonez now off the board, we look at the remaining three:

  • Trever Miller, Cardinals.  The lefty needs 45 appearances for his $2MM option to vest, and he's made 41 on the season.  He could lock in next year's salary within a week, though a DL-worthy left arm or shoulder injury changes this to a club option. 
  • Darren Oliver, Rangers.  Oliver needs 59 appearances for his $3.25MM option to vest, and he's got 46 so far.  Barring injury, he'll get there.
  • Ramon Hernandez, Reds.  Hernandez needs 120 games for his $3.25MM option to vest.  He's played in 65 so far.  The Reds have only 50 games remaining, so we can cross this one off the list.
  • An honorable mention goes to Billy Wagner, whose $6.5MM option vests with 50 games finished.  Wagner has finished 46 so far.  However just last month he repeated his desire to retire after the season.  Having a guaranteed salary for 2011 might not sway Wagner, since he would've made at least that much on the free agent market anyway.  But what if he finishes the season just shy of the fourth spot on the all-time saves leaderboard?  He's currently 12 away from John Franco, who finished with 424.
  • Also of note is Scott Podsednik, who needs 525 plate appearances to be able to void his $2MM club option.  Pods is 41 PAs shy of that mark.

Odds & Ends: Gibbons, Anderson, Pirates, Francoeur

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Sunday night linkage..

Dodgers Designate Garret Anderson For Assignment

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The Dodgers have designated Garret Anderson for assignment according to the team's official Twitter feed. The move frees up a roster spot for Jay Gibbons, who had his contract purchased from the team's Triple-A affiliate.

The 38-year-old Anderson hit just .181/.204/.271 in 163 total plate appearances this year, though he was slightly better in 52 pinch-hitting appearances (.240/.269/.360). The Dodgers signed him to a minor league deal worth $550K back in March, and are still on the hook for his salary for the remainder of the season.

Gibbons, 33, was mashing to the tune of a .347/.375/.594 batting line with 28 doubles and 19 homers in 376 Triple-A plate appearances this year. He spent last season with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, and hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2007. The lefty swinger spent time at first and in both corner outfield spots this year, so he should step right into Anderson's role and provide an immediate upgrade.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Giants, Harper, Dodgers, Prior

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Links for Saturday, as J.P. Arencibia homers on the first pitch he sees in the majors….

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that he has not seen a year in which the Reds have faced so many difficult roster decisions in the last decade.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) expects the Giants to eventually sign their first-round pick, center fielder Gary Brown.
  • Barry Shlachter of the Dallas Morning News examines whether the group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan overpaid for the Rangers.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America passes on news of a pair of draft picks signing for over-slot deals: The Blue Jays signed their second-round pick, while the Pirates locked up their fourth-rounder.
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch acknowledged to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News that he'd signed off on some bad contracts in the past, but said that won't stop him from spending money in the future.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that negotiations between the Nationals and Bryce Harper could "heat up" by Tuesday. The first overall pick in this year's draft enrolled for classes at the College of Southern Nevada, but that doesn't mean he won't end up signing with the Nats.
  • The Dodgers still seem to be buyers, leading Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times to wonder if they put a waiver claim on Adam Dunn.
  • Although he's pitching for the Orange County Flyers now, Mark Prior hopes to make his way back to the bigs, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.

Odds & Ends: Martin, Sweeney, Red Sox, D’Backs

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On this day in 1999, Mark McGwire hit his 500th career homer, reaching that plateau faster than any other player in history.  It was McGwire's second consecutive season with a home run milestone, as he hit homer #400 during his (then) record-breaking 1998 campaign.  But since we're not here to talk about the past, let's get to some news items…

Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang

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The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
  • GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
  • When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
  • Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
  • Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him. 
  • A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
  • The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.

Poll: Are The Dodgers Still In It?

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The odds are against the Dodgers, but they aren't necessarily out of contention. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes showed, the Dodgers could shift from buy mode to sell mode if they don't start playing better. How imperative is a turnaround? They trail the division-leading Padres by 9.0 games and the Wild Card-leading Giants by 7.0 games. Baseball Prospectus' postseason odds report calculates that the Dodgers had a 3% chance of making the playoffs this morning. 

The team acquired Ted Lilly, Scott Podsednik and Octavio Dotel before the July 31st trade deadline, but they have lost six consecutive games and are 54-52. Manny Ramirez should return from the DL, but he recently suffered a setback, according to Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times. Once Manny's healthy, he and Ned Colletti's deadline acquisitions could combine to turn the team around, but there are no guarantees. Tell us what you think:

Are the Dodgers contenders?

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