Dodgers Rumors

Dodgers Interested In Jarrod Washburn

By Tim Dierkes | June 27, 2009 at 1:02am CDT

SATURDAY: Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times spoke to Washburn, who had positive comments regarding the Dodgers and their stadium.

SUNDAY: MLB.com's Ken Gurnick suggests Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is eyeing Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, saying the lefty is "rumored on his radar." Gurnick says Colletti left this weekend to scout his own prospects, perhaps to gather information for future deals.

Washburn, 35 in August, has a sparkling 3.24 ERA in 13 starts this year. His strikeout rate is up a touch, but his peripheral stats are mostly near his normal level. So it appears to be a possible sell-high opportunity for Seattle. On the other hand, the Mariners are only 2.5 games out in the AL West. Washburn has about $5.9MM left on his contract, as well as no-trade protection.

Discussion: Jarrod Washburn

By Nat Boyle | June 26, 2009 at 9:13pm CDT

Jarrod Washburn is having a bit of a resurgence this season, sporting a 3.22 ERA, with a 2.37 ERA over his previous six games. Slight improvement in his strikeout rate plus increased success against left-handed hitters (.162 against) have the 34 year old seeming a decent commodity.

Peter Gammons said Washburn could be had. The Dodgers have reportedly been eyeing the veteran lefty; however a Juan Pierre for Washburn swap would not work because of Pierre's contract. Washburn has around $5.9MM left on his contract, as well as no-trade protection.

Greg Johns at the Seattle Post Intelligencer thinks the Mariners should not sell high, even as Washburn's value peaks with every good outing. Barring a good package of prospects, Johns feels that Seattle "will want to continue riding Washburn's strong season and see how far they can go." After all, they're only 2.5 games behind the first place Rangers, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Johns also notes Washburn's balky left knee causes him discomfort every pitch. Mike Sweeney is quoted in the piece saying, "He can barely walk the four days between starts. His knee is killing him, he's got a bad back. Yet every fifth day he goes out and pitches with all his heart."

If the standings don't change dramatically before the July 31st trade deadline, would the Mariners be better suited to sell high on Jarrod Washburn?

Dodgers Ink Aaron Miller

By | June 26, 2009 at 9:00am CDT

FRIDAY, 9:00am: Adam Winkler of KWTX.com says Miller gets a bonus of about $900k.

THURSDAY, 9:16pm: According to a press release on the Baylor University athletics website, the Dodgers have agreed to terms with top pick Aaron Miller.

The exact financial terms are not yet available. Miller, a left-hander, was taken 36th overall in June's first-year player draft. He led the Big 12 with 11.47 strikeouts per nine innings this season and also hit .310 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI as the team's primary right fielder. The Dodgers plan to try him on the mound first.

Interesting side note: Miller is the University of Baylor's highest draft selection since outfielder David Murphy (now with the Rangers) was taken 17th overall by the Red Sox in 2003.

Rosenthal On Lee, Holliday

By Eddie Schmid | June 24, 2009 at 7:40pm CDT

Ol' reliable Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. Let's scope out the highlights:

The Dodgers have had discussions about Cliff Lee, but the price might be too steep for them to acquire him before the deadline. The Indians are said to want top-shelf talent along the lines of Tommy Hanson or Clay Buchholz.
The Dodgers have talent like that in Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, but obviously they're not going anywhere. A package around James McDonald and Blake DeWitt wouldn't suffice.
The Phillies have also inquired on Lee, but "have balked at the price."
Reports that the A's would accept less for Matt Holliday because they'd prefer to skip out on the arbitration process this offseason are probably untrue, as a source said the potential high cost for the slugger is a "nonissue."

Dodgers Want Pitching, Content To Keep Pierre

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 24, 2009 at 11:53am CDT

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti doesn't yet know whether he'll be able to add a big contract this summer. He hasn't spoken with the McCourts about the team's ability to take on salary yet . Here are a few other points Colletti made:

The Dodgers would like to acquire a starter or a reliever.
It's hard to anticipate which they'll go after since, as Colletti says, "It's not like you're going to a buffet."
The Dodgers aren't eager to trade Juan Pierre, as he provides depth and adds competition to the outfield mix.

Heyman: Ten Teams That Could Add Payroll

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 22, 2009 at 12:54pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com provides a list of ten teams that could add payroll. He adds the Angels, Brewers, Red Sox and Brewers to the list we assembled last week. Here are his ten teams:

The Red Sox could add payroll, but they don't have significant needs.
The Mets could add payroll and they need a hitter who can play first, the outfield, or both.
The Phillies could add payroll to acquire pitching.
The Angels, with several contracts expiring this year (Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins), could add salary.
The Giants could take on payroll to add a bat.
The Brewers and Cardinals could both free up money to add a pitcher or hitter.
The Tigers, White Sox and Dodgers round out Heyman's list, but he warns us not to rule out the Yankees.
Don't look for the White Sox to deal prospects away to increase their playoff chances, even though they trail the Tigers by just 5.0 games.
On another note, no one's called the Mariners about Adrian Beltre.

Angels, Dodgers Will Pass On Pedro Martinez

By Tim Dierkes | June 21, 2009 at 7:09pm CDT

According to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, the Angels scouted Pedro Martinez last week. There was some question as to which teams actually saw the Friday audition. However, Shaikin learned from Angels GM Tony Reagins that the Halos will pass on Martinez for baseball (not financial) reasons. Shaikin's source says Pedro was working around 85 mph.

Shaikin adds:

The Dodgers did not scout the workout, and Manager Joe Torre said today that the team has not discussed Martinez since spring training.

Summing up previous reports: the Nationals weren't in attendance Friday, the Brewers didn't get a chance to see him, and the Yankees will pass. We don't have definitive word on the Rays, Rangers, Cardinals, D'Backs, Indians, and Cubs. Rays exec Andrew Friedman downplayed his team's interest though.

Olney’s Latest: Dodgers, Yankees, Pedro, Strasburg

By Mike Axisa | June 20, 2009 at 11:27am CDT

ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that it "is said by others" that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is searching for pitching. Olney outlines the heavy workload endured by the Dodgers' bullpen early on, and wonders how it will hold up down the stretch.

Here's some other bits that Olney's heard:

The Yankees are unlikely to trade Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady when the latter returns from an elbow injury because of the club's needs. Olney also mentions that they wouldn't be able to get full market value for Nady because of his injury.
The Yanks did discuss Nady with other clubs during the offseason after signing Mark Teixeira.
Several teams walked away from Pedro Martinez's workout yesterday unimpressed and uninterested in signing him.
Olney says that several teams would be interested in the future Hall of Famer if he decides to pitch for something close to the pro-rated minimum with incentives, and is willing to work his way back up through the minors.
Early talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Stephen Strasburg "are off to a sluggish start."

Shawn Estes Retires?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 19, 2009 at 6:24pm CDT

6:24pm: Mark Gonzales tweets that Estes says he hasn't retired. Instead, Estes indicates that he feels good but can't get his release from the Dodgers organization.

1:46pm: Diamond Leung reports that Shawn Estes has retired. The 36-year-old was pitching for the Dodgers in Triple A, where he started the season 3-4 with a 3.07 ERA. The lefty accepted the minor league assignment in hopes of fortifying the Dodgers' pitching later in the year.

His best major league season came in 1997, when he went 19-5 with a 3.18 ERA and 181 Ks for the Giants. Estes pitched for six teams other than the Giants, including every NL West team but the Dodgers.

Odds And Ends: Dodgers, Doumit, Pujols

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 19, 2009 at 5:20pm CDT

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