Dodgers Unlikely To Acquire An Ace?
The Dodgers' need for a front-line starting pitcher was evident in the postseason, when they were forced to start Rangers' cast-off Vicente Padilla in an elimination game. Most speculated that acquiring a top of the rotation starter would be the first order of business for GM Ned Colletti, but according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, bringing aboard a pitcher of that caliber may be unlikely.
"There's not a long list of guys where you would say, this guy would make a dramatic difference," Colletti said of the upcoming crop of free-agent starters. "It's a thin market. There are pitchers who would make us better. But tremendously better?
"Every club needs an ace and we're not unlike any club. We might have one or two in the making [referring to Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley]. But the likelihood of an ace becoming available by trade is very slim. And this [free-agent] class doesn't have that type of allure to it."
Both Colletti and manager Joe Torre agree on the clubs biggest areas of need – starting pitching depth and second base – but reiterated that they're comfortable with the young core that's in place. Who wouldn't be comfortable with a group of young players like that?
Despite what seems to be a perpetual need for starters, the Dodgers led baseball with a 3.41 ERA in 2009, and their 3.80 FIP was good for second best behind Atlanta.
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Torre, Wang, Wright
A night without baseball just doesn't feel right…
- ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the "legal wrangling" caused by the McCourts' divorce could affect the Dodgers attempt to land a No. 1 starter this offseason. Within the same piece, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus notes that the prospects traded in deals for Casey Blake and George Sherrill have thinned out LA's system, meaning they might not have the ammo to pull off a major trade.
- Meanwhile, Phil Wood of MASNsports.com writes that a source told him they believe Joe Torre will manage the Dodgers for years to come. "When push comes to shove, he won't want to leave," said the source.
- Tyler Kepner of The NY Times mentions that Chien-Ming Wang isn't sure if the Yankees will tender him a contract this offseason. “Nothing’s sure,” Wang said. Wang has thrown just 137 IP over the last two seasons due to foot and shoulder injuries.
- Dave Cameron at FanGraphs looks at the David Wright–Jose Cruz Jr. non-trade, and says that the Blue Jays messed up by not making the deal, but not because Wright developed into an All-Star. He says J.P. Ricciardi did wrong by not getting any return for Cruz Jr. before he left as a free agent in the offseason.
Heyman On Lee, Sabathia, Mattingly
Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that it's "bittersweet" to see Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia excelling in the postseason for other clubs. The former Indians aces could match up in Game 1 of the World Series if the Yankees beat the Angels in six games. Lee tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports it would be a lot of fun and I'm sure thousands of baseball fans agree with him. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- Shapiro says "the realities of the business" prevented the Indians from retaining either Sabathia or Lee.
- Heyman says the Indians offered Sabathia $72MM over four years to stay in Cleveland before the 2008 season and Shapiro admits the offer was probably "unrealistic."
- The Indians never made Lee an offer and traded him and Victor Martinez because they would have had limited payroll flexibility had they held onto both players for 2010.
- The Indians appear to have chosen four finalists for their managerial opening: Bobby Valentine, Don Mattingly, Manny Acta and Torey Lovullo.
- The Dodgers appear to be preparing Mattingly to take over for Joe Torre after next season, so it might make sense for Mattingly to stay in LA.
Odds & Ends: McCourt, Manny, Duncan, Blue Jays
A few links to check out between ALCS pitches…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt has fired his wife, Jamie, as CEO of the team. The McCourts are famously going through what will likely be a messy divorce, and Jamie's lawyers maintain that "she owns 50 percent of the team."
- Diamond Leung tweets that the Dodgers and GM Ned Colletti are planning on having Manny Ramirez around next year. Manny has a $20MM player option that he has until shortly after the World Series to exercise.
- Now that they've brought in hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, Mark Potash of The Chicago Sun Times wants to see the Cubs go after pitching coach Dave Duncan. Duncan has said he's going to wait and see what Tony LaRussa does before deciding on his coaching future.
- ESPN's Keith Law, former special assistant to the GM in Toronto, mentioned a few interesting Blue Jays' non-trades in his chat today. He says that the Mets once offered 19-year-old David Wright for Jose Cruz Jr., but J.P. Ricciardi said "I'm not trading a major league player for some guy in the (Low Class-A) Sally League." Klaw also mentions that the Jays had a chance to trade Cruz Jr. for Rafael Soriano, but wouldn't do it unless the Mariners kicked in Clint Nageotte as well. What could have been, Jays fans.
Discussion: What’s Next For The Dodgers?
The Phillies pounded the Dodgers' pitching staff last night en route to a World Series berth, so now the newly signed Ned Colletti will go to work trying to improve his club for next year.
Los Angeles has a few prominent players due to become free agents, including Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome, Randy Wolf, Mark Loretta and Ronnie Belliard. They also have $42MM in options to sort out between Manny Ramirez, Vicente Padilla, and Jon Garland, although Manny's is a player option while Garland's is mutual. Let's not forget that Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, George Sherrill, Jonathan Broxton, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, and Hong-Chih Kuo are all eligible for arbitration. That could get expensive very quickly.
What do MLBTR's readers think the Dodgers need to do this offseason? Acquiring a front-line starting pitcher would seem like a top priority, so they may choose to make a play for Roy Halladay or attempt to sign John Lackey. They'll also need to figure out who's playing second. Just throwing some names out there – what about a package deal for Dan Uggla and Josh Johnson?
Heyman On Dodgers, Valentine
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman, like many writers, believes the Dodgers need a #1 starter. He says Dodgers people "aren't overly optimistic" about snagging Roy Halladay or John Lackey, however.
- Heyman believes the Dodgers should consider trading one or all of James Loney, Russell Martin, and Chad Billingsley. Billingsley was ineffective in July and September, but the 25-year-old is under team control for three more years. Interest would be very strong.
- Heyman guesses the Indians might be willing to go to $2.5MM for Bobby Valentine, while GM Mark Shapiro doesn't expect money to be a factor.
Odds & Ends: Torre, Braves, Blue Jays
In the midst of a tight Dodgers-Phillies game, here are some news tidbits from around the baseball world….
- Before Game Five, Joe Torre said he wants to (and believes he will) be the Dodgers' manager next season, reports Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Frank Wren is in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to re-signing Tim Hudson and Adam LaRoche, and/or trading Kenshin Kawakami or Derek Lowe for hitting help.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has spent his first few weeks on the job talking to the team's coaches and players. After talking to pending free agents Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas and John McDonald, Anthopoulos said he wants to speak to their respective agents in the coming weeks.
- As reported by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mark Cuban told a group of Pitt students that he won't be buying the Pirates.
- Speaking of Pittsburgh natives looking to be involved in MLB ownership, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Pittsburgh lawyer Check Greenberg's investment team made with members of the Hicks Sports Group on Wednesday to discuss buying the Rangers.
- Tommy Rancel of the DRaysBay blog outlines why he thinks the Rays should look into signing Kelvim Escobar this off-season.
Odds & Ends: Mariners, Beltre, Ramirez
Happy birthday to Hall-of-Famer Whitey Ford and (future Hall-of-Famer?) Zack Greinke. MLBTR's gift to these two star pitchers is this batch of news items…
- John Hickey of the Seattle PostGlobe outlines some of the holes that the Mariners have to fill for 2010, and speculates that free agent and Los Angeles resident Adrian Beltre might be targeted by the Angels and Dodgers.
- Peter Gammons thinks that if it weren't for Manny Ramirez's player option, the Dodgers would part ways with the controversial left fielder, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert writes that if Conor Jackson can stay healthy in the Dominican Winter League, he can avoid being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks.
- Joe Mauer's big brother Jake has been named the new manager of the Twins' Class A-Advanced affiliate in Fort Myers, reports Benjamin Hill of MLB.com.
- Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner discussed Jim Riggleman's chances of being named manager, some recent front office hires and his club's overall plans for the future in a chat with Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Aroldis Chapman In New York
Aroldis Chapman's agent Edwin Mejia changed his mind – he won't make MLB teams come to Andorra to see his client. Instead, according to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., Chapman is set to arrive in New York today to visit with several GMs.
Arangure Jr. still sees the hard-throwing 21-year-old lefty getting a contract in the $40-60MM range. He considers the Yankees and Red Sox top suitors for Chapman, with the A's and Giants in the mix. The Angels, Mets, and Orioles are also interested, based on previous reports. The Dodgers are not viewed as a serious suitor, according to one Arangure Jr. source.
Click here to read Keith Law's scouting report on Chapman for ESPN.
Ned Colletti Comments
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times has the latest from Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who recently signed a multiyear extension.
- Colletti and the Dodgers agreed to keep the length of the new contract a secret, to avoid future distractions.
- Colletti's explanation of his bad moves: "In an effort to turn that around as soon as possible, we made some moves that in hindsight you wouldn't do twice. But in the last year or so, our deliberation and our thought process were keener, were more fine-tuned, were less impatient."
- Possible long-term deals for arbitration-eligible players will be considered on a "case-by-case basis." Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, George Sherrill, Jonathan Broxton, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, and James Loney are among Colletti's arbitration cases this winter. Which would you lock up?