Dodgers Designate Russ Mitchell For Assignment
The Dodgers designated infielder Russ Mitchell for assignment, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Dodgers confirmed the move, which will presumably clear 40-man roster space for right-handed reliever Todd Coffey.
Mitchell appeared in 25 games for the 2011 Dodgers, playing first base, third base and right field. He has struggled through his first 101 MLB plate appearances, but he posted a .283/.372/.503 line in 392 Triple-A plate appearances last year and has a .784 OPS in nine minor league seasons.
Dodgers Sign Todd Coffey
The Dodgers have signed Todd Coffey to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013, the team announced. He'll earn $1MM in 2013, and the club option is worth $2.5MM with a $300K buyout for a total guarantee of $1.3MM. The Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Coffey.
Coffey posted a 3.62 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 43.6% ground ball rate in 59 2/3 innings for the Nationals in 2011. The 31-year-old owns a 4.08 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 51% ground ball rate over the course of seven MLB seasons. He has been considerably more effective against right-handed hitting as a big league pitcher.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti had already added relievers Mike MacDougal ($1MM deal) and John Grabow (minor league deal) to the bullpen mix this offseason. The Dodgers also signed starters Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to two-year contracts. Free agents Luis Ayala, Shawn Camp, Scott Linebrink and Michael Wuertz are out there for teams seeking right-handed relievers.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported news of the agreement while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times added details (all Twitter links).
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Dodgers Ownership Links: Cohen, Claire
Frank McCourt's final offseason at the helm of the Dodgers has been a busy one. GM Ned Colletti & Co. have signed Aaron Harang, Jerry Hairston Jr., Chris Capuano, Adam Kennedy, Mike MacDougal, Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera and extended Matt Kemp long-term. Here are some links on potential buyers for the team…
- Steven Cohen is trying to buy the Dodgers, though he's about to become a minority owner of the Mets, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports. The billionaire investor can pursue the Dodgers, even if his minority purchase of the Mets goes through, Shaikin writes. However, if he buys the Dodgers, he will have to sell his part of the Mets. MLB cleared Cohen as a possible minority owner.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire and his partners can still get into the bidding for the club if they obtain more capital soon, Shaikin tweets.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cruz, Cespedes
A few odds and ends to pass along as Nolan Ryan (65) and Ernie Banks (81) celebrate birthdays. Jackie Robinson would have turned 93 today …
- The Magic Johnson-Stan Kasten ownership group could be the leader to purchase the Dodgers, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, as that group will likely procure the financial backing of billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong. Soon-Shiong is a close friend of Johnson's and once purchased Magic's minority stake in the Lakers.
- The Rangers and Nelson Cruz are working on avoiding an arbitration hearing, the outfielder tells Enrique Rojas of ESPN.com. Cruz also said that while the sides are negotiating for a one-year agreement, they are leaving open the door to a multiyear pact.
- Yoenis Cespedes will likely visit the Marlins within the next week, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Miami has long been considered among the leaders to sign the 27-year-old outfielder who recently defected from Cuban, although the the Cubs and other teams "remain deeply involved," per Rosenthal.
Minor Moves: Hayhurst, Pettit
We'll keep track of today's minor league transactions right here …
- Dirk Hayhurst, formerly of the Padres and Blue Jays, announced that he'll be pitching in an Italian league in 2012 (Twitter links). The right-hander, also an author, has become something of a cult hero the past couple years as he's documented his experiences as a career minor leaguer. Hayhurst spent 2011 in the Rays organization.
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Chris Pettit to a minor league contract, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Petit, a 27-year-old right-handed hitter, appeared in one game with the Angels in 2011 and 10 in 2009.
Cafardo On Dodgers, Ethier, Red Sox, Cubs, Orioles
As demonstrated by the Red Sox last year, "winning" December and January doesn’t necessarily translate into winning when it counts, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. With that said, Cafardo takes a look at where all 30 teams rank after making their moves thus far. Unsurprisingly, the Angels top Cafardo's list, followed by the Yankees and Rangers. The Tigers, after signing Prince Fielder, occupy the fifth spot in the rankings. Cafardo writes that a Fielder-Miguel Cabrera middle of the order could be monstrous, but the club could use more bullpen help. Here's more from today's column..
- The Dodgers will soon decide whether to lock up Andre Ethier with a long-term deal as they did with Matt Kemp. Earlier this month, it was reported that the club had yet to discuss extensions with Ethier and Clayton Kershaw. The right fielder, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, avoided arbitration with the team by agreeing to a one-year, $10.7MM deal.
- Three West Coast teams are kicking the tires on reliever Hong-Chih Kuo and the veteran seems like a good gamble. The Dodgers, who non-tendered him earlier this month, are one of those three clubs. Kuo once had great stuff but has undergone five elbow surgeries, including two Tommy Johns, and has also experienced anxiety issues.
- An AL GM who is not associated with the Red Sox or Cubs believes that Commissioner Bud Selig will give Boston a significant player in the compensation agreement: "I don’t think MLB wants executives leaving their teams before their contracts are up and therefore he will try to deter teams from doing that again."
- Cafardo credited Orioles VP of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette with doing a solid job of building the club thus far. The next step for the club might be to add a DH such as Johnny Damon while hoping for the best when it comes to pitching. By this time next year, Duquette will add a significant piece to the rotation.
- Teams are now looking for "tack-on" guys, the ones who “can really make you look good," according to one AL assistant GM. Raul Ibanez and Hideki Matsui could both be reasonably-priced quality additions and the Yankees could be a fit for either one. Serviceable relievers Mike Gonzalez, Chad Qualls, and Juan Cruz also remain on the open market.
Dodgers Ownership Links: Garvey/Hershiser, Bids
Here's the latest on the sale of the Dodgers…
- Last night we heard that at least eight potential buyers have advanced to the second round of the bidding process, and Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reported today (on Twitter) that the Garvey/Hershiser group was not selected to advance.
- Bidding for the Dodgers is now north of $1.2 billion, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links), while Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears there is at least one bid in the range of $1.5 billion. Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter) is convinced the team will sell for $1.7 billion, but wouldn't be surprised if sold for a little bit more.
- There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and as Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times explains, the process will continue to be shrouded in secrecy.
Quick Hits: Playoffs, Dodgers Owners, Padres, Floyd
It was on this day in 1982 that the Cubs acquired Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa from the Phillies in a trade for Ivan De Jesus. The Bowa-for-DeJesus component ended up being pretty even, but needless to say, Chicago won that trade — Sandberg went on to a Hall Of Fame career as one of the greatest Cubs of all time. Sandberg eventually returned to the Phillies organization in 2011, managing the team's Triple-A affiliate to an 80-64 record.
Here are some news items as we enter the last weekend of January…
- Bud Selig told reporters (including Ronald Blum of the Associated Press) at the Chicago SoxFest event that he believes baseball will add a second wild card team for 2012. "Clubs really want it. I don't think I've ever seen an issue that the clubs want more than to have the extra wild card this year," Selig said, adding that each league's two wild cards would compete in a one-game playoff to advance to the LDS. Blum reports that MLB and the Players' Association have agreed that a tie for a division lead would be settled by a one-game playoff, rather than a tiebreaker formula.
- The biggest obstacle standing in the way of an expanded postseason for 2012 would be finding room in the schedule for the extra wild-card game and potential tiebreaker games, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. “It’s going to be hard to do…but it’s still possible,” a source informs Rosenthal.
- At least eight potential owners looking to buy the Dodgers have advanced to the second round of the bidding process, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Among those making the cut were Steven Cohen, Peter O'Malley and Stan Kroenke, as well as the groups fronted by Magic Johnson, Joe Torre and the Stanley Gold/Disney family group. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and a group led by White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert were among the bids that didn't make the second round, Shaikin adds.
- More than one ownership group has expressed an interest in the Padres if the team's sale to Jeff Moorad can't be finalized, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. None of these groups are any of the prospective Dodgers buyers, however, as those would-be owners want to specifically buy the Dodgers, not just any team.
- Also as part of Center's online chat with fans, he reports Padres GM Josh Byrnes is looking at signing a starter with big league experience to a minor league contract.
- Gavin Floyd tells Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's trying to block out trade rumors, but says that he wants to remain with the White Sox. "I love Chicago, I want to be here,'' Floyd said. "I've been part of this organization for four or five years. I feel like I've grown and gotten better every year and established relationships I'll cherish the rest of my life."
- The Astros' hiring of Sig Mejdal as the director of decision sciences indicates a new, analytical direction for how Houston scouts and evaluates players, writes Zachary Levine for Baseball America.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a quick rundown of the American League's "super six" teams.
Dodgers Offered Fielder Seven-Year Deal
The Dodgers pushed hard for Prince Fielder for weeks and thought they had a legitimate chance of signing him, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. They offered a seven-year deal worth a little more than $160MM that would have provided the first baseman with the chance to opt out after four seasons. Fielder would have earned $26MM or so for the first four years of the deal and $20MM-plus for its final three years.
The Dodgers met Fielder at an undisclosed location a few weeks ago and outgoing owner Frank McCourt approved the team's proposal. Though the Dodgers aren’t unhappy with James Loney, they wanted to add an elite bat to their lineup. The Nationals and Tigers were also finalists for Fielder, whose nine-year, $214MM deal becomes official at a press conference in Detroit this afternoon.
The meeting between Boras and the Dodgers took place in Dallas, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. Dodgers execs visited Boras at his Newport Beach offices about a week ago, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times tweets.
Quick Hits: Braves, Fielder, Reds, Cespedes, Dodgers
On this day last year, the Rangers traded Frank Francisco and cash considerations to the Blue Jays for Mike Napoli. Toronto pulled the trigger on the swap just four days after acquiring Napoli from the Halos. Here's a look at tonight's links..
- The Braves have set a player payroll budget of $94MM for this year, leaving them with several million dollars still to spend, chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk told Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McGuirk also said that Liberty Media has expressed no intention of selling the club in the near future. Also of note is that the club is locked into a 25-year local TV deal that will prevent the franchise from cashing in on MLB’s trend toward higher telecast rights fees.
- The Rangers' bid for Prince Fielder was much shorter than nine years, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Reds are probably done handing out big league deals this offseason, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Earlier tonight, the club reached agreement on a minor league deal with Jeff Francis.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter) ranked Yoenis Cespedes' most probable destinations in the following order: Cubs, Marlins, Orioles, and White Sox.
- Peter Ueberroth says he's heard from several groups bidding on the Dodgers but rebuffed them all, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
- C. Trent Rosecrans of CBSSports.com examined what's left on the open market.
- Free agent Raul Ibanez believes that a three-day session that he had in December with Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be key to a bounce back season in 2012. Last season, Ibanez hit .245/.289/.419 in 575 plate appearances for the Phillies.
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is zeroed in on improving the club's on-base percentage this winter, writes Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun.
- Rival executives applaud Fielder for signing on with a winning club rather than signing with a struggling club just for the money, Heyman tweets.