Rosenthal On Penny, Bay, Brandon Wood
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Rosenthal suggests Cecil Cooper of the Astros may be the first manager fired; he says the team's veterans "do not care for Cooper." He's in the last year of his contract.
- With a comeback season for the Red Sox, Brad Penny could be in line for a lucrative free agent deal after the season. One executive told Rosenthal Penny had the least amount of structural issues in his arm compared to similar free agents last winter.
- The Red Sox are said to be "maintaining a quiet dialogue" with Jason Bay, who is eligible for free agency after the season. Rosenthal says there's no acrimony or deadline; the sides are just trying to determine Bay's value. It's a tricky calculation for corner outfielders, and the market will be flush after the season.
- Angels infielder Brandon Wood appears big league ready. Will the Angels trade Chone Figgins this summer to make room, or at least let Figgins leave as a free agent after the season? There are plenty of ways to sort out the situation, but Wood deserves to play.
- Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario, signed out of the Venezuelan winter league, drew strong praise from one scout.
- One scout had this to say regarding Emilio Bonifacio: "He's just a guy."
Delwyn Young Designated
According to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, Dodgers outfielder Delwyn Young was designated for assignment today. They'll have ten days to trade, release, or waive him. Young is out of options.
Young, 26, hit .246/.321/.341 last year at Triple A but .337/.384/.571 in '07. He dealt with a strained oblique last year and began this season with an elbow issue. Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News suggested yesterday that the Indians, Pirates, and Phillies were eyeing Young.
Odds & Ends: Wells, Gaudin, Projections
Links for Monday…
- Ken Kadokura, briefly with the Cubs, is headed to Korea according to NPB Tracker.
- Jill Painter of the L.A. Daily News has Frank McCourt's unrevealing comments about Ned Colletti's future.
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the latest minor league transactions, including plenty of releases.
- The AP reports that David Wells has signed a multiyear deal as a TBS analyst.
- We snagged a mention in ESPN The Magazine, due to our sponsorship of Matt Holliday's Baseball-Reference page.
- Chad Gaudin told MLB.com's Sandy Burgin "as many as 11 teams" made inquiries before he signed with the Padres. He signed with San Diego for the opportunity to be a starting pitcher.
- Matt Swartz of Statistically Speaking finds the strengths and weaknesses of various projection systems.
- Admit it…you're starting to panic about certain members of your fantasy team.
Manny Would Like A Second Indians Stint
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Manny Ramirez would like to play for the Indians one more time before the end of his career. He even talked to Jim Thome about reuniting in Cleveland. Of course, it takes two to tango and the Indians have Travis Hafner locked in at DH through 2012.
Back in the 2000-01 offseason, it seemed that Manny wanted to stay in Cleveland but his agent Jeff Moorad steered him toward the more lucrative Boston offer. The Indians topped out at $138MM over eight years, but Ramirez received $160MM from the Red Sox. Manny reportedly regretted his decision by the summer of '01, according to his authorized biography Becoming Manny.
Ken Gurnick and John Schlegel of MLB.com have follow-up comments from Manny and Scott Boras.
Delwyn Young Drawing Interest
Tony Jackson of the LA Times tells us that Dodgers' outfielder Delwyn Young is drawing interest from numerous teams. The Indians, Pirates, and Phillies have all had scouts present in the past week during a rehab assignment. Jackson expects a move to be made in the next few days.
Young, 26, is out of options. Jackson wrote in an earlier piece that he expected Young's rehab stint to go the maximum 20 days because there doesn't appear to be a place for him on the 25-man roster.
Young hasn't been overly impressive in the Majors over parts of three seasons, but he's a switch hitter and possesses a .303/.363/.515 minor league line.
Odds And Ends: Hudson, Alvarez, Anderson
Links for Saturday…
- The Astros claimed 25-year-old pitcher Wilton Lopez off waivers from the Padres and assigned him to Double-A, according to this AP article.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic relays some recent Orlando Hudson comments. O-Dog said the D'Backs made him an offer this offseason, it just didn't appeal to him.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog suggests that we could see the Mets release Marlon Anderson today to make room for Livan Hernandez.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle sounds confident about the Astros' chances this year.
- John Perrotto of Pirates Report anticipates a 2009 MLB debut for Pedro Alvarez.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald discusses Scott Boras in light of the Nick Adenhart tragedy.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that the White Sox still haven't found a fit for their leadoff spot.
Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Dodgers
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Dodgers. Here's what we wrote about them on October 22nd. Changes for 2009:
Additions: Manny Ramirez (re-signed), Rafael Furcal (re-signed), Casey Blake (re-signed), Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf, Guillermo Mota, Will Ohman, Claudio Vargas, Brad Ausmus, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Eric Milton, Jeff Weaver, Charlie Haeger, Ronald Belisario, Tanyon Sturtze (re-signed), Shawn Estes, Juan Castro
Subtractions: Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, Chan Ho Park, Joe Beimel, Greg Maddux, Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Mark Sweeney, Andruw Jones, Scott Proctor, Takashi Saito, Angel Berroa, Jason Johnson
As expected, it was an eventful offseason for the Dodgers. All the shuffling actually led to an $18MM reduction in Opening Day payroll.
Last year the Dodgers ranked 13th in the NL with 4.32 runs scored per game. The '09 lineup will not feature Kent, Jones, Berroa, or Garciaparra. It will hopefully have full seasons of Ramirez, Furcal, Blake, and Hudson. The revamped lineup projects to score a healthy 4.98 runs per game, according to CHONE projections and the Baseball Musings lineup analysis tool. Such production would've ranked 2nd in the NL last year. GM Ned Colletti gave his offense a huge boost at a total commitment of less than $100MM for the four free agents.
The 2008 rotation ranked 3rd in the NL with a 3.87 ERA in 927.6 innings. Colletti downgraded by replacing Lowe with Wolf, but he also committed $5MM instead of $60MM. Clayton Kershaw and James McDonald will pick up the innings Penny, Maddux, Eric Stults, and Park consumed last year. Using CHONE and my own innings approximations I have the '09 rotation posting a 4.16 ERA – still pretty good. I don't think they need to worry about adding Pedro Martinez right now. Maybe Colletti can go after a bigger fish at midseason if someone gets hurt.
The Dodgers had a sterling pen last year, with a 3.34 ERA in 519.6 innings. The pen has a different look this year, with Mota and Ohman coming in and Park, Beimel, Saito, and Proctor gone. The new bullpen projects at a 3.96 ERA.
Defensively the Dodgers ranked 10th in the NL last year according to The Fielding Bible II. Despite more Manny I think they've improved overall given the keystone combo of Hudson and Furcal.
I see the Dodgers currently as a 91-92 win team, which should be enough to hold off the Diamondbacks and perhaps Giants.
Bottom line: Colletti dove headfirst into free agency and, for once, emerged a victor. The Dodgers' new offense should be among the best in the league, and they'll reach the playoffs with decent pitching.
Odds & Ends: Lackey, Sheffield, Luis Gonzalez
Links for Thursday…
- Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald learned that while White Sox GM Ken Williams seeks a leadoff hitter, he does not have interest in Juan Pierre or Gary Matthews Jr.
- In an article yesterday, MLB.com's Lyle Spencer said all is quiet on the John Lackey extension front. Angels GM Tony Reagins said Lackey's initial Opening Day deadline was never a factor for the team.
- Murray Chass says Gary Sheffield's clubhouse presence is a positive.
- Luis Gonzalez, a free agent, hopes to play in 2009. But when he retires, he'll do so as a Diamondback according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro wrote in praise of Florida starter Josh Johnson.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says the Padres introduced Tom Garfinkel as the new president and chief operating officer in charge of non-baseball operations.
- I wrote about Blue Jays starter David Purcey over at RotoAuthority.
Dodgers Re-Sign Greg Miller
WEDNESDAY: MLB.com's Ken Gurnick says the Dodgers re-signed Miller and assigned him to A ball.
MONDAY: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers released lefty Greg Miller today. Jackson says the Dodgers may still re-sign him to a minor league deal.
Miller, 24, was drafted 31st overall by the Dodgers in 2002. He tossed 53.6 relief innings last year, walking 63. Miller's Baseball America Top 100 Prospect List rankings: 8th in 2004 and 100th in 2005. He was derailed by two shoulder surgeries. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick has more on Miller.
Odds & Ends: A’s, Hammel, Manny, McPherson
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown says there was never a mandate from A's owner Lew Wolff to remake the team into a contender. The strategy this winter was Billy Beane's idea.
- Tyler Hissey of Around The Majors examines the Jason Hammel trade from both sides.
- Manny Ramirez responds to Ken Rosenthal's comments, talking to T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times.
- The SoftBank Hawks seek a foreign third baseman, and Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker suggests Dallas McPherson.
- A look at the slugging percentage leaders of Spring Training 2009.
- In a Wall Street Journal article, Russell Adams and Tim Marchman write about newspapers cutting money spent on the baseball beat.