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Dodgers & Angels Notes: Payroll, Crawford, Werth

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Kevin Baxter and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times bring us the latest from Tinseltown…

  • Pitching is the number one item on the Dodgers' shopping list this offseason. "Pitching is a priority — both starters and relievers," said GM Ned Colletti. "We're open-minded to both left-handers and right-handers."
  • Colletti declined to give an exact number, but he promised that payroll would rise from the $95MM or so they spent in 2010.
  • Ted Lilly might end up being the Dodgers' biggest pickup. They aren't likely to pursue Cliff Lee, and could instead turn to Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez, and Jake Westbrook. Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla might also become options if their prices drop as the offseason progresses.
  • Colletti also wants to add a left fielder, "full time or platoon," plus figure out his bench and catching situation. Russell Martin is a non-tender candidate, but they could look at Miguel Olivo.
  • There is nothing to indicate that the Dodgers will make a run at either Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth. 
  • "We're going to be active. Whether it's via free agency or trades," said Angels GM Tony Reagins. "We're going to look at the opportunities and be aggressive when the opportunity presents itself."
  • Owner Arte Moreno is expected to approve a 10% payroll increase, pushing it to about $135MM. The team already has close to $93MM committed to 2011 contracts, not including the arbitration eligible Jered Weaver, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar.
  • The Times' scribes call Werth and Adrian Beltre "more economical Plan B options" to Crawford, relatively speaking of course. Both Werth and Beltre are Scott Boras clients however, and the Angels still have a bad taste in their mouths from the Mark Teixeira negotiations two winters ago.
  • Rafael Soriano might be an option after Fernando Rodney's terrible finish (6.08 ERA after Sept. 1st).

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: LaRue, Martin, Ortiz, Minaya

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On this date four years ago, Trevor Hoffman set a new career saves mark when he retired Ryan Doumit, Jose Bautista, and Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates in order. His 479th save moved him past Lee Smith and into first place on the all-time list, a spot he still holds today with 600 career saves on the nose. Other than Mariano Rivera and the soon-to-retire Billy Wagner, no active closer is within 310 saves of Hoffman's mark.

Here's a collection of links from the last week of the baseball blog world…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Olney On D’Backs, Hinch, Martin, Werth

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Now that the Diamondbacks have hired Kevin Towers to be their new GM, their priority is to assemble an improved bullpen, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Olney says it’s likely that the Diamondbacks will part ways with one or two of their hitters this offseason, because their lineup strikes out so much. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors:

  • Former Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch joined the Padres scouting department because he believes they have a “good pro scouting staff in place with some building to do.”
  • Rival GMs believe Russell Martin will have some trade value if the Dodgers decide to move him (Twitter link).
  • Multiple talent evaluators tell Olney that they see Jayson Werth as a distant second to Carl Crawford among free agent outfielders (Twitter link).

Dodgers Notes: Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Free Agents

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It's been an eventful week for the Dodgers, with news that Don Mattingly will replace Joe Torre as the team's manager. Let's check out a few more updates out of Los Angeles, as the club prepares for the offseason….

  • GM Ned Colletti says he doesn't intend to drastically overhaul his roster this winter, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. "A year like this makes you look at every aspect of the team and makes you more apt to listen [to trade overtures]," Colletti said. "But it won't make me aggressively tear it up."
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks that Colletti would be right not to move Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier, but argues that the club should look into dealing James Loney. He also suggests that signing a free agent outfielder should be the Dodgers' "only big winter expenditure."
  • According to Gurnick, Colletti would like to add a productive left fielder to replace Manny Ramirez. It's unclear whether the Dodgers will have the resources to bid on players like Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth.
  • Catcher and third base also may be areas that need to be addressed, says Gurnick. Rod Barajas will be a free agent, Russell Martin will be recovering from a broken hip, and Casey Blake could be shifted into a utility role.
  • The team is expected to try to retain free agents Ted Lilly, Jay Gibbons, and Barajas. They could also attempt to bring back Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla, depending on asking price and health.
  • A few longtime Yankees weighed in on Torre's decision to step down, as Chad Jennings of the Journal News writes.

Dodgers Will Seek Big Bat, Catcher This Offseason

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The Dodgers hope to lure a bopper to Los Angeles this winter in order to shore up the middle of their lineup, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.  Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has already acknowledged that adding a big bat will be a top priority this season.

There are some intriguing offensive options that will hit the open market this season including Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, and a trio of former Dodgers in Jayson Werth, Paul Konerko, and possibly Adrian Beltre.  While those players will all come with hefty price tags, the Dodgers will have as much as $38MM coming off of their payroll at season's end.  That's money that the club could use in free agency though Gurnick writes that Colletti is more likely to get a power hitter via trade.

Gurnick also writes that Los Angeles needs a starting catcher, adding that Russell Martin was a question mark even before breaking his hip.  The backstop has seen his offensive production drop significantly in the last two years, hitting just .249/.350/.330 with 12 homers.

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…

Odds & Ends: Sweeney, Downs, Martin

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Links for Monday, as we celebrate the anniversary of the Mark DeRosa (2009), Casey Blake (2008), Xavier Nady (2008), and Ben Broussard (2006) trades.  More importantly, Chris Perez, Carlos Santana, Jose Tabata, and Shin-Soo Choo were surrendered for those veteran acquisitions.  The trade deadline is five days away; who will mortgage the future this year?

Gammons On Ankiel, Crawford, Iannetta, Martin

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In his latest appearance on WEEI's Big Show, Peter Gammons opines that the trade deadline isn't as significant as it's made out to be. He cites only a handful of teams over the last decade who have made the World Series after making major deals prior to the deadline, arguing that the idea of pennant-altering trades is "essentially fiction." Here are a few other interesting tidbits from Gammons' conversation:

  • Gammons thinks Rick Ankiel could be a good fit for the Red Sox, if he shows that he's healthy.
  • The Angels' top priority this offseason will probably be trying to sign Carl Crawford. Gammons notes that the club put Crawford's locker next to Torii Hunter's at the All-Star Game.
  • The Rockies aren't eager to trade Chris Iannetta, hoping instead to platoon him with Brad Hawpe at first base as long as Todd Helton is out.
  • The Red Sox could try to make a run at Russell Martin, rather than Iannetta, since Martin's price tag may be getting too high for the Dodgers.
  • There's still a chance the Sox could be sellers this year if they fall out of contention, though it's more likely to happen in August than before July 31st.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dawson, Ahrens, Rays, Lee

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On this date in 1995, Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo became the first Japanese-born player in Major League history to be selected for the All Star Game. Nomo, then a 26-year-old rookie, took the big leagues by storm with his tornado windup and by posting a 1.99 ERA and 11.9 K/9 in 13 first half starts. The All-Star Game was just the tip of the iceberg for Nomo, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award and finish fourth in the NL Cy Young voting.

Nomo's big league career spanned a dozen seasons with seven teams, and he retired with a 4.24 ERA and two no-hitters to his credit. He's credited with paving the way for Japanese players to permanently relocate to MLB.

Here are a few links from around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dodgers Don’t Plan To Trade For Catcher

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The Dodgers do not plan to bring in a catcher after losing Russell Martin for four to six weeks with a pulled groin, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Instead, they will rely on A.J. Ellis to fill the void, with Brad Ausmus serving as the understudy.  Ken Gurnick of MLB.com writes that Torre has faith in the rookie.

The post notes that Paul Bako is likely the top remaining free agent catcher.  The 37-year-old hit .224/.308/.336 in 130 plate appearances for the Phillies last season.  Another notable catcher without a job is Michael Barrett, though he missed the majority of 2009 due to injury.

Los Angeles dealt one of the game's top catching prospects, Carlos Santana, in the Casey Blake deal in 2008.  The 23-year-old Santana will likely make his major league debut this season.

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