Offseason news and notes
Every couple of weeks during the offseason (or whenever it’s warranted), we’ll put out a news & notes press release with some updates on the team. We did that today, and it can usually be found at the bottom of the home page under the "official team releases."
It hasn’t been posted yet, so I’ve pasted it at the bottom of this post.
Other things to check regularly throughout the winter are the website for the Arizona Fall League which has several of our top prospects participating in it and currently has a headline featuring Dodger prospect Anthony Raglani and a "Beat the Streak" Fantasy game with Matt Kemp as the ad on the front of the site (he hit in 16 games last year in the AFL).
Also, for any of you who watch The Daily Show on Comedy Central and saw Jon Stewart bounce his first pitch at Shea Stadium on last night’s show, rest assured I’ve offered him the chance to come out to Dodger Stadium and redeem himself next year. We’ll see if he’s able to make it out to the left coast.
I’ll keep posting new stuff as I think of it and hope you’re enjoying the postseason (I’m guessing the person who posted early this season who was a big Jeff Weaver fan is happy these days and on a personal note, I am too, as he was always a good guy for me to deal with).
Also, I have to say that I was surprised to hear Tim McCarver talk about how the Dodger farm system teaches pitchers to throw at a hitter when they square around to squeeze and then point to Guillermo Mota as an example. He repeated it three times, but Mota spent a grand total of 20 games in our minor league system and 112 with the Expos’ organization. Just thought I’d clear that one up. That’s all for now.
SCHOOL’S IN SESSION– Dodger rookie closer Takashi Saito will visit Nishiyamato Gakuen (Nishiyamato Academy) of California in Lomita this Thursday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m.-Noon. Saito will visit with the school’s K-9 students and faculty. The student body of Nishiyamato Academy is comprised primarily of Japanese citizens who make their home in Los Angeles. The academy is located at 2458 Lomita Blvd. in Lomita. For more information, please contact the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Public Relations Department at (323) 224-1301.
BREAKING IT DOWN– Dodger hurler Brett Tomko will join KTTV/ FOX 11 Sports Anchor Rick Garcia on FOX 11’s “Extra Innings” pre-game show during the World Series to serve as the in-studio analyst. Tomko played an integral role in the Dodgers’ success in 2006, posting an 8-7 record with a 4.73 ERA in 112.1 innings pitched. Tomko will draw on his 10 seasons of Major League experience and two postseason appearances to provide in-depth analysis of this year’s Fall Classic. Fox “Extra Innings,” an MLB wrap-up show, has been airing since 1999.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON– The Mexicali Aguilas of the Mexican Pacific League opened their season on October 10 and among the talented players listed on their roster are Fernando Valenzuela and Fernando Valenzuela Jr. This marks the first time that this father-son duo has played for the same team on a professional stage. Valenzuela, the former Dodger pitcher, rejoins the Aguilas for his third season with Mexicali and 14th season in the Mexican Pacific League. The National League Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year in 1981 enjoyed 17 successful seasons in the Major Leagues including 11 seasons with the Los Angles Dodgers and he currently serves as the Dodgers’ color commentator for Spanish-radio broadcasts. Valenzuela compiled a 173-153 career record with a 3.54 ERA which included 113 complete games, 31 shutouts and two World Championships with Los Angeles. Fernando Jr. spent the 2006 regular season with the Mobile Bay Bears, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He just completed his fourth season of professional baseball and is participating in his first season of winterball. Through his first five games with Mexicali, Valenzuela Jr. is hitting .333 (6-for-18) with a double and three RBI. His father will don his familiar number 34. To date, Mexicali is tied for second place with a 3-2 record.
TOP OF THE CLASS – The Dodgers had three rookies ranked among Baseball America’s top 20 Rookies for the 2006 season: catcher Russell Martin (10th), closer Takashi Saito (15th) and outfielder Andre Ethier (17th). All three began the season as teammates at Triple-A Las Vegas. Other current Dodgers that were previously tabbed by Baseball America as the Top Rookie of the Year are: Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Rafael Furcal (2000).
IN RUSS WE TRUST- Baseball America ranked the Dodgers’ rookie backstop, Russell Martin, 10th among the top 20 selections for Rookie of the Year. Martin made an immediate impact following his May 5 call-up as the team went 7-1 in his first eight starts and went on to post a 71-43 record when he started behind the plate. Martin finished the season hitting .282 with 10 home runs. He ranked among rookie leaders in the National League in batting average (.282, 9th), RBI (65, 7th), runs scored (65, 7th), total bases (181, 10th), stolen bases (10, T-5th), walks ( 45,7th), on-base percentage (.355, 8th) and extra-base hits (40, 9th). In 117 games, the Canada native posted a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate, committing only six errors and allowing five passed balls while cutting down 25 of 96 (.207) runners trying to steal against him. In addition, Martin led all NL catchers with 10 stolen bases. He launched himself into history, hitting the third in a quartet of consecutive home runs hit by Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth in what turned into an 11-10 extra-inning win on Sept. 18 against San Diego. Martin was signed in the 17th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft out of Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida.
SLAMMIN’ SAMMY SAITO- Takashi Saito was ranked 15th by Baseball America in its 2006 top 20 Rookie rankings. The 36-year-old right-hander was invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee and opened the 2006 season with Triple-A Las Vegas before having his contract purchased on April 7. Saito posted a 6-2 record with a 2.07 ERA and 24 saves, which set a Dodger franchise rookie record surpassing Yhency Brazoban’s 21 saves in 2005. Saito became just the 12th Major League rookie to notch 24 saves since it became an official statistic in 1969. He ranked among National League rookie hurlers in saves (24, 1st), games (72, 2nd) and strikeouts (107, 6th). He led all NL relievers in opponent batting average with a .177 mark (minimum 200 batters faced). Prior to joining the Dodgers, Saito enjoyed a 14-year career with the Yokohama Baystars of the Japanese Central League. The four-time All-Star posted an 87-80 career mark in Japan with a 3.81 ERA.
ANDRE THE GIANT- In his fourth season in professional baseball, Andre Ethier broke into the Majors and was tabbed by Baseball America as the 17th best rookie of the 2006 class. Ethier finished the season hitting .308 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. His .308 batting average ranked third among all Major League rookies. He also ranked among NL rookie league leaders in multi-hit games (33, 10th), hits (122, 10th), total bases (189, 9th), on-base percentage (.365, 3rd), slugging percentage (.477, 7th), extra-base hits (38, 10th) and outfield assists (8, 1st). His 16-game hitting streak (July 26-Aug. 12) tied him for the second-longest hitting streak among all Major League rookies. Ethier was acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Dec. 13, 2005 for outfielder Milton Bradley and infielder Antonio Perez.
LAND OF THE RISING SUN– Dodger All-Star shortstop Rafael Furcal will be on the roster of 27 Major League Baseball All-Stars traveling to Japan this November to play in a newly-formatted, best-of-five competition against their counterparts from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in “All-Star Series 2006.” Presented by Yomiuri, “All-Star Series 2006” will consist of five games played in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka between November 3 and November 8. While the first to win three games in this competition will be crowned champion, all five games scheduled will be played regardless of the outcome. Preceding the All-Star Series, the Major League Baseball All-Stars will go head-to-head against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo on Thursday, November 2. Furcal finished the 2006 season hitting .300 with 15 homers, 63 RBI and a team-leading 37 stolen bases. He ranked among league leaders in hits (196, T-5th), multi-hit games (62, 4th), at-bats (654, 4th), games played (159, T-6th), plate appearances (736, 4th), singles (140, 2nd), stolen bases (37, 7th), runs scored (133, 10th), home batting average (.333, 9th), bunt hits (9, 6th), average with runners in scoring position (.346, 8th) and was the ninth-hardest player to double up in the NL (one GIDP per 93.4 at-bats). Furcal was voted as the “Most Inspirational Dodger” by his teammates and coaches and received the inaugural Roy Campanella award.
Inside the Dodgers 
hey josh, is wilson valdez the only minor leaguer that is being promoted to the 40 men roster?
http://raysdodgerblues.blogspot.com/
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
Who is this Jeff Weaver guy anyway?
Martin’s throwing out 25 of 96 base-stealers comes to a .260 put-out average.
hey josh, any word on when we’ll hear about the upcoming stadium renovations?
I also was thinking about Mccarver’s comment about Mota being taught to throw at hitters trying to bunt, in the Dodger system. He was an Expo before he was a Dodger. Also I’m sorry Ned let Weaver go , I liked him when he was with LA. I know he has a rep that he’s a head case ,but he isn’t an injury prone guy who tries to throww as hard as he can to get guys out. He can be very good and he’s been great in these big games.
I had to laugh when I heard Tim McCarver’s comments about Dodger pitchers being taught to intentionally throw at batters trying to squeeze bunt. While this may have been true years ago, I do not necessarily believe that it is true today.
I know that I have posted this before, but McCarver’s comments made me think of it again. Walter Alston once instructed Don Drysdale to intentionally walk a batter. Instead, Drysdale hit the batter with the first pitch. In the dugout, Alston asked Drysdale what that was all about and Drysdale replied “Why waste four pitches when you can accomplish the same thing with one”. You had to love Big-D!
GO DODGERS!
PS: I predict that the champagne will be flying in the Cardinals clubhouse tonight.
I didn’t hear the McCarver comments, but I put this guy right next to Steiner as a sensationalist. At what ever the cost he wants to be heard as the expert in his field. When are these guys going to really study the true professionals in this business. Vin doesn’t attack players or other teams and he sure as heck doesn’t look for gain in someone else’s short comings. A true baseball guy like Vin Scully has a “Love of the Game” approach. These guys just like to hear themselves speak, like diarrhea of the mouth !!!
Get rid of Steiner !!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
Let’s be real…I was a pitcher growing up and I was ALWAYS taught to throw at the batter when attempting to bunt. So, Tim needs to smack down all my little league coaches.
We are talking baseball’s unspoken rules. This Rule says, A batter cannot bunt a ball at his head.
On Big D…He probably would get fired today for his on air comments about how excited he was about a good ole baseball beaning war that leads to a big fight. See U of Miami announcers on Comcast.
I can recall a game years ago, when Don got all excited about a little beaning war going on during a game. And a fight broke out.
Don wasn’t PC.
“Tomko played an integral role in the Dodgers’ success in 2006”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
When Mcarver was talking about our farm like that. I was thinking the same thing. I was like does this guy even know what he is talking about? I dont know if he gave us a good or bad name?
Jon Stewart must be a lefty, right?
I too wish Weaver had stayed. He won 14 games for the ’05 squad, so I wonder what he might have done this year. I don’t know what happened in anaheim, but I’m glad to see him doing well now.
I sometimes wonder what game McCarver is watching, but we were taught to throw at people trying to bunt.
First I want to agree that McCarver Stinks. Always has.
I”m going out on a limb here, but I’m completely impressed with Green. Yeah, yeah I know LA fans, He’s an underachiever. Or not? I’m watching the Cards/Mets game and seeing a lot of ex-Dodgers men producing.
The more we talk about what the Dodgers need and the more I watch the NLCS, is pitching. The Dodgers need a dominate pitcher first, crunch hitter second. Not as sexy, but is reality.
Go Ned, Go Dodgers!
My wish list of stuff to improve for next year:
1) For Rick Honeycutt to teach Brad Penny a cutter instead of Derek Lowe. At least then Penny would have another pitch.
2) For the Dodgers to get a power hitter. They could do this by trading, signing a free agent, or having someone on the team step it up. Jeff Kent could act like he’s not rapidly approaching retirement, JD Drew could avoid a 2 month homerless slump, Wilson Betemit could improve upon his home run rate, or Andre Ethier or James Loney could become even more awesome.
3) A promise that Russell Martin will never be the Mets’ catcher.
4) For Brad Penny to lose about 20 pounds. Somehow i think this would help some of his health issues. He’d still be a big guy, but at 260 (when he was 250 last year), how about a Slim Fast diet. Then he and Tommy could advertise Slim Fast’s new blue cans or something.
5) For the bullpen to contain at least three of Eric Gagne, Yhency Brazoban, Jonathan Broxton, Takashi Saito. Having a really awesome bullpen always helps; look at the Tigers.
I would agree with you lohmeyet, I would love to see someone like Zito or Schmidt in a Dodger Uniform. Problem is that these guys will cost an arm and a leg to get and then there’s no more money for anything else. If a pitcher is good, all the time, hitting becomes less of a requirement. But when a pitcher goes bad, like Penny did the second half, and you don’t have the hitting to make up the runs needed, your out of the race. If a couple of good utility pitchers can give you a solid 7+ innings of control along with consistent solid hitting of 4+ runs per game your going to win more often then not. I would like to see a bullpen full of consistent guys we can rely on instead of a big ticket starter that only goes once every 4-5 days. We should have enough gas in the farm system to come up with at least one good starter. This way we can go after a couple of guys for the bullpen that aren’t quite as expensive. And then maybe we can land that big hitter that we so desperately needed this year.
I think it’s a better gamble to go with an incentive ladden contracts with Gagne and Nomar and then bid high for a proven power hitter. Then we can look for a trade for a middle of the road starter or two. This is where the Weaver deal would have been smart, he eats up innings, keeps you in the game and doesn’t break down !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
With all due respect to the Jeff Weaver fans out there, in his eight years in the Bigs, Jeff Weaver had a losing record five times (including this season), a .500 record twice, and a winning record exactly ONCE (2005 with the Dodgers; and that was a 14-11 record). Here are his career stats: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/stats/mlb_individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=213711&statType=2
The Dodgers did not re-sign him when he became a free agent after the 2005 season because they wanted to pay him what he was worth and not what HE thought he was worth (an all-too-frequent occurrence these days). If I remember correctly, the offer that the Dodgers made him was a pretty good one, and one that wasn’t all that much less than what the Angels ended up signing him for. By the way, his (and his brother’s) agent is Scott Boras – the man who is single-handedly destroying the game of baseball.
I have always enjoyed Weaver’s flare for excitement and wish him nothing but the very best in his career. But spending a ton of money for a guy whose BEST season was 14 wins is nuts! – Although this is EXACTLY what the Dodgers did to get Tomko, whose best and ONLY two winning records were 13-12 and 13-9. Go Figure.
GO DODGERS!
PS: Only 136 days until opening day!
Carrying some $10 million salaries ( Drew, Kent, Furcal, et all ) and some around there ( Lowe ) does nothing but bloat your payroll if you don’t have all the pieces. That is how a $90 million payroll limps into the playoffs and gets swept out.
Moral: if you are spending, spend big. We will be another top 10 payroll team brushed away, with no shot at even reaching beyond the minimum number of games possible in the postseason, if we don’t improve the pitching.
Forget about power bats. This offense reached close to the top in quite a few offensive categories. They can provide some runs in most games. The problem is that the pitching is capable of providing even more to the opposition.
We need at least one good starter, preferably two. Trade Penny if you’re not going to sell him low. He’s too pigheaded to ever improve as a pitcher. His fastball stuff scared nobody. Every Major League hitter can get a piece of a ramrod straight fastball. So it is merely a case of keeping to get a piece until Penny makes a mistake or he walks the hitter.
Overspend for a starter, but keep it to a three-year contract a la Furcal. The payroll is underperforming for its size in any case. Only more spending can save it.
Gather as many bullpen arms as possible, but please, NONE of them from Tampa Bay.
Try to get rid of Tomko, Sele and any other failed starters hanging around the bullpen. Hang on to Hendrickson, though. He may be straightening out.
Only get Gagne if he gets only a few millions on base salary. It is almost a given that he’ll merely conk out again with something. You can’t trust him to tell the truth about his health. If he really is as much of a Dodger as he says, he’ll accept something like Nomar did, where about forty percent of the salary was incentives.
Get arms! More pitching! Kick self for trading away Sanchez to the Mets, and make sure to concentrate on the pitching.
That’s all, folks!
53, I agree the Dodgers made a good decision not to resign him then, but I do think the Dodgers should have signed him when the Angels were cutting him loose, a lot cheaper and a known commodity !! The timing was right !!
Griffon64, I do agree with getting pitching, I just don’t agree with paying superstar salaries for the top guys out there !! and I agree with the incentive ladden contracts for Gagne and Nomar !!
Go Ned !
Go Dodgers !!!
I didn’t think Weaver was offered a deal? Does anyone know what he was offered and did he turn it down?
As far as I know, Weaver wasn’t offered a deal. I also feel we should have offered him one after the Angels cut him loose. Surely he would have liked playing in the same city as his little brother.
garysmith – I fear that only superstar salaries will attract those guys … Ned seems to be fairly canny in his offseason dealings, though. I trust him to pull at least one out of the hat for us.
We need to become better at preventing runs.
As an aside I worry about Kent’s defense at second base. His fielding is declining quite rapidly now – that body just can’t move like it used to.
Gary – How right you are!
The Cardinals absolutely STOLE Jeff Weaver (and his ONE YEAR – $8.325 million contract) from the Angels. They got him for less than $2 million. (Pity the poor Angels, who must pay the remaining $6 million of his contract).
We are all seeing a resurrected and very confident Jeff Weaver right now. (I always liked that drop-down curve ball of his). And even though his combined 2006 record was a horrific 8-14, he went 5-4 with the Cards in the second half. That’s A LOT better than Mark Hendrickson’s 2-7 Dodger second half record (with one of those wins coming in relief).
The Dodgers probably should have at least given Weaver a look when the Angels were looking to unload him, as his 3-10 record with the Angels wasn’t all that much worse than Hendrickson’s 4-8 record with Tampa Bay.
Oh well, no sense crying over spilled milk. You know what they said about hind-sight.
Should the Cards decide not re-sign Weaver (but I believe that they will), he would again become available; although his price will surely increase due to his very good post season performances.
GO DODGERS!
Jeff Weaver wanted more money than he was worth, that’s why we didn’t sign him. It’s that easy. Is Jeff Weaver a good pitcher? Probably. But my wife who has much insight to this type of thing says that Jeff may be the type that cannot work well with another family member in the same “office” as he did with the Angels. Could his awful Angels career been avoided if his little brother wasn’t on the same roster making him look bad? We’ll never know. But it is something to ponder on. Was his latest deal with the Angels for only one year or two? Maybe Jeff Weaver will be available cheap this off-season… who knows.
As for the this years edition of the continuing stadium renovations, my guess would be that it will have something to do with the bleacher area and beyond. It’s about time that the bench style seating be gone from the bleachers and I’d guess that a more permanent type structure be implemented with upgraded scoreboards and electronics. They’ll probably do some type of corporate outdoor mall theme that seems to be the trend these days, along with the planned Dodgers’ Museum they keep talking about. Just a guess, but I think the outfield area will be completely different in the coming years.
jeff weaver has been teasing people with his talent ever since he was at fresno state. he won 2 games!, he still hasn’t proven anything.. i updated my blogg, so check it out..
http://raysdodgerblues.blogspot.com/
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
Weaver signed last minute with the Angels for what he was making as a Dodger. Problem was that he wanted 3-5 years at more money from the Dodgers and they simply said they would look for someone else for that kind of money. In the end the Angels got a deal by only going one year and the Cards really got a good deal !! Which is the deal the Dodgers should have jumped on. I’m pretty sure he’s a free agent this year !!
Kevin, I think your right about the bleachers. And I also think you right about the team announcing the Museum soon. They’ve been talking about all the old stuff they have in storage now for the last couple of years. I think the only thing holding them back is some last ditch effort to build an NFL stadium in the parking lot.
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
I am gonna sleep VERY well knowing that Shawn Green cost the Mets 2 games in the NLCS with his ineptitude in the field!!!! DOWN WITH THE METS!!!
We need to become better at preventing runs.
As an aside I worry about Kent’s defense at second base. His fielding is declining quite rapidly now – that body just can’t move like it used to.
Posted by: griffon64@webmail.co.za
I Wholeheartedly agree and hope everone gets this point about Pitching and Defence. We do need a #1 Starter and Bullpen upgrades/rennovation However I don’t think that our piting would be as bad if the fielding were better. Better fielding naturally improves a pitchers performance not only by getting outs also by increased
confidence. Without Good /Great Gloves behind Maddux he isn’t much of a pitcher same goes for Lowe and Penny would trust his stuff more I think if balls didn’t get thru as much.For ’07 I’d like to see Loney Start at 1st Nomar to back him and split time at 2nd with Kent Furcal to Keep pace at SS with his 2nd half numbers and Improve on his errors to 12 or less for the season. 3B??? Maybe betemit steps it up or we get a Power hitter there that can field OR La Roche Sets Pre Season afire and becomes ROY. Anderson and Saenz back to Pinch and utility roles.Either gets his Head screwed back on straight Drew Keeps his Pace but drops to #5/6 slot Lofton to what he was signed for Pinch/Utility OF and Repko to Finally Make it through a year Healthy and 5 tool or We need a Power CF with Defencive ability.
Bottom line We need to Catch the ball better then in ’06 then we can win some post season games.
Go Dodgers ’07!!!
Detroit in 4 ’06
Hopefully Ned can put together a trade for Vernon Wells. He would solve a couple of problems and give us the big bat in the middle.
Weaver’s good performance down the stretch and in the playoffs will probably get him the 3 to 5 year deal he wants at way more than he is actually worth.
Hey griffon64 – This, according to en.wikipedia.org:
“Following the 2005 season, Jeff filed for free agency. The Dodgers offered Jeff salary arbitration but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.”
Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Weaver
It makes for a pretty funny read – especially the “Trivia” part. Sounds like “The Weav” likes to mix it up AND smoke it up! Yo, Dude! (LOL).
GO DODGERS!
PS: Hey jhall1218 – I’d be REAL good with that Vernon Wells trade!
I know we offered him salary arbitration – I was really wanting him to resign with us!
When I said we didn’t make him an offer, I was referring to after he was released by the Angels – to my knowledge we didn’t make him an offer then!
Sorry for any confusion 🙂
Hey 53, Weaver’s agent (Boras) thought he was a golden arm and could get top money. So when he decline arbitration and gave the Dodgers a number to strive for it was so far away from what the Dodgers thought he was worth they didn’t even consider making an offer. I remember another player that thought he was worth a whole lot more, remember Jody Reed 2B ?? He too lost out big time !! The Dodgers offered him a couple of years, which his agent pushed him to declined, and he ended up signing for near nothing with Mil for one year then the Pads for a year and again with the Pads for a year and then traded to Det. He never made in 4 years what the Dodgers offered him for two years ! These agents are killing the game and although it looks like Weaver is going to come out a winner after this season, he could have easily have gone to Tampa or KC and died a slow death. I would say he’s one lucky SOB !!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Is it true the players are grossly over paid? I tend to think so. Weaver was my favorite pitcher, but how could he be worth 8+ million?
On the other hand MLB seems to be setting all sorts of records and it is the PLAYERS we turn out to see. We seem to want to pay the inflated prices for Dodger dogs,tics, and parking, so if Boras can get that amount of money for Weaver, I guess he’s worth it?
If I was him, I’d stay in St. Louis, but he looks better in blue.
knouff- I agree with what you said. They are worth whatever the market will bear; that’s our capitalist system. Schmidt isn’t worth 8-10 mil, but he will probably get it. Same goes for Zito 15 mil and he will get it. They are both shakey healthwise.
It’s true the players agents are ruining the game, but it’s up to the players to decide what’s right for them. I always wondered if Boras is looking out for the player or for himself?
I love the game, and I am a die hard Dodgers fan. I know it’s our own fault because we the fans are willing to pay to see our boys. But at the same time I think it is absolutely obscene that athletes and actors get paid such incredibly huge amounts.
They get more in a year than most of us could dream of making in a lifetime, while the people we really depend on, police, firefighters, teachers, soldiers etc. are paid very little by comparison. And lets not forget the rest of us working stiffs. Sorry to sound preachy. I’ll get off my soapbox now. It just gets to me sometimes.
Maybe I’m totally out of line here, but what about some kind of deal involving Troy Glaus. I’m not sure that the Blue Jays are looking to deal him but, if I remember correctly, he’s only got one more year on his contract. That keeps the hot corner warm for Andy LaRoche (who needs 1 more year at AAA). That would give us a little bit better defense at 3rd and a LOT more power.
glaus? r u serious?.. thats laughable..
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
I agree with Ray on this one. Although Troy Glaus’ flair for excitement can be fun to watch at times, his career .253 batting average scares me. He has hit above that only twice in his nine-year career:
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/stats/mlb_individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=136267&statType=1
GO DODGERS!
I agree with you on the batting AVG. thing, but look at his career OBP. He’s pretty consistently over .350 in that category. The fact of the matter is, he can get on base. Put him behind a real leadoff and #2 batter (i.e. Furcal and Lofton/Ethier/Loney/whoever) I’d bet good money he knocks in 130 runs.
Oh, and Glaus’ OBP last year was a couple points higher than that of Alfonso Soriano – the one that everybody keeps saying Ned Colletti NEEDS to sign. And Soriano’s gonna draw a MUCH bigger paycheck next year than Glaus will. My budget power-hitter choice remains Glaus. If money were no issue, Soriano… and the never-ending A-Rod rumors are kind of intriguing. Personally I don’t think it will ever happen unless we offer the entire farm system, bat boys, and half of our 25-man roster – but it’s still intriguing.
i cant believe we are even discussing troy glaus..ned colletti would have to be a grade A m0r0n to even be interested in troy glaus… we need a diffrence maker, and troy is not one..
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
However, there is also Sheffield… Think he’d come back? While we’re at it, we could probably lure Albert Pujols away from the Cardinals, Vernon Wells from the Blue Jays, get Manny Ramirez to roam that giant LF of ours, and all of our power troubles are over, right? I’m kidding, of course.
http://raysdodgerblues.blogspot.com/
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
we should try and bring back sandy koufax as well.. lol
http://raysdodgerblues.blogspot.com/
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
It’s the off season and I think some of you guys are losing it !! Glaus, no way !! and all those others you ripped off dualtone, NO WAY !!! BELIEVE IN THE KIDS !!! fill a couple of holes like Nomar to 3B (absolutely the best guy for the job)(this way if Kent goes down or Loney falls apart Nomar is the proven player), Loney for 1B and maybe a deserving sole for CF. Otherwise, BELIEVE IN THE KIDS !!! Spend the money in the bullpen. Take a gamble and sign Gagne to 2 years worth of incentives and then find a solid innings eater for the starting rotation and another for long relief !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
Glaus would be a capable 3rd baseman for a year until LaRoche is ready. He is a consistant HR and RBI guy that stays healthy and plays everyday. It would be sweet to get him in a deal with Vernon Wells so Toronto can unload salary and we can be serious NL contenders. Nomar money should be used to fix the bullpen. Also, an innings eater for the starting rotation would help alot. Lots to get done this winter Ned.
For the record, I have as much faith in the “kids” than just about anybody I know. That’s the only reason I say Glaus. Any other power-hitting 3B is going to require a big money, longer-term contract. I bet Aramis Ramirez pulls down 3-4 years at 30-50 mil. We could have Glaus for one year and that gives LaRoche another year to prepare. Personally, I want to see Repko playing full-time CF. He’s fast, he’s an incredible defensive OF, but there’s the obvious lack of proven offensive production over the course of a season.
The kids? My money is on Loney all the way. Anyone that says he needs another year of prep at AAA is out of their mind!!!! He batted .380 at AAA this year. How can he possibly improve on that? He became a very smart hitter with a little bit of power. I want him at #3 in our lineup. C-Bill better get a rotation spot this year. If we sign another starter, I’d like to see Penny get traded. he just didn’t do it down the stretch when we needed him. If we sign Zito and get a 2-year deal on Maddux then my rotation goes Zito, Lowe, Maddux, C-Bill, Kuo. I want to see Ethier playing full time. I think that getting another OF is a waste of the talent that we already have. If Vernon Wells comes to LA, I hope that Repko goes to Toronto in the trade. He deserves to be playing full time. I’d put Eric Stults in AAA for a possible ’07 callup and a shot at an ’08 rotation spot. Sorry to ramble, but I do have a lot of faith in the “kids”.
428,
I agree, Loney at 1st. Nomar is too fragile and we are already nursing Kent and Drew. Don’t need another overpriced, overrated, and underhealthy player. Nomar money will fix the bullpen or get Maddux. Billz should be in the rotation as well as Kuo, no doubt. If we trade Penny and Kemp for Wells, Repko will get plenty of playing time as the 4th outfielder and I like him playing all 3 outfield positions and giving Drew time off. Glaus would be a great one year bridge to LaRoche if we can get him at a reasonable price. Toronto wants to unload salary so we might be able to get him thrown in the Penny/Wells deal. Zito is going to probably going to be too expensive and I don’t believe he is worth what he will get in this pitching thin free agent market.
Well, lots to ponder.