Happy Thanksgiving!
From all of us at the Dodgers, here’s to a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.
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From all of us at the Dodgers, here’s to a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.
Inside the Dodgers 
And a Happy Thangsgiving to you JOSH, and all of the DODGER FAMILY. Thanks for all your efforts regarding this Blog…
GO DODGER BLUE!
Happy Thanksgiving to you Josh, all those behind the scene, and all you happy Bloggers. Harold, I attempted to send you an update & a thankyou for your e-mail shortly after I received it but for some reason it did not go thru. I have been since been tied uo with medical issues. After this week I will try again and same with Gary.
ASQ@lodinet.Com, I certainly hope that you are now feeling better. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
GO DODGER BLUE: P.S. I also would like to know if anyone has heard from RAY!!!
Hi asq. Great to hear from you. Now we need Ray to check in. Happy Thanksgiving to all you and all the guys on the blog. Happy Thanksgiving to Josh and all the Dodger staff. Our Thanksgiving weekend was in early October.
Looking forward to more Dodger happenings to be thankful for. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
An echoed happy Thanksgiving to all of you, Josh, and to all that make up the Dodger family.
Again, hope all has a happy and safe holiday weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving to all, & don’t drink & drive
Oh, euhlman. Regarding BT’s shot, my father was at the game. I’ve got the ticket stub on my wall. You might say Thompson was my Dad’s “Bonds”.
Again, have a great holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Please keep all of our brave service men and women (past and present) and their families in your thoughts and prayers on this day of thanks. Without their dedication and sacrifices, there would be no Thanksgiving.
God Bless our Troops!
GO DODGERS!
Have a great Thanksgiving everybody. Lets hope we get an early Christmas present from Ned and his staff.
If you go to this site http://www.letssaythanks.com You can send a holiday thank you card to the soldiers overseas for free. You pick out the card and they send it. A very cool thing to do.
FLIEGEL@PTD.NET–Thanks for the address, it took about 1-minute to send a card to our troops. I Hope that maybe some of the other bloggers can send a card also.
LOMEYET@FLIESHMAN–I was Listening to the (51) DODGER-GIANT game on the radio and after Thompson hit the home run, I can still hear RUSS HODGES YELLING “GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT” over and over. It was the worst day of my 11 year old life!!!
People forget to mention that the Giants lost the World Series that year.
Happy Thanksgiving All! I too am thankful for this great country we live in and the many sacrifices made on our behalf by our armed services. I’m also grateful for the Dodgers!
Ray buddy… please check in and let us know you’re okay. You’ve sure missed a lot the past few days and it worries us that you’re not here.
Go Ned!
Go Big Blue!
A Happy and wonderful Thanksgiving to all who love the Dodgers!!! To all Giant fans, I hope you have the most miserable holiday season EVER. GO BLUE!!!
Supposedly the Giants where cheating in that game , something like stealing signs by telescope from the stands. That would explain how they won. 🙂
lohmeyet – that is too cool. Something like a burr under your saddle everytime you look at that ticket stub.
Keith Law of Scouts Inc. ranks the available free agents. Dodgers have two of the top ten – Drew (6), Lugo(7). Zito ranked 10, Schmidt 2.
I too want to say Happy Thanksgiving to Dodger Nation. Hope you all have a wonderful day. A great day to spend time with family and friends.
Ray, hope all is well with you, you are an integral part of this blog and we all miss your contribution to it. God bless you buddy. Let us know how you’re doing.
Euhlman, Keith Law can stuff it. Drew is dead to me. Lugo, eh. Anyone who doesn’t want to be a dodger doesn’t deserve to be. Let’s get Schmidt. We need him.
s.infantino – Not suggesting we should retain JD or Julio, just stating how he ranks them. I agree, let’s get Schmidt on a 2-3 year contract if possible. Don’t the Dodgers have to offer Lugo arbitration in order to get a draft selection if he refuses? Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
Has anybody heard any more about J.D. Drew signing with the Red Sox? Last I heard he was going to sign a two year – $30 million deal with them, but I haven’t heard anything since. Wouldn’t it be sweet if NOBODY signed his greedy traitor ***?
GO DODGERS!
53 – There were rumors of a four year deal at $48M. Expect any deal is on hold depending on the signing of Matsuzaka. I was hoping JD would sign with someone in time for the Dodgers to get a draft pick. Looks like that won’t happen. I think the Sox plan to sign him as Pena is the odd man out and Nixon isn’t being signed.
Josh, I wondered aloud the other evening how all the trade, free agent signing rumors get started. Very often the released info is substantive, even to $$$ and length of contracts. How does that happen? Wouldn’t it be better to keep negotiating info confidrntial? My guess, perhaps unfairly, is that player agents release information in an attempt to get teams to engage in bidding wars.
You know Harold, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Scott Boras is intentionally having J.D. Drew delay signing a contract with the Red Sox (or anybody else) just so the Dodgers would lose their draft pick. It certainly would give him a sense of power which, as we all know, is what makes him tick.
I hadn’t heard about the 4 year – $48 million offer for Drew. Was that with Boston or with someone else?
GO DODGERS!
That was an earlier report, with Boston, but more recently I have seen the 2 year $30M you mentioned. The thinking there is that he would get more for two years but they would not be tied to a long contract. I think they will trade Manny so some money will be freed up. Maybe JD signing depends on Manny’s trade, perhaps tp Texas. How about Manny in Dodger Blue? Just kidding. Don’t want to set off another firestorm. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
Euhlman, absolutly, it’s like a spur in my side. But, it’s what makes us true fans. God love my Dad and God love the Dodgers.
kday01, I only wish my Dad were alive to commiserate with you.
Best of the holidays with you both.
Henry
Henry. Thanks. My dad died two years ago at age 89. Many years ago he and Mom went to a game in Montreal at old Jarry Park. He went to get something to eat. When he came in to sit down a home run ball landed in his lap, on a bounce. He only told me years later that Willie Mayes hit the home run. I thought he was kidding me. He wasn’t. My Mom has told me on several occasions about the home run. I now have that ball. Wish it was autographed. I do have a Tommy autographed ball (spring training – Vero Beach) and a Duke Snider one (gift from our son). I have to say, Willie was a good Giant.
Manny Ramirez is one of the best players in the game. His defense is lacking, although part of that can be attributed to that stupid green wall. He’s 35, but he’d still outperform JD Drew at the plate. My objections would be related to what Boston would demand in terms of personnel, but otherwise, how do you argue with a guy who has over .400 career OBP and .600 career slugging who will top 500 homers next year?
Boston would trade him, but it would quite a lot in terms of pitching and prospects, because nobody out there can be counted on put up a 1.000 OPS that’s on the trade market. They’d be looking for Penny and Broxton, minimum.
If I’m Colletti, I take this lineup as it is, stick Loney in right field (and tell Gurnick to stop editorializing his news while I’m at it), get Zito or Schmidt, then give Saito a $2 million offer, offer Gagne to Kerry Wood’s contract with a similar base but higher incentive potential because he’s Gagne.
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and happy shopping tomorrow.
My father died at age 81, just a few days after Mark McGuire hit number 63. Throughout his life he always told me that he would like to see Roger Maris’ record get beat, just so they could take the stupid asterisk out of the books. Now I have to wait for someone to hit 74 so that I can join my father at the Stadium in the Sky without an asterisk next to Barry Bonds’ name. (LOL).
GO DODGERS!
PS: I forgot to mention, I kinda hope that the guy who beats Bonds’ record hasn’t been born yet!
fansince53 – you don’t want Ryan Howard to do it?
As for the overall total, I think you’ll see A-Rod and Pujols over Aaron and Bonds in the end.
No doubt Manny is close to the top as a hitter. However, I think it simply takes too much to acquire him in terms of players and then absorbing his $20M or so per year. The reason I said I was kidding is that his attitude is not nearly as good as JD’s. JD seemed to play without passion but said nothing derogatory, to my knowledge. Manny is extremely self centered and yearly whines about wanting to be traded, even after winning a WS. He won’t talk to the press. Plus every fly ball to left field is an adventure. As good as he is I don’t think he would be a good addition to the Dodgers. Nomar and Pierre are. Reports are that Boston would really like to move him. Again Texas seems to be an option.
53,euhlman, Sorry about your Dads, but I truely love hearing stories like that.
I sometimes feel that there are players who play for other teams, but are really “closet” Dodgers. Players that you know hold that true Dodger spirit. Example, euhlman to your point, Mays was a good Giant no doubt, but what a Dodger he would have made.
patriot, Howard played at Missouri State, just down the road from St. Louis (where I live). I saw him play in college. He’s a quality player no doubt, but more so a quality individual. I’d love to see him break it. We just have to figure a way out a way to get him in a Dodger uniform before he does.
I would not be a big fan of a signing of Manny. My sister lives just outside of Boston and echoes euhlman’s comments every year. Also, I would doubt that we could get the extention done on his contract. As much as I would love to see an impact player on the Dodgers soon, what would be worse is to give up very promising prospects for a short lived impact player.
I agree with most everyone, get Zito or Schmidt. Not sure how wise it would be, but my heart sure says to take a flyer on Gagne.
i agree with euhlman & lohmeyet i know Manny is agreat hitter but still….
I agree strongly on Eric. I just wish something reasonable could be worked out realizing he is a true Dodger. Fans love him and he represents himself, his team and his country well. I understand he does considerable humanitarian work in LA. If we can pay $4M or so for Odalis to play elsewhere, perhaps a deal can be worked out for Eric to actually play for us. Something like a one year incentive laden contract. Just think if he is actually healthy – Gagne, Broxton, Saito (hopefully), Beimel (I favor a second chance) and a couple of kids maturing. Bullpen wouldn’t need much tweaking then with other guys available. You are right lohmeyet – we probably are not at the stage that one big expensive bad attitude bat can put us over the top. But, one good starter could make quite a difference. I gotta believe Schmidt will sign with us and hopefully for 2-3 years. Think Mets will outbid for Zito on 5-6 year contract. Too long on a pitcher. Henry, who wouldn’t be a “closet Dodger” when they see that home unnie, look at the history, walk into Dodger Stadium, see 40- 50,000 fans regularly. That’s to die for.
I couldn’t agree more euhlman. A Schmidt would go further than a strong hitter at this point. Both would be great, but given the choice, I’d take the pitcher.
we should go after Ted Lilly & Schmidt
Now Carlos Lee?? Are the Cubs selling their soul or what? They’re gonna end up with a huge payroll if they keep this up.
Lilly was drafted by the Dodgers in 1996 and traded in the Carlos Perez deal. Not sure about him. See him pitch a lot on TV. Goes hot and cold. Had a run in with his manager after being pulled from a game in third inning after giving up seven runs. and his pitching coach suggests he is uncoachable. Yankees after him. Wants $9M/yr. One game over .500 in 160 starts. LH
Whoops… I had a senior moment. I saw the word “Astros” and it translated to my head as “Cubs”. What’s next to go Harold?
SI and ESPN say Lee has signed $100M deal with Astros for 6 years.
Guess Zito or Schmidt. Big boppers are gone. Glad we didn’t sign Lee for that. He looks so big now that six years is a long haul for his body to hold out.
Maybe Bonds to A’s. Drew to Red Sox.
Ted Lilly will give you a WHIP around 1.4 and too many home runs. Think Jeff Weaver from the regular season this year, except left-handed.
Zito actually had an off-year last year, and doesn’t allow as many baserunners. Zito’s career homer rate is much better (9.6 IP/HR to Lilly’s 6.5 IP/HR) and his career WHIP is only 1.25, which is pretty good for a starter. Lilly has also been traded 4 times, and if he’s a clubhouse issue as euhlman suggests, I wouldn’t look for him.
I’d say it’ll be one of four guys:
Zito
Schmidt
Maddux
Pettitte
I’m thinking Ned will trade for a younger pitcher – a young whipper snapper. Might take prospects which I always dread but if we get quality youth with experience in return it softens the blow. Really dislike trading youth for guys near the end of their careers or not much of an upgrade from what we have. I think Ned is not just zeroing in on 2007. I think he is looking further ahead so younger players are on his list. Maddux would be a help us through this year kind of guy. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
http://raysdodgerblues.blogspot.com/
i havent been able to come on this due to some personal matters, thank you for your concern over me.. i missed the blogg
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
Hi Ray. Great to hear from you. Hope all is well. We’ve been needing your advice on Dodger matters.
Ray, I think Ned has something in mind but believe he is being cautious. I expect most teams want our pitching prospects in return in a trade. I’m not sure one power hitter can put us over the top. I think pitching has to be our priority as we go forward. That’s the Dodger tradition. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
I might be selfish, but I want Schmidt, Maddux, Beltre and Wells. I think it’ll all cost us Bills, Betemit/LaRoche, Kemp, and Broxton. I think it’s worth it. Imagine the line-up-no one except for the Mets could measure up top to bottom.
Leon… you’re nuts! You’re giving up some great talent for much older players with only a few years left in them.
Harold… I was talking about my “senior” moment and asking what part of the brain would be next to go! lol…
Leon, I’m gonna have to agree with KSS here. I’ll give you six reasons why.
1) Beltre is not worth giving up anyone. Sure we wanted him to win the MVP, but we have to face it: that was a fluke year.
2) Vernon Wells would be redundant, and you can’t immediately trade a free agent signee anyway.
3) Matt Kemp would be very useful next year.
4) The Dodgers cannot afford to give up Broxton unless you want to see Brett Tomko close games.
5) Giving up Chad Billingsley would kill the rotation two years from now, when Lowe and potentially Penny are free agents, Maddux will have retired, Schmidt may still be going, and who knows about Kuo’s health. Not to mention that Billingsley is still cheap.
6) The New York Mets scored 14 more runs than the Dodgers did last year. Even if getting Beltre and Wells matched the Mets lineup, which I doubt would be the case (you’re not talking about 2 40-homer guys here), the reason the Mets won games was because they had the better bullpen anyway.
Ray, good to have you back and that you are O.K. I missed your informative comments.
Kevin. Missed that. Can’t remember what goes next. Seems like a lot goes at the same time. One thing that seems to get stronger is the Dodger Blue part of the brain. Leon, I am afraid your plan is one of short term gain for long term pain. Pats is right. Beltre iffy for big bucks, Maddux at end of career for big bucks, Wells lost next year in free agency for big bucks. I like Schmidt. I like the kids better. At least a couple of them, , if not more, will become big. We have to keep our own pitching to build on. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
Ray the popular thinking was that you were somewhere with Ned, Logan, etc. advising them on trade possibilities. Any insights? I still don’t know how all the rumors, which usually are more than rumors, get circulated.
patriotacts425
“fansince53 – you don’t want Ryan Howard to do it?”
Absolutely I would lover to see Ryan Howard do it – and I believe that he will within the next two or three years.
You must have missed my (weak) attempt at humor:
“…Now I have to wait for someone to hit 74 so that I can join my father at the Stadium in the Sky without an asterisk next to Barry Bonds’ name. (LOL).
PS: I forgot to mention, I kinda hope that the guy who beats Bonds’ record hasn’t been born yet!”
My attempt at humor was that, if the guy who beats 73 hasn’t been born yet, I get to live longer (and attend more Dodgers games!).
GO DODGERS!
kssparkuh:
“What’s next to go Harold?”
I can’t and won’t speak for my friend euhlman, but for me, the next thing to go was…. Gee, that’s funny, I can’t seem to remember what it was. (LOL)
GO DODGERS!
53 – my exact response. I can’t remember what it was and can’t even remember having it, whatever it was. However, as I say, the Dodger Blue part in the brain only gets better with age. 53 – hope you get to see many, many, games at Dodger Stadium so I won’t be cheering for anyone to hit 74 for quite a while. Guys you gotta forgive us when we miss the humor. That’s part of the process Kevin was talking about. Not being very familiar with computer language I didn’t know what LOL meant in computer talk. You guys used it quite a bit and I thought it meant “Lots of Love” – I was thinking boys these Dodger fans are really emotional types of guys. Looked it up last night on Wikipedia so am wiser today than yesterday. LOL.
I believe that if we can re-sign Maddux for a couple of years, re-sign Saito and Beimel, and pick up another decent starter, we already have more than enough young talent on the farm to keep us extremely competitive for many years to come.
I have to believe that there are one or two “Zito type” pitchers (or better) among: Jonathan Meloan, Casey Hoorelbeke, Danny Muegge, Brian Akin, Wesley Wright, Zachary Hammes, Heath Trotten, Jonathan Figueroa, Carlos Alvarez, Spike Lundberg, and Adam Thomas.
I also believe that Chad Billingsley and Hong-Chih Kuo will have breakout seasons in 2007 and that Lowe and Penny will both give us 15+ wins.
And while we currently do not have a big bat, I believe that we will see 15+ homeruns from Kent, Nomar, Betemit, Furcal, and possibly from Martin, Ethier and Loney, and 10+ homeruns from Saenz and Anderson. I also look for 80+ RBI seasons from Kent and Nomar.
And don’t forget, Ned isn’t finished yet, either.
I sincerely believe that we have the talent (and future talent) to put together a sting of championship seasons.
GO DODGERS!
Atta boy 53 – Toss in Elbert, Kershaw, Morris (Once rehabilitated) and you are right. I really don’t want to trade any more of our better pitching prospects. Pats or someone pointed out the Mets outscored us on the season by 14 runs. The baseball world doesn’t turn on big bats. It turns on strong arms. The homerun is most significant in the situation so big numbers of them are not always necessary. The ability to hit one is important and as you point out the Dodgers have several guys who can. Having said that I wouldn’t mind a big bat that other teams fear, but not at all costs. I think Nomar and Kent can get to 100 RBI mark with Furcal and Pierre batting in front of them. Nomar had 93 last year. I also think we should sign Saito and Beimel(second chance) and my heart just keeps saying Gagne, Gagne, Gagne. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
53 & Euhlman: Beimel is already under contract and on the 40 man roster, just not on the 25 man roster.
I too hope they keep him as I believe he learned a valuable lesson and could have an exceptional season as a result of his past trouble.
Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.
In reading FoxSports, ESPN and other articles, they rate Schmidt much higher (top 2) and Zito lower (around 10th) on their value charts. I would be very nervous with Zito. I still think we probably have the pitchers on our roster already that will fill the needed spots.
Reading the blog you can understand why they call this the hot stove league. Sometimes get rather heated.
It is great fun though.
Dave – I knew Beimel was on the roster. Should have said retain. I too think his misadventure might be the event that helps him get everything on track. We can use him at the top of his game which I think, like you, he will bring if he is retained. No doubt we really needed him when he wasn’t there. Zito will be after a long term contract. They are especially risky with pitchers who haved pitched a few years. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
i’m still concerned on who the Dodgers will trade for a “big bat”
hopefully some team will see value in toby hall… and he can be packaged to get us an OF bat.
Bluebleeder, Colletti’s trading skills inspire similar fears in me.
patriotacts425 who are you’re untouchables?
The Dodgers purchased Joe Beimel’s minor league contract last year and his contract expired after the 2006 season. However, according to rotoworld.com, he is eligible for arbitration for 2007-2008 and becomes a free agent in 2009. So, even though he appears on the 40 man roster, the Dodgers must offer him arbitration and must re-sign him if they want to keep him. I certainly hope that they do.
GO DODGERS!
PS: Hey Harold – How ’bout them Trojans!
As per request of BlueBleeder88,
I know a bit, but I can’t quite claim expertise on Dodger minor leaguers, so rip my analysis to shreds as much as you want.
In general, if the player is clearly major league ready and the Dodgers can use him regularly, no way I want to see the guy dealed. However, if there is competition, or if he has yet to crack AA even, then that’s something else entirely. On the other hand, if I am afraid Colletti will deal him for Jeff Conine or think that he’s a sure thing to be really good in the future, I might put a guy on the list that isn’t major league ready yet, but should be good.
MY UNTOUCHABLES:
Broxton (I absolutely have to say him)
Martin (do I even have to say this)
Billingsley (pitched LA’s high game score in 06)
Loney
Kemp
Kuo
Elbert
Miller
ALMOST UNTOUCHABLE:
Dewitt
Hu
Abreu
Orenduff (injury this year makes me cautious, but I gotta root for the CAA guy)
Betemit
Laroche (one of which will be traded if either one absolutely wins 3B or next offseason, whichever comes first. I am dreading this deal and hoping Colletti can make one of his good trades here)
********
Anyone else, post your untouchables list or criticize mine, or whatever.
“How ’bout them Trojans!”
I turned on the TV, and watched the sequence in the first quarter where they returned a punt for 40 yards or so, then scored a TD 3 plays later.
USC’s rather impressive, to say the least.
Ray is the minor league expert. Very difficult to know who is untouchable in the thinking of the Dodger staff. For me the following kids are untouchable. Probably should give this some more thought this morning before posting but time for church.
Martin – no question
Broxton – for sure
Loney – my Mark Grace
Billingsley – a good one
Elbert – hands off
Meloan – lights out
Kershaw – oh man
Mattingly – pretty much so
Morris – arm trouble and all
Kuo – available only in deal for a young proven pitcher (arm issues)
Ethier or Kemp – not sure which but expect Ethier
LaRoche – don’t believe he is untouchable on the Dodger charts but want to seem him at AAA another year for sure.
Others probably not safe.
Probably Dewitt’s hitting problems might have lowered his value but still very young. Hu and Abreu great DP combination but bats have to improve. Expect either Dewitt or Abreu will be kept for 2B although Dewitt played quite a bit of 3B this year.Raffy in Hu’s way. Orenduff not tradeable with his arm problem right now. Not sure if Greg Miller will return to more than short term relief after his arm rehabilitation but really hope he does. The Dodger medical staff knows where these guys are with their health and we don’t. I hope Mark Alexander will not be traded but given a shot this season. A 2004 20th round pick seems like one of those success stories we love and need.
53 – Confession time. Don’t really watch football so didn’t see the Trojans. Do watch the New England Patriots a bit.
Good Morning (53) as you know the trojans are my other passion. other than a few lapses in the 2nd. quarter, the trojans dominated both on offense and defense.
Go Trojans
GO DODGERS
51 – I am a bit passionate about the Red Wings but not nearly like I am about the Dodgers. Have followed the Wings since 52 with Gordie Howe my hero. Duke, Gordie, Jim Reeves my heros after my Dad. Also have other Dodger heros of course.Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
SI reports BoSox likely to sign Drew within a week. Hope it is in time to give us a first round draft pick and sandwich pick. Boston probably won’t do that by Friday, December 1, thus getting both JD and their draft picks. If not signed by then he must be offered arbitration to get a draft pick. That is probably too risky the way arbitrators rule.
Ned’s got it right. I wouldn’t
touch Drew with a a stick.
I also think we may already have what we need to go deep into the playoffs.
A couple of BIG bats would be great, but I don’t think Mantle is available. Ned’s not done, so lets see what he comes up with.
I would take a shot at Drew/Borat’s greed by offering him $13-14 or 15 mil. It would only be for one year and I don’t see any way they will accept arbitration. If they do we have Drew again in a walk year, which means he’ll try to produce. He’ll try not to get hurt and put out his best effort.
Big Blue- I like that strategy.
People-we need to give up something to get something. I think the West is for the taking the next couple of years. Wells and Beltre would be the 2 big bats to solidify our line-up. I admit, Beltre is a reach, but a risk worth taking. He loved it here in LA. I think we have enough in the farm system to make-up for Bills and Broxton.
Leon you probably are right but I don’t think you give up pitching for hitting unless you have an abundance of quality pitching, that we didn’t last year, and are not improved over this year yet. Who will replace Billingsley this year? We have to at least see if he will come on as did the young pitchers in Detroit. Broxton is our next stud closer. They are hard to come by. I don’t think we should be the farm system for other teams as financially we don’t have to. Raise ’em and keep ’em as long as you can. Build a strong bullpen. Build the offense one piece at a time. Pick up a free agent if possible or trade prospects in an area where have an abundance, if we do. Even then trade for younger players. Wells is a good example but not worth the farm. He and Kemp are kind of look-a-likes so maybe we can switch. Big Blue. I wouldn’t offer that much in arbitration for JD. Just offer arbitration to get the draft pick, same as with Lugo. Toby Hall will be traded as he doesn’t want to be a back up and probably is too good to be one.
I expect the abandonment of Vero Beach is all but complete. I understand the business decisions and am happy for the faithful in the LA area who can travel to Arizona to watch spring training games. My last word would be that visiting Dodger Stadium is the greatest baseball experience in the world. Visiting Vero Beach for spring training is definitely second. I have done both. Vero Beach is just an exceptional site and such a part of Dodger tradition. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
my protect the prospects list,
first off my top ten list for prospects baseball america guessing.
1 s.elbert 2 a. laroche, 3 loney 4 kershaw, 5 b. dewitt,
6 t. abreu, 7 josh bell 3b, 8
j. meloan, rhp 9 steve johnson rhp ,10 hu ss.
next, please don’t trade, one, we cant trade any 2006 draft picks for a year so our top picks in June are safe for a while.
I would not trade broxton, billingsley, elbert, meloan, g. miller ( if he comes back, he could be very good, martin, loney, laroche, kemp j.bell, s.johnson.
only trade in the right deal, Young slugger, not older vet. dewitt, abreu, hu,orenduff, kuo, Past injuies,ivan de jesus wes wright lhp,mark alexander rhp, cory dunlap 1b
player I like but that are blocked by the above
d. young 2b/of x. paul j.rivera ss, josh wall rhp
brent leach lhp cody white lhp.
having said that, as much as we want to propect the prospects
of our top 30 prospects in 05, 9 are gone.
guzman (1) jackson (3) tiffany (10) Pimentel (12) navarro (14) Hanrahan (17) schmoll (22) b. johnson(23) aybar (25)
I think that the non tradeable list is a very good group, that most of the players on the list from our blogs will be solid players, to trade a dewitt, abreu, hu,
d. young would hurt. but who is behind them, guys like josh bell, 3b mattinly, ss erian herrera 2b, and a kid to watch,ryan rogowski,
centerfield
so if we have to trade a couple to get the right, right power hitter,we can replace
our 2nd tier of players.
ned does scare me on trade history so I will watch carefully on what happens also.
fox news says we are near a deal for a left handed pitcher.
sorry not zito, but 30 year old randy wolf, a one year deal because he from the l.a. area.
What do you all think about Randy Wolf? Any good?
Here is his page on MLB.com:
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=150116
In 2006 he appeared in and started 12 games. 56 IP, 35 ER, 5.56 ERA, 63 H, 13 HR, 33 BB, 44 SO.
His stats for the past 4 years look like he would be a #5 pitcher (possibly #4) at the best. I think we already have an overabundance of this position. We need one for one of the top three positions.
wolf won 16 games a couple of years ago. from 2000 to 2003 he was 48-39 3.88 era lifetime
69-60. he missed 13 months due to elbow-ligament transplant. remember, have to have depth at a position tomake a trade. is he a great pitcher, no. can he be a solid left handed number 4 or 5 guy? I don’t know
reports say maddux wants a 2 year deal around 22.5 million
like the deal Mussina just signed with the yankees, and that glavine is expected to get. sorry I like maddux alot, but a 10 million deal seems high for one year,maybe with option, cant see 2 years and 22.5 million, wish I just had one million, would retire
and live the rest of my life on it.
That’s funny Harold! Try this one on for size then…
ROTFLMAO!! That’s another popular one for something that’s really funny.
Looked that one up Kevin. LOL.
Wolf seemed to have an upside from 2000-2003. Made only 25 starts in last two years combined. Injury problems. A bit of a tease for fantasy guys. Certainly some possibility of being quite effective. Still young. Free agent so top prospects not traded for him. Willing to take shorter contract to play at home. Not many LH pitchers available.Maddux seems to be overestimating what he can contribute in light of his contract demands. I just don’t understand how much money they need to accumulate. I know it is not relative to anything but I taught junior high school for 35 years, and although it was the greatest job in the world, my accumulated gross salary reached one million in my 31st year. My wife was a stay at home Mom. We are secure after educating our two children debt free. Granted I was not a five tool teacher and got paid the same as those teachers. I say go for Wolf one year with option for 2008 and forget about Maddux. Chances are for two years he will only regress more. Wolf a better bet. Get Schmidt now as Wolf is the lefty.
euhlman, I believe your teaching/career example is exactly to the point. These guys, Maddux in this case, make millions of dollars in their career. If ever there was a time to take a job, pitch for a team of your choice, it’s now. One, two, FIVE million is not going to make a bit of difference. Easy to say I suppose when it’s not my money. I’m all for Maddux getting what he can, he’s a great asset to the Dodgers. However, get the deal done so that the Dodgers can move forward and more easily on other signings.
Welcome back Ray and hope everyone had a great and safe holiday weekend.
Go Dodgers!!
That’s what I say lohmeyet – get it done so Ned can move on. That’s why he was upset with JD. If he had not been given an indication JD was staying with the Dodgers, Ned would have traded for value. Now probably won’t even get draft picks for JD. Contractually correct or not, JD/Boros were unfair at least by indicating JD would say. Boros had that clause put in as he knew the free agent market this year had few good hitters available as opposed to next year. However, in the long run we will perhaps be better off. Ned is picking away (Wolf). Who thought of that? If I was lost in the wilderness,and couldn’t be with Pamela Anderson, I would want to be with Ned. He is a good scavenger, a survivor.I think quite a bit is coming down the line with the upcoming meetings. We don’t need big things as 53 and others have pointed out. We need good things. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
Pardon my mistake Harold; I now realize that it is kday01 who is a fellow Trojan fan and not yourself. The plate is just about set for an incredible National title game, with the Trojans likely to be huge underdogs. It will be fun.
I hope you are right about Drew signing with the BoSox before December 1st, so that we get their 1st round draft pick.
Don’t know how Randy Wolf slid under the radar, but he appears to be a perfect fit for the Dodgers. He is a local product (Granada Hills and Pepperdine) and I love his fan base (they call themselves “The Wolf Pack”). His career numbers are not earth shattering, but he went 4-0 late last season, coming off of TJ surgery.
Hey bigblue48: “…Drew/Borat…” – Now that’s funny right there! (I wonder if Harold picked up on it before his Pamela Anderson comment). Too much fun here guys!
GO DODGERS!
Good morning 53. High noon here. Randy didn’t slip under Ned’s radar. Think he still has strong potential. Is really good when he is on. Nice to have local guys return – Nomar, hoefully Wolf. I love his “Wolf Pack”. As I say, a bit of a tease with fantasy guys because of his potential when healthy which he is now I expect. Thought you might respond that Pamela Anderson is a bit of a tease with fantasy guys too.
Oh yes. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!! Things are heating up.
Harold, I suppose it’s no coincidence you worked both “Pam Anderson” and “fantasy” together in the same sentence… now that’s bound to stir up some controversy!
And 53… you forgot to mention the other undefeated team in College Football… my Boise State Broncos! Looks like they’ll be BCS busting this year and likely be heading to the Fiesta Bowl… perhaps against Oklahoma or even Nebraska. That’s huge for the WAC and Boise State!
My guess is it’s part of Colletti’s plan to stockpile pitching for a bat, or at least to sign someone this offseason that’ll be reasonably priced.
On the surface it’s not a bad move. Wolf is a lefty starter with decent command and he can be rather durable. He had TJ surgery July 2005, so that’s what happened the last couple years. He’ll get a short-term deal, and it’s not unthinkable that by the time he’s out LA could replace him with a farm product or another free agent.
Even if we don’t get Zito or Schmidt, the rotation doesn’t look terrible.
I just received word that the Randy Wolf thing is a done deal. The press release should be out soon.
GO DODGERS!
Love a short term, fairly low price flyer on Wolf. That makes a ton of sense. Guys are having a lot of post arm surgery success these days, i think its a good risk/reward.
Unlike the Pierre deal. Which I can’t understand at all. 5 years?? Maybe there’s a “master plan”, of which Im an unaware…. there’s just no way I believe we can’t get a better bat in center till after 2011. Can’t be.
I’m really not too sure how I feel about this one, but I guess we’ll see. I was kind of expecting a front line pitcher, not Randy Wolf. That’s okay, though. When he’s on, the guy’s solid. It’s when he’s off that worries me. Plus, he only has 2 200+ innings seasons. I thought we were looking for womeone to pitch 200+ innings… I’m sure Ned’s got something in mind though.
The Phillies seem pretty upset about losing him, so that’s good. We would all like to have a real ACE in our rotation. We honestly haven’t had one since Orel.
Beautiful euhlman. Ned second pick to Pamela Anderson. I’m going to go on record in saying that is most likely the biggest compliment that Colletti’s ever been paid. I’m assuming this not you trying to stir something up about the Dodgers signing PA as some sort of special, special assistant to the GM.
I like the Wolf deal. We still have space and money for a front liner.
Go Dodgers!!!
the signing is good Low risk/high reward with a club option.
53 are you saying you have a direct line to Ned? Like the deal short term. Yes, I expect Ned is looking to trade pitching for hitting. Hope it isn’t the young guns. Also, Kevin expect Pamela Anderson doesn’t stir up much controvery. What you see is what you see. Go Dodgers!! Go Ned!!.
Hadn’t thought of that possibility Henry but definitely has some promise. Pamela would look good in Dodger Blue, but we digress. Randy Wolf will look good too. Agree with bluebleeder re: Wolf acquisition. Go Dodgers!1 Go Ned!!
The more I read about the Wolf deal the more and more I like it. Granted much of the success of the deal will come down to how well he pitches, but I do love signing guys, again, that WANT to be Dodgers.
Sorry Harold, no direct line to Ned, but with someone “relatively” close to his office. I will reveal my source ONLY if you can hook me up with Pamela (LOL).
GO DODGERS!
By the way guys, Pamela Anderson was at a home game last season. I missed a lot of action on the field watching her through the binoculars – and they are real – real BIG! (Oops – family blog, sorry about that).
I am very excited about the Randy Wolf deal. I believe that we will get 15+ wins out of him. That being said, I still think that we need to re-sign Maddux.
GO DODGERS!
nkirby – I wouldn’t expect him to be an ace at all, but he’ll be pretty decent.
As it stands now, the rotation kind of matches the lineup: nobody outstandingly good, but everyone’s above average to some degree.
Does anyone know the specifics of the deal yet? All I’ve heard is it’s a one-year with a club option for ’08.
dual, I haven’t found anything yet on that either. I’m guessing no news until the deal is final, pending a physical.
53, do you really want Maddux at 22plus mil for 2 years? And since you have a “source” do you really expect the Dodgers to sign him at that price? Yea, I’d like to have him too but not at that price. If he wants 2 years, that’s fine but at 12mil maybe. I swear, what is it about these guys? How much is enough for them? I can understand the young guys going for the money. They’re just starting in life so they’re taking care of their future and their families’ future. Good for them. But what about the guys at the end of their careers, with a couple years left, who have already set themselves up for life. Geez, with the amount of money they get, not only are their families taken care of , but generations of their families are taken care of. So what can the motivation be to demand so much money? Greed? Ego? Because they can? After how many zeroes does a number become redundant? I don’t know. Just once I’d like to see someone play for the love of the game, sign a reasonable contract, then play. Sorry, putting the pulpit away now.
53 – Wish I could but beyond my control. You are right. She would be a distraction in the front office. How do you guys get involved in these tangents like Barry Bonds and Pamela Anderson? s.infantino -I think Randy Wolf will sign certainly for a shorter contract than he’s been offered elsewhere and no doubt at less money. I like that considering he will still make millions. I would like Maddux to accept reality and understand at his age his value isn’t going up and the rate of inflation isn’t that high. lohmeyet – I like signing guys who want to be Dodgers too. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
I know how this thread goes off on tangents you instigator you.
Maybe Wolf is the example I’m looking for. I definitely don’t believe Maddux should be signed at his price. Save the money and sign Gagne, the other Bor*** client. Only make it the 1 year, incentive laden deal we’ve all been hoping for. Hey maybe all contracts should be 1year incentive laden deals. Adds new meaning to play for pay.
From ESPN’s Rumor Central.
**********
Nov 27 – A source familiar with the Randy Wolf negotiations says the Dodgers are “close” to signing the free-agent starter, but not so close that the deal couldn’t still fall through, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports.
The Dodgers are offering one year, with an option. And Wolf has another offer of two guaranteed years, believed to be from the Phillies.
If they do come to an agreement, it’s likely to be in the next day or two, the source said.
**********
To your point s.infantino, here’s a guy willing to possibly take less to play for the Dodgers. If his arm is half as good as his character we’ll be in good shape.
According to SI.com, Randy Wolf has signed a one year deal with the Dodgers for 8 million dollars with an option of 9 million dollars for 2008!
Wow, 8 or 9 mill doesn’t sound like less to me.
Nothing seems cheap these days does it. I’m having a hard time getting aclimated to these salaries as well. My point was more to the guaranteed 2 year deal that Philly offered. I’m not aware what their offer per year was.
Nomar turned down more money and years from that other team – you know the one that keeps trying to say they’re from LA? The one with the longest name in baseball – and I keep expecting to hear that they wanna make it longer. Like the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim which is really in Orange County north of Irvine and south of Brea”. Again with the tangents, sorry. At any rate – Nomar wants to be a Dodger, and I’m glad that he does.
Nomar turned down more money and years from that other team – you know the one that keeps trying to say they’re from LA? The one with the longest name in baseball – and I keep expecting to hear that they wanna make it longer. Like the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim which is really in Orange County north of Irvine and south of Brea”. Again with the tangents, sorry. At any rate – Nomar wants to be a Dodger, and I’m glad that he does.
I agree, Dualtone, I agree Dualtone. I’m glad he does also. He deserves to be, considering the things he did this past year for the team. A true Dodger hero. Not altogether unlike Gibby.
Latest I have read about LA adding a power bat is that they are in a heated race with the hated ones (SF) to land Manny Ramirez. I think LA has the upper hand. Now that Wolf is official, is they can re-sign Maddux and sign Schmidt, should Ned trade Penny and a top prospect (LaRoche, Kemp) for Manny?
I’ve become very disappointed with Maddux. He was such a great acquisiton. Wanted to be a Dodger a la Nomar. Now, he wants to gouge the Dodgers. Bor**’s influene??? Is Gagne headed in that direction too? Hometown discount=$8-9 mil/year!
Guess a MILLION dollars isn’t what it use to be!!!
Guess a M
Instead of pursuing Maddux, they should go after Suppan. If they trade Penny, they can have a rotation that looks like this:
Schmidt
Lowe
Suppan
Wolf
Billingsley/Kuo
I don’t think we should take on his $18-$20M contract. Two years left before free agency I think. He is a great hitter, less than average fielder, very self centered, won’t talk to reporters, always wanting out of Boston. No one made him go there other than the big bucks. He would be with a team two years for $38M and then flee in free agency. ESPN mentions Billingsley as possible trade bail along with LaRoche and Kemp. I expect if Manny was more of a team player I would embrace him, but I just don’t think he is worth the trouble or the prospects.
yeah i would love to see manny ramirez finish his career as a dodger and leave a legacy…that would be a world series caliber lineup capable of hitting homers with the mets no doubt….make that happen ned…penny and whoever in the whole farm system for ramirez and were gonna be nasty.
But he is worth 40+ HR’s and 130+ RBI’s.
Pierre CF(0+ HR’s, 100+ Runs)
Furcal SS(15+ HR’s, 100+ Runs)
Nomar 1B(20+ HR’s, 80+ RBI’s)
Ramirez LF40+ HR’s, 130+ RBI’s)
Kent 2B(25+ HR’s, 90+RBI’s)
Betemit 3B(25+ HR’s)
Ethier RF(20+ HR’s)
Martin C(10-15+ HR’s)
Not a bad line up.
how about a line-up that looks like this…..
Pierre
Furcal
Nomar
Manny Ramirez
Kent
etc.
Trade Kemp, Kuo/Bills and some other kids to get this guy. Needs to be done. Needs to be done……….!
PS- Suppan is not great. Neither is Wolf though.
one report I saw earlier was that wolf was to sign a one year contract worth 7.5
million, plus an option year laced with incentives from on how he will do this year. also said he had several offers of more, one a three year deal for 23 million, phillies or cardinals if I remember right. can’t find that rumor right now.
boston is said to want to finish the deal with drew a.s.a.p 4 th year of the ontract is holding up the deal,
and lugo wants to sign with Boston .
for now I hope the dodgers turn efforts to schmidt, would be nice to go to winter meetings with a fairly good ideal of our roster. speaking of rosters, with wolf, our is complete at 40, any more signings would meana release or option of a player, and we won’t be drafting any rule 5 players at the major league level. maybe a player on 60 day diabled list won’t count on 40 man, not exactly sure on winter rosters.
Regarding the fact that a lot of us want players to give a home town discount to play in L.A., baseball is a business and the player’s career is very short. They should not be faulted for trying to do the best they can for their families. I hate to see such inflated salaries. It has lead to turning Dodger Stadium, once a shrine to baseball purity, into a vehicle for mass marketing. Ticket prices for the good seats are now beyond the reach of an average family of four.
So, while the players may seem greedy, it is also true that the teams won’t blink an eye to fire them if they fail to produce up to expectations.
There is more to life than money however especially when the difference is between 11 million and 12.5 million a year. It does not affect your lifestyle and is really only a number in an investment account. If it were me, I would be happier playing for a winner in a great city than a cellar dweller in the hinterlands.
You guys are probably right but I live too close to Boston and hear too much of Manny WHAAAAAmirez to like him wearing Dodger Blue pajamas. Two years, big bucks, lost prospects and he is gone. He doesn’t care about WS. Won one with Boston and then cried to be traded. He cares about Manny. In 81 post season games – Ave. 258, 20 HR, 48 RBI, 43 BB, 72 K’s I’m not sure that is $18-20M a season performance. Were Kevin Brown, Milton Bradley, etc. worth the trouble?
I don’t know about you guys, but LA needs to win NOW. We don’t want to wait another 20 years!!! Sign Schmidt, trade for Manny, do what you have to do Ned!!
Okay, so we sign Schmidt, trade Penny, and what of the kids? With Wolf, I think I’d just like the rotation to go like this:
Schmidt
Lowe
C-Bill
Wolf
Kuo
No matter whether you liked them in that role or not, we do have a lot of depth for starters right now. Tomko and Hendrickson had their problems, but they’d both make for great trade bait in a pitching thin market. I’m not sure about the Suppan idea, I’m not too convinced about his value. If we HAVE to trade away a young pitcher, I’d rather keep… God, I really don’t know which one I’d rather have. Chad was AWESOME once he settled in and Kuo came back strong as a starter. I could see either one of them being HUGE someday. C-Bill really reminds me of a young Roger Clemens. Sure, he doesn’t have quite the velocity but he’s got similar stuff and a similar attitude. Pound the zone, control the fastball, change speeds, kill ’em with the curve. Kuo, however, might might need to go to AAA for a few starts. By the end of last season, he had only started a combined what – twelve professional games? But C-Bill needs to stay in LA!!! Anticipate 180+ K’s and 17+ wins from the kid next season.
I like C-Bills also. I’d trade Penny, LaRoche (LA has Betemit, and he’s still young) and Repko (not needed) to Boston for Ramirez. That’s just me.
Again Benny you are probably right. But, it’s not that simple. Mets picked up Beltran, Delgado, had some great kids, but went down when their pitching did. Big bats don’t win it. Strong arms and team chemistry do. Remember ’88. If we have to give an arm and a leg for a big bat I guess we do, just not Manny WHAAAAAAmirez.(In case you miss it, that is Manny whinning). One positive would be that he would be great fodder for TJ Simers. We have been in baseball wasteland for many years with free agents who didn’t work out. The way out is to use our own, add pieces to them. Every Dodger championship team has been a team built with Dodgers and pieces added.
s.infantino – I hadn’t heard the dollar amount that Maddux (or should I say Boras) was seeking. I was anticipating a two year – $18 million dollar (or so) offer from the Dodgers which, the way things are going, ain’t all that bad – especially when you realize that the Orioles just signed Danys Baez to a three year – $18 million deal – Yikes! From the player’s, agent’s, and team’s points of view, I guess a difference of $4 million ain’t that big of a deal (gawg, I can’t EVEN imagine that!).
It has been published that the Dodgers went after Randy Wolf because they were “…safeguarding against the possible departure of Greg Maddux.” (This does not sound encouraging for us Maddux fans, huh?***** – Another Dodger shirt designated for assignment to the closet!).
And sorry guys, my “source” is several floors removed from the Ivory Tower and (probably) gets his info around the same time that Josh does. (I just happen to be in the middle of an e-mail conversation with him when the Randy Wolf news came in).
And as for you, Harold, you are the consummate instigator (and I’m envious!). LOL
GO DODGERS!
That sounds better Benny but the sound of Manny WHAAAAAAmirez is still ringing in my ears.
You’re right euhlman, but it’s just that it is very frustrating to see that the Dodgers are not one of the powerhouses in the Majors. They should be up there with the Yankees and above the Red Sox. I know NY hasn’t won the WS in a while, and Boston was one and out. But they are consistently in the play-offs. LA needs to be there year in and year out.
53 – I didn’t spend 35 years with junior high kids for nothing. LOL with them and you guys.
I can’t wait till I’m sitting at Dodger Stadium in late October (WS)!!
you people wanna know what builds chemistry??winning…..and that would be one thing we would be doing quite often if we get ramirez…whiner or not the guy is good for 35 homers at least more probably with the weak west pitching and colorado…all i know is judy drew wasnt helping chemistry out.get shmidt get manny and LA is bound for glory.
I with my buddy Harold (again), Manny Ramirez spells trouble. Too much money for a glorified Milton Bradley.
GO DODGERS!
it would be better for us to get ramirez away from san francisco and hitting behind bonds….we cannot let that deal happen imagine a healthy bonds and ramirez theres a lefty righty combo right there.
I hope you are Benny. No, I really hope you are. Actually,I really, really hope you are. You won’t get there with one big bat, in my opinion. You might on an arm like Orel’s in ’88. My guess is that if we mortgage the farm we hijack our future. Big time free agents give you that, one and out because they are out as soon as possible for another big payday, especially if they win the WS. In better news, reported Drew might be signed by Saturday. That would help with the farm system issue.
graffitigenius – I beg to differ. Winning comes with teamwork, chemistry. Chemistry never comes down the other direction. Bad attitudes are still bad attitudes regardless of winning. eg. Manny WAAAAAAAmirez.
hijack schmijack you only have so many opportunitys for our farm system..if they are doing us no good in the immediate future trade them. we live in the most happening city in the country and we cant get a star hitter….boring…i would rather pay darren dreifort 20 million to give ned some more advice with bill mueller, than to pay juan pierre that kinda money FOR 5 YEARS????? he will do no better than repko if he was actually given a chance.
How many championships have we won since the ’88 series and our farm system dried up? Be patient graffitigenius, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but seems like it fell in a day. I understand that was from too many free agents. Gotta go. Great chat. LOL
Not better news at all Harold – In fact this is terrible news. Saturday is December 2nd, which means that we will lose out on Boston’s number one draft pick if Drew doesn’t sign with Boston by December 1st.
I told you guys that Scott Boras wasn’t finished screwing us. Ned pissed him off and now he is going to stick it to us every chance he gets (say, like with Maddux and/or Gagne). This is all part of Boras’ master plan. As I have said a number of times, Scott Boras is single-handedly ruining the great game of baseball.
Oh, by the way, Manny Ramirez is currently seeking the services of a new agent – a fellow by the name of Scott Boras.
GO DODGERS!
and by the way this isnt the 80s anymore you need some kinda pop to get anywhere.your little slap hits are only gonna find a hole so many times….this pitching and defense propaganda that was fed to us after we couldnt get vladdie is bs..yes everyone knows you need pitching but come on. this is a worse modern day cardinals team with vince coleman and willie whatever his name is that couldnt get over the hill of the playoffs worse yet the division series. GET A HITTER!!!!!!!!!
With the bases ldoead you struck us out with that answer!
graffitigenius – If Ramirez is hitting behind Bonds, it will be in Oakland.
I’ve never been accussed of being a complicated man and I’m not going to start now…
PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING.
Does anyone get as nervous as I do thinking of Ramirez and Kent possibly in the same dugout?
you think SF is gonna let him break that record in oakland…the only place for all that money they got is in barry bonds pocket. there is no way billy beane puts up that money. thats not moneyball by any means of the term.
PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING.
Sign Schmidt. Sign Maddux.
If Ned doesn’t trade Penny for Ramirez. LA’s rotation might look like this:
Schmidt
Lowe
Penny
Maddux
Wolf
But I have a feeling Ned picked up Wolf in order to trade a pitcher for a power bat. At least that might be his plan. Let’s see how things pan out. Hopefully, it’s for the best and the Blue are in the play-offs again in ’07!
so when did jeff kent become the clubhouse leader everyone has to go through. i have first hand knowledge by a guy he played with in houston, that points out that all he is interested in is riding dirtbikes on the weekend. jeff kent needs to do what he does best…… nothing at all. the guy has had two run ins with african american players and has been called a no doubt racist..so are you implying that he would automatically get into a fight with Manny?
Manny can like a Domini-can!! Bring Manny to LA!!
“…you think SF is gonna let him break that record in oakland…”
Yes, I do.
Manny will probably cost us more games with his attitude and lack of defense than his bat will win for us.
Say NO!!!! to Manny.
My comment was more tongue and cheek than anything. Wasn’t emplying anything about the Kent I don’t know him personally so would never assume anything about him :). Was just wondering if the Manny/Kent might Bonds/Kent II. I was speaking more to the chemistry issue that, I believe euhlman was speaking of earlier.
Go Dodgers!!!
Mailbag has some tasty tid-bits today. I think Gurick got the hint. Ray is gonna be seriously bummed if LaRoche gets traded.
i dont think that we need manny, we just need some kind of power bat…..and there are very few out there.This all means nothing without schmidt though.
I believe a great bat would be wonderful in the line up, but at what costs? Future stars? Team chemistry? We keep bringing up the ’88 Dodgers, but I’ll go one further. We’ve never won by way of the bat…never. Pitching as always brought us glory. Pitching and defense. ’81 might be the exception — someone please correct me if I’m wrong. Sign Schmidt and hopefully and healthy Gagne and let’s get on with the season.
Go Dodgers!!!
Agreed graffitigenius.
and don’t forget Sammy Saito. LA definitely need him!
But if you look at our pitching right now we are pretty deep.is Aaron Sele a free agent or is he under contract. I wanna know who ned is higher on getting Schmidt or Igawa?? Igawa would mean three leftys with Wolf and Kuo four with Mark Hendrickson…. who i think is better than what he was showing out there.
It’s pretty deep but we only had 1 complete game last year and could hardly get out of the 5th inning.
Sele is Free.
If you look at alot of the “great bats” that are (supposedly) available by trade this year they’re all kind of clubhouse loners. Good guys, but not loud-spoken. A-Rod, Manny, and Wells are the first three that come to mind. All three of these guys have a lot to teach to players but their attitude is “if you come to me, then I’ll show you.” Same with Kent. As for the “Jeff Kent is racist” thought, I have this to say: Jeff Kent was never actually accused of making a racist comment toward anyone. There were allegations from two former teammates (both African-American) that he was racist based on the fact that he had gotten into arguments with both of them over their playing style. Now, we all know that Milton Bradley was a slouch. Unless it was something that was gonna help him personally, he didn’t do it. That’s what that argument was about; Jeff felt like Bradley wasn’t putting out the necessary amount effort. Same with Bonds; all he cares about is his HR total. Plus, we all know he was hopped up on ‘roids when he got in an altercation with Jeff Kent. He wasn’t putting out the effort. Jeff Kent just wants to win baseball games – he doesn’t jog, he runs, he plays hard. That’s a different kind of clubhouse leadership, I think. Teach by example, not by talking too much. Just my thoughts…
So, how about we trade Penny/LaRoche for A-Rod? That’ll solve the hot corner problem. It’s mutually beneficial – they need pitching, we need hitting…
What about trading Penny and Repko to Toronto for Vernon Wells?
1) Manny Ramirez is under contract for 2-4 more years, since he as a $20 million option for each of 2009 and 2010. As for what he does, he has subpar defense, but a career .400+ OBP and .600 slugging, and he’s good for 35 homers a year with that. In this market, he’s actually worth that. As a result, the trade market for him will look so tough, you’d have to offer probably Penny, Kemp, and have some other throw-in catch, or possibly have to eat Matt Clement’s contract since he’s coming off a terrible year.
2) If you want to talk about personal concerns with Ramirez, he’s going to be in familiar surroundings, with Grady, Nomar, and D-Lowe on the team too.
3) When it comes to trading pitching for hitting, though, I think of three cheaper options in terms of personnel:
Adam Dunn
Pat Burrell
Marcus Thames
Neither would require a particularly high price, but each has their downside. None of these three is particularly good defensively (although Burrell could pass as average). Dunn has a poor average, but walks a lot and hits for excellent power. Thames is a poor man’s version of Dunn without as many walks. As for Burrell, he’s JD Drew with more power, slightly lower OBP, and a bit worse on D. Thames would probably take Beimel, Burrell and Dunn would take Penny. Tomko and Hendrickson are always available as throw-ins.
4) With the market as it is, I’m going to suggest that Barry Zito gets something ridiculous, possibly 6 yrs, $120 million. I’d rather get Schmidt, since he could be signed at a short term deal. The Dodgers would have someone ready for the rotation by then.
5) Once again, I’ll say that LA needs to get an offer out there to Gagne and/or Saito. Good as Broxton and Brazoban are, if you can let one of them be the 7th inning guy (probably Brazoban), then you’ll have a solid pen.
i like the manny point patriot act and as crazy as he is I think it could possibly be a good fit put him in right field. Also Brazoban is going to be healthy for spring training I heard??Thats a power arm right there if hes back. I really like Kuo though I think he could win 15 to 20 games if hes healthy with that fastball slider and change hes got.
Without Saito, the bullpen looks like this:
Broxton (CL)
Brazoban (setup)
Beimel (7th)
Hendrickson (middle relief, long relief, potential LOOGY)
Tomko (1 inning middle relief)
Dessens (long man)
With Saito:
Saito (CL)
Broxton (8th)
Brazoban (7th)
Beimel (middle relief)
Hendrickson (long relief, middle relief, LOOGY)
Tomko (1 inning middle relief)
Dessens (long man)
and you could then be free to trade a reliever that’s not Broxton. If you trade Broxton, at a minimum it should be straight up for Manny Ramirez.
i don’t want the kids traded. i want to see them given a shot whether full time or in a platoon role (read: laroche/betemit, any combo of OFs incl ethier/loney/etc).
if the ONLY way to see both those things happen, then i will not object to seeing bonds in blue for one season. how is that so much worse than trading a couple of blue chip prospects AND paying 20mill for a guy like WHAAAAMIREZ?
If we need to pay $20M for each of 4 years as last two are team option, I guess we have to. The mailbag indicates how successful we have been with big buck guys . In the last ten years the Dodgers have paid $826M in guaranteed free agent contracts and extensions which have computed to one post season victory. Manny is not a free agent but so very costly. I don’t think we are one player away from the big one and Manny’s contract prevents us from adding other pieces. With him and Schmidt or Maddux on board we would have tied up about $70M on 8 guys. I guess that’s OK but seems to cut down on flexibility with acquiring players and we can be guaranteed that at least one will go down with an injury, probably lengthy. I like Pats suggestions of less expensive guys who will hit almost as many homers as Manny without whinning, although those three might not be the ones to select from. Pats we don’t want to eat Clement’s contract. We are already eating part of Odalis Perez’s. The pitching, defense thing is what brought our world series victories. Even in 1955 Johnny Podres was the hero, not the big bats. Anyway, I guess it will all come out in the wash. Yes 53 I was unfortunately looking at the wrong week.
Loogy? That’s a new one on me, though I must confess I’m not a stat-head. What does it mean besides a particularly nasty version of spit?
LOOGY’s an acronym for
Left Handed One Out GuY.
except the H is lower case
Left-handed One Out GuY
that’s better
Manny will be 35 next May 30 so will be 38 starting his fourth season if a team exercises its option in 2009 and 2010. Red Sox making waves about Loney again and Broxton. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
euhlman, I completely agree. Dodgers need to cultivate (spelling) pitching. Grow it, sign it…whatever. Again, pitching has won us WS’s NOT the long ball. Nice words euhlman.
Go Dodgers!!!
Dodgers have won six WS championships. MVP five times have been pitchers. I agree lohmeyet – no matter how well you can hit, you can’t win if the other guy pitches better. Sign up pitchers Ned. Go Dodgers!!
Hey 51 and 52 – Cover me. I’m headed down to Costa Rica for a week of tarpon fishing. Keep the fence around the farm!
GO DODGERS!
PS: Hey Ned – Sign Maddux and Saito and be done with it!
PPS: Hey Josh – How about a new post? It’s a beech scrolling down this far!
GO DODGERS!
au1Xdl Kudos! What a neat way of thinking about it.
5Cie2F getsltbzngng
53, Can’t wait to hear about those fishing stories. Safe travels.
Go Dodgers!!!
Have to agree with Harold and others here who think Manny Ramirez is a bad idea… it is. He is a defensive liability and a selfish player, and certainly not the kind of character one wants in a clubhouse where the “TEAM” concept is being nurtured. Man-Ram is a great hitter, but at what expense? And to lose so much talent in the process? It spells trouble and I can’t see how his attitude will change in a different uniform.
183 Comments on November 27. Now that’s dedication. We should all get some ******* baselines seats for our devotion to this team.
I’m with kirby! Josh, I’ll take my seats on any night game where we play the D-Backs. I drove all the way to LA for last home series (862 miles) and saw them play 3 in AZ last year. We had a losing record in games that I went to, so I’d like to watch the boys in blue get back at those sedona-red-and-desert-sand-with-black-accents wearing pansies!!!! I believe I make 184
Man, I don’t often get to post this often. Read this every day, and love our kids,
this group of kids is very rare, a large group that can be solid major leaguers. as I posted before, we will proable trade a couple this winter,does not mean I won’t miss them. I can not see getting Manny, too much money,
bad defense, only out for Manny, remembering him not playing in a weekend seris against the Yankees, just reading articles about him really makes me not want him on our team, even worse to trade billingsley,loney, kemp, or laroche. laroche will be a very good third baseman, protect the future.
think we will make a trade for a power hitter (dunn?)
wells might be a very costly one year rental
pitching defense, timely hitting, and players being a team, wins games, not ego’s
and me first attidudes.
would like maddux, and schmidt signed quickly, before winter meetings so we can make a trade, without first tier prospects.