A long day
It’s been a long day but a fruitful one by all accounts. While I don’t exactly have a ton of details to share with everyone, I can tell you guys that we’re on the verge of signing Luis Gonzalez and hopefully there will be news on him and Jason Schmidt tomorrow. So far, this team is loaded with pitching, a pretty solid offense and Ned has yet to trade a single one of the kids, which is hard to fathom.
I hope you’re all as happy as I am…it’s been a long day, but a very good one for Dodger fans everywhere.
Inside the Dodgers 
Keeping the kids around is something special, and it appears that Ned is really some kind of magician.
Now if he really wants to pull a rabbit out of his hat, how about Ned figuring a way for Eric Gagne to sign? Or is it that the club doesn’t want to commit the closers role to him at this point? I read somewhere that this point is something Eric wants guaranteed more than the money, which might explain why he turned down the 4 million with incentives to 10 million.
So far, so good… I love what Ned has done to this point and we really do have a good core team heading into… shoot! …it’s not even 2007 yet!! lol…
Go Ned!!
Go Dodgers!!
Let me reiterate by simply stating the obvious…
Ned… YOU’RE A GENIUS!!
Gonzo will be a great addition for a year… just enough time for Matt Kemp to get his head on straight.
I love Gagne as much as any other Dodger fan, but I think everyone just needs to let him go. He’s severely damaged goods and I don’t want to see this team stuck with another big guaranteed contract with the guy, just to see him sit out the whole season. He was great for us in his prime without a doubt. But those days are done. He may never be that same guy again. Kiss him goodbye. We’re moving on.
i dont know about you guys, but i think our outfield is suspect, BUT we kept our kids… i like the team, i hope the next 4 months go by fast, i’m ready to go!
BELIEVE IN BLUE!
thank you ned, what a great off seson, we can will it all next year, great starting 5 with schmidt, lowe, penny(minus 20 lbs) wolf, and bills
look at this bullpen, saito, broxton, brazoban tomko, from the right, hu, beimel hendrickon from the left. stults another lefty and hamulack, and houlton as extra.s in case of a trade.
toby hall can be traded or released.
a lineup of pierre(l) martin(r),fural(s) kent(r), normar(r) gonzo(l) betemit(s) and either(l)
bench with saenz, martinez, anderso repko, and Loney(1b and of) great look to me, and we still have our prospects
I am happy can see some minor tweaking, but that could only even make us better. great job
Outfield is a bit suspect but with Repko filling in the later innings and Kemp getting at bats in AAA waiting to come up, I think we’ll make do. Plus with Werth, Loney and LaRoche getting some spring training games in the outfield I think we’ll be safe. 162 games, I say Gonzo starts about 120, 130 at most (similiar role Lofton had), allows the kids to ease in. Had Ethier been brought up a month later, I wonder if he wouldn’t have tired out by September like he did.
Great Job Ned in keeping the kids!!! Now lets trade the excess bulk for some pitching prospects or draft picks for Logan White to turn into more diamonds!
It’s official, Luis Gonzalez has signed for one year, $7 million. It’s a good one year signing, he had 62 doubles, 73 RBI, 15 HRs.
The Dodgers have to be the front runner to win the NL West. What have the other teams in the division done? Maddux to SD, SF gets Roberts, Aurilia, Molina, AZ gets Davis, CO gets, uh, no one.
1) It’s nice that he’s not trading any of the prospects, but is he going to give Little a chance to play them? Grady will play the vets over them unless they’re dying; he plays the kids essentially if there is nobody available who plays everyday – like how he went with Nomar over Loney down the stretch, or if whoever is available hits under .240 (like Jose Cruz).
2) Gonzalez is a terrible signing. There, I said it. We can’t trade him or Pierre until at least June or so, so the only thing you can do now in the other outfield spot is trade or bench Ethier, or just face that we won’t have a power hitter. James Loney could easily equal his performance in the other outfield spot, at least with regards to OPS. All that’s left for Loney to do is start developing some home run power. The Dodgers best chance may be that Stan Conte cannot keep the aging veterans healthy.
3) As far as the pitching, this is an interesting puzzle. We have Brett Tomko, Mark Hendrickson, Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Jason Schmidt, Hong-Chih Kuo, Chad Billingsley, Randy Wolf, Eric Stults, and DJ Houlton as potential starting pitching candidates. What if we don’t trade any of them?
Here’s my idea:
(Rotation)
Schmidt
Lowe
Penny
Wolf
Kuo
(Bullpen)
Tomko
Hendrickson
Billingsley
(Vegas)
Stults
Houlton
I like Billingsley in pressure, so I put him as a 7th inning guy and jam reliever. At the deadline, then, we can trade one of the starters to put Billingsley back in the rotation, and trade either Gonzo or Pierre while we’re at it, maybe both, and get a power hitter and let some of the younger players take over.
4) I would like to retain Gagne, but it looks like Boras is going to try to talk him out of it. Eric, fire Scott Boras. Please.
5) Here’s the lineup I see now:
Pierre
Furcal
Nomar
Kent
Gonzo
Martin
Ethier
Betemit
If Loney isn’t getting playing time, then send him to Vegas and have him work on bulking up to become a home run hitter (but moderately so he can still play defense), while Kemp should be able to write the book on the strike zone.
2007 should be annoying.
Go Dodgers in 2008!
gnorm – the rotation has settled in much more nicely. There is less uncertainty – only Wolf, and Billingsley will likely be the guy to come in to pick up for him. Kuo will be awesome, but have starts skipped because he’s going to pitch more professional innings this coming year than his entire career combined.
After calming down at hearing of Gonzo, I’m guessing the offense on the net will probably actually be about even. We have to remember that it took a while to set the offense; Mueller, Navarro, Cruz came and went. While Gonzo and Pierre are a downgrade from Drew and Lofton, they’ll net for the 2006 offense at least, and I would guess that Kent picks up some more power, given his desire to get in shape for the coming season. We have Anderson on the bench, Lieberthal to back up Martin. I think Martin will improve a bit, as will Betemit. Ethier could do anything next year, although I think that we can expect something from .800-875 OPS and 10-19 HR. There’s still decent balance in the lineup, though.
As for the rest of the division,
* the Giants still refuse to rebuild, but won’t be good either, so they’ll just be flat out awful, not quite New York Knicks awful, but definitely basement-level.
* The Rockies have some decent players, and their pitching wasn’t bad, so I can see them playing .500 ball. That they have not done much this offseason will not hurt.
* Arizona has some good younger players, notably Stephen Drew, but other than Webb who’s pitching for them? Their best bet is to nauseate their opponents with their new uniforms, although the red snakes remind me more of Satan for some reason.
* The Padres will lose Piazza, but Bard is a good offensive catcher. Adrian Gonzalez is good, and Peavy’s gonna win more than 8 games next year. Maddux will be a bit better than Woody Williams, but Trevor Hoffman will probably bounce his 24mph fastball in the dirt. I think they’ll win about 88 or so again.
Predicted Standings:
Dodgers
Padres
Rockies
D-backs
Giants
I’d love to have the Luis Gonzalez of a few years ago. NOT the one pushing 40 who hits only 15 HR.
While the Schmidt signing is a good one, the Gonzo signing is about as wrong-headed as possible, especially with the LA Times reporting that Uncle Ned has assured Gonzo that he will be the starting left-fielder. Ned, is your toupee on too tight?
Somebody tell me that there is no way that Loney/Kemp/spare parts won’t be able to put up 15 HR, 73 RBI’s and a .271 batting average? This is a stupid, stupid, unnecessary signing that will block another talented young player for another year, unless we trade a Penny/Ethier or Loney package for a LEGIT power-hitting right fielder.
I was willing to forgive the long term contract to Juan Pierre on the condition that we also get somebody to knock him in (and several years under 40 so at least one of our “power hitters” could stay healthy), but Ned, you blew it on this one buddy.
I just read the LA Times article and have completely changed my tune on Gagne…I guess the great satan Boras got to Eric afterall…If its true that the Dodgers offered him 4mill guaranteed with incentives to push that to 10MILLION? and he turned it down, then he can go…guess his true colors went from Dodger Blue to Boras Green. its sad. I could understand if he gets some ridiculous deal like 10 million guranteed, but the Dodger offer is said to be one million less than hes going to get elsewhere…wow. Adios you injury prone Boras slave
Wow is right. Ned’s offer to Gagne more than fair, much better than I ever expected. If Eric’s choice is based on a guarantee to close then he could prove that by signing with someone else at the offer Ned made to him. Sorry to lose Eric but Ned gave him a great chance to remain a Dodger. The article in the Times mentions that Gonzo’s signing means Ned can more comfortably trade Kemp, Loney, LaRoche, Ethier. Guess we will never get out of that sort of talk. I knowone will have to go but hope it is in a trade for a still young player. Ned apparently offered Gonzo a two year deal but Gonzo chose one. Thank heavens. One will get us closer to the youngsters playing.
It baffles me how Ned can be so high on Kemp, who never played AAA ball and who looked TERRIBLE after that first month he had in LA, yet continues to block Loney who in my mind proved is MLB ready right NOW. And I just know Gonzo is going to be a big mistake. I watched him last year and he is a shell of his former self.
Kemp is one of the best OF prospects in baseball. Spend a little time looking over baseball America, or looking at minor league A, AA, AAA #s. He is a mega stud. He was, however, probably rushed up last year to the bigs (skipping AA, AAA basically) His isn’t ready. Still remains to be seen if he can learn to lay off the outside breaking stuff…. but if he can- oh boy!
Hate this Gonzo- another mediocre OF blocking prospects… yuk.
Hello? Doesn’t anyone here remember the rate at which Matt Kemp was depositing baseballs into the left field pavillion when he first came up? Yes the opposition found his weakness, however the kid is still a baby by baseball standards, and hopefully he’s smart enough to make the necessary adjustments at the plate… i.e… good coaching.
So, I’m thinking about this and trying to figure out the logistics in my head. What’s our batting order gonna look like? Since Little seems to like the idea of Furcal in the 3 spot and we want to alternate L/R a little bit, here’s my idea:
Pierre – L
Nomar – R
Furcal – S
Kent – R
Gonzo – L
Betemit – S
Ethier – L
Martin – R
Pitcher
Nomar’s High OBP is good to back up JP, and we still get Kent’s power at cleanup. Gonzo’s there to slap doubles behind Kent and we still have the alternating sides of the plate thing happening. I think Grady may be on to something with the Furcal thing. He just may hit 20-25 HR batting there w/ 100+ RBI. I like the Gonzo deal, I don’t care what you guys say(to be said in the voice of a spoiled 5-year old boy). With real hitters in front of him and all those doubles, he would have had 110 RBI last year. But, he had Eric Byrnes, Orlando Hudson, and Chad Tracy hitting in front of him. Oh, and sometimes Shawn Green or Conor Jackson. The top of the D-backs lineup was not exactly stacked with effective leadoff guys. I watched him play a few times in Phoenix and I really like his game. There’s no denying that he plays every fly ball with heart and runs out every ball in play as best he can.
dualtone – Betemit is for all practical purposes a left-handed hitter
pearljam – Ned is blocking both of them anyway
Nomar in the two slot? Not going to happen… he’s lost a step or two these days.
Pierre
Martin
Furcal
Kent
Nomar
Gonzo
Ethier
Betemit
if we dont trade ethier or whoever for legit power like the times reported the gonzalez signing would definitely rank up there in all time stupid free agent signings…i agree with whoever stated that loney would have no problem putting up gonzo’s old deflated numbers. does anyone remember that 9 rbi game loney had???? if that doesnt say im ready for the big leagues than i dont know what does. NO TRADE FOR POWER=DUMB MOVE.
sometimes you wonder if there are powers at be stopping ned….in all fairness with our pitching depth….you mean to tell me ned couldnt have made a deal for freddy garcia happen too?? the white sox got gavin floyd who is only 24 but not too great, and a minor league lefty??if hes stockpiling for a trade that would have improved our rotation and gave us even more opportunity to trade a penny or a kuo.??? dodgers should be competing for the NL pennant every year with our assets.
Signing Eric Gagne is a must for a number of reasons.
1. From published reports what he wants is very close to what the Dodgers offered.
2. He is the most popular player that the Dodgers have had in years. He brings people into the park and they stay longer. Historically, the only other players who did this were Koufax and Valenzuela. That’s an added bonus to the Dodger’s front office which should be factored in when negotiating the contract.
3. The Dodgers must prevent him from going to another club in their division and since both sides are so close in terms of a contract, signing him is imperative.
4. Coletti has done a great job this off-season, but losing Gagne should not be because he doesn’t like his agent.
Graffiti… are you a genius? Remember that we still have 10 weeks before pitchers and catchers report and the start of the season, last I checked, was still in April. Point is there’s still a long time to go before the first pitch is thrown.
I don’t think that Ned is finished yet. But one thing I do know, from what we’ve seen from him during the past year, is that Ned is going to give Grady Little as many pieces of the puzzle as he needs to make certain we’re not hurting for players come August.
Also, who’s been in the Diamondbacks lineup to help protect Gonzo? Nobody. And now with the Dodgers, he has some class hitters batting around him with the likes of Kent and Nomar… heck, we have some solid hitting as it is. Gonzo will get some pretty fat pitches to hit.
Chicks did the long ball this is true, but how many World Series teams actually led the leauge in home runs? We’re solid and only going to get better by the start of the season.
i do know chicks dont dig 40 year old outfielders with steadily dropping numbers that is blocking one of the best MLB ready offensive prospects the dodgers have had since konerko….i just said at this point unless someone is shipped and the lineup is set as is with no position for loney to play is a stupid move…he doesnt need to go back to vegas again and work on anything. thats not beneficial to the dodgers or james loney.
and him being on the bench is worse.
After the signing of Gonzo, I believe all signs point to Seattle. Seattle is not going to trade without getting a bat back, but they want pitching badly.
So…it is going to be Betemit, Penny for
Beltre and a minor leaguer.
We might throw in Hendrickson or Tomko for the heck of it.
This deal would make the most sense with the current roster. It would up grade third base.
If not Beltre…its Sexson and Nomar moves to third base. This might be better for the long run, with LaRoche taking over in two years at third.
Any thoughts…
I really doubt Beltre will come back & were Dogdger blue but i’ve seen crazier things.
I hope we don’t trade Ethier. I had a jersey made with his name on it. Oh man!!!!
Hey.
Does anyone remember last year if after the Holiday Pack tickets went on sale did they offer the same packages with different dates? I am reluctant to buy one because it says “seats to be determined”/. I don’t want to be in the back row unless I know it ahead of time.
Isn’t anyone concerned that the Dodgers are turning into the Giants? Old and overpaid. Great, Ned isn’t trading any prospects. Instead, they’re just stuck in the minors blocked by retreads and has-beens like Gonzalez and Pierre and Garciaparra and Lieberthal. Give the kids a shot!
a dodger official quoted as saying ” we are not going to take that tour twice ” referring to beltre…why would we? the sexson move doesnt make sense either moving nomar to third. I think Toronto might bite on Wells with all the pitchers they were targeting signing eleswhere.( meche, lilly ). that would be a spectacular deal that would erase the memory of Judy Drew from dodger fans minds for eternity.
Alright, kss and pats, you’re both probably right. Nomar has lost a step and Betemit is basically a LH-hitter. But we have so many stinking LH-hitters now! It’s impossible to really alternate them. Unless Betemit learns to really hit from the right side, we can’t do it. We’re gonna have the same problem that the Mets did last year. A LH-heavy lineup isn’t often a good thing.
Sexson’s not gonna come to LA, at least I hope not. Dude’s a DH that tries to pass as a first baseman. Plus, I’ve never been fond of power hitters with a batting avg. under .275. All that says to me is that if he hits the ball really hard he can do something with it. If that’s what we’re looking for, sign me to play 1b. I can hit the ball a mile, I just don’t hit it often:-). Maybe Beltre would come back, but I doubt it. Besides, he’s not the power guy that he used to be. The last two years he’s looked like he was finally getting his swing back at the end of the season, then the next one starts and… nothing! The guy hit 9 HR in the first 4 months of the season. If we’re looking for a power bat so badly, we should get one that’s a little bit more consistent.
I think graffiti’s right. Ricciardi loves Penny, he didn’t get any pitchers off the FA market, and Wells has stated that he doesn’t want to re-sign with Toronto next year. Did they sign Zaun to be the starting catcher or the backup? Maybe they’d take Toby Hall too. Then we send Penny/Ethier/Hall and get the big bat we’ve all been craving.
khgates you must be reading my mind. With the signing of Gonzo I don’t see Ned trading for another OF. That can only leave 3B as the logical answer and if that’s the case then Beltre would be the target Ned must be going for. Sexton could be an alternative but that requires a lot of moving people around. I don’t really think Ned wants to move Nomar off 1B.
Let me say that I like the Gonzo signing. It’s one year and this guy knows how to hit !!! This guy has a lot to prove and he’s in great shape. Good role of the dice Ned, especially nice that it doesn’t cost us one of our kids !!
Ned, I only ask that you not give up on Gagne. He’s still available and could have a change of heart. Don’t let Boras keep him away !!
I guess we’ll know more by the close of business today !!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
whatever you do ned do it big…no mediocrity. Brad Penny right now coming off sixteen wins and a low 4 era has very high value, and is not making that much money. i like our chances i think neds got one or two more deals coming and then hes going on vacation with the pieces set.
No doubt that Beltre’s defense is coveted, but how else can one explain the severe power loss without thinking that it also coincided with the league’s steroid policy being inforced? Beltre off of steroids… can he still hit? The numbers say emphatically… NO!
enforced that is…
Beltre wasn’t the only one juicing. There’s a long list of other hitters (Gonzo included) and a longer list of picthers. Let’s not that make the decision for us. Beltre is not the power hitter we’re looking for. Betimit will be fine, maybe LaRoche will get some playing time with him at 3rd. Trade Penny, Hall and a rook to get 35 HRs.
back off gonzo haters.
sure, loney/anderson/kemp/whoever would get more than 15 homers, more RBI, maybe more dbls, but gonzo has the off the field intangibles. nomar was a great one year signing for the same reason EVEN IF HE DIDN’T PERFORM LIKE HE DID.
Gonzo, like leberthal, is great for yongsters. ethier, kemp, loney, and martin are key for the dodgers future. these two signings are only helping them long term.
Besides the fact that Gonzo is 40 and won’t play every day…enter the aforementioned youngsters.
Off-the-field intangibles don’t get you to the World Series.
shmolnick, I don’t agree with you, the intangibles are just as important. A WS is not accomplished by individuals !! You get there as a team and a team has to have chemistry and all of those intangibles must come together to be a team. !!!
That’s one reason why Beltre might not work, becasue he wasn’t a team player before !! It’s the same reason Penny is expendable today, he only thinks of himself !! Gonzo has the team player approach. I like what we have today. Unless a great deal comes up I say go with what we have ( Except I still want Gagne !! )
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
shmolnick, I don’t agree with you, the intangibles are just as important. A WS is not accomplished by individuals !! You get there as a team and a team has to have chemistry and all of those intangibles must come together to be a team. !!!
That’s the reason why Beltre might not work, because he wasn’t a team player before !! It’s why Penny is expendable today, he only thinks of himself. I like how we setup today and unless some great deal comes along I say go with what we have ( Except I still want Gagne ).
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
so what are you guys saying?? its already conceded that gonzo was juicing and his numbers dropped considerably, but are you guys saying just his attitude and outlook will make us better? thats good for the young players to a certain extent. but then you have to put the numbers up with your 40 year old vet credibility. if that veteran argument held any water the giants wouldnt be as horrible as they are. we need a solid every day guy or we need to trade what we dont have plans for if they are ready and dont have a place to showcase their skills. they arent gonna have this value forever.
dealing prospects is somewhat of a **** shoot. all i know is i am going to dread the day Joel Guzman is hitting 40 homers for another team . anyone smell konerko on that move.
what the **** dodgers? luis gonzalez? LUIS GONZALEZ? why? why? why? we should see if kirk gibson wants to play again? isnt this the same **** that kept the giants from ever winning? lets sign all the old people we can. who cares if we have a buttload of prospects if they just sit on the bench. what are you doing colletti? we dont need anymore stopgaps till the youngsters are ready. you have the minor league batting champion stuck behind mr. injury nomar, and grandpa gonzalez. i am sooo disappointed.
Chill everyone! Gonzo is a positive influence and only gets in the way by performing. If he doesn’t perform, he sits. Liberthal provides much better back-up than Hall. Schmidt makes another starter available to land Wells if we throw in someone who Wells will displace. Other than some of Ned’s deals with Tampa Bay, everything he did seems to have improved the team, and the last few days’ activity leaves me feeling really good about 2007!
Go Dodgers
Go Ned
Bring back the Poncho
Bring back Gagne
graffiti, I highly doubt that the Gonzo acquisition is the worst signing ever…after all, it is for one year. And in the current market, $7 million is not outrageous.
Here’s how it will go. Gonzo will start the season as the left fielder. If he’s as bad as you haters are claiming, he will get traded (just like Cruz got benched last year) and one of the kids will get a shot at an everyday role. If he’s as good as the lovers say, he will still probably only play 130 games over a full season; and if he’s that good, he makes for trade bait in July to compensate for a likely hole due to injury, and likewise opens up a hole for whichever kid is playing best.
This isn’t the best acquisition in the world. But paired with his experience and his intangibles, this is FAR from the worst deal ever (Dreifort? You forget him?).
I’m getting more and more excited about this team, and in another year, there will be more room for the kids (Kent’s departure shifts Nomar to 2b and makes room for Loney, Gonzo’s 1-year contract ends, 3b may still be up for grabs).
Let’s see about the Gagne signing and see about a monster bat trade before we throw in the towel on what is already looking to be a good ’07.
if he doesnt perform he will get traded?? no one is going to take on a 40 year old 7 million dollar coach on the roster.lets be real he should have stayed in the booth and just kept announcing. ned coletti would look like the best gm of all time if he didnt make those disgusting pathetic trades he made with Tampa. Imagine the tampa gm’s face when he heard those proposals. right when you like a prospect….bam he gets traded, so after the guzman trade, I have no faith in ever seeing Matt Kemp hitting homers like he did for those awesome 2 weeks he was here…. and just because ned had a hunch on an athlete with tools, he dealt him for nothing basically. lots of players with great upside never made it for one simple reason…they couldnt hit anything but a fastball. so lets not get to hyped on our so called stud prospects. karim garcia was a mega stud remember!! where is he??
And Guzman did what exactly when he came up? O-fer how many?
.211 in 20 ABs.
All this whinning is making me sick. A bunch of whinners! I read this thing too much…. the whinning is bigging to seriously bug me. If you have an argument to make…let’s see some stats. Otherwise….enough with the whinning.
Bugging me some much I can’t spell “beginning.”
Hey Harold, I think we should start the “Let’s get Bonds Deal Again ” !!!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
the stats are chuck tiffany and joel guzman for danys baez and lance carter.
two top prospects for them??
that was my argument. its not about calling other people whiners, its about posting something respectful on here and we are all in the same boat so leave that tough talk somewhere else. we all want to see the dodgers win every single game they play. I was and still am frustrated at that move…but oh well its history and hopefully he can write some new history to erase Judy Drew and those horrible trades from my mind.
Watch out, Gary’s trying to start a fight again! đŸ™‚
First off, 20 AB’s is no way to judge any player. Guzman didn’t show anything off when he was up this year, Kemp did at first but then he flopped. On the trade topic, what everyone needs to know is that finding a balance between potential talent and proven talent is both extremely difficult and absolutely necessary. The WS teams are usually comprised of home-grown talent AND established veterans. Let me reiterate – potential and proven talent are two completely different things. Sometimes we have to trade a little potential to get proven. Many times, these “top 25 prospects” don’t actually pan out (see todd hollandsworth & raul mondesi). Chris Shelton was supposed to be huge this year, so was Oliver Perez, but they didn’t do much. Dan Uggla was weak enough to be picked up in the Rule 5 draft, then he made a run at ROTY. Andre Ethier’s best Minor League AVG was somewhere around .280. See where I’m going with this?
Regardless of what happens, I can’t wait for the ’07 season to start! I know that Ned has the best of intentions, and I just hope that he protects what he can while getting us upgrades. Personally, I think that Penny/Kemp/?? for Wells sounds like a great deal if we get an extension. Wells=proven, Kemp=potential.
graffiti – joel guzman didn’t go in the carter/baez deal. He went in the Lugo deal. Chuck Tiffany and Edwin Jackson went for Baez/Carter. Oh, and you can complain about how Lugo played in LA as much as you want, but he played better for us than guzman did.
Hi Gary:
Maybe we should on compassionate grounds. Barry has no job. Maybe a one year deal with Roger Clemens. nkirby – we all have our own opinions of what should happen. I for one love the prospects but I think Gonzo can help us get to them and to play-offs. I guess whinning is part of the whole thing. My goodness some folks were willing to fully embrace it with WHAAAAAAAmirez and he’d be paid $18M to do it. We whine free of charge. I do think we are positioned for ma good season. That is always conditional on staying healthy. I also think everything is not done yet. Like Gary I really would like Gagne to sign. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
im sorry i was mistaken. that move doesnt look as bad as i thought i forgot about jackson thats how high i was on him and his one good outing. of course lugo played better than Guzman..the guy got 20 ab’s what did you want him to hit 5 homers in that span? he didnt get a chance just like konerko and he turned out to be pretty good.
I would of liked the Gonzo deal a lot better if he was a backup rather than a starter. The Dodgers are still short a power bat and i know there are talks about the dodgers going after Vernon Wells, but why? Why not get someone younger such as Adam LaRoache, or Miguel Cabrera? With all the pitching you could easily trade any of the following Penny, Tomko, Hendrickson, Dessens, and Hall. If the Dodgers really wanted to they could even go after Mark Mulder or Jeff Suppan to take Penny’s place. If the Dodgers were to get Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins, you could even add Betemidt in the deal as well, but that would be a boost for the offense and the outfield would still reamain how it is. With Larouche the Dodgers could move Nomar to 3rd base, and you would have the young Adam someday playin with his younger brother on the corner infield positions. If the Dodgers are able to get a young power hitter, such as these too then the Gonzo deal would make more sense, he would be at the bottom of the lineup more of an rbi guy rather than a homerun hitter, like Russel Martin last year.
Please comment about this I would like to see what others think.
The Dodgers have had an extremely memorable winter. JD Drew, the inconsistent team killer is gone and replaced by Gonzo, someone who we’ve seen turn an entire organization around. Not with just his play but with his attitude. He’s as solid a player as JD will ever be. Great switch. Thanks Scott Boras.
A rasberry goes out to Eric Gagne for not taking the hometown discount, like he was saying he would do a month ago, and turing into another money driven Boras player. I guess he’s forgotten that he’s been primarily an underachiever for us. Yes, he had the greatest two years of any closer ever but then he’s not helping the team for two years of injuries. Eric show some class and take a one year offer for a million and tell Scott Boras to **** off.
It’s great to see two players Wolf and Lieberthal come play for the Dodgers in the hometown instead of taking more money elsewhere. That’s rarity.
We replaced Maddux for Schmidt.That’s a great switch. We replaced Kenny Lofton for Pierre. Another great switch.
Nomah’ is going to be back, that’s a nice save to keep him on the team.
AAnd we still have all the ‘kids’ of the future.
Now, if the Red Sox would just trade us Ramirez for Penny. That won’t happen.
No biggie, the last World Series the Dodgers won we didn’t have any big time home run or power hitters. Even Kirk wasn’t a power hitter. On that team Mike Marshall was the power hitter and he got hurt early.
Defense, Pitching and timely hitting wins championships.
This team is better than last years team. And we didn’t have to sell the future to get better.
Colletti is THE MAN! Now we know why the Giants were so good for that recent stretch.
Our turn.
graffiti, you can’t have it both ways in the prospect argument…first you say it’s an awful move to trade Joel Guzman, then in the same post you remind us not to get “too hyped on our so-called stud prospects” and you suggest elsewhere that we need to trade prospects while their value is high.
You’re right, I didn’t mean to say that Gonzo would get traded so much as he would be benched/released if he underperforms. It’s a $7 million gamble, but if he works out okay, he’s still trade bait. We can eat part of his salary to open up a spot on the field for a prospect who is having a good season.
Hey Harold… don’t forget about me! I’m one of Gagne’s biggest supporters too!
So let me condense this in a nutshell Mr. Graffiti… you’re plain upset that the Dodgers got rid of Joel Guzman? Right? Well… perhaps the Dodgers were right. What did Guzman do for the Devil Rays AFTER he left? I’ll tell you what he did: he went to the Rays AAA affiliate, the Durham Bulls, and somehow managed to hit .192 in 88 at bats, with 4 home runs and 9 RBI’s! Is that the kind of POTENTIAL you want playing in Los Angeles?
Yes I would have wanted more for him than the two mediocre months that Julio Lug-nuts provided for us, but Joel has a LONG way to go before even he cracks that Tampa Bay lineup.
And Gary… great idea about Barry Bonds! I think he’d look fantastic in Dodger Blue! And I hear he comes cheap too… just looking to hook on with a club at this point. Do you think he’d go into the hall of fame as a Dodger if he sets the record with LA?
Fine job Ned. We’re no better than last year, just maybe a little bit worse. I see the goal for the offseason was to achieve mediocrity.
According to MLB.com, the Dodgers have signed left fielder Luis Gonzalez to a one-year, $7MM deal. This one had been rumored all day.
With the signing, L.A.’s outfield appears set. It features Gonzo in left, Juan Pierre in center, and Andre Ethier in right. Sound good? It’s quite mediocre. Let’s compare the trio to the league averages from 2006.
Left field NL average: .277/.359/.478
Luis Gonzalez: .273/.357/.447
Center field NL average: .264/.335/.418
Juan Pierre: .292/.330/.388
Right field NL average: .268/.345/.453
Andre Ethier: .308/.365/.477
Looking at Ethier’s second half, I’d say there’s a good chance the Dodgers are below average offensively at all three outfield positions in 2007. And it’s not like these guys are Gold Glovers.
Cornbread, as hungry as your email address makes me, I’ll give you my thoughts.
First off, Luis Gonzalez would not become a reserve, because nobody would pay that much for a reserve, and he’d rather get more money and playing time.
And I doubt they go for Wells; why would Colletti get two centerfielders? Unless centerfield is the new shortstop . . .
The Dodgers have pitching to trade, but don’t expect anything until the deadline. Not only will everyone be available, but they can evaluate people. Also, Brad Penny’s late-season drop-off will likely go away (I think he had some kinda nagging injury), and he’ll probably look more like he did in the first half.
Laroche and Cabrera really aren’t good fits for the team right now; the Dodgers have Loney who’s ready to go whenever Colletti will give him a shot. And with Betemit and Laroche available at third – with Laroche possibly capable of coming up this year, why go with a new plan on the corners? If the Dodgers wanted a power hitter, Marcus Thames, Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell, or maybe Carl Crawford would have basically been where I would have wanted to look. But Colletti didn’t consider them, so no such luck.
Honestly, I’ve seen the idea on the DT board that there’s a bit of an upside to the aging vets in their positions, and that’s that the younger players will be with LA longer. After 6 years in the majors, you’re eligible for free agency. If we make those 6 years for James Loney, for example, the years when he’s 23-28, he’ll be more productive than when he’s 22-27 (you’re trading age 22 for age 28). I’ll also add that Colletti wants the younger players to earn their spots, as Martin and Ethier did. Then, they’ll have the confidence to know they can be successful at the ML level, and he’ll stop signing aging veterans. I think. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for getting Schmidt.
Guzman in 2006 (AA, AAA, MLB) age 21, .274/.327/.447
Maybe a late bloomer, but…. maybe a good miss for the Dodgers!
Kemp in 2006 (AA, AAA, MLB)age 21, 0.346/0.414/0.543
They dont show anywhere near the same potential at the same age.
Its possible that we traded Guzman because he’s looking more and more like a bust. It seems his potential peaked at 16.
Gonzo was washed up 2 years ago, if he were any good the snakes would have kept him. I liked most of Neds moves, but not this one. What good is keeping prospects if you’re blocking them with men’s senior league candidates?
Patriot- I do like where you are coming from but i never did say that Gonzo would be a reserve. He would still be in the bottom of the lineup. I think Betemidt should just worry about being a left handed hitter and platoon him and LaRoache then if they are unable to get a power bat. Betemidt only play like 50 games with the braves or even less and still hit aroun 15 homeruns I think, you can correct me if I am wrong.
I’ll reiterate…
Three potential spots opening on the field on ’08. I agree with patriotacts’ comment, these kids need to earn an everyday spot, not be given one based on one or two good months. If Loney can be productive consistently all next year, then shame on Ned if he doesn’t open a spot for him. But as for now, it’s a bigger gamble to expect a guy in his early 20s to come play ball every day for six months at such a high level. At least with Gonzo, you have someone who you know can grind it out.
As I said before, this isn’t my favorite acquisition, but I can see what Ned’s doing, and so far, I’m impressed with his ideas and his actions.
Go Blue!
Maybe Gonzo can grind it out , but does that make us any better than last year? Maybe on the pitching side, but the outfield is a mess!
Fliegel, I couldn’t disagree more. Last year Grady was afraid to play Lofton or Drew 3 days in a row. Now we have 3 guys that can hit, field and play without fear of them breaking down !! We are whole bunch better in the outfield !!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
The outfield comparisons indicate we are below the average, if those are the essential categories. What about the infield, are we below average in all of those too? If not, the OF is OK. If so, the OF may be a bit of an offensive problem. I would love to have our players at all positions at or above average. However, if we can be above in a selected category, I want it to be pitching. I think Ned has made inroads there. I also think Betemit, Martin, Ethier will make more progress this season. In any event comparative stats can be misleading. The situation stats such as hits with two outs or runners in scoring position are more important. So who is better – Maury Wills or Juan Pierre? My answer flatout is Maury Wills.
Here’s lifetime stats
Wills BA .281, OBP .330, caught stealing 35.1% Pierre BA .303, OBP .350, caught stealing 35.7%. Someone who didn’t know these players would pick Pierre, at least for fantasy baseball. My point is, we can get too caught up in individual stats such as HR to the exclusion of the team aspects of the game. I think that is where Ned is building from. He feels the pieces fit.Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
I sgOnzo going to be better than Steve Finley this year?
Gary, our only hope is that one of them breaks down, so Ned can bring in a guy who maybe ,can throw. đŸ™‚
ouch…throwing is going to be a problem with that outfield.
Another reason to keep Repko — the Gun! I can see Werth getting a lot of playing time also.
I like all the moves. I think Ned is on track. Wait until spring training when other teams realize that their pitching stinks and are willing to give up something good just to have some guy with ability start for them. We might be able to get something really good at that point.
I think all the whinning is because of to much wine.
Harold, it was over 80 degrees her today.
GO BLUE
harold, that shoulde be here.
51 – That was a Freudian slip I think. Raining here today so most of the ice in our driveway is gone. Seems like we have lots of parts for 2007. Can’t wait for spring training to start. Go Ned!! Go Dodgers!!
Johan Santana was taken by the Marlins in the 1999 Rule 5 Draft, then traded to the Twins. (Jim Mone/AP ) How about that?
I think we’ve upgraded our pitching and kept the young players, and as far as components of a team, the most valuable are pitching and young players,” said Colletti. “[Retaining prospects] was one of our priorities/goals.”
Should such a bat become available, the presence of Gonzalez on the Dodgers’ roster removes the perception that the club would be desperate enough to overpay with pitchers or prospects.
Dodgers have signed 18 of there 2006 draft picks including 11 of the top 12. Kyle Orr (4), top Canadian pick signed. Alex White not signed.
51- That should be their.
i agree that we downgraded in the outfield as well..so correct me if im wrong but its Ethier in right with Loney on the bench?? thats not a positive move for Loney. I pray we can get something of the same capacity Finley did for us out of old man gonzo.i like our pitching alot though schmidt had 3 complete games to our whole teams one. thats an uprade.
Can anyone take one more push for Gagne? Is anyone that matters reading this? I really hope that Boras is the one behind the turning down of our offer. After all Eric has said about wanting to stay a Dodger I can’t believe he would turn down that offer. And Lord knows we sure want him to stay. I can’t tell you how many hours my husband and I have spent standing in line to get his autograph at several different places including Vero Beach. By the way, if there are others that are going to be there in March, please e-mail me. My husband and I have gone the last 2 years and love it! One last time….Eric don’t go, you’re Dodger Blue through and through….I have your autograph on my license plate (DJRBLU) so you have to stay….
very happy with wolf,lieberthal,less happy with pierre.gonzoles. but my main dissatisfaction is the failure to sign gagne considering what saito is being paid i think kxyou could have had both relievers for 7 million and that would have been well worth the gamble i shoud have typed gonzo
Hello, i think that i noticed you visited my website thus i came to return the favor?.I am
trying to find things to imprve mmy website!I guess its good
enough to usse a few of your ideas!!