Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Not exactly mid-'60s Koufax, but
not terrible either. McDonald goes 4.1 innings, strikes out two, walks zero, and gives up three earned, mostly because he got no relief from the two dudes (Tanyon Strutze and Will Ohman) who came in to try and put out the fire he started in the fifth. That was really his only bad inning too, so all in all it was a pretty good showing. Of course, when Eric Milton throws a scoreless inning of relief tomorrow during a 15-2 blowout, he'll probably become the "frontrunner" again. So stay tuned.
Now that I've sufficiently praised McDonald and backed him all spring
Watch him give up nine runs in the first inning against Arizona today. Yeah, you know it's coming. I only hope Jeff Weaver still isn't in the mix when the smoke clears.
PS: The Will Ohman signing was good and all, but how incredible is it that he waited until March 30th to sign a contract? How much do you think he'll enjoy pitching in Albuquerque for the first week of the season? And how can he possibly have living arrangements and travel plans all set up with his 2009 place of employment still technically in doubt? Boggles the mind. I'll say this much: he'll be a free agent again after this season, and if he doesn't sign by mid-November, I'll be flabbershocked.
PS: The Will Ohman signing was good and all, but how incredible is it that he waited until March 30th to sign a contract? How much do you think he'll enjoy pitching in Albuquerque for the first week of the season? And how can he possibly have living arrangements and travel plans all set up with his 2009 place of employment still technically in doubt? Boggles the mind. I'll say this much: he'll be a free agent again after this season, and if he doesn't sign by mid-November, I'll be flabbershocked.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Stockpile canned goods while you can
The Dodgers are actually doing the right thing:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090329&content_id=4087526&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
You can quote me on this if McDonald is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA after April, but keep in mind that he's the only one in the fifth starter mix with any kind of potential to get better. And based on all the scouting reports I've read and all the appearances I've seen, McDonald should be very solid; not as good as Billingsley or Kershaw, but solid nonetheless. J-Mac, may you win your first nine games via shutout and introduce LA to "McDonaldmania." Welcome aboard.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090329&content_id=4087526&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
You can quote me on this if McDonald is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA after April, but keep in mind that he's the only one in the fifth starter mix with any kind of potential to get better. And based on all the scouting reports I've read and all the appearances I've seen, McDonald should be very solid; not as good as Billingsley or Kershaw, but solid nonetheless. J-Mac, may you win your first nine games via shutout and introduce LA to "McDonaldmania." Welcome aboard.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Did the entire Louisville team party until 4 in the morning last night, or 5?
No, really. Have you ever seen an Elite Eight team look as bored, lazy, and uninspired as Louisville in the second half of today's game? I know I haven't. And thanks to them, it's finally that time of year again: when I can officially light my brackets on fire, throw the ashes against the wall and piss on them. Can't wait to do this all over again next year.
PS: 8 days till Opening Day...they can't pass quickly enough.
PS: 8 days till Opening Day...they can't pass quickly enough.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Another day,
another game where the Dodger pitching staff gets their shit blasted.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2009_03_25_lanmlb_milmlb_1
It's just fucking comical to me now. The combined line for the three "fifth starter candidates" (Eric Stults, Claudio Vargas, Josh Lindblom) in this game: 6.1 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 3 HR, 10 ER. Safe to say that I won't be sitting in the Left Field Pavilion at Dodger Stadium this year without bringing a suit of armor.
If Kevin Love had been 100 pounds lighter
He might have turned out like Blake Griffin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kca4Oej7Pz0
Not that Love wasn't good, of course, but good God, Griffin looks like Bill Walton crossed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (NOT just because of his ethnic background, racists. Wow do you people have sick minds.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kca4Oej7Pz0
Not that Love wasn't good, of course, but good God, Griffin looks like Bill Walton crossed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (NOT just because of his ethnic background, racists. Wow do you people have sick minds.)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It's Fantasy Basketball Playoff time
So naturally, all of my players are starting to suck.
From Rotoworld:
"Coach Mike Dunleavy has put Chris Kaman on a minute restriction, since his conditioning is a problem after missing 48 games with plantar fasciitis. With the Clippers in a hopeless state right now, Kaman is far from guaranteed to help fantasy owners through the stretch run."
Yawn.
"Scott Skiles is considering a lineup change as the Bucks make a last push to overtake the Bulls for the eighth playoff seed. One possible move is bringing Ramon Sessions off the bench behind Luke Ridnour. Sessions has been struggling recently, shooting 10-of-33 in the past four games, mostly because teams are putting bigger defenders on him."
Whatever.
"Josh Smith made just 3-of-10 field goals, but much of the credit goes to Cleveland's pesky defense which forced him to settle for mid-range jumpers. In the seven previous games, Smith averaged 17.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 blocks."
Ho-hum.
"This was just the seventh time all season that Mo Williams has been held to single-digit scoring, and we don't see the trend reversing itself any time soon."
Snore. Am I supposed to be surprised by any of this? Tomorrow, when Nate Robinson has 19 turnovers and Zach Randolph punches every referee on the court, I'll just be sitting in front of my TV and sagely nodding.
From Rotoworld:
"Coach Mike Dunleavy has put Chris Kaman on a minute restriction, since his conditioning is a problem after missing 48 games with plantar fasciitis. With the Clippers in a hopeless state right now, Kaman is far from guaranteed to help fantasy owners through the stretch run."
Yawn.
"Scott Skiles is considering a lineup change as the Bucks make a last push to overtake the Bulls for the eighth playoff seed. One possible move is bringing Ramon Sessions off the bench behind Luke Ridnour. Sessions has been struggling recently, shooting 10-of-33 in the past four games, mostly because teams are putting bigger defenders on him."
Whatever.
"Josh Smith made just 3-of-10 field goals, but much of the credit goes to Cleveland's pesky defense which forced him to settle for mid-range jumpers. In the seven previous games, Smith averaged 17.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 blocks."
Ho-hum.
"This was just the seventh time all season that Mo Williams has been held to single-digit scoring, and we don't see the trend reversing itself any time soon."
Snore. Am I supposed to be surprised by any of this? Tomorrow, when Nate Robinson has 19 turnovers and Zach Randolph punches every referee on the court, I'll just be sitting in front of my TV and sagely nodding.
What a shot! Unbelievable! Kentucky wins! Kentucky wins!
Wooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! GO CATS!!!!!
...Oh, wait, it was the NIT. Sorry everyone.
...Oh, wait, it was the NIT. Sorry everyone.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
I'm giving myself a mulligan on the UCLA pick
Come on, you actually think a UCLA fan would pick his team to go out in the second round? Would Bill Simmons EVER pick the Red Sox or Patriots to lose in the first round of the playoffs, even if they were going up against the MLB/NFL equivalent of the 1998 New York Yankees/1985 Chicago Bears? No way. Hell, I should be getting lauded for "only" putting the Bruins in the Elite Eight; in a Yahoo! Bracket League with a fairly decent payout to the winner, my dad had UCLA winning the freaking national title. So all 4 of you who are planning on sending me taunting emails tomorrow...give me a break, you would have done the same thing.
PS: Yes, the rest of my picks are pretty lousy too. But, incredibly, I still have a good chance at winning one of my bracket leagues (where I was the only one to pick Louisville to win it all), a decent chance at winning a second one (where I was one of three people to pick Louisville to win it all, and the other two people did things like put West Virginia in the Elite Eight and Texas in the Final Four), and a just-okay chance at winning a third one (which has like 30 people in it, so my odds weren't that good from the beginning). So...go Cards?
PS: Yes, the rest of my picks are pretty lousy too. But, incredibly, I still have a good chance at winning one of my bracket leagues (where I was the only one to pick Louisville to win it all), a decent chance at winning a second one (where I was one of three people to pick Louisville to win it all, and the other two people did things like put West Virginia in the Elite Eight and Texas in the Final Four), and a just-okay chance at winning a third one (which has like 30 people in it, so my odds weren't that good from the beginning). So...go Cards?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
See?
[Desperately heaving for breath] I told you, didn't I? UCLA was a smart pick for the Elite Eight. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind [chest pounding, entire face turning dark red] that they were going to beat VCU. So many people were picking against them, but UCLA stayed completely even-keeled and had the game the whole way [frantically swallowing sedatives at an extremely dangerous rate]. The mainstream media, pretty much all of whom picked the Rams over the Bruins, can take that "upset" and shove it up their...[passes out due to exhaustion/anxiety/overdose of calm-down pills, awakens hours later in a daze and begins questioning Ben Howland's in-game offensive coaching].
100% correct and completely flawless NCAA Tournament Picks
Sweet Sixteen: Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, USC, UConn, Washington, Missouri, Memphis, Syracuse, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh
Elite Eight: Louisville, Kansas, UConn, Memphis, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, UCLA, Pittsburgh
Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Gonzaga, Pittsburgh
Louisville wins the title over Pitt (I've been saying that the final will be 85-84).
Do not gamble anything more significant than money on my all-knowing abilities. Go March Madness!
Elite Eight: Louisville, Kansas, UConn, Memphis, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, UCLA, Pittsburgh
Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Gonzaga, Pittsburgh
Louisville wins the title over Pitt (I've been saying that the final will be 85-84).
Do not gamble anything more significant than money on my all-knowing abilities. Go March Madness!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
WBC post!
It's not popular or well-viewed or particularly interesting. But the WBC is still baseball.
And I have to say, the U.S.'s 6-5 victory over Puerto Rico was the first time the tournament ever really hooked me in. I like corny subplots in baseball (sue me, I'm an old-timer), and the United States coming from behind in the ninth to topple the same dudes that killed them 11-1 a few days ago just felt kind of cool. Like the 1980 hockey team, which lost to loaded Russia 10-3 in a pre-tourney exhibition and then, of course, beat them 4-3 later on in the "Miracle on Ice." This wasn't really even close to that in terms of significance, but it was still very fun to watch, and I'm sure that it'll help the ratings for the finals next weekend.
I do have to point out one little flaw, since I'm kind of in an FJM-zone posting-wise. Your scene: bottom of the ninth inning, U.S. trailing 5-3, one out, runners at the corners, Jimmy Rollins up. The MLB.TV announcer (dunno his name; shockingly, though, it wasn't Harold Reynolds, who I actually thought was pretty good) says:
"If Rollins can get ahold of one here, he could definitely hit one deep enough for a sac fly."
He conveniently forgot to add, "Which would leave a runner at first with two outs and the United States still trailing 5-4, which would mean that they would basically need a miracle to win." Hence my repeated statements of: "What the fuck good would a sac fly do?"
And I have to say, the U.S.'s 6-5 victory over Puerto Rico was the first time the tournament ever really hooked me in. I like corny subplots in baseball (sue me, I'm an old-timer), and the United States coming from behind in the ninth to topple the same dudes that killed them 11-1 a few days ago just felt kind of cool. Like the 1980 hockey team, which lost to loaded Russia 10-3 in a pre-tourney exhibition and then, of course, beat them 4-3 later on in the "Miracle on Ice." This wasn't really even close to that in terms of significance, but it was still very fun to watch, and I'm sure that it'll help the ratings for the finals next weekend.
I do have to point out one little flaw, since I'm kind of in an FJM-zone posting-wise. Your scene: bottom of the ninth inning, U.S. trailing 5-3, one out, runners at the corners, Jimmy Rollins up. The MLB.TV announcer (dunno his name; shockingly, though, it wasn't Harold Reynolds, who I actually thought was pretty good) says:
"If Rollins can get ahold of one here, he could definitely hit one deep enough for a sac fly."
He conveniently forgot to add, "Which would leave a runner at first with two outs and the United States still trailing 5-4, which would mean that they would basically need a miracle to win." Hence my repeated statements of: "What the fuck good would a sac fly do?"
I guess somebody has to play Mose Schrute, but...
...sometimes I really miss Fire Joe Morgan. I get most of my inspiration for this blog from them, and their website was probably the funniest on the Internet for sports fans. Yeah yeah, I'm glad that all their members are successful big shots now (especially Michael Schur; how many people in the country would give their left testicle to be "related" to Dwight Schrute?), but a small part of me still hopes that they'll be pushed one bad Jon Heyman article too far and have to go back into full-scale angry blogging mode for another 3 years. Unlikely, but possible, right?
I say yes, because as long as articles like this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3989234
keep getting written, I don't think FJM will keep being able to control their anger. Basically, the premise is that trading your best hitter makes your team better because "it makes other guys step up" and "not have to defer to the star anymore," as if this is fucking basketball and you can actually do things like that. Now I know why the Yankees didn't win the 1925 World Series: Babe Ruth was too good! They should have traded him so that other players would have stepped up! Think of all those times that Earle Combs struck out on purpose with the bases loaded so that he could "defer" to Ruth; without the Bambino, Combs could have gone 54-for-54 in those situations with 211 RBIs! What were the Yankees thinking?
Ken Tremendous, Junior, dak, and I guess Coach and Murbles (did they ever post anything after the year 2005?): please come back. Angry, cynical sports bloggers really need you guys.
I say yes, because as long as articles like this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3989234
keep getting written, I don't think FJM will keep being able to control their anger. Basically, the premise is that trading your best hitter makes your team better because "it makes other guys step up" and "not have to defer to the star anymore," as if this is fucking basketball and you can actually do things like that. Now I know why the Yankees didn't win the 1925 World Series: Babe Ruth was too good! They should have traded him so that other players would have stepped up! Think of all those times that Earle Combs struck out on purpose with the bases loaded so that he could "defer" to Ruth; without the Bambino, Combs could have gone 54-for-54 in those situations with 211 RBIs! What were the Yankees thinking?
Ken Tremendous, Junior, dak, and I guess Coach and Murbles (did they ever post anything after the year 2005?): please come back. Angry, cynical sports bloggers really need you guys.
What's a more forceful Internet exasperation term than *sigh*?
*Facepalm*? Is it *facepalm*? I think it's *facepalm.* Why do I bring this up? Well, after reading the latest dodgers.com article, I think it's pretty self-explanatory:
"Because Schmidt's recovery time is unpredictable, Torre will look elsewhere for his fifth starter."
Oh, thank God. So we're going to look at signing Pedro or trading for a starter from like the Twins or Rays?
"Candidates include Eric Milton, Eric Stults, Claudio Vargas and Shawn Estes, who struggled against the A's Monday. "
Oh. Um...wow, why not just stab me in the heart with a knife next time...well, I guess that's not so bad. I mean, Estes is a decent lefty, he knows most of the NL West teams, and he held lefties to a .193 batting average last year, so...
"Estes allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and hit batter in 2 1/3 innings, three of the hits going for extra bases. "
Okay, I can't breathe now...come on, come on...all right, I think I'm good. You know, Estes was never really a strong candidate anyway. Unbelievably, I think the guy best suited for the job is Jeff Weaver. Yeah, laugh if you want, but he was very good in his only years in Los Angeles, and he's comfortable pitching in this environment. He's also only allowed one run in four spring appearances, so hey, maybe he's getting it together and ready to turn his career around...
"Jeff Weaver started that inning in relief of Schmidt, and all four batters he faced scored, after which Torre said Weaver would be used exclusively in relief and would not become a candidate for the fifth-starter job. "
......................
Allow me to say, on behalf of all Dodger fans everywhere:
*Facepalm.*
"Because Schmidt's recovery time is unpredictable, Torre will look elsewhere for his fifth starter."
Oh, thank God. So we're going to look at signing Pedro or trading for a starter from like the Twins or Rays?
"Candidates include Eric Milton, Eric Stults, Claudio Vargas and Shawn Estes, who struggled against the A's Monday. "
Oh. Um...wow, why not just stab me in the heart with a knife next time...well, I guess that's not so bad. I mean, Estes is a decent lefty, he knows most of the NL West teams, and he held lefties to a .193 batting average last year, so...
"Estes allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and hit batter in 2 1/3 innings, three of the hits going for extra bases. "
Okay, I can't breathe now...come on, come on...all right, I think I'm good. You know, Estes was never really a strong candidate anyway. Unbelievably, I think the guy best suited for the job is Jeff Weaver. Yeah, laugh if you want, but he was very good in his only years in Los Angeles, and he's comfortable pitching in this environment. He's also only allowed one run in four spring appearances, so hey, maybe he's getting it together and ready to turn his career around...
"Jeff Weaver started that inning in relief of Schmidt, and all four batters he faced scored, after which Torre said Weaver would be used exclusively in relief and would not become a candidate for the fifth-starter job. "
......................
Allow me to say, on behalf of all Dodger fans everywhere:
*Facepalm.*
Monday, March 16, 2009
"Jay, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry, baby!"
Did anyone happen to watch ESPN's Selection Show Special last night, where like 49 different college basketball personalities were jammed into the studio together to scream at each other over who should have been the 65th team into the tournament? I would think that St. Mary's had to be flattered by the passionate support they got, but jeez, at one point I thought Dick Vitale was going to jump through the screen and start choking Jay Bilas.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Lengthy March Madness post to come
But I'll just say this: What will Arizona have to do to miss the tournament? Go 0-31? Kick 10 guys off the team so they won't be able to put out a starting five? Move to the Mountain West Conference? I'd just like to know.
Also: Darren Dreifort's arm feels better than ever!
How much shit was Scott Boras spewing when he said, in February, that "Manny is still working hard and getting in shape"? Manny had to wait for a fucking week after he signed before he could even get into a spring training game, and now he's suffering from a "tight hamstring" that's kept him out of one game and limited him in the two he's played in. For Dodger fans, it's absolutely nothing to be worried about; that's a common irritation that comes up when you start working hard again after a long period of inactivity. Yes...a long period of inactivity. Don't think I'm not onto you, Scott.
Next move: get Hannibal Lector to be the lefty relief specialist
If you ever get a chance to watch Game 2 of the 2004 NLDS between the Dodgers and Cardinals, pay special attention to Jayson Werth's first-inning home run off Jason Marquis. After the ball clears the left-field fence, the obligatory highlights follow: Werth happily circling the bases with his first postseason home run, Marquis exhaustingly wiping his brow and pretending that the home run didn't even faze him, etc. But at one point, the cameras flash to Dodger starting pitcher Jeff Weaver in the dugout...and good God, he looks ready to fucking murder everyone within ten feet of him. I've honestly never been so scared by an athlete's face in my entire life. And this wasn't after getting thrown out of the game by an umpire, or grounding into a triple play with the bases loaded, or giving up three grand slams in one inning...this was after he was given a 1-0 lead before he even had to throw a pitch. Just bizarre.
And, five years later, Serial Killer Face will probably be in the Dodger rotation when camp breaks. Beautiful.
And, five years later, Serial Killer Face will probably be in the Dodger rotation when camp breaks. Beautiful.
Friday, March 13, 2009
To all my adoring Bay Area Readers
Yes, this has basically turned into a Dodger blog, and it'll remain slanted that way at least through September (hopefully longer). Every once in a while I'll post something different, maybe about the NBA Finals or the NFL draft or Bruce Bochy blowing out Tim Lincecum's arm, but it'll mostly be Dodger-related stuff from here on out. I know, I know...you feel sorry that I'm cursed to have to follow a shitty directionless franchise. Trust me, I feel your pain. Maybe one of these days I'll make a post about what I would have done if I'd taken over for Paul Depodesta after he got fired in 2005. You'll all enjoy that, right?
PS: Randy Johnson is 84.
PS: Randy Johnson is 84.
Just to be clear: If the game had been on CBS, would we be having this discussion? No? Yeah, I figured.
There's a poll on ESPN.com's Page 2 right now about the best "marathon games" in sports history, and for the most part it's a pretty good list. Game 4 of the 2000 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals? Interstate rivalry series, Flyers basically needed that game to stay alive/Penguins basically would have clinched if they'd won, five overtimes...solid choice. The 1982 "Epic in Miami" AFC Divisional Playoff Game between San Diego and Miami? Featured IMO the greatest individual performance in sports history (Kellen Winslow: 13 receptions, 166 receiving yards, 1 TD, 1 blocked field goal in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, fever of 120 degrees. Unbelievable.), went to overtime, saw players on both teams as well as the teams themselves set postseason records for scoring/yardage...another fantastic choice. Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS? The greatest baseball game of all time, bar none; sent the Mets to the World Series for the first time in 17 years and dashed the hearts of Astro fans at least 25 different times over the course of 16 innings; I wrote stories when I was young about me hitting grand slams in the eighth and ninth innings of games to bring my team from 7- 0 down to winning 8-7 and I never thought up anything as crazy as that game. Yet another great choice for this poll.
And the fourth choice is...the 6-OT Syracuse-UConn game from last night. You know, the one from the first fucking round of the Big East Tournament. Where both teams had almost nothing to lose. Yeah yeah, maybe the loser would drop a seed or two in the NCAA Tournament, but both teams still had NCAA bids locked-fucking-up. Because they're broadcast on ESPN now, these conference tournaments are played up like they're just as important as the NCAA Tournament, as if Louisville would go from a 1 seed to a barely-on-the-bubble-hopefully-we-can-get-that-last-12-seed by losing in the first round. UConn was maybe looking at a #1 seed if they won; now they're going to be a #2. Wow, what an impact. Forget that those first three games were actual playoff games, that the winner was basically going to win the series and everyone knew it, and that the stakes were so much higher in them that putting the Cuse-UConn game even in the same conversation as them is stupid to the power of dumb. Just know that...
Actually, just remember that last part. I'm talking to you, ESPN.
And the fourth choice is...the 6-OT Syracuse-UConn game from last night. You know, the one from the first fucking round of the Big East Tournament. Where both teams had almost nothing to lose. Yeah yeah, maybe the loser would drop a seed or two in the NCAA Tournament, but both teams still had NCAA bids locked-fucking-up. Because they're broadcast on ESPN now, these conference tournaments are played up like they're just as important as the NCAA Tournament, as if Louisville would go from a 1 seed to a barely-on-the-bubble-hopefully-we-can-get-that-last-12-seed by losing in the first round. UConn was maybe looking at a #1 seed if they won; now they're going to be a #2. Wow, what an impact. Forget that those first three games were actual playoff games, that the winner was basically going to win the series and everyone knew it, and that the stakes were so much higher in them that putting the Cuse-UConn game even in the same conversation as them is stupid to the power of dumb. Just know that...
Actually, just remember that last part. I'm talking to you, ESPN.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
But how can he do against T-Ballers?
Pedro Martinez is apparently intrigued by a potential return to Los Angeles. In typical Dodger fashion, the team kind of wants him but not really, has expressed interest in talking to his agent but hasn't in weeks, has talked about the parameters of a potential contract but has no idea about how much he should get, etc. In my 98 years of following/blogging about baseball I've never come across an organization so wishy-washy when it comes to free agents. "Hey Frank, Albert Pujols is interested in signing a league-minimum contract with the Dodgers for 2009 and then donating his entire salary to the Dodger Dream Foundation. You interested?" "Um...well, I can't say we have no interest, but we're definitely not looking at doing it right now and we have to see how other things work out. Our roster is mostly full and our payroll is stretched pretty tight. But I mean, we have the money to sign him, that's not a question. What the fuck are you looking at me like that for? WE HAVE THE MONEY, OKAY?"
In all reality, Pedro wouldn't be a bad add for the Dodgers; their three main fifth-starter candidates (Jason Schmidt, Claudio Vargas, Shawn Estes) shouldn't even be allowed to pitch in fucking Little League games, and for some reason Joe Torre is adamant about burying stud prospect James McDonald in the bullpen "for now," so Pedro is probably the best realistic option they have for the end of the rotation. PECOTA has him down for a 4.31 ERA in 110 innings in 2009, which is much better than the projections they have for Schmidt, Vargas and Estes. In addition, there are a bunch of hokey-but-fun-to-think-about reasons to sign him: a Pedro signing would bring about closure to the Delino trade, it would give Manny a best friend on the team, it would improve clubhouse chemistry, it would give the young pitchers on the staff a mentor, etc etc etc. Bottom line is, there are a lot of positive factors involved in potentially bringing in Pedro.
However, the biggest Pedro pimping around baseball isn't over his decent PECOTA projection; it's over his performance in the World Baseball Classic. His final line for the tournament: six innings, no runs, six Ks in two appearances. Hey, that's pretty good, no wonder he's asking for a base salary in the $5-million range. And when you remember that he did all that against the superstar-laden U.S. roster, consisting of perennial mashers like Derek Jeter, Adam Dunn, Brian McCann, Ryan Braun, and Chipper Jones, you have to think that...
What? What's that? All that came against the Netherlands? The team whose most notable hitter is Randall fucking Simon?
Uh...maybe we'll start the bidding at $4 million?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sorry Andruw
You gave it your all, hitting that one long homer off Claudio Vargas, but the deal was two homers or you get suspended 50 games for incompetence. You can begin serving your fake suspension whenever.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Will the Rangers have 40 runs by the sixth or seventh inning?
From dodgers.com:
"Jason Schmidt will make his first start in an "A" game exhibition in two years when he pitches an inning against the Rangers in Surprise on Monday at 1:05 p.m. PT. Schmidt, coming off two shoulder operations, hasn't pitched in a regular-season game since June 2007. He needs to come out of this first start sound to remain in contention for the fifth starter role. Also expected to pitch are fifth-starter candidates Claudio Vargas and Eric Milton, as well as lefty reliever candidate Erick Threets."
Schmidt. Vargas. Milton. Threets (?). If Andruw Jones doesn't homer at least twice he should be suspended 50 games for incompetence.
"Jason Schmidt will make his first start in an "A" game exhibition in two years when he pitches an inning against the Rangers in Surprise on Monday at 1:05 p.m. PT. Schmidt, coming off two shoulder operations, hasn't pitched in a regular-season game since June 2007. He needs to come out of this first start sound to remain in contention for the fifth starter role. Also expected to pitch are fifth-starter candidates Claudio Vargas and Eric Milton, as well as lefty reliever candidate Erick Threets."
Schmidt. Vargas. Milton. Threets (?). If Andruw Jones doesn't homer at least twice he should be suspended 50 games for incompetence.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Manny strike is over
When February began, and the Manny saga reached it's unprecedentedly amazing fourth month, I decided I'd had enough; no new posts, no more writing, until Manny got signed. Now that he's "happily" wearing a Dodger uniform and cracking good-natured barbs with TJ Simers, I can safely resume my regular posting activities. And what better way to start than with a Ned Colletti Offseason Report Card, BaseballProspectus-style?
11/5/08: Declined $9.25 million option on RHP Brad Penny, choosing to pay $2 million buyout.
This was seen by most Dodger fans as a pathetic cost-cutting move, simply motivated by the fact that McCourt was a penny-pincher who only cared about money and wouldn't even guarantee a 1-year, $9.25-million deal to a guy who had been an All-Star as recently as 2007. Two problems with this theory were 1) Penny was getting fatter, more injury-prone, and less effective in 2008 at age 30; were all of those problems magically going to go away in 2009, at age 31? and 2) that $7.25 million would be best served to pay someone like, say, Manny Ramirez, later on. Upon hearing news that Penny's shoulder is again acting up in Red Sox camp, I can definitively say that Ned made the right decision here, even if Jason Schmidt is currently the Dodgers' #5 starter. GRADE: PASS (between PASS and FAIL)
11/5/08: Declined $5.5 million option on IF Angel Berroa, choosing to pay $500,000 buyout.
One of the all-time no-brainer transactions in baseball history. "Hey Ned, for lunch, would you rather have a gourmet Caesar salad or a giant plate of dog shit?" GRADE: PASS
12/9/08: Signed 3B/OF Casey Blake to a 3-year, $17.5-million contract with a team option for $5 million in 2013 or a $1.25 million buyout.
Oops. Blake was just okay throughout his entire two-month tenure with the Dodgers in 2008 (.251/.313/.460) and was completely awful in September (.220/.297/.415). The common baseball fan would look at those numbers and see a 35-year-old third baseman in his decline phase. Ned didn't see it that way, as he outbid the Twins in the Blake sweepstakes by not only guaranteeing Casey a third year (which the Twins were wisely reluctant to do) but also including a team option in his contract for 2012 (the surest "decline" in the history of baseball, bar none). This signing showed that while Ned's gotten a little better with his veteran love-fest over the years, he still has a lot to learn. It's also possible that after the huge fallout from Dodger fans after Carlos Santana turned out to be Mike Piazza Light in the Indians' farm system that Ned didn't want to say that he gave him up for just a mediocre half-season of Casey Blake. However, it will probably turn out that trying to get more out of his investment will only make the trade look worse in the long run. GRADE: C- (on the standard A-F scale)
12/10/08: Signed IF Mark Loretta to a 1-year, $1.25-million contract.
If you could say one thing about Mark Loretta, it's this: "He's not Mark Sweeney." Which is a very, very, very good thing. Loretta's 37, but he'll still give you a .275 batting average, a .350 OBP, average defense, and a good clubhouse presence. Plus, he won't complain about playing time even though he's been an All-Star fairly recently (or, in other words, he won't "pull a Juan Pierre"). For just $1.25 million, that's a bargain. GRADE: B
12/19/08: Signed SS Rafael Furcal to a 3-year, $30-million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year worth $12 million.
One of the 2008 offseason's most interesting contracts, for sure. Over the course of his last three-year contract with the Dodgers, Furcal produced one good year (2006), one bad year (2007), and one injury-decimated year (2008). This last season, he looked like an All-Star for one month (April), a decent player for one month (October), and, well, a hospital patient for the other five. Is it necessesarily the best idea to give an oft-injured guy a three-year contract when he plays one of the most physically demanding positions in the game? That's up for debate, but these three things are for sure: 1) Ned got Furcal at a discounted price, as Raffy had a 4-year/$48 million offer from the A's at one point, 2) Ned got Furcal for the same price that the Cubs got Milton Bradley (a DH who's had one fully healthy season out of eight in his entire career), and 3) there's no question about Furcal's potential; PECOTA's 90 percentile projection for him is .317/.394/.460, which comes out to a 46.5 VORP and a .307 Eqa. So it's a bargain, but a risky one, which means that I can't definitively come out in favor of it, but I can't necessarily rip it to shreds either. (This contract looks a little better in light of the recent injury to shortstop prospect Ivan Dejesus jr. that will probably push his ML debut back to about 2012 instead of 2010; still, since there's no way Ned could have predicted that, it doesn't affect his grade for this transaction.) GRADE: B-
1/5/09: Signed RHP Claudio Vargas to a 1-year, $400,000 contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $1.4 million.
The first in a long line of "backup fifth starters" that Ned would acquire in the winter, Vargas is probably the best of them, as PECOTA has him down for a not-terrible 4.69 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 2009. In all honesty, it would probably be best for the Dodgers if they let him start the season as the #5 starter instead of Schmidt, but (barring an injury) that won't happen because Vargas will make 2.5% of what Schmidt will make in 2009, and you know that Ned and McCourt are desperate to get anything they can out of their ridiculous $47-million investment. Call Vargas a victim of circumstance, as well as a fairly solid fifth starter/long reliever who could be the 2008 Chan Ho Park of the 2009 Dodgers. GRADE: B-
1/9/09: Signed LHP Shawn Estes to a Minor League contract guaranteeing him $550,000 if he makes the team, which can eventually turn into $1.55 million if he hits a certain number of incentives.
The second of Ned's "Schmidt insurance starters," Estes actually did pretty well in 2008 against lefties, holding them to a line of .193/.313/.293 (in just 48 plate appearances, but still). If he were to make the team as a lefty relief specialist, I wouldn't complain too loudly. But since the team has said that his only role would be as a starter, I can't see him making the team at any point at all during the 2009 season. Since he won't earn any guaranteed money, there's really nothing to say about this transaction. GRADE: N/A
1/14/09: Signed RHP Guillermo Mota to a 1-year, $2.35-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $2.65 million.
Mota had somewhat of a mixed legacy in his first go-round as a Dodger; he went from effective relief guy (2002) to The Guy Who Ran Away From Mike Piazza (spring 2003) to DUI guy (May 2003) to Eric Gagne's reliable sidekick (April-June 2004) to Oh My God How Could We Have Possibly Traded Him (July 30, 2004). Ever since leaving the Dodgers, Mota's career has basically gone in the shitter; he greatly underachieved for Florida after going there in the Brad Penny trade, then got suspended 50 games for steroids, and in 2007 posted the worst full-season ERA of his career at 5.76. In 2008, though, he knocked that figure down to 4.11 despite pitching in a better park for hitters, and all signs indicate that he's turning his life and career around. A one-year, $2.35-million contract sounds about right for him, but you would have liked to see Ned go after a reliever whose 50 percentile PECOTA projection was better than a 4.52 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. GRADE: B-
1/15/09: Released Andruw Jones, deferring his contract through the year 2014.
So ended one of the worst free agent sagas of any athlete in any sport. Jones got on the bad side of Dodger fans before the 2008 season even started when he showed up to spring training overweight, and within two weeks of the season starting (with Jones' average somewhere around the .100 mark), he was getting booed before every plate appearance and even when his face showed up on the Jumbotron for sponsors and commercials between innings. When he went down with a knee injury in June, the uniform response among all Dodger fans was, "Great! Is he out for the season??" despite the fact that Juan Pierre was his replacement. Unfortunately for all parties, he returned in July, and things got no better as he continued to strike out and weakly ground out with regularity. The fan treatment of him, if possible, worsened, as the entire city was pretty much begging Ned Colletti to dispose of him. After Manny Ramirez was acquired, Jones got "injured" again and went to AAA for rehab, although everyone knew that Ned was just hiding Jones there so that he wouldn't be in a living hell anymore. Jones made neither the NLDS nor the NLCS roster for the Dodgers, and after the season was dubbed the "Worst Offensive Player in Baseball History" by Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Understandably, Jones asked to leave the Dodgers, and when no trading partners were found, Ned was forced to cut him in January, with Jones eventually signing a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and starting the spring off 1-for-9 with an infield single and eight strikeouts. Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, and Barry Bonds may beg to differ, but I don't think any baseball player has ever fallen so far so fast. Ned deserves credit for cutting him, but he also deserves a substantial amount of flak for signing him in the first place, so I'm basically passing on this transaction. GRADE: N/A
1/26/09: Signed Brad Ausmus to a 1-year, $1-million contract.
Nothing much to say here; Ausmus is a decent backup catcher with Southern California roots. He won't hit much, but he will "call a good game" and presumably play decent defense, which is really all you can ask out of your #2 catcher. Another thing to consider is that his name carries enough weight (what with the Gold Gloves and all) that Torre will probably use him much more than he did Danny Ardoin, meaning more rest for Russell Martin and probably better production from him overall. GRADE: PASS
2/6/09: Signed Randy Wolf to a 1-year, $5-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $8 million.
Like Rafael Furcal's contract, this one is somewhat risky. Wolf's 2008 campaign was pretty good (190.1 innings, 162 strikeouts, 1.38 WHIP), but his injury history is frightening; 2008 was his first season of 30 or more starts since 2003, and pitchers don't tend to get healthier as they get older. However, due to the length and amount of guaranteed money on the contract, the Wolf signing isn't nearly as risky as the Furcal signing; it's a one-year deal for only $5 million, a bargain for a potential #3 starter. Add in the fact that Wolf's second half produced a solid 3.77 ERA in the launching pad of Minute Maid Park, and it looks like this was a pretty good snag by Colletti. Now, about keeping Wolf healthy...GRADE: B+
2/9/09: Signed Jeff Weaver to a minor league contract.
A few days before this signing, Frank McCourt had angrily jumped the gun and announced that the Dodgers would not be drafting Scott Boras clients in the 2009 draft, and considering Boras' behavior during the Manny negotiations you couldn't really blame Frank. In what was almost definitely just a gesture to get back on Boras' good side, the Dodgers gave Weaver a minor league contract with "a chance to earn the #5 starter job in spring training." Weaver's spring ERA currently stands at a tidy 0.00, but he'll almost definitely be starting the season in the minors, and who knows how long he'll be willing to play there. GRADE: N/A
2/22/09: Signed Orlando Hudson to a 1-year, $3.38-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $8 million.
This was one of the best bargain signs of the offseason. Hudson's Weighted Mean PECOTA projection stands at .279/.350/.392, but considering that 1) he missed out on his big multi-year contract this offseason and will definitely be wanting it next offseason, 2) he's familiar with the NL West and doesn't really have to adapt to a new situation, 3) his contract will be worth more if he plays well, and 4) he's a career .313/.375/.463 hitter at Dodger Stadium, I'd say that his 75 percentile forecast of .295/.368/.421 sounds much more likely. One does have to consider that the Dodgers lost their first-round pick to the Diamondbacks as well as the fact that Hudson's missed a good chunk of time the last two seasons with injuries (albeit fluke injuries), but there's no way to argue that this was anything but a good signing. GRADE: B+
2/26/09: Signed Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor league contract.
I don't know if Mientkiewicz will make the Dodger Opening Day roster, but after he's started the spring off with two home runs and five RBIs in his first three games, it seems like he'll have to do an awful lot to not make the team. If he does, he'll be a huge upgrade over last year's lefthanded bat off the bench, Mark Sweeney, who became the token "Okay, this guy's up, time to hit the concession stands" pinch hitter that the Dodgers seem to be so fond of acquiring. If Mientkiewicz makes the roster, though, the team might skip that tradition for a year. GRADE: B-
3/4/09: Signed Manny Ramirez to a 2-year, $45-million contract with the second year a player option that Ramirez can void in November of 2009.
It's often said that the baseball offseason is a season in itself; the "Hot Stove League," if you will. It typically lasts from November through mid-January or so, when all but a few straggling minor free agents are signed, and it's usually an enjoyable yet tension-filled few months that ends in time for one to kick back, relax, and watch the NFL Playoffs without having to worry about baseball for a few months. But the 2008 offseason for Dodger fans...well, fuck all that noise. It can conservatively be described as "a marathon, not a sprint," thanks to one Manny Ramirez and one Scott Boras. The day after the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs, the major question on every fan's mind was "Are we going to get Manny back?" and unbelievably, five months, four different contract offers and roughly 7 billion updates of MLB Trade Rumors later, Manny was still unsigned as spring training began. Rehashing the entire story might take 500,000 words, and this is all that really needs to be known:
In November, the Dodgers offered Manny a 2-year deal for $45 million. After laughing himself silly, Boras ignored the offer and a week later said, "We're now beginning to field serious offers for Manny." In February, the Dodgers offered Manny a 2-year deal for $45 million. Boras made a counteroffer of a 2-year for $45 million. Frank McCourt angrily rejected the offer, threw verbal daggers at Boras and Manny through the press, and basically said that Boras could shove his 2-year deal for $45 million up his ass and wait for those "serious offers" from other teams. A couple of days later, Boras called McCourt and offered him a 2-year deal for $45 million. McCourt accepted. And yeah, the whole process was even stupider than it sounds.
Still, the way the deal was structured, McCourt/Ned got a potential .315/35/120 hitter for just $10 million guaranteed in 2009, or the same amount of money that Juan Pierre will make. That's a solid contract, even if it took 30 years off every Dodger fan's life. GRADE: A-
FINAL GRADE: I believe that Ned is contractually obliged to sign one blatantly obviously terrible free-agent deal every offseason (see: Brett Tomko in 2005, Juan Pierre in 2006, Andruw Jones in 2007), and Casey Blake's contract was that one for 2008. Still, look back over those last three contracts and try to tell me that Blake's wasn't the best deal among them. That, along with the fact that Ned got some great bargains in Wolf, Hudson, and (eventually) Manny, as well as the fact that he didn't pull off any stupid trades to acquire half-assed veterans that would barely make any difference (I'm looking at you, Danys Baez and Jae Seo), and I'd have to say that this was Ned's best offseason yet. I could be eating those words as soon as May, but I don't think I will this time. OVERALL GRADE: B+ (with the Wolf/Hudson/Manny contracts weighted more heavily than the rest of the transactions)
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11/5/08: Declined $9.25 million option on RHP Brad Penny, choosing to pay $2 million buyout.
This was seen by most Dodger fans as a pathetic cost-cutting move, simply motivated by the fact that McCourt was a penny-pincher who only cared about money and wouldn't even guarantee a 1-year, $9.25-million deal to a guy who had been an All-Star as recently as 2007. Two problems with this theory were 1) Penny was getting fatter, more injury-prone, and less effective in 2008 at age 30; were all of those problems magically going to go away in 2009, at age 31? and 2) that $7.25 million would be best served to pay someone like, say, Manny Ramirez, later on. Upon hearing news that Penny's shoulder is again acting up in Red Sox camp, I can definitively say that Ned made the right decision here, even if Jason Schmidt is currently the Dodgers' #5 starter. GRADE: PASS (between PASS and FAIL)
11/5/08: Declined $5.5 million option on IF Angel Berroa, choosing to pay $500,000 buyout.
One of the all-time no-brainer transactions in baseball history. "Hey Ned, for lunch, would you rather have a gourmet Caesar salad or a giant plate of dog shit?" GRADE: PASS
12/9/08: Signed 3B/OF Casey Blake to a 3-year, $17.5-million contract with a team option for $5 million in 2013 or a $1.25 million buyout.
Oops. Blake was just okay throughout his entire two-month tenure with the Dodgers in 2008 (.251/.313/.460) and was completely awful in September (.220/.297/.415). The common baseball fan would look at those numbers and see a 35-year-old third baseman in his decline phase. Ned didn't see it that way, as he outbid the Twins in the Blake sweepstakes by not only guaranteeing Casey a third year (which the Twins were wisely reluctant to do) but also including a team option in his contract for 2012 (the surest "decline" in the history of baseball, bar none). This signing showed that while Ned's gotten a little better with his veteran love-fest over the years, he still has a lot to learn. It's also possible that after the huge fallout from Dodger fans after Carlos Santana turned out to be Mike Piazza Light in the Indians' farm system that Ned didn't want to say that he gave him up for just a mediocre half-season of Casey Blake. However, it will probably turn out that trying to get more out of his investment will only make the trade look worse in the long run. GRADE: C- (on the standard A-F scale)
12/10/08: Signed IF Mark Loretta to a 1-year, $1.25-million contract.
If you could say one thing about Mark Loretta, it's this: "He's not Mark Sweeney." Which is a very, very, very good thing. Loretta's 37, but he'll still give you a .275 batting average, a .350 OBP, average defense, and a good clubhouse presence. Plus, he won't complain about playing time even though he's been an All-Star fairly recently (or, in other words, he won't "pull a Juan Pierre"). For just $1.25 million, that's a bargain. GRADE: B
12/19/08: Signed SS Rafael Furcal to a 3-year, $30-million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year worth $12 million.
One of the 2008 offseason's most interesting contracts, for sure. Over the course of his last three-year contract with the Dodgers, Furcal produced one good year (2006), one bad year (2007), and one injury-decimated year (2008). This last season, he looked like an All-Star for one month (April), a decent player for one month (October), and, well, a hospital patient for the other five. Is it necessesarily the best idea to give an oft-injured guy a three-year contract when he plays one of the most physically demanding positions in the game? That's up for debate, but these three things are for sure: 1) Ned got Furcal at a discounted price, as Raffy had a 4-year/$48 million offer from the A's at one point, 2) Ned got Furcal for the same price that the Cubs got Milton Bradley (a DH who's had one fully healthy season out of eight in his entire career), and 3) there's no question about Furcal's potential; PECOTA's 90 percentile projection for him is .317/.394/.460, which comes out to a 46.5 VORP and a .307 Eqa. So it's a bargain, but a risky one, which means that I can't definitively come out in favor of it, but I can't necessarily rip it to shreds either. (This contract looks a little better in light of the recent injury to shortstop prospect Ivan Dejesus jr. that will probably push his ML debut back to about 2012 instead of 2010; still, since there's no way Ned could have predicted that, it doesn't affect his grade for this transaction.) GRADE: B-
1/5/09: Signed RHP Claudio Vargas to a 1-year, $400,000 contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $1.4 million.
The first in a long line of "backup fifth starters" that Ned would acquire in the winter, Vargas is probably the best of them, as PECOTA has him down for a not-terrible 4.69 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 2009. In all honesty, it would probably be best for the Dodgers if they let him start the season as the #5 starter instead of Schmidt, but (barring an injury) that won't happen because Vargas will make 2.5% of what Schmidt will make in 2009, and you know that Ned and McCourt are desperate to get anything they can out of their ridiculous $47-million investment. Call Vargas a victim of circumstance, as well as a fairly solid fifth starter/long reliever who could be the 2008 Chan Ho Park of the 2009 Dodgers. GRADE: B-
1/9/09: Signed LHP Shawn Estes to a Minor League contract guaranteeing him $550,000 if he makes the team, which can eventually turn into $1.55 million if he hits a certain number of incentives.
The second of Ned's "Schmidt insurance starters," Estes actually did pretty well in 2008 against lefties, holding them to a line of .193/.313/.293 (in just 48 plate appearances, but still). If he were to make the team as a lefty relief specialist, I wouldn't complain too loudly. But since the team has said that his only role would be as a starter, I can't see him making the team at any point at all during the 2009 season. Since he won't earn any guaranteed money, there's really nothing to say about this transaction. GRADE: N/A
1/14/09: Signed RHP Guillermo Mota to a 1-year, $2.35-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $2.65 million.
Mota had somewhat of a mixed legacy in his first go-round as a Dodger; he went from effective relief guy (2002) to The Guy Who Ran Away From Mike Piazza (spring 2003) to DUI guy (May 2003) to Eric Gagne's reliable sidekick (April-June 2004) to Oh My God How Could We Have Possibly Traded Him (July 30, 2004). Ever since leaving the Dodgers, Mota's career has basically gone in the shitter; he greatly underachieved for Florida after going there in the Brad Penny trade, then got suspended 50 games for steroids, and in 2007 posted the worst full-season ERA of his career at 5.76. In 2008, though, he knocked that figure down to 4.11 despite pitching in a better park for hitters, and all signs indicate that he's turning his life and career around. A one-year, $2.35-million contract sounds about right for him, but you would have liked to see Ned go after a reliever whose 50 percentile PECOTA projection was better than a 4.52 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. GRADE: B-
1/15/09: Released Andruw Jones, deferring his contract through the year 2014.
So ended one of the worst free agent sagas of any athlete in any sport. Jones got on the bad side of Dodger fans before the 2008 season even started when he showed up to spring training overweight, and within two weeks of the season starting (with Jones' average somewhere around the .100 mark), he was getting booed before every plate appearance and even when his face showed up on the Jumbotron for sponsors and commercials between innings. When he went down with a knee injury in June, the uniform response among all Dodger fans was, "Great! Is he out for the season??" despite the fact that Juan Pierre was his replacement. Unfortunately for all parties, he returned in July, and things got no better as he continued to strike out and weakly ground out with regularity. The fan treatment of him, if possible, worsened, as the entire city was pretty much begging Ned Colletti to dispose of him. After Manny Ramirez was acquired, Jones got "injured" again and went to AAA for rehab, although everyone knew that Ned was just hiding Jones there so that he wouldn't be in a living hell anymore. Jones made neither the NLDS nor the NLCS roster for the Dodgers, and after the season was dubbed the "Worst Offensive Player in Baseball History" by Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Understandably, Jones asked to leave the Dodgers, and when no trading partners were found, Ned was forced to cut him in January, with Jones eventually signing a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and starting the spring off 1-for-9 with an infield single and eight strikeouts. Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, and Barry Bonds may beg to differ, but I don't think any baseball player has ever fallen so far so fast. Ned deserves credit for cutting him, but he also deserves a substantial amount of flak for signing him in the first place, so I'm basically passing on this transaction. GRADE: N/A
1/26/09: Signed Brad Ausmus to a 1-year, $1-million contract.
Nothing much to say here; Ausmus is a decent backup catcher with Southern California roots. He won't hit much, but he will "call a good game" and presumably play decent defense, which is really all you can ask out of your #2 catcher. Another thing to consider is that his name carries enough weight (what with the Gold Gloves and all) that Torre will probably use him much more than he did Danny Ardoin, meaning more rest for Russell Martin and probably better production from him overall. GRADE: PASS
2/6/09: Signed Randy Wolf to a 1-year, $5-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $8 million.
Like Rafael Furcal's contract, this one is somewhat risky. Wolf's 2008 campaign was pretty good (190.1 innings, 162 strikeouts, 1.38 WHIP), but his injury history is frightening; 2008 was his first season of 30 or more starts since 2003, and pitchers don't tend to get healthier as they get older. However, due to the length and amount of guaranteed money on the contract, the Wolf signing isn't nearly as risky as the Furcal signing; it's a one-year deal for only $5 million, a bargain for a potential #3 starter. Add in the fact that Wolf's second half produced a solid 3.77 ERA in the launching pad of Minute Maid Park, and it looks like this was a pretty good snag by Colletti. Now, about keeping Wolf healthy...GRADE: B+
2/9/09: Signed Jeff Weaver to a minor league contract.
A few days before this signing, Frank McCourt had angrily jumped the gun and announced that the Dodgers would not be drafting Scott Boras clients in the 2009 draft, and considering Boras' behavior during the Manny negotiations you couldn't really blame Frank. In what was almost definitely just a gesture to get back on Boras' good side, the Dodgers gave Weaver a minor league contract with "a chance to earn the #5 starter job in spring training." Weaver's spring ERA currently stands at a tidy 0.00, but he'll almost definitely be starting the season in the minors, and who knows how long he'll be willing to play there. GRADE: N/A
2/22/09: Signed Orlando Hudson to a 1-year, $3.38-million contract, with incentives potentially making the contract worth $8 million.
This was one of the best bargain signs of the offseason. Hudson's Weighted Mean PECOTA projection stands at .279/.350/.392, but considering that 1) he missed out on his big multi-year contract this offseason and will definitely be wanting it next offseason, 2) he's familiar with the NL West and doesn't really have to adapt to a new situation, 3) his contract will be worth more if he plays well, and 4) he's a career .313/.375/.463 hitter at Dodger Stadium, I'd say that his 75 percentile forecast of .295/.368/.421 sounds much more likely. One does have to consider that the Dodgers lost their first-round pick to the Diamondbacks as well as the fact that Hudson's missed a good chunk of time the last two seasons with injuries (albeit fluke injuries), but there's no way to argue that this was anything but a good signing. GRADE: B+
2/26/09: Signed Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor league contract.
I don't know if Mientkiewicz will make the Dodger Opening Day roster, but after he's started the spring off with two home runs and five RBIs in his first three games, it seems like he'll have to do an awful lot to not make the team. If he does, he'll be a huge upgrade over last year's lefthanded bat off the bench, Mark Sweeney, who became the token "Okay, this guy's up, time to hit the concession stands" pinch hitter that the Dodgers seem to be so fond of acquiring. If Mientkiewicz makes the roster, though, the team might skip that tradition for a year. GRADE: B-
3/4/09: Signed Manny Ramirez to a 2-year, $45-million contract with the second year a player option that Ramirez can void in November of 2009.
It's often said that the baseball offseason is a season in itself; the "Hot Stove League," if you will. It typically lasts from November through mid-January or so, when all but a few straggling minor free agents are signed, and it's usually an enjoyable yet tension-filled few months that ends in time for one to kick back, relax, and watch the NFL Playoffs without having to worry about baseball for a few months. But the 2008 offseason for Dodger fans...well, fuck all that noise. It can conservatively be described as "a marathon, not a sprint," thanks to one Manny Ramirez and one Scott Boras. The day after the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs, the major question on every fan's mind was "Are we going to get Manny back?" and unbelievably, five months, four different contract offers and roughly 7 billion updates of MLB Trade Rumors later, Manny was still unsigned as spring training began. Rehashing the entire story might take 500,000 words, and this is all that really needs to be known:
In November, the Dodgers offered Manny a 2-year deal for $45 million. After laughing himself silly, Boras ignored the offer and a week later said, "We're now beginning to field serious offers for Manny." In February, the Dodgers offered Manny a 2-year deal for $45 million. Boras made a counteroffer of a 2-year for $45 million. Frank McCourt angrily rejected the offer, threw verbal daggers at Boras and Manny through the press, and basically said that Boras could shove his 2-year deal for $45 million up his ass and wait for those "serious offers" from other teams. A couple of days later, Boras called McCourt and offered him a 2-year deal for $45 million. McCourt accepted. And yeah, the whole process was even stupider than it sounds.
Still, the way the deal was structured, McCourt/Ned got a potential .315/35/120 hitter for just $10 million guaranteed in 2009, or the same amount of money that Juan Pierre will make. That's a solid contract, even if it took 30 years off every Dodger fan's life. GRADE: A-
FINAL GRADE: I believe that Ned is contractually obliged to sign one blatantly obviously terrible free-agent deal every offseason (see: Brett Tomko in 2005, Juan Pierre in 2006, Andruw Jones in 2007), and Casey Blake's contract was that one for 2008. Still, look back over those last three contracts and try to tell me that Blake's wasn't the best deal among them. That, along with the fact that Ned got some great bargains in Wolf, Hudson, and (eventually) Manny, as well as the fact that he didn't pull off any stupid trades to acquire half-assed veterans that would barely make any difference (I'm looking at you, Danys Baez and Jae Seo), and I'd have to say that this was Ned's best offseason yet. I could be eating those words as soon as May, but I don't think I will this time. OVERALL GRADE: B+ (with the Wolf/Hudson/Manny contracts weighted more heavily than the rest of the transactions)
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