Dodgers GM open to adding another star pitcher By Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com -- 2 minutes ago LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday his team could be in the market for a top-flight starting pitcher between now and spring training. In an appearance on 710 ESPNLA, Colletti was asked about the possibility of making a play for Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka, who said earlier this week he would like to come to the United States, or Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price, who is rumored to be available on the trade market. "I think there's some chance to that. There are a lot of dynamics that we’re not aware of yet," Colletti said. "You kind of pointed to a couple of them there and that’s accurate. We'll see. Any time we see a player that we think can help our club, we make an inroad to find out what the rest of the dynamics are." The Dodgers have three healthy returning starters in Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu and they signed Dan Haren to a $10 million, one-year deal last month. Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley are coming off surgery. Colletti said the Dodgers owners have kept an open mind about making a big move this off-season. So far, the Dodgers’ biggest expenditure has been a four-year, $28 million deal with Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero. "Thankfully, [the owners] give us the opportunity to think big things and to do some things that are bold here and there," Colletti said. "That’s a great thing, not a good thing." -- Colletti wouldn’t categorically dismiss the possibility of trading Matt Kemp, whose agent, Dave Stewart, told reporters last week Kemp was off the trade bloc. "I can't necessarily answer that, because I don't know when the phone's going to ring with something that changes that," Colletti said. "Our intent is to keep our outfielders, our intent is to get them healthy and get them productive. We wouldn't be doing our job if the phone rang and we wouldn't take the call. People have asked us about our outfielders, just in general. I say, 'Hey, you know what? If you've got an interest, tell me who it's in and what type of interest it is.' So, that's kind of where it is." -- Colletti made it sound as if a decision about Kershaw's long-term future is in the pitcher's hands, which makes sense considering ESPN’s Buster Olney reported earlier this winter that the Dodgers offered Kershaw what amounted to a lifetime contract (valued at about $300 million) last season. Kershaw is eligible for arbitration next season and would be a free agent starting next November unless he signs an extension. "We're going to do everything we can to keep him and, hopefully, he likes L.A. enough and the Dodgers enough and his situation here enough to want to be a part of it, but admittedly guys like him don't come around very often," Colletti said. __
I would like to be the first to welcome our new friend from the Far East Masahiro Tanaka. I hope you enjoy the weather and culture our unique city enjoys.
If you guys were running the Dodgers, what would the plan be? Seems like the current plan is banking on health and stabilizing the rotation/bench.
Where do you think we've been? We've been in the Arizona Fall League calling games to appease the Time Warner Execs. They tried to get us to do a 3 man booth (Tim, Phil, and Juan Pierre) but we held firm.
don't count your chickens just yet bubba looks like they've been auditioning another team as well... __
if Tanaka's posted, he's a Dodger...however, i just don't see why that would stop them from having interest in Price. business wise, if you were starting a brand new television channel covering your team, and you already controlled north of 180 BILLION dollars in assets BEFORE Time Warner agreed to give you 250-280M a year over 20+ years...why wouldn't you want a star pitcher on the mound for every single day of Time Warner coverage? that's how you make good on an TV investment and take over LA. run Kershaw, Greinke, Price, Tanaka, and Ryu out there 1 day after the other and have eyes glued to the TV screen.
While it's natural to drool over the prospect of those guys in the rotation trading away our 1 - 4 ranked prospects for a guy who WILL test the open market is bad business no matter what's in our obviously deep pockets. Also it's bad for the prospects of keeping Kershaw if Price gets here and get an extension immediately. Clayton is a better pitcher with better credentials.
It would be hilarious if we landed Tanaka and followed that up with trading for Price in that deal Bowden mentioned (Lee and Joc). Teams would be an uproar, but it would still be great entertainment. The argument that viewership would be through the roof is a great point. This FO is all about making money and this rotation would have hordes of people watching every night from home and likely the highest attendance numbers in years. The worst pitcher in the rotation would still have a whole country watching his every pitch. I don't know how much Price really would consider testing the market if he came to LA and the team put those guys around him long term. He'd likely be a safe bet to stay.
