DODGERS NEWS/RUMORS/INJURIES Thread

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6. Chase Headley. When a 3.5 fWAR season that came despite missing April causes people to say you had a "down year," you're in good shape. That's the reality for Headley, who saw his Herculean .286/.376/.498 batting line from 2012 (in Petco Park!) plummet to a still-respectable .250/.347/.400 in 2013. Interested teams will look at Headley and dream on his offensive ceiling in a more hitter-friendly environment, knowing that even without tremendous improvement, he's an above-average bat that handles the hot corner well.

7. Justin Masterson. Another player whose extension looked to be a foregone conclusion is Masterson, who surprisingly saw his own offers of $51MM over three years and $35MM over two years declined by the Indians. Masterson's off to a rough start, but the ground-ball specialist posted an ERA south of 3.50 and topped 190 innings in 2011 and 2013. He's added some significant strikeouts to his arsenal as well, whiffing 210 batters over his past 208 1/3 frames.

8. Colby Rasmus. Rasmus finds himself ranked here due to his power and defense at a premium position (center field) as well as his youth (he'll play the 2015 season at 28 years of age). Rasmus was a six-WAR player in 2013 despite a sky-high 32 percent strikeout rate. He kept a passable batting average based on a lofty .359 BABIP, but he'd be well-served to improve his contact abilities this season. Doing so would eliminate a great deal of concern and bolster his free agent stock, although poor contact rates certainly didn't hurt B.J. Upton's market value.

9. Pablo Sandoval. Kung Fu Panda will also play the 2015 campaign at 28 years of age, and he's averaged 3.4 fWAR from 2011-13. The switch-hitter has a pair of five-WAR campaigns under his belt and would likely see a boost in his offensive output if he moved away from AT&T Park. Of course, the Giants love retaining their players, are said to be in extension talks with Sandoval (though a wide gap exists) and he's wildly popular among fans. He may end up with an extension when all is said and done -- remember, Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum both inked new deals last year right on the cusp of free agency -- but if not, he'll be a hot commodity.

10. J.J. Hardy. Hardy's name might not carry much star power, but he's a truly elite defender at shortstop with rare power for the position. He has an injury history, but he's stayed on the field more than his free agent peers in recent seasons. Teams will be hard-pressed to get an OBP north of .310 from Hardy, but it's nice to have a slick-fielding, 20-to-25 homer shortstop in the bottom third of the lineup, and shortstops are always hard to find.

Other players who could force their way onto this year's rankings with a big season include (in alphabetical order as opposed to numbered ranking): Asdrubal Cabrera, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Michael Cuddyer, Jorge De La Rosa, Corey Hart, Torii Hunter, Josh Johnson, Francisco Liriano, Jed Lowrie, Russell Martin, Mike Morse and Jake Peavy, to name a handful. And, of course, Kendrys Morales and Stephen Drew could also make appearances, should they ultimately sign one-year pacts.

Note: Players whose contracts contain options (e.g. Ben Zobrist, Alex Rios, Yovani Gallardo) were not considered for this list.

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https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/456654395808030720

X rays have come back negative, so that means he'll miss eight weeks.

 

• The Dodgers averted a potentially devastating injury last night when x-rays revealed that star shortstop Hanley Ramirez did not suffer a break in his hand on a hit-by-pitch, Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA reported on Twitter. The club's middle infield decisionmaking -- in particular, declining Mark Ellis's reasonable option -- drew some questions in the offseason, though Dee Gordon has been a revelation thus far and Alex Guerrero is off to a fast start in Triple-A. The Dodgers also got good news recently on rehabbing starter Chad Billingsley, who underwent an MRI that showed no damage to his elbow after experiencing discomfort in a throwing session, as MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/04/california-notes-ramirez-billingsley-puig-athletics.html

 

Cole Hamels to return vs. Dodgers
ESPN.com news services
April 19, 2014

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels is expected to make his season debut Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

Hamels wasn't ready for the start of the season after feeling discomfort in his pitching arm in November. The left-hander was diagnosed with biceps tendinitis.

"We'll fit him in there in L.A.," manager Ryne Sandberg told reporters before Friday's game against Colorado. "We're still discussing it, but as we speak we're leaning toward Wednesday."

Sandberg indicated to reporters that he wanted to split up Cliff Lee and Hamels around right-hander A.J. Burnett. Lee is slated to start Monday against the Dodgers.

Hamels started Thursday for Class-A Clearwater, allowing one run over seven innings. He walked one, struck out three and threw 81 pitches.

 

i still really cannot stand the phillies

 

Dan Haren -- through 4 games he has a WHIP of 1.00. So far this is looking like a phenomenal signing.

 

see the thread my brother

http://www.dailysportspages.com/ind...ll-effort-in-simulated-game.6155/#post-225961