Credit Kasten? Is he the GM now? WTF? Do you hate Ned so much you can't even credit him for the "almost" moves?
Hanley should probably stay another year at SS. I would love for him to get some OF experience during winter ball, and figure on moving him out there after next season (and not to 3b). It would be nice if he were prepared for that possibility, anyway. But Hanley is man, so I guess he decides pretty much when and where he plays.
If Donnie gets only a one year contract, we can expect Joe Torre to appear in the press every week or so, saying how difficult it is for a manager to focus when he doesn't have the job security. I'm really sick of Joe Torre, btw. And I bet he becomes the next baseball commissioner...
what else did you think it'd take? Price is gonna be due a lot of money soon and if the Dodgers are gonna pay him, why would anybody else give up a truck load to rent him? Tampa's leverage isn't really all that good...this is the new landscape that the Dodgers' money has influenced. when they set sights on a player they'll be able to use money to muscle teams out of the mix if that players about to become a free agent soon. that's why i was shocked when Hamels stayed in Philly, but he must just like it there.
You're insane if you think he can be had for that cheap, some team could easily top that, rent him for a year and a half, and then trade him in july 2015 and recoup the vast majority off their lost prospects. An offensively inept catcher, a platoon OF and a future #3 SP won't do it, throw in Urias or Seager then you'd probably have a deal.
Resetting the 40-Man Roster by Mike Petriello | Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness -- October 20, 2013 As we look ahead to 2014, the first step is taking stock of the roster. The 40-man roster is currently full, but it’s really 45 when you include injured 60-day disabled list players. Here’s how this all breaks down: Under contract (11): Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Hyun-jin Ryu, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Brandon League Combined, these 11 guys account for about $166m for 2014. Billingsley, of course, is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, while Beckett’s health (and effectiveness) is anyone’s guess until we get a look at him. We’ll be hearing rumors about trading one of the outfielders (and League, possibly) all winter long. Arbitration-eligible (8): Clayton Kershaw, A.J. Ellis, Ronald Belisario, Kenley Jansen, Scott Elbert, Mike Baxter, Peter Moylan, Drew Butera Signing Kershaw is obviously a huge priority for the winter, as he has one more year of arbitration remaining before free agency. I did see the report that indicated the Dodgers offered him $300m, but that doesn’t pass the sniff test for me — it’s insane for the team to have offered that, it’s more insane for him to have declined. I think it’ll get done for something like 8/$220m. Elbert, who missed the season and had Tommy John surgery in June, is a potential non-tender candidate. (As are Butera & Moylan, and maybe even Baxter too.) The fact that Jansen is on this list for the first time shows what a ludicrous value he is, and how you never, ever, need to overspend on a “veteran closer”. (I should admit that I’m not 100% certain on Moylan’s status. If my math is right, he falls just barely a few days service time short of free agency.) Under team control (14): Tim Federowicz, Dee Gordon, Elian Herrera, Justin Sellers, Scott Van Slyke, Chili Buss, Javy Guerra, Matt Magill, Paco Rodriguez, Chris Withrow, Stephen Fife, Onelki Garcia, Jose Dominguez, Shawn Tolleson These are the younger players with less than three years of service time, who can simply be renewed for the minimum. Sellers & Herrera are easily DFA'd should roster space become an issue. Soon-to-be free agents (10): Juan Uribe, Nick Punto, Jerry Hairston, Michael Young, Skip Schumaker, Ricky Nolasco, Edinson Volquez, Brian Wilson, J.P. Howell, Carlos Marmol At 9am ET on the first day following the World Series — that’s November 1 if it goes a full seven games — these 10 Dodgers become free agents. Other than Marmol, Nolasco, & Young, who were traded for during the season, the Dodgers have the right to offer any of their free agents a qualifying offer, which would be $14.1m for one year. That seems exceptionally unlikely for any of them. It’s likely that two or three of these guys return, but the majority won’t. Option decisions (2): Chris Capuano, Mark Ellis Capuano has a $1m buyout of an $8m 2014 option that will all but certainly be declined, though it’s possible he returns at a lesser salary in a swingman role. Ellis has a $5.75m option that, despite his shortcomings, isn’t entirely unreasonable. If the Dodgers can lock down Alexander Guerrero, Ellis is likely gone, but that’s not certain yet. Assuming both options are declined, the Dodgers will have 33 spots on the 40-man. If you figure they retain two or three of their free agents, add two or three prospects to protect them from the Rule V draft, and add a few new players, they’ll need to clear some room. Guys like Sellers and Herrera might be best served to not get comfortable this winter, though I feel like I’ve been saying that about Sellers for three years now. __
go ned go arty: Too soon for Colletti to focus on sure-to-be-busy winterGM has plenty to address in offseason, though Dodgers not expected to spend as muchBy Ken Gurnick | MLB.com -- October 19, 2013ST. LOUIS -- The Dodgers have a manager, his coaching staff, 12 free agents and a couple of high-priced contract extensions to resolve in the coming months, not to mention the occasional front-office reassignments that sometimes fly under the radar.General manager Ned Colletti wasn't ready to deal with any of that late Friday night, when the season ended and the clubhouse emptied. It's hard to look at the glass half-full when they're spraying champagne across the field, but he tried."I think we made great strides, but unless you finish with a parade, you're not satisfied," said Colletti. "I'm always sorry to see a baseball season end, and this one I really hate to see end because of the guys in the room."Colletti reeled off the highs and lows -- the injuries, sinking to last place, winning 42 of 50 to take over first, running away with the National League West, beating the Braves in the NL Division Series."[There are] a lot of good things to take from this," Colletti said. "Where the organization was a year ago, 16 to 17 months ago, a lot has transpired in a good way."The billionaire owners from Guggenheim Baseball Management spent lavishly to get within two wins of the World Series, but don't expect the free spending to continue at the same pace. Don't expect a Robinson Cano signing.The Dodgers know they must lock up Clayton Kershaw long term and will consider the same for injury-prone Hanley Ramirez, but management has no intention of being the annual big spender for free agents. The business plan calls for a shift to homegrown talent, sooner rather than later.Reports, including one that surfaced on Saturday, indicated that negotiations between the Dodgers and Kershaw have ranged between $200 million and $300 million, but no ballpark figure has been confirmed.The Dodgers will have some immediate holes to fill, with starting second baseman Mark Ellis, starting third baseman Juan Uribe, starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco and setup man Brian Wilson among the potential free agents. They hope to fill one of the infield spots by signing Cuban free agent Alexander Guerrero.The Dodgers also will spend time and thought on their current Cuban star, Yasiel Puig, who can be undisciplined, as he showed throughout the NL Championship Series. Gifted but wild, Puig is the kind of player you can't take your eyes off of, because you never know what he will do, good or bad. But when he shows up an umpire, as he did in Game 5, you never know how that might affect Game 6. Puig has much to learn about Major League protocol. If you're the employer, you take the pros and try to work on the cons, many of the latter occurring out of view and generally unknown to the public.On the pro side, however, Puig is entertaining in an entertainment business. Puig brought energy to a roster already loaded with big names, the Dodgers re-emerging as a national story and attendance spiking."It's tough to capsule a season a half hour after it ends, but it was exciting," said Colletti. "Sports are supposed to be entertaining. I think this group was very entertaining in a lot of ways. We won a lot of games, we stuck together in tough times. I'll miss this group. Even if everybody returns, it's never the same group. The dynamics change. That's why I hate to see this season end. It's a special collection of people."Mattingly is expected to return for 2014, but the status of his coaching staff is unknown. Third-base coach Tim Wallach already is rumored as a candidate for a managerial vacancy, and his departure could trigger other dominoes to fall.The complete list of free agents: Chris Capuano (mutual option, $8 million or $1 million buyout), Ellis (club option, $5.75 million or $1 million buyout), Jerry Hairston, J.P. Howell, Carlos Marmol, Nolasco, Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker, Uribe, Edinson Volquez, Wilson and Michael Young.Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. __
We are in great shape IMO. I wanted the trophy/ring/title more than anything...but at least we aren't going back into an abyss next season. Same division, same team to build on.
Really interested to see what moves are made this offseason. Whether they go big on a trade/signing or make some smaller upgrades and are banking on Hanley/Kemp/etc. producing big.
OF positions should pretty much be set...the only debate there will be the Ethier-Crawford situation, but I think one of them gets dealt. Set at first base, and set at SS with Hanley, unless we plan on moving him to 3rd. Ultimately, we need to upgrade at 2nd and 3rd base. Loved the way Uribe played defensively at 3rd, and I loved his clutch hitting for this season, but most players tend to step up in contract years. He's way too inconsistent and too strikeout prone in big spots. Our lack of depth in the lineup is what killed us vs St. Louis. Once Hanley got hurt, our offense turned to complete shit and was exposed.
lol @ " easily " throwing in top prospects for a rental and then trying to deal him when there's even less leverage a year and a half from now. if that were the case Tampa would just keep him for another year and a half because they're clearly better with an ace at the top of their staff.
then are you saying you agree with jim bowden; that a proposal of z lee, pederson and fedex would be enough to get the rays' attention?
I'm saying a team could easily top Pederson, Lee and Fedex, without even a top prospect. Never forget, the Brewers got Jean Segura for 2 months of Greinke.
