Vicente Padilla officially signed a one-year, $5.025MM deal with the Dodgers today. He can earn another $1MM in innings incentives. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the agreement earlier today, with his colleague Jesse Sanchez as well as Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweeting the contract details.
Padilla, 32, posted a 5.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 4.46 ERA in 147.3 innings for the Rangers and Dodgers last year. The Dodgers added him as a free agent in August after the Rangers released him, and he tossed 56.6 solid innings for L.A. between the regular season and playoffs. Padilla's '09 injury ledger included forearm tightness, a strained shoulder, a bruised palm, swine flu, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Gurnick had previously named Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland, and Braden Looper as other Dodgers targets. Pineiro is off the board, while Garland and Looper will presumably have to look elsewhere.
Good e’nuff
It was pretty clear this was who they were going to get after Colletti’s interview last night.
How the heck did they afford him?
i liked padilla, but this move doesn’t invoke confidence in me
dodgers have same team as last yr.
Yeah, that’s pretty bad news, especially after leading the NL in wins.
i like*
Nice work Special Agent Ned.
Tim: “Padilla’s ’09 injury ledger included forearm tightness, a strained shoulder, a bruised palm, swine flu, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Classic everyday ailments 😛
Thanks, I really needed that Dr Pepper all over my keyboard… 🙂
it was a good move on the dodgers part and having the same team just makes us even stronger as a whole.
Definitely a guy you need to go year to year with, keep em on a short leash. Looked great in the NLCS.
I’m not a big fan of this move, but it’s relatively cheap, and it gives us a bit more depth. The real question now becomes who starts in the 5 spot: Elbert, Mcdonald, Stults, or Haegar?
No surprise here. Good move considering the options.
It’s an ok move to add depth but the Dodgers will never get over the hump unless they get an ace at the top of the rotation. I love Kershaw and he will definelty be an ace someday but the reality is he’s not there yet. Billingsley…forget it. He’s ok. Just hate to see the Dodgers keep coming up short when they are so close to being a championship team.
this is what happens when you go cheap. YOU GET NOTHING.
Agreed.
Kershaw put up ace numbers in 09, and Billingsley has been good enough to be an ace the last 2 seasons (despite the 2nd half “meltdown”, which many people feel was due to an injury). This “Dodgers need an ace” bullcrap is just wrong.
Have you been watching the same Billingsley I have for the past 2 years? He killed them in the playoffs in 08 and the couldn’t even pitch him in the playoffs in 09. What phantom injury are you referring to? Don’t hold your breath waiting for him!
He SHOULD have been in the 09 playoffs, Torre messed up by not pitching him at all. If you would even take the time to look at Billingsley’s stats he was still good in 2009, he just tailed out much too early. Yeah, i guess a broken leg doesn’t even linger or affect you after a couple months. He was fatigued late in the season, and he changed his pitching style and it cost him. He also had a quote recently saying he wasn’t doing his bullpen sessions like he was supposed to and obviously it hurt him.
Unless you are completely biased (which i have no doubt you are against him if you think what you say) it’s obvious that Billingsley has been good to great in his Major League Career, and at, I believe, 25, there’s no reason to believe he can’t do better than he’s already done. It’s idiotic to think Billingsley isn’t a stud.
Oh that’s it…Torre messed up! Say no more. Oh he was fatigued! I love your excuses for him. Are you his agent? Yes he put up good fantasy numbers in 08 and half of 09 but when this team has needed him to pitch a big game he floundered or was not able to pitch because of 1 or all of the excuses you came up with. Give me a break…Either way he is like I said…ok.
Ask any intelligent Dodger fan, they would have told you Billingsley should have gotten a start. No I’m not his agent, but you must be some loser Giants fan coming up with bullcrap (that is unfounded) saying he isn’t good. He had 2 terrible playoff games in 08 and one great one. He didn’t get a chance in 09. That hardly makes a trend. What about Cole Hamels? In 08 he was brilliant in the playoffs, but wasn’t any good in 09. Is he a choker?
I really don’t want to respond to you because you are just saying idiotic things, but it’s so hard for me not to when they are just so flat out wrong. Billingsley ok? I guess if there was a rotation of Lincecum, Greinke, Felix, Halladay, and CC he would be ok, but he would be the 1 or 2 of all but a select few staffs in baseball. There’s a reason the Dodgers didn’t trade Billingsley for Halladay, and it wasn’t money.
Wait, so 3 starts in 08 and not pitching in the playoffs as a starter in 09 was his fault… and makes him a failure? Ignore the ERA under 3.6, even with a bad year last season.
And yes, he was hurt. He broke his leg in the offseason, which lead to hamstring problems.
Now, it is obvious that you are a fan of a rival, so you probably dont know this, but it was proven that after 76 pitches, he declines, fast. Guess what happens after 76 pitches to a healthy pitcher.. their pitches move less. What happens to a pitcher who uses his legs for power, but is really pitching on just one leg? Well, Chad Billingsley’s 2nd half.
Oh, and if he isnt an ace and has no chance to ever be one, neither does Hamels or Cain. All 3 are similar pitchers, but because of a good 08 postseason(~5 starts) and a statisically fluky 09, they are both considered light years ahead of Billz…
Oh, and Billingsley’s ok? Billingsley would be the number 2 starter on at least 20-25 teams, and ace for many of them.
I’m not talking about number 2 starters or other teams. I’m talking about the dodgers. They just won’t do what it takes.
Yeah and what you said was wrong. Kershaw put up ace numbers last year, Billingsley put up ace numbers the first half before lingering injuries forced him to pitch differently. Either one could be the ace for the Dodgers this year, and not by necessity, by skill.
So when you define an ace you only count a half a year’s performance? It takes years before you are labled an ace of any staff. What injuries are you referring to? Look I think Kershaw is going to be great and will be an ace someday but right now he is young and way to inconsistant to be put in that role. He will be the #1 starter but he’s no ace…not yet. if you think the dodger rotation is better today than it was a year ago your crazy! How about playoff performance? Do you count that? Lets face it Billingsley has been a disaster the past 2 years and is no where near an ace on any staff. I’d love to see it happen but be real man!
No. He put up ace numbers for 3 months, after a year pitching as a very good #2 starter, showing that he can be an ace. Oh dear god, I just told you about the broken leg, lingering effects from it, and fatigue. Kudos on your reading abilities. Kershaw put up a 2.72 ERA, struck out 9.8 batters per 9 inning, and allowed under 7 hits per 9 innings, leading the MLB. I would not be surprised if Kershaw was in the Cy Young race next season, though most likely not winning it (yet). I never said it was better today than last year, but it’s not worse by much. In fact, if they get one of Elbert or Mcdonald in it along with a healthy Kuroda (he is a very capable 3 pitcher, he just needs to learn how to duck when a ball is flying towards his head) and a decent performance from Padilla, I have no doubt the rotation could be almost as good as last year. Randy Wolf is no ace, his loss won’t be huge.
God, you must worship the ground Joe Morgan walks on, because you’re making as much sense as he does. I’m done talking with you because you are either A) a troll or B) an idiot. Either way you aren’t worth talking intelligently to about anything baseball related.
That nice… resort to insults when you can’t make your point. I commend you on your research and numbers. All I’m saying is that Chad Billingsley is no Ace and if you think he is you have not been watching him pitch the last 2 years. The big problem is that the rotation was not good enough to win last year. It’s good enough to maybe win the division but that’s it. All I originally said was that they are close and a bonafied ace would take them over the top. As for you, I think you are wasting your time with the mlb statistics you should put your talents to better use. Maybe you could be the bench coach this year or better yet Billingsley’s personal Masseuse and rub him down after the games! LOL!! Chicken Hawk!
Ok, I stopped reading when you blamed the pitching in NLCS. The Phillies were the best offense in the NL. YOU WILL GIVE UP RUNS. But when no one other than Ethier is hitting, you wont score runs. You cant win against the best offense when you cant score runs yourself.
What?!? The Dodgers gave up 8, 1, 11, 5 and 10 runs in 5 games. That’s a total of 35 runs in 43 innings for an ERA of 7.33.Pitching was ABSOLUTELY to blame for the Dodgers NLCS loss. It was PATHETIC.I agree with you about Billingsley, but you’re totally off base here.
Im not saying the pitching should have won the Cy for their efforts, but it is not only their fault. I believe we scored 6 runs in the series. 5 games, 6 runs? Unless you have Sandy Koufax in his prime throwing every pitch, you arent going to win. It is just impossible with so little offense.
Billingsley has a career record of 47 wins and 30 losses so he is far from a disaster. However he is a guy you expect to win 20 games a season with his stuff and yet as good as his stuff is he only seems to be able to pitch well for half a season. He either has injuries often when he pitches, is not conditioned or has not matured to the point to go to the next level. He is still young and he is still 17 games over .500 pretty good start to a career, and I would expect him to get better. Prehaps this is the year he has that 20 win season. As far as kershaw he is still very young and he also was inconsistent last year. However he has wicked stuff, had a 2.79 ERA and while having a break even record last year it does not take much of a baseball fan to see baring injury what is up the road for him. He threw a few curveballs last year that kind of looked like he was Sandy Koufax.The dodgers are very young, and they looked it against the phillies in the playoffs. The great dodger teams of the 1970`s lost three world series until they finally won it in 1981. Prehaps this is the year they all put it together and the Dodgers go all the way. Probably get 10-1 on them to win the world Series in Las Vegas.
Couldn’t agree more!
When you keep saying that Kershaw put up ace numbers, you are ignoring a big part of what makes you an ace: pitching past the 6th inning. Kershaw walks so many people (most in MLB among starters at 4.79 BB/9) that his pitch count keeps him from going deep in games. Aces are people like Halladay, Sabathia, Lincecum, Lee, etc., that go deep in games and sometimes even finish them.
Of course Kershaw has ace potential and a lot of his numbers suggest this. But the Dodgers are lucky they have a great bullpen to back him up. It is not a guarantee that he turns into an ace, however. If he ever gets to the point where he gains a little command of the strike zone, look out. But he is not there yet. It’s a good thing he is only 22 and chances are he will improve upon his tendency to walk batters. But, until then, he is a slightly improved version of Rick Ankiel, circa 2000:
Season Team K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 AVG WHIP BABIP LOB% FIP
2000 Cardinals 9.98 4.63 2.16 1.08 .217 1.30 .279 75.2 % 4.12
2009 Dodgers 9.74 4.79 2.03 0.37 .198 1.23 .274 77.5 % 3.08
That’s exactly what I was trying to say to ivdown. He has a strange meaning to the word Ace! And to put Bllingsley’s name with that word is ridiculous!
It wasnt Kershaw’s fault he didnt pitch past the 6th, besides the walks of course. Torre was told to keep him on strict limits… for obvious reasons.
They let him go a little more towards the end of the year, and as he is allowed to pitch over 100 pitches, he will eat more innings.
Let’s put it this way, his high was 112 in FL. The only reason he went that long is because he had a no-no going. As soon as Cody Ross pulled a FB at his eyes for a double, Torre pulled him. He had no leash when he got near 100 pitches..
“It wasnt Kershaw’s fault he didnt pitch past the 6th, besides the walks of course. Torre was told to keep him on strict limits… for obvious reasons.”
So, basically, you are agreeing with me? The reason he didn’t get past the 6th a lot of the time is BECAUSE of all the walks. He goes so deep into counts and issues so many walks that it eats up a significant portion of this strict pitch count they are following.
I don’t want you guys to get me wrong, even though I am a Giants fan, I am a baseball fan first and foremost. This kid has a chance to be great, but he is not there yet. That is the point I was making. If you go back up the thread, I responded to a guy who is prematurely calling him an ace. He is not there yet is all I am saying.
Sort of. I am saying that his walks got him into high pitch counts. However, if he was, say 25, he would have been given a longer leash than right at or around 100 pitches he is pulled. Like I said, his top was 112, and that was only because he had a no-no. I believe that was the only time in the season that he started an inning with over 100 pitches already thrown..
It is a fact of life that pitchers in this generation of baseball just do not go that deep into games.The Dodgers would have to be pretty stupid to take a kid like kershaw and not have him on a pitch count he is just a babe in the woods and at this point is just pitching off of talent, the sky is the limit for him and he needs to be protected so he can develop his potential. I saw Juan Marichal on the baseball channel being interviewed, he was a great pitcher for the giants he would kick his leg way high in the air then the next pitch come at you sidearm with different release points and speeds just awesome. he once beat warren spahn in an 18 inning game where both pitchers went all the way. Anyway he said as all the old time greats say that they wish there was a pitch count when they played, they all would have lasted longer.As far as Kershaws ace potential there are 29 other teams that would like to have him. Remember Lincecum who is awesome is 4 years ahead of Kershaw. It will be interesting to see what Kershaw can do at 25 years old.
Thanks for the lesson on who Juan Marichal is.
The Dominican Dandy also had a record of 37-18 against the Dodgers, 2.36 ERA, 35 CG (10 Shutouts) in 63 starts, not to mention a 1.02 WHIP.
As for Kershaw, it is not a matter of whether or not 29 other teams would want him…of course they would. It is a matter of ace vs. ace potential. Big difference.
Of course he is not an ace he had an 8 and 8 record. The Dodgers probably should have left him in the minors an extra year, but they are monitering his pitch count and he is learning on the job. And yes you would have to be a blind man not to see he has ace potential.I was 9yrs. old an watching the the Saturday game of the week when Your dominican dandy Juan Marichal bashed John Roseboro over the head with a bat. There was so much much blood I thought he knocked Roseboros eye out of his head. Marichal was and is not known as a hot head or a violent man, he just had a bad moment and went over the edge. Roseboro when he threw the ball back to Koufax kept whizzing it by Marichals ear. Marichal had thrown at Maury Wills and Koufax refused to ever throw at a hitter. And it was a good thing with his fastball he might have killed someone. I have never seen a guy like Marichal since, with the leg kicks, the sidearm deliverys the change of speeds and change of release points plus he had great stuff. It was like he had 15 different pitches he could throw. He was really a special pitcher, I think they also had gaylord perry on that pitching staff. Koufax and Drysdale for the Dodgers. Marichal and Perry for the giants.
I agree that he isnt an ace, yet, but please DO NOT USE RECORD as a measuring tool. It displays how good the team played, not the pitcher. Use his ERA, FIP, H/9, Ks, BB/9(which was horrible for Kershaw last year), etc. These are more indicative of a pitcher than record.
While all of those stats have merit your wins and loses is what you get paid on. It is wins and losses that determines if you go to the playoffs or not. I know some guy went ballistic on me when I suggested that I would rather have a guy like Randy Wolf who was 17 games over .500 then Ben Sheets who is only 3 games over .500. All those Billy Beane money ball stats are nice but wins and losses at the end of the year plus ERA tell you more then any other stat.This is my opinion.
I completley disagree. Record shows how well your team preformed that day. I know you saw this example in the Sheets thread, but I’ll redo it.
Sheets and Wolf are pitching against each other. The each go 7 innings and 5 hits. Wolf’s 5th hit is a single, and then he is removed. His bullpen comes in and gives up a 2 run HR, making Wolf the losing pitcher. Meanwhile, the Dodger offense is shut down. So… They each go 7 innings and 5 hits. Wolf gives up a hit and his bullpen gives up the run. However, one of those is charged to Wolf and he loses 1-0. He is 0-1 and his ERA is over 3. Sheets did the same thing, but no runs were charged to him and he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. See how record and ERA(without FIP, which balances out all inequalities) are not great measuring tools?
This has nothing to do with moneyball or whatever, but it is simply showing that record displays how the TEAM did, not the starting pitcher.
Billingsley Sucks.
Considering how much Dodgers fans hate Brad Penny, you’re going to despise this guy by this time next year. Believe me, I’ve watched him the last few years with the Rangers. There is no hope for him to behave like a normal human being
Nice but No Cigar !
I like Padilla since he was a Philly but he shoulda been had AFTER landing Piniero !
Nice rotation BUT I’m afraid it will be another Division title for LA & another ugly series vs the Phillies for the NL Championship .
I’m pulling for you at 2b DeWitt !!!
Go Blue!!
Sadly I couldn’t agree more.
As a Cardinal fan, gotta say I’m relieved.
Your gonna be relieved that you guys will get shut out again?
That’s what I was thinking – I’m relieved that I may get to watch Padilla (and Kershaw et al!) repeat that stellar series…
They have to get there first – good luck.
you really dont think the Dodgers will make the postseason? Ok….
Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised. Rockies and Giants are both just as, if not more strong.
Im sorry, but I completley disagree. The Giants did not get the bat they needed. They got Bengie Molina. Congrats. I have said it before and will say it again, their pitching will also get worse. Cain, according to his statistics, will decline, adding nearly a run onto his ERA. After that their rotation is questions. Sanchez has never pitched a full, successful season, Zito… sucks, and they seem content with Bumgarner as their 5th starter. Personally, if I had a 19 year old who has never pitched above AA(with just 107 innings there) and had a sudden velocity drop, Id start him in AAA. Yes he has dominated. Amazingly. But a 19/20 year old who had a serious velocity drop as your #5 starter going into the season… is a risk
With the Rockies, I do think they are our main competition. They seem to be built similarily to the Dodgers… with young talent. I wouldnt be suprised if we both made the postseason.
I see the NL West as the Dodgers and Rockies, the Giants 3rd, with a gap, and the Dbacks as a possible sleeper.
Fluke series has nothing to do with signing a donk pitcher, nice argument though!
U still call it a fluke after they got swept..
That’s exactly why I’d call it a fluke actually, 5 game series should be outlawed!
That’s a lot of money for an average guy.
There have been way more overpays for average or just above average players this offseason. Padilla’s was just 1 year so it shouldn’t be too bad.
I know, but the Dodgers usually make pretty smart moves and I have to consider this one as not one of them.
I’m not quite so sure about them making smart moves, haha. But really, it was Padilla or Garland for the budget we’ve got. I would have preferred to stay in house with Elbert and Mcdonald, but we need that “proven” starter apparently…oye.
Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda, Padilla, ?. That may be about the 3rd best rotation in the NL West!
Lol, the Giants might have the edge right now, but the Rockies and Dbacks definitely do not have a better rotation than the Dodgers. Definitely not the Padres.
the giants have an edge? for what, being the worst offensive team in the NL west? well if that’s the edger you’re referring to than you are correct!
Rotation wise, yes, they do. Not that I want to argue with you because you’re somewhat Giants bashing, but the guy wrote about rotations, not teams. The Dodgers still have the best team in the NL West, with the Rockies being the only real threat IMO.
Honestly, I think it is close. Timmy is above everyone. Yes. but after that? Nothing. Cain will regress, as his career FIP has stayed the same(through 09 as well) and his ERA had been the same(mid 3s) until last year. His FIP, as I said, stayed the same, with his ERA dropping a run. AKA, he was lucky. Then, there are even bigger question marks. Sanchez hasnt pitch a whole year effectively, although he looked good at the end. Zito? You can have him. And then Bumgarner… if his velocity comes back watch out, but if not… uh oh.
Haren – Webb – Edwin is absolutely better than Kershaw – Billingsley – Kuroda, *if* Webb returns to form. Admittedly, that is a big if.
This deal with Padilla looks pretty good for next season considering that Blanton just got 3 yrs at $24M from Philadelphia. I think I would prefer Padilla over Blanton for next season only.
Surprised that Colletti didn’t offer 5 years at 50 million!
Padilla comes with a lot of baggage. This is why he gets a cheap one year contract, this is the best the dodgers could afford. Padilla joined the team last year and he seemed to come to life in a dodger uniform. Sometimes we all need a fresh start in a new enviorment, and another chance no matter what walk of life we come from.Go get them Vicente!
LoL at this. Padilla at best will be a league average innings eater – at least it’s only a year, but on their budget, Padilla at 5 mil really is not a good deal. At all.
They ‘needed’ to go and get a veteran starter on the FA market. Who would have been better for a better price? I would have been happier staying in house, but apparently the Dodgers needed that veteran presence.
As a Dodger fan I believe management has done nothing to make this team any better for 2010. This rotation with bikkingsly, Kuroda, Padilla and ? is mediocre at best.
They are doing the best they acan under the circumstances the McCourts divorce going on. Signing a Big dollar free agent is not always a good move. And for the guy who said the dodgers have the third best staff in the Nl west it is probably the second best staff with the best bullpen. With Sherill pitching the 8th inning an a healthy broxton in the 9th. and other good options from the 6th inning on the Dodgers will be in the hunt all season.
I said that about the rotation and agree with you but I think Colorado is close. It’s just frustrating because they are close to being an elite team.
This is what happens with a young team, but there is a ton of talent. Up until the last few days I thought maybe McCourt was not going to make an effort to help the team, but with locking up the arbitrarion years of sthe young talent and signing Padilla I admit I was wrong. The Dodgers are doing the best they can while the ownership is going thru a nasty contested divorce. You may see all these kids put it together this year and do it.
Let’s see how long Padilla behaves himself this season before he wears out his welcome in LA.
MEH..
With Penny getting 9 Million, Pavano getting 7 mil, Davis getting almost 6 this just falls in line with those deals.
Well now that the 4 spot is filled wheres the Trolls saying the Dodgers are BBAAAAD?
read the previous comments… haha
Billingsley and Kershaw are not aces… yet. Bills is a good pitcher who has a lack of intestinal fortitude. If he could man up a bit, he very well could dominate. Kershaw is just raw. If his arm holds out, he can be a stud. I like Padilla quite a bit. He has the edge that Bills doesn’t have. Plus Padilla has a great arm. I think he is happy in El Lay so maybe this will be a place where he can shine.
We now have a contender for Brad Penny’s worst contract of 2010!
The Dodgers pitching rotation underwhelms me. Kershaw has potential, Billingsley is good but that past they have NOBODY. Looks like the Rockies will be making a push this year because the Giants aren’t doing anything to improve themselves either.
Kuroda? One of the best #3 in the league. He had 3 random, non-arm related injuries last season. He should be healthy and a great complement to Kershaw and Billz
Kuroda has shown ACE stuff but he has been injured a lot. I wonder how much he will look for in FA next year.
My point is all his injuries last year were non arm related and only one of them was a common baseball injury(strained oblique after 1 start).
With the FA thing, I thought he said something about possibly retiring after this year when he signed the contract a few years ago. Now, we will see if A. he said that and B. even if he did, if he sticks to it.
If he does have a healthy year and continues to pitch in the majors, he will probably want at least 10M per, about what he makes now…
So you didn’t offer arbitration to Wolf, and now shoot Padilla, who is bad, a 5MM contract when you could probably find similar pitchers for much cheaper.
Good work Ned.
i honestly think this guy can be special for the dodgers.