The bulk of the moves made by the Dodgers this offseason have focused on shoring up the team's rotation, unsurprising after their starters threw the sixth fewest innings in the National League this season. Both Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda were re-signed, and the rebuild was capped off today with the Jon Garland signing. Add in the incumbent Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, and all of a sudden Ned Colletti's team boasts a deep starting staff.
Once the Garland deal was announced, Colletti told reporters that the rest of his offseason goals involve adding a bat, adding a reliever, and sorting out the team's catching situation (team Twitter link). A few weeks ago we learned that the Dodgers were likely to increase payroll next season despite the uncertainty surrounding the McCourts' divorce, and they could free up even more cash by non-tendering Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and/or Ryan Theriot. The $5.19MM they paid to former players Nomar Garciaparra, Orlando Hudson, and Jason Schmidt in 2010 disappears as well.
Colletti reportedly made a serious push for Aubrey Huff, but he's not expected to bid on Adam Dunn even though he's arguably the most dominant offensive force on the market. Colletti is likely do his shopping in the next tier of free agents, and has interest in bringing both Rod Barajas and Scott Podsednik back. Johnny Damon, Rick Ankiel, or Austin Kearns could slot into left field at a reasonable price, but that is nothing more than speculation on my part.
The late game bullpen will return next season in the form of Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, and the upstart Kenley Jansen, but Colletti will presumably look for an upgrade over Ronald Belisario (5.04 ERA) and Ramon Troncoso (4.33) for the middle innings. So far they've added a few guys on minor league contracts (most notably Dana Eveland and Oscar Villarreal), but the safe bet has them adding someone more established this winter.
Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs explained that despite his performance drop-off, Martin is still a fine option behind the plate if healthy. A.J. Ellis and Hector Gimenez would be the only backstops on the 40-man roster if he's non-tendered, and those two have just 143 plate appearances worth of big league experience combined. Barajas performed well for the Dodgers late last season, but Miguel Olivo and Yorvit Torrealba are available on the free agent market as well.
Colletti's done a great job of getting the most difficult part of his offseason out of the way early by locking up the three starting pitchers, but there's still plenty of work to be done. Luckily for him, the winter is still young.
I think Johnny Damon would be an exceptional fit for the Dodgers. I’d like to see that happen.
I have to disagree. Damon does not give the Dodgers what they need, power. I would not discount Dunn. Ned has been pulling some rabbits out of his hat and Dunn would be a nice get. If not Dunn, a platoon of Ankiel and Kearns would be better than sticking Podsednik back in left or adding Damon. I still feel that second base deserves an upgrade. Theriot is hardly the answer and I am still not sure that De Jesus is ready. Lastly, I feel that Loney is not the answer at first. Sign LaRoche and hope that Jerry Sands is ready to take over in left in 2012.
I like your idea of a platoon in left, and Kearns is a good fit. But Ankiel strikes out too much to be more than a full time bench player. Here are some I think could work:
Kearns and Hermida
Marcus Thames and Corey Patterson
Pat Burrel and Melky Cabrera/Jim Edmonds
I like your idea of Thames and Patterson, how about Bill Hall he could play 2b and of and he did pretty good for the Sox last yr. with 18 hrs.
He’d be a great option for a super utility man. I think he wants a heavier contract than the dodgers would be willing to give though. But if they bring in Hall he could be a part time 3rd, 2nd, and OF. They could trade Loney(non- tender), move Blake to 1st, put Hall at full time 3rd(or platoon in left), and sign a guy like Beltre or Crawford to provide defense and offense.
I like your idea of Thames and Patterson, how about Bill Hall he could play 2b and of and he did pretty good for the Sox last yr. with 18 hrs.
Hopefully a settlement is next for the McCourts.
All Dodger talk was good today until you had to haul off and say their names.
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Haha. Sorry. It was a hopeful mention of their names though.
Dodger’s got to get Jonathon Broxton on some kind of conditioning program, the Dodger games I watched, Broxton blew it for them.
I love that no one ever complains about a player’s weight until he performs poorly.
I love that no one ever complains about a player’s negative attitude until it starts effecting the team’s cohesion.
So Broxton had a “negative attitude”? How so?
I wasn’t saying that…just using a hypothetical parallel example to point out the intellectual deficiencies in the statement above…
I love that no one ever complains about a player’s negative attitude until it starts effecting the team’s cohesion.
you should be in shape regardless of performance.
I wouldn’t say that statement it true whatsoever. Prince Fielder is a great example. People have been on him about his weight for years, and he doesn’t perform poorly.
I love that no one ever complains about a player’s weight until he performs poorly.
What 2nd basemen or 3rd basemen do we know of that are available via trade?
Rickie Weeks/Kelly Johnson/Jason Bartlett/Aaron Hill.
Does Kelly Johnson play 3rd too or just 2nd?
LF. You can probably stick him at 3rd as well. And obviously 2B
Does Kelly Johnson play 3rd too or just 2nd?
Don’t think that hill is really in the dogers price range and even if he is I doubt AA moves him this season
I highly doubt The Blue Jays give up on Hill yet.
I highly doubt The Blue Jays give up on Hill yet.
WE WANT DUNN.
All Dodger fans do but it wont happen.
For the record, I don’t. I like first basemen who know which part of the glove goes over their hand.
He’s not horrible at 1B, just below average. He’s a total butcher in the outfield, though.
Number two in errors committed last year, only one behind Ryan Howard.
At first base, errors don’t hurt as much.
Even if I accepted that theory (which I don’t), it still doesn’t support your original argument that Dunn is only a below average defender at first. Whether you think it’s important or not, the fact is, he’s at the bottom of the barrel as a defensive first baseman.
All Dodger fans do but it wont happen.
How about they go sign Adam Dunn and Jayson Werth. That should fix there offense. Yes I know it wont happen but it would be nice to see the Dodgers have and spend money like other big market teams.
What would it take to swing a deal for Prince Fielder?
Start by sending them Loney, a cheap replacement.. then Martin as a start?
Start by sending them Loney, a cheap replacement.. then Martin as a start?
Two years of Chad Billingsley and two years of James Loney for one year of Prince Fielder and five or six years of Mat Gamel.
Theyre not getting Billz, we just completed our rotation one of the best starting 5 in baseball may i say, maybe a few minor league pitchers that are a year or 2 away. Maybe Loney, 2 minor league starters and Jensen or Broxton
Probably Loney, Trayvon Robinson, Dee Gordon, and Chris Withrow.
A new owner
for the milwakee Gm to be drunk, and accept little. he aint getting any major leagers aka billignsley
What would it take to swing a deal for Prince Fielder?
Everyone’s been ignoring what a problem defense has been for LA. They need a bat but need to improve in the field as well. Dunn would just make that worse.
How about James Loney for BJ Upton? Not a big bat, but better defense around the outfield. Then find a stop gap at 1B or go with Gibbons/Blake.
Wouldnt mind that, put Upton in center move Kemp to right and Ethier to left. Would have a solid 1-4 in the lineup with Upton, Furcal, Ethier, Kemp. But who plays first?
Exactly, Kemp is better off in RF and Ethier in LF. Improved defense around the OF and more speed. Maybe Gibbons/Blake at 1B, honestly wouldn’t be THAT big of a drop off from Loney. We still need a 3B though…
Beltre to play 3rd. That will improve the defense.
Beltre would be a HUGE addition, but I don’t think we have the money.
But if they could pull off a deal for BJ Upton and find a way to sign Beltre, we would have a nice squad next year.
Yep. If we DO have the big bucks to sign someone, I’d take Beltre over Dunn.
But if they could pull off a deal for BJ Upton and find a way to sign Beltre, we would have a nice squad next year.
If we have the money for Dunn, then we have for Beltre…doubt we have for either though.
then I take Beltre. More valuable Position and much better defender.
Notice how Beltre always puts up great numbers in his walk years, but hardly any other time. Love his slick glove, but the rest of the package is just too questionable — especially for the dough he’s liable to get from somebody.
I would take any year but 2005 or 2009; however, I think he just does not hit well in Seattle as his away OPS is much higher.
Notice how Beltre always puts up great numbers in his walk years, but hardly any other time. Love his slick glove, but the rest of the package is just too questionable — especially for the dough he’s liable to get from somebody.
then I take Beltre. More valuable Position and much better defender.
Been on the defensive kick for a while now and agree. If the team is built around starting pitching you do not put Dunn at 1st base.
Upton is a possibility, would kick the tires on Angel Pagan too. Getting Kemp back to RF and Ethier to LF dramatically improves the OF D.
With a new GM in NY knowing what he’s doing, and probably building for the future, the Mets are more likely to part with Beltran than Pagan. Not saying it won’t happen, but it might take a little more than what Upton would take.
Love this idea.
We could always sign Beltre and then send Blake to Boston as a consolation prize š There, just freed up another 5MM lol
We could always sign Beltre and then send Blake to Boston as a consolation prize š There, just freed up another 5MM lol
What about signing Paul konerko? Trade loney and a prospect for bj upton? Wonder what the red sox would give us for loney?
What do the red sox need loney for? Elsbury would look nice in center though
Is Lowell still on the BoSox? Can he still play 3rd?
Nope, Lowell retired. Plus the red sox need a either a 1st baseman or 3rd. I wonder what loney could fetch us. A prospect or two?
No he retired. And he couldn’t play third towards the end. Sad way for such a great guy to go.
Is Lowell still on the BoSox? Can he still play 3rd?
The starting pitching was fine, the defense hella sucked though.
thank all of you guys for being professional…i love coming in here and actually hearing baseball talk no matter who your team is all you guys speak logically. im tired of getting the mlbtraderumors links on facebooka and going in the comments section and seeing people post things like Fuck the Dodgers Go Giants or The Yankees suck guess facebook is chico state and this site is Harvard
thank all of you guys for being professional…i love coming in here and actually hearing baseball talk no matter who your team is all you guys speak logically. im tired of getting the mlbtraderumors links on facebooka and going in the comments section and seeing people post things like Fuck the Dodgers Go Giants or The Yankees suck guess facebook is chico state and this site is Harvard
thank god i can come here and actually listen to intelligent people talk baseball regardless of what team you root for. Instead of hearing the your team sucks my team is better rants on facebook by idiots…thank you guys
AMEN.
The MLB.com comments are quite hilarious as well.
I ran the splits on Loney and Blake at 1B, and we could expect a slash line of .367/.462/.829 /w about 18 HRs. I just do not think this is a major area of need. 3B & CF would be my target areas. This also gives Loney one more year to breakout (why sell low?).
I realize I am one of the last to still have faith Loney’s power will emerge to the 18-22 range š
its better to have blake at left to platoon with gibbons. realistically in a stacked 1b market loney should be traded for a 2nd baseman or third. for the people posting about upton, you are stupid it wont happen. even the trash of the 1b market laroche gets you 25 hrs. pena would be great. good defense, works walks, and probably inexpensive. konerko has the age and injury issue, sadly dunn will be out of our price range. remember we still have to deal with C and 2b. cant use up all our money on dunn.
You really want Blake and Gibbons everyday in left field, or did I misread that?
And if the 1B market were stacked, what makes you think Loney would have any trade value?
I ran the splits on Loney and Blake at 1B, and we could expect a slash line of .367/.462/.829 /w about 18 HRs. I just do not think this is a major area of need. 3B & CF would be my target areas. This also gives Loney one more year to breakout (why sell low?).
I realize I am one of the last to still have faith Loney’s power will emerge to the 18-22 range š
I think we should strongly consider signing Carlos Pena and trading Loney for another solid outfielder…….He’s a lock for 30 bombs and plays great defense and I think Ned could get him in blue for around 3 / 24M
Nationals are said to be slightly interested in Loney. Would a Loney for Nyger Morgan and Chris Marrero deal work out? Then we sign one of the many free agent options at 1b for a year w/ an option. Then hope Marrero’s bat can be what it once thought to be a couple years from now.
I would not want Nyjer Morgan on my team. He’s just like another Milton Bradley attitude-wise.
Pena, Dunn, or Konerko make a lot of sense. Loney isn’t worth much at all, maybe flip him to the nationals for anything you can get. light hitting first baseman with decent defense aren’t a commodity and he is getting expensive.
arguments could also be made for LaRoche, Lee, Berkman, Overbay, Cantu, and Branyan being superior to Loney. All free agents as well.
Just the other day in the chat conducted on this website someone asked how much trade value James Loney had and the answer was that he had little trade value. Combining him with another guy can increase a possible trade value. On the other hand, Jacoby Ellsbury might be on the block he can steal about 50 bases a year and with davey lopes we can have a tough running game and play small ball. What about A.J Pierzynski? as a catcher? Derick Lee at first ?? Troy Glaus?? can play third and first
I think Lee would be a good option for them. Defense and he could have a bounce back year of .275/25 homers/ 80-85 rbi’s. He could come with a cheap contract too. Probally about 6-8 million on a 1 year contract.
problem is to open up a spot for lee you need to trade loney. if you get nothing or not a major leaguer its pointless to trade him because it just increases payroll without upgrading the team.
I dont see them giving up on Loney just yet. Granted he has played like the second coming of Casey Kotchman but unless they find a team thats desperate for a 1B they’ll probably hang on to him for this year.
But if they are intent on upgrading the offense there are a couple of scenarios that could work out.
Perhaps a 3 team deal.
BAL gets Loney and a prospect from WSH
WSH gets Jeremy Guthrie, Carlos Monasterios and a mid level prospect from LA
LA gets Josh Willingham and Jim Johnson
That gets BAL a young 1B with very good defense and would allow them to pursue someone like Konerko without making him an everyday 1B.
It gets WSH another SP and a guy who can either start or come out of the pen.
And it gets LA a solid bat in LF whose lack of range can easily be made up for by Kemp and Ethier. As well as opening up a spot at 1B for a guy like Lee or Berkman who i think would fit well and you also add another piece to the pen.
Thoughts?
No you don’t. If no one is interested in Loney via trade, you just non-tender him and he becomes a free agent.
He’s due $5m or so through arbitration. The Dodgers could probably sign a superior bat like LaRoche, Pena or Lee for only a marginal amount more.
Loney has very little value, which is why you do not trade him. He is still affordable enough to give a year, and if he does not take that step, non tender him next year. We are not going to get anything for him anyways.
I give the Dodgers credit, they did the smart thing and beefed up their pitching. It looks like they have 10-20 mill left for a catcher, of , 2b. I think Uribe, Torrealba, Bill Hall, Kearns,Thames,or Patterson.
Work Loney into a trade to the Red Sox for Ellsbury. Then the Sox have a piece to use to trade to SD when Gonzalez becomes available.
I think their are too many First basemen out there this year to trade Loney. I do like the idea of getting Beltre if they have the money.
I think Beltre is the fix all. Blake becomes a platoon partner with loney and better defense around the diamond.
I agree. Loney/Blake platoon at first would provide solid defense and adequate offensive production, while Beltre at 3B would provide both an offensive and defensive upgrade. Boosts 1B and 3B in one move.
Shame he’s going to cost a fortune.
Trade Martin plus cash/prospects to Boston for Ellsburry. Takes care of the outfield. Sign Edmonds to play 3rd, thatll take care of 3rd obviously and the veteran presence, he can also play first sometimes. Split time at first between Blake and Loney. Sign Olivo or Torrealba since theyve played in the NL West so they know the hitters. Then we just need to take care of 2nd base. Maybe try to pry away Johnson from Arizona for DeJesus Jr plus some or maybe just run DeJesus Jr out to 2nd and split time with Carrol
Jim Edmonds at third? A left handed 42 year old outfielder suddenly converting to thirdbase?
Am I thinking of someone else? I could have swore someone above mention him as a 3rd base option
If so, what are some 3rd base options not named Beltre?
If the Red Sox are interested in getting rid of Ellsbury, I would trade for him. Ethier, Ellsbury and Kemp sounds like an awesome outfield. I would ditch Loney and sign one of the available free agents. Pena would be a nice upgrade Depending on Martin’s health, I would keep him if he’s healthy and re-sign Barrajas.
i like the idea of trading loney and maybe a prospect for ellsbury but i doubt it will happen sign pena or lee at first keep martin if hes healthy cause hes still young and plays the game hard and sign uribe at 2nd OOF! go Dodgers!