WEDNESDAY, 3:30pm: The deal is official, with both teams announcing it. Stults has been acquired and designated in one fell swoop, indicating that he was included in large part to offset Uribe’s salary. With more than three but less than five years of service, Stults will have the right to elect free agency if he clears outright waivers, but would have to give up his guaranteed salary to do so.
On the Los Angeles side of the deal, only Callaspo will head to the club’s active roster. Jaime will look to work into form at extended spring training, while Thomas will take a job at Triple-A.
2:55pm: The Braves paid Callaspo $100K to waive his no-trade rights, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
8:41am: Callaspo received a “stipend” as inducement to agree the trade, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com tweets.
TUESDAY: Trade talks between the Dodgers and Braves regarding Alberto Callaspo and Juan Uribe fell apart Tuesday morning after Callaspo vetoed the transaction, but talks rekindled just hours later after Callaspo had a change of heart, and the two sides have reportedly reached a deal, pending approval from the commissioner’s office. The Braves will acquire Uribe and right-hander Chris Withrow from the Dodgers in exchange for Callaspo, right-hander Juan Jaime and left-handers Ian Thomas and Eric Stults.
As a player that signed as a free agent just this offseason, Callaspo was ineligible to be traded prior to June 15 without his consent. After news of the revitalized deal broke, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that Callaspo reconsidered after his initial decision to stay with a team that wanted him traded weighed on him further.
Though the Dodgers are surrendering talent to acquire him, it’s worth wondering how long Callaspo will be retained by his new team. The Dodgers, earlier this season, were content to acquire Ryan Webb and release him almost immediately in order to acquire a Competitive Balance draft pick from the Orioles. The Dodgers may view this as a means of shedding a bit of payroll and unclogging their logjam at third base, though that’s still purely speculative at this point.
The Dodgers have Alex Guerrero, Justin Turner, Hector Olivera and, eventually Corey Seager as potential in-house options at the hot corner, making both Uribe and Callaspo seem somewhat expendable. Callaspo has batted just .206/.293/.252 for the Braves this season, so his on-field production isn’t necessarily something the Dodgers would view as an upgrade, even though he has a superior track record to that output. Callaspo is capable of handling multiple infield positions, but while that versatility is appealing, the same could be said of Turner, who has experience at more positions and superior numbers at the plate.
From the Braves’ standpoint, the team likely views Uribe as an upgrade over Callaspo and, quite possibly, the injured Chris Johnson (who will be activated from the DL later this week). Uribe has posted consistently excellent defensive marks at third base over the past three seasons, and he batted .295/.334/.439 while playing half his games at the pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium from 2013-14. He’s off to a slow start in 2015 — .247/.287/.309 in 87 PAs — but he’s also been slowed by a hamstring injury.
Financially speaking, the Braves are actually taking on some money in this deal, assuming there’s none changing hands (and there has not been, to this point). Uribe is earning $6.5MM in 2015 — the final season of a three-year contract. That means he has about $4.69MM remaining on his contract, which is more than double the $2.16MM remaining on the one-year, $3MM contract signed by Callaspo with Atlanta this offseason. Stults’ minor league contract came with a $2MM base upon making the roster, meaning about $1.44MM is left on his commitment. In total, then, the Braves are taking on just over $1MM in additional salary in order to add Uribe and Withrow.
Withrow, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery at this time, is slated to return from his operation in the second half of the season after undergoing surgery 51 weeks ago, on June 3, 2014. A hard-throwing reliever and former first-round pick of the Dodgers (2007), Withrow spent parts of the 2013-14 seasons pitching in relief for L.A., and doing so quite effectively.
The 56 innings he accumulated in those two seasons are the only Major League work on his resume, but he made quite the impression, registering a 2.73 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 5.0 BB/9, a 39.7 percent ground-ball rate and a fastball that averaged 95.7 mph. It should be noted that while Withrow’s BB/9 rate looks a bit troubling, eight of his 31 Major League walks came over his final 8 2/3 innings prior to Tommy John; his control looked markedly better in 2013, and Baseball America noted prior to the 2014 season that he’d significantly improved upon his ability to locate his fastball.
The 28-year-old Thomas has worked to a 3.94 ERA with 18 strikeouts against 11 walks in 16 innings of relief for the Braves over the past two seasons. Thomas primarily throws a fastball, curveball and changeup, and he posted generally strong marks over the course of his minor league tenure after being signed out of indy ball. The Dodgers aren’t particularly short on left-handed relief, with J.P. Howell, Adam Liberatore and Paco Rodriguez all serving as MLB-caliber options, but Thomas will further give them some depth in that regard.
Stults, 35, was actually drafted by the Dodgers in 2002 and spent parts of four seasons with the team from 2006-09. Of course, that was under different ownership and a different front office. Since that time, Stults bounced around the league a bit before settling into the Padres’ rotation from 2012-14. Over those three seasons, the southpaw worked to a 3.87 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 472 innings. Despite that relatively solid production, Stults was non-tendered this offseason and signed a minor league contract with the Braves, beating out Wandy Rodriguez for the fifth spot in Atlanta’s rotation. The results for Stults haven’t been particularly appealing, however, as he’s posted a 6.34 ERA with a 30-to-13 K/BB ratio in 44 innings out of the Braves’ rotation. The Dodgers may feel that a move back to the NL West will allow him to rediscover some success, and the team clearly is in need of some rotation depth after losing Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu for the season due to Tommy John and shoulder surgeries, respectively.
Jaime, the fourth piece headed to the Dodgers, is a hard-throwing right-hander that found himself designated for assignment earlier this season. He broke camp in the Braves’ bullpen but made just two appearances before being designated for assignment. The 27-year-old cleared waivers and remained with the organization at the time, but his 96 mph average fastball will now be property of the Dodgers. Jaime has just 13 2/3 innings of experience in the big leagues, but he’s posted a lifetime 3.12 ERA with 12.9 K/9 in the minors. However, Jaime has also walked 6.3 hitters per nine in his career, including an alarming 42 walks in 44 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the re-kindled talks, the completion of the trade, and the inclusion of Withrow and Stults (All links to Twitter). MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that Thomas and Jaime were in the trade (Twitter links). Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez first told reporters, including Bowman, that Callaspo was being discussed in trades last night (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
what a strange situation.
Has to be one of the sloppiest trades ever. Wouldn’t be so bad if it were a star player involved, but we’ve got support players and guys coming off of surgery. Two years from now will anyone remember this? One year? By 2015 spring training?
Do you really think a trade is only good if at least one star player is involved? This is simply a trade for the present, as the Dodgers desperately need depth at pitching and Uribe’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Please don’t put words in my mouth.
This has been going on for 3 days now. With rumored secondary players coming or going, then not coming or going. I understand the trade. But this isn’t exactly A-Rod going to the Red Sox and Manny going to the Rangers…..whoops.
I am confuzzled by it as well, not sure why either side did this. Doesn’t seem to benefit any team.
The Braves got rid of deadweight.
And added a guy who will not help them when they are ready to compete, because it isn’t going to happen for them this year.
These guys weren’t gonna help them compete when they are ready either.
Uribe’s contract dumps at the end of the season. Maybe they see something in Withrow? Who is he btw?
Reliever who showed promise in the big leagues in 2013 and the start of 2014. Went down with a torn UCL. High strikeout and high walk pitcher who throws gas. But the walks seemed to balloon right when he went out with the injury. I expected him to be the Dodgers future set up man, but Friedman felt it wasn’t meant to be.
Thank you
Uh it benefits the Braves immediately? Uribe’s defense or Chris Johnson(as a whole)….. thats not a hard choice….
his defense is overrated-he can’t hit. But, I agree, Callapso ain’t great shakes.
Here’s how it benefits the dodgers: They got 4 players for 2. The two they gave up is an aging 3B, and a power arm who just had TJ surgery. They are going to DFA Collaspo. They don’t need him or want him. They got Stults and two farm arms. Now, the Dodgers can play Guerrero at 3B and not worry about Uribe causing any locker room rifts. They did Uribe a favor here.
Uribe has been benched before and he’s a good teammate. Don’t quite understand the logic of trading for, then DFAing, Callaspo. Agree we don’t really need him, but the trade-DFA strategy doesn’t quite work in my mind for this trade.
Uribe was by far the most well liked Dodger by his teammates. It wasn’t even close. Everyone loved him. He wouldn’t cause any locker room problems, not even close.
No, his defense is not overrated — he’s been stellar at third. His hitting is less consistent, but I bet he takes to Atlanta’s park.
You mean not hitting in that Grand Canyon sized Chavez Rivine, might help a hitter. lol idk if turner is any better
Well every metric this side of the dixie disagrees. His defensive prowess is legit. He would have snared that grounder down the line Ciriaco missed. Would have stopped the 4th inning bleeding
Any idea what the parameters of the deal are beyond Uribe and Callaspo? I know the previous article talked about minor leaguers but then later updated to potential major league pitching headed to the Dodgers.
Dave o’brian just tweeted that it isn’t any impact type prospects. Basically see it as the Braves hoping they can get some production out of a blocked player and the Dodgers are hoping to get some versatility out of their piece but more than likely, 3 million dollars in relief.
Also just saw where Stults or Cahill could be involved. So I basically know nothing.
I personally really doubt $3 mil in salary relief was a driving factor for this FO. This has to be a play for some additional pitching or depth prospects
I spoke to soon ha. Even more perplexing.
Dodgers getting major league pitching in return. Cahill and/or Stults likely involved as per Rosenthal.
Why are the Braves doing this? Money can;t be that tight for them could it?
looks like they’re taking on salary.
Why wouldn’t they? Callaspo is terrible.
Uribe isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either, and he’s certainly not a long-term piece. Meanwhile the Braves are giving up three more players possibly including major-league pitching and possibly taking on salary, and the Dodgers one.
Obviously there are more answers required in terms of who all ends up going where, how the dollars work out, etc. But right now the framework does seem curious for the Braves.
improved defense at 3rd
hmm interesting
I like it. Uribe’s a better hitter than Callaspo.
Would’ve loved to see the Braves get Guerrero in this deal
you cant be serious
Callaspo for Guerrero, you must think friedman is an idiot.
Nobody said straight up. It’s a 6 player deal
Well, I think Friedman is an idiot, but no not for this trade. Still, he did just do the Braves a huge favor by taking a mediocre utility player, and three of our worst pitchers. So, umm, thanks?
*two of our worst pitchers and Thomas. He’s gonna be serviceable.
Guerrero can opt for free agency if he gets traded. He wont be moved
I wanted the Angels to trade for him during spring training so bad. I knew he was going to be a major asset…
And I would have loved to see the Dodgers get Freddie Freeman in this deal. Nice backup when Adrian needs a day off.
prospect coming to Braves should be interesting.
gotta love another TJ project. Coppy really loves those guys apparently.
Sure, but I can see why they like Withrow. His numbers are incredible, even with the TJ surgery. We have the time to allow him to come back at his own speed, but he could be a long-term closing option even if he’s not 100% what he once was.
Crazy to think how many pitchers in our system have had TJ surgery.
you’re right. The Braves have had so many TJ candidates they are so educated in how to rehab them.
I’m guessing there will be ML ready pitching included, but I’m hoping we get some prospects out of this. I don’t see us making a play for Hamels, but I’d love if we targeted someone like a Scott Kazmir later on.
“Major League pitching was said to be headed to the Braves by Rosenthal earlier today, though he cautioned that no big names were involved in the deal. That could indicate that either Eric Stults or Trevor Cahill is involved.”
You mean “from” the Braves
I do indeed. Thank you for that. Updated.
If the Braves are taking on contract for Uribe, might mean they feel they have a taker on some of Chris Johnson’s contract.
Would Callaspo now be subject to California income tax for the remaining $2+ mm? I assume (maybe incorrectly) that Cali income taxes are higher than Georgia. That could be one reason why he rejected initially – it costs him money with no benefit. I assume there is some incentive offered him to take this now after initially rejecting.
They are higher and $2mm in California isn’t $2 million in GA.
You get taxed everywhere you play. I.e a 3 game series in chicago means for those days you pay illinois taxes. A 3 gamd series in a state with no income tax you aren’t taxed. Makes for interesting tax returns
Really? That’s new. Thank you for that.
Thus is not true
Yes it is…it’s called “The Jock Tax”….look it up. CA takes in well over $100m a year just from visiting pro athletes.
Google Andrew McCutchen’s pay stub. You’ll see he paid taxes in every state he played in.
Next time look it up. It is true and actually quite interesting.
if true, it still likely means he would be hurt by half the differential of the CA versus GA tax. Besides, if LA cuts him as expected, the away game tax is moot. If the differential is just 1% of his salary (but probably is more) that is $20,000. That may not seems much for someone earning $3mm per year, but for guys who know their earning horizon is short and have extended families to think about, it is not meaningless.
Was just explaining the way it works as a whole. I find it quite interesting and a lesser known fact of the business side. Use it to win a bar bet if you’d like.
bingo! he received a stipend
I knew that bulk lot of Eric Stults LA jerseys I picked up on clearance a few years ago would be a good investment.
He was just warming up in the bullpen, looks like he won’t be included
Back to eBay I go.
Or, maybe not!
Zach Lee? I thought Ruby from the Phillies traded for him last year?
Then again fans including me have no idea what we are talking about.
How come John Hart seems to be getting things done and as for my Orioles all they can do is replace a peg with a peg.
SMH!
They got Zach Eflin (from the Padres) in the Kemp deal and flipped him to PHI for Rollins. Now RAJ probably thought he was getting Zach Lee…
The Phillies also got Tom Windle from the Dodgers in that deal.
If were trading z.lee or anderson we better be getting an equal prospect in return
There has to be some sort of point to this trade, so far the only names being tossed around are Lee, Anderson, Callaspo, and Uribe and I don’t think any of those 4 should be mentioned in the same trade unless something is on the horizon.
Lee and Anderson being mentioned is a shock. Maybe Lee really is on the outer with this front office..they seem very hesitant to give him a go in the bigs despite his background, and performance this year.
I scratched my head when Weiland got a spot start instead of Lee a while ago. Making a bit more sense now.
Gee, thanks Bowman.
Wieland over Lee might have been more about starting Lee’s clock at such a young age, he’s still only 23.
Bowman just did the Hokie Pokie on Lee and Anderson. Says they’re not in the deal.
Someone please explain the purpose of this trade for both teams. This is more confusing than when Billy Beane acquired Jim Johnson.
Roster space for the dodgers – likely for olivera. Can’t imagine callapso will suit up for LA at all.
ATL? Eh. Beats releasing him I guess.
So they give away prospects for a roster space? Doesn’t seem very logical to me.
I think there will be more to the other moving parts than initially expected.
3 other players going to the Dodgers as the article says, one probably a MLB ready starter that isn’t named Eric Stultz
Why not just promote Zach Lee? They would rather have Cahill who has been terrible? I’ll wait until the trade is finalized but at this point, it makes zero sense.
Braves unload some minor league pitching that are almost out of options (Thomas, Jaime), while upgrading 3B (Uribe) by taking on some of his contract and possibly adding a future closer in Chris Withrow, if he can successfully come back from TJ surgery. If you didn’t know that ATL loves hard throwers and TJ survivors, you do now.
Atl: Stults is gone. That’s worth plenty.
Im going to miss uribes walk up song, it was epic.
Joc pederson needs to walk up to young jocs its going down as well hahah.
What was his song?
Marc Anthony – Vivir Mi Vida
Speaking of Joc, Every game I watch him play ,He seems to walks ,strikeouts or hits HR.
Adam Dunn, minus some pop, but with a glove and some speed.
IOW, nothing like Adam Dunn.
So basically nothing like Adam Dunn then.
he has two singles and two groundouts tonight.
He is the new king of TTO since Dunn retired.
Nice TTO reference!
I wonder what inspired Callaspo to have a change of heart on this matter. Either way, very interesting the way this has unfolded from the beginning with Gonzalez talking about it so openly to this.
Potential rings.
There’s reason to wonder if he’ll even get a chance to suit up as a Dodger though. And even if he does, there’s a good chance he’ll be more watching the team win than getting to be a part of it.
Maybe wanted to avoid the awkwardness of playing for a team who wants him gone.
Potential Kenshin Kawakami treatment
The added “stipend”….for however much. He is most likely getting DFA / released, so I guess some walking money.
Yeah I saw that, interesting how money talks sometimes,isn’t it? He won’t be without a team for long after not team would be liable for his current payday, so I guess I understand.
It was a smart move by him. I’m sure his agent told him that he was going to be released either way, but this route gave him some leverage. I’m curious to see what kind of $$…as I’m sure the MLBPA has terms for this kind of stuff. Calling it a “stipend” I’m sure is one way to get around the $. If nothing else that $ can get put towards moving expenses…so good on him for squeezing a few more $ out.
Unless a player is traded or assigned to a club less than 50 miles away the club pays all moving expenses. The players are paid money upfront at the time of the trade (the amount depends on the distance) and then things are settled after final moving expenses are submitted by the player.
I told you all since the Offseason that Alex Guerrero was going to be great. Just like I said the SF Giants signing Tim Lincecum to a 2 year deal was a great signing. I got flack for these opinions twice. I was right, twice.
Guerrero still plays horrendous defense. Lincecum still has 4 months to implode.
Horrendous defense? He’s looked good to me in the limited action I’ve seen him in especially at the hot corner. UZR and other defensive metrics grade him from slightly below to above average at 3B. He’s also played 2B and SS for the majority of his life so it may be extremely early to judge him on his defense at positions he’s just learned to field. How bad do you think his defense is? Because it has to be very bad to eat away the value his bat is putting up. He can be Hanley with the glove and us Dodger fans wouldn’t care as long as he keeps his ISO higher than his BABIP. .373 ISO, .321 BABIP, on top of a .313 BA gives him a wRC+ of 177, which leads MLB 3B with more than 40 PA.
I would care if he is Hanley with the glove. That was getting lame.
Did you watch Sunday’s game? Also all the scouting reports have been overwhelmingly negative on his defense.
Scouting reports? From when he spent 65 games in AAA, playing 4 different positions. 9 games in LF and 1 at 3B in Albuquerque. All of this while he adjusted to a new country, money and having his ear sown back on. Learning how to play MLB 3B is a long process. Those scouting reports are often from rival teams. Did you see that HR last night? It was his 3rd in the last 4 days, I don’t think his glove matters much.
hopefully guerrero doesnt injure himself sliding into bases
I’m glad I’m not the only one that’s noticed how horrendous his slides are
Lincecum had a 0.2 WAR last year. And this year, he is outpitching his advanced stats. Career low BABIP will help out that ERA a lot. His K/9 and BB/9 are actually worst than last season. So… I wouldn’t consider you right on Lincecum. Like, at all.
Was that just a guess on Guerrero or did you actually have some knowledge on him from him playing in Cuba? I said the same thing about Darvish, but it was because I was into NPB back then. I also said the same thing about Olivera, just because, hey why not… he’s Cuban. The Darvish projection merits props, Olivera’s projection doesn’t. If you just randomly claimed Guerrero would be good, no props for you. Sorry.
Hearing Chris Withrow is heading to ATL in the deal, coming back from TJ shortly. Could be a nice bullpen piece for ATL, he was very good with LA.
Shortly? He just had his TJ surgery in April. It’ll be around mid-2016 before he is ready to go at the earliest.
He had TJS in June last year. Unless I’m missing something, there was a back surgery in December as well.
You are right. I must’ve been thinking of someone else. Could have sworn it was Withrow though.
He had Tommy John Surgery last year. Initial indication was that he would be back around the All-Star break this year.
A few years ago I desperately wanted Uribe off the team and now I am sorry to see him leave.
He was just great the last 2 seasons and quickly became a fan and clubhouse favorite.
I wish him well.
But what are the dodgers getting besides Callaspo?
So LHP Ian Thomas may be the reliever heading back to the Dodgers? Can Braves’ fans shed some light on this guy?
Great minor league career. Good lefty.
Thanks for the reply. Interesting the Dodgers targeted a lefty reliever. Although getting a decent lefty reliever for Uribe would be a nice return.
Like the Dodgers needed another lefty reliever.
Well considering J.P. Howell doesn’t really get lefties out well and Paco hasn’t been consistent, it doesn’t hurt to add another lefty reliever.
Liberatore has been great, though.
I’m gonna be honest with you, he’s the 8th man out of the bullpen. 92 mph fastball with a 12 to 6 curve but poor control. He was playing independent ball a couple of years ago.
I think the Braves won this deal because they were about to release or demote every player they traded, and got Juan Uribe who at least is a more productive player than Callaspo, a bullpen piece for 2016 and cleared a roster spot. They can now sign Phil Coke for instance who basically provides the same value as Ian Thomas in my honest opinion.
The Braves not only pitched Stults in relief tonight they put him in without making the double switch and he batted leadoff in the next inning. So strange.
Dodgers would need 3 extra roster spots for those players so there is a trade developing?
Good question, but from the looks of things the main target on the Dodgers’ side was Stults. Juan Jaime looks like a warm body who will stay in the minors, and Callaspo figures to be DFA’d and probably end up being released.
They’ll probably option the two relievers, DFA Callaspo, and have Stults take Uribe’s spot at least for now.
i feel like the dodgers could have gotten something better for uribe.
I’m not so sure. 36 years old, having a down year, free agent next year, plus the Dodgers having their hand forced with Guerrero, Turner and soon Olivera (plus maybe even Seager in September) fighting for time.
I’ll miss his enthusiasm and his glove, no doubt. I’m kind of happy that he won’t be buried as potentially a fourth option in LA, though.
He’s an absolute professional. He looked like an awful signing at the start, but turned things around to become extremely well liked. He deserves one last run somewhere else.
Good point. But uribes been very good the last couple years, and his slow start can likely be attributed to the hamstring injury. I’m not saying he should have netted a top prospect, but I think he’s worth more than two replacement level veterans and two AAAA relievers. Juan Jaime is really the only interesting piece here, and they could have just claimed him off waivers. Off the top of my head, even a uribe for gee trade would have made more sense, depending on how long wright will be out for.
What a player is “worth” in trade is generally the wrong way to analyze a trade. The Dodgers got something they needed, a starter who can chew up some innings at the bottom of the rotation. Stults is having a poor season so far but he’s been a lot better than that. Most importantly they can send Frias back to the pen and wait either on Beachy to rehab or look for a flashier trader for a starter in July.
But the trade wasn’t for stults. He was sent to the dodgers to give the braves salary relief. The dodgers DFA’d him immediately
I belive these are just administrative moves and gathering trade chips for future moves. Stults is not the pitcher that will win a couple of playoff games, but may eat some innings during the summer. Thomas and Jaime are not prospects that the Dodgers are going to place much future in. The cost was not much. Uribe was only going to be around for a few more months anyway. Withrow had a future, but after the surgery, ???. Dodgers are planning much bigger moves. Uribe had become a good huy in the clubhouse, but was not much in the production department and he had little value to other teams as a 4 month rental of a bench player. Dodgers got some value, but dollars might have been driving this move.
I dont understand how this helps the dodgers at all. They have stults so they can put him in the rotation with kershaw grienke Anderson and frias. The Callaspo deal I dont get. They can use Alex guerro to play third so that Cory seagar the dodgers top prospect get some more playing time in the minors. Callaspo is an average infielder and he is best teammates with howie kendrick too so I could see Callaspo on the bench
Hopefully, when this trade gets finalized some yet unknown pieces come to light. Besides getting Stultz who could be decent rotation depth for the Dodgers this trade doesn’t make much sense unless one of the teams are planning on flipping a piece or two. Maybe the Braves send Uribe to the Giants? The Dodgers fan base probably wouldn’t be too happy with a straight up trade with the Giants. But alas I am only speculating here..
I still think the dodgers are the team that jump and go get hamels
Uribe will be on the team he was just playing against on the final day of the 3 day Dodger Braves series. Reminds me of a story Scully once told… Dodgers are overloaded with talent and have been dumping quality talent, left and right, are still overloaded with talent, to everyone’s detriment on the team. I don’t see at the moment what the Dodgers are gaining from this. Callapso and the pitchers the Dodgers are inheriting suck. Uribe cried at the press conference, regarding being traded. It’s a sad day/night for the Dodgers.
What’s the story
I’d be crying too if I were traded from the Taj Mahal to the Taj Y’all
I am Alberto Callapso…
Should I stay or should I go…
*air guitar*
The Dodgers have traded each of Puig’s buddies. Maybe a Puig for Hamels trade in the works? Just sayin
Hanley left on his own accord as there was no longer a position for him to play. The loss of Uribe in the clubhouse is concerning, though. An expensive cheerleader, but still.
Hanley played a position? (Sorry, somebody had to say it.)
LOL, right.
Yeah, usually E-6.
Why wouldn’t Callaspo want to go to a 1st place team with serious October potential is crazy
Eh, it’s not so crazy when you look at where he’ll likely land on their depth chart, he’s not going to ever get much playing time. There’s also still a good chance he doesn’t even get to play for them and they cut him before he even flies out to LA. I guess money talks though, interesting that’s what made him change his mind.
Thanks for the insight
Because he knows they will release him
And he would have had to secure a place to live in expensive LA
Why would that be a major issue for his income class? He played in Anaheim already. Perhaps he could save money by commuting from Barstow.
Because he can. He was allowed to say no thanks because they needed his permission to trade prior to June 15. I don’t think it was unreasonable at all for him to ask.
They gave him a “stipend” to take care of all of those pesky moving and accommodation expenses. Which are not to be sneezed at providing the same level of comfort to his wife and kids living in LA compared to Atlanta, as I’m sure he is familiar having lived there.
Also, what is keeping LA from releasing him a few weeks later after having undertaken those extra expenses?
The truth was in the release part of that statement. He isn’t a career Atlanta citizen. I’m not saying that relocation concern isn’t a fact, just that this is a player that has earned millions of dollars in a game where the players leave their bags in their hotel room and don’t see them again until they check in at their next road hotel. Its not as if Callaspo has to brave a hot desert drive to the west coast in his or his families beat up 98 Corolla.
Odds are very strong he might even take over a lease someplace in LA.
re-location isn’t that big a concern financially. I Believe it’s Article VII or VIII of the CBA…. The Dodgers will be paying all of his moving expenses and if he was renting in ATL….they are on the hook for his remaining lease too. As soon as the deal is final they will have to pay him a specified amount (I am too tired to look it up in my copy of the CBA…lol) and later if he decides too and files all the proper papers, they will pay him more or he will reimburse them if the move cost less.
I haven’t heard the stipend amount for Callaspo, but it struck me as baseball’s version of severance pay.
More or less but I’ll bet it comes pretty close to the difference in taxes. The number of perks etc. in the CBA is astounding (not that the stipend is one of them). If I remember correctly players get $92.50 a day meal allowance when traveling (that was the base in 2012 and adjusted upwards with cost of living each year), all flights, including during relocation for a trade, are paid for and guaranteed first class…the list goes on and on. If you ever have some time to kill, download it and peruse….it’s really interesting.
Friend of mine was in AAA making 50k, got called up and loved it because he made the prorated league minimum plus that per diem. Couple weeks and he was coasting..pretty big cash influx for a guy pulling down 50k
The per diem in 2015 is 110.00
Roughly the difference in the tax on the remaining $2m. GA highest rate is 6% and CA is 13.3%
I also don’t believe Atlanta is a cheap place to live. By and large most major league sized cities will have similar residential expenses…with San Francisco, Boston, New York and Southern California in maybe a slightly higher range. Really, outside of some Midwest cities, no place is cheap.
Wonder how much the stipend was for. Could also be to offset the inevitable DFA. Sounds more like severance pay.
Saw a figure of $100K somewhere else today.
Actually taxes are a huge consideration to players. He will now play more games in CA than when he was in ATL or Anaheim. In the AL players escape state taxes and “Jock taxes” by playing games in TX, WA and FL. Many cities and counties charge “Jock Taxes” as well. Cleveland was just sued and lost because the charged a NFL player (I forget who) a Jock Tax for a game he didn’t even play in…he didn’t even travel with the team. CA takes in well over $100m a year in “jock Taxes” from visiting players alone.
I think its a stretch to say taxes are a huge consideration for players, but I get what you’re saying and that’s really interesting. If they were too much of a pressing concern teams in Florida and Texas would have a major advantage in attractive free agents. They don’t, because teams in other places can offset that tax very quickly. It actually wouldn’t take long for California to run up 100m in jock taxes when you consider how many visiting professional sports teams enter the state. I’m not even sure why they are allowed to tax visiting baseball players who are paid by their team in another location. My wife and I visited San Francisco last fall…she was not taxed by California while she was there on work.
Many of those taxes are starting to be challenged because they only go after the wealthy. Even athletes and entertainers from overseas must file US US tax returns and face special withholding rules. Most athletes never bring it up because too many in the general population would consider it whining but it is a much bigger concern when signing a contract then you would believe . There are many articles on it available on line.
My wife is a CPA.. I’ll have to ask her more about it. Sure, I was aware that anyone working here had to file…I wasn’t aware it went state to state. In that case, if I were a team and player I’d set up payments to only issue while the team is home or to direct deposit to my local bank.
That’s just crazy. Especially when you consider that the federal govt doesn’t consider baseball interstate commerce. Gosh… You’d think the income could only be taxed in place of residence or where it was generated. Take your Phillies…Cole Hamels would play a PA income tax and California if he resided there. Still don’t really know how that works…because Cole Hamel’s is a Pennsylvania employee
It’s crazy and I was shocked to learn that states and cities did that. CA is/was as of 2012 the highest in state tax over $1m/year (13.3%) and LA itself taxes are over $90,000/year for the $1m. That $1m can dwindle fast out there. It’s all about generating income for the state and local gov’ts. Everyday that a player is with his team in another city he is taxed (by all but a few) on what he made that day. I saw a photo a year ago or so of the tax return of a MLB player (can’t remember who now) of his tax return….the stack of papers was about 3-4 inches thick.
That’d be murder if the player didn’t earn at a steady rate. I know oil royalties can be a bear for a CPA because they fluxuate and some have those in multiple states. I suppose this is taken care of through a players agency for the most part. It’ll all come into play during contract negotiations. Most adults would comprehend that 1m in LA is not 1m in Kansas City.
Middle class people from California often retire to the Midwest and are fairly wealthy. They don’t have to take the Midwest pay cut in retirement. They are often loathed though because they overpay for property and drive taxes up. On the flip side my wife’s job would pay about 40% more in San Francisco where her co workers are.
Another consideration with a state with no income tax is their property taxes. I suppose if you’re just living there temporarily in a condo type situation it could be minimized…and there’s local variation…but there’s balance as well. It would cost more to own a multimillion dollar home in Florida than many areas.
Hard to beat Texas though. Plenty of tourism and resource tax coming in that it keeps the property taxes fairly stable. I suppose its what the player would want to do…if he wants to live there in the off season the Midwest is hard to beat. The real estate market in Kansas City for example is drastically lower than LA. A 500k home in KC might go for 2m in LA
So the Braves pick up another pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery….lame.And another 3rd baseman…..strange
I absolutely hate this trade for the Dodgers
The full trade has been announced and it is just as perplexing.
I am very surprised to see Uribe traded considering he can still be a solid 3Bman and bench depth at worse. It also seems like he was great for the Dodgers clubhouse and with just a half season remaining on his contract, why would you move him?
The reasons are: Turner, Guerreo, Olivera, and Seager (in that order, currently).
And now you have Callaspo so unless you DFA him, nothing is solved. And if thats the case, the Dodgers traded a still useful 3Bman and a recovering young reliever for 3 pitchers who are AAAA material at this moment.
A starting pitcher was the real need. Other than this season Stults has put up respectable numbers and provided innings at the bottom of the rotation. Acquiring Stults will allow them to return Carlos Frias to the bullpen where he will be more effective. Everyone who follows the Dodgers knew that Uribe’s days were numbered and that he’d go as soon as the Dodgers could make a deal involving him for something else they needed, which is exactly what happened. Everything else is window dressing.
So Stults is the real catch here? Thats bananas. Should have kept Heaney and gave Arruebarrena/Turner/Guerrero the battle at 2B. One of them would have came out well. I’d rather give Zach Lee the starts than see Stults pitching if I was the Dodgers.
At this point the roster spot is the real catch. Maybe you missed it but the Dodgers suspended Arruebarrena for the rest of the season. He was toiling in AA, not doing very well, and apparently misbehaving. Guerrero was tried out at 2B in the minors last year, but that experiment did not get far. So they got that Kendrick guy who seems to be working out kinda okay and Turner is doing a great job at 3B. Zack Lee we will see when he’s ready. All in all, it’s a good thing you aren’t the Dodgers.
Arruebarrena was moved about 7-8 teams between leagues last season. Hard for anyone to get adjusted that way. Yes, I know he was suspended but speaking from the offseason standpoint, having him, Turner and Guerrero as well as Seager on the horizon would have been enough depth at 2B. Guerrero played SS and 2B in the minors and would be serviceable at 2B.
Kendrick guy is great but 6 years of Heaney > 1 year of Kendrick. You really rather have Kendrick + Stults over Heaney/Lee pitching, Guerrero/Turner starting at 2B and Uribe/Olivera at 3B?
You are literally way off base, so far off it’s difficult to know where to start. First, Seager has never been discussed as a solution at 2B. Second, Guerrero played SS in Cuba and was tried at 2B in the minors but this experiment did not work out. Third, serviceable is not the goal. Fourth, fifth, sixth. Etc.
No need to tell me how wrong I am. Come with logic and facts or don’t come at all. The most important factor is that Heaney or Lee is a better option than Stults who was DFA’d (the same guy you claimed was the real return for the Dodgers). Aside from that, Guerrero’s ability to play 2B is up for debate. But since he played SS in Cuba…and he was serviceable defensively as a 2Bman in the minors (.975 fielding pct), you really need to point out why he can’t stay there. Seager was never discussed but he is a worst case depth scenario. If you absolutely cannot move Seager to 2B for half a season, then move Rollins there if Guerrero, Arrubarrena and Turner ALL stink that badly.
Apparently I do need to tell you. I gave you three facts, straight up. You didn’t respond to any of them.
That’s what I thought too, but then Stults was immediately released (well, DFA’d). Odd.
I presume the Dodgers expect him to clear waivers and accept assignment. If he doesn’t they aren’t out much.
Probably. He’s not making much so I could see somebody claiming him. I don’t understnd at all what function Callaspo has on the Dodgers roster, though. He’s one of the weakest hitters in baseball and can’t really fill a utility spot because he can’t play short.
Apparently the thinking is he can play all the infield position but SS. He also switch-hits, which the new FO seems to value highly. Still I don’t expect him to be around of long if only because Turner will fill that same role when Olivera arrives.
We don’t need a 3rd base man who can only play 3rd. We have like someone else said 4 who can play 3rd
And probably 4 guys who will hit better than Uribe that can play 3B. Plus, Uribe is a solid glove at 3B, but his range is very limited now and currently he is hitting more like the Uribe of 3 yrs ago as opposed to the guy the last 2 seasons.
This is the business side of the game. Uribe was gone at the end of the year anyway and is a negative-WAR player this year. That the Dodgers were able to flip him for something is quite admirable. He had a good 4 year run in LA, with disappointing seasons as book-ends for a couple memorable years and moments in 2013-2014.
I think Chris Withrow is worth more than the 3 pitchers LA received combined, even considering he is still not ready to return yet. So they swapped 3Bman with ATL and now if the keep him, their logjam doesnt change. If they DFA him, then why not just DFA Uribe to begin with?
I’m not disagreeing, but why do you think Withrow is worth more than 3 pitchers?
The reason the Dodgers didn’t DFA Uribe is because the Braves were willing to make a deal.
Well Withrow looks like a solid bullpen piece upon return. The 3 pitchers acquired from the Braves all look like minor league depth. Stults was non tendered for a reason and doesn’t look like a major leaguer at all. I’m not saying he can’t bounce back but I think there’s a much better chance that Zach Lee can outpitch him right now.
So in the end, it looks like Dodgers replace Uribe with Olivera on the 25 man roster (which likely would have happened anyway), and add depth of one MLB starter and two relievers, for Withrow. Plus they save a bit of money and don’t have to worry about Uribe going back to the Jints if they had simply released him. Callaspo may or may not end up with LA long term as well. Braves get a slight upgrade at third base and a late inning reliever if he recovers well from TJ, largely for what they must have considered dispensable parts..
Saying Uribe is upgrade on anything is a stretch !
Nope they are replacing Uribe with Callaspo not Olivera. They are DFAing Stults not Callaspo. The Callaspo move may come later, but for now Olivera will have to wait.
With Chris Withrow’s departure from the organization and James Adkins out of baseball the past couple of years, the Dodgers now have nothing to show for passing on Giancarlo Stanton, who grew up in the valley rooting for the home team.
I don’t see your point, since 28 other teams also “passed” on Stanton.
I guess you didn’t hear the story about the show Stanton put on during his pre-draft workout at Dodger Stadium? I fault the Dodgers more than the other teams for missing on a player in their own backyard.
I heard the Dodgers wanted to sign him but he’d already accepted a college scholarship, then he later changed his mind and entered the draft. The Dodgers were also known to be very interested in signing him as a free agent, but he took the extension with Miami instead. So maybe Stanton passed more on the Dodgers than the other way around.
Like almost every highly rated high school prospect, he did accept a scholarship (Tulane), and like every other highly rated high school prospect, fulfilling that scholarship was contingent on where he would be drafted and the slot money available. The Dodgers drafted Withrow in the 1st, then drafted Adkins in the supplemental. The Marlins drafted Stanton in the 2nd before the Dodgers had another chance. The Dodgers clearly passed on him twice in the draft, and obviously Stanton decided the Marlins offer was enough for him to forgo college. I wouldn’t say Stanton “passed” on the Dodgers in the offseason because he wasn’t a free agent. He passed on free agency.
He passed on free agency knowing the Dodgers were interested in him in free agency, so your distinction lacks a meaningful difference. In any case Stanton was no more of a slam-dunk than anyone else, and he was drafted higher in the rounds than was expected at the time. You could pick any successful player who was selected in the amateur draft at random and reel off any number of teams that “passed” on him. This is simply the way the draft works.
Seems useless now that they DFA Stults
Seemed useless EVEN if they kept him…………..
Horrible trade for LA
This must be a good deal because fans of both teams seem to be equally irritated.
So the Dodgers are still looking for pitching?
Apparently. It sure looked like Stults was acquired to return Frias to the pen. But that would make too much sense, I guess.
Based on the latest news, it seems like a good bet that Stults will accept the assignment so that he can collect the remainder of his $2 mill guaranteed salary. I could see him as an option to spot start down the road for the Dodgers if he does go to AAA.
Agreed. That spot start could come sooner rather than later. I’m pretty sure the Dodgers really don’t want to send Frias out for another start after his last shellacking.
This is like one of those video game trades where you toss enough at a team and they finally accept. callaspo is a good piece but the only real loss is Thomas.
Really looks like choosing stults over wandy was a terrible idea for the braves though.
This ones a real head scratcher? The Dodgers saved some money (maybe more if Stults opts for free agency) added a worse offensive piece and an older questionable pitching prospect for Uribe and an injured (previously good) pitcher. Uribe didn’t appear to be a problem so this must be to open a roster spot for Olivera? I see no downside for the Braves, Uribe is an upgrade over Callaspo and Withrow will help next season.
It opens a roster spot but give more playing time to turner and Guerrero who been showing better bats and have decent gloves
I like the trade as a Braves fan but if I were a Dodger fan
I’d find it quite perplexing; Callaspo wasn’t doing much at the plate, Jaime
has trouble locating, they DFA Stults and Thomas is going to AAA. From what I see Uribe is well liked in LA and
the salary difference isn’t a lot so this is real head scratcher for me.
Uribe is well like but he a above avg glove with a Struggling bat. Dodgers have two players who are playing a little better in turner and Guerrero. Plus you have to add they have a Cuban player who coming who mostly be a 2nd or 3rd baseman so there that also
Felix Hernandez is the man!
Brewers need a starter with Peralta down for 4-6 weeks. May as well claim Stults. Cheap, still has a year of control after this year. Be exactly the type of guy we need. Take Peralta’s place now while he’s hurt, and soak up some innings while we rebuild.
“A list of 2015 Dodgers’ roster moves will be larger than my War and Peace. Bozhe moi ! ”
–Lev Tol’stoi
next if the Braves explain why Johnny Gomes is playing everyday instead of Todd Cunningham.
So the Dodgers traded a guy they didn’t need and a pitching prospect for a guy they didn’t need, a guy they released, and 2 more mid-level prospects?
Oh. I get it.
Maybe they’re hoping Stults elects free agency so they can use that saved money to offset some of Tyler clippard’s salary. Dodgers still need bullpen help!
“Alberto, here is $100,000 to be traded to another major league baseball club that actually wants you. *Now* will you go away?”
Uribe is an old-school veteran that will help Pierzynski & Gomes police the locker room & dugout. Anyone who has ever played the hot corner knows you don’t have to have a lot of range to be an asset at the position. You must have quick hands & never fear getting hit by the ball or like CJ, your errors will find you out at critical junctures of close games. Juan Uribe is a classic Ron Cey type of glove that will bolster the Braves opportunities for success in 2015. One of the quickest releases still @ 35/36 yrs of age.