I hope you’re all enjoying your turkey/ham/prime rib dinner and giving appropriate thanks for the blessings of the year just past, not least of which was the sale of our favorite team to owners far more committed to winning championships than the previous group was.
Update: Here’s MSTI on the prospective TV deal Fox may be about to offer the Dodgers. Suffice to say (and you should read the whole thing) it could pay off the purchase price of the team several times over. Here’s Mike:
In six months, the Guggenheim group would have turned a $2.15 billion investment into a cash cow which pays three times that over the next twenty years – without selling a single ticket, parking spot, beer, or replica jersey.
That is startling, at least to me. We all knew the potential for that deal was big, given the size of the Southern California market and its value to a TV network, but still. “Between $6 billion and $7 billion over 25 years?” Wowsers.
Update: The Dodgers announced several front office personnel moves, mostly promotions from within. Here’s the paragraph that struck me, though:
Josh Bard, previously announced as a new special assistant for player development, joins Aaron Sele, Jose Vizcaino and Juan Castro in that role.
Do you supppose that position is now the entry-level front office position for newly-retired major leaguers who earned reputations as good guys during long careers?
USA Today is reporting that Greinke “has signed a six-year, $147 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations.”
Six years is a long time. How long was the Kevin Brown deal, five years? Nonetheless, I’m happy to have him as long as he’s healthy.
At last, Grienke
The Mariners want Hamilton but if they give him what it will take to get him will they have enough to sign Hernandez when he becomes a free agent after the 2013 season? Price is a free agent as well after 2013.
Sabathia wanted to be a Dodger but the Dodgers were not going to be able to come within a third of what the Yankees were offering. Everybody wants pitching including the Yankees but could there be a trade that included Ethier for Sabathia?
looks like no Grienke
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8720369/zack-greinke-unlikely-land-los-angeles-dodgers-stay-los-angeles-angels
Pagan hits paydirt with his big finish for the Giants. This time Sabean outbids Ned?
I hope you are joking that Colletti was even in the bidding. Pagan certainly wouldn’t accept the role as a 4th outfielder.
Here is some gossip I didn’t like hearing about the war for Grienke:
Greinke’s wife Emily, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, could influence her
husband to get back to Texas, hears Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Now I’m reminiscing about all the Amber Sabathia-related rumors from four years ago. Sherman hears the Greinke deal will get done at these Meetings or shortly thereafter Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#Umj2YJKi1EzVgE8V.99
Also Choate is now a cardinal so we need another lefty reliever
Choate’s a cardinal? He was in that batch the Pope elevated last month?
Y’all should be looking at Chad Moriyama’s blog for the most up-to-date rumors. 😉 Today he’s got gossip about Ryu, Capuano, Harang, Gordon, and Greinke.
I am not enamored with Dickey. Prefer Price and Grienke.
Me too. I love the story of him taking the Cy Young this year, but I don’t think he’d be my choice to start the first game of a playoff series. Price and Grienke (and of course Kershaw) would.
Loney signs a one year deal with the Rays. $2M plus $1M incentives. I wish my pay were cut to $2M.
Instead of trying to sing Grienke, might the Dodgers try to trade for David Price?
Gordon,Lee, Reed, …
Kershaw, Price, Billingsley, Ryu, Beckett
….a reporter who stopped by his hotel’s front desk after a long night on Bourbon Street.
“I’d like a 6 a.m. wakeup call,” the reporter said.
“Sir, you just missed it,” the clerk replied. Other goodies in this winter meetings piece–
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121201&content_id=40485630&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Should the Dodgers sign Grienke and Ryu I would be entertained with a blockbuster trade that involved Hendley (SD), Upton (AZ), Pedroia (B), Ethier (LA), Harrang and Capauno (LA), Gordon (LA), Ellis (LA), Others.
Reunite Pedroia and Ethier in AZ; Upton to Boston; Hendley to LA; Capauno, and Gordon plus a player from Boston to San Diego.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po2Qv3C8bf0
I would be honored! But I think its really Headley you want playing third base.
I guess if you don’t want us griping about your play we all might agree on Headly instead
Didn’t Upton just go to Atlanta the other day?…I think Atl would be pissed that AZ is trading away their players ^_^
The Upton the Braves got is Upton’s brother.
wasn’t really paying attention to my MLB trade rumor e-mail…just saw Upton to Atl and no dodger moves so I deleted it…Isn’t BJ the better Upton?…Have payed much attention to either of them lately
I am going to guess the Dodgers starting rotation in April will be kershaw, Billingsley, Ryu, Beckett, Capuano/Lilly unless they trade Harrang and or Capuano plus a another player for a pitcher that would be considered a 1.5. Or, they sign grienke for a maximum of 4 years.
And while I could live with that, are we sure Ryu is ML ready and Billz is going to be healthy enough? To me, there is definitely a concern that the rotation could be Kershaw, Beckett, Cappy, Lilly, and Harang as it was at the end of the year.
I am guessing the Dodgers believe Grienke rotation spot would start at a 2 for 2013 and maybe 2014 and begin to drop each of the next years of his contract to where he would be a 4 for the last two years of his contract.
I say that because they seem to want to explore a trade for a better pitcher maybe with a shorter contract before they go all out to sign grienke.
I am thinking that they may be exploring a lesser pitcher at lesser years as an option. Are the Angels now out of the running? Could bring years/price down a bit.
Yea but the nats are supposed to be in the running which would raise the price
With Haren signing, Nats would now appear out of it.
That’s a good thing…hopefully they get it done soon
Re Castro et al: Sitting on the bench watching others play over a long career gives them an advantage I guess.
Golden God signs with the Filibusteros.
OK, you got me. Who signed who?
Pretty sure that’s Russell Martin signing with the Pirates.
http://mlb.si.com/2012/11/29/russell-martin-yankees-pirates/
Its a lot of $, but Jaffe claims that Russell is a 3+ WAR player when you calculate framing abilities.
If Brian Wilson, the relief pitcher, signs with the Dodgers, how many of us become Giant fans? I know that I won’t, even if someone may have once referred to Wilson as the most annoying individual in the world.
It would explain why Shake ‘n Blake was not considered for hitting coach.
Bourn has become surplus to the Braves with their signing of BJ Upton to a five-year deal. But Bourn’s another lefty, hitting from the same side as Crawford and Ethier. And there’s no chance any of those three guys want to be a 4th outfielder, and at the wages they command they shouldn’t be a 4th outfielder.
http://tinyurl.com/cy4xvtg
Let’s see now….these guys spotted near Wrigley Field must have heard there was a Coyote Ugly Saloon nearby and wanted to check it out. Yeah…that must be it…
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/baseball/mlb/11/28/coyotes-wrigley-field.ap/index.html?sct=mlb_t2_a6
to Grienke or not to Grienke, that is the question
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-report/post/_/id/3371/winter-meetings-shopping-list-starting-pitchers
I hadn’t realized that Lilly ws so iffy for next season. if Lohse would command 4 years, 6 years of Grienke doesn’t seem so bad.
So I see that Mongo got his payday. $21 million over three years! Good on him.
Good seasonal piece from Jay Jaffe. Describes himself as a 3rd-generation Dodgers fan, and part of this is an ode to Vin, not the first he has done.
http://mlb.si.com/2012/11/21/baseball-thanksgiving-what-im-thankful-for/?sct=mlb_bf2_a3
Dodgers sign big John Lindsey to a minor league deal.
So the redsox designate IDJ jr for assignment…definitely not a major player in the blockbuster trade
Can’t say that I recall him being part of it.
just to refresh your memory: http://tinyurl.com/charhnv
Certainly not missed though
My forgetting is more a reflection of me. And, him as well, I guess. Still, I can recall him tearing up the Puerto Rican League and then coming into ST and tearing up his leg.
If Ned’s determined to add another OF, he could do far worse than Michael Bourn.
But Bourn’s unlikely to be a 4th OF, so some other move likely would have to be made.
I’d think the talk about moving Ethier is due to his troubles v. LHP, but in this scenario he’d likely be the one. Not advocating that, but you never know…it’d also mean Kemp could go to RF (maybe under protest) and maybe prolong his career by crashing into a few less fences and stuff…
Interesting that Bourn was on a LL team with Carl Crawford. Interesting also to wonder what the team will do if Crawford is not back up to speed or can’t get there. More interesting (and troubling) are the same questions applied to Kemp.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121124&content_id=40409318&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
KC is said to be willing to trade Wil Myers, OF ranked #3 in MLB top 100 prospects, for a top tier pitcher. If the Dodgers sign Grienke and Ryu would they trade Billingsley and Harang or Capauno plus or minus whatever makes the deal happen for Wil Myers? That would create a crowded outfield. It would push Crawford, Phug, Pederson, and Ethier with one or two of them maybe traded.
Kasten has said he wants to build the Dodgers from its farm system so adding Myers to it would be a move in that direction.
Interesting rotation:
Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu, …..Capauno, Lilly, (4 lefties)
Greg Zakwin updates coaching staff hires and minor league contracts at Chad Moriyama’s place.
I’m having a ham roll for lunch, does that count!
I’d like to express my thanks for all the folks here and their valued opinions. For Jon for starting something special and for Linkmeister for keeping it going.
Here here
Yep, a big thanks to Linkmeister!
As somebody said, don’t boo, vote! Well, don’t praise, comment! If I have a lemonade stand, I don’t want people telling me how good my lemonade is, I want them to buy it.