He isn't expected to begin throwing until early March, making his availability for Opening Day all but out of the question. And being his second surgery in such a short period of time, I'm skeptical he'll pitch much in 2013.
It's too bad because his live arm from the left side is something the Dodgers could always use. But perhaps this is an opportunity for Paco Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, the Dodgers' second-round pick in 2012, was the first player from his draft class to reach the majors and could benefit from the Elbert injury.
However, he'll have his work cut out for him as the Dodgers have an overcrowded bullpen at this point:
Locks
Ronald Belisario
Matt Guerrier
J.P. Howell
Kenley Jansen
Brandon League
- Barring injury, all these guys will make the Opening Day bullpen.
Maybes
Javy Guerra
Rodriguez
Shawn Tolleson
- All three have options, meaning they can (and probably will) begin the season in the minors.
Non-roster invitees
Juan Abreu
Kelvin De La Cruz
Peter Moylan
Matt Palmer
- Moylan has the best chance of this quartet, but that chance isn't high.
Longshots
Steve Ames
Josh Wall
- A lot would have to go right (wrong?) for either to make the bullpen.
Starters
Chris Capuano
Aaron Harang
Ted Lilly
- Capuano and Harang could (and should) still be dealt before the start of the season, while I'm skeptical of Lilly's shoulder.
Rodriguez is facing stiff competition. The addition of Howell was a blow to Rodriguez's chances. If Lilly is healthy enough to pitch, then he's really out of luck. Perhaps he won't begin the season in the majors, but he will get there sometime in 2013. The experience for him would be invaluable and it's a cost-effective move for the Dodgers.
Minor-league free agents
Speaking of Moylan, he's one of two guys the Dodgers have inked to minor-league deals in the last week-plus. The other is Jesus Flores, a catcher.
When I first saw the Dodgers signed Flores, I was somewhat excited. I remembered him from Washington and thought he could be a nice little pickup.
Then I looked at his 2011 and 2012 numbers:
- .212/.249/.325 in 113 games
I'm not the biggest fan of Tim Federowicz, but I'm sure the 25-year-old could post better numbers and be better with the glove than Flores. Unless Flores has a big Spring Training, he'll either be minor-league depth or a free agent come early April.
Moylan, who's thrown just 13 1/3 innings the last two seasons, has some solid career numbers -- 2.59 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 7.6 H/9, 7.1 K/9 -- so it stands to reason, with a hot spring, that he could make the team.
Dodgers on the verge of record TV deal
The Dodgers have reportedly agreed to a deal with Time Warner Cable to broadcast their games. The price: $7 to $8 billion.
Wow.
The final price has yet to be determined and duration of the deal is unknown, but I'd be shocked if it was any less than 25 years.
On the conservative side ($7 billion, 25 years), the Dodgers stand to make $280 million per season on the deal. The team is getting about $40 million from Fox, a deal that expires after this season.
Remember all those people after the sale of the team saying "Are they going to have enough money to spend on players?"I think this answers that question once and for all.
BA's Top 10 Dodger prospects drops Friday
Baseball America releases its Top 10 Dodgers prospects on Friday. Here's my prediction for the list:
- Yasiel Puig
- Zach Lee
- Corey Seager
- Hyun-Jin Ryu
- Chris Reed
- Joc Pederson
- Onelki Garcia
- Ross Stripling
- Chris Withrow
- Jesmuel Valentin
- Ryu
- Puig
- Seager
- Pederson
- Lee
- Reed
- Garcia
- Rodriguez
- Matt Magill
- Stripling
Ryu at No. 1 will surprise some folks. Lee at No. 5 surprises me more than anything, actually. I didn't think his 2012 season was bad enough to warrant a drop like that, despite the additions of Puig and Seager.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Eric Stephen, True Blue LA
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