It's been a busy couple of days at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. The Dodgers have been involved in a few things. Here's a quick recap.
The potentially big news is the judge in the McCourt v. McCourt case ruled in favor of Jamie, meaning Frank does not own the Dodgers completely.
Josh Fisher of Dodger Divorce has everything you need to know regarding the case, including the court document.
This is good news if you want Frank to sell the team. However, it virtually ensures it will be a long, drawn-out battle.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times says the ruling is reason enough for Major League Baseball to force the McCourts to sell the team. That would be splendid.
#####
On Monday, Tony Jackson of ESPN LA first reported (later updated) the Dodgers and Brewers were talking about a James Loney and Jonathan Broxton for Prince Fielder trade. It was shot down by a lot of other sources.
The Dodger blog, Dodger Rumors, made an interesting argument to try to find validity in the initial report. I'm sure there was some validity originally, but reporters are told false information by sources all the time. I'm not buying the rumor, mostly because it's too good to be true.
The Brewers would more than likely acquire a quality young starting pitcher in a deal for Fielder, which is why the rumor doesn't exactly pass the smell test. One can hope, though.
#####
The Dodgers have indeed re-signed RHP Vicente Padilla to a 1-year, $2 million contract with performance incentives.
The Dodgers have been rumored for nearly a week to be interested in Padilla's services. He's likely to serve as a swingman and potentially a late-inning reliever.
I'm not sure how I feel about the latter part of the above statement. Padilla has some nasty stuff but I'm not sure he's cut out for late-inning duties. This could be a precursor to a Broxton trade, as he is available, said CBS Sportsline's Scott Miller.
Having Padilla back as insurance for the rotation is great -- and at a great price.
#####
Finally, the ESPN's Molly Knight tweeted yesterday that former Tampa Bay Devil Ray (they were still the Devil Rays then), Kansas City Royal and Atlanta Brave Matt Diaz was the Dodgers' No. 1 priority for left field. Jackson followed it up with a story saying it was down to Diaz, Scott Podsednik and a "mystery" third outfielder.
Today Knight tweets that Diaz-to-LA could happen "sooner rather than later."
This would be a great get. Diaz absolute kills left-handed pitching, boasting a career .907 OPS against southpaws. He would be the ideal platoon partner for Jay Gibbons and/or Xavier Paul. Word is if Diaz is signed, Paul would be available via trade as he is out of Minor League options.
Update (2:51 p.m.): This just came across the wire: The Dodgers signed Tony Gwynn, Jr., to a 1-year deal, Major League contract, tweeted Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times confirmed the report. This is probably nothing more than filler (fifth outfielder) and shouldn't take the Dodgers out of the Diaz running.
#####
Finally, many thanks to the Dodger blog, Dodgerbobble, for a mention in his most recent post. :)
I wish Bud Selig would step in and do something about the McCourt situation.
ReplyDelete