Dodgers lose Rod Barajas and Jamey Carroll

The Dodgers lost a pair of free agents in the last two days -- Rod Barajas and Jamey Carroll.

Barajas signed a 1-year, $4 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. The deal also includes an option for 2013 at $3.5 million.

There are a few things to go over here.

1. Why did he sign so quick?
2. Why did he get so much money?
3. Implications for the Dodgers

Well, this is the Pirates we're talking about, so that could very well answer questions No. 1 and 2. However, Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts found an interesting article from Hardball Talk by Matthew Pouliot.

"I imagine it has something to do with the recent work that’s gone into evaluating catcher defense. According to Max Marchi’s work on The Hardball Times presented earlier this year, Barajas is one of the game’s very best pitch framers. Among starting catchers, only Russell Martin and Brian McCann do better in that area, which was pretty much impossible to evaluate before PITCHf/x data came along."

Interesting statistic, which partially explains the quick signing and the higher-than-expected price tag. Hell, last year's $3.25 million deal looks like a bargain at this rate.

The third part is the best and most interesting part regarding the Dodgers. Barajas is a Type-B free agent and it was highly unlikely General Manager Ned Colleti was going to offer Barajas arbitration. By signing before the Nov. 23 deadline, the Dodgers automatically receive a compensatory pick in the form of a supplemental first-round choice.

To quote Peter Griffin, "It's win freakin' win, baby."

Carroll is headed to the American League Central, signing a 2-year, $7 million deal to be the Minnesota Twins' starting shortstop.

I wish Carroll all the luck in the world. His signing was not met with enthusiasm by yours truly. However, he was a far more valuable player than his statistics would lead you to believe. His 2.2 fWAR was good for fourth-best on the squad in 2011. His 2.5 fWAR in 2010 was good enough for third-best on the team.

As an everyday starting shortstop, though, I'm betting Carroll has difficulties. He might ultimately devolve into a utility player again. At the age of 37, he isn't likely to be any better now than he was a couple years ago. At $3.5 million annually, the Dodgers simply couldn't afford to bring him back.

These two moves fall in line with my off-season plan as I didn't have either returning. This will prompt Colletti to bring in a veteran catcher because there's no way he lets A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz share the duties full-time in 2012.

I kind of wish he'd let Ellis have a go at it. He isn't going to hit for much power, but he has solid on-base skills (.360 OBP in 244 career MLB plate appearances, .406 OBP in 2,119 minor-league plate appearances).

I'm not a fan of Federowicz, but if the Dodgers can save money behind the plate with glove-first guys, then they should do it.

Also, losing Carroll puts more pressure on Juan Uribe (to stay healthy, first of all) and Justin Sellers. Ivan DeJesus could also be mentioned, but I'd be shocked if he actually gets a shot in 2012.

Dee Gordon also has pressure to stay healthy, but I'm hoping that isn't an issue. He missed time in his rookie season, but it was a bit of a freak injury. Still, the Dodgers could use a littlemiddle infield depth.

Losing Carroll also increases the chances Aaron Miles is re-signed. I have no evidence to back that up other than Colletti's infatuation with short, light-hitting middle infielders.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote the Dodgers are looking at Clint Barmes, Mark Ellis and Aaron Hill.

Hill is a guy I really like as a bounce-back player. He would have been in my off-season plan if I hadn't conducted a trade for Martin Prado. I'm not sold on Barmes being any good (because he isn't) and Eliis showed signs of ability a few years ago and plays a good defensive second base.

Jim Bowden tweeted the Diamondbacks are close to re-signing Hill, so if the Dodgers want in on him, they need to act quickly.

2011 Los Angeles Dodgers off-season preview: Dodger free agents

This is the first of a five-part series in previewing the off-season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It breaks down as follows:

• Dodgers' free agents
• Arbitration-eligible Dodgers
• Free agent position players
• Free agent pitchers
• Trade targets

Ned Colletti is famous for not offering arbitration to players, so I wouldn't expect Barajas or Kuroda to get an offer. That doesn't mean they won't be back in the fold for 2012.

Dodger free agents

C Rod Barajas (Type B)
3B Casey Blake
RHP Jonathan Broxton
INF Jamey Carroll
RHP Jon Garland
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (Type B)
RHP Mike MacDougal
INF Aaron Miles
RHP Vicente Padilla
OF/1B Juan Rivera

Barajas: He was inexplicably signed to a $3.25 million contract last off-season. He is in a similar position this winter -- a Type-B free agent looking for another contract. Will Ned Colletti be foolish enough to give him anything more than a couple million? At that price, he's worth it to come back. He has pop, but not much else. His defense is average. Abritration: Yes

Blake: His option was not exercised by the Dodgers, so there's almost zero chance he'll be back.

Broxton: This one is tough. On a really cheap deal, he'd be a nice risk-reward option. However, he might be done with the Dodgers and the Dodgers might very well be done with him.

Carroll: When Carroll signed two years ago, it seemed like a throw-away deal. However, Carroll was nothing but solid for the Dodgers. He was a trade candidate in July, but the Dodgers kept him. He'd be a solid re-signing, but the Dodgers probably can fill his spot with someone making the league minimum.

Garland: Like Blake, Garland was not retained and will likely not return to the Dodgers.

Kuroda: He was a hot target at the trade deadline, but he ultimately wanted to stay in Los Angeles. I applaud his loyalty. It seems he's either going to pitch for the Dodgers or not pitch in the Majors at all. My gut tells me he'll be back, but we'll see what happens. Arbitration: Yes, without a doubt

MacDougal: He was brought in as a non-roster invitee and gave the Dodgers more than their money's worth. He's in line for a slight pay raise. I think the Dodgers have enough low-salary relievers to rely on without having to use resources on bringing him back.

Miles: Like MacDougal, Miles was a non-roster invitee and exceeded expectations. Like Carroll, the Dodgers have cheaper options to do what Miles does, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

Padilla: He was supposed to be the bullpen utility guy, but that plan failed. Padilla got hurt and threw just 8 2/3 innings for the Dodgers this season. The Dodgers could bring him back, as he'd be a nice insurance policy for Nathan Eovaldi, the projected No. 5 starter (in October, so take that with a grain of salt).

Rivera: He was a surprise acquisition and did a solid job playing left field, right field and first base. I'd have no problem bringing him back as the fourth outfielder, meaning Jerry Sands would (and should) start.

Conclusion

The Dodgers have a couple of decent free agents and Kuroda. I could easily see three or four guys from this list returning. The Dodgers aren't exactly in a position to break the bank, so retaining much of the talent (a word that I use loosely) from the 2011 team could be a realistic option.

Next up: Arbitration-eligible Dodgers

2011 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Review: Catcher

In the fourth of my season review, I look at the catchers for the Dodgers. Like the rest of the infield, the catcher's position wasn't going to provide a lot of offensive production. It was a little better than expected, but still below-average.

Dodger catchers

.223/.301/.383
130-for-583
50 R
20 2B
2 3B
23 HR
76 RBI
0 SB
58 BB
127 K
9 HBP

Rod Barajas
.230/.287/.430, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 13 2B, 22 BB, 71 K, 97 OPS+
- Barajas was basically the player he had been for his entire career -- low average, low on-base skills and some pop. His defense was passable. His catcher ERA (if you subscribe to such a theory) was 3.56 (team 3.54) and caught 25 percent of attempted base-stealers (up from 15 percent in his month-plus with the Dodgers in 2010). He could be back, but hopefully not at a price north of $3 million, as he was in 2011.

Dioner Navarro
.193/.276/.324, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 6 2B, 20 BB, 35 K, 67 OPS+
- Navarro was a curious signing, as the Dodgers gave him a million bucks. He was coming off a poor season for the Rays and didn't do much to improve on those numbers, save for a few more home runs. Navarro was jettisoned in August. His defense wasn't much to write home about, but he did have a 3.41 cERA and threw out 25 percent of potential base-stealers.

A.J. Ellis
.271/.392/.376, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R, 14 BB, 16 K, 116 OPS+
- Numbers-wise, Ellis was the Dodgers' best catcher this season. Granted, he only had 103 plate-appearances, but he did well in those appearances. He obviously can take a walk, which is good. However, he doesn't do much else offensively. Still, he can't be any worse than the other Dodger catchers. And for the price (peanuts, basically), he should be retained.

Tim Federowicz
.154/.313/.154, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 36 OPS+
- He was acquired in the Trayvon Robinson trade and didn't do much for the Dodgers in his few September plate appearances. He looked a little overmatched in his debut, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him start back in Triple-A. But if he plays well enough, he could find himself in L.A. before too long.

Hector Gimenez
1-for-4, 1 K
- Gimenez was everyone's darling in Spring Training. People wanted to see him make the team and do well (myself included). Instead, he started one game at catcher and made three pinch-hit appearances before getting injured. He spent the rest of the season at Double-A and likely will be on another roster come 2012.

Conclusion
- It's kind of hard to do an MVP/LVP for catcher, but Barajas got the most playing time of the five and did the most damage on offense. Ellis was solid in limited playing time. The other three were forgettable.

Just to rub a little salt in the wound, here are Carlos Santana's numbers this season:

.239/.351/.457, 27 HR, 79 RBI, 35 2B, 97 BB, 133 K, 124 OPS+

Thanks, Neddy.

Next up: Outfield

Gorman 'Griff' Erickson, the Dodgers' best catching prospect

When Ned Colletti foolishly and inexplicably traded Trayvon Robinson on Sunday, one of the statements he made was the Dodgers needed catching prospects.

"We needed catching. You can move somebody to the outfield. You can move somebody to the infield. You can move guys around the outfield, you can move guys around the infield. But you can't move somebody behind the plate who has not been behind the plate or is not going to take a long time behind the plate. And we were in a tough spot and needed catching and feel we got a good one with (Tim) Federowicz."

Aside from the first part being so incredibly inaccurate and wrong (Russell Martin, Carlos Santana, Luke May -- just to name some recent examples), Colletti apparently hasn't been watching Gorman Erickson.

The 23-year-old began the season at Rancho Cucamonga with another catching prospect (if you can call a 25-year-old in High-A a prospect) -- J.T. Wise. He shared time with Wise in the beginning before taking the majority of the PT, pushing Wise to play a lot of first base.

Erickson was a 15th-round draft pick in 2006 by the Dodgers. He started in the Gulf Coast League in 2007, not doing much in 50 at-bats. He even got a one-game, one-at-bat promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. He repeated the GCL in 2008, putting up a .247/.333/.361 line in 30 games. He again got a one-game promotion to Vegas, going 0-for-5.

In 2009, he played in Pioneer League with Ogden and put up a solid line: .305/.378/.482 with five home runs. Still, not many saw him as a viable, legitimate prospect. In 2010, he played in Low-A with Great Lakes -- and he regressed: .215/.309/.310. The good thing is, he always showed a willingness to work the count and take a walk, which shows in his higher-than-expected on-base percentage (compared to his batting average).

Coming into the 2011 season, Erickson did not make my Top 30 prospect list. He didn't make Baseball America's Top 30. I'd be surprised if he made anyone's Top 30.

However, I'm coming around on Griff.

With Rancho, he put up a good line: .305/.408/.491, with six home runs and a 41/42 BB/K ratio. However, at 23, he was a little old for the competition. He earned a midseason promotion to Double-A Chattanooga. He isn't making as much contact in his first 20-plus games in the Southern League, but he's hitting for more power. He hit his sixth home run of the season for the Lookouts, matching his High-A total (a notorious hitter's league).

The best part is, he did it a third of the at-bats.

With Rancho: 6 HR in 226 ABs (37.7 HR/AB)
With Chattanooga: 6 HR in 81 ABs (13.5 HR/AB)

That's reason to be excited. Now, the Dodgers still don't have a legitimate, long-term catching prospect. Tim Federowicz is a glove-first guy who is likely not going to hit enough to be a regular. Erickson, however, has the chance to hit enough to stick.

He's only played 22 games for Chattanooga, so I wouldn't get too terribly excited... yet. Let's see how he finishes the season.

I'd like to see him start at Double- or Triple-A next season with a midseason call-up a possibility. On the minor-league depth chart, he's behind Federowicz and A.J. Ellis. But Dioner Navarro and Rod Barajas are free agents after the season and depending what the Dodgers do, Erickson could be forced into action sooner than expected.

The Dodgers have a history of developing long-term catching solutions: Roy Campanella, Johnny Roseboro, Steve Yeager, Mike Scioscia, Mike Piazza, Paul Lo Duca, Martin, etc. It'd only be appropriate if Erickson is the next in line.

Plus, he has a great nickname: Griff. That's a lot better than FexEx (Federowicz).

Could James Loney be in the Nationals' sights?

The Washington Nationals, despite being 33-36 and in last place in the National League East, are just five games out of a Wild Card spot. Now, its only June and it's far too early to be thinking about the playoffs, but these Nationals are competitive and with a couple of moves, could be a serious contender for a playoff spot.

This brings us to James Loney. The Nationals were said to be interested in him at the Winter Meetings, but nothing obviously came from it.

With Adam LaRoche going down with season-ending shoulder surgery today, the Nats could make a play for LaRoche. It'd make sense.

*Hat tip to Speedy8 of the Scout.com Dodgers' Message Board*

Loney would be under team control through the 2012 season and he's owed less than the $4.875 million he signed for in February. He could make in the neighborhood of $6-7 million next season, which isn't as attractive to the Nats. However, Loney is in dire need of a scenery change. He's hit a lot better in the last couple months (.293/.350/.413 in May, .271/.333/.354 in June), but he's still not providing enough offense for the Dodgers.

Nationals' Park has a park factor of .901, which tends to favor pitchers (anything less than 1.0 favors pitchers). By comparison, Dodger Stadium has a park factor of .782.

In nine career games at Nationals' Park, Loney has a slash line of .429/.500/.629 (15 hits in 35 ABs). It's a small sample size, but a change could improve both teams.

So, what would the Dodgers be looking for in return? Well, certainly not Jordan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, as was reported when the Nats first had interest in Loney. However, Washington has some good depth at catcher. They acquired Wilson Ramos last year when they sent Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. Ramos is the team's primary catcher. They also have Derek Norris, who was rated by Baseball America as the team's No. 2 prospect (No. 72 overall) and Jesus Flores.

Norris, 22 is in Double-A and is hitting .211. It's not all bad, though. His OPS, despite the low batting average, is .822. His walk rate is an amazing 24.1 percent and he's actually scored more runs (33) than he has hits (28). He threw out 51 percent of would-be basestealers in 2010. To snag Norris, the Dodgers would likely have to sweeten the proverbial pot.

Flores, 26, has 200 games of Major League experience, with a .260/.314/.406 slash line. Not great, but certainly exponentially better than Rod Barajas and Dioner Navarro. He had a nice 29-game run in 2009, but suffered a torn labrum in September 2009 and is just now getting back. He didn't play at all in 2010 and has just a .597 OPS and a 4:39 BB/K ratio in Triple-A.

The Nats could choose to include Ramos instead if they'd rather keep Norris. Ramos was the team's No. 5 prospect and has a .730 OPS in 49 games.

Proposals

To Washington: Loney, Chris Withrow
To Los Angeles: Norris
- Throwing in Withrow is a high price, but if it means getting a frontline catcher, I wouldn't hesitate one bit.

To Washington: Loney
To Los Angeles: Flores
- This deal actually makes the most sense for both teams. The Dodgers open up a spot for Jerry Sands at first base while acquiring a decent starting catcher for a guy who is likely to be non-tendered this winter.

To Washington: Loney, Josh Lindblom or Javy Guerra
To Los Angeles: Ramos
- The Dodgers lose a piece of the bullpen, but Ramos is well worth it.

Loney's time with the Dodgers will come to an end after game 162 is played (barring something unforeseen), so if he has any trade value whatsoever, they need to cash in on it now. A team on the cusp of contention like the Nats could be willing to take a flier on Loney and his .303/.359/.478 mark away from Dodger Stadium.

#####

The Ogden Raptors announced their roster. The Pioneer League season starts in less than a week. Here are some players on the roster all Dodger fans should be interested in:

OF James Baldwin (My prospect rank: 23)
- Fourth-round pick last year, Logan White is said to be "Matt Kemp-high" on him.
RHP Ralston Cash (20)
- Second-round pick, ranked as high as No. 13 on Kevin Goldstein's Top 20 Dodger prospect list.
OF Scott Schebler (36)
- The Dodgers' 26th-round pick in 2010, Baseball America picked him as its "breakout" prospect.
3B Scott Woodward (NR)
- The Dodgers just selected him in the draft a couple weeks ago in the seventh round.

#####

I'll be making the 35-mile trek to Stockton tomorrow night to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in action against the Stockton Ports. Matt Magill is pitching right now. He's holding the Ports to four hits, two walks and two strikeouts in four innings. I'm interested in seeing Jake Lemmerman, Blake Smith and Angelo Songco in action in person. I'll post a recap and photos Friday night or Saturday morning.

2011 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Preview: Catcher

In the fourth of a nine-part series, I preview the Dodgers' catching situation for 2011.

This is gonna be rough. With the departure of Russell Martin, the Dodgers' catching situation is a big question mark for the first time since 2007.

Rod Barajas
- Barajas was acquired last August in a waiver-trade deal from the New York Mets. Barajas signed with the Mets on a minor-league deal prior to the 2010 season and, unsurprisingly, didn't hit much (.225/.263/.414). When he came to L.A., though, he turned into Mike Piazza, posting a .939 OPS in 72 plate appearances. Many were not fooled by this anomaly, but Ned Colletti was. That's why Barajas was able to land a $3.25 million deal. Barajas' career slash line of .239/.284/.412 is about all we can expect from him in 2011. He sure as hell isn't going to sniff an .750 OPS.

Dioner Navarro
- I previewed Navarro a little in my bench preview on Tuesday. Navarro got $1 million to back up Barajas and he's not likely to put up numbers worth that contract. Navarro hit a robust .194 last season with a .270 OBP. As the prize from the Shawn Green trade following the 2004 season, Navarro hasn't quite lived up to expectations. He made the AL All-Star team in 2008, but that was by far his only good season in the majors.

A.J. Ellis
- Unless the Dodgers release Navarro before the season, Ellis will -- again -- start in Triple-A. Ellis had a decent September, leading many to believe he'd be the Dodgers' backup backstop in 2011. That likely won't be the case. He's the team's third catcher.

Guys in the mix

Hector Gimenez
- Gimenez spent the last two seasons in the Pirates' organization, failing to make a big-league appearance. He had a small cup of coffee with the Astros in 2006 (two at-bats). He hit .305/.384/.916 in Triple-A last season -- as a 27-year-old. He has a career 34 percent caught-stealing rate in the minors, so I guess that's a positive. He's on the 40-man roster, so I thought I'd include him in this preview.

Analysis
- This is a sad bunch. The Dodgers wisely did not waste money on A.J. Pierzynski, who was minutes from being a Dodger, or Jason Varitek. However, what they ended up with could be just as bad. And there are no hot-shot minor-leaguers coming up through the system to even be excited about.

There are a couple positives: Barajas has power and is not horrible behind the plate, despite being 35 years old. The Dodger catchers will likely bat in the No. 8 spot in the lineup and not produce up to the major-league average. As long as league-average defense is played, it's kind of hard to complain; but I'm sure I'll find a way sometime this season.

Next up: Corner Infield

Grading the Dodgers' off-season

I know the off-season isn't officially over yet, but the Dodgers have done about all they're going to do this winter, save for some non-roster invites and maybe another veteran signing -- Eric Chavez.

So I'm going to grade the Dodgers' off-season moves and give brief explanations of each. We'll go in chronological order.

Oct. 19: Ted Lilly re-signed for 3 years, $33 million.
Comment: At the time, it felt like a bit much. Three months later, it's still a bit much, but it was a decent deal.
Grade: C+

Nov. 15: Hiroki Kuroda re-signed for 1 year, $12 million
Comment: This was a great deal in terms of value and contract length. Kuroda could have gotten a 2- or 3-year deal on the open market, but his comfort level in L.A. seemed to be the determining factor.
Grade: A-

Nov. 26: Jon Garland signed for 1 year, $5 million with a club option for 2012 ($8 million)
Comment: This deal surprised many -- not only that a deal was made but the fact the Dodgers were getting Garland for $5 million. He must pitch 190 innings for his 2012 option to vest.
Grade: B

Nov. 30: Juan Uribe signed for 3 years, $21 million
Comment: This deal blew then and it still blows now. There is no way this player should have gotten this deal. By far the worst deal of the off-season.
Grade: F

Nov. 30: Ryan Theriot traded to St. Louis for Blake Hawksworth
Comment: Theriot was going to be non-tendered, so to get anything even potentially useful for him was a plus. Hawksworth could make the 'pen out of Spring Training.
Grade: B

Dec. 3: Declined arbitration to Russell Martin and re-signed Rod Barajas to a 1 year, $3.25 million contract
Comment: In hindsight, this might have been a mistake, considering the Dodgers spent $3.25 million on Barajas. Still, the Dodgers didn't want to risk paying an injured, regressing catcher in excess of $6 million. Barajas got $500,000 out of Spring Training last year, yet GM Ned Colletti felt it necessary to give him a $2.75 million raise.
Grade: B- and D-, respectively

Dec. 9: Vicente Padilla signed for 1 year, $2 million (plus incentives)
Comment: His contract can reach $8 million with 33 starts or as much as $6 million with certain relief bonuses. This, like the Garland signing, was a bit surprising.
Grade: B+

Dec. 11: Tony Gwynn signed for 1 year, $675,000
Comment: This was a decent signing at the time. Now, Gwynn will compete for an everyday job in the Dodgers' lineup.
Grade: B-

Dec. 14: Dioner Navarro signed for 1 year, $1 million
Comment: The Dodgers were desperate here. With Martin gone and Barajas not a full-time catcher, they panicked and, for some reason, gave Navarro $1 million to be the backup. Curious move, especially with A.J. Ellis making peanuts and could possibly out-produce Navarro.
Grade: D-

Dec. 16: Matt Guerrier signed for 3 years, $12 million
Comment: This makes almost less sense than the Uribe deal. The Dodgers weren't exactly hurting in middle relief, especially with Ronald Belisario's Venezuelan League performance. To give a mediocre reliever who doesn't strike many batters out a 3-year deal is a bad allocation of limited resources.
Grade: D

Dec. 27: Chin-lung Hu traded to the New York Mets for Mike Antonini
Comment: Hu could have been the second infielder off the bench for the Dodgers, but it appears the organization grew tired of him and was likely to non-tender him. Antonini is left-handed, which is about the best thing one can say about him.
Grade: C

Jan. 20: Marcus Thames signed for 1 year, $1 million (plus incentives)
Comment: This was one of the Dodgers' better off-season signings, despite Thames' horrific defense. His right-handed pop will be a welcome sight off the Dodger bench.
Grade: B+

The Dodgers also had a bunch of minor-league signings and non-roster invites (not counting prospects.

Juan Castro
J.D. Closser
Roman Colon
Dana Eveland
Jon Huber
Gabe Kapler
Trent Oeltjen
Tim Redding
Eugenio Velez
Oscar Villareal

I'd be surprised if any of these guys make the name out of Spring Training. The Dodgers usually find one or two NRIs to take into the season, but the 25-man roster is pretty full as it is, so that might not be the case this year. If I had to bet money on one guy making the team, it'd be Castro because of his ability to play shortstop -- even though he's the worst player on the list.

Overall grade: C (2.18 GPA)
- The Uribe, Guerrier and Barajas deals really bring down the GPA. And I think the GPA is about in line with what most think about the Dodgers' offseason: Average, but nothing special.

It's a shame, too, after starting off well with the shoring up of the starting rotation.

Fare the well, Russell Martin, Dodgers cut ties with catcher

Russell Martin was one of the most promising young catchers in baseball, mentioned in the same breath as Joe Mauer and Brian McCann. Now, he's an afterthought -- and a free agent.

The Dodgers effectively ended their relationship with Russell Martin on Thursday night when the declined to tender him a contract.

They could try to re-sign him, but it's highly unlikely.

Martin will catch on (my apologies) somewhere else. Rumors has it the Red Sox could be interested in his services. They lost Victor Martinez and just re-signed Jason Varitek, who is no longer a starting-caliber catcher in the Major Leagues. Theo Epstein loves guys who can get on base, and Martin still has a good walk rate.

However, his health must be a major concern. With a weak catching market, one would think the Dodgers would have been more inclined to bring Martin back. If his hip isn't kosher, there's no sense in the Dodgers spending as little as $4.04 million or up to $6- or $7 million for a guy who's hurt and would give below-average production.

So what will the Dodgers do? They've been rumored to be interested in Varitek, A.J. Pierzynski and Yorvit Torrealba -- all of whom have signed this off-season. That pretty much leaves Rod Barajas and Miguel Olivo.

A.J. Ellis is a lock to make the roster. He had a solid September/October, so there's hope for him as a backup. A platoon of Ellis and a guy like Barajas/Olivo could work, but only if the Dodgers acquire a big-time bat. With Adam Dunn signing with the White Sox today, their options are dwindling.

Barring a trade to bring in a catcher, the Dodgers are going to be light offensively at the catcher position.

Update (9:17 p.m.): Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweeted, saying the Dodgers are close to re-signing Rod Barajas.

Update (9:24 p.m.): From Hernandez, Martin's last proposal to the Dodgers: $5 million plus $1 million in incentives. He also said the Dodgers remain interested in re-signing Martin and if he comes back, it could be as a part-time catcher. Whether that means he'd play 100 games at catcher or get some time at 3B, we don't know.

Update (9:46 p.m.): Hernandez tweets, saying Barajas' deal is for one year.

Martin was on the fast track to stardom before regressing greatly the past two seasons. I've ripped him enough. Despite that, I'm still going to miss him. I've always had a soft spot for catchers, as that was my primary position playing baseball growing up.

I wish Martin luck with whatever team he ends up with. The hip injury won't be easy to bounce back from -- especially for a catcher.

The Dodgers also non-tendered George Sherrill and Trent Oeltjen. Good riddance to Sherrill, unless he wants to come back for $1 million to be the LOOGY (left-handed-one-out-only-guy).

Dodgers decline to offer arbitration to free agents

The Dodgers declined to offer arbitration to OF Scott Podsednik, C Rod Barajas and RHP Vicente Padilla tonight.

Sigh.

While Padilla was unlikely to get an offer, Podsednik and Barajas should have been offered arbitration without hesitation.

There is absolutely no reason for the Dodgers to not have done this. It just blows my mind and is a microcosm of the horrible McCourt/Colletti reign over the Dodgers.

Podsednik made about $1.75 million this past season. Moreover, the Dodgers picked their half of his option earlier this season. They would have been willing to give him $2 million. He could have made slightly more in arbitration, but not enough to scare the Dodgers.

Barajas made $500,000. He wasn't going to break the bank in arbitration, yet the Dodgers were -- for some reason -- scared of him accepting arbitration.

This is just frustrating.

It just doesn't make sense. I could at least somewhat understand last year when they didn't offer arbitration to Randy Wolf or Orlando Hudson (even though it was the wrong move). Those guys were coming off multi-million-dollar deals. Podsednik and Barajas made a little more than $2 million... combined.

The Dodgers talk of raising payroll, yet they won't offer arbitration to guys making minimal money for a chance to bolster the farm system? This must be some kind of joke.

Jesus Christ. I can't wait to hear the "official" explanation on this one.

The Dodgers also signed LHP Dana Eveland and RHP Oscar Villareal to minor league deals and invited them to spring training.

Vin Scully to return, Dodgers pick up Barajas

I try to avoid calling people I don't know personally by their first name. I try my best not to call Manny Ramirez, "Manny."

When it comes to Vin Scully, that rule goes out the window -- and he probably wouldn't have it any other way.

Vin announced he's going to return to the Dodger broadcast booth for the 2011 season. He is finishing up his unprecedented 61st year in the broadcast booth.

This is quite possibly the best news of the entire season. The day Vin retires will be a sad day for Dodger baseball -- not only because Vin is a legend and the best broadcaster of all time, but his replacement options are not promising.

Mr. Scully, thank you for your continued service and keep up the great work. You are a joy and pleasure to listen to.

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The Dodgers claimed Mets' catcher Rod Barajas off waivers, as the combination of Brad Ausmus and A.J. Ellis isn't exactly getting the job done since Russell Martin's season ended earlier this month.

Barajas is hitting .225/.263/.414 this season, which is quite the upgrade to the Ausmus-Ellis duo. Barajas started the season off by hitting 11 home runs in the first two months of the season (.269/.292/.551 overall) before hitting .168 for the last two months. He has all of three at-bats this month.

The Dodgers are not giving up anything but money in this deal, which isn't much, as Barajas' 2010 salary is $500,000.

The Dodgers are just stubborn. I know Ellis isn't the catcher of the future, but there wasn't much reason to pick up Barajas. This coming from the team that probably can't wait to move Manny Ramirez.

The Dodgers have long since been out of it, even if they aren't mathematically eliminated yet.

The move gives the Dodgers another option behind the plate. Barajas will get the majority of the starts for the remained of the season.

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The Tampa Bay Rays might take a chance on Manny Ramirez when he hits the waiver wire, says St. Petersburg Times Rays' beat writer Marc Topkin.

The Rays currently have the second-best record in the Majors. To get him, a team like the Chicago White Sox would have to pass on claiming him. Then the Rays could either claim him and work out a deal (or the Dodgers could let Ramirez and his reamining $4 million go to Tampa) for Ramirez. This is assuming Ramirez clears all the National League teams first, which will assuredly happen.

It's hard to tell what teams are going to do. The White Sox could claim him to help their chances, which would keep the Rays from grabbing him.

The waiver trade deadline is Aug. 31.