Russell Martin says 'personal' issues cause of decline

Former Dodger catcher Russell Martin told the National Post of Canada that "personal issues" were the cause of his decline in the last few seasons.

"There's some things that you keep for yourself," Martin said. "Those distractions, they're personal -- personal issues in my life that not everybody needs to know about."

This is a quote from the story. I respect Martin's right to privacy and I'm not trying to pry or even figure out said personal issues. As he said, not everyone needs to know about those issues. However, unless it was something tragic or serious, can we really expect it to be the sole blame for his decline?

I have said my piece on Martin's decline. While Martin is probably to classy to say it, his overuse as a Dodger probably led to his decline as well.

I have a soft spot in my heart for catchers. I really had envisioned Martin being the leader of this organization and having his No. 55 hanging in between Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale. Obviously those visions were premature.

He's probably not going to reach that status, but he could get back to respectability -- and I hope he does.

The Dodgers will have to see if the combination of Rod Barajas and Dioner Navarro can at least match Martin's production in recent years. Sadly, I don't think the combo will.

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Danny Knobler of CBS Sports said the Dodgers are interested in Marcus Thames to fill the need for a right-handed-hitting outfielder.

This needs to happen. Thames' defense, while atrocious, couldn't really be that much worse part-time than Manny Ramirez was full-time in left field. Plus, he could play 1B in a pinch. His power is intriguing and should be intriguing enough to overlook his severe defensive deficiencies.

Knobler also notes the Dodgers have "moved on" from Scott Podsednik. Thank God!

Around the Dodgers' blog world

Not much happening in Dodger land right now. The Brewers acquired Zack Greinke for four prospects on Sunday and Ken Gurnick says the Dodgers have contacted Marcus Thames and Scott and Jerry Hairston about the left field vacancy.

I said in my last post I'd take a flier on Thames. At the time, I didn't realize his defense was so God-awful. But could it really be any worse than Manny Ramirez loafing around left field every day?

One spot of good news: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Anaheim Angels are interested in Scott Podsednik. This is possibly the best Christmas present Dodger fans could ask for -- Podsednik and his scrappiness ending up in Anaheim instead of Los Angeles. Here's hoping it happens.

The news also prompted a few of nice tweets:

@truebluela: "Go Tony Reagins! #Pods"
@MikeScosciasTI: "YES! Pods! Go Angels!"
@jay_jaffe: "Dear Baby Jesus and/or Santa Claus, please give Scott Podsednik to the Angels for Christmas instead of the Dodgers."

News and notes from other Dodger blogs:

Mike Petriello of Mike Scoscia's Tragic Illness throws out an intriguing option for the Dodgers' left field opening. It's so intriguing that General Manager Ned Colletti would never even think to make such a move.

Roberto Baly of Vin Scully is my Homeboy, which is the best name for a Dodger blog out there, writes he would have brought in Orlando Hudson or Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka -- both of whom signed for less money than the great Juan Uribe.

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts lays out the Dodgers' payroll as of now, including predictions for the arbitration-eligible players. The paryoll is approaching $110 million, including all the deferred money -- $17.35 million.

Dodgers lose out on Hall, what's next?

Bill Hall signed with the Houston Astros on Friday for $3.25 million. Hall had been linked to the Dodgers for a couple weeks now.

The Dodgers wanted him to be their primary left fielder. Houston grabbed him to be their full-time second baseman.

I'm not sure what it came down to, but Hall's preference for infield duty probably helped in his decision. Also, that short porch in left field is probably quite attractive to Hall.

So, where do the Dodgers go from here? With left-field options dwindling, the name Scott Podsednik is being brought up.

This would be terrible.

Not only is Podsednik not a right-handed hitter with pop, he can't play defense. While I said earlier in the off-season the Dodgers should have offered him arbitration and that he'd be a nice fourth outfielder, many are fearing he'll be the starter Opening Day.

A few right-handed options remain: Jermaine Dye, Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge and Marcus Thames.

Dye did not play last season, but owns a career .826 OPS. However, his defense in 2009 was the worst of any Major League right fielder. He could be the most intriguing part-time LF option. But how would the year off affect him?

Kearns hit righties a little better than lefties last year, but he hits lefties a little better than righties for his career. Go figure.

Milledge is young but also comes with baggage. The former first-round pick hits lefties much better than righties (.798 vs. .690 OPS).

Thames is a guy who hits lefties better than righties and provides the most power-potential of this quartet.

My preference for the four is as follows:

1. Thames
2. Milledge
3. Dye
4. Kearns

Having said that, Kearns is probably the most likely, as his name is the only one mentioned in connection with the Dodgers at all this off-season.

The best option, a.k.a. the most unrealistic option, is to sign Adrian Beltre to play third base and platoon Casey Blake in left field with Gibbons. But Beltre apparently has a $70 million offer from Anaheim, so there goes that idea.

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Articles from other Dodger blogs

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts said as of right now, he'd start Tony Gwynn, Jr., as the Dodgers' third outfielder. And he'd start him in center field, moving Matt Kemp to right field and Andre Ethier to left field.

That would certainly give the Dodgers the best defensive outfield possible, as both Kemp and Ethier regressed defensively last season.

It's hard to argue the point, especially if the Dodgers are going with the "pitching and defense" angle.

We'll see what happens.

Mike Petriello of Mike Scoscia's Tragic Illness says Dodger fans should not get too excited about Zack Greinke demanding a trade from Kansas City. He also wonders what's next for the Dodgers' left-field vacancy.

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. says the Dodgers need to stay away from Podsednik, while making a nice A Christmas Story reference. He also had a great article on how and why the Dodgers need to lock up Clayton Kershaw right now.

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.

Dodgers re-sign Gibbons, Podsednik opts for free agency

The Dodgers have re-signed OF/1B Jay Gibbons to a 1-year deal, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

Terms of the deal were announced at $400,000 plus incentives. Update: Hernandez tweeted with new contract details -- $650,000 base, $150,000 incentives based on plate appearances.

This is a great re-signing for the Dodgers. Gibbons, after not playing in the majors in 2008 and 2009, Gibbons came up in August (far too late, by the way) to put up a respectable .280/.313/.507 line as a part-time player. And that's all he's being brought back to do. He'll spell whoever plays left field and James Loney (if he sticks around) at 1B. He's a solid lefty off the bench.

The re-signing doesn't bode particularly well for Xavier Paul's chances of sticking in L.A., as he's out of options and is also a lefty. We'll see if anything happens on that front.

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Updating a previous item, Scott Podsednik has declined his half of his mutual option, again per Hernandez. It was expected. Now, the Dodgers must offer him arbitration. He only made $1.65 million this year, so he won't earn much more in an arbitration case -- if he accepts it. He is a Type-B free agent, so the Dodgers would get a supplemental first-round pick if he declines arbitration and signs elsewhere. Most sane Dodger fans are hoping for this option.

Worst case scenario: Podsednik is back as a serviceable fourth outfielder (we hope) at a cheap rate (again, we hope).

Dodgers pickup half of Podsednik's option

The Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez tweeted that the Los Angeles Dodgers have exercised their half of Scott Podsednik's 2011 option. Since it is a mutual option, Podsednik can either exercise his half and return to the Dodgers for $2 million or decline and test free agency, where he could get a more lucrative deal (and potential two years) on the open market.

He has 48 hours to make a decision.

If Podsednik comes back at $2 million, that's actually a really good deal... if he's coming back as a fourth outfielder. If the Dodgers expect him to play 150 games in left field and bat leadoff or second, then it's a mistake.

If he declines, he'd be a free agent. As a Type-B free agent, the Dodgers would be foolish not to offer him arbitration. Potentially netting a supplemental first-round pick for Podsednik looks awfully good right now.

Here's what I said about Podsednik in part one of my off-season preview:

"Podsednik: When he came over from the Royals at the deadline, I thought it was a decent pickup. The fact that he is a Type B free agent made the deal a lot more acceptable. He didn't play much of the last month as he was injured. In spite of that, I would not be opposed to him coming back as a fourth outfielder. My fear is the Dodgers will give him 600 PAs as the regular left fielder, which would be a mistake. If he voids his option or the Dodgers buy him out, they can always offer him arbitration. A team are less likely to hesitate to sign him because he is a Type B free agent. If he comes back, he's a solid fourth outfielder -- if the Dodgers use him in that manner. Arbitration: Yes, without a doubt"

It's potentially win-win for the Dodgers, provided he comes back as a fourth outfielder. We'll see what happens.

2010 Los Angeles Dodger off-season preview, part I

Like last year, I'm going to break down the Los Angeles Dodgers' off-season into four parts: Dodger free agents, arbitration-eligible players, potential free agent targets and potential trade targets.

Something that could influence the off-season preview is the following tweet from Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times:

"Dodgers' payroll will increase in 2011, GM Ned Colletti said."

The Dodgers' 2010 payroll was just over $102 million. For all we know, the Dodgers could raise payroll by $1 and it would technically be an "increase." However, this should be somewhat encouraging for Dodger fans. They aren't going to go on a massive spending spree, but at least there's hope for the off-season, unlike last year.

The Dodgers jumped into the off-season rather quickly, signing left-handed starter Ted Lilly to a 3-year, $33 million contract. Hernandez said Lilly will get a $3.5 million signing bonus spread out over the three years, as well as a full no-trade clause in the first two years of the deal.

On the surface, this isn't the worst deal in the world, now that we know the money. The Dodgers now have three established starting pitchers. In this market, $11 million a season for a guy who could give you an ERA in the mid-to-upper 3s and good control. Still, the Dodgers probably overpaid a bit for Lilly's services. The deal should be decent for the first two years, but the third year could be when the Dodgers regret giving a soon-to-be 35-year-old starter a three-year commitment.

Anyway, onto the Dodger free agents. The team has eight (remaining) free agents. Compared to last year's 15, this crop should be a lot easier to deal with. Lilly was a Type A free agent.

Dodger Free Agents

C Brad Ausmus
C Rod Barajas (Type B)
OF Reed Johnson
OF/1B Jay Gibbons
OF Scott Podsednik (Type B, $2M club option which he could void)
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (Type B)
RHP Vicente Padilla
RHP Jeff Weaver

Barajas: He was quite the surprise after coming over from the Mets in an August trade. He was so surprising he might have very well earned a spot on the 2011 team. His .297/.361/.578 line in 25 games was something the Dodgers haven't had out of the position in a long time. However, he is strictly a part-time player. If the Dodgers bring him back with the intention of him playing 130 games, his production won't look nearly as good. Arbitration: Yes

Podsednik: When he came over from the Royals at the deadline, I thought it was a decent pickup. The fact that he is a Type B free agent made the deal a lot more acceptable. He didn't play much of the last month as he was injured. In spite of that, I would not be opposed to him coming back as a fourth outfielder. My fear is the Dodgers will give him 600 PAs as the regular left fielder, which would be a mistake. If he voids his option or the Dodgers buy him out, they can always offer him arbitration. A team are less likely to hesitate to sign him because he is a Type B free agent. If he comes back, he's a solid fourth outfielder -- if the Dodgers use him in that manner. Arbitration: Yes, without a doubt

Kuroda: I absolutely love Kuroda. He is a gamer. He is a battler. But unless he comes back at a reduced rate from his $13 million salary -- and he has no reason to do so -- then good for him and the Dodgers. Speculation is he could return to Japan to finish his career. With a potential $15 or $16 million arbitration case, that is a risk the Dodgers are not likely to take. Arbitration: No

Padilla: For a stretch last season, he was the Dodgers' best pitcher. A few poor outings toward the end of the season inflated his numbers. Padilla made $5.025 million last season (with $1 million deferred). If the Dodgers could bring him back at a similar rate, I'd be all for it. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, he just missed being a Type B free agent. But it could be beneficial in bringing him back. Arbitration: No

Ausmus is retiring. The Dodgers need to bring back Gibbons. He proved to be a valuable asset of the bench. He should be relatively easy to re-sign. I really don't see the need for Johnson. His .262/.291/.366 line and 5:50 BB:K ratio can easily be replaced. Weaver had a terrible season and appears to have nothing left in the tank, despite wanting to pitch one more season.

Next up: Arbitration-eligible players

Dodgers acquire Scott Podsednik for two prospects

The Dodgers acquired Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for C Lucas May and RHP Elisaul Pimentel.

Podsednik has put up solid numbers this season: .309/.352/30 stolen bases (caught 12 times). He isn't much with the glove, but he certainly couldn't be any worse than Manny Ramirez in left field. He should be the Dodgers' starting left fielder for the forseeable future. Podsednik also has an affordable 2011 option at $2 million ($100,000 buyout) which voids at 525 plate appearances. If he voids the contract or the Dodgers don't pick up the option, he could be offered arbitration. As a Type-B free agent, that would net the Dodgers a supplemental first-round pick if another team signs him.

I had Pimentel rated in my top 20 midseason prospects list. He just turned 22 years old and is in pitching in the Midwest League.

This is the second time the Dodgers have traded a Pimentel to Kansas City, as they traded Odalis Perez, Blake Johnson and Julio Pimentel for Elmer Dessens in 2006.

May is a fringe prospect at 25 years old (26 in October) who has put up solid numbers in his last two years in the minors. He had a solid 2007 season at High-A Inland Emipre before busting in Double-A the next season. The Dodgers' catching depth gets thinner, but the team still has A.J. Ellis in Triple-A.

So why did the Dodgers feel a need to add Podsednik? Well, maybe they believe Manny Ramirez won't be able to offer much help the rest of the season. The Dodgers were also rumored to be interested in Tigers' outfielder Ryan Raburn, which could lead to a Garrett Anderson release.

Grading the Trade: B
- The Dodgers didn't give up any impact prospects for a guy who can help the team as a starter and reserve for the rest of the season. I made a post stating the best move for the Dodgers would be no move. However, since no great prospects were traded, this isn't the worst deal in the world. Also, the Dodgers are paying all of Podsednik's remaining salary -- perhaps the biggest shocker of all.

I'm still holding out hope for a Roy Oswalt deal in the next couple of days, but hope is diminishing each day.