Report: Dodgers, unfortunately, sign Ned Colletti to long-term extension

When Mark Walter, Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten and Co. bought the Dodgers in May, many assumed (hoped?) it would spell the end of Ned Colletti's tenure as general manager. But here we are, four-plus months later and the much maligned Dodgers' GM was given a contract extension.

Certainly not what I wanted or expected, up until last week when scuttlebutt began about the Dodgers possibly giving Colletti a new contract.

Don't get me wrong, the guy is nice. I asked him a few questions at Blogger Night and, in his way, was coy and nice when answering. It takes more than just a nice guy to put together a competitive baseball team.

But that doesn't excuse some of the moves he's made in the past. While he was able to land Hanley Ramirez for for a nice price and got the Dodgers another impact bat in Adrian Gonzalez, he was still able to make a couple trades that were either unnecessary or ill-advised.

And that's just this season. We all know of the horrible deals from the past.

Colletti isn't exactly a hot GM when it comes to the open market. No team would be on his tail to get him signed, so I just don't understand why the Dodgers felt the need to get this deal done now -- especially if the August blockbuster with Boston turns out to be a dud (for the record, I don't think it will).

So, I guess we'll have another three years of trading prospects for relief pitchers at the trade deadline. At least Colletti has few financial restrictions, so his potential poor moves can be covered up with money.

Kershaw to miss start, rest of season?

Clayton Kershaw, who's struggled with a hip injury, will miss his next start and possibly need season-ending surgery.

Really, can it get any worse for the Dodgers? Matt Kemp was down for an extended period of time, Kenley Jansen is having heart issues again, Chad Billingsley might need Tommy John surgery and now this.

The Dodgers are just one game out of the final Wild Card spot, but it really seems like they're out of the playoff race completely.

Kershaw's long-term health is more important than a depleted team making the playoffs in 2012. I want the Dodgers to make the playoffs, but I'm not going to be surprised at this point if they don't.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr

Andre Ethier and a contract extension with new Dodgers' ownership

Andre Ethier: $15 million man?

On this glorious day when the sale of the Dodgers is official, there is scuttlebutt the ownership is looking to hash out a contract extension with Andre Ethier.

Bill Shaikin, L.A. Times:

"Colletti met w Ethier's agent Fri at Dodger Stadium. No deal imminent, but that could be first order of business for new #Dodgers owners."

Jon Heyman, CBS Sports:

"doesnt sound like anythings close with ethier. but with new group in place, chances for deal improve drastically. #dodgers"

I wrote in June the Dodgers needed to trade Ethier, but I am coming around on the Dodgers giving him an extension. BUT, it needs to be under ideal terms and after more than just a month of good ball.

This is Ethier's stat line through 23 games: .276/.330/.540, five home runs, 24 RBI, six doubles. Those are pretty solid numbers, even if the batting average and on-base percentage are lower than his career averages (.291/.363).

At this time last year, Ethier was absolutely tearing the cover off the ball: .382/.450/.539, two home runs, 13 RBI and eight doubles. We all know what happened the rest of the way (.271/.350/.394 in 112 games).

I'm not saying Ethier is going to regress like that, but I want to see him play at a high level for more than a month before the Dodgers think about extending him. Even though the free agent market is thin in terms of hitters this winter, it wouldn't make any sense to overpay for Ethier.

His power appears to be back and he is hitting left-handed pitching better (.273/.351/.485), which is fantastic. But we have to remember this is a small sample size. Let's see where he is in another month.

So, what kind of deal should he get? That remains to be seen.

He's never been an elite player and he likely never will, so don't worry about Matt Holliday or Jayson Werth money (I recognize they aren't elite players -- although Holliday is good -- but they're getting paid as such).

Ethier is making $10.95 million this season, which is his last under team control. Some Similar Batter scores (according to Baseball-Reference) include Hunter Pence, Brad Hawpe and Corey Hart. Pence and Hart are pretty good comparisons. Hawpe made his living off Coors Field, so I'm not counting him.

Pence, still under team control for one more season, is making $10.4 million this year. There's not telling what he'd get on the open market at this point.

Hart signed a 3-year extension with the Brewers in August 2010. He's making $9 million this season and $10 million the next.

So, where does Ethier fall in here? Well, we have to factor in the fact he just turned 30 and is coming off knee surgery. So far, the knee looks great. But the Dodgers shouldn't give him an extension longer than four guaranteed years.

Here's what I'm thinking (and this is as much as I'd be willing to go, personally):

4 years, $60 million with two options years
2013: $12M, 2014: $13M, 2015: $15M, 2016: $16M, 2017: $16M (option with $2M buyout), 2018: $16M (option with $2M buyout)

The Dodgers would also have to include the usual bonuses for All-Star appearances, Silver Slugger awards and other postseason hardware.

Stan Kasten, the Dodgers' new president, has never been one to dole out huge amounts of money for free agents or his team's own pending free agents, so I'm confident a deal such as this could be worked out between the two.

Contrary to popular (my?) belief, maybe Ethier actually wants to stay in Los Angeles. At this point it could be mutually beneficial.

Matt Kemp wants Ethier to be extended. If Matt Kemp wants it, the Dodgers should make it happen -- on their terms.

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As mentioned above, the new ownership group is officially in and Frank McCourt is official out. Mark Walter, Kasten and Magic Johhnson take over. It's a great day for Dodger fans.

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Here's my latest piece at Chad Moriyama with an excerpt. It's about the resurgence of Ethan Martin and if he can keep it up.

"There has been no harsher critic of Ethan Martin than myself.

While I once rated him as the Dodgers second-best prospect, he has since fallen flat on his face and my rankings have reflected that. This season, however, he’s showing signs of putting it all together for the first time as a professional baseball player."

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode No. 4, plus a couple of news items

Sorry for the delay, but Jared Massey and I finally got the latest podcast up.

In this edition, Jared and I talk about the Dodgers' week that was, a somewhat resurgent James Loney, some strong minor-league performances and our trip to see the Quakes in person in Rancho Cucamonga.

Podomatic link
iTunes link

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The Dodgers optioned Nathan Eovladi back to Double-A and activated Todd Coffey from the 15-day disabled list.

I wrote last week the Dodgers need to be careful with Eovaldi and not to screw with his development. This whole "pitching-one-inning-per-start" thing and then calling him up to not appear in a game is precisely what I was talking about.

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The Dodgers' sale is expected to be official today. Bill Shaikin has you covered, as he has for the last two years.

Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers' owner

The short list of people affiliated with the Dodgers' organization who are recognizable by one name just grew by one.

There's Vin, Tommy, Jackie, Sandy and now Magic.

The ownership group led by Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten was chosen tonight as the winners of the auction. Initial reports put the sale at $2.15 billion, or 2,150 million dollars.

Ken Gurnick was the first to report the news.

The only blemish in this deal is the parking lots are not included.

"Current owner Frank McCourt and certain affiliates of the purchasers will also be forming a joint venture, which will acquire the Chavez Ravine property for an additional $150 million."

Now, that's not to say the group only needed to kick in an extra $150 million to get the lots. I'm sure if that were the case, it would have been done. However, it's not the end of the world. It sucks McCourt is still involved, but it's a minor part, which is better than him keeping the team completely.

Update (March 27, 9:44 p.m.): From Bill Shaikin:

"Parking lots will be controlled by Magic's group."

Outstanding.

Mark Walter will be the controlling owner. The bankruptcy court must still approve the sale on April 13.

This is a fantastic day for Dodger fans. This has been a long time coming. With Johnson, there is the tie to Los Angeles -- something that's been missing since the O'Malley days. Stan Kasten, one of those behind the great Braves' runs of the 1990s and part of the rebuilding Washington Nationals, might be the most underrated part of this deal.

Some, myself included, were expecting the Steve Cohen/Patrick Soon-Shiong group to have the largest bid. We were hoping McCourt would do the "right" thing and choose the Johnson group, even if the money wasn't as high. Well, apparently that wasn't an issue.

But back to Magic. The guy is one of the most popular athletes in Los Angeles sports history. The importance of that cannot be understated. This is akin to Kobe Bryant buying the Lakers in 15 years, but it's probably not even on that level. In the end, there couldn't have been a better person to be the face of this franchise.

Johnson's experience as part owner of the Lakers will help him when it comes to being part owner of the Dodgers. Here's a statement from Johnson:

"I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles."

Now, things aren't suddenly going to change. Ned Colletti still needs to go and the Dodgers need to commit to the draft and international scouting. I had been holding off writing my season prediction post until seeing who was going to be the new owner. I'm not going to give everything away, but the postseason might not be that far out of reach.

This is a great day, folks. Revel in it. Things are looking up.

Go Blue!

Photo credit: Rafael Amado Deras on Flickr (Johnson)

Three groups remain in bid to be next Dodgers' owner, plus other news

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported Friday there are three groups left in the Dodgers' ownership race: the Magic Johsnon/Stan Kasten group, the Steve Cohen/Patrick Soon-Shiong group St. Louis Rams' owner Stan Kroenke.

The Cohen group emerged as the favorite on Sunday when Soon-Shiong decided to join Cohen in his attempt to purchase the team.

The dates remain unchanged, as this should all be settled by April 6 at the latest. From Shaikin's article:

"Major League Baseball owners are expected to vote on the three remaining bidders early next week. Final negotiations then would take place with Frank McCourt and Blackstone Advisory Partners, the investment bank brokering the sale.

McCourt has agreed to identify a winning bidder by April 1, although he has until April 6 to present a sale agreement to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court."

The Dodgers are expected to sell for a record price -- somewhere north of $1.5 billion -- but the parking lots and Dodger Stadium itself remain an issue.

"McCourt was offered between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion in the most recent round of bids. However, negotiations have not taken place, and it is uncertain how the purchase price might be affected if McCourt refuses to include the Dodger Stadium parking lots in the sale. McCourt has said he intends to sell the team but keep the lots, in accordance with his rights under his settlement with MLB."

Whichever group ends up winning, let's just hope and pray McCourt gives in and sells the lots, too. He ties need to be completely severed from this great and proud organization. He's a black eye the franchise does not need.

It's going to be a fun eight-plus days. Everyone seems to think the Cohen group is going to win, but I'm still holding out hope for the Johnson/Kasten group.

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The Dodgers reassigned three players after today's games: Angel Guzman, Wilfredo Ledezma and Fernando Nieve.

Guzman threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk while striking out two. He could see time in Los Angeles this year, if there are enough injuries.

Ledezma posted a nice line in 5 2/3 innings: two hits, two runs (one earned) and four strikeouts. His biggest problem was the walks, as he walked five.

Nieve threw the most innings of the trio and was, at one point, making a case to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. He threw 8 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, three runs (all earned) while striking out six. He didn't walk anyone. He could be an option if the Dodgers need a swingman this season.

Notes from today's game vs. Cleveland

Dee Gordon collected a couple hits to raise his spring batting average to .415. He also stole his eighth base.

Andre Ethier picked up his 11th extra base hit of the spring -- a double -- in today's win.He's hitting .419 and appears ready to have a big season.

Chris Capuano had a solid game: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

John Grabow and Jamey Wright, fighting for a bullpen spot, were both unscathed. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweeted contract numbers for Grabow and Wright if they both make the team:

Grabow

"John Grabow's contract will be guaranteed for $800k if he makes the big-league roster. Deal includes $200k in incentives based on GP."

Wright

"Jamey Wright's contact will be guaranteed for $900k if he makes the big-league roster. Deal includes $500k in incentives based on GP."

If we're making decisions based solely on money, Grabow's the choice. If we're making it based on need and talent, well, Grabow's still the choice.

I predicted he'd make the 25-man roster when he was signed. He's making a strong case to do just that.

Photo credits: health2con on Flickr (Soon-Shiong),
Rafael Amado Deras on Flickr (Johnson)

Wrapping up the first week of Dodgers' Spring Training

The Dodgers finished their first week of Spring Training with a 5-1-2 record, which obviously means they're going to the World Series.

Seriously, though, they had a solid week. Some players had solid weeks as well.

Hitters

Andre Ethier has five hits in eight at-bats, including three extra base hits (double, triple, home run) and only one strikeout. He missed Saturday's game against the Mariners with back tightness, but it doesn't sound too serious.

Matt Kemp hit his first home run of the spring on Friday against the Mariners. He's 4-for-12, but also has six strikeouts. But there's no need to panic.

A surprise performer so far has been Josh Fields, who is 7-for-12 with two doubles, a triple and two RBI. Fields began his career as a member of the White Sox and spent 2010 with the Royals and 2011 with the Rockies' Triple-A team and Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League. He's battling for a bench spot, but I don't think he's a legitimate option unless there is a rash of injuries.

Former Rockie Cory Sullivan also had himself a week, going 6-for-12 with a double, a home run (a grand slam against the White Sox on Saturday) and a team-leading six RBI. Like Fields, I don't expect Sullivan to make the squad, but he's playing well so far.

Alex Castellanos and Juan Rivera are tied with the team lead in home runs with two.

Pitchers

Chris Capuano had the best debut, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.

Todd Coffey also appeared for two innings (in two outings) and like Capuano, struck out three hitters.

The bullpen trio of Scott Elbert, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen has pitched six innings, given up five hits, three walks, struck out seven and, most importantly, have yet to allow a run.

It'll be interesting to see how some guys continue to perform before the first round of cuts is made.

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The Dodgers signed Jarrad Page to a minor-league deal. If that name sounds familiar, you're probably a UCLA, Chief, Patriot, Eagle or Viking fan. He is the free safety who attended UCLA and was drafted in the seventh round by Kansas City in the 2006 NFL Draft.

He participated in the Dodgers' open tryout on March 1, a tryout that also resulted in the signing of former Dodger prospect Blake Johnson and former Blue Jay draft pick Brandon Mims.

Page was signed as an outfielder and was drafted three times before he decided to pursue football. He's 27 and getting a late start, so I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for him to be something. He's more likely to be picked up to play safety again than he is to pick up a bat in a Major League game.

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Prospective Dodger owners are touring Camelback Ranch this week prior to the new owner being selected in less than a month.

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the lowdown:

"(Steve) Cohen is widely considered one of three favorites to buy the team, along with St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and a group led by Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten.

Cohen has an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion and Kroenke an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.

The other candidates include Stanley Gold and the family of the late Roy Disney; a group led by New York media investor Leo Hindery and Southern California billionaire Tom Barrack; a group led by Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley and Los Angeles investor Tony Ressler; and Beverly Hills real estate developer Alan Casden."

So, it seems we're down to seven groups again. My money (and heart) is still on the Magic-Kasten group, but anything can happen right now.

I mean, Magic wouldn't have sold his minority stake in one of the most lucrative professional sports teams in the Lakers if he didn't feel he'd have a great shot of being part owner of the Dodgers, would he?

This whole saga should be determined in the next three weeks. It's been a long time coming for Dodger fans and it'll be nice to finally move on from the Frank McCourt era. Hopefully that means we'll get to move on from the Ned Colletti era, too.

Photo credits: SD Dirk, Flickr (Kemp), Rafael Amado Deras, Flickr (Johnson)

Number of prospective Dodgers' owners down to eight

It isn't often that $1 billion isn't enough money, but that was exactly the case for a lot of prospective Dodger bidders on Friday.

Two of the biggest names -- Mark Cuban and Dennis Gilbert -- were informed their initial bids did not get them to the second round.

Gilbert getting ousted is not too shocking, as Frank McCourt gets to make the final decision and Gilbert is buddy-buddy with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig (not exactly McCourt's favorite person right now).

Cuban has stood firm on the amount of money he'd spend on the Dodgers -- or any baseball team, for that matter. Cuban told this to the Los Angeles Times in November:

"'I don't think the Dodgers franchise is worth twice what the Rangers are worth.'"

Besides, he's only (using this loosely) worth upward of $2.3 billion, so it would have been really surprising to see him put up more than half his net worth to buy the Dodgers. But he's a smart man and I'm sure he could have found a way to make it work.

Cuban's been weary of buying the Dodgers for too much since November, so it's not that surprising he's out after the first round.

I know when the Dodgers first went on the market, a lot of folks wanted Cuban to end up owning the team. He's proven with the Dallas Mavericks that he'll spend the money to win. But this could be a good thing for everyone involved.

The Orel Hershiser-Steve Garvey group is also out of the bidding.

The confirmed remaining bidders are:

• Steve Cohen
• Stanley Gold/Roy Disney
• Leo Hindery/Marc Utay
• Magic Johnson/Stan Kasten
• Stan Kroenke
• Josh Macciello
• Peter O'Malley
• Joe Torre/Rick Caruso

Macciello confirmed, on his Twitter account, that he's still in it -- at least, one could deduce that from this:

"love That Pearl Jam song 'I'm still alive'"

So there you have it. The Johnson-Kasten group remains my favorite and is probably the favorite overall.

Man, April 6 cannot get here soon enough.

At least 10 billionaires submit inital bids to buy the Dodgers

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the first story on at least 10 billionaires who submit opening bids to buy the Dodgers today.

The names revealed include Magic Johnson (and Stan Kasten), Mark Cuban, Joe Torre (and Rick Caruso), Steven Cohen, Peter O'Malley, Stanley Gold (and Disney) and Dennis Gilbert.

Two new bidders came to the forefront today: St. Louis Rams' owner Stan Kroenke, who is decided whether to place a bid, and New York investors Leo Hindery and Marc Utay, who attempted to buy the Chicago Cubs two years ago.

Kroenke recently purchased the Rams and there is speculation he might attempt to move the team back to Los Angeles after the 2014 season.

Update (9:11 p.m., Jan. 23): Molly Knight of ESPN the Magazine confirmed the group led by Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey also submitted a bid today.

She also wonders about a man worth more than $7 billion -- Los Angeles' Patrick Soon-Shiong. He bought Johnson's minority stake with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.

Today's deadline was a soft one and, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA tweeted last night, the bids can change and the bidders have no obligation to follow through on the bids.

The sale price is expected to be upward of $1.5 billion.

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Jared Massey of L.A. Dodger Report has a look at Angelo Songco, who was No. 13 on his Top 20 Dodgers' prospect list.

Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness just wants a team to sign Prince Fielder, even if it isn't the Dodgers.

Brandon Lennox of True Blue L.A. has finished the first half of his 200-prospect countdown.