With the Dodgers singing Chris Capuano on Friday, the door effective shut on Hiroki Kuroda's chances of returning to the Dodgers.
Now, Kuroda has said he's willing to play elsewhere -- and not just in Japan.
General Manager Ned Colletti had already decided before Thanksgiving the Dodgers would have a hard time re-signing Kuroda. Now, the Angels, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rockies and Tigers all have interest in the 37-year-old righty. The Carp of the Japanese league have already made him an offer to return home.
The Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Tigers were all mentioned as possible suitors at the July 31 deadline.
Many were upset at Kuroda's decision to not waive his no-trade clause to help the Dodgers acquire young talent at the trade deadline. I was disappointed, but I respected Kuroda's loyalty to the team.
He's apparently seeking a $12 to $13 million deal on the open market, which he should have no problem landing because he won't require a long-term commitment.
Some are upset at this notion, but I'm really not. Kuroda is free to do what he wants. The Dodgers simply mismanaged their money and now have little chance to retain the solid right-hander.
I wish him luck where ever he ends up. If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Boston.
#####
ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted earlier Aaron Harang might be a fit as the Dodgers' No. 5 starter.
I said as much in my last post. I'd be all for it. Having Capuano and Harang would come be a much better alternative to Kuroda than just Capuano.
I could see the Dodgers bringing him in on a back-loaded contract. The Dodgers are also, for some reason, searching for a veteran utility player and veteran middle reliever.
The last is more puzzling than the first. If the Dodgers sign Harang, Nathan Eovaldi moves to the bullpen. I know he's still a rookie, but Eovaldi in the bullpen would all but eliminate the "need" for a veteran reliever.
The money would be much better spent on Harang than some middling relief pitcher.
One thing's for certain: the Dodgers won't likely make any big splashes at the Winter Meetings (which start tomorrow). It'd take payroll flexibility and/or a creative GM, and the Dodgers have neither of those.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Dodgers sign Chris Capuano to 2-year deal, world is NOT ending
The Dodgers signed left-handed pitcher Chris Capuano today to a 2-year, $10 million deal, according to multiple reports.
The deal also includes a mutual option for 2014, reports the L.A. Times' Dylan Hernandez.
Contrary to popular belief, the world has not ended because of this signing. While it likely spells the end of Hiroki Kuroda's Dodger career, things could be worse: this money could have been thrown at a worse version of Capuano -- Jeff Francis.
Capuano is coming off a decent season with the Mets, going 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 3.17 K/BB ratio. Those are the good numbers.
The bad numbers include a 4.55 ERA, 9.6 H/9, 1.3 HR/9 and an 87 ERA+. Also included in the bad are his numbers away from pitcher-friendly Citi Field:
Home: 4-5, 3.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.84 K/BB
Away: 7-7, 5.42 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.57 K/BB
Capuano is similar to a guy the Dodgers already have: Ted Lilly. But it might surprise one to learn Capuano averaged more innings per start (5.97 to 5.83) and struck out more batters per nine innings (8.1 to 7.4) than Lilly did in 2011.
As a complement to Kuroda, Capuano would have been just fine. This signing implies Kuroda is either open to pitching for another U.S. team, going back to Japan or retiring. My money is on Japan.
However, if Kuroda really loves pitching in Los Angeles and is willing to take a massively deferred contract, he could still return. But that's highly unlikely.
Capuano's fastball is his main pitch, as it averages 87.9 MPH. He threw it 57.9 percent of the time in 2011 -- a career high. He also uses a solid changeup (78.3 MPH) and slider (79.6 MPH). He also has a cutter he doesn't use much.
He's a soft-tosser like Lilly, but this signing isn't all bad for the Dodgers.
Capuano has appeared at Dodger Stadium five times in his career:
23 IP, 29 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 20 K
Not great, but not bad, either.
Something I am pleased with is his improved control. In 2005, his best season, he walked 91 batters (3.7 BB/9 and 1.93 K/BB). Since then, his control numbers look a lot better (2.5 BB/9, 3.02 K/BB).
And for those complaining about his home run numbers compared with Kuroda, he gave up 0.2 more HR/9 than Hiroki. So, it's not all bad.
Now, for the same money, I would rather the Dodgers signed Aaron Harang, who probably won't get much more than $5 million a season on the open market. A 2-year, guaranteed deal for a guy who missed the entire 2008 season and spent the entire 2009 season in the minors is a bit of a head-scratcher, though.
The Twins reported showed interest in him, but $10 million for two years seems like a slight overpay. It's reminiscent of the Casey Blake signing a few years ago.
Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. notes Capuano filled the final open spot on the team's 40-man roster. To make anymore additions to the roster, players will have to be waived, outrighted or released.
The Dodgers, a team most knew would have to be frugal this off-season, didn't exactly spend its money that well.
Capuano - $5 million (not confirmed)
Juan Rivera - $4 million
Mark Ellis - $2.5 million
Matt Treanor - $850,000
Adam Kennedy - $800,000
Total: $13.15 million*
*- Does not include Matt Kemp's $10 million salary, which was awesome
Four roster spots were filled, but was the money allocated as well as it could be? Rivera's role could have been filled by someone who cost a lot less or the Dodgers could just trust Jerry Sands and his ability. Ellis' role could have been filled by Justin Sellers, Adam Kennedy or Ivan De Jesus. Treanor's spot could have been filled by Tim Federowicz, but I can at least understand wanting Federowicz to play full-time in Triple-A to start the season.
Are the Dodgers a better team right now than they were on the last day of the 2011 season? Not really.
While I wasn't totally against the Rivera and Ellis signings, they look pretty bad now, considering the Dodgers probably don't have enough money to bring back Kuroda.
The rotation is setting up as such:
Clayton Kershaw
Chad Billingsley
Lilly
Capuano
Dana Eveland/Nathan Eovaldi
There are a lot of question marks there. There is potential for Billingsley to be the only right-handed starter the Dodgers have (to start the season at least). That's almost unheard of. Still, I'd rather see Eovaldi get a chance as the No. 5 starter.
Who knows? Maybe the Dodgers will see if they can bring in Harang for a cheaper deal (with deferred money of course, because that's now the Dodger way).
But don't hold your breath.
The deal also includes a mutual option for 2014, reports the L.A. Times' Dylan Hernandez.
Contrary to popular belief, the world has not ended because of this signing. While it likely spells the end of Hiroki Kuroda's Dodger career, things could be worse: this money could have been thrown at a worse version of Capuano -- Jeff Francis.
Capuano is coming off a decent season with the Mets, going 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 3.17 K/BB ratio. Those are the good numbers.
The bad numbers include a 4.55 ERA, 9.6 H/9, 1.3 HR/9 and an 87 ERA+. Also included in the bad are his numbers away from pitcher-friendly Citi Field:
Home: 4-5, 3.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.84 K/BB
Away: 7-7, 5.42 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.57 K/BB
Capuano is similar to a guy the Dodgers already have: Ted Lilly. But it might surprise one to learn Capuano averaged more innings per start (5.97 to 5.83) and struck out more batters per nine innings (8.1 to 7.4) than Lilly did in 2011.
As a complement to Kuroda, Capuano would have been just fine. This signing implies Kuroda is either open to pitching for another U.S. team, going back to Japan or retiring. My money is on Japan.
However, if Kuroda really loves pitching in Los Angeles and is willing to take a massively deferred contract, he could still return. But that's highly unlikely.
Capuano's fastball is his main pitch, as it averages 87.9 MPH. He threw it 57.9 percent of the time in 2011 -- a career high. He also uses a solid changeup (78.3 MPH) and slider (79.6 MPH). He also has a cutter he doesn't use much.
He's a soft-tosser like Lilly, but this signing isn't all bad for the Dodgers.
Capuano has appeared at Dodger Stadium five times in his career:
23 IP, 29 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 20 K
Not great, but not bad, either.
Something I am pleased with is his improved control. In 2005, his best season, he walked 91 batters (3.7 BB/9 and 1.93 K/BB). Since then, his control numbers look a lot better (2.5 BB/9, 3.02 K/BB).
And for those complaining about his home run numbers compared with Kuroda, he gave up 0.2 more HR/9 than Hiroki. So, it's not all bad.
Now, for the same money, I would rather the Dodgers signed Aaron Harang, who probably won't get much more than $5 million a season on the open market. A 2-year, guaranteed deal for a guy who missed the entire 2008 season and spent the entire 2009 season in the minors is a bit of a head-scratcher, though.
The Twins reported showed interest in him, but $10 million for two years seems like a slight overpay. It's reminiscent of the Casey Blake signing a few years ago.
Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. notes Capuano filled the final open spot on the team's 40-man roster. To make anymore additions to the roster, players will have to be waived, outrighted or released.
The Dodgers, a team most knew would have to be frugal this off-season, didn't exactly spend its money that well.
Capuano - $5 million (not confirmed)
Juan Rivera - $4 million
Mark Ellis - $2.5 million
Matt Treanor - $850,000
Adam Kennedy - $800,000
Total: $13.15 million*
*- Does not include Matt Kemp's $10 million salary, which was awesome
Four roster spots were filled, but was the money allocated as well as it could be? Rivera's role could have been filled by someone who cost a lot less or the Dodgers could just trust Jerry Sands and his ability. Ellis' role could have been filled by Justin Sellers, Adam Kennedy or Ivan De Jesus. Treanor's spot could have been filled by Tim Federowicz, but I can at least understand wanting Federowicz to play full-time in Triple-A to start the season.
Are the Dodgers a better team right now than they were on the last day of the 2011 season? Not really.
While I wasn't totally against the Rivera and Ellis signings, they look pretty bad now, considering the Dodgers probably don't have enough money to bring back Kuroda.
The rotation is setting up as such:
Clayton Kershaw
Chad Billingsley
Lilly
Capuano
Dana Eveland/Nathan Eovaldi
There are a lot of question marks there. There is potential for Billingsley to be the only right-handed starter the Dodgers have (to start the season at least). That's almost unheard of. Still, I'd rather see Eovaldi get a chance as the No. 5 starter.
Who knows? Maybe the Dodgers will see if they can bring in Harang for a cheaper deal (with deferred money of course, because that's now the Dodger way).
But don't hold your breath.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Baseball America's Top 10 Dodgers' prospects leaked
Well, Friday was to be the day Baseball America released its Top 10 Dodgers' prospects. But the Dodgers' official Twitter account beat 'em to it.
1. Zach Lee
2. Allen Webster
3. Nathan Eovaldi
4. Alfredo Silverio
5. Chris Reed
6. Garrett Gould
7. Chris Withrow
8. Josh Lindblom
9. Joc Pederson
10. Tim Federowicz
And here's a side-by-side comparison to my rankings from nine days ago:
As you can see, Baseball America and myself differ on a lot of the Top 10. In fact, the only one we had the same is Lee (with Eovaldi and Webster flip-flopped).
Analysis
We all know Baseball America's love for former high draft picks, which is why Reed, Withrow and Lindblom are ranked as high as they are. I'm not a believer in Reed as a starter (though I hope he proves me wrong), Withrow seems destined for the bullpen unless he can start throwing strikes consistently and Lindblom is a nice bullpen arm, but doesn't belong in the Top 10.
I'm higher on guys like Angel Sanchez, Angelo Songco, Blake Smith and Jake Lemmerman than BA, which is totally unsurprising to me.
And I don't think we could differ more on Federowicz. I just don't see him being able to hit enough to justify a Top 10 ranking in the system.
The most surprising inclusion is Silverio at No. 4. He had a great season for the Lookouts, but did he do enough to jump into the system's Top 5? I don't think so. I had him just outside the Top 10 (No. 11) and want to see if his 2011 was a sign of things to come or a fluke.
Looking forward to the Top 30 in the 2012 Prospect Handbook.
"@Dodgers: '@BaseballAmerica Top #Dodgers prospects: 1-Lee 2-Webster 3-Eovaldi 4-Silverio 5-Reed 6-Gould 7-Withrow 8-Lindblom 9-Pederson 10-Federowicz"Here's the cleaned-up version of the list:
1. Zach Lee
2. Allen Webster
3. Nathan Eovaldi
4. Alfredo Silverio
5. Chris Reed
6. Garrett Gould
7. Chris Withrow
8. Josh Lindblom
9. Joc Pederson
10. Tim Federowicz
And here's a side-by-side comparison to my rankings from nine days ago:
| Rank | Baseball America | FKB (mine) |
| 1 | Lee | Lee |
| 2 | Webster | Eovaldi |
| 3 | Eovaldi | Webster |
| 4 | Silverio | Gould |
| 5 | Reed | Sanchez |
| 6 | Gould | Pederson |
| 7 | Withrow | Songco |
| 8 | Lindblom | Tolleson |
| 9 | Pederson | Smith |
| 10 | Federowicz | Lemmerman |
As you can see, Baseball America and myself differ on a lot of the Top 10. In fact, the only one we had the same is Lee (with Eovaldi and Webster flip-flopped).
Analysis
We all know Baseball America's love for former high draft picks, which is why Reed, Withrow and Lindblom are ranked as high as they are. I'm not a believer in Reed as a starter (though I hope he proves me wrong), Withrow seems destined for the bullpen unless he can start throwing strikes consistently and Lindblom is a nice bullpen arm, but doesn't belong in the Top 10.
I'm higher on guys like Angel Sanchez, Angelo Songco, Blake Smith and Jake Lemmerman than BA, which is totally unsurprising to me.
And I don't think we could differ more on Federowicz. I just don't see him being able to hit enough to justify a Top 10 ranking in the system.
The most surprising inclusion is Silverio at No. 4. He had a great season for the Lookouts, but did he do enough to jump into the system's Top 5? I don't think so. I had him just outside the Top 10 (No. 11) and want to see if his 2011 was a sign of things to come or a fluke.
Looking forward to the Top 30 in the 2012 Prospect Handbook.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Report: Dodgers close to signing Adam Kennedy
Well, that didn't take long.
A whole 37 minutes after my previous post, Tony Jackson of ESPN L.A. dropped this:
Like I said 40 minutes ago, anything more than a minor-league deal is too much.
Jackson writes Kennedy would be the team's super utility player, which leads me to believe this is some sort of guaranteed contract.
Not only that, but it pretty much assures Ivan De Jesus will start the season in Triple-A. Justin Sellers could still be in the mix on the big league club.
Kennedy had a nice season for the Athletics in 2009, but he's a subpar player about to be acquired by a subpar general manager.
A whole 37 minutes after my previous post, Tony Jackson of ESPN L.A. dropped this:
"Dodgers close to signing Adam Kennedy to be their utility IF. http://tinyurl.com/ceztj6e"Terms of the deal aren't immediately available.
Like I said 40 minutes ago, anything more than a minor-league deal is too much.
Jackson writes Kennedy would be the team's super utility player, which leads me to believe this is some sort of guaranteed contract.
Not only that, but it pretty much assures Ivan De Jesus will start the season in Triple-A. Justin Sellers could still be in the mix on the big league club.
Kennedy had a nice season for the Athletics in 2009, but he's a subpar player about to be acquired by a subpar general manager.
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