Ned Colletti is at it again -- and we shouldn't be surprised.
This time, he signed veteran reliever Mike MacDougal to a 1-year, $650,000 contract, reports Dodgers.com's Ken Gurnick.
The deal also includes a laughable $2.35 million option for 2013 or a $350,000 buyout.
So, MacDougal gets $1 million guaranteed, eh? Colletti cannot be gone soon enough.
While MacDougal's ERA was (somehow) sparkling (2.05), his peripherals were not. His 1.46 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 6.5 K/9 and 1.41 K/BB don't exactly scream guaranteed contract from a medicore -- at best -- reliever.
MacDougal was brought in last season on a minor-league contract. That was fine. He performed much better than anyone expected. But what team exactly was Colletti bidding against? No one else expressed interest in the reliever, but Colletti felt so compelled to give him a million bucks as opposed to another minor-league deal? Sometimes I just don't understand life.
And this move basically assures Nathan Eovaldi will begin the season in the minors, presumably with the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Despite my desire to keep Eovaldi a starter as long as possible, I'm inclined to believe Eovaldi could be just as good (bad?) as MacDougal while earning the rookie minimum.
This is just another in the long line of misallocation of the limited resources the Dodgers have right now. So, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised.
It's going to be funny when MacDougal throws 30 innings with a 5.52 ERA.
#####
An item I missed yesterday: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweeted the Dodgers have signed former White Sox' and Royals' third baseman Josh Fields to a minor-league deal.
Well, at least the Isotopes found their starting third baseman.
Fields was a top prospect a few years ago and last played in the Majors in 2010 with the Royals. As a 24-year-old in 2007, Fields clubbed 23 home runs for the ChiSox and was primed to break out. Unfortunately for him, he never did. He hit just 10 home runs in the next three seasons (320 ABs) and spent most of his time in the minors.
He has a career .835 OPS in the minors, but he's nothing more than a fringy Four-A player.
Having said that, I could see him in L.A. this season if the Dodgers suffer enough injuries.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Joe Torre, Time Warner interested in buying Dodgers
Former Dodger and Yankee manager Joe Torre, who signed on as MLB Vice President of Operations less than one year ago, resigned from said position earlier today. He's joining real estate developer Rick Caruso in a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wow. This is really unexpected and a little curious.
First, who knew Torre even had aspirations of buying a Major League team, let alone a team set to sell for somewhere in the area of $1 to $1.5 billion? He obviously doesn't have that much money, just as Magic Johnson doesn't.
But why would Torre resign from his job for such an uncertain future? There's no guarantee the Torre/Caruso group will outbid the likes of Magic and Stan Kanter, Dennis Gilbert, Mark Cuban or the group led by Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser -- all of whom have received bid books. Billionaire Steve Cohen has also thrown his hat into the proverbial ring.
It's curious. What does Torre do if he and Caruso don't win the bid? I obviously don't have an inner working of Torre's mind, but it seems a little foolish to give up a gig such as VP of Baseball Operations for a chance to spend a billion bucks on a baseball team. I know he couldn't very well stay in the position and bid on the team (conflict of interest), but it still makes you go "hmm."
Mike Petriello chimed in with his thoughts on the situation.
And now comes word Time Warner is interested in buying the Dodgers, as opposed to paying the potential $4 billion price tag for the TV rights to the team.
It's a smart business move on Time Warner's part, but the whole thing sounds horrible. It has a real chance to be the News Corp ownership (FOX) all over again -- and we all know how that ended (traded Mike Piazza, sold to McCourt). I'm not saying they'd come in and trade Clayton Kershaw, but the organization needs a face to lead this franchise, not a company. The media conglomerate should stick to what it knows best -- television.
Chad Moriyama has a quick blurb on his thoughts regarding Time Warner.
With the opening bids pushed back to Jan. 23, it's anyone's guess who's going to end up owning the team. There is no frontrunner right now. Obviously, fans want Cuban for his passion, desire and seemingly limitless bank account. Gilbert is also an attractive option. Kanter has the front office experience (most recently with Washington, but he was with the Braves' in their historic mid-1900s run) and Magic has the name recognition to re-energize the fanbase. I'm not so sure the Torre-Caruso duo have as much potential as the others.
It's going to be an interesting few months until this thing is finally settled.
Wow. This is really unexpected and a little curious.
First, who knew Torre even had aspirations of buying a Major League team, let alone a team set to sell for somewhere in the area of $1 to $1.5 billion? He obviously doesn't have that much money, just as Magic Johnson doesn't.
But why would Torre resign from his job for such an uncertain future? There's no guarantee the Torre/Caruso group will outbid the likes of Magic and Stan Kanter, Dennis Gilbert, Mark Cuban or the group led by Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser -- all of whom have received bid books. Billionaire Steve Cohen has also thrown his hat into the proverbial ring.
It's curious. What does Torre do if he and Caruso don't win the bid? I obviously don't have an inner working of Torre's mind, but it seems a little foolish to give up a gig such as VP of Baseball Operations for a chance to spend a billion bucks on a baseball team. I know he couldn't very well stay in the position and bid on the team (conflict of interest), but it still makes you go "hmm."
Mike Petriello chimed in with his thoughts on the situation.
And now comes word Time Warner is interested in buying the Dodgers, as opposed to paying the potential $4 billion price tag for the TV rights to the team.
It's a smart business move on Time Warner's part, but the whole thing sounds horrible. It has a real chance to be the News Corp ownership (FOX) all over again -- and we all know how that ended (traded Mike Piazza, sold to McCourt). I'm not saying they'd come in and trade Clayton Kershaw, but the organization needs a face to lead this franchise, not a company. The media conglomerate should stick to what it knows best -- television.
Chad Moriyama has a quick blurb on his thoughts regarding Time Warner.
With the opening bids pushed back to Jan. 23, it's anyone's guess who's going to end up owning the team. There is no frontrunner right now. Obviously, fans want Cuban for his passion, desire and seemingly limitless bank account. Gilbert is also an attractive option. Kanter has the front office experience (most recently with Washington, but he was with the Braves' in their historic mid-1900s run) and Magic has the name recognition to re-energize the fanbase. I'm not so sure the Torre-Caruso duo have as much potential as the others.
It's going to be an interesting few months until this thing is finally settled.
The Chattanooga Lookouts will be stacked in 2012
The 2012 Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, looks like it will begin the season as one of the most stacked teams in the organization and maybe in the entire Southern League.
As is often the case in baseball, it starts and ends with the starting rotation, which should be the Lookouts' strength.
The Dodgers tend to avoid sending top-flight pitching prospects to the hitter's haven known as the Pacific Coast League, so the Lookouts will benefit greatly.
RHP Allen Webster
Total: 11-5, 4.03 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.37 K/BB
High-A: 5-2, 2.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 10.3 K/9, 2.95 K/BB
Double-A: 6-3, 5.04 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 3.6 BB/9, 7.2 K/9
- One of the Dodgers' best prospects, Webster spent nearly twice as much time with the Lookouts than he did with the Quakes, and he should be back to head the rotation. He was having a solid showing in Double-A before three consecutive terrible starts inflated his numbers. Despite the troubles, his future as a middle-of-the-rotation starter is not jeopardized. It'll be interesting to see how he does with his second go-around in the Southern League.
RHP Red Patterson
Total: 12-5, 3.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9, 3.82 K/BB
Low-A: 5-4, 3.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.2 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 3.95 K/BB
High-A: 7-1, 3.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.6 H/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 3.72 K/BB
- Patterson was surprisingly consistent in 2011 and could be one of the Lookouts' better starters in 2012. There's no guarantee he'll start with the Lookouts, but with 92 innings in High-A, there's no reason not to push him (other than overcrowding, I suppose). If he starts in Chattanooga, it'll be interesting to see how he does against advanced competition.
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
- Eovaldi's call-up last season was a surprise -- almost as surprising as his return to Double-A would be in 2012. Alas, the Dodgers signed Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to effectively fill out the rotation. With Ned Collett's desire to add a veteran reliever, there appears to be no room in Los Angeles for Eovaldi. He put up great numbers in Chattanooga and should return there as a starter until his services are needed with the Dodgers.
RHP Chris Withrow
Double-A (total): 6-6, 4.20 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 7.8 H/9, 5.2 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 1.73 K/BB
- Withrow showed flashes of his former self last season, but also showed flashes of his 2010 self, leading to a decent 2011 season. His stuff is as good as any in the system, but he must learn to throw strikes consistently. He should be a middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Lookouts in his fourth stint with the club.
RHP Matt Magill
High-A (total): 11-5, 4.33 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.1 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 2.42 K/BB
- Magill spent all his time with the Quakes last season and is age-appropriate for Double-A. He has fringy stuff, so he'll have to locate all his pitches well if he wants to be successful. But hey, the Lookouts could do a lot worse for a No. 5 starter.
RHP Jon Michael Redding
High-A (total): 11-7, 3.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8.6 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 2.50 K/BB
- Redding spent his entire age-23 season with the Quakes, so he's a prime candidate to be promoted to Double-A. I like Patterson more as a prospect, but Redding had better success than him at Rancho. Both are junkballers with fringy fastballs, so there might only be room for one of them to start the season.
As you can see, there are six pitchers here for five rotation spots. Unless the Lookouts go with a six-man rotation (not likely), these are some of the options they have:
The Lookouts will also have some bullpen talent, including Logan Bawcom, Cole St. Clair, Javier Solano and possibly guys like Shawn Tolleson, Steve Ames and Josh Wall. That's quite the formidable bunch.
Someone who could go either way is former first-round pick Aaron Miller. He's already spent 135 2/3 innings with the High-A affiliate and it's time for him to put up or shut up. With the Dodgers' reluctance to send guys to the PCL, Double-A is going to be jam-packed. Miller could work out of the bullpen or force his way into a rotation spot. With his injury history, though, he could ease his way into Double-A by starting with the Quakes (a team that will also be stacked).
For all the talk about the pitching, the offense doesn't look to be half-bad, either.
Angelo Songco and Blake Smith should both be middle-of-the-order hitters for the Lookouts. Both had fantastic seasons with the Quakes in 2011 and this will be a telling season for both. If they perform well, their prospect stars rise. If they don't, they might be nothing more than bench players in the Majors.
Songco and Smith are joining former Quakes' teammates Gorman Erickson and Jake Lemmerman, both of whom were promoted midseason. I really like Erickson and Lemmerman. While both didn't perform as well with the Lookouts as they did with the Quakes, they both have the potential to do some damage in their second go-around in Double-A.
Some other Quakes primed to make the jump are Travis Denker, Nick Buss, Austin Gallagher and Tony Delmonico.
There could be a few hold overs from the 2011 Lookouts, starting with OF/1B Brian Cavazos-Galvez. He made a name for himself in 2010 with a solid showing with the Quakes. Limited playing time and poor performance dimmed his status significantly in 2011. He should return in 2012 because he could use the seasoning and the Triple-A outfield situation looks as packed as the Double-A rotation.
Pedro Baez could be another hold over, but he can't hit a lick. Jaime Pedroza regressed in 2011, which included a demotion to High-A. And Matt Wallach should be Erickson's backup behind the dish.
Overall, the Lookouts should be just as competitive in 2012 as they were in 2011. The pitching staff should be just as strong, if not stronger (depending on promotions). The offense might not be as great, as the team is losing Scott Van Slyke and Alfredo Silverio. A lot will depend on the trio of Songco, Smith and Erickson.
The team should also benefit from midseason callups in the form of Zach Lee, Garrett Gould and possibly Angel Sanchez.
Much like 2011, the 2012 minor-league teams could be exciting and fun to watch. It's a make-or-break year for a lot of prospects and it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
As is often the case in baseball, it starts and ends with the starting rotation, which should be the Lookouts' strength.
The Dodgers tend to avoid sending top-flight pitching prospects to the hitter's haven known as the Pacific Coast League, so the Lookouts will benefit greatly.
RHP Allen Webster
Total: 11-5, 4.03 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.37 K/BB
High-A: 5-2, 2.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 10.3 K/9, 2.95 K/BB
Double-A: 6-3, 5.04 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 3.6 BB/9, 7.2 K/9
- One of the Dodgers' best prospects, Webster spent nearly twice as much time with the Lookouts than he did with the Quakes, and he should be back to head the rotation. He was having a solid showing in Double-A before three consecutive terrible starts inflated his numbers. Despite the troubles, his future as a middle-of-the-rotation starter is not jeopardized. It'll be interesting to see how he does with his second go-around in the Southern League.
RHP Red Patterson
Total: 12-5, 3.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9, 3.82 K/BB
Low-A: 5-4, 3.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.2 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 3.95 K/BB
High-A: 7-1, 3.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.6 H/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 3.72 K/BB
- Patterson was surprisingly consistent in 2011 and could be one of the Lookouts' better starters in 2012. There's no guarantee he'll start with the Lookouts, but with 92 innings in High-A, there's no reason not to push him (other than overcrowding, I suppose). If he starts in Chattanooga, it'll be interesting to see how he does against advanced competition.
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
Total: 12-5, 3.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9, 3.82 K/B
Double-A: 6-5, 2.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 4.0 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 2.15 K/BB
Majors: 1-2, 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.3 H/9, 5.2 BB/9, 6.0 K/9, 1.15 K/BBDouble-A: 6-5, 2.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 4.0 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 2.15 K/BB
- Eovaldi's call-up last season was a surprise -- almost as surprising as his return to Double-A would be in 2012. Alas, the Dodgers signed Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to effectively fill out the rotation. With Ned Collett's desire to add a veteran reliever, there appears to be no room in Los Angeles for Eovaldi. He put up great numbers in Chattanooga and should return there as a starter until his services are needed with the Dodgers.
RHP Chris Withrow
Double-A (total): 6-6, 4.20 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 7.8 H/9, 5.2 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 1.73 K/BB
- Withrow showed flashes of his former self last season, but also showed flashes of his 2010 self, leading to a decent 2011 season. His stuff is as good as any in the system, but he must learn to throw strikes consistently. He should be a middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Lookouts in his fourth stint with the club.
RHP Matt Magill
High-A (total): 11-5, 4.33 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.1 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 2.42 K/BB
- Magill spent all his time with the Quakes last season and is age-appropriate for Double-A. He has fringy stuff, so he'll have to locate all his pitches well if he wants to be successful. But hey, the Lookouts could do a lot worse for a No. 5 starter.
RHP Jon Michael Redding
High-A (total): 11-7, 3.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8.6 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 2.50 K/BB
- Redding spent his entire age-23 season with the Quakes, so he's a prime candidate to be promoted to Double-A. I like Patterson more as a prospect, but Redding had better success than him at Rancho. Both are junkballers with fringy fastballs, so there might only be room for one of them to start the season.
As you can see, there are six pitchers here for five rotation spots. Unless the Lookouts go with a six-man rotation (not likely), these are some of the options they have:
- Eovaldi begins with the Dodgers, Isotopes or works out of the bullpen
- Withrow or Webster are pushed to Albuquerque
- Patterson is left to start at Rancho
- Redding skips Double-A for Triple-A
The Lookouts will also have some bullpen talent, including Logan Bawcom, Cole St. Clair, Javier Solano and possibly guys like Shawn Tolleson, Steve Ames and Josh Wall. That's quite the formidable bunch.
Someone who could go either way is former first-round pick Aaron Miller. He's already spent 135 2/3 innings with the High-A affiliate and it's time for him to put up or shut up. With the Dodgers' reluctance to send guys to the PCL, Double-A is going to be jam-packed. Miller could work out of the bullpen or force his way into a rotation spot. With his injury history, though, he could ease his way into Double-A by starting with the Quakes (a team that will also be stacked).
For all the talk about the pitching, the offense doesn't look to be half-bad, either.
Angelo Songco and Blake Smith should both be middle-of-the-order hitters for the Lookouts. Both had fantastic seasons with the Quakes in 2011 and this will be a telling season for both. If they perform well, their prospect stars rise. If they don't, they might be nothing more than bench players in the Majors.
Songco and Smith are joining former Quakes' teammates Gorman Erickson and Jake Lemmerman, both of whom were promoted midseason. I really like Erickson and Lemmerman. While both didn't perform as well with the Lookouts as they did with the Quakes, they both have the potential to do some damage in their second go-around in Double-A.
Some other Quakes primed to make the jump are Travis Denker, Nick Buss, Austin Gallagher and Tony Delmonico.
There could be a few hold overs from the 2011 Lookouts, starting with OF/1B Brian Cavazos-Galvez. He made a name for himself in 2010 with a solid showing with the Quakes. Limited playing time and poor performance dimmed his status significantly in 2011. He should return in 2012 because he could use the seasoning and the Triple-A outfield situation looks as packed as the Double-A rotation.
Pedro Baez could be another hold over, but he can't hit a lick. Jaime Pedroza regressed in 2011, which included a demotion to High-A. And Matt Wallach should be Erickson's backup behind the dish.
My projected batting order (with DH)
Buss CF
Lemmerman SS
Songco 1B
Smith RF
Erickson C
Cavazos-Galvez LF
Gallagher DH
Delmonico 3B
Pedroza 2B
Overall, the Lookouts should be just as competitive in 2012 as they were in 2011. The pitching staff should be just as strong, if not stronger (depending on promotions). The offense might not be as great, as the team is losing Scott Van Slyke and Alfredo Silverio. A lot will depend on the trio of Songco, Smith and Erickson.
The team should also benefit from midseason callups in the form of Zach Lee, Garrett Gould and possibly Angel Sanchez.
Much like 2011, the 2012 minor-league teams could be exciting and fun to watch. It's a make-or-break year for a lot of prospects and it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year and thank you
First off, Happy New Year to everyone out there. Everyone please be smart and safe while celebrating tonight.
It's been a good year for the blog, even if it hasn't been the best year for the Dodgers. Things look bleak for the Blue in 2012, but things will get better... eventually.
And thank you to all the readers of my blog. Since I started this blog in July 2009, I've not had more pageviews and written more posts than I have this year. Without the readers, this blog would just be a self-serving medium. I enjoy getting comments from people here or on Twitter and writing my opinion about the Dodgers. Here's hoping the blog can reach more people and can build a bigger following in 2012. With that comes the responsibility of writing better, more thought-provoking posts, which I fully intend to do.
This year also saw the blog partner with the Yardbarker Network. This helped increase the traffic exponentially. But also posting more, posting more quality and using social media also helped drive traffic to the blog. It's always nice to reach new readers, and I hope to reach many more in 2012.
Most-read posts for 2011 (according to Blogger analytics):
The Dodgers inexplicably trade away Trayvon Robinson - July 31, 2,312 pageviews
2012 Los Angeles Dodgers Top 50 prospects - Nov. 21, 1,345 pageviews
Gorman 'Griff' Erickson, the Dodgers' best catching prospect - Aug. 3, 1,321 pagviews
Prince Fielder is ripe for the Dodgers' taking - Dec. 29, 981 pageviews
The Dodgers need to trade Andre Ethier - June 20, 883 pageviews
So, here's hoping for a great 2012 on the blog and hopefully a surprising one on the field. Maybe Prince Fielder can deliver us from the certain evil of the 2012 season; but don't hold your breath.
It's been a good year for the blog, even if it hasn't been the best year for the Dodgers. Things look bleak for the Blue in 2012, but things will get better... eventually.
And thank you to all the readers of my blog. Since I started this blog in July 2009, I've not had more pageviews and written more posts than I have this year. Without the readers, this blog would just be a self-serving medium. I enjoy getting comments from people here or on Twitter and writing my opinion about the Dodgers. Here's hoping the blog can reach more people and can build a bigger following in 2012. With that comes the responsibility of writing better, more thought-provoking posts, which I fully intend to do.
This year also saw the blog partner with the Yardbarker Network. This helped increase the traffic exponentially. But also posting more, posting more quality and using social media also helped drive traffic to the blog. It's always nice to reach new readers, and I hope to reach many more in 2012.
Most-read posts for 2011 (according to Blogger analytics):
The Dodgers inexplicably trade away Trayvon Robinson - July 31, 2,312 pageviews
2012 Los Angeles Dodgers Top 50 prospects - Nov. 21, 1,345 pageviews
Gorman 'Griff' Erickson, the Dodgers' best catching prospect - Aug. 3, 1,321 pagviews
Prince Fielder is ripe for the Dodgers' taking - Dec. 29, 981 pageviews
The Dodgers need to trade Andre Ethier - June 20, 883 pageviews
So, here's hoping for a great 2012 on the blog and hopefully a surprising one on the field. Maybe Prince Fielder can deliver us from the certain evil of the 2012 season; but don't hold your breath.
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