I could see the Angels making a run at Sabathia, especially with Garland's contract expiring after 2008.

...which means I left Garland off the FA list for next year. He'll be 29 in 2009, and his 2008 will go a long way in determining his rank on the FA market.

Last 3 years:
Lowe: 639.1 IP, 118 ERA+
Garland: 640.2 IP, 114 ERA+

Given that Garland is 7 years younger than Lowe, he is more likely to be coveted than Lowe. Still, my point stands that Lowe will garner a lot of attention next offseason.

My offseason for the Dodgers would have us sign either Furcal or Orlando Hudson and then fill in Hu at the other position. ++ defense at second and short is something we have not seen since the Izturis/Cora tandem. Throw in Jones and Martin and we could be the best team up the middle in the NL.

Then, I would like to see Garland or Lowe come back as opposed to Sabbathia. It is a risk not to go after the best guy on the market, but I would want to save some of the money for Martin/Brox/Ethier extensions.

1 fair to say laa got the better end of that garland deal?

Just as with A-Rod, I really hate entering these bidding wars in which the winner inevitably makes a huge bet in which the entire direction of the franchise hinges on one player.

I think it's nice to think about Sabathia atop our 2009 rotation, but realistically, I view it as a longshot.

Best of luck to him

http://preview.tinyurl.com/3dmwky

Or were you thinking of the Canadian TV show with the title character as a leprechaun?

Yea, just thinking out loud. So, I imagine whether or not we extend Penny would depend on how his second half goes this year.

I think we have a good core of young pitching coming up through the ranks and a bunch of guys who have a chance to pull a Rich Hill and slot in to the 2-hole (Miller, McDonald, Elbert, Kuo).

And my point will stand. :)

Hey didn't he leave as a free agent after all those heroics? Could we ask for anything more?

Anyway... congrats to Ellen Harrigan!

spells harrigan!

1. He's coming off a career year, his value is about as high as it can be.
2. He's had injuries in the past.
3. He's relatively affordable at 8 mil for 08 plus a team option on 09.
4. He'll want a big contract if he's healthy and productive, a contract beyond the 3-4 years we'd want to go.
5. We've been burned on Odalis, Carlos Perez, Dreifort, Ishii, and Schmidt. I don't think we throw money at Penny for the length and type of contract he would want.
6. If we pick up his option for 09 after a solid year in 08, he'll be upset at not getting more of his true value than the option year we'll be paying. That is not a fun situation to imagine, especially with a guy who can blow steam like Brad.

If we have a healthy Kuo and Schmidt this spring, we can consider moving Penny with Kershaw in the wings.

Say the Indians become sellers either now or in July. Would you trade Penny and Hu for C.C. if he agrees to an extension?

I'm strongly inclined to re-sign a proven player who wants to be here and is willing to offer something resembling a discount.

http://tinyurl.com/2hw35w

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2008/02/that_was_one_lo.html

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/20/pf/college/stanford_tuition.ap/index.htm

It's quite something that we're heading toward a world where people could be spending more on their kids' preschool than on their college education.

I agree with your overall premise, but I just don't agree with avoiding the FA pitching market just because we've been burned before. The key is to avoid signing crap. We didn't get burned on Lowe.

Also, Penny has a better track record of all those pitchers with the exception of Schmidt, who is a different case since he's been hurt.

OHH!! The first time I read that post I thought Stanford was simply not going to offer tuition to <100k families. It's the exact opposite.

Stanford offers the tuition for <100k families for free! This is a great story.

---

That Preschool line reminds me of the show "The New Adventures of Old Christine." You know how the little kid goes to a private school? Something about private school doesn't sit well with me, but the characters on the show make it rather humorous.

I can't imagine the Mar Vista public school system is that bad, anyway, can you?

http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/20/universityAnnouncesBoldAidPolicy

I remember that back when I was deciding between colleges, Stanford ended up being cheaper for me than UC Berkeley.

I'd rather paint a number on the pitching machine and wheel it out there.

Let the Mets sign and overpay him, then they can pay for him to pitch for Kansas City before he gets a minor league invite with Washington.

Meant to put that in there.

BB/9
2005 6.12
2006 5.63
2007 4.02

I think signing Oliver Perez is as big a steal as a blind man stealing reading glasses from the 99 cent store.

NOTE TO MLB WORLD: THE DODGERS DON'T SIGN LEFTY PITCHERS NAMED PEREZ ANYMORE!

If that is the case and Penny is able to adjust to have a better second half, than I would be all for it.

One day I will move up to the top and get the thick envelope at home.

While I wait, I'm going to apply for Packers season tickets.

So if I understand correctly, tuition will be zero if you make $99,999, and $36,000 if you make $100,001. Seems like that would give families in the $101,000 range incentive to hire creative accountants, and families in the $99,000 range incentive to make sure no promotions come through.

I remember that back when I was deciding between colleges, Stanford ended up being cheaper for me than UC Berkeley.

You get what you pay for. :)

Starters
C - Martin - $3.5m (estimated as "Super Two" arb)
1B - Loney - $500k (3rd year)
2B - Abreu - $400k (2nd year)
SS - Hu - $400k (rookie)
3B - LaRoche - $400k (2nd year)
LF - Ethier - $2.5m (estimated as "Super Two" arb)
CF - Andruw - $17.1m
RF - Kemp - $500k (3rd year)
Total Starters - $25.3m

Bench
OF - Pierre - $10m
OF - Repko - $1m (2nd year arb)
C - John Q. Backstop - $1m
1B - Mark Sweeney Type - $1m
IF - Lucille II Type - $1m
Total Bench - $14m

Starting Pitching
Penny - $9.25m (option picked up -- I've seen this reported as low as $8.75m)
Billingsley - $500k (3rd year)
Kuroda - $10m
Schmidt - $15.5m
Kuo - $500k (3rd year)
Total Starting Pitching - $37.75m

Bullpen
Saito - $6m (1st year arb eligible)
Broxton - $2m (1st year arb eligible)
Proctor - $2m (2nd year arb eligible)
Brazoban - $1.5m (2nd year arb eligible)
Meloan - $400k (2nd year)
Seanez Type - $1m
McDonald Type - $400k
Total Bullpen - $12.9m

Chaff
Nomar - $1.25m (part of deferred signing bonus)
Loaiza - $375k (optioni buyout)
Furcal - $4m (deferred signing bonus)
Total Chaff - $5.625m

Total 2009 Payroll (estimated) - $95.575m

The Dodgers could certainly afford Sabathia or extending Furcal, but it's not like we have a windfall of cash to spend.

Sadly, I was not an accomplished offensive lineman like one of my classmates. Nor was I good at women's basketball. Nor was I student body president.

Poll question No, 1: Part 1, Who of the following will be a GM first, Logan White, DeJon Watson or Kim Ng. Part 2, Who of the above-mentioned threesome is the most likely to be the Dodgers next GM?

Poll question No. 2: Should Kobe Bryant take his doctor's advice and adhere to management's wishes and have his surgery now?

http://www.emma.cn/event_763.html

Whoever went to Stanford or any other top school had a better GPA and SAT score than me. My grades were good enough to get in to the local schools though for the one I attended, it took a personal interview to get past admissions.

Question Two
NO!

Lucille II - a Ramon Martinez aka veteran utility infield type.

CHAFF - are the contractual signing bonuses or buy outs.

#2: No

I think I'd have a hard time convincing the wife to let me go to see practice baseball. If my children were older, it would be a family trip for spring break.

Jon, are you considering going?

But at least they got a good education for free.

I don't mean to sound all Alan Bakke.

Similarly, Ramon Martinez (utility infielder) is the second Ramon Martinez to play for the Dodgers (in recent memory anyway), the first being Pedro's older brother. Thusly, Ramon Martinez (utility infielder) has been bequeathed the nickname "Lucille II."

I did not apply to Stanford, but had a fun time at Berkeley with former high school classmates that Stanford rejected.

65 Apparently no one on the Dodger roster can send their kids to Stanford for free.

Also, my friend just linked me to this Fire Joe Morgan bit about Andre Ethier from two years ago, and it made me giggle. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but if not:

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2006/08/best-ever.html

My son turns one on Saturday, cake with Mickey and Minnie.

Plus, we are set at 3rd through 2013! :)