Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
The Dodgers plan to bid for 32-year-old Japanese free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, "a control pitcher with a fastball in the 95-mph range who projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter," according to Tony Jackson of the Daily News:
Kuroda considered coming to America a year ago before ultimately signing a four-year, 1.2 billion yen contract (about $10 million U.S.) to remain with the Carp. But that deal included an escape clause after the first year, which Kuroda chose to exercise.
Because he is officially a free agent, Kuroda is exempt from the posting system that cost the Boston Red Sox $51.1 million up front last winter simply for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, whom they eventually signed for six years and an additional $52 million. Kuroda, whose talent is comparable to just about any free-agent pitcher on this year's market, is expected to command a three-year contract worth between $21 million and $24 million.
Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti declined to comment on his club's intentions because he wasn't sure how baseball's anti-tampering rules might apply to this situation. But the Dodgers are expected to have plenty of competition, with the Seattle Mariners rumored to be the early favorites to land the pitcher.
Teams can begin negotiating with Kuroda on Nov. 14. Phone messages left for Joe Urbon and Steve Hilliard, the agents from San Diego-based Octagon Baseball who are representing Kuroda, were not returned.
Kuroda is 103-89 with a 3.69 ERA in 11 seasons, all with the Carp, and he has a remarkable 74 complete games in 244 career starts. He is said to favor Seattle because pitching to countryman Kenji Johjima, the Mariners' primary catcher, would make for an easier transition. But the Dodgers also have a prominent Japanese player in closer Takashi Saito, who is said to have a close friendship with Kuroda. Saito also is an Octagon client.
One wonders whether the Dodgers will have any interest in another Japanese free agent, 30-year-old outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who OPSed .963 last season before having his season curtailed by surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow. Fukudome was the 2006 Central League MVP.
* * *
Josh Wilker of Cardboard Gods wraps up his "Yazmobile" series with a whopper of a finish. If you want to see great literature in the making, keep checking out Wilker's site.
vr, Xei
If there's a lot of competition for him, I'd have to think he'll "command" more than that.
Fukudome is a free agent this year.
Seems like an awful idea to me, give me Arod or Laroche, accept no substitutes.
http://tinyurl.com/38lgoh
"I am not a number. I am a free man."
LogikReader is Number 2 at the moment. How soon will Frank Robinson be telling Bob,
"I'm the new number 2"?
No worries, Frank won't be wanting any information... by hook or by crook.
It takes a village.
http://www.japanball.com/news.phtml?id=11009
If you really want to consider signing a Japanese pitcher, his market value is really only half of what everyone seems to say it is.
Id rather have a minimum salary rookie pitcher with the 8 million for this guy going towards a Arod contract or to pay another team to take Pierre.
Wow, more mating dances for PVL. Well, as long as NedCo has to do something it might as well be trying to load up more mediocre pitching.
Not a fan of the Troy Glaus rumors.
I'm guessing someone somewhere is even now preparing to post this guy's MLEs. I don't even know which hand he throws with.
Saito, Nomo, and Okajima would tend to disagree.
...but let's not forget about Ishii and Arabu. These signings can go either way.
Dice-K is somewhere in between
By the way, does anyone have any thoughts on Greenspun resigning the same day Torre was hired? Seems strange since Greenspun was the CFO in New York for a while.
I'm excited about Torre coming in here. I know we're not supposed to be talking about him anymore, but he got McCourt to pay Bowa/Mattingly 400k each LOL. Insane. And is it true that this is Colletti's last contract year? Yikes.
I still miss how Ross Porter used to call Ishii "eee-shee". As years go by I miss more and more things about Ross Porter.
There is a Fukuoka Dome. But Fukudome doesn't play there.
In Japan "Fukuoka Dome" is pronounced as if it were an English phrase. "Fukudome" however you pronounce each letter.
"Foo-koo-doh-meh"
But Ross was getting pretty close. In "Ishii", you are trying to hold the final vowel sound longer. But a Japanese long vowel sounds very short to American ears.
At the very least, he's not likely to be worse than Loaiza for 7 mils.
That works but last year showed that starting pitching is always in need. Kershaw, McDonald and Elbert are our best impact arms in the high minors and all of them probably need all of 2008 in the minors.
I personally would re-sign Wolf to a smaller, incentive based 1 year deal and go after Kuroda. If I could accomplish those two things then I would leave the pitching alone for the rest of the offseason.
If by some miracle all those starting pitchers stay healthy and are effective in their roles, then we are just that much deeper in the bullpen.
First, about Miguel Cabrera:
The Yankees are likely to pursue Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, but the Red Sox and especially the Dodgers appear to match up better with the Marlins. The Dodgers could offer Matt Kemp, satisfying the Marlins' need for a center fielder. The Red Sox could offer Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees Melky Cabrera.
A few grafs down, about Glaus:
Glaus is one of several possibilities for the Dodgers, but the Jays believe they would lose too much even if they received third baseman Andy LaRoche and a quality young pitcher in return . . .
In Rosenthal-land, Troy Glaus is worth LaRoche and a "quality young pitcher," presumably McDonald or Meloan; but Cabrera is worth Matt Kemp straight across.
I don't know, but that seems to suggest that Glaus, nearing the end of his prime if he hasn't already passed it, is worth as much or maybe a little more than Cabrera, who is not only better, period, but is younger and will probably cost a little less in the short run.
Meanwhile, Garrett Atkins is said to be irreplaceable.
So, in Rosenthal's world Atkins > Glaus > Cabrera.
Now that Schilling's gone, the only other pitcher that might be a fit is Wolf, but giving Hendrickson arbitration seems more in character for Ned. Still, we should have at least six starters on the active roster on opening day (Kuo), so I can't imagine how much more you can add.
It's the "impact bat" that scares me: the Glaus, the Lowell, the not-A-Rod-or-Cabrera Ned is bound to give up too much for. Kuroda would be great, unto himself.
Why wouldn't you hedge your bets, sign another good starter, and trade one away if Schmidt is in tip-top form?
I believe someone mentioned this in the past thread, but Murray Chass of the NYT puts the Angels and Giants as the leading candidates to get A-Rod, with the Dodgers the only other likely contender. If the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs aren't in on the bidding, it tremendously increases the possibility for him going to the state of California.
As would Ethier.
Of course, the key distinction here is a good starter, but Kuroda doesn't look too shabby. Beats Kyle Lohse.
Relying on the same source Jon mentions in 46 , I think A-Rod is in no way a fantasy for the Dodgers. If the Yankees are truly out of the running, and if every other team except the Angels and Giants have said publicly they're not interested, Boras is looking at a very different marketplace than I'm sure he anticipated. At the end of the day, A-Rod will be the best paid player in the MLB, but not by the wide margin Boras demanded, and not with the years either. At $25 million for 6 years, say, don't you think the Dodgers might go for it?
At the very least, Boras needs the Dodgers to stay in the picture to keep the price from crashing. He's not looking forward to comparing offers from SF and Anaheim.
The coverage of this story, in which Chass and others have asked GMs to publicly take a position on ARod, has limited Boras' maneuvering room significantly. For him to get what he wants, either the Yankees have to flip, or a team like the Cubs, Mets or Tigers. But they all sound pretty persuasive about not wanting to go that route, so even if they change their minds later, they would retain the upper hand.
I know, I know. Boras is infallible. Boras is Houdini. But right now, he looks vulnerable.
Feel free to guess what percent downloaded for free before looking.
I hope that I am not treading old ground, but a good plan may be to trade Lowe. If we pick up someone like Kuroda, we get him for 3-4 years as an innings eater, give up no draft picks and we could trade Lowe for a solid prospect or two.
I like Lowe, but in a pitching-starved market, his salary is reasonable and he is a low injury risk...and we won't resign him because he is a Boras guy.
I don't want to give Colletti too much credit, but he may just be preparing to lose Penny and Lowe over the next two years.
If that is all we had to give up, then I would consider it. I feel dirty now
honestly, nobody but martin [& torre] are untouchable right now.
You have to figure in the fact that Radiohead made more on this than any percentage they would have taken through a record company. I think it is great for music.
Again, I may be treading old ground, but according to Buster Olney, the Marlins have demanded the following from the Dodgers for Cabrera: LaRoche, Kershaw, and an outfielder "like Matt Kemp".
Not sure who else is "like Kemp" unless they want both Ethier and Young, but that sure is steep even for a bat like Cabrera's.
Trading Derek Lowe would not be a prudent move.
http://tinyurl.com/2mnllx
That makes it much harder to swallow. Seriously, can we shop Pierre to anyone?
I would also say that Loney is in that territory since his name just doesn't make it on the rumors page.
SF can't bring much to the table but money - and they're already paying Barry Zito something like $17M/year until he retires. Plus, they've already tried tying up all of their salary in one superstar and it didn't work even when they had Schmidt and Kent in their prime (OK, it almost worked once). Are they willing to do that again? Is ARod wiling to take that chance?
That leaves the Angels, and some have said that Moreno is leery of putting too much salary in one player. Doesn't mean he won't put out an offer, though.
But with the way salary sheds off our books in the next few years, ARod might be affordable for us - especially if the kids come through. I suppose the only question is how an ARod contract would affect our ability to buy out their arbitration years and extend them. But I'm not sure that offering ARod 7 years, $210M with a TEAM option for three more years (@ $30-35M each, one option for 3 years, not three options for 1 each) would be unreasonable...and if interest is as low as suggested, might it be the best offer?
If Kemp were sent away in a Cabrera deal, there'd be an OF slot open. It looks like his LF defense wasn't good even two years ago, though.
That should be rule 13.
...and that would leave us with a still-gaping hole at third, but without LaRoche possibly filling the need.
Players with a lifetime EQA over 320 who are 24 and have already played over 600 games make exceptions to rule 13 when they become available.
Oh that's right...Phillips said all we have to do is get ARod, Santana, and Miggy. See, that's the kind of thinking that made him so successful with the Mets.
I'm officially staking out the position, now, that the price for Caberra is too high. I don't like the idea that the Bums would have to sell the farm to get him.
"Finally, the Rockies have an eye on Brett Tomko to fill a swingman role."
Tomko...Coors...That's just comedy right there.
In my first days on DT, I made error after error during a drowsy late night session. I confused Kuo with Hu, among other things. Folks jokingly reminded me of Rule 11.
Otherwise, no, it's never happened much.
I over heard the figures yesterday on KROQ & they kind of don't surprised me. I was a little surprised but what do you expect.
Evidence to the contrary:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=4057
I mean, it's not like the Dodgers have done a great job propping the kid up.
Ned: This LaRoche kid's an amazing hitter, and a great third baseman. You should want him a lot.
Marlins: Then why don't you want him?
Ned: Uhh...
Every compliment about the kids always seem to include some sort of negative as well.
A-Rod or Nobody! Sing it loud and proud! A-Rod or Nobody!
I don't think they have hurt his value any. When he came up early in the year it became obvious that he was playing hurt when you consider how he went off after his DL stint. The reality is that he never should have been promoted in May and should have been on the DL. He's only ranked behind Longoria as far as positional prospects go and he's splitting time with Longoria at 3b for Team USA. Any hit to his value is strictly because of his back and shoulder problems and has nothing to do with how the Dodgers have handled him.
Canuck, here's a similar trade that was rumored a year ago, enjoy:
Dodgers, Red Sox Meet On Manny (12/4/06)
Ken Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox and Dodgers met late last night to discuss a possible Manny Ramirez trade. Rosenthal speculates that a package of Brad Penny, Andy LaRoche, and James Loney could get it done.
Wow, how bad would that have been for the Dodgers?
http://tinyurl.com/28uaep
DODGERS NAME DENNIS MANNION
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Executive brings experience from all four Major League sports including the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Ravens
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Dodgers today named veteran sports executive Dennis Mannion to the position of Chief Operating Officer.
Mannion, 48, has been Senior Vice President/Business Ventures for the Baltimore Ravens since December, 1999. Before joining the Ravens, he worked as the Senior Vice President of Ascent Sports, owners of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Center. Mannion spent 16 years (1982-1997) with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he served the last eight years as Vice President/Marketing. ...
Mannion, who has the rare distinction of having experience in all four Major League sports, will oversee the club's traditional business operations, including corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, retail operations, concessions, broadcasting, and other revenue streams. Mannion will also coordinate the club's integrated marketing efforts. He has been part of two World Series (1983 and 1993 with the Phillies), an All-Star Game, an NHL Conference Championship and a Super Bowl (with the Ravens). ...
Mannion will be relocating with his wife, Pam, and five children to California.
You could argue that Vets have earned that double standard base on past accomplishments but I don't agree with it since its still a what have you done for me lately industry.
At True Blue you do.
That was quick. Did they contact him while the other VP was still under contract? TJ Simers should get to the bottom of this.
Awesome! PVL for the front office!
I'm just kidding. It's so fascinating how Dodger Thoughts ascertained the thought of letting baseball people do the baseball operations, and then two days later, McCourt does exactly that.
I think if the Dodgers can trade Kemp+McDonald+LaRoche for Miguel Cabrera you have to take that deal.
Kemp did great sure...But if the Dodgers dont play him in CF, he loses a ton of value. That, and the fact he has trouble walking and his early comps resemble Juan Encarnacion..
Cabrera's a hall of famer, in his prime. His eating hasnt affected his hitting. If the Dodgers are going into "win now", or "trade Kemp" mode---going after Miguel Cabrera would be the right way to go about it.
I'd rather trade Kemp for Cabrera, bc Miggy still wont be a free agent for a while. Dont use any prospects on Johan, since Johan can be signed after 2008.
Trade Kemp/McDonald/LaRoche for Miggy.
Sign A-Rod.
Just say no to every single average mediocre innings eater on the market.
Lineup:
Martin, C
Loney, 1b
A-Rod, 3b
Miggy, LF
Kent, 2b
Ethier, RF
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Then Print the playoff tickets.
Offseason is fun right?!
Three respondents predicted that Bonds will retire, and one executive said he'll be "in jail."
Incidentally, 7 out of 15 GMs think A-Rod will sign with the Angels. Two think Dodgers, and one thinks either the Dodgers or Angels.
Well this isn't quite what I was meant... but the idea is, having a new COO should hopefully give Frank and Jamie fewer things to worry about.
And maybe we can revive COOL A COOS!!!
New post up top.
Let's forget what Moreno said. What could be a better fit? The Angels need an impact bat, they have the money, the market is perfect, and Angel Stadium is just minutes from Scott Boras headquarters (Newport Beach). Clearly the Halos are a contender, the list goes on.
Finally, if nobody else drives the price up, and especially if the Dodgers say "oh we're not getting him," the asking price will be much lower than anticipated.
Hold on just a minute... Arod is 32??
It hasn't affected his hitting YET! The guy is 24 & is already over weight, you really have to be eating unhealthy food to play a demanding sport & still be chubby. Plus it just looks really bad lack of discipline bad! man, you guys should have seen him during the winter leauge, ugh!
ps He is an awesome hitter but the lack of discipline will catch up to him, bank on it.
107 I believe Drew's contract specifically said that the Dodgers couldn't offer arbitration.
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