Late innings of the ballgame.
Tying or go-ahead run in scoring position.
Two outs.
And who comes up to be the hero? Mark Sweeney.
If not him, Angel Berroa, Luis Maza, Danny Ardoin or any other of the countless dead-weights on the Dodger bench.
Imagine if a couple of those weak grounders had gotten through the infield — if a couple of those lazy fly balls had dropped in for base hits. How many more wins would the Dodgers have had? How much would their confidence have improved that when they got down late in games, all was not lost?
I theorized last October that if the Dodgers kept the starting lineup, rotation and bullpen virtually the same and focused on improving solely the bench, that improvement alone could be worth an extra 7-8 wins per year. Here we sit on April 25 and that number is already at two.
Look at who came up big last night.
Backup catcher Brad Ausmus had two key hits including the ninth-inning game-winner, but also scored the tying run when pinch-hitter Mark Loretta singled him in a frame prior.
Against those same Rockies at home last week, Loretta also singled in the game-winner in the seventh inning of a game the Dodgers trailed 3-0 up until their four-run outburst in that frame.
Further back, recall 2004, the most successful Dodger regular season in recent memory (93-69). Aside from Adrian Beltre’s breakout year and the late-season heroics of Steve Finley, remember who rode the pine in that season. Olmedo Saenz (.279, 8 homeruns), Jose Hernandez (.289, 13 homers), Jason Grabowski (.220, but still did pop seven), Robin Ventura (.243, 5 homers). Much better than the glory days of Mike Edwards, Wilkin Ruan, Daryle Ward and Bryan Myrow (the list goes on and on).
In other news, the Dodgers currently have the major leagues’ fourth lowest ERA, and the second lowest in the National League. Told ya so.
]]>Nobody? That’s what I thought.
Show of hands — how about the pitching?
Whoa, whoa! Really? You all think the pitching is going to be a problem? Why is that?
Is it because our Opening Day starter in Hiroki Kuroda had a sub-.500 record last season? Ah, but how quickly one forgets the lack of offense that plagued him and the Dodgers the entire season. ‘Roki still amassed an ERA of 3.73 on the season and proved to be a warrior in the postseason.
What about the presumed staff ace in Chad Billingsley? You’re probably still worried about the leg injury. I don’t blame you. But he looked more than solid in the exhibition game against Milwaukee. Besides, he claims to be 100-percent. He is still young, so its not as if he will be declining from his 3.14 ERA last season. All Billingsley needs to work on is being economical with his pitches and the question will not be if he can win, but if he is beatable at all.
Kershaw — “He’s got a bad case of the yips,” said a few contemporaries of mine. Yeah? The numbers last year really showed his ineffectiveness, didn’t they? He may not have the pinpoint control of Greg Maddux, but that’s not necessarily the formula for success — well, not the ONLY formula. Vin Scully said it best. Kershaw is “effectively wild.” Think Rick Vaughn from the “Major League” series. You know the 96 mph fastball is coming at you, but where? It could be right over the plate or it could be coming literally right at you. Throw in the Zito-esque curveball and young Clayton is quite a force on the mound.
Upset about the Randy Wolf experiment? Realize he is a fourth starter, not your staff ace. I would gladly take 12 wins and an ERA around four from my fourth starter and that’s exactly what Wolf will bring.
James McDonald — who? One of the few bright spots in the NLCS for the Dodgers (up there with Manny Ramirez and the infamous Shane Victorino incident), McDonald breezed through his postseason relief appearances without giving up a single run. Not that he will become the next Orel Hershiser (the scoreless streak), but a Rookie of the Year wouldn’t be out of the question for the fomer minor league pitcher of the year.
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The four-month long soap opera that was the Manny Ramirez/Dodgers negotiations has finally come to a close as the two sides have agreed to a two-year $45 million pact.
Two years and $45 million — that’s been quite a familiar figure the past winter. It was four months ago today that the Dodgers extended a two-year $45 million offer with a third year option to Ramirez (at the time seeking six years at $25 million per), whose agent, Scott Boras failed to respond to claiming he wished to explore “serious offers.”
A week ago, the Dodgers extended another two-year $45 million offer to the slugging outfielder, this time with deferred compensation ($10 million in 2009-12 plus $5 million in 2013). Boras shot that offer down as well, prompting negotiations to seemingly head south as Frank McCourt revealed his anger with the Ramirez camp and promised another offer at a significantly lower value.
And yet, the deal that Ramirez signed was the exact same deal he was presented with last week and declined.
Why the sudden turnaround? That seems to be the universal question. Here’s the answer:
Manny and Boras were in panic mode. Plain and simple. The Dodgers were fed up with being rejected after four times offering to make Manny Ramirez the second-highest paid player in baseball. If McCourt had followed through with what he had promised, Ramirez most likely would have recieved a one-year deal for under $20 million. Deferred compensation or not, that is a far cry from even the deals they had turned down.
Look at the other side of the equation. If the Dodgers had dropped their offer, that would then give other teams a chance to crawl back into the fold. Take San Francisco for example. If the bar is set at a year at under $20 million, why not take a chance? In the National League West, that may have been all the Giants needed to put them over the top. Or the Yankees — they never really needed Ramirez, but for that short a duration and that “low” a value, it’s not unrealistic to think Brian Cashman could have swooped in for the kill. McCourt was not about to lose the heart and soul of his franchise just for spite.
Now that all is said and done, who won and lost their battles in this free agent pursuit like no other?
When it was rumored that McCourt was about to personally jump into the Manny negotiations,
Winners: Ned Colletti, Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras
Ned Colletti is really the only one in these negotiations who came away smelling like a rose. He handled things perfectly. When the Ramirez camp came out of the gate demanding six years, he could have given in. He didn’t. When the Angels, Yankees and Giants entered the fray, he could have offered through the roof to get it over with. He didn’t. When his offers were rejected time after time, he could have gotten angry. He didn’t. Unlike Frank McCourt, Colletti did a tremendous job keeping things mellow and professional and it paid off for him.
Ramirez and Boras did not get their six-year deal, or even four for that matter, but they entered the offseaon with a goal: get Manny Ramirez a raise. Despite a long, overblown spectacle, they did accomplish that goal (Remember, the two $20 million options Ramirez had on his contract were negotiated through another agent meaning Boras wouldn’t have made a penny on them). Manny also did a good job saving face in the pursuit’s final days. When the world was against him, calling him greedy and selfish, Ramirez personally stepped in and offered a compromise. It was made clear that he wanted to remain a Dodger and was ready to make some sacrifices.
Loser: Frank McCourt
When it was rumored that the Dodgers’ owner was going to step in, many believed it to be a positive thing. Oh, contaire! After Boras rejected the Dodgers’ fourth offer, McCourt issued a press release taking shots at the agent and his client. Too bad the press release failed to mention the deferred compensation that the media had to dig up instead. That spawned the media war between McCourt and Boras, the ugliest battle of the winter. Insults were exchanged, sarcasm, threats. McCourt may have gotten his man, but he almost blew it.
]]>There is still no formal agreement in place, but numerous sources have reported that the two sides have agreed on the general parameters of a two-year $45 million contract.
Not to mention this little quotable from the man himself:
“Tell everyone Mannywood is coming.”
Boras and Colletti can deny all they please until the agreement is final, but there is no hiding it. “Mannywood” is back!
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Ladies and gentlemen, it’s over.
Or so it seems.
ESPN broke the news late Tuesday afternoon that the Dodgers and free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez have finally agreed to a two-year pact valued at $45 million.
This, of course, comes a week following Ramirez’s rejection of a comparable contract offer followed by a media battle between Scott Boras and Frank McCourt.
However, Yahoo’s Tim Brown reported that Boras and Ned Colletti did speak today, but no contract was signed nor any real progress made at all.
Only in a negotiation involving Manny and the Dodgers could the final resolution involve so much drama, but we will keep you posted and let you know if and when the deal becomes official.
]]>The Dodgers and their fans already know what Hudson brings to the table: he is a defensive wizard, an offensive catalyst at the top of the lineup and a strong clubhouse leader — but is he worth it?
But despite his numerous positive attributes, the Dodgers paid a lofty price when they signed the second baseman as they must now forfeit their first round draft pick in June to Arizona. Also, Hudson’s characteristics as a player — low to marginal power, average speed, plus defense — sound very comparable to Blake DeWitt’s. The addition of Hudson impedes the growth process of the Dodgers’ young infielder, forcing the organization to either place him in Triple-A, a level that he is clearly beyond, or on the bench where he would be seldom used.
One player Hudson will not pose a threat to is Manny Ramirez. The addition of Hudson does not by any means put the Dodgers out of the running to re-sign the slugging left fielder who carried them into October last season. If anything, it helps their chances as they sealed one more hole and now have one less priority. The Dodgers still have plenty of free cash and Manny still only has his same two suitors.
Overall, the Hudson deal is a quality move by Ned Colletti and company. At a low salary and with capable backup behind him, he is certainly low-risk, and with big-game potential and clubhouse intangibles, he is high-reward as well.
]]>The Dodgers will have to head to salary arbitration with one player as they were unable to come to terms on a deal with Andre Ethier. The hearing for Ethier and the Dodgers will happen next month.
]]>I find it funny that this comes out when the Dodgers just signed Repko for $500,000 for the 09 season.
Don’t forget that Dodgers Spring Training tickets are also on sale right now.
]]>The contract will be for three years at $30 million dollars and a vesting option for a fourth year. The deal is very similar to what was being reported by our Braves Blog when the Braves offered him a contact.
As long as Furcal can stay healthy, it is a good signing for the team. However, if he gets injured like last season watch out for all the people thinking “Why did we bring this guy back?”
]]>Blake turned down a two year deal from the Minnesota Twins that would have been worth $14 million. He feels that the Dodgers have a better chance to make it to the World Series and elected to come back to the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are still hoping to re-sign Rafael Furcal but they will have to beat other teams on the market for his services.
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