Goodbye Mr. TOOTBLAN!

The Dodgers announced today that they traded Ryan "TOOTBLAN" Theriot to the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Blake Hawksworth. Hawksworth is 27, and went 4-8 with a 4.98 ERA for the Cardinals. He pitched 90 1/3 innings with 37 relief appearances and eight starts. Even if the Dodgers had non-tendered Theriot, I would have been just as happy not to see his uselessness next season. But hey, we got a pitcher for him! Hawksworth could be valuable in the bullpen as a long reliever or even a starter in a pinch. We knew the end of the road was coming for Theriot, since Juan Uribe's 3 year $21 million deal was finalized today after he passed his physical. Stay tuned for a more in depth Blue Bio on Uribe later this week! Hawksworth, born in North Vancouver, Canada, has appeared in 75 career games with the Cardinals. He has a 4.07 ERA. Back in 2003 he was named as the Cardinals top prospect. Injuries limited his playing the following years. He made his MLB on June 6, 2009. 


Other rumors swirling include the Dodgers interest in both Johnny Damon and Jason Varitek. I don't like the idea of either. How old are these guys? Oh 37 & 38...no thanks! The Dodgers have until Friday to decide the fate of Russell Martin, who is still a week away from running and 6 weeks from resuming baseball activities. The Dodgers are looking at all possible catching options out there. If they decide to part ways with Martin, why not just sign Big Rod? Adding an even older catcher doesn't seem logical. 


I'm very happy that Ned is actually, ya know, making deals and getting rid of the black holes. Last year's nightmare of a season can't be repeated. The Giants won the World Series for God's sake. 


Things are heatin' up! We will keep you posted on any breaking Dodgers news:)

Dodgers ink Juan Uribe to 3yr deal

earlier today it was announced the Dodgers have Signed now former giants infielder Juan Uribe to a 3yr 21 million dollar deal. as the Dodgers continue their aggressive offseason approach.

Uribe is coming off a seaosn where he helped the hated giants to their first ever world series title, as he batted .248, with a .310 OBP,  .749 OPS and 24 home runs 85 RBI.
Uribe is 31 years old and will be 32 next summer. Uribe has played 10 seasons with the rockies, white sox, and now the last two with the giants. he is a career .256 hitter with a .300 OBP and 151 HR.

I first heard of the idea of signing Uribe from another blog site.- http://mikesciosciastragicillness.com/

if you havent checked out this site yet you probably should. it has a ton of information on it. mike is a terrific writer and very knowledgeable especially with the advanced stats (sabremetrics). so go check it out and say hi to mike. and go watch the softball episode of the simpsons to learn about why the site has its name.

so MSTI had come up with the idea of signing Uribe. I liked the idea and I will explain why.

first of all there is alot of negative reactions about this signing and I can understand why, but I think alot of them are misplaced. did Ned overpay for Uribe? absolutly of coarse. will the money owed to Uribe hinder the Dodgers from going after an adam Dunn or Adrian Beltre, probably, but then again the Dodgers werent likly to sign those guys anyways.
MSTI's plan called for loney to be traded and the signing of Dunn, while our plan called for keeping loney and signing Beltre for 3B. I would take either player, although I think Beltre is an easier fit. but dont get me wrong here I have no problems with Dunn being in dodger blue. The complaint that the money spent on Uribe is money wasted and could be spent on Dunn or Beltre, I can understand this train of thought. but those guys arent going to sign with the dodgers.

so while all the complaining begins online about how ned overpayed as usual and I dont argue that he didnt, I think alot of people are missing the positives about this signing.

first off the Dodgers are looking for power and Uribe has a lot of it. he hit 24 homeruns last season with 85 RBIs, and hes normally a lock for between 16-20 homeruns per season. plus hes a solid fielder. one of the better defensive infielders in the NL. another plus is he is versatile. he can play second third and short, and can give the Dodgers much needed infield depth. its likly he will be the starting second baseman, and one of the greatest parts about this signing is it brings us another step closer to a world without the completly useless ryan theriot who will now probably be non-tendered later this week.

the bads? well Uribe is terrible at getting on base, career .300 OBP proves this, and his OPS has gone down almost every year except the last two, after he rebounded from three terrible years with the white sox from 2006-2008.


is it too much money for decent power and solid glove? sure probably, but at least its a step in the right direction. and if the Dodgers dont start signing some players with some pop, then all of the pitching in the world wont make much difference, as the dodgers were second to last in home runs in the National League in 2010. at least this is a first step.
im still holding out hope the Dodgers will sign Beltre, but I know its likly to not happen. sigh......a guy can dream right?

on another note, former dodger charlie haeger who was absolutly horrific in 2010 signed with the mariners earlier this week. I cant tell you how happy I am with this. ive made my feelings about how much I dislike heager well known.
hes never been any good ever. look at his numbers, although he did have a decent strech in his first stint with the dodgers about two years ago. still hes always been awful, and I just dont see that ever changing. and with the knuckleball hes even more of a liability. hmmm a 27 year old knuckleballer, who walks the world and cant get anyone out? no thanks......BUH BYE!

today is Vin Scully's birthday! he turns 83, lets all wish him a very happy birthday! we love you Vin, please dont ever leave us....ever!

the hot stove is heating up, im excited to see who the dodgers are gonna pick up next, lets hope its not another retread. until next time dodgertown! GO BLUE!

are the Dodgers reading our blog? Dodgers welcome back old friend

so after last week, when I announced my plan for 2011, with several ideas about which players to sign, one of the ideas I had was to sign Jon Garland as the number 5 starter. well this just in earlier today......

the Dodgers signed Jon Garland to a 1 year deal, with an option for 2012.

no really! its true! the dodgers really did sign garland! "well this shores up a great rotation" Stac said very astutly after hearing about the signing. indeed it does. as I said earlier, the Dodgers needed a solid number 5 starter to round out the rotation. now we wont have to worry, or have to deal with another year of the monasterios/ely/charlie haeger nigthmare again. the rotation is done, and the Dodgers have a very solid one, and can now concentrate on fixing the offense, and getting some bats.

after the Dodgers resigned Kuroda, and signed ted Lilly, it seemed as though Vicente Padilla would be the odd man out, and after this pick up, it will almost be certain now that Padilla will sign with another team. however we will all miss Padilla and his "Soap Bubbles".
the Dodgers could have resigned Padilla, but there looking for someone a little more consistent, and less injury prone, as Padilla has a long list of injuries, and Garland has pitched 200 innings almost every year, and is never hurt. Its no question that when healthy, Padilla is a more effective pitcher, however Garland is more reliable, and more likly to give the Dodgers what they so desperatly need from their back end starters, alot of innings.....lets take a closer look at our old friend Garland........

Jon Garland was drafterd by the Chicago Cubs, in the first round of the 97 draft, or the 10th pick.

Garland has pitched with 5 teams over the last ten years, this being his 12th season coming up. Garland has pitched with the WhiteSox, Angels, Arizona, Padres, and now two stints with the Dodgers.

Garland is 31 years old, and will be 32 next september. he was born in Valencia CA, so he is a local boy.
Garland began his career with the White Sox, and pitched from 2000-2007 with the White Sox, before signing with the Angels.
Garland pitched for one year with the Angels, before going to Arizona in 2009. in late 2009, the Dodgers traded Tony Abreau for Garland. Garland made several solid starts for the Dodgers, going 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA, in 6 games, and a little over 32 IP. Garland was then left off the playoff roster, and eventually signed with the Padres for 2010.
Garland has a 131-114 career record, with a 4.32 ERA. Garland has pitched inover 2000 innings, and pitched 6 shutouts. his best year came in 2005 for the White Sox, when he went 18-10 and a 3.50 ERA in 221 IP. in 2010 he had a similar year for the Padres going 14-12 with a 3.47 ERA in over 200 Innings. Garland has pitched in over 190 innings in 10 of his 11 seasons. and has pitched in over 200 innings in 7 seasons. the Right Hander was an all-star in 2005, and he has won 18 games twice, while having a career 1.380 WHIP.

Garland will make 5 million dollars this season, and can make as much as 8 million with some incentive bonuses next year, which can kick in if he pitches 190 innings or more. and as I pointed out earlier its pretty much a lock he gives you 190 innings. its strange how the Dodgers will resign former pitchers, but rarly resign former position players. lets just hope they resign one more former Dodger, a third baseman.......ok just fricking resign Beltre already!
this also allows the Dodgers to move Carlos Monasterios back to the bullpen for good, which is where he pitches best.
garland isnt going to blow hitters away, or look flashy, he wont pitch Soap Bubbles, or 100 MPH heaters, nor will he be Halladay perfect. He isnt flashy, doesnt stand out, and very solidly and quietly goes about his business. hmmmm sounds like a couple of other veteran back end starter guys that eat up alot of innings, that we have in our rotation. hey there is nothing wrong with collecting arms, while we look for some bats.

now only if the Dodgers would start listening to us more often......enjoy the rest of the holliday weekend everyone, and enjoy the hot stove league transactions! Go Blue!

Dodgers Announce Coaching Staff, Holes in Lineup Still Remain

Yesterday the Dodgers announced Don Mattingly's official coaching staff for the 2011 season:

Dave Hansen - Hitting Instructor (first season)
Trey Hillman - Bench Coach (first season)
Rick Honeycutt - Pitching Coach (sixth season)
Ken Howell - Bullpen Coach (fourth season)
Davey Lopes - First Base Coach (first season)
Manny Mota - Coach (32nd season)
Jeff Pentland - Hitting Coach (fourth season)
Tim Wallach - Third Base Coach (first season)
Rob Flippo - Bullpen Catcher (10th season)
Mike Borzello - Bullpen Catcher (fourth season)

Hillman was the former manager of the Kansas City Royals, and was managing in Japan before his 2008-2010 tenure for the Royals. He will be replacing the useless Bob Schaefer.

Rick Honeycutt will return for his 6th season as the Dodgers pitching coach. He is the longest tenured coach now. During the time he has coached for the Dodgers, our pitchers have had the best ERA in baseball.

Ken Howell will return for his 4th season as bullpen coach. Let's hope he can squelch anymore meltdowns.

Davey Lopes once again will wear Dodger blue when he returns to Chavez Ravine as first base coach replacing Mariano Duncan. He was a Dodger from 1972-1982 and was part of the dynamic infield that consisted of Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey. He can be valuable as a base running instructor as well. He has the second most stolen bases in Dodger history behind Maury Wills. We welcome him back!

Jeff Pentland has worked under Don Mattingly as a hitting instructor, but now has been promoted to hitting coach.

Tim Wallach has been managing Albuquerque the past two seasons, and has been very impressive. He will be the third base coach. I'm glad he will be staying in the Dodgers organization. If Mattingly faulters, I hope that they will give Wallach the chance to manage someday. Let's hope he doesn't leave eventually and it turn into another Mike Scioscia situation. He will be replacing the useless Larry Bowa.

Manny Mota has been in the Dodgers organization for 42 years, 32 of them as a coach.

Dave Hansen, a former Dodger, will be a hitting instructor. He will add valuable pinch-hitting instruction.

Flippo and Borzello will remain as bullpen catchers.

Overall, I feel this is a very strong coaching staff. The addition of some younger personnel like Dave Hansen enables them to freshen up some of the aging and useless coaches of past seasons. They now may be more able to communicate easier with the younger players like Matt Kemp. 

Now that the coaching staff is cemented in place, and we have 4 solid starting pitchers set with Kershaw, Billingsley, Lilly, and Kuroda we really need to look at filling up some of these black holes we have in the lineup. 

The Dodgers are not going to go for Adam Dunn, so they desperately need a power bat at either left field or third base. Colletti mentioned that he probably will go with Gibbons, Xavier Paul and Jamie Hoffman in left field. That's fine, but we can't have the rusted anchors of Casey Blake and Ryan Theriot weighing down the rest of the lineup. For the love of god, please sign Beltre! They are also still debating on what to do with Martin. They have until Dec. 2 to work something out, or he will become a free agent. I have a feeling we will be saying goodbye to Martin and dealing with Ellis/Barajas platoon behind the plate. I have no idea what they are going to do about second base, but anyone is better than Theriot. I just assume starting Jamey Carroll at 2nd. 

Stay tuned for more offseason news and more Blue Bios to come! Happy Thanksgiving everyone:)

my plan for 2011

The Dodgers made it official today. they resigned Hiroki Kuroda to a 1 year 12 million dollar deal. I am very happy to hear this. Kuroda has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers for the Dodgers in recent years, and is now the Japanese MLB career leader for best ERA with a 3.60. some people feel the Dodgers are paying too much for the right hander, who turns 36 next year, and set career bests in innings pitched (196.3) strikeouts (159), and held opposing hitters to a .204 BAA after the all-star break.

Im glad Kuroda is coming back as he now rounds out a pretty formidable starting rotation in 2011. with Kershaw, Bills, Kuroda, and Lilly, the Dodgers have a strong rotation. although there are still many questions and holes to fill. which leads me to think, what should the Dodgers do for next year? better yet what would I do if I were the GM? well here is my plans for 2011. Please note this is only what I would do, not what the Dodgers are going to do. However, take it as you will, here is my two cents....

This will be broken down in several parts. the Outfield, the infield, Cather, starting pitching, The Bullpen, and the Bench. as I will be posting each players projected salary for 2011. please also note, we dont know exactly what the Dodgers payroll will actually be in 2011.

OUTFIELD

we all know the Dodgers need a left fielder, now that Manny is gone. the Dodgers are sorely lacking Power in their lineup, which before had come from LF. there going to need to sign someone. they dont need to have ruthian power, as they will be getting there power elsewhere (ill explain later). but someone who has some pop in their bat, and who can play a decent outfield. Heres the issue, the free agent pool for outfield this year is pretty thin, its slim pickens. the Dodgers are too cheap to sign anyone big like Carl Crawford, or Jayson Werth. were going to have to take a chance on someone. I like Marcus Thames.

Thames, has played most of his career for the Tigers, and played 2010 with the Yankees. he had an .841 OPS in 212 AB, while hitting 12 home runs. he was making 900,000 last year. hey a million for a year to an OF who has a career .802 OPS, and a solid glove is not bad. I think we could do worse.

of coarse Kemp and Ethier will be back. hopefully Kemp can build on his strong finish, and Ethier can have another solid season. I really like Jay Gibbons, and he could get some playing time in left, however hes a terrible outfielder and I think his power can be better served on the bench in late inning situations.

I have no problem with resigning POD for another year for cheap, but NOT AS A STARTER. I dont mind him staying on as a lefty bat off the bench with speed. otherwise dont sign him, and give Xavier Paul a chance to play. everyone else on every single blogsite aggrees with this.

OUTFIELD
LF-Marcus Thames-1Million
CF-Matt Kemp-6.95Million
RF-Andre Ethier-9.25Million

INFIELD

lets start at third base as this is really where the core of my plan is at. The Dodgers should sign Adrian Beltre. do I really need to explain why? hes kind of you know.....good. The former Dodger has become one of the best hitters in the American League and one of the premier third baseman in baseball.
yeah a third baseman who can actually hit! they are out there, you just have to find them. I know he will be expensive, but we could show him the money, and then penny pinch on everything else. this is the power bat the dodgers so desperatly need. it also allows casey blake, who is clearly cooked, to move to the bench, to become the lefty killing corner power bat off the bench.
im not sure how much Beltre would command, but its going to be pricey. time to break out the wallet! lets see last year he made 9 mil with the red sox. would 15 mil sound likly? remember Beltre batted .321 with a .919 OPS 28 home runs and 102 RBI. He will prolly sign for somwhere in the neighborhood of 12-15 mil.

I think that Jamey Carroll should be the starting second baseman for 2011. its not only cost effective, but very beneficial. Carroll filled in off the bench just about everywhere in 2010, and proving to be the Dodgers unsung hero. with a solid glove and great OBP skills Carroll should at least be considered. but we all know the Dodgers will bring back Mr. Tootblan, Ryan fucking Theriot, who is an attrocious hitter, and generally sucks balls. im predicting rampant tootblans in 2011. sigh

INFIELD
1B-James Loney-4mil
2B-Jamey Carroll-1.5 mil
3B-Adrian Beltre-12-15mil
SS-Hit Machine-12mil

CATCHER

this is another position surrounded by uncertainty. what do the Dodgers do with Russell Martin? who has sucked for the past two years. is Big Rod worth keeping? what the hell is with AJ Ellis? is he a hitter now?
lost of questions, the first decision to make is on Russell Martin, and I hate to say this but I think it is time we say goodbye to him. hey I like Martin too, but Torre played him to death, and his numbers have deteriorated over the past two seasons. seriously look at his numbers. he only drove in 26 runs all of 2010, before breaking his hip in early august. he should be healthy by spring training, but that doesnt matter, its time to let him go, besides he will prolly be non-tendered anyways.

this means that the starting job goes to AJ Ellis, and big rod remains as a backup. IM intrigued at looking at Ellis as he had that hot streak to finish the last month this year. however he did suck before and his defense was not good. but then again, in order to afford Beltre, we have to cut costs elsewhere, and paying 5 mil for a catcher who cant hit anymore, and has average defense is throwing money out the window. although the other guys cant throw anyone out on the bases, and Martin does have a good arm.

CATCHER
AJ Ellis-500,000K
Rod Barajas-500,000K


Starting pitching

so we know now that the top 4 is set. just that pesky 5th starter to fill. people shouldnt really worry about this too much. the 5th starter isnt of vital importance, and can sometimes be skipped over with off days and pushing guys up in the rotation. I would love to see Padilla resigned, but he might be the odd man out. with the budget restraints, and he is old and injury prone. im sorry to say Padilla wont be coming back, however we will all miss him and his soap bubbles.
so what to do about number 5? well lets see. obviously no one can stand another year of the monasterios/ely/reclamation project, or whoever the Dodgers dig up from the grave number 5 wormhole.

free agent pool is slim once again however there is an old friend that could help us. welcome back Jon Garland. now he was making about 4.7 mil last season, but I dont think he could get that much this year. im guessing 3-4 mil, although he did have a solid year, 14-12 3.47 200IP. but he is 31. he can eat up alot of innings which we need. we can still keep monster in the bullpen as a long man/emergency starter

STARTING ROTATION
Clayton Kershaw-500,000K
Chad Billingsly-3.85Mil
Hiroki Kuroda-12mil
Ted Lilly-11mil
Jon Garland-4mil

THE BULLPEN

I think the bullpen will see better times in 2011 once all of the bums are gone. you know who im talking about. time to say goodbye to Sherrill,Troncsucko, Dotel, and the rest. the bullpen should look like this.

Jonathon Broxton-7mil
Hong-Chih Kuo-1mil
Kenley Jansen-400,000K
Ronald Bellisario-400,000K
Jeff Weaver-500,000K
Scott Elbert-400,000K
Carlos Monasterios-400,000K

notable changes include replacing Sherrill with Elbert as the lefty specialist. obviously Sherrill is making 4 mil to be a complete and utter bum. elbert is young and cant do any worse. its time the Dodgers give him a chance. also resign Jeff Weaver as he is reliable when healthy. as long as Brox rebounds and doesnt start imploding again, and Kuo stays healthy, along with Jansen, who looked very impressive. I think this could be a much improved bullpen.

THE BENCH

this was one of the Dodgers biggest weaknesses in 2010. the bench was completly worthless, especially with bums like auto out and belliard wasting roster spots. now that those pieces of crap are finally gone, we can begin to rebuild the bench. remember were going for more power, although it is cheap power.

Gibbons, Blake, Big Rod provide some much needed pop from the bench. X man gets a chance to prove himself, and because we have to go cheap here, Mitchell can get the last spot.

LF/1BJay Gibbons-650,000K
LFXavier Paul-400,000K
3B/1BCasey Blake-5.25mil
LF/3B/1BRuss Mitchell-400,000K
C/Rod Barajas-500,000K


ok so lets add this up. remember this is all a guess. some players may be non-tendered, or arbitration, so I have no idea how much they will make in 2011.

total projected payroll-97-100 million

remember im not sugesting any trades, just smart spending. it is clear the dodgers can not contend next year without an improved offense.

at around 100 mil this gives an improved team. Beltre provides the all-star power bat in the middle of the lineup, and a solid 3B, the cooked blake goes to the bench, thames is a solid LF, Garland can eat up alot of innings in the number 5 spot, and the bench has improved power. all the while keeping the core lineup of Kemp/Ethier/Loney/Furcal intact.
well that would be my plan anyways. well continue to post throughout the winter. There isnt alot going on right now though. Stac will be back with her blue bios, so stay tuned, and go blue!