6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Megalomania In Chavez Ravine

• Rather than the NFL granting a new franchise, the Houston Texans were expected to relocate.
• The Dodgers proposed building a 65,000-seat football stadium — too small by NFL standards for a Super Bowl — for about $600 million, using revenues from naming rights, personal seat licenses and concession contracts so as to "effectively spend other peoples' cash" to finance construction.
• McCourt has long been concerned about his image within the community and last season hired Sitrick and Co., a public relations firm best known for crisis management. An internal memo claimed McCourt could bask in the "psychic benefits of being the guy that brought football to L.A.," and an advisor told McCourt the project would so wow the NFL that the proposal would be "largely a sales effort which we should achieve very easily."

Update: More on this from LAist, who says "McCourt's efforts, as defined in the memos, make him look like a weirdly insecure jerk" without any concern for one of the city's nicer green spaces.

Goodnight, Gracie: Halosphere Shrinks

Gary DiSarcina For The HOF?

// posted by Rob @ 7:05 AM link  //  8 comments

• Former Angel Ramon Ortiz has signed a one-year, $2.5M deal with the Nationals. Rotoworld likes the deal well enough to call it one of Bowden's better jobs this offseason. In RFK, he has a chance to be a decent pitcher, and might land himself a multiyear contract in the 2006/7 offseason.
• Jim Tracy convinced the Pirates that Giovanni Carrara was worthwhile, as the Bucs signed the former Dodger to a minor league contract. As well, they've picked up former Padre Joe Randa on a one-year, $4M deal.
• The Rocky Mountain News reports the Rockies will likely re-sign pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim, to a one-year deal.
• Former Mariner and Padre Miguel Olivo appears set to leave the Western divisions of both leagues, and will accept a job with the Marlins.
• The Diamondbacks acquired Orlando Hudson for their needs at second base, and so former Dodger Craig Counsell will be starting at shortstop.
• Eric Byrnes will be the Diamondbacks' starting center fielder in 2006, agreeing to a one-year, $2.2M deal. He is to be a placeholder until prospect Chris Young can contribute at the major league level.
• Former Dodger Jeromy Burnitz will wear a Orioles uniform next year, on a two-year, $10M-$12M deal.

// posted by Rob @ 6:05 PM link  //  0 comments

• You've probably heard of white trash, but Rich Lederer says the Cards have become red trash at the bottom of their batting order.
• The Moneyball Blue Jays acquiring Troy Glaus, signed to a lousy contract that surely figured into the D'backs unloading him?
• This BTF thread on Mike Marshall's pitching instruction is definitely worth reading.

// posted by Rob @ 10:40 PM link  //  15 comments

Update: MLB.com narrows the price between $11M and $12M/year. ABC News says the contract is 5 years/$60M, with the fifth year voidable if Millwood doesn't throw enough innings. Did Chan Ho Park leave them with a bad taste in their mouth?

Analysis: Clearly, once the Rangers lost Kenny Rogers -- a move made inevitable after he did his best Sean Penn imitation by punching out KDFW cameraman Larry Rodriguez -- they had to do something to install a guy to lead the rotation. Whether Millwood is that guy is another question. He seems to me to be one of those pitchers who, having had Leo Mazzone's magic wand waved over him once, has become a guy that the Phillies and Indians have hoped would rediscover his 1999 form, when he had a 2.68 ERA and a 3.48 K/BB ratio. Last year, the Indians got that guy, but for most of his career he's been a barely above-average pitcher. Because he's a free agent this year, he'll certainly collect an astonishing paycheck for five years of mediocrity -- and it might be worse than that because of the park affects at Nitromethane Park At Arlington.

// posted by Rob @ 4:28 PM link  //  7 comments

Conclusion: The perfect gift is therefore a Buffy The Vampire Slayer mah jongg set.

// posted by Rob @ 9:05 AM link  //  0 comments

• Norihiro Nakamura accepted a contract with the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese leagues.
• Remember prospect Quan Crosby? He's having a fine time as a football player for U. Texas.

// posted by Rob @ 11:30 AM link  //  3 comments

Bad dog Hannah looks stylish for Christmas in this nifty Angels Santa cap. 6-4-2 will be taking the day off tomorrow, and wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas.

// posted by Rob @ 9:22 PM link  //  4 comments

"Steve Garvey is a Hall of Famer in all ways, as far as I'm concerned," said Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda, who managed Garvey in the Major and Minor Leagues. "He exemplified the words 'role model,' he was a great hitter, a great ballplayer."

// posted by Rob @ 7:45 PM link  //  8 comments

• The Diamondbacks got what they wanted for Christmas, and traded Troy Glaus to the Toronto Blue Jays, in exchange for Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista; the Diamondbacks will also give up prospect Sergio Santos, their 2002 first-round pick. Glaus could have elected to use a limited no-trade clause, but waived it.
• J.T. Snow's agent claims there are three teams trying to sign him, but the world wonders who, besides the Red Sox, the other two are.
• In what world is it an upgrade if the Giants were to sign Shawn Estes?
• The Giants are also thinking about adding free agent backup Todd Greene to the mix; as Rotoworld says, not everyone on the roster has to be over 30.
• The Mariners are thinking about signing recent A's castoff Scott Hatteberg.

// posted by Rob @ 6:26 AM link  //  5 comments

Damon The Omen

Take all of this together, and here’s what we can see about Johnny Damon; as a hitter, his 2005 season was overwhelmingly misleading as judged only by top-level stats. So much of his value was taken up by singles - in BA, in OBP, in OPS, even in SLG - that the true predictable skills he had as a hitter were masked. Johnny Damon was a below-average Major League hitter in 2005. Below Average. He fared somewhat better among center fielders and leadoff men, but not by enough to make his loss a real crime. For $13 million dollars a year, along with the promise of lost speed and plunging production, I want way more for my money than a singles hitter who failed, catastrophically, to do much else.

Roster Notes

• The Dodgers are still interested in David Wells.
• Supposedly the Red Sox are Troy Glaus's most likely destination, though Peter Gammons claims on ESPN Insider that the Blue Jays are the most likely destination.
• The Mariners signed Matt Lawton to a one-year contract.
• The Rangers have offered free agent Kevin Millwood a three-year, $30M+ deal.

Awards, Anyone?

// posted by Rob @ 7:33 AM link  //  5 comments

Translator, Please

Who's In Center?

"This gives us a different balance of guys who can play multiple positions," Stoneman said. "The answer as to who's going to play where and where Erstad plays is going to come from (manager) Mike (Scioscia), not me."

Pads Get Permission To Change Petco Fences

D'Backs Vigorously Shopping Glaus

Tiny, Tiny Coliseum

// posted by Rob @ 12:38 PM link  //  7 comments

• The Times reports that the Dodgers have inexplicably hired fifth starter Brett Tomko for two years and $8.7M, with a $1M buyout and a club option for a third year. "He's not worth this kind of money," opines Rotoworld, but that was before this horrendous offseason. I suppose this means Jeff Weaver won't be coming back to the Dodgers, though the article says they're continuing negotiations. "Guests, like fish, smell bad after three days," said Benjamin Franklin, and to that list we can add the Dodger rotation.
• The Dodgers are also talking to Weaver's agent, Scott Boras, about Kevin Millwood. Other options include Byung-Hyun Kim, left-handed-dead-fish Shawn Estes, and possible trade options with the White Sox, who have put Jon Garland on the block. The Sox are thought to want top pitching prospects from the Dodgers in return, and Ned Colletti isn't interested in moving any.
• Finally, the Dodgers re-signed a pair of outfielders from their AA Jacksonville squad, Jon Weber and Tydus Meadows, to minor league contracts.
• Those who worried (Seitz, this means you) that the acquisition of Edgardo Alfonso meant subtracting playing time from Dallas McPherson needn't do so. According to the Times --

  "It gives us one more alternative in case Dallas is not 100%, but I don't suspect he won't be — so far, everyone says he's on schedule," said Stoneman, who added that he does not consider Alfonzo a candidate for designated hitter.

• The New York Post is reporting that Manny Ramirez is using the excuse of Johnny Damon's exit to try and apply pressure on the front office to trade him. I agree with Rotoworld in that this means the Sox are more likely to keep him rather than trade him.
• Oops! The Blue Jays really aren't interested in Bengie Molina after all.
• Ramon Ortiz has an offer on the table from the Washington Nationals. Certain arson-related activities come to mind when thinking of the Rockies alleged interest in the combustable righty in Colorado's thin air.
• Ryan Franklin has decided to spurn his former employer now that he's allegedly received inquiries from 14 clubs. But that's not the worst of it; I can fairly see Lookout Landing erecting the scaffolding of the gibbet upon which to hang Bill Bavasi for the rumored pursuit of even worse replacement Kaz Ishii.
• The Padres have extended contracts to Mark Bellhorn, and relievers Dewon Brazelton and Brian Sikorski, the latter having played in the Japanese leagues of late.
• The Diamondbacks' interest in Jeff DaVanon appears to be real, as the team has indeed extended a two-year offer to the recently cut Angel. Boy, you wonder what he could do in Arizona's (thinner) air and their hitter-friendly park... especially as a starter for Pete's sake.
• Much as I may pay attention to the Cubs because of Helen's interest in them, I find them decreasingly compelling because of Jim Hendry's wrong-headed attempts to retool year after year. If the rumor of a Mark Prior for Miguel Tejada swap is true, it could easily go down as one of the worst deals in franchise history -- or one of the best. Prior hasn't shown a proclivity for health, while Tejada has (five straight 162-game seasons!), and is productive at the same time.

// posted by Rob @ 3:57 AM link  //  2 comments

1. Alfonso is nine years younger.
2. He was playing in a pitcher's park. (IIRC, SBC also hates all left-handed hitters except Barry, though it's neutral or slightly negative against righties as well.)
3. He won't be starting.

Even a modest comeback [from Finley] will be an improvement, and he's still a top-notch defender who makes a great backup for the other alte kackers in the outfield. He's owed $7 M next year and $1 M for his 2007 buyout.

In other words, the Giants are on the hook for the same amount of money, but they're spending it on someone who was above-average for several years through 2004, and who plays a position the Giants have greater need to fill than backup 3b/2b.

Strong work, Sabes.

Update: Now at MLB.com.

// posted by Rob @ 6:10 PM link  //  13 comments

• For starters, it means the Internet is no longer the Internet. That is, all traffic is no longer the same, but for the Baby Bells -- who aren't quite so juvenile now that SBC is about to recreate the old AT&T monopoly again -- it means their customers get second-class service.
• Second, it means they can pretty much screw you out of seeing content they don't want you to see. Oh, sure, you might have some theoretical right to watch video on another site at close to streaming rates, but if they choose to dam the stream by making it come out at a trickle -- say, 56 kbps for everyone but their own walled gardens -- you're hosed.
• "Our IP [Internet protocol] video service is not the same thing as the Internet," claims AT&T spokesman Mike Balmoris, but there's no guarantees, a fact that a comment by Edward Whitacre of AT&T made baldly clear last month when he said, "For a Google or a Yahoo or a Vonage or anybody else to expect to use these pipes for free is nuts."

// posted by Rob @ 10:12 AM link  //  5 comments

• The Daily News says the Dodgers signed the freakily-injured Kelly Wunsch to a minor league deal, with an invitation to spring training.
• In that same article, Hee Seop Choi's new contract with the Dodgers has an unusual omission:

  It doesn't contain a standard-guarantee provision, meaning Choi receives only a percentage of his salary if he is released before Opening Day. If he is cut during the final two weeks of camp, Choi will get $178,278. If he is cut earlier than that, he will receive $118,852.

• Jeff Weaver is looking for a payday similar to that unearthed by co-Boras-client Jarrod Washburn, four years and $37.5M.
• As evidence for one of the propositions that either (a) K-K-Korey Patterson has some value, or (b) the Mariners can't recognize the lack of same, supposedly the M's and Cubs are talking about a trade of Gil Meche for the former starting centerfielder.
• Normally I don't care much about happenings outside the AL/NL West divisions, but notorious firebrand Sidney Ponson actually found a job with the Cards, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• The Blue Jays are supposedly interested in former Angel Bengie Molina.

// posted by Rob @ 7:41 AM link  //  3 comments

• The Reds non-tendered former Angel Ramon Ortiz and his 5.36 ERA. In Rotoworld's words, "We like Ortiz better than Scott Elarton and a couple of the other free agents who might yet get multiyear deals. He could be a fit for the Padres or Dodgers."
• The Padres non-tendered recent acquisition (through trade) Pete LaForest, and supposedly, Dave Ross, but Rotoworld now says the former Dodger has a $500,000, one-year contract with San Diego; Miguel Olivo was also non-tendered.
• The Diamondbacks acquired Orlando Hernandez, RHP Luis Vizcaino, OF Chris Young, from the White Sox, for Javier Vazquez.
• The Dodgers non-tendered Mike Edwards, Brian Myrow, and Jason Phillips.
• The M's non-tendered Ryan Franklin.

// posted by Rob @ 11:08 PM link  //  0 comments

Update: Also via AP.

// posted by Rob @ 2:52 PM link  //  6 comments

In the infield, placeholder and soon-to-be-35-year-old Bill Mueller will man the hot corner through next year, Izturis and his flaky bat having been demoted to the status of Expensive Bench Player. But the most recent contract is the most curious one, giving the boot to Hee Seop Choi in favor of shambling injury mound Nomar Garciaparra (who hasn't hit like an All Star or appeared in more than 100 games in over two years), a topic Joe Sheehan addresses today:

So what you’re left with is a past-prime ex-superstar who has been removed from the environment where he’s had the most success, and is now being asked to do on-the-job training at a new position in a difficult hitters’ park with, basically, the rest of his career on the line. Were Garciaparra being asked to play a position with low expectations for production, his chance to be worth the money would be greater. However, his reluctance to play second base, and the Dodgers’ investments elsewhere in the infield, mean that Garciaparra is slated to play first base at this time. That’s a lot to ask of a guy who posted a .263 EqA in 62 games last season.

It’s hard to see how the Dodgers have even upgraded the position. It’s established by now that the baseball industry simply doesn’t like Hee Seop Choi, who has been defined by what he cannot do rather than what he can by two organizations, and who hasn’t been given a fair shake outside of a half-season in Florida in 2004. Even in a difficult 2005 season, however, Choi put up a line of .253/.336/.453, good for a .274 EqA in Dodger Stadium. At worst an average defensive first baseman, and heading into his age-27 season, it seems certain that he would be a better choice than Garciaparra in 2005.

Let’s make this clear: the Dodgers are replacing Choi with a player Choi out-hit last season (and posted comparable numbers to in 2004), a player who’s likely going to be inferior defensively, who will cost more money, and carry a greater risk of injury and decline. They’re getting a more famous person in the deal, one whose aggressive approach at the plate may play better than Choi’s disciplined one, but whose edges are all stylistic.

// posted by Rob @ 1:16 PM link  //  5 comments

Crasnick On The Angels' 2006 Youth Movement

For what it's worth -- and this means a lot -- Stoneman appears to have the owner's support in his desire to promote some kids. Moreno was a regular at Arizona Fall League games watching Kendrick, Morales and Wood, so he's developing the same emotional attachment to the organization's young players as the general manager.

"You get so much pressure from the public and the media to go with names that are known," Stoneman said. "But people will never know the guys in our system if we don't give them an opportunity. You can say that about everybody who's a star now in Major League Baseball."

Andy LaRoche Interview

Q: I understand you had a bet with your brother, Atlanta Braves infielder Adam LaRoche. Whoever hit more home runs this year would get a fishing trip. You won. Has the fishing trip been scheduled?

A: (Laughs.) Not yet. He just told me to pick a place. I don't know when it's going to be.

[...]

Q: How do you see the acquisition of Bill Mueller affecting your career with the Dodgers, and does it change your goals coming into camp next spring?

A: It doesn't change my goals at all. He's a great player to have and he's got World Series experience. I think the Dodgers made a great acquisition by getting him. I'm still going into spring training trying to work hard, and they can't hold me back. And we'll just let the chips fall where they may.

The Washburn Myth That Won't Die

// posted by Rob @ 12:47 PM link  //  6 comments

Roster Notes

• The Daily News says the Dodgers have given up their pursuit of Reggie Sanders, and that J.D. Drew will be the club's starting right fielder.
• Rotoworld says Jeff Weaver rejected arbitration with the Dodgers.
• Kenny Lofton's $3.85M, one-year contract is expected to be announced today, according to MLB.com.
• Hee Seop Choi has been offered a one-year contract despite the Garciaparra signing. If he rejects it, the Dodgers will not offer arbitration.
• Speaking of Nomar, the recently signed first baseman says he'd like to finish his career in Dodger blue. Stay healthy, Nomar, stay healthy.
• Recently released pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii will probably return to the Japanese Leagues, and in particular, the Yakult Swallows.
• Former Dodger Brian Jordan rejected arbitration with the Braves, and is said to be mulling retirement.
• Oakland signed a one-year, $2.4M deal with former starter Joe Kennedy.
• Kevin Millwood will meet with the Rangers.

Farm System Smackdown

Ross Newhan On The Dodgers' "Rent-A-Roster"

Baseblogging Interviews Jon Weisman

OOPs! Baseball's Most Overrated Offensive Players

(Batting Average > League Average) + (On-Base Percentage < League Average) + (Slugging Average < League Average) = Overrated Offensive Players

// posted by Rob @ 6:38 AM link  //  10 comments

The Angels may forever -- or at least as long as Bane is at the scouting helm -- look at injury histories a little bit more carefully. The change will come not in the players with major injuries, but rather those with little nagging nicks. In the past, a player who missed a little time here or there but had tremendous power potential or plus stuff, would still be high on the board. Now, Bane and his staff may evaluate that player more closely and guardedly.

"They do a lot of research into injuries," Bane said. "If there's a guy who's missing games with a pinched nerve or something, the Colts are not going to take him.

"We're going to look at a guy who misses a turn on a Friday night because he's a little tender [differently now]."

The other strategy Bane would like to incorporate is the use of film. He knows he'll never be able get to the Colts' level with the current structure. Indianapolis and other NFL teams may have six different films from a variety of angles against a host of opponents for any given player. MLB teams get video only from the Major League Scouting Bureau and because of the sheer volume of players being drafted, there's no way the MLSB could ever see every single draft-eligible player, let alone multiple times. That doesn't mean, however, that Bane and his staff can't use what they have to a greater benefit.

"We're going to do a better job of breaking down the films now, rather than looking at it just one time," Bane admitted.

// posted by Rob @ 8:10 PM link  //  3 comments

Dayn Perry On Position Moves

The best use for Garciaparra is as an uber-utility player who's in the lineup four or five days a week and is the pinch hitter of first resort on days when he's on the bench — Tony Phillips v2.0, if you will. Fortunately, for all sides, that's the role the Dodgers appear to have in mind for him.

Worshiping At The Temple Of LoDuca

BA Rates Giants' Top 10 Prospects

Q:	nick from san diego asks: Overall, the talent level in the giants organization seems to be on the rise, is that a fair statement?
A:	John Manuel: I honestly don't know. A couple of years ago, the Giants ranked 11 and 12 on our talent rankings in back to back years. The org will rank lower this year. I think after Cain, it's hard to see a real impact talent in the organization who doesn't have a significant flaw as well. I think it's holding steady, and that's kind of to be expected when the organization's intense focus has been on winning now.

Mets Release Ishii

// posted by Rob @ 12:37 PM link  //  1 comments

Update: Also from Ken Rosenthal.

// posted by Rob @ 4:05 AM link  //  4 comments

• The Rockies supposedly have interest in Junior Spivey if he's non-tendered by the Nationals.
• The Mariners will likely hang on to Ryan Franklin, his 5.10 ERA, and the $2.4M/year he made last year.
• Incredibly, the Dodgers are pursuing garbage time pitcher Brett Tomko, as are the Padres.

// posted by Rob @ 3:56 AM link  //  0 comments

• Former Giant Brett Tomko has received an offer from the Devil Rays. Tomko has rejected a two-year offer from the Texas Rangers.
• The Daily News speculates that the Dodgers could sign both Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders, both of whom have ties to GM Ned Colletti from their time on the 2002 Giants squad. Both have homes in Arizona, with Lofton keeping a residence in Southern California. Lofton would be the Dodgers' main centerfielder, while Sanders would end up in left, causing the team to dump the Choi/Saenz platoon.

  In case you were wondering: Lofton hasn't had a below-average Rate2 since 2001, and last year had a 109 Rate2, which is to say, he's still remarkable.

• Ken Rosenthal says the Red Sox are near to completing a one-year deal with former Padre Rudy Seanez.

// posted by Rob @ 7:27 AM link  //  1 comments

Update: Also on MLB.com; reaction at Jon's is pensive; have no expectations he will play at first, though that's what most printed speculation suggests.

// posted by Rob @ 6:55 AM link  //  3 comments

Update: just to prove I don't always keep up with everything, more on this from Jon, who ably points out the fact that Saenz plus Choi put up better numbers last year than Nomar did.

In other news:

• Minor league pitching coordinator Rick Honeycutt is said to be a strong candidate to be the team's new pitching coach.
• Despite meeting with the Diamondbacks yesterday, Kenny Lofton is more interested in playing for the Dodgers, and was to talk to Ned Colletti either last night or today.
• Colletti said it would be a "longshot" for the Dodgers to sign free agent centerfielder Johnny Damon.
• The Boston Herald claims the Dodgers are pursuing former Padres free agent reliever Rudy Seanez. The Braves and Red Sox are the other two teams involved.

// posted by Rob @ 7:39 AM link  //  5 comments

Damon, speaking by cellphone to Roche, said while returning to the Red Sox remained his first choice, there was a ''good chance" he would be leaving the team. Damon said there were three teams in the bidding, and while he did not identify the other teams besides the Red Sox, he told Roche there was a chance he could be reunited with Garciaparra on either the Yankees or Dodgers.

"We're still talking," Damon said in the interview. "I should know in the next couple of days."

// posted by Rob @ 2:20 PM link  //  0 comments

Colletti The Adequate

But a couple words first. Two things of import stare right back at you at the way Colletti has torqued the club in this offseason. First, no farm material has been traded. This, obviously, is huge, and represents a feather in Colletti's cap. However skeptical I may be about the Dodgers' younguns, I do think some of them need a chance to prove or disprove themselves at the major league level. No matter where you turn, Colletti has put together a team of short-term veterans that could be adequate for winning a weak division:

• Bill Mueller at third for two years represents a good stopgap until Andy LaRoche is ready for the big club, possibly as early as this year.
• Rafael Furcal is a decent investment, even if it meant -- as it did -- overpaying relative to market value, for the Dodgers didn't really have any quality shortstop prospects that were likely to stick at that post.
• Doing nothing with the Choi/Saenz platoon at first was a solid move, and a surprising one considering the heat that Choi seems to have generated.
• Similarly, letting Dioner Navarro remain the starter gives him another year to prove why he should or should not be behind the dish for the Dodgers.
• The outfield is more problematic, and unloading Milton Bradley will certainly hurt the Dodgers; getting Andre Ethier back was nice, but it looks superficially like Colletti got fleeced on this one. Giving up two young players with track records of successful if flawed major league performances for a rookie dripping with potential amounts to betting on the come, as they say in craps. As Jon also concludes, the true value of the trade won't be known until years from now.

• Re-signed 33-year-old Dave Roberts and plan to start him in left field.
• Re-signed 37-year-old Trevor Hoffman whose 2.97 ERA isn't as impressive as it looks, not in that dank cavern known as Petco Park.
• Unloaded 2B Mark Loretta for Doug Mirabelli, a career backup backstop; the trade was so bad, it made Geoff "livid".
• Got RHP Dewon Brazelton and former Angel Stephen Andrade for Sean Burroughs.
• Re-sign Brian Giles to a surprisingly good (3 years/$30M) contract.
• Moved Brian Lawrence to the Nationals for Vinny Castilla.

Roster Notes

• Roger Clemens has mentioned the Rangers, Red Sox, Yankees, and Astros as teams he would consider playing for next year.
• The Royals signed former Dodger Mark Grudzielanek to a one-year deal, which probably isn't a bad thing for them. For once.
• The M's are apparently thinking about picking up that Arubian bad boy, Sidney Ponson.
• The Giants re-signed RHP Brian Cooper and RHP Oscar Montero to minor league contracts. Ah, memories...
• Former Angel Shawn Wooten signed a minor league deal with the Twins.
• The M's acquired LHP Luis Gonzalez from the Rockies; as a Rule 5 draftee, he could be returned to the Dodgers if he doesn't stick with the club.
• The former Padre returns, as Doug Brocail signed a one-year, $1M contract with the Friars.

Dayn Perry On 2006 Free Agents

// posted by Rob @ 12:37 AM link  //  5 comments

In other news, free agent pitcher Jeff Weaver is expected to reject arbitration, but the Dodgers may continue negotiations through January 8.

// posted by Rob @ 7:44 PM link  //  11 comments

It’s a bad signing if you have any kind of sentimental attachment to the players who put on the uniform of your team.

It’s a bad signing if you like baseball, because Everett makes the game look bad. ...

It’s a bad signing if you believe that a team’s ability to get along plays any part in their success. ...

// posted by Rob @ 5:53 AM link  //  4 comments

Update: Now in the Times and MLB.com.

// posted by Rob @ 10:37 AM link  //  6 comments

Roster Notes

• The Dodgers are after Joey Gathright, and Jonathan Broxton, Justin Orenduff, or Edwin Jackson are rumored tradebait.
• Agent Scott Boras says he won't listen to any offer under five years for Johnny Damon; the Dodgers are now involved, and Damon will be in Los Angeles this weekend.
• The Nats have extended an offer to Jarrod Washburn.
• The Snakes look like they've finally moved Javier Vazquez, according to Sportsline.com, to the White Sox for a package of Chris Young, Orlando Hernandez and another pitcher.
• Without attribution, but Rotoworld says the Diamondbacks signed RHP Jason Grimsley, presumably as a reliever.

Braves May Finally Be On The Block

OT: Fun Things To Do With A Laser Engraver

Plaschke Admits Error, Jesus Christ Seen In Los Angeles Neighborhood

// posted by Rob @ 6:18 AM link  //  10 comments

Update: An Athletics Nation diary says it's Andre Ethier in return, and the Dodgers are also giving up Antonio Perez. Hard to say if Colletti got rooked on this one or not, but it'll probably be a year or two before we know for sure. BTW, thanks to my commenters for picking this up.

Update 2: The more I look at this one, the more undecided I get; Ethier got yanked from the last third of the 2004 season due to microfractures of his vertebrae. Kevin Goldstein in his 2004 A's system chat called Ethier "another toolsy outfielder who can hit .300 but does little else offensively", but that was before he hit 18 home runs in the Texas League this year. Ethier was also named Texas League Player of the Year, earning a late promotion to AAA Sacramento.

Update 3: Official confirmation from MLB.com. It's probably worth mentioning that getting something for Perez wasn't a bad idea in and of itself. He's valuable, but principally on an American League team, where he can absorb DH at bats. His glove is too unreliable, as BPro's Rate2 shows him as a well-below-average defender at second (83) and slightly below average at third.

Update 4: Jon sees this as a dump of two troubled and flawed players.

The trade indicates Ned Colletti's eagerness to rid the Dodgers of Bradley's mental and physical uncertainties and Perez's defensive uncertainties. The Dodger outfield is practically threadbare, offering J.D. Drew, Jose Cruz, Jr. and Ricky Ledee as starters, which means that Ethier becomes a contender with other minor leaguers for major playing time unless/until the Dodgers acquire someone else.

Update 5: Now in via AP:

General manager Ned Colletti, hired last month by the Dodgers, believed he had no choice in the matter, that a reconciliation with Bradley wasn't possible.

"I went into it with the idea of trying to keep him a Dodger," Colletti said. "It was clearer and clearer there was no way to make this thing work. I got no glimmer at all that it could work."

Colletti said he didn't speak with Bradley until Tuesday.

"I was looking for a way to mediate," Colletti said. "I was looking for a way to keep him. At every turn, I just got stopped. I got it from a lot of different places including inside the clubhouse, outside the clubhouse, people who have known him very well and have known him for a long time.

Update 6: Remember what happened to the top prospect the Dodgers unloaded for Bradley in the first place? Iron pyrite, anyone?

// posted by Rob @ 2:10 PM link  //  22 comments

• The Astros re-signed catcher Brad Ausmus to a two-year, $7.5M deal, and corner infielder Mike Lamb to a one-year, $1.7M deal. That takes yet another team out of the market for a starting catcher, so Bengie Molina may be in some dire straits looking for work. Considering the stupid money flowing this offseason, that has got to be one of the biggest surprises so far.
• Are the Royals the dumbest club in the majors? A case could be made for it; contraction might be the best thing, considering they can't apparently be trusted with sharp objects, such as pens. The latest example of this is an admission that they're pursuing Doug Mientkiewicz, the better to replace the stupid-expensive Mike Sweeney.
• The Nationals have signed INF Robert Fick, getting one jerk out of the NL West.

// posted by Rob @ 1:38 PM link  //  0 comments

But the idea of Omar Minaya playing dolls with player agents while singing "Pretty Woman" through the halls of the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas is pretty damn funny.

// posted by Rob @ 1:13 PM link  //  4 comments

Unfortunately, Jeff didn't really make a strong case for the whole "if he started on another team he'd do really well" argument this year. One that I, truth be told, still secretly believe in. But this belief is like a thirteen year old believing in Santa Clause, you can think it to yourself in the magical and secure darkness of your barbie-lined, frilly, canopied bedroom, but you simply mustn't declare your belief in public. Certainly not in front of boys. Never in front of boys. They won't understand and will mock you. OK? Sometimes I mock myself for believing it. I'm a very self-loathing fangirl.

...

He just didn't have a good year, and he really needed to have a good year. The Angels needed to make some room on the roster, and Jeff and Josh weren't going to be part of any trades (although there were whispers that JP would be off to Tampa Bay). They were expendable, solid players, both with maybe one or two really good years ahead of them if the stars were aligned, but probably with their best years already behind them. There was also every chance that both of them would clear waivers and could be invited to spring training, but if they didn't, no great catastrophe. Jeff has officially lost his job (what job he had) to Juan, and Josh's days were always going to be limited once B.Mo's reign had come and gone.

// posted by Rob @ 5:00 AM link  //  3 comments

Roster Notes

• Rotoworld reports that the Rangers have come to a one-year, $725,000 agreement with lefty reliever Brian Shouse, which is probably good news for the Angels.
• Reserve outfielder Mark DeRosa also got a one-year contract with the Rangers, for $675,000.
• The Padres continue to lose their minds -- Dave Roberts in left? Mark Loretta for a backup catcher whose principle claim to fame is how well he catches knuckleballs? Brian Lawrence for Vinny Castilla? -- and are allegedly close to signing former Ranger Doug Brocail.
• The Rangers got Vicente Padilla from the Phillies for a PTNBL.
• The Snakes signed Damion Easely to a one-year, $700,000 contract. It's likely he'll be second fiddle at shortstop.

All-Blyleven At Baseball Analysts

Look Out, Steve, Or Plaschke'll Ride You, Too

// posted by Rob @ 11:34 PM link  //  6 comments

Update: Interesting annotation on this one from Rotoworld, but one I find hard to believe: Dave Roberts apparently doesn't have the service time to qualify as a free agent.

// posted by Rob @ 8:37 AM link  //  1 comments

LA Sports Council Awards

Speaking Of Fan Voting...

ESPN the Magazine, with the help of a Connecticut research and consulting firm, polled 1,529 American sports fans. They were asked, among other things, to rank U.S. and Canadian professional teams based on fan relationship, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coach, winning and bang for your buck.

The San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons finished 1-2, and the Angels ranked fifth, the highest of any baseball team. The Angels also ranked fifth in a similar poll last year.

The Dodgers ranked 82nd out of 91 teams, down from 52nd last year. They scored particularly low in fan relationship, ownership and coaching.

It would figure they would score poorly in coaching, because they didn't have a manager at the time the poll was conducted.

Tejada: Whoa

"I never said I wanted to be traded," Tejada told Comcast SportsNet in a phone interview yesterday. "I said I want to see a better team. I don't want to keep losing like we have the past two years."

Roger Clemens Derby

Update: Jon passes along a blurblet in the Times that the Dodgers might be interested in the Rocket, too.

// posted by Rob @ 7:15 AM link  //  7 comments

• The Giants are close to completing a 3-year, $27M deal for Matt Morris, ESPN reports today. (Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says the deal is $25M and three years.) The Dodgers had also been interested in the free agent, as were the Rangers. The Rangers really need to do something about their ballpark, as Morris also said, "I would say that if either [Ameriquest Park or pitching in the American League] was a detriment, the ballpark was a larger factor than the league."

  Dodger fans should be happy he ended up with a division rival, frankly.

• One of the teams interested in Morris was the Rangers, who will turn their attentions to Jarrod Washburn, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

// posted by Rob @ 4:12 PM link  //  1 comments

Some of my neighbors get set to take a cruise around north OC in Santa costumes while riding their Harleys. They do this each weekend in December and visit all the nearby malls. It's always a big hit, and they've tried to make it a charitable ride -- by donating toys by making the ride's end at CHOC or the UCI Burn Center, but so far they've been surprisingly turned down, as they want to deliver the presents themselves. With the burn center, I understand -- the kids there are in very fragile health, but CHOC? Weird.

// posted by Rob @ 1:21 PM link  //  1 comments

• The Daily News says the Dodgers are near to folding in their pursuit of Bill Mueller now that Pittsburgh has offered a three year contract. However, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says Mueller's leaning toward a deal with a West Coast team.
• The Yankees have made offers for Laynce Nix and Gary Matthews, Jr. of the Rangers, both of which have been turned down.
• The Nationals have made an offer to Jarrod Washburn, and to former Giant Brett Tomko as well. The Nats also hope to sign Robert Fick, formerly with the Padres.

// posted by Rob @ 6:56 AM link  //  0 comments

• Contradicting earlier reports that had the former Red Sox player signed by the Dodgers, the Pirates have upped their offer to Bill Mueller to three years, according to the Times. The Dodgers may be forced to follow suit if they want to acquire the free agent.
• The Pirates are interested in trading for Milton Bradley, and could dangle relievers Mike Gonzalez and John Grabow.
• The Dodgers and Padres have given J.T. Snow contract offers.
• The Dodgers are considering an offer to Johnny Damon.
• The Red Sox have offered a straight up trade of Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada.
• The Padres acquired catcher Pete LaForest from the Devil Rays, off waivers.
• The Padres sold reliever Chris Oxspring to the Hanshin Tigers.
• Scott McLain, whom my wife and I got to see in spring training a couple years ago in a Cubs uniform, was signed to a minor league contract by the A's.
• Sidney Ponson is in talks with the Rangers.
• The Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox is one of the team Darin Erstad has on his four-team no-trade list this year.
• Kevin Towers said that Dave Roberts will be the team's starting left fielder and the team's leadoff hitter. The Pads are also thinking about having Josh Barfield and Bobby Hill competing for the starting second base job in spring training.
• Update: The Dodgers are intensifying their pursuit of Johnny Damon, according to the Boston Globe, though they have yet to make an offer. Damon allegedly wants a seven year deal.

// posted by Rob @ 7:16 AM link  //  6 comments

After AdWords launched, Jane, the ads group manager, decided that now would be a good time to switch over to a "real" database. "Real" [...] means "expensive". Many managers seem to have this idea that it is invariably true that you get what you pay for, and that therefore nothing that is available for free can possibly be any good. Using MySQL was acceptable as an expedient to get things up and running quickly and with a minimal of capital outlay, but now that things were settling down it was time to recognize that this was really, fundamentally, a mistake, and it should be fixed sooner rather than later.

We finally decided to go with a commercial database (I won't say which one) over the objections of a number of engineers, including myself. To ease the transition it was decided to convert AdWords over to the new system first, and to do the main ads system later. It was a project on a par with the internationalzation effort in terms of the tedious work required to comb over nearly all of the AdWords code and change all of the database queries. (Databases are supposed to all be compatible with one another, but in reality they pretty much aren't.)

To make a long story short, it was an unmitigated disaster. The new system was slower than molasses in February. Some heroic optimization efforts eventually produced acceptable performance, but it was never as good as the old MySQL-based system had been. For a long time we were stuck with the worst of all possible worlds, with the two ads systems running on two different databases. It was still that way when I left Google in October of 2001, but I have heard through the grapevine that they eventually went back to MySQL. (Since then, MySQL has added many of the features that had been missing at the time.)

Labels: tech

// posted by Rob @ 6:25 AM link  //  4 comments

"When you feel disrespected, and feel you can't do anything about it, that's when you get frustrated," Romero said in a teleconference. "You have to move on. If you don't move on, you're going to be a mediocre pitcher and a mediocre person."

Update: Pearly Gates points out that the guy is a halfway decent LOOGY, with a .198/.308/.267 line against last season, and that playing half his games in the Twinkiedome, to boot. Maybe a better acquisition than I thought.

// posted by Rob @ 1:40 PM link  //  7 comments

Baseball America's Top 10 Dodgers Prospects

1. RHP Chad Billingsley
2. 3B Andy LaRoche
3. SS/3B Joel Guzman
4. C Russell Martin
5. RHP Jonathan Broxton
6. LHP Scott Elbert
7. 3B Blake DeWitt
8. OF Matt Kemp
9. 2B Estanislau Abreu
10. SS Chin-Lung Hu

This organization has been hyped to death, but it’s been lacking in the delivery of prospects to the major leagues. Forgive me if I wait to see which of these guys actually break through before I get on the bandwagon. Billingsley is legit, if he stays healthy, but the other guys have some work to do. I honestly don’t think there’s as much upside here as BA does.

LA has an odd arrangement of farm teams. Columbus and Jacksonville are pitchers’ parks in pitchers’ leagues. Vero Beach is a hitters’ park in a pitcher’s league, and then there’s Vegas. Dodger prospects are exposed to a variety of conditions as they work their way up the chain, which makes it tough to evaluate them statistically, especially the pitchers.

I Repeat: Manny's Going Nowhere

Roster Notes

• The Baltimore Sun reports that the Erstad-for-Javy Lopez deal was cancelled by the Angels. Ugh.
• Jim Bowden is an idiot: Alfonso Soriano wants to play second, not the outfield.
• The Rangers and Padres continue to discuss a swap of Adam Eaton and Kevin Mench, among other players.
• The Cards have re-entered the Matt Morris "sweepstakes"; the Giants, Mariners, and Rangers are also interested in the free agent pitcher.

Kevin's Got A Hench Dodger Fans Will Think Little Of Grady

Little is the only manager I've ever seen for whom the glacial pace of baseball moved too fast. Every situation caught him by surprise. Any time he was expected to counter an opposing manager's move, it was like the shot clock was about to expire and he was heaving one up from 35 feet.

...

I totally agree that Grady should not be judged solely on what happened on the night of October 16, 2003. He should be judged also on all the mindless moves he made over the course of two seasons in Boston that contributed a. to a team with the 2-3 finishers in the Cy Young balloting missing the playoffs in 2002 and b. to a team with a solid starting staff and a record-setting lineup finishing six games behind the Yankees in 2003.

// posted by Rob @ 7:44 AM link  //  16 comments

• Former Texas ace Kenny Rogers has signed a two-year, $16M deal with the Tigers.
• CBS 4 in Boston says Bill Mueller has signed a deal with the Dodgers, one Rotoworld speculates will be two years long for around or more than the Pirates' $7M offer.
• Paul Bako will be the Royals' backup backstop next year.
• Miguel Tejada wants out of Baltimore because he doesn't like the team's direction. Crybaby.
• Speaking of the O's and overspending, Baltimore signed former Padres and A's catcher Ramon Hernandez, for four years and $27.5M.
• I missed this in today's Times, but the Angels are working a deal to send Josh Paul to Tampa Bay.
• Somehow the Nats came to their senses and are backing away from a proposed deal that would send Dave Roberts to Washington.
• Update: Scott Boras couldn't get the Brewers interested in Jarrod Washburn.
• Update: The Times is reporting that the Angels are talking a deal to send Erstad to the Orioles, getting Javy Lopez in return.

  Erstad, who has the same 2006 salary ($8.5 million) as Lopez, would fill the Orioles' need for a top-notch defensive first baseman and new Manager Sam Perlozzo's desire for more gritty, team-oriented players. A trade also would clear a full-time spot for Angel first base prospect Casey Kotchman.

  Lopez would be an emergency catcher and full-time DH were he acquired.
• The Halos are also talking to Minnesota about reliever J.C. Romero, in return giving up a prospect.
• Manny Ramirez update:

  The Angels and Red Sox made virtually no progress in trade talks regarding Ramirez here. According to a source, Boston first asked for a package headed by pitcher Ervin Santana and Kotchman, but the Red Sox were told Santana is not available.

  The Red Sox countered with a request for one of two pitchers, Kelvim Escobar or Scot Shields, two of three prospects from a pool of shortstop Brandon Wood, second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar, and one other minor leaguer. But the Angels turned that down as well.

// posted by Rob @ 6:05 PM link  //  19 comments