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Friday, December 16, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves
Colletti The Adequate
Jon gave his review of the Dodgers' offseason thus far, and -- amazing to tell -- the club actually looks like it's in pretty good shape. With Christmas details pressing in on me, the necessity of rushing the next bunch of the Rev's 100 Greatest Angels, and the Death March Of Sanding (more on this later) approaching its end, we still have a bunch to do before Santa's big day, and so posting may be a tad lighter than it's been of late. (On the other hand, it always seems like I say that and next thing you know I go on a bender. Go figure.)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
In other news...- 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
I don't have a whole lot to add to Dayn Perry's list of free agents in next year's offseason, but it is interesting to note that somebody might take a flyer on Bonds. Who?Enough for today -- radio silence for a bit as I try to catch up with Chrismas. Thanks to all my readers for being surprisingly patient.
Comments:
One of the reasons why I like the Angels so much is because of guys like Bengie Molina. It's not only his clutch hitting that was valuable, but it was also the way he handled the young Irvin Santana. Santana, even with his tremendous year, had some jitters here and there, some moments when he was wild. But Molina would always settle him down, guide him along, make him the better pitcher he is today.
I think the Angels should have offered Molina arbitration, but now that the market for catchers have shrunk and he is probably a little more anxious to get signed, why not the Dodgers sign him to a 2-year deal? You can always use more than one catcher, especially when Navarro is as young as he is. And how can you not like Molina at the number 5 spot in the batting order with his last season .295 BA, .446 SLG and 69 RBIs? He would also be the closest thing to replacing LoDuca with his popularity and likability.
This guy is a real find and I'm just surprised that there has been so little interest shown in him.
I think the Angels should have offered Molina arbitration, but now that the market for catchers have shrunk and he is probably a little more anxious to get signed, why not the Dodgers sign him to a 2-year deal? You can always use more than one catcher, especially when Navarro is as young as he is. And how can you not like Molina at the number 5 spot in the batting order with his last season .295 BA, .446 SLG and 69 RBIs? He would also be the closest thing to replacing LoDuca with his popularity and likability.
This guy is a real find and I'm just surprised that there has been so little interest shown in him.
# posted by 
: 12/16/2005 12:49:00 PM
: 12/16/2005 12:49:00 PM
I think Molina's issue is his stamina. With him you either need to carry three catchers at the major league level, or at least have a guy you can trust to play in the show at AAA.
A lot of teams don't have the AAA guy and don't want to carry three catchers...
A lot of teams don't have the AAA guy and don't want to carry three catchers...
# posted by : 12/16/2005 12:59:00 PM
: 12/16/2005 12:59:00 PM
His 2005 is almost certainly non-repeatable. The money he's seeking is likely to push him into a starter role, yet what this also means is that he has to play on an AL team with no defined DH, i.e., one that uses the spot the same way the Angels use theirs, as a place for veterans to rest. Molina's hamstrings are and will be suspect in the future; I just see him as being a product with a pretty narrow market, especially now that his most likely suitor -- the Mets -- are off the market.
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