A Little Wolf
It's official. The Dodgers are officially in the Randy Wolf business. 
In the end, it was all about geography rather than cash for the lefty, a native of Canoga Park who wanted to pitch at home. There was a conference call today with the media, but it was tough to hear what was going on, because a few cell phones were getting terrible reception on the line and gumming up the works (conference call etiquette, people!). Below the jump are a few quotes we pulled. You know, the stuff we could hear (or made up... just kidding). Any other questions? Feel free to ask us. Or Steve Henson.
GM Ned Colletti on bringing Wolf in:
"We're very pleased that Randy decided to stay home. We believe in him as a pitcher, knowing that he's a quality left-hander ... we think that his arm is strong and we're thrilled that someone with his character and makeup wants to be part of this organization."
Randy Wolf on his health:
"This year I actually felt, as far as strength wise, that I was 100%. My velocity actually got to a point where I probably wasn't throwing at that velocity for four or five years. The only thing that was frustrating was my command. It wasn't exactly what I wanted. I found myself getting ahead in the count and when I would try to finish a hitter, with maybe a slider, I'd get a ball and wasn't able (to finish guys off). But as far as strength and fastball velocity and stuff like that, and comfort on the mound, I felt better than I had in I don't know how long."
On signing with L.A. even though he had more money/years on the table elsewhere:
"I know it's a one year guaranteed contract, but in my mind, if I'm healthy, it's going to be a two year contract. I could have gone to the highest bidder and it may have been more years guaranteed, but for me going to the highest bidder wasn't as important as going to a place that I've always dreamed of playing. I think every kid who grows up in their hometown that has a baseball team and loves baseball has grown up dreaming about playing for that team. I don't know how many times I'll have that option."
On the aggressiveness of Philly in trying to keep him:
"The Phillies were definitely very competitive. They were competitive with any offer out there, and I don't feel like they dropped off at all. It was just a matter of the right opportunity. It wasn't about me trying to get the most money."
—BK
Subscribe to this Blog | What is RSS?
Hey, thanks for the quotes.
In other news, your Cardinals have picked up Adam Kennedy. He and Eckstein should be awesome up the middle.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | November 28, 2006 at 01:50 PM
Guess the Cardinals have become the St. Louis Angels formerly of Anaheim. Kennedy, Eckstein, Spiezio, Edmonds, Weaver.
And, boy, that Kip Wells! Buy your World Series tickets now, AK/BK.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | November 28, 2006 at 03:18 PM
AK,
"And the winner for best random reference of 2006 goes to... LOLO! haha"
Hey man, you guys started it with your Duran Duran reference.
It may be random to you, but that song has been stuck in my head ever since I first heard it. I was an impresionable young man back in the 80s. HAHA!!
Don't make me bust out my robotic voice on "Don't Stop the Rock"!!
Posted by: LoLo | November 28, 2006 at 03:55 PM
All,
I am going to write a book about my experience today (I just got back from jury duty). This lady was suing KFC because they extracted a piece of metal wire from her intestines 9 days after she ate KFC. She claims that the pain started a few hours after she ate some chicken strips. Here’s the best part: She waited 18 months to decide it was KFC’s fault. She didn’t tell a soul until she went to complain to the manager 18 months after the alleged incident. Her lawyer thought it was a good idea to take the stance of “Hey, she’s only suing for $50,000. It’s not like she’s trying to become a millionaire.” Yeah, like that was going to win the seven of us over. I can’t believe they let this one go to court. Ten hours of court BS we had to sit through. ONLY IN AMERICA!!
Posted by: LoLo | November 28, 2006 at 04:03 PM
Will they legally try to change their name to the St. Louis Cardinals of Anaheim?
Posted by: bmurph | November 28, 2006 at 04:04 PM
Dodgerdog,
I just finished reading that article on Drew. I think that guy has been reading the blog and stole all of my good quotes. All that was missing was a “Princess” reference. I should sue. After all, if that lady can sue KFC without any evidence then I can do the same. Then again, we did find KFC innocent of all wrong-doing, so maybe that’s not such a good example. HAHA!!
For what it’s worth, I am praying that Princess ends up in Boston. If she thought she had it bad here, wait until the media and the fans get a hold of her there. I have three words for you, Princess, “Bill F’n Buckner”. Ask HIM what he thinks about Boston fans. HAHA!!
Posted by: LoLo | November 28, 2006 at 04:08 PM
BTW, AK, if you want more random 80s references, you can call me direct at 867-5309.
FOR A GOOD TIME.
FOR A GOOD TIME YEAH!!
Posted by: LoLo | November 28, 2006 at 04:10 PM
OK- NOW WE ONLY SIGN PLAYERS THAT GIVE A HOMER DISCOUNT? I LIKE IT. THE BEACHES AND THE WEATHER
GOT TO COUNT FOR SOMETHING. JUST ASK LOLO.
Posted by: stargazin | November 28, 2006 at 05:14 PM
HACKSAW REYNOLDS,ON KLAC, JUST REPORTED THAT THE
DODGERS HAVE BROKEN OFF TRADE TALKS WITH RED SOX
BECAUSE THEY WERE DEMANDING LONEY, KEMP AND BROXTON
IN RETURN FOR MR. WACK JOB.
Posted by: stargazin | November 28, 2006 at 05:17 PM
YA THINK THE JAYS WANT AN ARM AND A LEG FOR V.WELLS?
Posted by: stargazin | November 28, 2006 at 05:25 PM
hey BK, can you look into the drew situation concerning arbitration?
Gammons was on espnews today saying the drew had a stipulation in his contract with the dodgers saying that the dodgers could not offer him arbitration if he opts out.
2 questions
1- is that true?
2- does colletti plan to offer drew arbitration to gain the two extremely valuable draft picks for logan white?
thanks in advance.
Posted by: nate | November 28, 2006 at 05:55 PM
Lolo (Tommy),
I tried calling you to arrange a meeting with Mr. Boras but the number you left on here on your earlier posting does not work. Do you have to dial (555) First? You can reach me at 555-Dial. Please call and let me know.
Posted by: Rob | November 28, 2006 at 08:03 PM
somehow, I get the feeling that girlie-boy Theo (who really has never won anything either) is trying to shaft the Dodgers on any trade because they canned his LoveMuffin DePUDesta. Look at the "deal" for Boomer last season...plus I suspect with the unspoken moratorium on signing any player represented by the Anti-Christ, it is the BoSox way of showing they are in league with the dark-side.
If that same package was what it too to get V.wells and they could sign him to another 4+ years I would say do it...but not for Manny...sorry BK, I KNOW this hurts you guys greatly, but maybe Loney will turn out to have a thing for tranny midget mud wrestlers or something....would that help you feel better about the Manny trade not working out? hmmmmmm? :D
Posted by: grumpy3b | November 28, 2006 at 08:05 PM
Speaking of pitching...did anyone read the reports the Cubbies offered Schmidt $44M over 3-yrs...AWWWWWKKK!!
I am really starting to dislike baseball again...$15M for a guy who, while good is, well not great...no wonder Maddux wants what he does and Clemens is still getting those $25M/yr deals...
Posted by: grumpy3b | November 28, 2006 at 08:16 PM
I would consider an arm and a leg for Wells, but not for Manny.
Sounds like the players that the Sox want for Manny would be enough to get Wells. If you are going to part with all our young talent Ned, please don't be an idiot and waste it on Manny. Get a good character guy like Wells!
Posted by: Jim | November 28, 2006 at 08:20 PM
Honestly, can you imagine Kemp, Loney AND Broxton for Ramirez? If he does get traded, it will be interesting to see what he brings. I doubt any team will be willing to essentially give up their 3 top prospects, 2 of whom just played a considerable amount of time in the majors, for him.
This smacks of Theo the Boy Genius' attempt to get Matt Kemp for Fat David Wells. Shawn Kemp, maybe-about an even trade, size-wise.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | November 28, 2006 at 09:48 PM
Hmmm...
That's a lot for Manny, but if Ned's going to give that kind of deal away (and I don't think he will, for ANYONE that's available at this stage), I'd actually prefer he did it for Manny than either Wells or Andruw, and that's despite the obvious baggage that Manny brings with him. There's two reasons for this:
1 - Manny's a flat out better hitter than either of those guys (though obviously all three are good).
2 - Manny's contracted for, I believe, at least two more years, including options. Wells and Andruw are only contracted for one. Now, whilst everyone seems to be offering the caveat that we should only sign Wells IF we can extend him to a longer contract, I just don't think that's going to be possible at this stage, unless we hand them Soriano-type contracts, right now. People talk about 6/$100mil - honestly, having looked at the FA market as it's been this winter, do you think either of those guys are going to settle for that, when they know they could get a piece of the Soriano/Beltran action in just 12 months time? Yes, on one hand the market might be deeper come the winter of 07, but we're asking them to waive their FA rights, so we'd have very little leverage indeed. No, I don't believe there's any way we'd get any more than one year out of either of those guys, before they spend the following winter pimping out their rather attractive stat-lines to the highest bidder. And, as such, if we're giving away all those prospects, I'd rather put up with Manny's antics for two years than have Vernon or Andruw for just one.
Posted by: Asa | November 29, 2006 at 01:17 AM
Anyway, if Hacksaw's right (guffaw!) about us breaking off talks, I'm glad to hear it. Manny is no way worth that much.
Posted by: Asa | November 29, 2006 at 04:41 AM
"maybe Loney will turn out to have a thing for tranny midget mud wrestlers"
And AK think I'M random? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Posted by: LoLo | November 29, 2006 at 06:01 AM
WHAT IS JASON SCHMIDT WORTH?
Grumpy said he saw a report that the Cubbies offered Schmidt $44M over 3 years. That comes out to roughly $14.6M per year. But is he worth that much?
One way to figure out relative worth between other pitchers is to compare contracts on a dollars-per-win basis. Let's look at some recent signings of other high-profile pitchers to see what they commanded:
Derek Lowe got a 4-year $36M contract from the Dodgers ($9M/yr). As a starter, his average wins per 162-game season is 16. Therefore Lowe is being paid by the Dodgers roughly $600,000 per win.
Pedro Martinez got a 4-year $53M contract from the Mets ($13.25M/yr). His average wins per season is 17. Therefore Martinez is paid $800,000 per win.
Roy Oswalt has a 5-year $73M contract with the Astros ($14.6M/yr), and his average wins per season is 18. That means Oswalt is being paid $800,000 per season.
From that limited sample size, at least, it looks like the Dodgers got a pretty good deal with Lowe.
Jason Schmidt averages only 13 wins per season. The question is, is $800,000 per win a fair price, or is it on the low side considering the dearth of good pitching and its realtive importance in getting to the playoffs? (I say relative, because the Cardinals this year won it all this year with Chris Carpenter and a bunch of scrubs).
Let's account for some inflation and add a premium just because decent, durable, dependable pitching is in short supply. Let's assume Schmitty is worth $1M per win or $13M/year. That would mean the Dodgers are probably over-paying if they offer him more than a 3-year $39M deal, or a 4-year $52 million dollar deal.
My $0.02
Len
Posted by: Len Penzo | November 29, 2006 at 07:40 AM
I see the Times is reporting the Dodgers are going back to putting player's names on the back of their unis!
Now that is something to cheer about!
Len
Posted by: Len Penzo | November 29, 2006 at 07:42 AM
More evidence of Ned wanting character guys, who WANT to play for the Dodgers--the apparent interest in Mike Lieberthal. Although looking for home-grown players can go too far, losing Tampa Bay Toby wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. The Ritz-Carlton is Pasadena would lose one of its best customers, however(poor Toby).
Rob, hate to cut you out of your finder's fee, but I let LoLo know that if he wants to reach Scott Boras, all he has to do is dial 666.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | November 29, 2006 at 08:04 AM
I am almost glad that Boston made that ridiculous demand for Manny. It will make it easier for Ned to say no and to give the farm a chance.
Posted by: Kevin | November 29, 2006 at 08:43 AM
Len,
Whilst I generally agree with your principle that Jason Schmidt is good, but probably not a true ace, I think it's worth pointing out that I'm one of those who refuses to use wins as a measure of a pitcher's genuine effectiveness.
Why?
Because it's an offense dependant stat. Simplified, a pitcher is awarded a win if the offense whilst he's on the mound scores more runs than the opponents offense. So a pitcher with only a few wins may just have been unfortunate enough to pitch on days when the offense got shut down, or was just off form, but could still potentially pitch very well.
Me? I use League-adjusted ERA as a measure (I also steer clear of K/9, BB/K ratios) - mainly because I think the best measure of a pitcher is how often teams earn runs off him.
My 2 cents.
Posted by: Asa | November 29, 2006 at 08:55 AM
"Tampa Toby". Now that's funny.
Rob,
In my world, there are no area codes. Just me, Eva Longoria, the two Jessica's (Alba and Biel), and a bottle of Don.
After all, those ladies are wild. She-cats tamed by the purr of a jaguar.
And we all need Jaguars since nobody walks in LA.
Posted by: LoLo | November 29, 2006 at 09:14 AM