Gonzo. Not the Muppet.

After all the recent additions and subtractions, let's stand back and see where our roster is as of Wed. PM.

Schmidt Garciaparra
Lowe Kent
Penny Furcal
Wolf Betemit
Billingsly Anderson
Kuo Martinez
Tomko Saenz
Hendrickson Loney
Beimel Martin
Dessens Lieberthal
Broxton Ethier
Saito Pierre
Gonzalez (just announced)
(Kemp,Repko,Werth,Robles,Hall,Stults,Osoria,Miller
Houlton,D. Young)
Think we've got depth????

So does the Gonzalez signing mean the end of Jones, Wells, Burrell, Dunn, yada yada yada trades? If you look at our current roster, we still will HAVE to move multiple people just to clear roster space. So are we going to start making trades just to re-stock the farm system? Or do we still pursue a mega trade and relegate an Ethier or a Betemit to bench players? Maybe it's not an outfielder that we'll be after now. Maybe 3rd base may be an option after all. I could live with a Miguel Cabrerra, Alex Rodriguez (although he doesn't want to leave the Yankees), maybe even Beltre would rebound if moved back to LA. Betemit could be a "super-sub" this year and then be poised to take Kent's spot at second next year. I mention this because our outfield is quickly filling up with Gonzo,Pierre,Ethier,Repko,Werth,Kemp,Anderson, and Loney all on the roster and able to play outfield.

"It just keeps getting curious-er and curious-er."

I think its only a matter of time before we land at LEAST on big hitter. We are so loaded with young, perhaps not quite ready yet talent, that we certainly can afford to let one or two of them ago. Also if teams are throwing money at Lugo, Baez and Drew, I am sure they would jump at the chance to sign 'a proven winner' like Penny.

The signing of Gonzalez has some interesting implications if we are to believe he has been promised as teh left field starter.

The Dodgers are almost certainly shopping Penny for a big bat. But who could it be? If the Dodgers are comfortable with giving Ethier the right field job, and with Pierre in center -- why trade for another outfielder such as Vernon Wells?

I actually think the Dodgers should look to trade for a one particular third baseman named Scott Rolen. The guy is signed thru 2010 for $12M per year. The Cardinals deperately need pitching. We have the youngsters to throw in as well.

How about a trade package featuring Penny, Kemp, and Kuo? Or swap Ethier for Kemp in the deal and hope Kemp is ready in 2007. I'd hate to give up Andy LaRoche as the Dodgers will be needing him soon. I'd also hate to part with Loney.

But would that be enough?

Len

Gonzalez is now in left, Pierre is in center and Nomar is at 1st. So if we make this trade for a "slugger" everyone's talking about, where would he play? If he takes RF that means Ethier sits, as do Loney, Kemp and LaRoche. It doesn't make any sense. All of our major-league ready kids would be squeezed out in favor of high-priced veterans. And if we're going to trade for a slugging outfielder why would we sign Gonzalez?

I think I smell what The Rock is cooking…

Something tells me that Ethier just got turned into trade bait with the Gonzo signing. I have a hunch that Ned is going to go after Wells with a package of Penny and Ethier. In Penny they get a good pitcher, and in Ethier they get an up-and-coming outfielder to replace the void left by Wells.

The Gonzo signing covers Ned in four ways;
1. He now has the luxury of moving Ethier for another outfielder
2. If he can’t pull off a trade he has already assembled a starting OF
3. It leaves a spot open for Kemp in 2008. That way Kemp can continue to season down in AAA playing every day. And if he doesn’t pan out, we still have an option on Gonzo for 2008.
4. Gonzo’s production can replace a good portion of Princess’ numbers. It’s also a short-term commitment.

I think this is a very good signing. Either way, I think Ned will start trading some low-level surplus pitching for some pen help very soon. And if we do end up trading Penny, I am very comfortable with Billz in the 4-spot, and Kuo in the 5th.

LoLo you never cease to amaze with your constant references to past cliches. BK - How are things looking on the trade front? Are we close to a deal for LoLo yet? Did you negotiate the upgrade for the warranty on that laptop yet? I was thinking we could bring in a past-his-prime power-blogger who still has potential to be a solid producer. Isn't that what Ned did with the Gonzo thing? Past-his-prime power-hitter who still has a lot of potential?

In all seriousness, I'm very happy with this signing. With real hitters in front of him last season, Gonzo would've had 110 RBI. But the D-backs weren't (and aren't) exactly stacked for top of the order guys - with the exception of the up and coming Stephen Drew, of course.

Riddle me this…

Gagne “claimed” that he would give the Dodgers a discount. Reports are saying that the Dodgers offered him $4 million with a $6 million more in incentives. Apparently he turned that down because other clubs are said to be offering him $5 million and similar incentives. Now, I’m not a math major, but wouldn’t accepting $4 million instead of $5 million be considered a discount? I mean, was Gagne’s discount supposed to be accepting a $4,999,999.99 from us?

dodgerskip, LoLo,

It seems that signing Schmidt does pave the way to moving Penny for a bat but we are running out of positions to fill. I have been floating around the messge boards and it seems that Wells has made it pretty clear that he is not resigning with Toronto next year. It also seems that the Toronto GM liks Penny in spite of the fact that his stock is falling (probably because he is fat and has an attitude problem!). Of course, any move for Wells is contingent upon being able to resign him.

I like dodgerskip's idea about looking at 3B for a possible bat. The one guy who has not been talked about is Miguel Tejada. I don't even know if he is available but dude puts up numbers every year. Penny, Betemit, and (fill in the blank) for Tejada? Any takers?

Lolo,

The only way Ned should trade Penny AND Ethier for Wells, is if he can be assured that Wells will sign a long-term deal with the Dodgers. Otherwise, Penny and Ethier seems a bit too much for a one year rent-a-player.

My $0.02 (after taxes)

Len

I really like the fact that Ned is getting short contracts (exception Pierre). It gives us time to get out younguns ready for the bigs. Hopefully we can get Wells with an Ethier/Penny combo, from JA Adande's article, Ricciardi (BlueJays GM) has been interested.

Len,

Of course. I am writing under the assumption that if Ned trades for Wells or Jones that it would be contingent on them signing an extension. I should have mentioned that, but I assumed it was obvious.

I can live with Billz and Kuo at the back of the order.
Gonzo is a good acquisition.
Stove is red hot now.
I think it is better that Ned is getting his ducks in a row early instead of waiting and scrambling to fill holes with players you really were not all that interested in at the beginning of the off season..
Now we have a lot of flexibility and we can sit back and listen to offers until the right one comes along.

Nils,

You got something against pancakes?

Penny and Ethier or Kemp for Wells would be fantastic.
Throw in Bombko and Dessens.
How are the Jays fixed at catcher?
Toby Hall might help get a deal done.

Murph,
I agree for the most part but LONG TERM K's are ok too. If it's a CORE player you want to have for awhile to bring stability, you need that too... otherwise, you'll be filling in holes every year. If the player is right, lock him up.

Lolo,
Agreed! What is Gagne thinking? If it is true that he was offered $4 million and w/ incentives can reach $10 million, then he is a flat out hypocrite. I see Boras using the initial offer of $4 mil to get the offer of $5 million from others and now trying to get the Dodgers to up the stakes BUT Gagne should put a stop to the bidding war and salvage some goodwill....especially to the loyal Dodger fans who have supported him the past 2 years, when he has done NOTHING but raised our parking and ticket prices.

Skipper/SM4E,
I like the idea of looking for power at 3rd but I think we definitely don't have to trade for one NOW. I like our team as is and I think BETEMIT, given a full year now will be a legitimate power hitter... and if not, LaRoche is not far behind. However, if we were to look for power from 3rd via trade, I would agree AROD, CABRERA, and TEJADA But NOT BELTRE!!??? Been there, done that. That's like saying, let's get J.D. Drew back in a couple of years??!!! Beltre had ONE spectacular year and besides that has been mediocre... (no track record of success, that Ned likes) We definitely can get Mediocre from Betemit or LaRoche if not more.

Meche just committed to the Royals. That HAS TO increase our chances of landing Wells wince Toronto was in the running for Meche and have already lost Lilly to the Cubs. Besides, Fox Sports is reporting that they're high on Penny...

"Brad Penny, the National League starter in the All-Star game, is the most likely trade bait because his temper problems became tiresome to the Dodgers and he had a poor second half. However, executives from other teams said Penny's stock has dropped to the point that it could be difficult for the Dodgers to deal him for a proven hitter unless they also include at least one top prospect. A possible trade partner could be the Toronto Blue Jays, whose general manager, J.P. Ricciardi, likes Penny. Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells has one year left on his contract and isn't likely to re-sign with Toronto, so Ricciardi could be open to trading him".

Hey LoLo,
I agree on your Gagne discount comment. I also think that it's his turn to take it where the sun don't shine. I mean he got paid like $19M for about 13 innings in a two year span. And now he wants a guaranteed $5M/year. Come on , he should be thinking of trying to pay back that money to the dodgers, If he really means he bleeds dodger blue, He said that in a comment a while back...

Hmmm... curioser and curioser

If a trade for Vernon Wells is in the works, the Ethier or Kemp must be included. Ethier is a relatively known quantity, who proved last year that he is can hit for average and have a little pop. Kemp is the mystery, who has tremendous power potential, but who knows if and when he will blossom? Do you look to the future and keep Kemp to play in '08, or Ethier as insurance against Gonzalez and his creaky legs?

Here's why I don't think such a trade will happen: Where will everyone play? Right now, Pierre is in center, flanked by Gonzales and Ethier, which is fine. But Wells is a CF, and a much better one than Pierre, so he will take over up the middle if he comes to the Dodgers. Where do the others go? RF is a pretty important defensive position, and one that requires good arm strength. That forces Pierre to left, but is anyone comfortable with a 39 year old in right? If Wells can be persuaded to play RF for one season, the controversy ends, but that just adds to the strings attached when talking about bringing Vernon Wells into the mix, and I have a feeling that's more risk than Colletti is comfortable with.

Len, your Rolen idea is interesting, but in that case, either Betemit or LaRoche will have to go in place of Ethier or Kemp.

Jim,

Nice catch!! (pun intended). The Jays just lost Molina to the Gnats, so they might be interested in a package that includes Hall. Right now they have Gregg Zaun, and our old friend Jason Phillips, on their roster.

LoLo -
LMAO!! Didn't see that coming at all.

Gagne and Boras can have their money! I hope Gagne signs with the BoSox and flops!!! Just to give Boras what he's got coming! Think of the headline "Ex-Dodgers show Boston why they are EX-dodgers. Injuries plague Red Sox - Scott Boras ex-communicated."

No way Ned gets Wells without a long term commitment.

I hope Gag-me's arm falls off if he signs with another team. That would be pretty low if he does that. I would hope he drowns in his own BS!

My keyboard is getting HOT with all the trade conjecture and scenarios!! Keep it going guys!

Interesting ideas about Rolen. He has been sorta injury prone the past few years hasn't he? If so Colletti might not be inclined to go after him given the fact Nomar and Kent are held together with duct-tape, bubble gum & bailing wire (or barbed wire in the case of Kent.)

But the possibility of AJones, Tejada or even Arod would actually make sense.

In the case of Jones it would seem that Ethier is on the block. In the other case the whole idea is intersting. What other power guys are out there playing 3rd? Who has not been thought of so far? Asking because, really I dunno...it certainly does seem, unless Ethier is on the block, the only place the Dodgers can add power is at 3rd.

Looks like the Dodgers weren't major players in the Rule 5 draft.

BTW,

Not only did Gagne turn our offer down, he's talking with the Gnats, amongst others.

I'm more intreted in getting Rolen than Wells as of now. Ethier played good for us last year. Kemp had the burst of brillance and then nothing afterwards. I'd say we trade away Betemit with Penny to the Cards for Rolen. But, to be honest I really am perfectly fine with this team for right now. Lets see what happens during the season and then if needed make a trade. I don't want to see us give up our young guys.

i think that we are good with what we have, u can never have too much pitching. in the land of the blind we can see with all of our surplus pitching people are going to get hurt dont forget about that. Were going to hit, not as much "pop" but the dodgers will score runs.

Lo Lo:
Your post is right except that I'm still uneasy w/ Kuo and Bills at the end of the rotation. I'd feel better w/ Mulder or Suppan there. Maybe Tomko or Timber will bounce back.

Makoto,

Penny and Betimit, not Kemp, should be the logical starting point for Rolen. I totally forgot about Betemit when I suggested the original proposal. But I don't want the Dodgers to move LaRoche if they don't have to becuase I think he has more upside than Betemit. But if they had to I would reluctantly agree.

Grumpy,

Rolen is surprisingly durable. He is only 31. Working backward, he has averaged 136 games per season. Over the last 6 seasons he has played (2006 backward) 142, 56, 142, 154, 155, and 151 games per season.

If you want injury prone, check out D.L. Drew who has never played in more than 146 games in any season and has averaged 118 games over his last 8 seasons.

LoLo,

It might have seemed obvious to you, but I wanted to make sure Ned understood that too (I'm sure he monitors this blog daily for ideas - LOL!), considering Ned's penchant for trading for rent-a-players in 2006.

Len

TWO GONZO STATS FROM LAST YEAR:

2-29 AT DODGER STADIUM.

.235 WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION.

LOLO- YOU NEED A GOOD AGENT. SOMEONE LIKE,SAY
JEFF BORASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

A PLAYER W/BORASSSSSSSSS AS HIS AGENT IS NOT GOING
TO GIVE ANYONE A DISCOUNT. ANYONE WHO CHOOSES
BORASS IS A MONEY GRUBBING SOB.

SKIP- THX FOR THE INFO. IF BRAZOBAN IS OK, COULD
BE A BIG ADDITION TO BULLPEN. I GOTTA THINK A
LOT OF TEAMS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HALL OR HENDRICKSON, EVEN IF THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF VALUE TO THE
DODGERS.

GOTTA THINK NED IS SETTING UP FOR ONE BIG TRADE.
IF THE TEAM ON THE OTHER END IS REASONABLE, HE
WILL PULL IT OFF. TORONTO'S INTEREST IN PENNY
IS ENCOURAGING. HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE SECOND
HALF OF LAST SEASON WAS HORRIBLE. IF WE COULD
RID OF HIM, WE COULD HAVE 5 STARTERS WITH 7-9
INNING POTENTIAL.

Len,

Thanks for the info on Rolen. I don't know why I had it in my head he was sorta fragile.

As we all know about the Princess...hehehe...I think we kinda sorta named her here.. :D

Things are looking even more interesting now. Meche signed with the ROYALS...how bad is it to play in Toronto if players are leaving and going to KC...ON PURPOSE!!

This might be significant in terms of V.wells being traded for pitching. The Dodgers could easily trade Penny now and Toronto seems to like the guy...

Would you be willing to trade Penny for a year of V.wells and then try and sign him if all goes well during the season? Is that worth the risk? I would imagine the deal would likely be Penny and Ethier for V.wells and ???

Hmmmmm...fun stuff happening this year.

Timber, Ethier and Hall for 1 year of Wells would work for me.

Grumpy,

Maybe Meche loves him some Godfather's Pizza. $55 million buys you a lot of pizza up in KC. HAHA!

Meche must love that KC BBQ!!!!!!!!
Hendrickson, Bomko, Dessens, Penny, it doesn't matter. Get rid of one, two or all of them. I think Hendrickson is the best one to keep as he did a good job in the bullpen and he does have a history of eating innings. Of course he could swing the deal as he pitched in the AL East and had some degree of success. Throw in Hall to git-r-done. Don't do the rent a player for Wells. Get the particulars of the trade in order and give Wells 5 or 6 years at 15 to 16 million per year. Lock his ass up and build around him for the next 5 years. One year of Wells in right is not going to be a problem in my opinion. If it is, Gonzo in right is no worse than Princess. Repko can fill in everywhere.
I'm psyched about the possibilities!!!!

Dodgers should stay with current roster. Wells is an older Kemp, give him 2 years he will be the same player as V.Wells if not better.

mmmmmmmmmm....pizza......LoLo is making me crave my fav pizza. It's from Pagliacci's in Seattle. BEST PIZZA EVER...of course the huge problem is the cost pizza $25; airfair, cab, hotel room -- $500. But it's almost worth it!

Yeah, I guess Meche either has a slump buster in KC or really loves the pizza & BBQ there, because beyind that he isn't heading there to win anything anytime soon. Unless the plan is to run up some numbers playing for a so-so team then KC might trade him to a contending team in the next couple years. Of course they might have snuck in the Outting-Drew clause. ???

The Dodgers are ready, right now.
Ethier in right, Pierre and Gonzo being rotated with Kemp. 2007 will be Kemp's year and I would gamble on him being full time by the all-star break and showing big power numbers. Start the season.

JoRu,
I hope you are correct. I can live with the current roster.

Everyone keeps making this big deal about blocking Kemp in center. Read the reports, he's valued much more highly as a corner outfielder. He's got CF speed, but that's it. He doesn't track straight line drives well, his routes suck, but his arm is great. He's a natural right fielder. Up until '06, that was pretty much all he played. Then he comes to LA and Grady tries to make a CF out of him cuz he's fast. CF, SS, and C are the hardest positions out there, in my book.

Nils-

That's basically what Colletti said when I asked him if Pierre would be an impediment to him getting to L.A. Not that he couldn't be a CF one day, but for the time being, it'll be easier for him to come up and play at a corner than in the middle. Personally, I think all of these moves- two years for Nomar, Gonzo, Pierre, Colletti consistently emphasizing how little he's played, his potential, his youth (that's a biggie)- all point to an attempt to give him a full year at AAA next season w/o the pressure of having to bring him up.

BK

BK & Nils:

I agree about Kemp being a corner OF not a CF. CF is just a different game all together. And from the glimpses I had of Kemp this season, he is no CF guy at all. I think CF is a position, like SS, that a guy is born to and not converted to. It has to all be there. They need speed of course, but also excellent eyesight & depth perception. They need to be able to gauge the toughest ball hit to them. That is the one right at'em. Not everyone can do that w/o some angle on the ball. That is why a good CF guy is tough to find and when they get one teams seem to wanna keep 'em.

Kemp spending a year on the QT in LV sounds perfect. He still has a ton of baseball to learn I am sure. The team is fine as is, except for the unhappy catcher, Hall and well, the Dodgers version of David Wells, Brad Penny...big tub of goo on the mound. Too bad he only looks like him and does not oitch like him yet...