Question of the Day- On Architecture and Report Cards

Well put, all of it. We have the best rotation in the game, but our bullpen looks a little pricey with Hendrickson, Tomko, etc. in there. We've got kids that can pitch in the bullpen, it's just a matter of giving them that chance. So, I say trade a couple "extra" starters and put Kuo in the rotation!!! He struggles out of the bullpen but he was a ROCK last year starting. Trade Penny to make room for Kuo in the 5 spot.

Schmidt
Lowe
Wolf
C-Bill
Kuo

Then we've got two lefties in our rotation, 3 fastball guys, a control guy, and a sinkerballer. As for Ned's Lack of success in finding us a power hitter, I think the "power bat" is over-rated. Baseball runs in cycles, and we're getting out of a power-hitter era and into a small-ball/pitcher era. I think we're going to see a lot more teams over the next few years letting their starting pitchers go deeper into games, giving more baserunners the "green light", and pining after a hitter like Brett Butler that practically played tennis with his baseball bat. Sure, everyone will still oooh and aaaah when Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, or Alex Rodriguez cranks one so deep that it ends up in a different zip code - but that won't be what's winning games.

That said, Ned did exactly what he should have for this team. He's playing to the game in 2 or 3 years - he picked up a speedy baserunner, a couple solid starters, and kept the parts of our team that have been reliable in years past. All without giving up another prospect. I give Ned an A- only because his over-exuberance may have made it so that Kuo and C-Bill can't both be in the same rotation this year.

I completely agree with the positive review on Ned's performance in the off-season. I understand a lot of the negative posts on Pierre's length for the contract, but I want to tell people, "wait and see". Context is everything, and Ned did the best he could do with what the Free agency was like and what people wanted in return for top prospects. I am excited about this season, and I can't wait to see more runs scored through hits (and not just the long ball)

This all kind of reminds me of when you lose a favorite character on a tv show, only to find out the person just didn't want to be there anymore.

I know, lame analogy, but it is close.

I like the potential lineup. I think the rotation is definitely one of, if not the, best barring injuries of course. And with the bullpen we should be in good shape.

I think Ned did the right thing in his approach. With Kris Benson going down for surgery, I was looking at the Orioles roster to see who they might have to trade. Alas, they have nobody I'd want. However, that is exactly the type of situation that might arise during spring training where our "glut" of starters might make somebody with a bat available.

Butch

I'm okay with trading Penny, but I don't think you just trade him to make room for someone else. I think you trade him for something you need. He's an all-star pitcher who won 16 games; despite the many knocks on him that should still carry some serious value. Maybe it wasn't enough to get Vernon Wells, but I still think you hold out for some good value in return. I don't think you just dump him to make room for Kuo. I'd like to see Kuo in the rotation too, but I worry about his arm. I'd hate to trade all our surplus starters only to wind up having injuries make us short on pitching.

It's nice to see that Ned agreed with me and made a move for Scott Rolen. I still say, that Rolen -- and not Vernon Wells, was the player the Dodgers needed to focus on getting in the off-season. That said, I think Betemit will surprise a few people this year and give the Dodgers 25 homers this season.

On another topic, and I've said this now so many times I sound like a broken record, but Theo Epstein is a joke. How did this guy ever get to be an MLB general manger?

I mean, really. Broxton, Loney and Kemp for ManRam? That kind of proposal only proves my point that Epstein has officially reached his level of incompetance.

Len

BK,
Agree except as Nils stated above about the Power Hitter. I think we can win the whole thing w/o the power guy. I've debated on here before about the power hitter and although I think it would definitely help and couldn't hurt, I'm fine with our line up as is. You have to remember that last year was an "INJURY PRONE" year and players like Kent and Nomar didn't produce in the power category to their capabilities. And if all the "potential" is realized, guys like Betemit can be a legitimate power guy who hits 25-30 HR's. Further, Dodgers Stadium is not known as a HITTER FRIENDLY park, so even if we got a "Power" guy, he might not produce as much as he had in previous years. Ryan Howard might not hit 50 HR's in Dodgers Stadium. That being said, I like our chances to reach the Series and once there I think our guys compete in power but DOMINATE in pitching, speed, and situational smart hitting. We lost to the Mets b/c our bubble got burst thanks to the idiot running around third with his head between his legs and killing our momentum. Had we won the first game, I believe we win the series. Baseball is a funny game and momentum and key events really help determine who wins. Thats why the Cards won last year... if baseball was about strictly about power batters and great players, then the Yankees should win every year. They don't and that's because chemistry, smart team ball, along with talent and desire wins games. Dodgers got that this year.... NED's grade SOLID A... if we somehow don't make it to the playoffs, Ned you get an B+. If we make it to the Series A+

Just think, if Penny is our #3 starter, he will be matched up with the #3 starters for most teams. Should be advantage Dodgers! Problem with Penny last year was he was a #1 type starter in the first half and #4 or 5 in second half. Hopefully, this year we get more consistency throughout the season.

I agree with keeping him and I also think we can win with what we have. Unless a deal comes down the pike that Ned just can't refuse, we should stick with this group of guys. We didn't have a power bat last year and were still scored a lot of runs. Let's not overpay for 1 player by giving up our advantage on the mound.

People, people... have we not learned the lessons that it's never a bad thing to have too many quality arms ready to go? There's not a hitter out there, otherwise the trade would have been made. Keep the arms! Keep all of them! Someone's going to tear a rotator cuff, fall off a barstool or completely forget how to pitch and we'll need to shuffle things around. It WILL happen, it happens every year to every team.

Remember, this staff isn't 100% full season material. Kuo and Billingsley haven't pitched full seasons. I'd like to see a full, quality season from Penny. Wolf is coming off surgery.

KEEP EVERY ARM! GET MORE! HOARD THEM! STEAL THEM! HOLD THEM FOR RANSOM!

I really like our team as it stands now. There's a good reliable pitching rotation all around, and there's two rabbits on the bases. With these two rabbits on base I think it makes opposing pitchers throw more pitches in the strike zone for Garciaparra, Kent or anyone who can get on base. I think the best thing Colleti did, was something he didn't do and that's to get rid of The princess.
Anyway, Colleti gets an A- for having done what he did with what he had..
Can't wait to get the season started.

I agree with the general premise here, that Ned did a good job (again)and the Dodgers are in good shape. That's not to say that mistakes weren't made (we won't know until the season is underway and we see how Gagne, Maddox, et al perform), but if you're not making mistakes, you're not doing enough. I think Ned showed sound logic in his decisions, and I am very excited to get this thing going! And also very very very excited about the Dodger future. Now let's play ball!

I couldn't agree more with the "keep LOTS of arms" sentiments.

I think, Drew did the Dodgers a favor. We lost his near constant health issues and his leaving kept Ethier out of the stopgap role of centerfielder until Kemp could prove himself in the bigs. Ethier is just not a true major league CF, but Pierre is and I'm so glad we didn't waste money on a guy like Carlos Lee in left. Pierre's speed, in concert with Furcal will change the whole character of our offense and rightly so in non-power-hitter-friendly Dodger Stadium. This in turn gives Loney a regular-if not everyday place to play (LF & 1st) as Grady will again work his magic of getting near full year production out of aging stars like Gonzo, Kent and Nomar. Can you imagine the pressure that would have been on Loney if he'd been given the starting 1st base job replacing the hometown star that Nomar quickly became last year? I love what Ned is doing. He obviously values a deep bench (hooray!), the young guys and knows to bring them on steadily. All in all 2007 has the potential to be a memorable season on many levels.

this is the most excited i have been in a long time for dodger baseball. I feel my team is in good hands with ned he makes me sleep easy at night!!! i agree with the arms keep em all unless u can get rolan{ a power hitting gold glove third baseman doesnt come around very often} and im glad the dodgers didnt get sucked into the 100 million dollar player blowout, we have done that dance before and it never works out. its not the money its the YEARS these guys are getting.

I think the team has improved. I think we will go as far as Kent and Nomar can physically take us.
If we can get 4 or 5 guys to hit 20 to 30 HR's we should be ok power wise.
There are only a few HR hitters that don't strike out a million times anyway. And I want to see this team put the ball in play and whatever happens, happens. THAT is fun baseball.

With this team the pressure is off the young bats and arms, and that could mean some above average production from the kids.

I can't wait for the first pitch!

I agree. My biggest concern is with the age of the middle of the batting order, Nomar, Kent & Gonzo. We are depending on these guys for the power. If they go down the season is going to be a long one.

Coletti is the best GM the Dodgers have had since I can remember. He truly understands that players are people and people win games. When a player is happy and where he wants to be, he will perform up to his potential and beyond...ergo his approach of seeking out talent that really cares about being a Dodger. I cannot overstate how valuable this phenomena is today and in the future. There is not a single malcontent I can see on this club (the only one we had from last year up and went to the BoSox). The Dodgers are the most talented team in the West on paper, but as a group of ballers are perhaps the most personally satisfied with their circumstances in the game today. This will be the critical difference. Just look at the 2002 Angels for more evidence of this effect.

On another note, I wonder how Grady is going to handle Ethier if he starts hitting .360 or .370 and is able to avoid the K like he was doing for much of the year in '06. Can he possibly afford to have him in the 7 or 8 hole with those kind of numbers? I think if this happens you gotta look at him as a two hitter behind Furcal and in front of Nomar and Kent. Pierre, unless he plays over his head, should be in the 6 spot ahead of Betemit/Laroche and Martin/Lieberthal. This combo will produce significant runs from the bottom half of the order and make the top half that much more deadly.

Lastly, don't trade Penny. He really began to emerge as a true #1 guy during the first half last year. I think he tweaked his arm during that explosive display in the All-Star game and threw himself out of his rhythm for some time after that. Look for him to learn to pace himself better now that he knows he has a damn good chance of being a go to guy in the playoffs this year.

I had a dream last night that the dodgers started 20-2 and all the sport's writers were saying "damn, sure didn't see that coming"....hey but we did!!! Anyway, I guy can dream can't he?

Rob-

Oh yeah, I don't think power is the be all end all by any means (remember, I grew up watching Whitey Herzog's Cards teams in the 80s, which were very good, ran all over, and generally had no power). I think in the end, it's the number of runs a team puts on the board that matters, and the Dodgers should be able to score. Like I wrote, where I think a lack of a true power bat- someone who is feared in the other dugout- could hurt them is in the playoffs. It's much harder to manufacture runs in the postseason than it is in the regular. You don't see as many fourth and fifth starters, bullpens get shortened, etc.

Like you say, it's not a requirement, but it would be nice.

BK

I give him a B. I like what he has done with the pitching, but for the life of me I can't understand Juan Pierre. He's like a Corvair, terrible at any price. I understand Lee and Soriano were way too expensive, that doesn't mean power hitters won't be available ever again at reasonable prices. Juan Pierre is the only contract beyond 3 years Colletti has given, unquestionably to the guy least deserving of it. He gets an above average SS in the prime of his career for 3 years. He gets a top of the rotation starter in an insane market for 3 years. So why 5 years for Pierre? If he was told by his agent he had a 4 year deal from another team, what made Colletti think he absolutely had to have Pierre that bad by giving him another year when he's never followed that thought process before? I mean, he swooped on Furcal right before he signed with the Cubs for more years and guaranteed money.

The game is definitely not moving to some small ball renaissance. Power is still what the game is all about offensively. Dodger Stadium is considered a neutral park to homeruns by most metrics, and less of a pitchers park than it used to be with less foul territory. The lack of power is concerning, and none of our prospects project to be some kind of Ryan Howard. If Pierre can't keep his batting average up, we're in a lot of trouble because .270 something isn't going to cut it from a punch and judy hitter.

i disagree with all the pierre is bad talk. i dont think we have a "true" CF in the farm system, and i dont think that gary matthews is worth wat he got. im pretty sure pierre has had 200 hits in the last 5 years w/ a .300 average to go along with his awesome legs. hes an upgrade from kenny lofton. pure and simple. and he busts his tail.

Taking into consideration that Colletti had to navigate around that most evil of sharks known as Scott Boras, I think his grade is an "A" all around. You'll never hear them say it out loud, for fear of making the guy who got them all of their money mad, but I don't think any of them wanted to play for a different team.... They were told to look elsewhere by their agent (The worse thing that ever happened to baseball), who clearly has it out for Ned Colletti. Had Ned been able to keep Maddux, Penny would have been traded for certain. I'm not wild about converted starters in the bullpen, but who do you trade them for? What team is going to give up anybody worth taking? This is clearly a case of the devil you know, versus the one you traded Brad Penny for.

i forgot wat happened with the seats at dodger stadium--did we scoot em up or move em farther away from the players. (please excuse the double-post)

BK:

Funny you mention the 80s era in baseball. It has been on my mind that perhaps the Colletti-Little combo had an epiphany this off-season. Given this move away from the steroid/HGH era baseball might be returning to the execution/pitching styles that won consistently in the 70s and 80s. When 25-30 HRs was a GOOD number and 100 RBI's really meant something. That era pitching was so very important and no team outside of the Big Red Machine teams won w/o outstanding pitching and defense. Face it the BRM did not have great pitching or great defense. They had timely pitching...Pedro Bourbon...need I say more? I still cannot believe he was a Dodger for a brief instant...ewwwwww!!!

I am thinking that the Dodgers are getting the jump on the rest of baseball by hording pitching over hitting. And I think the HR numbers will being to decline to a point then the umpires will crunch down the strike zone again to keep the game "interesting" for soccer-mom's/ You know the ones who find soccer a great exciting game yet consider baseball dull and low-brow...daaang I think I am ovulating or something...I HATE THAT.

I just get a good feeling from the team. It's a collection of players who are good character/baseball guys, yeah even Kent the rat bastage he is for ever playing in 'frisco. No referring to themselves in the 3rd person (read "El Canon"...what-a-maroooon) and crap like that...they just play the game and have fun earning millions and maybe win a championship along the way. I do agree there needs to be one guy who can change a game with one swing. But perhaps that guy will be someone who doubles with the bases loaded or drives in runs every 5th or 6th time up. This team for some reason brings to mind the '76 Dodgers team that was just getting going and rolled on for pretty much the next decade. It's just the pitching is not quite there based on last season. But it might be close enough.

;)

Choo!

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070214&content_id=1801853&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

Colletti has done an above average job as GM this offseason--I'd give him a B+. As others have noted, he improved an already good club without sacrificing the future, a feat all the more remarkable when early into the offseason both what Colletti had hoped (signing Soriano) and what he did not expect (Drew opting out) put him back a few steps before he got started. Remember how before he snagged Schmidt and Wolf, and had only signed Pierre, and that for five years, there was a little cloud of darkness and doubt on whether Colletti had lost the touch he displayed his first year? Now, with spring training about to start, I am pleased with what Colletti has accomplished, but it's all the more impressive considering how things began. The other thing to appreciate is Colletti still did what he did in a market where other GM's ridiculously overspent and overcommitted. Each GM has to compete against all others for a limited number of players, but when a majority have free agent-itis and are reckless about their teams' futures, it only makes the work of the sensible GM even more difficult. Colletti deserves praise for sticking to his principles, not losing his head when other GM's had lost theirs, and showing flexibility to pursue plans B & C when plan A fell through, mainly because the winning offer was so ridiculous.

Then why don't I give him an A or A-, especially since many of the rest of the class of GM's didn't deserve even C's? Well, it's not because the signing of Pierre for a 5 year contract, which I agree is two years too long, brings Colletti down a whole mark. My main reason is one that has not been mentioned, a need Colletti has not addressed even though it cost the team too many games during the season last year (and thus first place in the division), and was the main reason for the 3 game sweep by the Mets. Scoring runs last year, including in the playoffs, was not the Dodger's problem. Holding a lead, or worse, losing it again after the offense had come back from a significant deficit, was the killer. I'm talking horrible middle relief, which had too many opportunities to give the game away with a rotation posting only 5 inning starts. (And Wolf, although not Schmidt thank goodness, has the same can't make it past the 5th weakness.) Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that the Dodgers had the best win record in the majors for a team leading after the starter came out? And that wasn't just due to Gagne at the time, since the middle relief corps was able to give him a lead to save in the first place. Colletti's (and Little's) basic approach last year was to make relievers out of ex-starters, with mediocre results (some success at first giving way to a sinking dread whenever the starter came out). Considering that Colletti hasn't even focused upon, let alone addressed, the problem of middle relief, and has stocked up a surplus of starters, he seems content to repeat the the same mistake this year. I realize finding middle relief pitching is a lower priority than starters and closers, and that with the bullpen a certain "we'll find out during the season what works and what doesn't" approach tends to be the norm in the big leagues. Still, that doesn't mean that you go again with what didn't work last season, using the same pitchers who always seemed to make a mess of the 6th & 7th before we could give the ball to Broxton in the 8th and Saito in the 9th. I can't give Colletti the highest grade because he had not done anything for one of the biggest weaknesses, and this puts the one damper to my genuine enthusiasm and realistic hope for a great season from the Dodgers in 2007.

By the way, I don't fault Colletti for not resigning Gagne; he seriously tried and Gagne/Boras refused a generous offer. But if Gagne returns to form this year, I won't be able to keep from wondering about a great what could have been: Broxton in the 7th, Saito 8th, Gagne 9th. Seeing how this would have handily addressed the problem of middle relief carrying over into this year, I pray the absence of Gagne is not felt all the more because the 6th or 7th inning remains the team's nemesis.

Colletti has done an above average job as GM this offseason--I'd give him a B+. As others have noted, he improved an already good club without sacrificing the future, a feat all the more remarkable when early into the offseason both what Colletti had hoped (signing Soriano) and what he did not expect (Drew opting out) put him back a few steps before he got started. Remember how before he snagged Schmidt and Wolf, and had only signed Pierre, and that for five years, there was a little cloud of darkness and doubt on whether Colletti had lost the touch he displayed his first year? Now, with spring training about to start, I am pleased with what Colletti has accomplished, but it's all the more impressive considering how things began. The other thing to appreciate is Colletti still did what he did in a market where other GM's ridiculously overspent and overcommitted. Each GM has to compete against all others for a limited number of players, but when a majority have free agent-itis and are reckless about their teams' futures, it only makes the work of the sensible GM even more difficult. Colletti deserves praise for sticking to his principles, not losing his head when other GM's had lost theirs, and showing flexibility to pursue plans B & C when plan A fell through, mainly because the winning offer was so ridiculous.

Then why don't I give him an A or A-, especially since many of the rest of the class of GM's didn't deserve even C's? Well, it's not because the signing of Pierre for a 5 year contract, which I agree is two years too long, brings Colletti down a whole mark. My main reason is one that has not been mentioned, a need Colletti has not addressed even though it cost the team too many games during the season last year (and thus first place in the division), and was the main reason for the 3 game sweep by the Mets. Scoring runs last year, including in the playoffs, was not the Dodger's problem. Holding a lead, or worse, losing it again after the offense had come back from a significant deficit, was the killer. I'm talking horrible middle relief, which had too many opportunities to give the game away with a rotation posting only 5 inning starts. (And Wolf, although not Schmidt thank goodness, has the same can't make it past the 5th weakness.) Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that the Dodgers had the best win record in the majors for a team leading after the starter came out? And that wasn't just due to Gagne at the time, since the middle relief corps was able to give him a lead to save in the first place. Colletti's (and Little's) basic approach last year was to make relievers out of ex-starters, with mediocre results (some success at first giving way to a sinking dread whenever the starter came out). Considering that Colletti hasn't even focused upon, let alone addressed, the problem of middle relief, and has stocked up a surplus of starters, he seems content to repeat the the same mistake this year. I realize finding middle relief pitching is a lower priority than starters and closers, and that with the bullpen a certain "we'll find out during the season what works and what doesn't" approach tends to be the norm in the big leagues. Still, that doesn't mean that you go again with what didn't work last season, using the same pitchers who always seemed to make a mess of the 6th & 7th before we could give the ball to Broxton in the 8th and Saito in the 9th. I can't give Colletti the highest grade because he had not done anything for one of the biggest weaknesses, and this puts the one damper to my genuine enthusiasm and realistic hope for a great season from the Dodgers in 2007.

By the way, I don't fault Colletti for not resigning Gagne; he seriously tried and Gagne/Boras refused a generous offer. But if Gagne returns to form this year, I won't be able to keep from wondering about a great what could have been: Broxton in the 7th, Saito 8th, Gagne 9th. Seeing how this would have handily addressed the problem of middle relief carrying over into this year, I pray the absence of Gagne is not felt all the more because the 6th or 7th inning remains the team's nemesis.

Michael D,

Like BK stated above don't underestimate speed. His Cards were a championship team in the 80's. They were a good fun team to watch play too. That's why Ned was ok with bringing in Pierre. To have speed opens up another aspect to the game. Usually only good things happen when one has speed and if you don't have speed you better be able to hit HR's. Because he couldn't get the BIG HR BAT he needed, he got the next best thing for the price and he had a serious need for some stability in the outfield and couldn't risk being shut out. So to me, Ned getting Pierre makes all the baseball sense and I'm thankful we got him. Pierre is in his prime and we should get solid consistent play from him for the next 5 years.

I totally agree with Michael D. Signing Pierre is way too awful. And look what Ned says about Pierre:

"Pierre gets on base an awful lot."

Pierre played only 3 more games but committed 47 more outs than Furcal did last year. That states about "16 more outs committed per game".

Gets on base an awful lot? You tell me...

I totally agree with Michael D. Signing Pierre is way too awful. And look what Ned says about Pierre:

"Pierre gets on base an awful lot."

Pierre played only 3 more games but committed 47 more outs than Furcal did last year. That states about "16 more outs committed per game".

Gets on base an awful lot? You tell me...

I LOVE THE DODGERS. I LOVE NED. I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON TO START!!!!!!!

A+++++

Although I am not crazy about the Juan Pierre signing, I can't understand all the venom dished at him. True he has a weak arm and OPS, but he is consistent, puts the bat on the ball, runs well, and works hard. And mostly, he is a proven MAJOR LEAGUE CENTER FIELDER, something the Dodgers simply don't have. As to the length of contract, while scratching my head, I have to give the benefit of the doubt to Coletti. And if there aren't trade restrictions, if and when a better option at center becomes available I am sure there will be no forseeable problem trading a guy like Pierre. Speaking of center fielders, does anyone know where the Dodgers will be grooming Kemp to play, assuming he starts the season in Las Vegas? I am under the assumption that they don't think he has the makings of a center fielder. Will they try to force him there or will they put him in right and see how he does? With the signing of Choo Choo it looks like that will be the case. Any thoughts?

Dodger Dog quote "Coletti is the best GM the Dodgers have had since I can remember."

Agreed, but I also feel that Evans was a great G.M. as well.

Retrograde,

I agree with you about Colletti's disregard for middle relief. The bullpen is an area that could bit the Dodgers in the rear again this season.

That said, middle relievers tend to be a crapshoot. Other than the top closers and setup-men, you never know what you're going to get from a reliever from one season to the next. Decent relievers came with huge price tags (Speier, Baez), or strings attached (Borowski), so I can understand why Colletti wasn't too keen on signing any 'good relievers' this winter. With all the extra arms that he stockpiled in the last few weeks, there's a good chance that one of the reclamation projects will put up some decent numbers this year out of the bullpen. If not, there are still a few promising arms in the minor league system to fill the void.

bluebleeder:

You make a great point. Evans was the guy who got the Dodgers on the way back. Some forget how good his last team was...

It's funny because I had a discussion with a guy a few weeks back who was all up in arms about it being, now get ready for this, DEPUDESTA who setup everything for Colletti...worse the dude was SERIOUS about that...I simply had to shake my head and walk away...I mean what could you say to someone who is such obvious short bus material?

I was actually suprised they fired Evans in favor of DePUDesta. Evans was a good baseball guy too who simply got caught in a no win situation.

Something that we all need to remember about the middle relief...they were BURNT by the end of the year. Because the starters failed to do their job the entire season. I never checked but the Dodger starters must have been near the bottom of the league in average innings per start for the starting rotation. The only decent guys were Lowe and Billz...the rest, including Maddux, stunk up the place. I forgive Maddux cuz the guy is OLD but he can't get past 70-75 pitches on a regular basis anymore.

so the pen might not be as bad as we think. It was likely influenced by the sheer number of innings the pen had to deliver every darned night.

Hi DCDodger,

Let's say we need a "PROVEN MAJOR LEAGUE CENTER FIELDER" who can be a stopgap till Matt Kemp is well developed. The best option is Ned should re-sign Kenny Lofton for another single year. Lofton got on bases much more than Pierre, Lofton's successful SB ratio is way too better than Pierre, and it's very difficult to find someone who hit only 12 HRs in 6+ seasons.

The reason many fans don't like Pierre's deal is not because the 45M but it's crazy 5-year length. Think about it: If Kemp (we are not talking about Ethier and Loney here since both of the kids are way way way too better than Pierre) is well developed in one or two years, will Grady (or someone else) bench the 9M and put the 0.4M on field? Or you are talking about Kemp cannot be better player than Pierre?

Again, the key point is the length of Pierre's contract. It's totally ridiculous. Moreover, if consistent means "consistently bad", that will be awful.

Hi Morikawa Blue,
I would agree with you, but I don't think the Dodgers are grooming Kemp to be the center fielder of the future. I remember hearing talk about that last year. So if he is the right fielder of the future, the Dodgers only had the oft injured Repko to play center once Drew left. And there are no center fielders in the system even close to being ready. So I think what all this tells us is that the Dodgers don't feel that Kemp will be a center fielder, at least not for now. And, as I mentioned before, although it is a 5 year contract, I don't think there is a no trade clause, so they can move Pierre if and when a better option emerges.

I got my pre season MLB.TV all ready to go. Now all I need are some games.

Pierre might be consistent but it's mostly consistently bad. Speed is overrated these days. This isn't the 80's anymore, and remember more pitchers have been caught on steroids than hitters so that's a wash. When you consider he can't even out throw a little girl his defense is decidedly average. He's also not in the prime of his career. The prime is 25-30. Pierre will be spending well over 80% of this contract in his 30's, when players start a gradual decline. If he loses a step and keeps batting .270ish or worse, he's completely useless.

Michael,

You are wrong about almost everything you said.
Keeps batting .270ish or worse? what stats are you looking at?
Players start a gradual decline at 30.. Yea, and did you hear the day you are born is the day you start to die?

Kemp will be better suited as a left fielder and needs to spend some more time in AAA to get some plate discipline and learn to hit off speed and breaking stuff. Luis for one year till Kemp is ready. Ethier can handle right. With what was available, signing Pierre was a kind of desperation move. I too wish it was not for 5 years. Three would have been optimal. I believe he will perform fairly well at least for the first 2 to 3 years. Nothing great, but not terrible either.
Grumpy, the Big Red Machine's defense was actually pretty good. Especially up the middle with Bench, Concepcion, Morgan, and Geronimo.
Their starting pitching was mediocre, but the bullpen was outstanding and the offense was amazing.
Overall Ned gets a B/B+. Not outstanding, but we are somewhat better and he didn't mortgage the future. Kent and Nomar's health will determine how far this team goes.
It's going to be a good season.
IT'S STARGAZIN' TIME!!

Just so you know, I'm writing down names of people badmouthing JP just so I can rub it in all of your faces when he finishes the season with a .360 OBP, 55 SB, 102 runs scored, and 204 hits. LOOK AT HIS STATS!!! I've said this on this blog 3 times now. When he has reliable people batting behind him, he's a much better hitter. When he doesn't, he tries to push too hard.

Kemp is not going to be the CF for the Dodgers. If you look at defensive reviews, he is rated primarily as a RF because of his extraordinary arm. He doesn't take good routes to fly balls or line drives in Center, and is a liability as such.

Amen Nils..

Speaking of Dan Evans a few posts back.....
I too think he was under-rated and now is the forgotten architec of the Dodgers' top rated farm system. That being said, he had a major flaw that kept him from being a great GM. Several times during his tenure, the Dodgers busted their butts and got into first or second place at the All-star break. They were obviously just one bat or one arm away from being serious contenders, but Evans would never pull the trigger on an impact player--usually landing only a bench player for the stretch drive and the Dodgers usually faultered the last month and wound up in second place. I believe had he been able to pull the trigger on a big deal--when it counted, he might have kept his job. (However, his loosing his job had more to do with McCourt's ego-- wanting to come in, clean house, and show he was in charge, more than his performance.)

On a side note, exactly one month from today and at precicely this moment, I'll be sitting on the "grassy knoll" at Vero watching the Boys play the BoSox. (Coveniently scheduled a family vacation to Florida in March.) I sure hope the Princess hasn't pulled a "hammy" by then.
SRING IS BACK AND SO IS THE 'SKIPPER. GO BLUE!!

dodgerskip -
I don't think you have to worry about the hammy. JD Drew's so injury-prone that they're gonna have to discover a whole new muscle for him to pull this year. He's already messed up everything else.

dodgerskip:

funny how you will be in the Vero Beach and the Dodgers will just happen to be in town...I mean that almost never happens by accident on purpose. ;) Sounds like a BLAST for sure!

Nils, evan, et. al.:

I so agree that Pierre will be a nice addition to the team. If the Yankees and BoSox have proven anything it's you cannot win all the time even with zillion dollar superstars. It's the guys who want to compete that win championships. Pierre has been there before. Sure it was a long term contract but I think Colletti killed two birds with one stone (which of course makes for one stoned bird..) But now the Dodgers are covered at leadoff even if Furcal leaves in a couple years. Worst case if Pierre does not work out he will be have a degree of trade value down the road. I doubt it will come down to needing to trade him.

I would not be in any way suprised for that signing to be one of the more under-rated signings of this off season.

BB,
I agree about Evans. He was Ng's mentor, can't be too bad.

Nils / Evan,
Again agree about Pierre. Brings PROVEN STABILITY. Might not be an all-star but we know what we can expect from him... solid player, night in and night out. And brings a lot of positives like speed and great defense.

Michael D,
At 30, Pierre finally understands the major leagues... he is not timid anymore or afraid of losing a job. And physically (from my experience and from seeing others) I believe that 35 years of age is when us guys start losing a step.

Marikawa Blue,
I think you're missing the point with Pierre. Ned needed some stability. He had only one returning PROVEN outfielder after the idiot left for Boston. He did not go with KEMP b/c Kemp is NOT proven YET. Neds philosophy is to have stability. True that Kemp might of BROKE OUT to hit 40 HR's this year if he played full-time but it's also possible that Kemp might hit .190 w/ 8 HR's... so Ned bought INSURANCE in Pierre and needed to pay for 5 years of insurance. If Kemp breaks out, GREAT... if not, we have stability. 2007 only comes once, so we can't be experimenting on potential. Ned wants to give us the best chance to be World Champs every year.

Retrograde,
I think our middle relief issue had a lot to do with Grady's inability to utilize the pitching staff than with our talent of middle relievers. That has been Grady's archilles heal since back in his Boston days. And as Makoto stated above, Coletti probably feels one of his pitchers will step up.

interesting to read that Little had problems managign middle relief in Boston too. Well, Lasorda had zero clue how to manage closers so at least Little carries on the Dodger tradition of bullpen management short comings.

I still feel it was the responsibility of the starters for the worn down ragged pen in the later part of the season. Again I wonder how many innings the Dodgers SP's averaged/start last season. I imagine is was near the bottom of the league and that is why Little had to juggle the pen the way he did...but that season is DONE and it's on to the new...given the sheer number of arms it should be better.

I have also wondered if there is a lack of SP's in the minors or at least nothing that might help if there is a need during the season. That might have been a factor in the arm's stockpiling this off season.