Time for Plan B...
It looks like A-Rod, no thanks to Scott Boras, is staying in New York. Rodriguez, who was rightly crushed in the media for how his opt out was handled, may win himself some points again by leaving Boras out of the negotiations, and (it's all relative, folks) perhaps accepting "less" money from the Yankees than he might have received on the open market. Or maybe he thought the Yanks would be the only team willing to pay. Whatever the motivation, assuming the 10/$275 deal gets done, A-Rod will become Stay Rod, with the Angels and Dodgers never having the chance to fire off a volley in the battle.
For the time being, at least, Scott Boras looks bad (sniff, sniff, dab away the tears) but the Marlins, who now hold the biggest prize of the winter in Miguel Cabrera, are winners. Should Cabrera actually lose some weight, as he says he's working to do, the team that gets him could win as well.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney looks at the A-Rod situation. Take a look at the sidebar, talking about the Dodgers and their interest in Aaron Rowand (a player I like a lot, assuming the price is right). Others like Torii Hunter more.
BK
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Ding Dong the witch is dead... but how is it Bore-ass gets 15 mil for sitting in the other room?
Posted by: benzo jones | November 15, 2007 at 11:23 AM
oops, sorry, I just realized I may have channeled my inner Phil Jackson
Posted by: benzo jones | November 15, 2007 at 11:24 AM
There are those in the national media that say the Dodgers need to go after Hunter and move Pierre to left, benching Ethier unless he or Kemp is traded. This makes no sense to me. How much more are you going to get out of Hunter than Ethier? Last year he hit 13 more homeruns and about 40 more RBI with the same BA roughly. Which is better yes. But will he do that in Dodger Stadium? Can his 33 year old knees hold up after playing on an artificial turf in Minn.? Will Andre improve this year? I say you get Hunter only if you plan on benching Pierre. Somebody mentioned benching Pierre because of sunk costs. That makes sense at least. Hunter compares much more favorably to Pierre than he does to Ethier in my book.
Posted by: garysc | November 15, 2007 at 11:37 AM
A-Rod, in acting as his own agent, should just have any team interested in him make a sealed bid and be done with it.
Posted by: Ben Brown | November 15, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Yes, A-Rod might be staying in New York because the Mccourts obviously don't realize what kind of baseball market A-Rod can bring with him. I read today in a CNN sports illustrated column by John Donovan call our Dodgers “a dysfunctional, underachieving" team. What a low blow to our fans and our city of Los Angeles. Maybe the Los Angeles Angeles are right; they are LA's new team. And yes, that statement is directed at the Mccourts
RHF
Posted by: RHF | November 15, 2007 at 11:53 AM
If the dodgers sign Rowand who i think is overrated but an upgrade in a lot ways for us in center field. But signing Rowand means that kemp will be on his way out for a package for "piggy" i mean miggy cabrera. So hopefully the dodgers make a serious bid at cabrera bc he could be the face of the franchise for years to come and HE IS ONLY 24!!!.
Posted by: Ricardo Mendoza | November 15, 2007 at 12:18 PM
I just finished reading the Olney blurb about the Dodgers signing Rowand and then trading for Cabrera. By looking at his predicted Dodger lineup for next year if the moves took place, I'm trying to figure out who we moved to Florida. I'm guessing LaRoche, Ethier, & Kershaw (Kemp, Loney, & Martin being in the Dodgers lineup). Question is, would that be enough to get Cabrera? We certainly cannot trade Billingsley under any circumstances. What if, in addition to the 3 players above, Delwyn Young was included--3 young everday players and a top pitching prospect. Would Florida bite? Then, you have to ask yourself, "If we made that move, who would we have left to trade for pitching?" I think our only option after all that would be to resign Wolf and another mediocre free agent and hope that Schmidt comes back and Loaiza, Wolf, and ? could round out the rotation and provide depth. Possible, but risky. (Rowand's numbers look good and he is only 30, but I think Jason Repko--and I know assuming he can stay healthy--is the same type player.)
Posted by: dodgerskip | November 15, 2007 at 12:50 PM
All of these national sports outlet columnists need to stop writing about teams west of the Mississippi as though they know what they're talking about.
Buster Olney's Rowand idea only makes sense if the Dodgers can move Pierre. Character guy or not, numbers and production win championships, and to pay millions of dollars to a guy like Rowand and trade away Ethier makes very little business or baseball sense.
In addition, Olney prescribes a trade for Cabrera, but his hypothetical lineup for next season magically includes Kemp and Loney. This means that Olney believes 1. The Dodgers will trade Billingsley (and likely Kershaw) 2. LaRoche and Ethier are enough in position players for Florida to move Cabrera. Good luck with all that.
I personally feel that the entire A-Rod thing might be an elaborate ploy by Boras to bring the Yankees back into the bidding, which will only help to drive up the market for A-Rod, which didn't look incredibly lively heading out of the GM meetings. But if the Dodgers can't sign Rodriguez, their best option would be to stand pat and commit to LaRoche next season, and relegate Nomar to an overpaid corner infield sub and PH.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | November 15, 2007 at 01:37 PM
Well get rid of the Kent. He is the biggest problem with the Dodgers chemistry. Sure he comes through in the clutch a few times a year, but the guy has had so many altercations with teammates all the time. And I am not wanting to call the guy racist but he seems to always get under the skin of black teammates (Bonds, Milton Bradley, and now Kemp and Loney). Is this cioncidence..or is something else going on?
Posted by: richard | November 15, 2007 at 03:11 PM
Dodgerskip and Makoto hit it right on the head in regards to Olney's article. I thought the same thing this morning... How will the Dodgers have that lineup if they get Cabrera? The answer is - they won't!
Maybe "Plan B" for the Dodgers is to sign one free agent bat (Rowand would be my pick), and upgrade the PITCHING via trades... that should have been their "Plan A" all along I think...
Posted by: Higgins | November 15, 2007 at 04:49 PM
I don't see how Kemp doesn't head to FLA in a Cabrera deal, but honestly if that's all it would take to get Cabrera, I'd do it. The problem is it'll take pitching, too. I wouldn't trade Bills, and I'd be very reluctant to trade Kershaw... and I'd never trade both. And as I've written before, I think Hunter is on the wrong end of things and wouldn't be a big enough upgrade over the talent they have (currently residing in left and right) to pay 15 mil until he's 37 years old.
I like Rowand more, but as always, the devil is in the details.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 15, 2007 at 05:29 PM
Look at the numbers for Hunter and Rowand, and it's easy to see why Rowand is the better choice. But if the Dodgers aren't going to move an outfielder, there's no point in getting either one of these guys. And trading away good talent to get Piggy Cabrera doesn't seem worth it. He's an outfielder waiting to happen, not a good third baseman.
As I've said before, everything hinges on the Dodgers being able to get a top line starter. Johan Santana, Dan Haren, or somebody of that caliber. And for that, I'd be willing to trade away Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, LaRoche,Abreu, Hu, etc. etc. etc. PRetty much the only untouchables would be Russell Martin, Loney, Billingsley, and Broxton. All the other guys are replaceable parts, much as I love Ethier.
But if you can't pry one of those pitchers loose, all the other moves don't make any sense. I look for the Dodgers to stand pat for the most part, and make a big move in midseason if they're close. The price for Santana or Haren might be higher then, which is why I prefer to do it now.
Posted by: SaMo | November 15, 2007 at 06:26 PM
Yes it was just a ploy by A Rod to get McCourt to give him 350 million...What? A Rod signed with the Yankees?
I repeat!!!! A Rod WAS NEVER GOING TO LEAVE THE YANKEES!!!!
Sorry, but New York is more exiting than North Mexico City!
And oh yes! The Dodgers are terrible. Only 2 playoff appearances in the last 4 years and both first round eliminations not like the Yankees what with A Rod's clutch hitting and Joe Torre's astute managing who have just won their 3rd straight worlsd series1
Posted by: DODGER 1955 | November 15, 2007 at 06:35 PM
BK,
I concur big time regarding Torii. Its been pointed out before here on Blue Notes that Hunter has been playing half his games so far in his MLB career on the unforgiving 'turf of Hubert Humphrey's Metrodome. Torii is just a major injury liability waiting to happen.
I am not as appreciative as you are, though, of Aaron Rowand. When evaluating his stats in 2007, it has to be considered that he played half his games in Philly's Bandbox of a field. Aaron's aggresive D is certainly to be admired, however I will second the sentiments of whomever said on here that the Dodgers already have a similar style of played in Jason Repko.
Honestly, I can't see any impact players that would make sense for the Dodgers in the Free Agent market - and sadly, we're only 2 days into the signing period. Also, I am a big time opponent of entering into any trades for Piggy Cabrera. Would it make more sense to try and re-acquire Beltre from the Mariners? And as long as we're strolling down memory lane, would it be so bad to send out some feelers and bring back Gagne? Offer up to Eric a low-base salary, heavy insentive laden contract? Maybe back at the Ravene, he would show that his performance in Texas was not a mirage, and that he just couldn't take the pressure and little nuances of playing in the land of Chowderheads. Plus, I would really enjoy an all Montreal-battery of Gagne & Martin! Maybe dub it "The Quebecois Bloc?" For every scoreless appearance by Gagne, there could be a promotion of a free basket of Poutine for everyone in attendance. If Gagne & Martin played together, maybe the McCourts could convince Celine Dion to make her first post-Las Vegas appearance at Dodger Stadium, and she could sing a rendition of "Touch the Sky" when Russell comes up to bat and "Welcome to the Jungle" when Gagne comes running out of the 'pen.
http://user234941.websitewizard.com/images/Titanic-2004.jpg
The marketing possibilities are endless here, and if successful, maybe the McCourts would only rise the price of Stadium parking to just $63 dollars next season...
Posted by: DodgerBlueBalls | November 15, 2007 at 06:59 PM
Dodgers '55,
I'll take your theory one step further by saying that all this publicity of ARod going around Scott Boras and asking the Yankees to return is actually a plot crafted up BY Boras to get ARod back into the people of NY's good graces, and put an end to all the Rodriguez bashing that has been happening for the last 18 days.
Seriously, would ANY of you put that past ARod and Boras not to do?
Posted by: DodgerBlueBalls | November 15, 2007 at 07:14 PM
When it comes to making a trade, I actually think the Dodgers need to focus more on pitching. The offense will improve when you give 600 ABs to Loney, LaRoche and Ethier.
1. Sign Rowand and shift Pierre to LF and give Ethier RF on a permanent basis. Let's see what he can do in a full-time role.
2. Trade Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Jonathan Meloan and Scott Elbert OR Delwyn Young to Twins for Johan Santana.
Lineup:
1. Furcal, ss
2. Martin, c
3. Loney, 1b
4. Kent, 2b
5. Rowand, cf
6. Ethier, rf
7. LaRoche, 3b
8. Pierre, lf
Rotation (yikes!):
1. Santana
2. Penny
3. Lowe
4. Billingsley
5. Schmidt
Posted by: Scott Wraight | November 15, 2007 at 08:03 PM
I must say you guys have A MOST EXCELLENT BLOG Kamenetzky brothers! ;o)
Posted by: Bluebleeder | November 15, 2007 at 09:07 PM
A Rod was born not too far from Yankee Stadium... He's Dominican in a city with a large Dominican population... There is the Yankees' mystique and the House That Ruth Built is being torn down and a new Yankee Stadium is being built where A Rod will now break Bonds' record. Barry hopefully will be allowed to see it in the recreation room of the prison he is living in.
New York is at the moment the center of the Universe...Why would A Rod go to any other place, unless he was offered 400 million or something....But even then I don't think he would have left the Yankees.. His wife didn't want him to leave...Something would have been worked out. And no, Boras overplayed his hand. He thought George Steinbrenner was still running the club...George would have given him the 350 but the sons said no and now it's over.
As for Cabrera, he is not an outfielder waiting to happen...He's a DH waiting to happen in a few years. As others have posted correctly, A full season from Loney and Kemp will more than make up for what Cabrera will give a club in power and ribbies. But we'll have to wait and see. We fans have no say so.
Posted by: DODGER 1955 | November 15, 2007 at 10:19 PM
I just hope that with A-Rod lost we don't panic and give up too much for Cabrera. Hunter or Rowand would be fine for CF, the latter more reasonably priced just don't go after A. Jones. From what I'm hearing the White Sox have the inside track for Hunter.
A-Rod in NY, Bonds in jail and all is right with the world,
Posted by: uclart47 | November 15, 2007 at 10:56 PM
now that this a rod distraction is out of the way..... the dodgers can focus on what they really need......pitching
i say bring in santana.....whatever it takes just dont give up kershaw, brox or bills
anyone else is fair game
Posted by: dave m | November 15, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Bluebleeder-
Not one of my most articulate moments (haha).
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 15, 2007 at 11:43 PM
DBB
I too have wondered about bringing Beltre back. "When last we left our hero..." to quote an old movie line, he was putting up A-Rod numbers- in the National League, and in the pitcher's park of Chavez Ravine. Granted, he has come no where close in Seattle, but his defense, age, history with the Dodgers, and standard yearly numbers would make him very palatable--and who knows maybe we catch lightening in a bottle and get the Beltre of '04. I say that because I assume we could get him for CONSIDERABLY less than Cabrera. So, what would it take? I'm thinking LaRoache for sure as a replacement then some combination of Meloan, Either, Hendrickson, Stultz or Houlton. Beltre has been a disappointment for Seattle so I think they may be receptive to the right deal. With A-Rod to the Yanks and Mike Lowell possibly not going back to Boston, the Red Sox and Angels will probably be the front runners for Cabrera because we won't (at least I hope) give up Bills and Kershaw for him. So Beltre might be our best option out there--and would leave us with all our young studs to keep or move for a Santana type pitcher--now that could secure our ability to give Torre the tools to get us a championship.
What say you BK? Hear any rumers along that (Beltre back) line??
(If not--start one.)
Posted by: dodgerskip | November 15, 2007 at 11:59 PM
Make that "Rumors" BK. (What kind of goober says "Rumer").
Posted by: dodgerskip | November 16, 2007 at 12:47 AM
Let's move on to the pitching discussion. Hasn't LaRoche been adequately inspired by all this chatter?
Posted by: benzojones | November 16, 2007 at 06:00 AM
dodgerskip:
bring back beltre? and give up pitching to get him?
hahhaha
beltre numbers dropped off a cliff once he stopped using the cream and the clear
the dodgers would be better off keeping la roche and seeing what he can do
......use the trade bait for pitching
Posted by: dave m | November 16, 2007 at 08:59 AM