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If you were hoping for good news on Masahiro Tanaka for the Dodgers, then today isn’t quite your day.

Last night, it was reported that the Rakuten Golden Eagles were still trying to persuade Tanaka to stay, going as far to offer him an $8 million contract.

So that alone throws into doubt the previous Japanese reports that Rakuten were going to be letting him go. But worse yet, early this morning, the Rakuten President Yozo Tachibana commented that it would be difficult to let Tanaka go under this posting system.

And now Japanese papers are reporting that the meeting with Tanaka and Rakuten on Friday is not to negotiate, but to tell him he won’t be able to head overseas.

But on Thursday morning, several Japanese newspapers reported that the Eagles — who control the rights to Tanaka until the end of 2015 — would not permit major league teams to bid for him.

One newspaper, Sports Hochi, reported that team officials planned to meet with Tanaka on Friday, not to negotiate his contract, but to tell him they would not permit him to depart to play in North America.

That would throw a wrench into the plans of a lot of teams who were hoping for a front-end starter to become available late in the free agency process. As such, it would be a day of celebration for the currently unsigned free agent pitchers.

Knowing about that report now, it’s even worse seeing Buster Olney passing along speculation that Tanaka would prefer a West Coast team, which would probably put the Dodgers in the lead.

If it is accurate that Tanaka prefers to play on the West Coast, then the Dodgers and Mariners might have an advantage beyond their available dollars. Tanaka would be a great fit for the Giants in a lot of ways — they need young starting pitching; he could be marketable for them; they’re one of MLB’s most flush teams; they’d keep him away from the Dodgers, etc. — but it’s unclear whether San Francisco would consider that type of investment.

Just depressing.

I can be irrationally upset at Rakuten, but logically it does make sense for them. Heck, I argued recently about trying to involve the KBO to skirt the rules, and then speculated on whether or not it would even make sense for Rakuten to post Tanaka if they could only get $20 million. After all, he’s a large part of their team and they just won the Japan Series, so selling him isn’t exactly as clearly beneficial as it was with Yu Darvish or others. Heck, one Japanese professor says it’ll be a net loss of about $6 million for Rakuten to let Tanaka go, so why would they do it?

So I understand their position, but as a selfish MLB fan, a fan of seeing the best players compete against one another, and a fan of one of Tanaka’s potential destinations in the MLB, it’s disappointing to read these reports. Tanaka doesn’t really have any leverage to force his team’s hand that I’m aware of, so if they want him to stay he probably will have to, and that’ll be the end of that.

Guess we’ll find out Friday.

Oh, and to add on to that joyous report, the Dodgers still have interest in Michael Young.

You know, I actually grew to like him a bit as a Dodger because he always gave supportive quotes for teammates and seemed like a good guy, so I do understand some of the love he gets from the media. The problem is that he only used to be a pretty good player, but he just can’t play anymore. And a utility role doesn’t fit him well because he can’t play defense effectively.

I just don’t see the sense in using one of the bench spots on him, especially since the staff still thinks of him as a guy who deserves to get a lot of playing time.

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Masahiro Tanaka wants the MLB, decision now on Rakuten; MLB/NPB reach agreement Tue, 17 Dec 2013 12:42:04 +0000 MasahiroTanakaJapan

The NPB and MLB have reached an agreement on the posting system, which will be in place for three years. For all the new details, and there are a bunch, see MLB Trade Rumors for a recap.

The relevant part for the Dodgers and their pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka is that now any team that posts the refundable $20 million release fee has the rights to negotiate with the player. In other words, for a guy of Tanaka’s caliber, there’s zero reason that all 30 teams couldn’t be in.

But until recently, Rakuten was still trying to convince Tanaka to stay. However, he made his desires clear recently.

“I informed the organization that I would like them to give me permission to take on the challenge of playing in the Majors next season. I am also grateful to President Tachibana for taking time out of his schedule to meet me. I first said that I appreciated their support in helping me grow over the seven years since I joined Rakuten. I then said I would like them to give me the opportunity to move onto the next challenge. We have spoken a number of time, but the [agreement became] official today so he said he needed to take it back with him,” Tanaka said.

Following that, Sanspo reported that owner Hiroshi Mikitani will post Tanaka.

So it’s not set in stone that he’s coming over, but it seems to be leaning in that direction at the moment.

For the Dodgers, they’ve been downplaying their interest in Tanaka for a while now, but I have to think that they’ll be right in the hunt. As I’ve said before, he’s an extremely appealing option over trading for David Price, not because he’s a sure thing, but because he doesn’t cost players.

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Dodgers believe Juan Uribe will go elsewhere, may turn to Michael Young Sat, 14 Dec 2013 13:33:45 +0000 MichaelYoung

The Dodgers have an interest in Michael Young.

Done screaming yet?

The Dodgers have an interest in Michael Young to be their starting third baseman in 2014.

Commence screaming again.

I’m trying not to overreact here, but just the mention of interest in Young as utility infielder was enough to make me recoil a bit because of his limited defensive profile and declining bat, but now they’re looking at him as an everyday guy?

I don’t think I need to restate the case against Young other than to say that he has been worth about -2.4 WAR cumulatively in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Young’s going to be 37 years old, and probably projects to be a five-win downswing for the team if he starts there, very likely worse if he continues to age poorly.

As far as Juan Uribe goes, last we heard both the Marlins and White Sox apparently weren’t showing interest in him, but the Rays were … as a first baseman. That was before they re-signed James Loney to a three-year, $21 million deal though, so I’m not sure who the alternatives are for Uribe. Regardless, something must be out there if the Dodgers are taking this desperate of a leap.

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Nothing doing at the Winter Meetings, except Ned Colletti declaring his man crush for Matt Kemp Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:50:39 +0000 MattKempHomer

Not much has been going on for the Dodgers at the Winter Meetings so far, and there was basically no news yesterday related to the club … EXCEPT that Ned Colletti totally loves Matt Kemp more than anybody else at the Winter Meetings. Totally.

So much so that they have no intention of trading him.

“They said he’s not moving him, but I put in the words ‘for the time being’ because you never know,” said agent Dave Stewart. “Somebody could come along and overwhelm them with a player or players or a combination of players that might make it worth their while to do something that’s going to help the team.”

Of course, that could always be BS, but I’m thinking it’s not since that convo was never supposed to be made public by Dave Stewart to begin with.

“He’s called me and let me know that he probably spoke out of turn or whatever you want to call it, so that’s fine,” Colletti said.

So barring any kind of significant offer, which seems extremely unlikely given Kemp’s health recently, Kemp isn’t going anywhere.

That still leaves us with David Price and Andre Ethier trade rumors, as well as signing rumors of Masahiro Tanaka and Juan Uribe, but that seems to be about it, and nothing other than Uribe appears imminent.

And that’s probably for the best.

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Rumor Mill – Winter Meetings: the amusing Uribe mess, Kemp trade talks add a team, thoughts on Price Wed, 11 Dec 2013 10:24:23 +0000 JuanUribeSIR

Juan Uribe has had a confusing day, though the Dodgers weren’t really involved in it. Neither him or the team were publicly active, but the journalists reporting about his status certainly have been.

I mean, what does MLB Trade Rumors exist for if not for sequences like this?

9:53am: The Marlins are interested in adding Juan Uribe to fill their hole at third base, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

10:26am: Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that the Dodgers and White Sox are also pushing to land Uribe (Twitter link).

11:05am: Rojas tweets that the Dodgers have offered one year with an option, while the White Sox are willing to go to two years.

11:33am: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets that the Marlins aren’t currently showing interest in Uribe.

12:15pm: Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times and Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune both report that the White Sox aren’t in on Uribe (Twitter links).

The latter report on the White Sox not having interest does mirror what was said about their involvement yesterday as well. But the Marlins not being interested is new.

Regardless, in the course of less than three hours, Uribe picked up two other suitors besides the Dodgers and then lost both rumored suitors, thus leaving only the Dodgers, but Uribe still hasn’t signed with the Dodgers.

On the last point though, why isn’t Uribe signing with the Dodgers, right? Well, Ned Colletti seems just as confused and is losing patience.

Monday, Colletti was growing impatient with the lack of action from Uribe’s camp. “They’re more inclined to talk at this point about getting something done,” Colletti said.

With the third base market the way it is, I don’t think the team can actually can walk away, but it’s Colletti’s way of saying shit or get off the pot.

One possibility is that Uribe’s agents are leaking the rumors of him to the Marlins and White Sox to try and create a market for their client. Doesn’t seem to be working all that well though.

Colletti also spoke up about Matt Kemp and said he expects him to be better prepared for the season in 2014 than he was in 2013.

Colletti said the team expects outfielder Matt Kemp to be in better shape at the start of the upcoming spring training than he was the previous season. This time, Kemp is coming off two surgeries — ankle and shoulder — instead of one, but he has been able to lift weights for the past month, an activity that was curtailed after a more invasive shoulder surgery in 2012.

This can be read two ways, as either Colletti wants to assure teams that may have been scared off by Kemp’s medicals that he’ll be ready to produce come the regular season, or he’s just confident that Kemp will come back and be productive for the Dodgers.

Either way, it only makes sense that he field all offers, but a trade doesn’t seem imminent.

The Dodgers want a quality return, which only makes sense, but given his contract and his health status, it’s hard for many teams except the Dodgers to take that risk on him right now.

As reported before, the Red Sox are probably out of the Kemp race for good.

However, now the Tigers might be added to the mix.

So that leaves us with the Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, and Mariners, but still nothing serious.

The David Price to the Dodgers rumors won’t go away, as one GM speculates that the Dodgers might be the front-runners for him yet.

One GM theorized to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter links) that the Dodgers are in a favorable position to land Rays ace David Price. He believes that the Mariners won’t give up Taijuan Walker and the D’Backs will say no to including Archie Bradley in a deal. L.A. can’t offer a prospect as good as those two, but they can offer some combination of Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and pitching. Based on yesterday’s comments, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn’t sound as though he’s going to make a big play for Price.

Again, blowing up the farm for him doesn’t make all that much sense, even if he is a potential Cy Young Award winner. The Dodgers are trying to build a workable foundation behind what little top tier prospects they have at the moment, and this isn’t trading for weakness from strength, it’s trading from mediocrity to strength.

Fortunately, Colletti doesn’t seem all that focused on Price.

“That’s not where our concentration is right now,” Colletti said.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on Price. I’m down on the price for Price.

While true that prospects exist to help the MLB club any way they can, having a lack of impact players in the system can destroy a franchise’s long-term future, and trading away almost every last one of them in a single deal is one way to accomplish that destruction.

- Don Mattingly doesn’t want to talk about his contract status.

- MLB and NPB have agreed to the previously reported posting system.

- Rakuten Golden Eagles President Yozo Tachibana still isn’t sure if the team will post Masahiro Tanaka.

- Michael Young is a utility infielder candidate … because there is no god.

- Those Clayton Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez extension talks everybody is waiting for? They aren’t even happening until after the Winter Meetings.

- If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s the MLB finding ways to minimize the earning potential and limit the opportunities of teenagers who want to play baseball. So they’ve agreed to do away with the six international signing exemptions for deals up to $50,000.

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Rumor Mill – Winter Meetings: Tanaka’s status, a Uribe suitor falls, Numata update, Aledmys interest Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:43:51 +0000 MasahiroTanaka

On the Masahiro Tanaka front, his team’s owner, Hiroshi Mikitani, has said that he doesn’t want to post him, according Peter Gammons on Gammons Daily.

Mikitani is the one Japanese owner who strongly opposed the new agreement, and Wednesday suggested in an interview that he would not post Tanaka, who isn’t a free agent for two more years. “It’s a terrible deal for a Japanese owner,” says one MLB executive. “I don’t blame Mikitani.”

It just so happens that the 25-year old Tanaka is in the sites of the Yankees, Dodgers and other MLB teams interested in signing him. Because he will not be a free agent until after the 2015 season, he must be posted by Rakuten, and Mikitani Wednesday said, “I don’t intend to post him.”

That, of course, could change, but media in New York, Los Angeles, Texas and Seattle can put off researching that sixth game of the Japan Series, in which he threw 160 pitches in a loss to the Giants.

But that was last Wednesday, and since then the team has talked with Tanaka about his desires to go overseas.

Additionally, the question of whether he’ll be posted might be resolved soon, when Yozo Tachibana, President of the Rakuten Golden Eagles, visits the Winter Meetings.

The will-he-or-won’t-he question may find resolution in the next couple of days. Sources told Yahoo Sports that Yozo Tachibana, president of the Rakuten Golden Eagles, plans to arrive at the winter meetings here on Tuesday. His appearance may lend clarity to Rakuten’s plan of whether to accept a $20 million posting fee for the right-hander’s transfer to an MLB team this offseason or reject it and rob the pitching market of its jewel.

I still think the cleverest workaround is for a KBO team to negotiate a trade for Tanaka since the new posting system doesn’t apparently apply to the KBO. The KBO team would then post Tanaka and they would get a small percentage of the money for their troubles. Of course, that would require a lot of negotiation with the NPB, and it would piss off the MLB, but the MLB just shafted the NPB and KBO is probably next, so why not?

Another option is to do an under the table deal, where Tanaka agrees to send a percentage of his contract back to his team off the books. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to speculate on whether something like that could happen.

On the Juan Uribe front, his other rumored suitors were apparently the Marlins and the White Sox, but there apparently wasn’t much from the White Sox’s end.

That bodes well if Uribe is seriously choosing between the Marlins and Dodgers. And if he really wants to play for the Marlins, then … alright?

Matt Kemp‘s medicals are apparently scaring off teams, which might actually work out for the Dodgers.

I want him to be healthy, obviously, but teams being worried about his injuries is understandable, and it makes the most sense for the Dodgers to keep him. Maybe it’s for the best.

The reports also jive with Kemp’s timetable, since Ned Colletti recently said that he’s still in a walking boot and probably won’t be ready to run in Spring Training.

The Dodgers have been rumored to be searching for relievers, and old friend Jamey Wright is in the mix, according to Ken Gurnick of

If the Dodgers add a long reliever, as general manager Ned Colletti recently said is a possibility, the primary candidate is familiar face Jamey Wright, who served in the role nicely in 2012.

They aren’t alone, however, and Wright will decide between the Dodgers and his team last year, the Rays.

In 2012, Wright posted a 3.72 ERA with the Dodgers and lowered that to 3.09 with the Rays in 2013. He’s literally put up the best peripherals of his career over the last two seasons (3.39/3.13 FIP), so there’s a solid middle reliever in there.

It needs to be mentioned, though, that he’s entering his age 39 season, and you have to wonder how much longer he can keep it up considering his lack of success prior to 2012.

Controversial Japanese signing Takumi Numata made the trek to Dodger Stadium for an unknown reason.

He almost looks like some random dude participating in a fantasy baseball camp in that picture. But anyway, after being banned for life by JABA, I figured he had signed by now, but maybe all the details only got worked out recently and he made his way over to ink the deal.

Either way, there has to be some confidence that he’ll be a Dodger in 2014 if he’s been invited over.

23-year-old Cuban SS Aledmys Diaz is being pursued by the Dodgers, as his suspension for falsifying his age will lapse on Feb. 19 of next year, in time for the season.

In his last season in Cuba (2011-12), he hit .315/.404/.500/.904, but like Alexander Guerrero, he projects better at second than short.

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Rumor Mill – Winter Meetings: Trading for Price goes against current philosophy + Kemp rumors & third base Tue, 10 Dec 2013 01:01:05 +0000 DavidPrice

The Dodgers are showing interest in David Price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers have made the Tampa Bay Rays aware of their interest in David Price, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Furthering that interest, the Dodgers and Rays are matching up, according to Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM in Chicago.

But that doesn’t really make sense because the team has emphasized building from within from the start. Ned Colletti has also recently said he doesn’t plan on parting with multiple top guys.

Though Colletti would be open to trading a prospect, he has no intention of parting ways with packaging more than one of them. Under their new owners, one of the Dodgers’ goals has been to rebuild the farm system.

That goes with what Stan Kasten has said as well.

“For me, Bobby and anyone who’s ever had sustained success, we talk about it all the time. We didn’t invent the philosophy,” Kasten said. “We had owners who were A, committed to committing resources in the minor leagues and, B, patient. The difference between then and now with the Dodgers is that, because of our market place, we can talk about doing both jobs at the same time.”

Kasten talks about rebuilding the minor leagues all the time, and a trade for Price would likely take three of Joc Pederson, Zach Lee, Julio Urias, and Corey Seager, who are basically all of their potential impact prospects, so I don’t see a fit at all.

As expected, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are on the minds of four teams.

Orioles, Red Sox, Rangers, Mariners.

But the Red Sox might be out by now, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.

According to major league sources, there is “nothing to” the reported Red Sox interest in Matt Kemp. Two sources classified the contact regarding Kemp as “barely” touching base.

I think this is actually the case in a lot of these Kemp rumors. Despite whatever Dave Stewart is saying now, they don’t seem real motivated to deal him.

As predicted, third base is receiving a lot of speculation, but Colletti said Hanley Ramirez moving there and Alexander Guerrero starting there are not options.

He also remains third-base challenged, waiting on Juan Uribe to accept an offer, with Uribe being the best available third baseman in what Colletti termed a “shallow pool” of talent at the position. Colletti said at this time he’s not planning on moving shortstop Hanley Ramirez to third base or beginning Cuban rookie Alexander Guerrero’s Major League career there.

Colletti watched Guerrero play in the Dominican Winter League last week and came away saying that he “needs to play, needs at-bats,” which is not the same as saying Guerrero is ready to be in the Opening Day starting lineup.

In fact, Colletti also ruled out Guerrero as a third-base option, saying he still projects at second base.

So that leaves Juan Uribe, but Colletti might be running out of patience, and other teams are offering him.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are running out of patience as they await word from free agent third baseman Juan Uribe on their latest offer, general manager Ned Colletti said Monday, the first day of baseball’s winter meetings.

The latest rumor has the Chicago White Sox emerging as possible suitors for Uribe. The Miami Marlins also have reportedly reached out to him.

Colletti said the Dodgers are considering moving on and concentrating their efforts on trading for a third baseman. Beyond Uribe, Colletti said, the team is not pursuing any other free-agent third basemen, probably the thinnest position in the market.

“Everybody can go do what they want to go do,” Colletti said. “Hopefully, this week we’ll have more conversations with them and at least get an update on their position. I’m in need of an update on their position.”

Probably a bit of lip service to send a message, but if not Uribe, I’m struggling to see a fit beyond a questionable trade. Omar Infante has been rumored as a target, but he hasn’t played third regularly in a few years.

Notice the Masahiro Tanaka updates have been slowing? Well, it might be because the Dodgers are curiously no longer THAT interested.

The Dodgers are interested in Tanaka, but not with the win-at-all-costs mentality that marked their pursuit of Hyun-jin Ryu last winter, according to two people familiar with the team’s thinking.

This could be a front, because it’s a bit weird that they wouldn’t see him as an option given that he costs just money. Every other front-line starter is going to cost talent.

Like … say … Price.

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Rumor Mill – Winter Meetings: Kemp, Ethier trade rumors + Dodgers seeking relievers + Uribe negotiations Mon, 09 Dec 2013 12:35:08 +0000 WinterMeetings2013

The Winter Meetings are here, which means all the trade rumors the Dodgers have been involved in to date will only pickup further steam now. I’d expect a lot of rumors about Dodger outfielders, and a lot of trade talk that have the Dodgers as suitors. Whether said rumors are true or not is another thing entirely.

The best way to start off a rumor mill is probably by going straight to Ned Colletti, who acknowledged that the quartet of outfielders has already been mentioned by opposing teams.

Colletti said he’s open to the idea of trading one of them. Each of the four — Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig — have already come up in talks with clubs, Colletti said.

Speculation has connected Matt Kemp to the Red Sox, Rangers, and Mariners, but nothing further than that has materialized as yet. Kemp’s agent, Dave Stewart, made waves when he expressed that he expected Kemp to be dealt, but I’d remember the source. Stewart has a history of speaking up and basically doing PR for Kemp even when nothing serious has transpired, so take it with a grain of salt.

Andre Ethier has been another popular name, and he was recently connected to the Orioles.

Both Ethier and Kemp to the Orioles was indeed been discussed, but there were issues surrounding the salary being paid, via Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Also, the club remains linked to Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, who was discussed on Monday before the Orioles shipped Jim Johnson to the Athletics for infielder Jemile Weeks and a PTBN.

The Orioles checked on the availability of Ethier and another Dodgers outfielder, Matt Kemp, but there were issues with the amount of salary that the Dodgers were willing to absorb, according to an industry source.

Doesn’t mean the Orioles are out, just that they’re involved and it shows that whatever interest in either Ethier or Kemp will depend on how much money the Dodgers are willing to eat.

Still think it makes no sense to move Kemp though.

The next step for the Dodgers is to find as many as three relief pitchers for the bullpen, according to Colletti himself.

Colletti said he’s definitely in search of two more relief pitchers, and possibly a third, even after re-signing Brian Wilson to be a super setup man. The Dodgers need somebody to pick up the innings of non-tendered right-hander Ronald Belisario. And they need a left-hander, whether it’s the return of J.P. Howell or a replacement.

Part of that may involve former Braves lefty Eric O’Flaherty.

He underwent Tommy John surgery last May, so he probably won’t be back until this May and won’t be right until around the All-Star break. But that may be part of the interest, as he’s unlikely to fetch anywhere near the three-year deal that J.P. Howell is allegedly seeking.

O’Flaherty had a career 1.99 ERA with the Braves, and for his career he’s held lefties to a .200/.262/.269/.531 slash, so he fits the lefty specialist role perfectly when right.

One other thing that should be a hot topic is the status of the Dodgers third base situation. Primarily what Juan Uribe will do.

If Uribe doesn’t want three years, I don’t have a real issue giving him a deal, and I’m hoping that gets done unless Chase Headley is going for real cheap or something.

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The terms of Brian Wilson’s rumored return borders on fan fiction + Dodgers in on J.P. Howell Wed, 04 Dec 2013 01:06:26 +0000 BrianWilsonDodgers

I’m not sure this could go any better if I planned it myself. But here goes…

The Dodgers are close with Brian Wilson

…but HE only wants a one-year deal…

…AND he’s cool with being Kenley Jansen‘s setup man.

Honestly, I basically said goodbye to him at the end of the year because I figured he would either want a closing role elsewhere or would be demanding like four years and $48 million. And based on what some other relievers are getting in this market, it wouldn’t be that farfetched.

Fortunately though, he seems to be convinced that he needs a whole year of performance to rebuild his value so he can get whatever deal he really wants, and this works out to exactly what the Dodgers were probably hoping for. Win-win.

I can’t see any downside to this unless the deal is for like $50 million or the TV rights.

Earlier today I speculated about John Axford, and I still think that’s on the table, but J.P. Howell is also in negotiations to return.

The Dodgers also are believed to be in talks to re-sign J.P. Howell, who was the team’s primary left-handed reliever by the end of the season.

I can’t see him taking less than a three-year deal given what his comparables have gotten, and you know how I feel about those for relievers. Still, the Dodgers are in win-now mode and have money, and there doesn’t appear to be a superior option available.

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What could a Hanley Ramirez extension look like? Sat, 30 Nov 2013 10:18:14 +0000 HanleyRamirezBat

Hanley Ramirez is in extension talks with the Dodgers, though it’s nothing close to finished, according to Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes.

But more importantly, what might this extension look like?

Hanley Ramirez said recently that he has had ongoing extension talks with the Dodgers, Dionisio Soldevila of reports (Spanish language link). The 29-year-old is under contract for next year, but his impressive output in an injury-shortened 2013 makes him a definite extension target for Los Angeles.

Reiterating once again that he hopes to stay with the Dodgers for the rest of his career, Ramirez said that he believes a new deal could be reached this winter. “We are negotiating something, but we are going step by step,” he said (in Spanish). Ramirez declined to discuss the salary and length under consideration, but it is safe to say that the shortstop/third baseman is in line for quite a substantial contract when his current six-year, $70MM pact expires.

Besides Clayton Kershaw, Hanley is the other elite talent on the Dodgers that becomes a free agent after 2014, so the team is wise to look to secure him going forward. Granted, unlike Kershaw, he’s still not proven that he can be both healthy and effective over a full season since arguably as far back as 2009. Plus, he’ll probably have to be moved off shortstop later on. Oddly enough though, those risks are the exact reasons I think they should try to get an extension done sooner than later.

That’s not to say it would be cheap or painless, though, as I think the Dodgers are looking at between 5 Y/$100MM ($20MM AAV) and 6 Y/$138MM ($23MM AAV), and I would lean towards the latter. Like most free agent deals in this market, I think that might sound ridiculous to most. But something to consider is that a 32-year-old Jhonny Peralta can get ~$13 million annually for four years coming off a steroid suspension and alternating seasons of effectiveness. Steamer projects Peralta at 2.7 WAR in 2014.

In contrast, Hanley put up a .345/.402/.638/1.040 in 2013 and has had increasing effectiveness the further he has gotten away from labrum surgery in 2011, to the point where it looks like he’s back to 2009 form. Even with his horrible 2011, average 2012, and general injury proneness factored in, Hanley’s still projected at 4.2 WAR by Steamer. Better yet, the upside is obviously the 7.0-7.5 win peak, since he’s already achieved that before and was on pace in 2013.

But regardless of all that positive, why not wait, right? The Dodgers can afford to re-sign him after the season if they want, and that way they can see if he can truly get healthy enough to play. The Dodgers have the advantage of not having to take the risks that other teams do in regards to extending their stars.

I believed that myself before I started looking at the situation intently, because there’s nothing incorrect about that theory. I get that logic. However, the money isn’t LITERALLY unlimited and they don’t want to be saddled with the 50 most expensive contracts in baseball history. But more to the point, there’s not a ton to be gained from waiting, in my estimation.

The primary issues with waiting are that the Dodgers don’t want to sign guys past 36, according to Stan Kasten, and Kasten has also said he wants the team to become less reliant on payroll in the long term. Additionally, they already have by far the most long-term commitments in the league, and while this would be another, it’s nothing compared to the price tag they’d have to pay if Hanley puts up a .300/30 type of campaign in 2014. That would probably put him close to Robinson Cano territory because of his earlier pedigree, and Cano’s currently demanding 10 years going into his age 31 season at ~$30 million per … and he might be worth it.

Therefore, I’ve found it in the team’s best interest to lock Hanley up before this year, because while it may come with a bit more risk, it could potentially save a lot of years and a ton of cash while sparing the Dodgers his late-30s decline. And unless he has a career-ending injury in 2014, he’s the best player the Dodgers (and everybody else) are going to find on the market (seriously, look at that FA list), so they’re going to want him back in 2015 and beyond, regardless. An extension thus seems like a sensible risk to take on a player with elite upside for a team that wants to build around the stability of star players.

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Regarding the Dodgers and the allegedly available Chase Headley Mon, 18 Nov 2013 11:48:22 +0000 ChaseHeadley

We’ve been down this road before with the PadresChase Headley, who is once again very available, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. But now with only one year remaining and coming off an injury-prone down year, the Padres’ asking price might be more in the realm of realism, which could very well lead to him being pursued by the Dodgers this off-season.

Chase Headley, 3B, Padres — There’s growing sentiment that Headley will be traded this offseason. There’s been talk about an extension, but the Padres, who are now willing to increase payroll under CEO Mike Dee’s leadership, are thinking that they can improve a couple of different areas long-term by dealing their third baseman. Dee is hoping to “win our fans back. We have to build trust with our fans that when we make a move it’s for the good of the franchise, a good baseball move rather than a perception that we’re trying to trim payroll. We need our fans to trust us as an organization again.”

So the Pads are going to be looking for multiple prospects that can help them sooner than later, but should they even be asking for a lot?

Well, Headley appeared to put it all together in 2012 in his age 28 season, posting a .286/.376/.498/.875 breakout line with above-average to plus defense at third. He was drawing trade interest across the board, and extension speculation was a weekly deal. But then 2013 happened. Headley’s line plummeted to .250/.347/.400/.747, and all the talks of him being a fluke begun.

In a lot of ways, though, that label was accurate. His 2012 WAS likely a fluke, as a player with a ~10% HR/FB rate all of a sudden saw that shoot up to 21.3%, which was good for 10th in the entire majors. But while 2012 was him having a career year, his 2013 was also a fluke. Headley was slowed by a thumb injury (fractured in Spring Training) and a knee injury that was described as needing surgery in Spring Training (but he kept playing on it anyway). Yet, even without an elite bat, the injuries, and a bit of bad luck, Headley still managed to post a bunch of value. He was still a good fielder at a scarce position and an above league-average hitter, making him a 3.5-4.5 WAR player, even at his supposed lowest career point.

The thing is that while Juan Uribe was a great story for the Dodgers, him and Headley provided on-field value in 2013 that wasn’t that far apart, and Headley would certainly be projected to post a better value in 2014. But the difference in perception between the two is led by the 2013 expectations of Uribe being worthless and Headley being on his way to stardom. So while I still think Uribe on a short deal is a great option, it would be hard to begrudge the team for going after Headley in a trade, who could provide well above-average production at a scarce position for the next 4-6 years (assuming an extension takes place).

So what to trade for a year of team-controlled Chase Headley (~$10 million in 2014)? Dustin Nosler suggests a package of prospects Zach Lee, Chris Reed, and Justin Chigbogu. And while I think Lee is the surest thing to be a solid MLB starter in the system, thus providing more value than Headley (in a vacuum), I absolutely would jump at that deal.

However, I think the inter-divisional trade tax for the Dodgers and the need of the Padres to fill multiple positions with MLB-ready players will lead to the requirement of a better package for Headley. Maybe replacing Chigbogu with Ross Stripling would work, but I think the Padres would prefer Joc Pederson and a couple of solid arms instead. Hopefully they would settle for the former package, as it would still provide them with three prospects that they could potentially debut for the fanbase in 2014.

That said, I’m not convinced the Padres go for it without Pederson, but with only him and Corey Seager as potential impact guys in the Dodgers system, it’s difficult to see the Dodgers parting with either for a player with one year of team control left. Yet with no real answer long-term answer at third, this might be the Dodgers’ best bet at securing the hot corner. And if the Padres truly intend on trading him regardless, then the Dodgers will not likely have the option of signing him as a free agent in 2015.

I don’t think Headley has established himself as a must-get for the team, especially due to the option of Uribe returning and the requirement to overpay a divisional rival, but it’s certainly worth taking a long look, more so than I suspect most fans believe he deserves due to Headley’s 2012 slash line.

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Dodgers lose Punto, Mattingly & Kasten talk extension, Brian Wilson wants closer money Thu, 14 Nov 2013 17:35:28 +0000 NickPunto

The Dodgers lost utilityman Nick Punto to the Athletics yesterday for $3 million, which made me wonder why they didn’t keep him around.

The Dodgers will miss Nick Punto in the clubhouse as well as on the bench, but to keep him, they wouldn’t guarantee the $3 million he got from Oakland on Wednesday, doubling his 2013 salary.

The new in-house backup to Hanley Ramirez at shortstop, by default, becomes Dee Gordon, who is expanding his skill set by playing the outfield in the Dominican Republic Winter League.

I understand the desire to get younger and I understand that he wasn’t a great hitter, but he was passable with the bat and held down three positions. Besides, it’s a one-year deal, so I don’t see a ton of risk to excuse letting the best bench player in 2013 walk away.

If nothing else, another significant bench move now needs to be made, if for no other reason than this:

The new in-house backup to Hanley Ramirez at shortstop, by default, becomes Dee Gordon.

Yeahhhhhh no.

Don Mattingly talked with MLB Network the other day about the status of his contract and he sounded upbeat.

“We’re in talks right now, and things are going good,” said Mattingly, who went on to say he is optimistic that something will get done soon.

To add onto that, yesterday Stan Kasten made it crystal clear that he supports Mattingly.

“I love Donnie,” Kasten said Wednesday after arriving at the Owners Meetings. “We’re all supporters of Donnie. I’m a fan personally as well as professionally. He has the attributes to be a long-term manager. Chiefly, it goes to his demeanor, the way he works with people. I hope and expect Donnie to be our manager for a long time. Anyone presenting a narrative otherwise is making it up.”

“I will take responsibility for any confusion because of the sequence and timing. We could have done a better job,” said Kasten, adhering to his policy of not discussing contracts with the media. “Once we had meetings, which began immediately that day, it was cleared up. But this narrative has been made up, that maybe we’re not behind him and don’t support him. Donnie and I have no hard feelings.”

Hard to figure that any bad blood would exist considering Mattingly called out both Kasten and Ned Colletti during that fit when he benched Andre Ethier, and both of them had his back in that case.

So they’re not sensitive, and this’ll get done.

If Brian Wilson really doesn’t care about being a closer, then I’m not sure why the Dodgers shouldn’t try to overpay a bit for a setup man/backup closer. Granted, when Colletti is concerned, there’s always that fear of a three-year deal, but I hope to god he’s learned from that and will offer two years max, perhaps with a $7-9 million annual value (or more, whatever).

To be clear, though, Wilson is not Brandon League. I had feared Wilson would turn out similar in 2013 due to his lower velocity and the need to reinvent himself, but he showed both improved velocity AND the ability to pitch differently without his top shelf stuff. He was thoroughly impressive and his pedigree is far better than League’s ever was.

Yes, this is me in favor of Colletti overpaying a setup man. Get your laughs in now before the grief of a three-year deal worth $45 million sets in.

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Masahiro Tanaka, David Price, and the Dodgers Sat, 02 Nov 2013 12:31:14 +0000 MasahiroTanaka

The big news of late yesterday was that the Dodgers‘ off-season plan includes fortifying their rotation with both Masahiro Tanaka and the RaysDavid Price, according to Peter Gammons.

But, suggests several general managers, the Dodgers can avoid the loss of their number one pick and the slot money if they trade for David Price and get Masahiro Tanaka from Japan. “They have the minor league talent to get Price,” says one GM. “If they would trade Corey Seager and Julio Urias (the 17-year old lefthanded pitcher) and a couple out of Zach Lee, Joc Pederson or Chris Withrow, it would get it done. Then if they post $80M for Tanaka, they could have a rotation with four number ones and a number two with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Price, Tanaka and Hyun-Jin Ryu. But if they were to trade for Price, they’d need the draft pick to fill holes in their development system.”

It’s not anything concrete, but given that a lot of Dodger fans have been asking about these two anyway, it’s a good time to address them.

Masahiro Tanaka is the ace for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and will be 25 next year. Over the last three years, he has posted ERAs of 1.27, 1.87, and 1.27 in the NPB, even with the new livelier ball in Japan. He has excellent control — having a 1.1, 1.0, and 1.4 BB/9 the last three years — and suppresses home runs — posting 0.3, 0.2, and 0.3 HR/9 rates the past three seasons. However, his strikeout rate has fallen from 9.6 in 2011 to 8.8 in 2012 to 7.8 this year.

Prior to the 2013 World Baseball Classic, he was ranked as the #1 prospect in the tournament with a #2 starter ceiling. His arsenal includes a 91-94 MPH four-seamer that touches 96, an 88-92 MPH two-seamer, an 86-89 plus-plus split, an 82-86 plus slider, and a solid 71-76 curve. Concerns include a lack of downward plane on his fastball (drop and drive mechanics), he gets hit hard when elevating the ball in strike zone, and weak Japanese lineups allow him to cruise every third inning or so. If Hyun Jin Ryu was a #4/#5 coming into 2013 with a #3 upside (that he achieved), then I would put Tanaka down as a #3 with #2 upside. He would probably go behind Ryu at #4 if he did end up with the Dodgers though.

As for the price, Tanaka is rumored to be going for a lot more than Yu Darvish, not necessarily because he’s better but more because of the influx of money to teams around the league and because of the scarcity of talent on the open market. The fee alone looks to be around $75 million, and if Darvish got a six year, $56 million contract, then the Dodgers are looking at a total investment of 5-7 years and $120-150 million.

Still, I’d like the Dodgers to go after him because he has the highest ceiling of any pitcher on the market and the only cost with him is money. Furthermore, the posting fee doesn’t count against the salary cap (if the ownership even cares).

Price, as you know, is the ace for the Rays and has two years of team control remaining. He’ll be entering his age 28 season in 2014 and he’s slated to make ~$13 million in arbitration. Price is basically a sure thing in the front of the rotation, putting up ERAs/FIPs of 2.72/3.42, 3.49/3.32, 2.56/3.05, and 3.33/3.03 the past four years. Basically the only concern is that he missed six weeks with a triceps injury this year, but I don’t see it as overly worrisome. He would probably slot in at #2 on the Dodgers behind Clayton Kershaw.

Price is easily a better option than Tanaka as far as next year is concerned, so why don’t I want him?

“If they would trade Corey Seager and Julio Urias (the 17-year old lefthanded pitcher) and a couple out of Zach Lee, Joc Pederson or Chris Withrow, it would get it done.”

That’s why.

The price there seems a bit high, but not at all unrealistic given the haul frontline arms have fetched for a half season as of late — at least one elite prospect. Price will be under control for two seasons, so he does figure to bring a gigantic haul back if made available.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers have only started their farm system rebuild, and Corey Seager, Julio Urias, Zach Lee, and Joc Pederson are basically all of the impact prospects remaining in the system. It’s a gigantic price to pay in that context, and it’s just for the luxury of having three frontline guys in the rotation to go along with the two Asian pitchers who are knocking at that frontline starter door.

At the end of the year, I said the Dodgers were setup nicely for the future. This was primarily because the current team has been formed by paving over the mistakes of the previous years with money, but they’ve setup a nice player development team both domestically and internationally, which bodes well in the long run. However, making this trade would essentially completely restart that development process again, which figures to become increasingly important in the future due to teams being flush with cash and extending homegrown players at a growing rate, thus limiting the amount of talent that hits the free market.

For those reasons, despite the fact that Price is undoubtedly a great pitcher, I can’t see the benefit in taking the gamble of acquiring him.

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Dodger signee Takumi Numata banned for life by JABA + JABA submits request to NPB Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:28:58 +0000 TakumiNumata

When the Takumi Numata signing last left off, the validity of his deal with the Dodgers was in question due to the circumstances around his signing, and the Japan Amateur Baseball Association (JABA) was not pleased.

Late yesterday, JABA banned Numata for life, suspended the director of Numata’s team (Edion of the Industrial League), and filed a request to the NPB.

The Japan Amateur Baseball Association announced today that they issued a lifetime ban on Takumi Numata for signing a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers without following required procedure. Edion director was given a six month suspension, beginning on September 24, for poor handling of the situation.

Additionally, the JABA has asked the NPB to submit a request to the MLB asking them to observe the order in which they try to acquire amateur players. The JABA has also contacted Industrial League teams and club teams to make sure they continue to follow the rules as well.

-The JABA issued the strongest possible penalty because there were no prior similar cases and as an attempt to prevent future cases.
-The JABA is required to remove players from their registry before they sign contracts with professional teams to avoid have them registered as both amateurs and professionals.
-In past cases where JABA players signed with MLB teams, players were properly removed from the registry before signing contracts.
-The JABA has not been able to speak directly to Numata, so they are not sure if he understood the rules. His team has informed JABA officials that they were never informed about his talks with an MLB team and contract. Teams are supposed to be contacted for approval before negotiations can begin.
-It is highly unlikely that the scout that signed Numata did not know the rules.
-The JABA does not want this to become a precedent. They want both players and teams to follow the rules accordingly.

So basically, Numata circumvented the rules, and the Dodger scout who signed him, likely knowing the rules full well, went ahead with negotiations behind their back anyway.

That is not making anybody very happy, as they bypassed his team, JABA, and the handshake agreement with the NPB.

-When Edion learned the Dodgers submitted a player status check, the manager of tried to reason with Numata, but he was already set on signing with the MLB team. It seems there may have been indications that the player was tampered with before the status check was filed.
-There are questions why the scout that signed Numata used a questionable approach to sign a player that broke the gentlemen’s agreement between the NPB and MLB despite being in the business for fifteen years and knowing exactly how things are between the two leagues.

The person negotiating with the Dodgers was apparently Numata’s father, who took responsibility.

Numata’s father, Seiya (聖也), spoke to reporters and said that there were misunderstandings and that the penalty was unfortunate. He also said that he negotiated with the Dodgers on his son’s behalf and that he was sorry for the trouble he caused the JABA and the Dodgers.

Numata is currently working out in Japan and is preparing to attend the Dodgers Instructional League in Arizona in October.

So as of now, Numata looks to be Dodger property, but I do still wonder if that will change down the road.

Numata himself, however, is not my concern. My concern is that the Dodgers’ relationship with Japan and the NPB might be strained due to breaking the handshake agreement, especially doing so in the middle of MLB’s negotiations with the NPB over the posting system.

Dan of MyKBO brought up the case of the Orioles and Seong Min Kim:

In that case, Kim wasn’t allowed to sign with the Orioles and their scouts were blacklisted in Korea.

I realize that the situation in Japan is different, but depending on how much the NPB wants to lean on the MLB over this, the same could potentially happen. Hopefully Ned Colletti doesn’t do what Dan Duquette did, which was basically tell the KBO, “Who gives a shit?” That went over … not well.

Worst case scenario in my mind is that Dodgers get blacklisted from scouting actual big-ticket talent (Yu Darvish/Masahiro Tanaka) … over a raw 19-year-old with a 90 mph arm. I doubt that happens, but I’m not sure why the team decided to risk it, unless there’s something that is yet to be said from the Dodgers’ side of things.

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Alexander Guerrero had verbal agreement with Dodgers, other teams now interested Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:12:05 +0000 AlexanderGuerrero

Cuban SS/2B Alexander Guerrero was reported to have a verbal agreement with the Dodgers on a contract negotiated by agents Rudy Santin and Manny Paula of MVP Sports Management, but with Guerrero switching agents to Scott Boras, that arrangement is now off, according to Jesse Sanchez of

This doesn’t change much from the last update, except that we now know that Guerrero had agreed to a verbal deal with the team, which shows how close this was to getting done.

With Guerrero and Boras now opening it up again, other teams were bound to get in on the action and they have, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero again is a free agent after apparently coming close to signing a deal with the Dodgers, and it is believed that the Red Sox, Reds, Rangers and Giants are among other teams that may have some interest.

The Braves were considered another potential suitor for Guerrero, but it’s hard to know for sure as this case already has taken one very strong turn.

The Dodgers still are viewed as a logical favorite, though it stands to reason Guerrero may seek more than they were discussing in the first go-round.

So as I said in the last article, the Dodgers are still the favorite for the sole reason that it will be coming down to money. However, whether the Dodgers still want to be involved is another story, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Now, it’s unclear how heavily the Dodgers will remain involved in the negotiations for Guerrero, according to major league sources.

Guerrero, 26, since has hired Scott Boras as his agent and is free to talk with all 30 clubs. But the Dodgers, at least for the time being, no longer are willing to sign Guerrero for $32 million, sources said.

So the Dodgers appear to be sick and tired of getting jerked around by Guerrero, and it should be mentioned that Boras has history with Ned Colletti. The past problems have revolved around J.D. Drew, both during the draft and with his opt-out clause. Granted, Colletti’s since negotiated deals for Manny Ramirez and Hyun Jin Ryu and the likes, but I doubt there’s any love lost here.

That said, at least part of this appears to be the fault of one of Guerrero’s former agents, Santin.

The initial talks, first reported by, never reached fruition in part because the players’ union had not certified Guerrero’s agent, Rudy Santin. The union only approves deals negotiated by certified agents.

All of it means that the saga isn’t going to end any time soon. In fact, it’s just beginning. Knowing Boras, he’ll take the bidding into the free agency period so he can maximize the value of Guerrero and the rest of his clients. Can’t blame him for making that move, but it sucks for the Dodgers, who surely thought they had their second baseman of the future wrapped up.

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Takumi Numata signing by Dodgers now in doubt + profile of him with video Thu, 19 Sep 2013 11:37:20 +0000 TakumiNumata

The Dodgers signed 19-year-old Japanese pitcher Takumi Numata last week, which was seen as a bit odd because he was an unknown in Japan.

Nevertheless, the deal was considered done and he would report to the instructional league in the fall with the Dodgers. Unfortunately, his signing is now in question due to Numata allegedly not going through the appropriate Japan Amateur Baseball Association (JABA) channels.

The Japan Amateur Baseball Association (JABA) announced on Tuesday that Numata did not go through the necessary channels before sitting down with the Dodgers — he did not get permission from his team, the Edion Aichi Kogyo Daigaku OB Blitz (Industrial League club team), and was never removed from the Industrial League player registry.

The JABA is planning to hold a meeting to discuss what course of action should be taken.

A JABA official said, “It is extremely regrettable that [an MLB team] signed a contract with a player that cannot be drafted by an NPB team and never had paperwork filed to take him off the registry.”

NPB teams are not allowed to draft players that joined Industrial League teams out high school for three years and two years for all other cases. Numata is off limits for two years, beginning this year, since this was his first year with with Edion Aichi Kogyo Daigaku OB Blitz — he graduated high school in 2011, went to university in 2012 and dropped out after a year, joined Blitz in 2013

There are three main problems:

Negotiations took place during the season without approval from Edion’s manager
The player was signed despite never being taken off the registry
The player did not serve the required two years with the Industrial League team he joined

The MLB reportedly contacted the NPB about Numata and was told he would not be available until the fall of 2014. The JABA told the media that Edion never know contract negotiations took place.

So based on the Japanese reports, Numata is in trouble on multiple fronts with JABA and NPB. However, technically, I don’t believe there’s anything stopping him from going overseas, as it seems like it’s just an unwritten agreement between MLB/NPB not to do stuff like this.

So while the Dodgers could just do this, I doubt the MLB wants to wreck havoc with the NPB with the posting system negotiations ongoing, and I doubt the Dodgers want to wreck their deep roots in Japan, especially over a player with a relief profile. As such, I’m pessimistic about this getting done as is, though there’s always a chance JABA/NPB loosen their stance or some compensation gets worked out.

This could end up being the third tease the Dodgers eventually lose out on this year alone, with Shohei Otani choosing Japan, Numata’s deal now in limbo, and Alexander Guerrero opening up bidding again.

As far as why the Dodgers want this relatively unknown teenager, Kazuto Yamazaki provides insight via Jonathan Mayo:

At 6-1, 188 pounds (that’s according to the release), it doesn’t sound like there’s that much physical projection to look for. His fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s, according to the report, topping out at 92 mph. He goes right after hitters with it and largely pitches off of his fastball, though he also has a slider. Here’s some brief video:

As I said earlier, based on the reports I would put a relief profile on him, which makes sense since I doubt he signed for a ton of cash. Still, a quality arm is a quality arm, and I’d rather have him the system than not. For now, though, we’re forced to wait and see.

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Alexander Guerrero signed with Scott Boras and is up for grabs again, according to report Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:58:27 +0000 AlexanderGuerreroSwing

Cuban SS/2B Alexander Guerrero has signed with Scott Boras and will open up bidding to all 30 teams, according to a report by Jesse Sanchez of The report appears to once again throw a wrench into the Dodgers’ plans to sign Guerrero.

If you recall, the Dodgers first appeared ready to ink Guerrero to a 7-year/$32 million contract back at the end of July, but that was called into question a week later due to rumors of better offers. About a week ago, though, it was said that he was again on track to sign with the Dodgers, this time in $30 million range. That’s obviously now in question with Boras in charge and reportedly opening up bidding to everybody.

I would assume the Dodgers are still in the lead if they still want Guerrero since it’s going to come down to money, but the timetable for a deal may be pushed back significantly as Boras will look to extract every penny that he can, as per usual.

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Dodgers close in on Cuban SS/2B Alexander Guerrero for ~$30 million + his future projection Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:08:36 +0000 AlexanderGuerrero

The Dodgers are close to signing 26-year-old Cuban shortstop/second baseman Alexander Guerrero, according to Jesse Sanchez of and Peter Gammons of Gammons Daily. Sanchez puts the deal at 5 years/$32 million, while Gammons says the deal is for $30 million. Sanchez also adds that the deal is not yet final but is near completion.

Back in July it was said that Guerrero had signed with the Dodgers for 7 years and $32 million but were waiting on paperwork to go through. A week later, though, it was said the Dodgers’ offer was topped by another team and the alleged handshake agreement went away.

Guerrero defected from Cuba at the start of 2013 and has been waiting for paperwork to clear ever since. That paperwork was finalized earlier yesterday, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 in Minnesota and Dionisio Soldevilla of ESPN Deportes.

The optimistic projection of Guerrero is as an offense-first second baseman, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America, who has an entire scouting report up that you should go read.

Once Guerrero signs, he will likely go to Double-A or Triple-A, with the hope that he can get to the major leagues quickly. Several teams aren’t convinced he has the ability to either reach the majors or stick there as an everyday player, but whatever team signs him will probably see him as an offensive-oriented second baseman.

Also, here’s video of him in action:

Along with the thoughts of his agent:

Assuming he’s as good as the Dodgers think, Guerrero fits perfect with the club at second base with Mark Ellis a free agent (and old) and no viable replacement in the minor-league pipeline. A double play combination of him and Hanley Ramirez might be a bit frightening for pitchers, but if they can both rake, it’ll be forgivable.

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Hanley talks extension, seeking relief help + in on Cuban trio of Gonzalez, Hinojosa, Alvarez Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:45:52 +0000 HanleyRamirezDodgers

Hanley Ramirez would like to remain a Dodger for life, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

Hanley Ramirez said that if the Dodgers approach him at any time about extending his contract, he would be open to talking.

“Definitely, because I want to stay here,” Ramirez said. “I want to stay here forever.”

Ramirez will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season. He will earn $15.5 million this year and $16 million next.

“Hopefully, I could stay here the rest of my career,” Ramirez said. “But I can’t control that.”

Hanley will be 31 by the 2015 season, and locking up a player after 30 who already can’t play his current position and has injury question marks is generally a bad idea. That said, looking at the free agent class, there isn’t much to work with and he may be the best option.

Yes, Corey Seager could be ready sometime during his extension (big IF), but if he sticks at shortstop, then Hanley can play the position he should be playing anyway: third.

All in all, the team could do worse than extending Hanley for a few years, though I think it’s wise to wait him out to see if he can prove that he will stay healthy.

The Dodgers are in the market for relief help, and the Brewers bullpen may have what they’re looking for, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.

A Dodgers scout was dispatched to Milwaukee this week, sent to look at the three relievers the Brewers are currently marketing. While the Brewers have told teams that closer Jim Henderson won’t be dealt, they are more than willing to discuss John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez and left-hander Mike Gonzalez.

The Dodgers aren’t alone in their need for bullpen help, and their scout wasn’t alone in watching the Brewers trio. The Red Sox, Orioles and Tigers also have scouts in Milwaukee this week. The Dodgers’ four National League West rivals have also shown interest at times in the Brewer relievers, as well as in starter Yovani Gallardo.

John Axford, the once front-line closer, hasn’t posted an FIP below 4 in two years and has been worth negative WAR over that same time-span. K-Rod has regained much of the form he lost in 2012, but volatile doesn’t begin to describe him, both on and off the field. Mike Gonzalez, meanwhile, is a solid reliever (2.95 ERA/3.38 FIP Career), but has command issues.

Honestly, none of them are upgrades over Kenley Jansen or Paco Rodriguez, and it’s debatable as to whether they would be better than Ronald Belisario. As such, unless they give up close to nothing, I fail to see the point in pursuing this trio.

The Dodgers have enough reclamation projects, no?

Cuban defectors RHP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez and RHP Dalier Hinojosa have both been cleared by the government and are ready to sign, according to Jesse Sanchez of (1,2).

The Dodgers interest in Gonzalez has been reported for a while now, and he’s been touted as potentially MLB-ready. He has the price tag to match, and he may cost as much as $60 million to sign (via Knobler). For what it’s worth, Peter Gammons relays the non-shocking news that the Dodgers are the favorites.

The 27-year-old Hinojosa has interested the Dodgers with his low-90s fastball (plus a two-seam) and four-pitch mix that includes a slider, curve, and change. There’s been no indication as to his cost yet.

Neither player is beholden to the international bonus pool money.

Keeping with the Cuban theme, 24-year-old OF Dariel Alvarez was declared a free agent recently as well, and the Dodgers are in on him, according to Sanchez.

On Thursday, Alvarez, 24, a right-handed hitter who played for Camaguey in Serie Nacional, told that he was declared a free agent by the Commissioner’s Office in January and cleared by the U.S. government to enter into a contract with a big league club a month later. He said a change in representation is part of the reason his appearance on the market has been delayed.

“I am ready,” said Alvarez, who is in Florida on a work visa. “I can sign. Just waiting on the best opportunity.”

On Wednesday, Alvarez starred in an open showcase in front of a group of scouts that included representatives from the Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, Mariners, D-backs, Padres, and Yankees in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The Marlins did not attend the workout.

Alvarez defected from Cuba last summer and later played professionally in Vera Cruz, Mexico. The 6-foot-2, 190 pound can play all three outfield positions and has impressed Major League scouts with his above-average arm.

Like his two Cuban counterparts, he is not beholden to the international bonus pool limit.

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Chase Utley to the Dodgers trade speculation + Ricky Nolasco & Matt Garza updates Tue, 02 Jul 2013 13:50:41 +0000 ChaseUtley

Chase Utley is a name being thrown around internally by the Dodgers, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Not much to substantiate it other than his sources, but it feels like this rumor was inevitable.

From 2005-09, Utley put up a line of .301/.388/.535/.922. Add plus-plus defense at second base to that equation and you have a potential future Hall Of Famer. Unfortunately, over the last three years, injuries have taken their toll, and he’s hit .264/.367/.433/.800 with merely plus defense. Still a well above-avearge player, but nothing like the 6-8 WAR monster he once was.

2013, then, appears to be a bit of a resurgence for Utley at age 34. Posting a .284/.348/.517/.866 line while carrying the same plus defensive profile, he would be a significant upgrade over Mark Ellis at second base, and would immediately slot into the middle of the order.

Utley makes $15 million this year and will be a free agent after the season is through, but if there’s a type of player to give up significant assets to acquire as a rental, it’s All-Star talent like him.

On the Ricky Nolasco front, both Buster Olney of ESPN and Heyman report that the Dodgers are in talks with the Marlins.

Ideally, the Marlins want a “good prospect” and “all the money gone” in exchange for Nolasco, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports.

The Marlins, according to one rival executive, want a “good” prospect for Nolasco and “all the money gone.” In other words, they want their trade partner to absorb the approximately $6 million remaining on Nolasco’s contract.

That said, a report by Heyman today suggests that it might be an either/or choice for the Marlins, as the Dodgers appear willing to eat salary but not trade the prospects, while other teams (including the Orioles/Giants/Rangers/Rockies) are more willing to trade an appealing prospect but not eat all the money.

The Dodgers have been considered a favorite since they might be willing to absorb the $5.75 million remaining on Nolasco’s $11.5-million 2013 salary, but the source suggested late Monday afternoon that there’s no deal currently on the table from anyone who is tempting enough to take. But that could change “in a half an hour,” the person warned.

As I said when I looked at his potential acquisition in depth, the advantages of getting Nolasco are that it prevents competitors from obtaining him and it allows the Dodgers to have depth in their rotation. Obviously those aren’t absolute needs, so surrendering a significant asset for him is less than optimal.

Fortunately, the Dodgers seem to be playing their cards right so far, focusing on salary relief and their desire to keep their own farm system in tact.

Matt Garza talks figure to heat up soon, as teams have been out in droves watching his recent starts, according to Carrie Muskat of Heyman echos that sentiment, and names the Dodgers among the potential players.

The Orioles, Rangers, Giants, Padres and Dodgers are all said by sources to have varying degrees of interest in acquiring Garza, with the Blue Jays, Red Sox (though they seem more focused on bullpen help at the moment) and several other teams seen as possible destinations for the 29-year-old.

His performance versus his reputation, in addition to his potential cost, are reason enough to shy away, but Paul Swydan of FanGraphs adds injury concerns to the mix.

On December 28, Garza guaranteed that he’d be ready for opening day. Then the problems started. On February 17, he was removed from his first live batting practice session after holding onto his left side. The next day the story was that it was a mild lat strain, but Garza didn’t think it would be “a big thing.” A few days later, Garza was still confident that he’d be ready for opening day. That confidence lasted just six days, when he reported that he might start the season on the disabled list. Then he had a flare up a few days later, and it was decided he would definitely land on the DL for the season’s start. He wouldn’t throw off a mound again until April. Then after being rained out of a rehab start, he was scratched from the next, with the proverbial “dead arm.” He would finally make his first rehab start of the season, or start of any kind really, on May 1. He sparkled in his four minor league starts, allowing just two runs over 15.1 innings, but the main takeaway here is how long it took him to get back on the mound.

That means if he was on the Dodgers, he would trip over the mound and be out for the year.

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Should the Dodgers acquire Ricky Nolasco? Matt Garza? + international bonus pool space Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:04:53 +0000 RickyNolasco

The Dodgers are among multiple teams in pursuit of Marlins right-handed starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco, according to multiple reports.

NL West rivals and the Orioles are named by Fox SportsKen Rosenthal.

Four of the five teams in the West — the Giants, Dodgers, Padres and Rockies — have expressed interest in Nolasco, according to major-league sources.

The Orioles, another team in need of starting pitching, also like Nolasco, sources say.

Meanwhile, the consensus (here, here, here) seems to be that the Marlins want to be rid of Nolasco, his salary, and his lack of future in the rebuild down there, and they want to be rid of him immediately.

As far as the status of the trade, the Dodgers are in talks with the Marlins, but nothing is imminent yet, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are deep into trade talks with the Miami Marlins about pitcher Ricky Nolasco, a source confirmed Wednesday.

Then there’s the question of whether this would be a wise move. The money is sort of moot in the case of the Dodgers, but would this actually make sense?

Nolasco has a 3.68 ERA and a 3.55 FIP in 2013, but his career rates of 4.43/3.81 suggest a problem living up to his defensive-independent numbers. Over more than a thousand innings, that’s not bad luck, that’s a repeatable problem. But last year Nolasco made adjustments, as Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs points out. So going forward, there’s a good chance that he’s a sub-4 ERA guy, worth about 2-3 wins over a full season.

Now if that sounds a lot like the guys he would be replacing in the rotation, Chris Capuano or Stephen Fife, it’s because it should. Capuano has a 4.09 ERA and a 4.21 FIP in 2013, while he was at 3.72 and 3.95 last year. Fife, meanwhile, has been solidly average, posting a 3.41 ERA and 4.16 FIP. As such, there’s little marginal value in acquiring Nolasco, at least in an absolute sense.

That said, Nolasco is the superior pitcher to both, and acquiring him has benefits beyond pure man-for-man comparisons. Since Fife has options, it allows the Dodgers to push a guy they can count on back to AAA in case of an injury, which is a superior alternative to chancing it with the Zach Lee/Matt Magill/Jonathan Sanchez/whoever else monster. Additionally, it keeps him out of the hands of the competition, most of whom are pitching starved. Ranked by WAR to date, the Padres have the worst starting rotation in baseball, and the Giants come in at 25th.

So is Nolasco a pitcher worth pursuing? Yes. The question is what it will cost the Dodgers, and hopefully the answer isn’t an impact prospect.

The Dodgers are also interested in Cubs right-handed starter Matt Garza, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

The Padres and Dodgers also are among the teams pursuing Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, sources say.

Garza has a much better reputation than Nolasco, but he hasn’t really been THAT GUY outside of 2011, and he’s posting a 4.25 ERA this year to go along with a 4.35 FIP. His body of work screams consistently above-average, not front-line rotation anchor.

Given what he’s likely to fetch, he needs to either show his previous front-line performance or the cost will have to come down.

Kevin Gregg of the Cubs is also getting asked about, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. Chances that one of those teams are the Dodgers? Has to be 100%, right?

Not to worry, he will likely immediately suck should he come to Chavez Ravine.

In “not shocking at all” news, the team is interested in trading for pool space in the international signings frontier, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.

In addition to the Cubs and Rangers, sources have said the Yankees, Dodgers and perhaps Red Sox might also be among the other teams in the market to acquire more pool space. Yet the way in which MLB structured the bonus pools has left the market short on sellers. Just seven teams have more than $3 million in their bonus pools, and two of them are the Cubs and Red Sox.

I have a hard time seeing many teams being willing to give up significant bonus pool space given how low it already is to start.

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Rumor Mill: Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Lucas Tirado Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:07:24 +0000 AndreEthierMad

With the emergence of Yasiel Puig — and, to a far less extent, Scott Van Slyke — the rumors surrounding Andre Ethier being dealt have understandably cropped up once again.

A couple of teams have called the Dodgers, and apparently he is available, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.

Teams are internally starting to discuss Ethier’s availability, while a couple have already called the Dodgers. The answer would appear to be yes, he is available. There’s no doubt the Red Sox have mulled it, but with Daniel Nava hitting well, Shane Victorino about to return, and Jonny Gomes starting to heat up, there doesn’t appear to be a need. Ethier is a good friend of Dustin Pedroia, and there’s a good chance Pedroia could motivate him and get him out of his malaise. But it’s not a chance the Red Sox want to take at this juncture.

The fact that he’s available shouldn’t be shocking, as they tried to deal him in the off-season.

Specifically, though, who wants him? Cafardo talked the Red Sox out of it, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports talks the Mets into it.

The Mets would make sense as a destination for Andre Ethier of the Dodgers, Rosenthal says. With Johan Santana, Jason Bay and Frank Francisco coming off the books, the Mets could have the financial flexibility to deal for Ethier and a chunk of the four years and $71.5MM that will be left on his contract by the time this offseason rolls around.

The Mets seem to be at the forefront of the speculation, but there doesn’t actually seem to be an effort from the Mets brass themselves.

In order to trade Ethier, the Dodgers would likely have to eat a ton of money, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Is the contract even movable?

“Significant dollars would have to come back,” one rival general manager said.

“It would have to be a bad contract for a bad contract,” another GM said.

Just how much? And how bad?

“No one’s untradeable if the team eats enough of the money,” a third rival GM said. “I bet they’d have to eat half.”

Considering they were willing to eat significant dollars to trade him in the off-season, I can’t see why that wouldn’t be the case now.

Ethier has been a great player for the Dodgers since he was acquired, but he’s on the wrong side of 30, and with everybody healthy, the Dodgers have Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Puig, and Ethier who need full-time status. Then there’s Scott Van Slyke and Alex Castellanos, who are worthy of a platoon shot, so the urgency to deal him is understandable.

That said, I do think people are getting ahead of themselves, particularly because four out of those six outfielders mentioned have been on the DL this year, and all six have missed games with injuries.

The Dodgers do not want to lose Clayton Kershaw (no kidding?), and they will not let it happen, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.

“I don’t think they can lose this guy,” said one AL executive, speaking for, well, the rest of the human race.

The scuttlebutt out there is that Kershaw is looking for the first 10-year contract landed by any pitcher since the legendary Wayne Garland got 10 years, $2.3 million (total) from the Indians, back in 1977. Just at, um, slightly higher rates.

“He’s not leaving L.A.,” said one exec. “That’s not going to happen. There’s literally a one-half of one-percent chance he walks away. I could see him getting seven years, $200-210 million, something like that. And the only reason I could ever see him taking less is, he’s a pitcher. I’m sure he’s already got $200 million on the table. I don’t know how he can go out to the mound and throw a ball with $200 million on the table. If I were his agent, I’d say, ‘Let’s wrap this up in the next two weeks,’ just because anytime a pitcher throws a pitch, you never know what might happen.”

I think fans would just rather have this done sooner than later.

The Dodgers are showing interest in right-handed pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, according to Dylan Hernandez.

The Dodgers are among the clubs interested in 26-year-old right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

At least one major league scout believes Gonzalez can pitch in the major leagues this year. He is said to be 6-foot-3 with a fastball in the 90s, a changeup, forkball and curveball.

Whereas Puig rarely played outside of Cuba before signing with the Dodgers, Gonzalez has pitched in several high-profile international tournaments, meaning teams have fairly detailed scouting reports on him. Gonzalez pitched in the World Cup of Baseball in 2009 and 2011.

Because Gonzalez is 23 years or older and played in Cuba’s top league for three or more seasons, whatever a team spends to sign him won’t count against its limit for international signings.

Of course, the Dodgers aren’t the only team interested, as there will be six other competitors.

Seven teams — including the Cubs, Dodgers, Rangers and Red Sox — have expressed serious interest in Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez and have been watching him throw bullpen sessions in Mexico since April, according to an industry source.

Gonzalez, 26, fled Cuba earlier this year, landed in El Salvador and worked out for a month in Mexico City before making his way to Tijuana, where he currently resides. He has been throwing full bullpen sessions in front of scouts twice each week for the past two months and expects to face hitters this week.

Representatives for the 6-foot-3 Gonzalez submitted paperwork to the United States Department of Treasury for the purposes of unblocking the player in February and began petitioning MLB for free agency a month later. Gonzalez filed a copy of his residency card from Mexico — the final step to becoming a free agent — to the Commissioner’s Office last week, but does not expect to hear back until after the conclusion of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Gonzalez still has to be cleared by the U.S. government before he can enter into an agreement with a Major League club. The unblocking process could be resolved immediately, or last several months.

A full-fledged showcase is expected once he becomes eligible to sign with a Major League club.

A pitcher with the ability to join the starting rotation in 2013 that doesn’t count against the international bonus cap or cost a draft pick? If the Dodgers like him, it’s hard to imagine that they don’t come out on top.

In news related to prospects who are beholden to the international signing cap, the Dodgers are interested in Lucas Tirado, a shortstop out of the Dominican Republic.

The 16-year-old, who trains with Jaime Ramos, is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds and has a simple lefty swing, although the rest of his tool set is modest. Some scouts who liked his swing also had concerns about his bat speed, while his below-average foot speed will likely lead him to another position.

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Clayton Kershaw’s price may be going up, deal not imminent Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:39:12 +0000 ClaytonKershawPitch

Clayton Kershaw‘s extension has been widely anticipated by Dodgers fans for a while now, and most (including me) seem to want it done as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as if that’s necessarily going to be the case.

A week ago, Dylan Hernandez said nothing was imminent:

Clayton Kershaw’s agent was at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, but a new deal between the Dodgers and their ace didn’t appear imminent, according to people familiar with the situation who weren’t authorized to speak on the matter.

He was right on the money, as no deal has been reached yet and figures are still being thrown around, though the $200 million price tag seems about right, according to Ken Rosenthal.

Clayton Kershaw’s people and the Dodgers are still talking with the season underway, but no one really knows what’s going on behind closed doors. At the same time, no one should be surprised if Kershaw winds up being the first true $200MM pitcher. Inking him for a total of ten years would keep him locked up through his age 34 season and even though that length sounds crazy, Felix Hernandez is signed through age 33 and Justin Verlander through age 36. Rosenthal’s guess is an eight-year, $200MM extension on top of the two years of control that he has left.

If that sounds nuts though, then this might sound even more so, as Kershaw’s price might be getting higher, according to Jon Heyman.

“I hear they’re already over $200 million,” one baseball official said.

Regardless, the encouraging thing is that everybody is reporting that the Dodgers and Kershaw’s agent are deep in negotiations, and that rarely ends without an extension getting done. It figures to be especially true with these new owners and their deep pockets.

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A Clayton Kershaw extension seems to be inching closer by the day, according to everybody Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:29:46 +0000 ClaytonKershawPitch

The news of Clayton Kershaw‘s allegedly imminent extension with the Dodgers was broken recently by Mike Petriello, and since then, reporters have chimed in, all confirming the existence of talks.

Jon Heyman confirmed the negotiations and mentioned that Opening Day was not a hard deadline despite what Kershaw has previously said to have preferred.

Star left-hander Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers are quietly talking about a multiyear deal, people familiar with the situation say.

While the sides officially aren’t speaking publicly about it, based on how the new Dodgers ownership team has acted and the value it places on big-time players, it’s hard to imagine the Dodgers not locking up Kershaw at some point. Opening day isn’t necessarily a hard deadline, though Giants star Buster Posey and Tigers star Justin Verlander treated it as one before making their big deals, for $167 million and $180 million, respectively.

Tim Brown confirmed the talks but says a Dodger official shot down the report, though Kershaw himself seemed to tease that something was in the works.

Nudged again, asked if an agreement could be reached by Monday, Kershaw grinned accommodatingly and said, “Never know.” All lilting at the end, like “stay tuned” or “miracles happen,” one of the two.

Regardless, this ends well for Kershaw. It probably ends well for the Dodgers. An Internet report Friday said the two were nearing agreement on an eight-year, $200 million extension. The Dodgers have not been of the mood to comment either way, though one official shook his head gravely at the report.

Negotiations proceed. As of Friday afternoon, there was nothing. A lot could change in a day, two, almost three. Presumably, if there is a handshake, it will be to seal something in the range of eight years, and something in the neighborhood of $200 million. That would appear to be where the market is headed.

Given that the official Dodgers executive position on the matter is that rule number one about the Kershaw contract negotiations is that there is no Kershaw contract negotiations, it doesn’t shock me that a random Dodgers official refused to confirm a deal.

Locally, Bill Shaikin also confirmed that negotiations are taking place.

People familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Friday that the Dodgers were having contract conversations with former National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.

Perhaps most promising, though, were tweets by Ramona Shelburne, who yesterday after the game described the extension as “imminent” and that word around the clubhouse was the deal would “get done”.

So for everybody asking about it and worrying about it because Kershaw’s preferred deadline has already passed, I would advise you to calm down, because all indications seem to point to a deal being finished sometime soon.

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Clayton Kershaw to sign extension with Dodgers for 8 years/$200 million, according to report Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:44:20 +0000 ClaytonKershawBauce

Clayton Kershaw will be extended for 8 years and $200 million by the Dodgers sooner than later, according to Mike Petriello, who is now a reporter as well as a blogger.

None of that seems all that interesting any longer, because I can reliably report that Clayton Kershaw is going to sign an eight-year, $200m extension with the Dodgers, possibly as soon as tonight. If so, that would blow away all of us — myself included — who thought that $200m was an unattainable goal, though clearly deals since then have impacted that.

No word yet on the structure of the deal, but if it begins in 2013, as I expect it would, then it would cover Kershaw’s age 25-32 seasons. It’s a ludicrous amount of money, but that is exactly the timeframe I want a pitcher, and Kershaw’s obviously the kind of pitcher (and person) you’d want to lock up for that.

It’s not official yet, but I expect it to be in the next 24-48 hours, if not sooner. Much more to come, no doubt.

Most of us speculated that the sky was the limit on his extension, but $200 million warranted skepticism unless they were extending him for a decade. Well, never underestimate the unlimited bank account, I suppose, as $25 million annually is now expected to be a reality.

How the value of this and what not shakes out depends on the details, so I’ll wait to analyze that, but locking up an elite starter through his age 25-32 seasons is hard to complain about. Additionally, given the inflating market, it’s hard to find a realistic alternative to this.

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Golfsmith partners with South African retailer

Austin, Texas -- Golfsmith International said Tuesday that it has established a partnership with The MoreGolf Group – South Africa’s largest golf retailer – as part of a global strategy toward growth.

At 78 stores, Golfsmith is the largest golf specialty retailer in the United States. It said it will reinvest the income generated from the just-announced partnership into its core U.S. business.

In the past year, Golfsmith has formed new partnerships for its proprietary brands in Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and now South Africa.

MoreGolf banners include The Pro Shop's retail chain and World of Golf experiences, two of the best known names in South African golf.

The partnership will allow both retailers to share best practices in merchandising, operations, club fitting, sourcing, sales and marketing. Additionally MoreGolf will have an exclusive agreement to sell MacGregor golf products as well as Golfsmith's other proprietary brands throughout the entire MoreGolf group that includes The Pro Shop's 18 stores, its World of Golf facility and three World of Golf villages.

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Tim Challies

Challies on FacebookChallies on Twitter

Get Outta My Face!

Get Outta My FaceI have spent the last thirteen years of my life trying to forget my teenage years. It’s not that these years were really so bad and it’s not like I went through a period of utter rebellion as do so many teens (for which I give thanks to God). It’s more that I had little joy in these years and felt that I was mostly just putting in time as I waited to grow up. What I do remember is many times of disobedience and disregard for my parents. I loved them and hated them. I needed them and yet wanted to go about life on my own. Though I may not have told them so in so many words, many times I just wanted them out of my face. I remember those years well—more so than I would like.

what I’ve observed of myself, my siblings, and so many other teens, they are years guaranteed to be filled with both joys and sorrows. Rick Horne knows well such joy and pain. He has fathered six teenagers and has counseled hundreds more. This is a man who has a lot to share about leading teenagers through these years. This is the subject of his new book, Get Outta My Face.

According to the author, this book “aims to summarize common experiences parents have with angry teens and illustrate how biblical principles can bring remarkably clear and useful light to these situations. The aim is to position these truths on the bottom shelf so we can all reach them and put them to use with angry, unmotivated teens—even if we’ve made serious mistakes in our previous efforts. We all want to help these young people recognize their self-destructive ways, learn new and effective methods of dealing with life, and ultimately come into a deep and life-changing relationship with Christ. That’s the goal of this book.”

One of the book’s foremost principles is that presentation matters. A parent’s first words to an angry teen will strongly push the interaction to one of two outcomes—the words being received or the words being rejected. The best and most valuable counsel may be rejected if it is not properly presented. This is not to say that the author teaches manipulation. Instead, he simply shows how a parent can approach a teen with respect even when he or she is not looking for any help.

As Horne instructs parents or youth leaders or anyone who seeks to lead and guide teens, he follows this pattern. The first part is “What You Must Understand to Connect with Your Teen.” Here the author helps ensure the parent has a biblically-informed worldview by presenting Scripture’s assessment of your angry or unmotivated teen. This is, as you might expect, the foundational information that will set the tone for all that follows.

Part two is titled “What You Must Do to Help Your Teen” and this is where we find the “how-to” information. The author introduces the acronym LCLP which stands for Listen Big, Clarify Narrow, Look Wide, Plan Small. The author gives one chapter to each of these four and does much of his teaching through little narratives, true or could-be-true illustrations of these principles in action.

While the first two sections deal with the surface motivations and external behavior, the author dedicates the third part to the heart. He calls this portion “How to Make the Changes Stick.” While dealing with a teen will necessitate beginning with external behavior, a parent would be remiss to neglect using the bridge of communication to get to his child’s heart. The ultimate goal, of course, is to lead a teen to the cross, either for the first time or for a growing, deepening understanding of Christ’s work.

Though I am not the parent of a teenager, I am young enough still to remember being one. At the same time, I am only a few years away from seeing my son turn thirteen. Even now, with him growing and maturing, I learned things from this book that I can apply right away. Having said that, this is the kind of book that will undoubtedly necessitate more than one reading for those who wish to absorb it and implement what it teaches. I read it at a good pace and while jotting notes and still feel that I would learn a lot more by reading it through once again. I am sure that I will do so before I have my own teens to deal with.

This is a book that is realistic about teens as they are going to be, not wistful as to what they might be. This is no idealized view of teenagers. Rather, it is realistic, giving an assessment of teens that rings true while providing solutions that can actually work. It teaches a parent to do more than react to a sinful teen, but teaches him to be proactive in approaching the teen, in reaching out to him, and in shepherding his heart. This is exactly what Shepherd Press does so well. Their books, their authors, take issues related to parenting and look at them under the shadow of the cross. Get Outta My Face is a great complement to their existing catalog and a book that I’m sure God will use mightily for his glory. If you have teens, if you will soon have teens, or if you work with teens, you will want to get yourself a copy of this book.

Get Outta My Face!
Rick Horne


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Serve this special rice dressing in mini pumpkins for an impressive Thanksgiving side dish.

3 cups cooked wild rice 2 cups cooked white rice 8 mini pumpkins 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 cup finely chopped celery 8 ounces finely chopped mushroom seasoned salt 1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning* salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine cooked wild rice and white rice. Set aside.

To prepare mini pumpkins, cook each pumpkin in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes or until each one is tender. Cut out top. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds and discard. Set pumpkins aside.

In a medium skillet, heat oil. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Remove from pan and combine with the rice. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until tender and beginning to brown. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Combine with the rice. Add poultry seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff each pumpkin with rice mixture. Serve warm. If needed, re-warm in microwave or oven.

*Note: In place of poultry seasoning, use 1/4 teaspoon each of sage, thyme, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, and black pepper.

Serves 8

Nutritional Information per serving:

Calories: 160 Fat, gm.: 2 Protein, gm.: 5 Carbs, gm.: 31 Cholesterol, mg.: 0 Fiber, gm.: 2.3


text:
SLIDESHOW: Brag Board 2009

Published On: Nov 06 2009 01:10:54 PM CST   Updated On: Nov 21 2011 09:42:01 PM CST

Have A Successful Hunting Season? Show Your Prey In The Brag Board 2009 - Image From Dad
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Madison– William Nelson Hudson, Jr. , age 64, departed this life on March 23, 2013. He was born on September 29, 1948 in Columbus, Mississippi to William Nelson Hudson, Sr. and Ida Mae (Stokes) Hudson. Both have preceded him in death. He was the eldest of their three children. The Hudson family departed Mississippi in 1956 and relocated to Gary, Indiana, which became their new home. He attended Roosevelt High School in Indiana and graduated in 1965. William was a very independent and hardworking man all of his life. He worked for LTV Steele Corporation, as well as Blow Knoxx, Inc. as a head assembly line technician for more than ten years.

He came to Madison in 1987 to make a better life for himself. He continued his career as a chef for the Maple Bluff Country Club for five years. He openly expressed how much he enjoyed this kind of employment. He then worked at Rowley Schlimgen as an assembler/driver for over fifteen years.

William was an amazing man who was willing to give his last, believed in Jesus Christ and accepted him as his Lord and Savior. He truly loved his family and friends unconditionally and always made himself available to anyone in need.

William leaves to mourn his four children, daughter Alisa R. (Robert) Hudson-Crawford of Gary, IN, and three sons William “Teddy Mice” Jones of Minnesota, Anthony Tyrone (Katherine) Hudson of Indianapolis, Indiana, and William “Wicky” Nelson Hudson-McKinnie of Madison; one sister Faye Jewel (Robert) Hudson-Adams of Sun Prairie; one brother Terry Lee (Juanita) Hudson of Crown Point, IN; six grandchildren; three nieces; two nephews; a host of great nieces and nephews; one great-great niece, as well as a host of cousins, friends and one special aunt Emma Lee Stokes who is 90 years old and still living in Columbus, MS.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one nephew, Terry Lee Hudson, Jr.

Services will be held at RYAN FUNERAL HOME, 2418 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison, at 1:00PM on Friday, April 5, 2013, with Reverend Thomas Flint presiding. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from NOON until the time of the service on Friday. Burial will be at Roselawn Memorial Park. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: