Shohei Otani has announced today that he will hold a press conference on Sunday, and, according to Sanspo, the expectation is that he will say he has chosen to stay in Japan with the Nippon Ham Fighters. —– On Dec. 7, Nippon Ham announced that Shohei Otani will hold a news conference on Dec. 9 in the Iwate Prefecture. It’s ... Read More »
The Dodgers television contract will total between $6 billion and $7 billion over a 25-year span, thus potentially tripling the sale price of the team, according to Deadline‘s Nikki Finke. Insiders tell me that Fox Sports is close to clinching the exclusive TV rights for the Los Angeles Dodgers by paying between $6 billion and $7 billion over 25 years ... Read More »
Just a quick update here on the status of Shohei Otani, who I have been following because the Dodgers are one of the rumored teams in the lead for his services. As they promised, the Nippon Ham Fighters have taken him in the first round of today’s NPB Draft, which is risky to say the least. Has he changed his ... Read More »
Shohei Otani, the fire-balling high school Japanese pitching phenom, has opted for a career in the MLB, according to the Associated Press. Otani, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who has thrown a fastball between 99 and 100 mph, has been scouted by several major league teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. The 18-year-old Otani said “I think I ... Read More »
The Dodgers have hired Gerry Hunsicker to be the Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations, according to an official release from the team. LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today hired Gerry Hunsicker as Senior Advisor, Baseball Operations. Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement. “Gerry brings a wealth of senior level experience and knowledge that will assist baseball ... Read More »
So the Arizona Fall League started yesterday, and if you don’t already know what’s going on with that, you can check out the Dodgers players who are there in this article I wrote two months ago. One glaring difference between that list and what you’ll actually see or hear about is the absence of Yasiel Puig, as he’ll be missing ... Read More »
I previously complimented (sorta) Ned Colletti for potentially taking a sabermetric stance on the issue of Andre Ethier hitting against lefties, but after reading the rest of the interview with Barry Bloom of MLB.com, perhaps I spoke too soon. MLB.com: Do you think there has been enough time for all these parts to fit together? Colletti: What guys have been ... Read More »
Barry Bloom of MLB.com revealed through an interview that Ned Colletti and the Dodger coaching staff got into a bit of an argument after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Padres. MLB.com: So there was a little blowup in the clubhouse after Tuesday night’s loss here. We heard that was you. Colletti: I had a passionate exchange in the coach’s room. ... Read More »
Former Dodger closer Eric Gagne released a biography in French recently, called “Game Over: The Story Of Eric Gagne“, and within that book he estimates that 80% of his Dodger teammates used PEDs, though the story is more than a bit light on specifics. Gagne, who set a major league record while converting 84 consecutive save chances, admits that he ... Read More »
After today’s loss, the Dodgers find themselves three games back of the Cardinals in the chase for the second Wild Card spot. They’re also a half game behind the Brewers, which is a significant reason their playoff odds now sit below 10% and it’s edging closer to 5% with every game they don’t gain ground. Despite that, the Dodgers are ... Read More »
Aaron Harang will likely start Sunday’s game against the Reds on short rest, according to Don Mattingly. It could be bad. That leaves Sunday’s slot open, and one day after saying right-hander John Ely — who has made only two appearances in the Major Leagues this season, both in relief — could start, Mattingly said right-hander Aaron Harang likely will ... Read More »
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw got a second opinion on his hip today, which revealed nothing new from the doctor, but we did get a few tidbits dropped on the situation by other people. Clayton Kershaw was examined Tuesday by a hip specialist, who said the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner can continue to pitch without risking further damage ... Read More »
Both Ned Colletti and Don Mattingly will return to the Dodgers in 2013. Colletti’s extension is according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, though no details have been released yet. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and the team have a new deal to keep Colletti in the role he’s held since late 2005, CBSSports.com has learned. Colletti’s contract called for mutual ... Read More »
Don Mattingly will “likely” be retained by the Dodgers no matter how they finish the season, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. How about Sciosica to the Dodgers, Don Mattingly to the Yankees? Fun to think about, but extremely unlikely. The Dodgers are negotiating a contract extension with GM Ned Colletti and likely will do the same with Mattingly ... Read More »
Dodgers owner Peter Guber encouraged fans to keep the optimism because the trade with the Red Sox was for more than just this season, which is indeed the rational thing to recognize. However, what the hell did he mean by saying they did it to “send signals”? “It’s not fair to judge anything for almost a season,” said Guber. “The ... Read More »
Chad Moriyama Dodgers, Sabermetrics, Scouting