“If you are what you say you are…” —– Dodgers Now: Bill Shaikin reveals that the Dodgers are no longer exclusively talking with Fox, as they’ve met with Time Warner now. The Dodgers and Time Warner Cable have met to discuss a potential deal for the team’s television rights, according to two people familiar with the talks but not authorized ... Read More »
Making Moves: Dodgers Sign Zack Greinke & Hyun Jin Ryu, Lose Alfredo Silverio
Zack Greinke and the Dodgers have agreed to a 6-year, $147 million mega-deal, the largest in MLB history for a righty and one that makes him the highest-paid pitcher on an average annual value basis. Greinke slots in behind Clayton Kershaw in the rotation and gives the Dodgers a formidable 1-2 punch while lengthening the staff. Speaking of Kershaw, he ... Read More »
Are Sacrifice Bunts Less Offensive Now That Scoring Has Dipped?
Recently, I linked to a FanGraphs article about how stolen bases now matter more and why the break-even point is dropping. In the comments section of that article, a user named “Joshua” asked a question I found interesting. Joshua says: November 30, 2012 at 7:32 pm Interesting. What would this do to run expectancy tables and bunting? Is the 1st ... Read More »
Dodgers sign Hyun Jin Ryu to 6-year/$36 million contract
After expected rumors of the Dodgers and Hyun Jin Ryu’s agent Scott Boras being far apart, the two sides eventually agreed to a contract worth $36 million over a six-year span, according to Jon Heyman. As far as incentives go, Ryu can earn up to $1 million per year based on innings pitched and can increase his base salary (via ... Read More »
Shohei Otani announces that he will sign with the Nippon Ham Fighters
Japanese right-hander Shohei Otani has announced that he will stay in Japan and sign with the Nippon Ham Fighters, the team that drafted him the first-round of the 2012 NPB Draft. The announcement was expected for a few days now, according to the Japanese media, but this made it official. According to both the Japanese media and the Dodgers media, ... Read More »
[Updated] Dodgers sign Zack Greinke to 6-year/$147 million contract
The Dodgers have signed Zack Greinke to a 6-year, $147 million contract, according to Jon Heyman, with Gina Miller getting the scoop. The $24.5 million average annual value of the deal makes him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball on a per-year basis. If you’ve followed me in years past, you’d know that I usually do some type of efficiency analysis ... Read More »
Rumor Mill: Zack Greinke consensus shifts to Texas, Dee Gordon trade destinations expand
The tide has shifted completely in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes with sources now almost universally agreeing that the Rangers are the favorites. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi speculate that their push for Justin Upton is born out of confidence regarding Greinke. The Rangers’ fervent push for Upton, according to one rival executive, is an indication of their confidence in ... Read More »
Shohei Otani expected to announce he’ll sign with Nippon Ham Fighters on Sunday, according to Sanspo
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 »
2012 Winter Meetings: Everybody waits on Greinke, Dee trade talks, no Ryu progress
The Zack Greinke saga is the story of the Winter Meetings, not only because he’s the top free agent out there, but also because he’s holding up the deals of other free agents, as they’re all waiting on him. Whatever he decides, it figures to be at least borderline historical, as Jon Heyman notes. Strong belief by people close to ... Read More »
Dodger prospects Dominguez, Ynoa, Martin, Smith draw interest as potential Rule 5 draftees
Dodger prospects could be surprisingly active come Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft, as there are two prospects drawing significant interest and two who might be plucked. —– Ben Badler of Baseball America has tweeted on more than one occasion in the last week that Jose Dominguez is seen as a potential Rule 5 draftee. Additionally, John Manuel wrote about him on ... Read More »
2012 Winter Meetings: Ryu offer rejected, Greinke’s price up, Capuano/Harang/Uribe shopped
The Dodgers made an offer to Hyun Jin Ryu, but it was rejected by Scott Boras, according to Ned Colletti. The Dodgers made a long-term offer to Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin on Tuesday, but it was rejected by agent Scott Boras. “Predictably, it fell a tad short,” said general manager Ned Colletti. The Dodgers have until Sunday to sign Ryu ... Read More »
2012 Winter Meetings: Greinke looms, Anibal in reserve, Soriano/Lowe relief options, SS/3B
Zack Greinke news is dribbling in slowly, especially given that talks were expected to escalate quickly. The latest speculation is that the Dodgers and Rangers are out ahead, according to Bill Shaikin. The Dodgers and Rangers appear to be the favorites for Greinke, with the Angels as the dark horse, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. So apparently ... Read More »
2012 Winter Meetings: Greinke Talk, Posturing On Ryu, Dickey & Shields Among Targets
The Dodgers will offer Zack Greinke the most money to sign, according to Jon Heyman, because they have no concept of a budget. The Dodgers have an interesting strategy that’s been employed only rarely: Sign the best, no matter the cost. “They are like theSteinrenner Yankees of the ’70s,” one competing GM said. Rival executives are beginning to wonder of ... Read More »
Making Moves: Logan White & De Jon Watson Promoted, Puig To Start 2013 In AA, Minor Deals
The Dodgers promoted a number of front office personnel, most notably future GMs (of the Dodgers, I hope) Logan White and De Jon Watson. White will now serve as Vice President Of Scouting, while Watson takes on the role of Vice President Of Player Development. —– Via Eric Stephen, Alfredo Silverio and Ozzie Martinez have signed minor-league contracts and received ... Read More »
2012 Winter Meetings: Shohei Otani’s Second Thoughts, Dee Gordon Shopped, James Loney Signs
Shohei Otani, who once declared definitively that he was headed to America, is having second thoughts about that decision after meeting with the Nippon Ham Fighters, which was the thing I feared the most at the time of the announcement. Shohei Otani, 18, who had vowed to sign in MLB, might now lean to staying in Japan, per Japanese media. ... Read More »
Chad Moriyama Dodgers, Sabermetrics, Scouting