The Dodgers have dealt John Ely to the Astros in exchange for minor-league lefty Rob Rasmussen.

Rasmussen, a SoCal native and UCLA graduate, was selected by the Dodgers in the 27th round of the 2007 draft but declined to sign and instead became a Bruin. He was drafted by the Marlins in the 2nd round of the 2010 draft and acquired by Houston in 2012 as part of the Carlos Lee deal.

John Sickels of Minor League Ball gave his thoughts on the deal for both teams here. A detailed report on Rasmussen, soon to be 24, can be found here from True Blue LA.

Rob profiles as a relief pitcher and adds some lefty depth to the organization. He’s been emphatic in his joy following the deal:

Speechless/incredibly excited to be a Dodger, truly a dream come true!

— Rob Rasmussen (@RasmussenRob) December 19, 2012

For a kid who lived 10 minutes from the stadium, and saw the likes of Piazza and Nomo, I couldn’t be happier than I’ve been all day today

— Rob Rasmussen (@RasmussenRob) December 20, 2012

Ely, who was merely organizational depth with the Dodgers and profiles as such going forward, was a small price to pay for a flier on a small lefty with some upside.

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Scott Van Slyke has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA Albuquerque.

While Van Slyke is probably just a bench player or perhaps a one-year stopgap for a rebuilding team, I’m surprised nobody took a chance on him.

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The Dodgers have signed former Angels third baseman Dallas McPherson to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Over 10 seasons, McPherson owns a career minor-league line of .289/.370/.563/.933, but a career major-league slash line of just .241/.292/.446/.738 with a .316 wOBA while whiffing in an unseemly 32.1% of his plate appearances.

Over the past six years he’s amassed just 30 plate appearances and appeared in 22 games in the bigs. That doesn’t even tell the whole story though, as Dallas didn’t taste MLB ball in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012 due to a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness.

McPherson profiles as a classic AAAA player.

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Ryu Hyun-jin: It was assumed he would not participate in the WBC and that assumption was confirmed today with the replacements being named.

— Dan (@MyKBO) December 21, 2012

The Dodgers have announced their minor-league staff for 2013.

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Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke.

Well, this got here in a hurry, huh?

All of a sudden, the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft is upon us. The Los Angeles Dodgers have $5,202,800 to spend on their 11 total picks, and the team has two picks today: 18th overall and 51st overall.

Mock drafts have been done all over the place, so I thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at the team’s potential draft picks.

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#18 Overall

Ty Hensley – RHP – Santa Fe High School – Oklahoma

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has the Dodgers taking Hensley.

18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Ty Hensley, Santa Fe HS (Okla.)

A number of high school pitchers could come into play here, with Hensley being the one most often mentioned with the Dodgers. This could also be a landing spot for Cecchini should the Mets not take him.

So does Keith Law of ESPN.

Ty Hensley, RHP, Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe H.S.

I’m suddenly not hearing much else here. Hensley has size, arm strength and projection, but his command is below that of the other top prep arms.

As does Jim Callis of Baseball America.

18. DODGERS. After using its last nine top draft choices on a pitcher, Los Angeles appears headed down that route again. It’s difficult to project picks this deep in the first round with much certainty, but a lot of industry insiders are convinced the Dodgers will take Hensley.

Projected Pick: TY HENSLEY.

Baseball America has him ranked as the #23 prospect in the draft.

The Cardinals made Mike Hensley the 53rd overall selection in the 1988 draft, and his son Ty will beat him by about 30 picks this June. While several of this draft crop’s high school righthanders have been injured or regressed this spring, Hensley has done nothing but help his cause. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder has sat at 92-95 mph and touched 96-97 with his fastball all season–and it’s not even his best pitch. That would be a 12-to-6 curveball that he spins in the upper 70s. Hensley’s command isn’t as impressive as his pure stuff, and he still needs to add some life and work down in the zone more often with his fastball. Before his velocity spiked, he showed a promising changeup as a sophomore, but he hasn’t needed it this spring. A quality athlete, Hensley played quarterback at Santa Fe High before giving up football before his senior year. He’s also a power-hitting switch-hitter who could get the opportunity to play both way in the unlikely event that he follows through on his commitment to the University of Mississippi.

A high school right-handed pitcher with bloodlines, power stuff, and command questions?

Yeah, he’s tailor-made for Logan White‘s tastes.

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Gavin Cecchini – SS – Barbe High School – Louisiana

John Sickels of Minor League Ball has the Dodgers going with a position player here.

Cecchini is one of the best high school fielders and should hit enough to be a very good pick for the Dodgers.

Baseball America has him ranked as the #16 prospect in the draft.

Cecchini’s family occupies a unique place in Louisiana baseball, as his father and mother both coached him and his older brother Garin at Barbe High. Garin signed with the Red Sox for a $1.31 million bonus as a fourth-round pick in 2010. Gavin is likely to be drafted higher, in the first round, even though he’s not as physical and his bat is much more in question. Wiry at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Cecchini’s best attributes are his steadiness and defensive skills at shortstop. He has good hands and feet as well as the infield actions to stay at short, and excels at cutoff throws and being in the right spot defensively. His arm strength is a tick above-average and unfailingly accurate. His speed is about the same and plays up like his arm–he’s a skilled baserunner who takes extra bases and steals bases intelligently. Cecchini’s bat involves some projection, though. Some scouts believe he will be a bottom-of-the-order hitter despite his polished approach because of a lack of strength and impact bat speed. Cecchini is one of the safer bets in the high school class due to his polish, but scouts are mixed on his true upside.

While a position player would be a nice change of pace, it would be great if they could take a thumper just once, instead of having to rely on a defender to evolve as a hitter.

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Michael Wacha – RHP – Texas A&M University

Marc Hulet of FanGraphs has the Dodgers going with a college arm.

18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M – Wacha’s arm is not as dynamic as the college arms at the top of this list but he knows how to pitch and flashes two very good pitches in a low-90s moving fastball and plus changeup. He has both a slider and a curveball but both are inconsistent. He has a big, strong pitcher’s frame.

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has him going to the Dodgers as well.

18. Los Angeles Dodgers ($1.95M): Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M

I just have to get Wacha off the board here, as he’s expected by many to go in the early teens. The Dodgers have been primarily attached to high school arms like Ty Hensley and Lucas Sims, but a quick return might appeal to new ownership looking to make a mark.

Baseball America ranks him as the eighth best prospect in the draft.

After the consensus top three college pitchers (Stanford’s Mark Appel, Louisiana State’s Kevin Gausman, San Francisco’s Kyle Zimmer) go off the board, Wacha could be the next one selected. He owns the best changeup in the draft, a pitch that can be devastating when he sets it up with a 90-93 mph fastball that peaks at 96. His command also is as good as any pitcher in this crop, as is his competitiveness. He also has an athletic 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame and delivers his pitches on a tough angle to the plate. The only thing keeping him from being considered on the top tier of college arms is the lack of a plus breaking ball. Wacha made progress with a slider last summer under the tutelage of Team USA pitching coach Rob Walton, and he also throws a curveball. Wacha generally sticks with whichever breaking pitch is working best on a given day. Both pitches can get loose at times and project as no better than average at the big league level. Despite that one shortcoming, he still could find his way into the first 10 picks. He may not have the ceiling of Appel, Gausman or Zimmer, but Wacha has a higher floor.

Would be an odd pick to me, since the Dodgers have nothing but arms, and he seems like a #3 or a #4 in the majors if things pan out.

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Courtney Hawkins – OF – Carroll High School – Texas

Baseball America has him ranked as the 15th best prospect in the draft.

Scouts have coveted Hawkins since his performance as a sophomore in the 2010 Texas 5-A state playoffs. He bombed a ball into the upper-deck home run porch at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond, then earned MVP honors in the clincher as a starting pitcher. Though he can run his fastball into the low 90s, he definitely will make his living in the batter’s box. Hawkins is loaded with bat speed and uses his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame to generate exceptional leverage from the right side of the plate. He’ll need to tame his maximum-effort swing, stop sitting on fastballs and improve his pitch recognition. He’ll rack up some strikeouts, though they’ll be a worthwhile tradeoff for his home runs. More physical than most high school players, Hawkins also brings a plus arm and solid speed to the table. A center fielder in high school, he’ll likely wind up in right field as a pro. Scouts praise his instincts and makeup as well as his tools. He’s the most talented member of a University of Texas recruiting class that features the five best high school prospects in the state, and a lock to sign as a mid-first-round pick.

Just a personal preference, as I would like to see the team take a shot on a thumper for once, as the system is almost completely devoid of upside bats.

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Corey Seager – 3B – Cabarrus High School – North Carolina

Baseball America has him ranked #19 in the draft.

The younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, Corey has been on scouts’ radar for a couple of years, but he started moving up draft boards this spring. He has a big, physical frame at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with plenty of strength. He plays shortstop now and is a good defender, but scouts see him shifting to third base as a pro, where he could provide above-average defense. A lefthanded hitter, he has a simple swing and can go the other way with power. The game comes easy to him and scouts find it easy to see his upside, considering his brother was a third-round pick out of North Carolina and made the big leagues after just 279 minor league at-bats. The younger Seager has a strong commitment to South Carolina, but is likely to be picked in the first round.

Same theory. An upside bat who projects to the corners, but this one has the defense to stay at a valuable position.

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#51 Overall

Carson Kelly – 3B – Westview High School – Oregon

Baseball America has him ranked #43 for the draft.

Oregon hasn’t produced a high school player in the first three rounds since 1998 when righthander Steve Bechler went to the Orioles, but Kelly has the talent to end that streak. He is a two-way player, but more scouts prefer him as a position player. He’s a below-average runner, but his other tools are solid. Kelly has a strong build and is already pretty well filled out. He has a nice line-drive stroke with good loft and power potential. He’s not flashy, but he’s a steady defender at third base and has a strong arm. Some teams would like to try Kelly behind the plate. On the mound, he sits in the 90-92 mph range and throws a curveball and changeup. The Oregon recruit is young for the class and won’t turn 18 until mid-July but shows excellent maturity and leadership.

Love the fact that he’s a young, athletic player with bat upside. I think age coming out of high school is one of the most overlooked aspects of high school players. A true 19-year-old is very different from a true 17-year-old.

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Wyatt Mathisen – C – Calallen High School – Texas

Baseball America has him ranked #47 for the draft.

Mathisen is the best high school catching prospect in the draft, though he hasn’t seen much time behind the plate for Calallen High, which has deemed him more valuable as a shortstop and pitcher. There’s no question his pro future is as a backstop, and he has the tools and desire to make it there. He has plus arm strength and the athleticism to become a good receiver, though his inexperience shows as he flinches at times when catching the ball. His makeup is off the charts, as he has the leadership ability to run a pitching staff and the work ethic to succeed. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Mathisen has the swing and strength to hit for average and power from the right side of the plate. He’s a good runner for a catcher, grading as close to average, though he’ll probably lose a step once he starts catching every day. Like crosstown Corpus Christi rival Courtney Hawkins, he’s a Texas recruit.

People say the Dodgers system has a lot of catching prospects, and while that’s true, not many of them project as regulars. Wyatt Mathisen would.

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J.O. Berrios – RHP – Papa Juan XXIII High School – Puerto Rico

Baseball America has him ranked #49 for the draft.

In the history of the draft, only two pitchers from Puerto Rico have been drafted in the top two rounds–Jorge Lopez, who went in the second round to the Brewers last year and Luis Atilano, a Braves supplemental first-round pick from 2003. This year, there may be two more on that list and Berrios will likely be the first off the board. Berrios worked with a conditioning coach this fall and spring and added 20-25 pounds to his frame since the summer and now has a muscular, athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound physique. The added muscle has allowed him to smooth things out and has boosted his fastball velocity. His fastball now sits in the 93-95 mph range and some scouts have seen him touch 98. He throws his fastball down in the zone, mixes in a sharp, 80-81 mph slider and shows the makings of a solid changeup with fading action. Berrios is getting buzz as high as the back of the first round, and it’s unlikely he’ll wind up honoring his commitment to Miami Dade JC.

The Dodgers actually seem to scout Puerto Rico actively, even under Frank McCourt, so this isn’t that farfetched to me.

Raw, upside velocity with a potential plus breaking ball would seem to be something Logan White might pursue.

True Blue LA: Eric Stephen has the 2012 Spring Training roster.

True Blue LA: A review of the 2012 off-season for the Los Angeles Dodgers to make me cry.

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ESPN: Jon Weisman has an interview with De Jon Watson about the Dodgers minor league system.

ESPN: Keith Law ranks the Dodgers system 12th in baseball.

If pitching wins championships, the Dodgers are in pretty good shape going forward, as their system is loaded with power arms but is relatively light on position players.

Surprising, but I guess he likes the abundance of pitching in the system more than most.

Minor League Ball: John Sickels notes the lessons he has learned about evaluating prospects.

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FanGraphs: Bradley Woodrum separates sabermetrics into three branches and shows which teams use which branches.

The Dodgers are the only team with one branch.

Awesome!

Dodger Thoughts: Be sure to follow Jon Weisman and Dodger Thoughts to its new home.

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Minor League Ball: John Sickels reviews how the current top 25 pitchers in baseball were seen as prospects.

Minor League Ball: Same for the top 30 position players in baseball.

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The Onion: Because making fun of Bleacher Report is always hilarious.

MSTI: Mike Petriello asks how good Matt Kemp‘s contract looks in light of other long term deals. Pretty awesome, I’d say.

Grantland: Bill James goes through the best pitcher duels of 2011 and the Dodgers land on the list 10 times.

3. July 20, 2011, Dodgers at San Francisco, Clayton Kershaw against Tim Lincecum

5. September 9, 2011, Dodgers in San Francisco again, Kershaw and Lincecum rematch

23. June 26, Angels at Dodger Stadium, Jered Weaver against Clayton Kershaw

31. August 2, Dodgers in San Diego, Mat Latos against Hiroki Kuroda

32. March 31 (season opener), San Francisco in Los Angeles, Lincecum against Kershaw

35. June 8, Dodgers in Philadelphia, Hiroki Kuroda against Cole Hamels

36. July 9, Dodgers in San Diego, Rubby de la Rosa against Aaron Harang

42. June 19, Houston in L.A., Bud Norris against Hiroki Kuroda

60. September 14, Arizona in L.A., Daniel Hudson against Clayton Kershaw

82. July 8, San Diego in Los Angeles, Mat Latos against Chad Billingsley

No surprise to see Clayton Kershaw there five times. Hiroki Kuroda being there three times goes to show how effective he was and how the team gave him no support. Interesting cameos by both Rubby De La Rosa and Chad Billingsley in games that I didn’t remember.

Minor League Ball: John Sickels has the Dodgers farm system ranked in the bottom third.

22) Los Angeles Dodgers: Some intriguing pitching depth, much of it fairly close to the majors, but not much hitting.

Not sure if I agree or not yet, but my instinct is to concur.

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ESPN: Jayson Stark relays the thoughts of one executive who thinks the Dodgers are going to be huge spenders next off-season.

As Buster Olney has mentioned recently, if Hamels does reach free agency, the Dodgers will be perfectly positioned to make it worth his while. It’s amazing, in fact, how much other teams fear the Dodgers’ potential spending power once their new owner is in place. Remember, L.A. has only TWO players on the roster signed beyond 2013 — Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley.

“Next year this time,” said an exec of one team, “the Dodgers will be THE team calling up every marquee free agent. They’re going to have serious money. They’ll be the Yankees West. They can just look at that free-agent list and cherry-pick whoever they want. And why would anyone not want to go there? They’ll be the sleeping giant in free agency next year.”

Makes sense.

ESPN: Andre Ethier doesn’t understand why the Dodgers can’t be signing Prince Fielder.

The ownership limbo seemingly affected the Dodgers’ ability to deal in free agency this offseason, with general manager Ned Colletti saying earlier this month the team was essentially done with its offseason acquisitions because “we’re at our payroll.” So when news broke Tuesday of the Detroit Tigers nearing a deal with marquee free agent Prince Fielder, it wasn’t lost on Ethier.

“Why can’t the Dodgers be doing that? Look at the markets those two teams are, and the stability you see through the front office and the team being able to operate … on the level it should be,” he said, adding, “you don’t try to think of it too much as a player, but obviously if you’re not going after the big fish like other teams are, like our partners are down there to the south of us, the Angels [who acquired Albert Pujols], it’s tough to go out there and keep competing year after year if you’re not going out there and making your team better every year. “I think that’s the situation we’ve been in. Obviously it’s going to get better from here on out because of the sell and getting new people in there.”

Oops.

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Dodgers Now: Patrick Soon Shiong, the richest man in Los Angeles, will not bid on the Dodgers, but may join a bid.

The richest man in Los Angeles has not bid for the Dodgers.

However, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong could join the Dodgers sweepstakes soon — not by bidding on his own, but by joining one of the groups already in the running to buy the team. Soon-Shiong has met with several prospective bidders, and he had dinner recently with outgoing Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

If he links up with the Magic Johnson group, this could get good.

CBS Sports: Jon Heyman said on Twitter that Steven Cohen is the biggest threat to win the Dodgers. Ugh.

I recapped all the Dodgers bidders here, so go find out why I don’t want him.

Just moments ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have traded Dana Eveland to the Baltimore Orioles for Jarret Martin and Tyler Henson.

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Jarret Martin will be going into his age 22 season next year, and he’s coming off a 2011 campaign in which he posted a 4.96 ERA over 110.2 innings pitched in A-ball. The 97 strikeouts speaks to his stuff, but 62 walks, 13 hit by pitches, and 12 wild pitches are why he was disposable.

John Sickels of Minor League Ball had this to say about him before 2011:

SLEEPER ALERT!! Martin was selected in the 18th round in 2009, from Bakersfield Junior College. He has a sinking fastball in the low 90s that helped him post a 2.03 GO/AO last year in the Appy League. He also has a promising curveball, and the combination of the two pitches throttled left-handed hitters to a .188 mark for Bluefield. His K/IP and H/IP ratios were quite good, but he also walked too many guys, elevating his ERA. I am intrigued with this one; if Martin can sharpen his command even slightly, he could break out in 2011. Grade C, but a sleeper.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT: Good size and some arm strength here, plus I like the combination of strikeouts and ground balls. As stated, he needs to get the walks down, but any progress in that department could take him a long way. Sources who follow the Orioles closely are quite intrigued with him.

Needless to say, considering what the Dodgers just gave up, getting a prospect with any semblance of upside is solid.

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In 2011, Tyler Henson hit .247/.313/.321/.634 in AAA and he seems likely to repeat the level going into his age 24 season.

Orioles Nation had this to say about him:

Was heavily recruited as a football player coming out of high school. Versatile player who can play SS, 3B, 1B, 2B, RF, and LF. Fits best at 3B or LF. Above-average arm strength, but inaccurate. Above-average speed. Has the ability to hit for both average and power, but needs to refine his approach at the plate. Has power to all fields. Projects as a super utility type.

So basically AAA depth, but that’s still fine.

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Ned Colletti did well here because he got two baseball players who are still alive for Dana Eveland.