SB Nation - Yhency Brazoban

How Dodgers Became Dodgers: Where Pedro Astacio Becomes Blake DeWitt

Eric Stephen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Blake and DeWitt are two of seven players currently on the 40-man roster who have links to Dodgers past.

Major league 40-man rosters were set last Friday in preparation for the upcoming Rule 5 draft in two weeks. With the free agency period just starting, there are many open spots on rosters throughout baseball. The Dodgers, for instance, have 33 players on their 40-man roster. Over the next few weeks, free agents will be signed and some players will be non-tendered, so rosters will change, but for now let's look at the 33 Dodgers and how they became Dodgers.

Almost half of the Dodgers currently on the 40-man roster -- 16 of 33 -- were drafted by the team with their own draft pick:

Draft(ed) Dodgers
Player	Year	Round	Pick

James Loney	2002	1	19
Jonathan Broxton	2002	2	60
James McDonald	2002	11	331
Eric Stults	2002	15	451
Russell Martin	2002	17	511

Chad Billingsley	2003	1	24
Xavier Paul	2003	4	121
Matt Kemp	2003	6	181
Lucas May	2003	8	241
A.J. Ellis	2003	18	541

Scott Elbert	2004	1	17
Javy Guerra	2004	4	118
Cory Wade	2004	10	298

Brent Leach	2005	6	196
Trayvon Robinson	2005	10	316

Clayton Kershaw	2006	1	7

These are pretty straight forward original transactions, as are these other four amateur free agents:

Amateur Free Agents
Player	Date	Origin
Hong-Chih Kuo	6/19/99	Taiwan
Ramon Troncoso	6/20/02	Dominican Republic
Chin-Lung Hu	1/31/03	Taiwan
Kenley Jansen	11/17/04	Curacao

That makes 20 of 33 Dodgers who are with are with their original club. In addition to them, there are six more Dodgers that joined the club independent of other players. That is, their acquisitions aren't linked to anyone else:

Free Agents
Player	Date
Rafael Furcal	12/19/05
Juan Pierre	11/22/06
Travis Schlichting*	10/7/07
Hiroki Kuroda	12/16/07
Ronald Belisario*	1/13/09
Charlie Haeger*	1/17/09
*minor league free agents

This is where we get to the fun part of this exercise, as reminded by Rocknjosie in her excellent Fan Post last month. There are seven Dodgers left that were acquired as the result, directly or indirectly, of previous transactions. These are listed in chronological order based on the earliest transaction.

Andre Ethier
Date	Transaction
6/1/88	drafted Mike Piazza in the 62nd round (#1390 overall)
8/4/96	signed Luke Allen as an undrafted free agent
12/8/96	signed Todd Zeile as a free agent
5/14/98	traded Piazza and Zeile to Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Manuel Barrios
11/18/00	signed Franklin Gutierrez as an amateur free agent
1/15/02	traded Sheffield to Braves for Odalis Perez, Brian Jordan, and Andrew Brown
1/17/03	traded Allen to Colorado for Jason Romano
4/3/04	traded Romano to Tampa Bay for Antonio Perez
4/3/04	traded Gutierrez and Brown to Cleveland for Milton Bradley
12/13/05	traded Bradley and Perez to Oakland for Ethier
Total Related Players: 9

Blake DeWitt
Date	Transaction
11/21/87	signed Pedro Astacio as an amateur free agent
6/14/91	signed Ismael Valdez as an amateur free agent
8/28/94	signed Luke Prokopec as an amateur free agent
8/19/97	traded Astacio to Rockies for Eric Young
12/12/99	traded Young and Valdez to Cubs for Terry Adams, Brian Stephenson, and Chad Ricketts
12/31/01	traded Prokopec and Ricketts to Toronto for Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill
12/17/03	Quantrill signed as a free agent with the Yankees
6/7/04	drafted DeWitt with a compensation first round pick (#28 overall)
Total Related Players: 6

Ivan DeJesus
Date	Transaction
7/7/94	signed Adrian Beltre as an amateur free agent
12/17/04	Beltre signed as a free agent with Seattle
6/7/05	drafted DeJesus with a compensation second round pick (#51 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Jason Repko
Date	Transaction
1/16/96	signed Scott Radinsky as a free agent
11/23/98	Radinsky signed as a free agent with St. Louis
6/2/99	drafted Repko with a compensation supplemental pick (#37 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Manny Ramirez
Date	Transaction
12/12/98	signed Kevin Brown as a free agent
6/3/03	drafted Andy LaRoche in the 39th round (#1171 overall)
12/13/03	traded Brown to Yankees for Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden, and cash
2/23/06	Weaver signed as a free agent with the Angels
6/6/06	drafted Bryan Morris with a compensation first round pick (#26 overall)
7/31/08	traded LaRoche and Morris to Pittsburgh in a 3-team trade; received Manny and cash from Boston
Total Related Players: 4

Casey Blake
Date	Transaction
8/13/04	signed Carlos Santana as an amateur free agent
6/7/05	drafted Jon Meloan in fifth round (#166 overall)
7/26/08	traded Santana and Meloan to Cleveland for Blake, and cash
Total Related Players: 2

George Sherrill
Date	Transaction
6/7/05	drafted Josh Bell in the second round (#74 overall)
6/7/05	drafted Steven Johnson in the 13th round (#406 overall)
7/30/09	traded Bell and Johnson to Baltimore for Sherrill
Total Related Players: 2

Washington Nationals News: Ian Desmond's DWL Debut, Lerner On The Media.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:44:07 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Justin Maxwell, right, and Ian Desmond, leave the field after winning 4-3 against the New York Mets, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Browse more photos »

• In the most recent edition of MLB.com's Bill Ladson's "Nats Inbox: What's in store for Storen", Mr. Ladson responds to a question about what the future holds for Nationals' infielder Ian Desmond and outfielder Justin Maxwell, by noting that Maxwell was, "...inconsistent with the bat," while with Desmond, "...there is a question about his defense. He made over 30 errors this past season," (34 total between Harrisburg, Syracuse and DC) and as a result, "...some in the organization have some doubts about them." Sounds like, if Mr. Ladson's right, the Nationals will be in the market for a middle infielder...Orlando Hudson, Stephen Drew? Who should the Nationals pursue?

• Ian Desmond made his Dominican Winter League debut with the Tigres del Licey last night, batting second and starting at short, but going 0 for 4 with a K in a 4-1 Tigres' win over the Gigantes del Cibao. With Licey ahead 4-1 in the 8th, former Dodgers' reliever Yhency Brazoban gave up a two-out single and walk and the Tigres' called upon Nationals' pitching prospect Atahualpa Severino to get the last out of the inning, which he did by striking out former Rangers', Twins', Orioles', Indians', Mariners' and Rangers' prospect Jose Morban to end the eighth and preserve the Tigres' 3-run lead.

• Final Score - Tigres 4, Gigantes 1. - MLB.com

(ed. note - "In case you didn't know, and I didn't until last night, Federal Baseball.com regular, CD3K discovered that the DWL's Tigres del Licey are streaming games live over at Licey.com. So when Dukes gets down there and starts working on hitting breaking stuff, there will be a few DC prospects to watch every night...")

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals' Owner Mark Lerner On The DC Media.

• Strasburg + PitchFX = Awesome.

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals' Owner Mark Lerner On The DC Media.

"'I'm also probably past being disappointed with some of our regular reporters or columnists. As one of Ted Leonsis' minority partners with the Washington Capitals, I learned that some sports reporters or columnists don't let the facts get in the way of passing opinions.'"

That's Nationals Principal Owner Mark Lerner talking about the coverage the Nationals received in the DC media when prompted by MLB.com's Bill Ladson in a wide-ranging interesting interview entitled, "Q&A with principal owner Lerner", and Mr. Lerner doesn't stop there, stating that he's, "...learned that some sports reporters or columnists don't let the facts get in the way of passing opinions,"...and it just doesn't stop...four paragraphs worth:

"...it seems some reporters just don't even know what they don't know, and often don't even know what they think they know."

"As a fan, and as an owner, no one hates to lose more than I do, but I like to base my opinions and my emotions on fact, not on cocktail party suppositions. That's the difference between a mature fan or pundit, and a childish tantrum...

"I have had to learn not to expect more from some of the folks covering the Nationals. My friends have been telling me that for a few years...

"I have to remind myself that the job of many reporters is filling column inches more than being factual or informed."

(ed. note - "The reaction pieces that are sure to follow should be interesting. The link above will lead you to the full interview, which you really should read in its entirety...but... Wow...not since the current administration called out FOX...or since "41" called out Olbermann and Maddow...not sinc....sorry, forgot about my own no politics rule...")

Elsewhere in Mr. Ladson's interview, Mr. Lerner lists the, "Five things (which) happened in '09 that Nats fans will look back to as critical to the success we'll have in the future," (in this order):

The offseason signing of Adam Dunn.
The extension of Ryan Zimmerman's contract.
The midseason trade for Nyjer Morgan.
The 2009 First-Year Player Draft. (read: Strasburg and Storen).
The signing of Mike Rizzo.

(ed. note - "For the record, Mr. Lerner, you and I were not far off as far as '09's Top Stories go...Here's my own Top 5 from earlier this offseason..."):

(ed. note - "You'll never guess who Mr. Lerner settles on as the Nationals' '09 MVP...and he's another +1 on Zimmerman for the Gold Glove. Again, MLB.com's Bill Ladson's Must Read Interview With Mark Lerner.")

• Strasburg + PitchFX = Awesome.

Washington Times' writer Tim Lemke notes, in his article entitled, "Pitch F/X for Strasburg Thursday", that MLB.com's GameDay and their Pitch F/X System will be there tomorrow to capture the, "velocity, angle and movement" of each and every pitch DC's '09 1st Round pick Stephen Strasburg throws in a late afternoon game against the city of Peoria, Arizona's second-favorite AFL team, the Peo Javelinas in a game that starts at 3:35 pm EST, (I believe it's 3:35 pm EST, though Mr. Lemke lists it as 2:35 pm EST in his article...MLB.com's schedule has it at 12:35 pm MST...Arizona's three hours behind the east coast, right?") There will be a GameThread up if anyone's at the game or following along...

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:48:46 -0000

Some things to read while not watching soccer.

So, a quick stroll through Rumorville this morning revealed that there's renewed buzz around Mike Cameron, with the Yankees once again rumored to be seeking his services. Tom H. says nothing is imminent right now. Hopefully that'll be the end of it.

Of course, it's also possible Melvin has been too busy to answer the phone: Yesterday he was unable to work out a trade so Eduardo Morlan has been returned to the Rays. (Also noted in FanShot)

He also had to evaluate new Brewer Wes Littleton, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his debut. He's probably not the first Brewer to say something like this about his new surroundings:

As for those familiar faces, there were non-roster outfielder Jason Bourgeois and pitcher Sam Narron, who have neighboring lockers and were once teammates of Littleton in the Rangers' farm system.

Or he could just be holding his breath as Ryan Braun tests out his sore intercostal muscle to see if he can take batting practice and/or play in the WBC semifinals. The Brewers get to make the final call, so don't be surprised if Braun is held out.

This one probably didn't take too much time, but I'd assume there was also some paperwork involved in returning Lorenzo Cain, Jonathan Lucroy and Scott Thorman to minor league camp.

Melvin may not have had time to talk to Ken Macha about his decision to try Jason Kendall in the leadoff spot. (Also noted in FanShot) Yes, Kendall takes some pitches and will draw a walk, but Two-Fisted Slopper notes that Weeks actually did both of those things better than Kendall in 2008. The Book blog has another conversation starter on whether any of this matters all that much.

Also, further down in that Journal Sentinel story is a note on Tony Gwynn, who is expected to play in the field for the first time on Saturday. Don't read too much into it, but there may be a note in there about who Macha likes among his outfield candidates:

The other thing is there are two (reserve) outfield spots. You've got four guys there: Nelson, (Trot) Nixon and the other two guys.

Speaking of Nixon, thanks to TheJay for spotting this note on his number change:

Former Tribe outfielder Trot Nixon has an uphill fight to make the Brewers' roster and thought he needed an edge.

Nixon wore No. 3 on the back of his uniform then abruptly changed to 93.

"I'm just trying to shake things up," he said.

Visual evidence of yesterday's game:

A ball snuck through the infield while J.J. Hardy was working on his belly flop.
Mike Cameron and a guy who should really put a shirt on both chase a fly ball - Cameron wins.
Cameron also did his best to break up a double play.
Was Prince Fielder congratulating Corey Hart for yet another spring training home run, or for reaching first base on his knees? We may never know.

After a tumultuous few seasons, it sounds like things have finally settled down in Nashville, with the Sounds getting new ownership and spending $2.5 million renovating Greer Stadium with the hopes of repairing a relationship with the city and fans that has been allowed to deteriorate.

Elsewhere in the minors, former Brewer Callix Crabbe and current farmhands Zelous Wheeler and Maverick Lasker are among the 64 players invited to MLB.com's Moniker Madness tournament.

In other camps:

Dodgers: Released Yhency Brazoban.
Giants: Are reportedly in the market for a backup catcher and relief pitching.
Indians: Former top prospect Adam Miller may require surgery to regain movement in his right middle finger, and could miss the entire 2009 season.
Mets: Have reportedly made an offer to Pedro Martinez.
White Sox: May be scouring the trade market looking for a proven center fielder.

Could the Brewers lose a divisional rival in Arizona? Jealous of new facilities built for the White Sox and Dodgers, the Cubs are threatening to leave Mesa if the city doesn't improve HoHoKam park. Sarasota, Florida is being named as an option.

Of course, when you train in Arizona you get spoiled sometimes, with so many things you don't have to worry about anymore. The Rays training complex in Florida, for example, has wild boars roaming the facility at night.

Being generous is a good thing. Forcing generosity onto others is a different problem: Apparently the Dodgers have decided that all new contracts must include a donation to the Dodgers Dream Foundation. Frank McCourt has set himself up for a bunch of $1 donations.

Last year, the Padres were bad. This year, the Padres may also be bad, but Geoff Young says they'll at least be bad in an interesting way.

Oh, and if you're lobbying at the Capitol and you want to have any kind of success, you probably shouldn't snatch wallets while you're there.

Drink up.

Happy Birthday, Kevin Brown

Eric Stephen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:00:09 -0000

Dodgers at Brewers, 1:05pm
(plus a "B" game against the White Sox in the morning)

After four days at home -- the Dodgers' last road game was Monday in Surprise to play the Rangers -- the Dodgers load up the buses and make the 8-mile trip to Maryvale to play the Brewers. However, since the Dodgers also go on the road to play Milwaukee on March 25, the Dodgers have more than one shot to beat the Brewers wearing the road grays.

On the 44th birthday of the man with the largest total contract in Dodger history, Russell Martin figures to play since he got Friday off. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported Joe Torre would continue to play Martin every other day for the foreseeable spring future.

Clayton Kershaw

#22 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 19, 1988

Clayton Kershaw, who has given up 4 runs in 6.2 innings this spring, starts on the hill against the Brewers. Former bullpen catcher extraordinairre Tanyon Sturtze will also get some mound time, and according to Ken Gurnick, so will Ramon Troncoso. However, since Troncoso pitched Thursday, might using him on such short rest suggest Troncoso is no longer being considered for a starting spot?

Manny Parra

#26 / Pitcher / Milwaukee Brewers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Oct 30, 1982

Manny Parra will start for the Brew Crew against the Blue Crew, and will be the only Manny playing in the game, per Tony Jackson.

In the "B" game at Camelback Ranch, Eric Stults returns from Siberia to start. Scott Elbert will also toe the rubber against the White Sox.

As for today's birthday boy -- no, not Jose Nunez; calm down Terry Adams! -- here is why I look at Kevin Brown's Dodger tenure as a positive. In signing Brown, we got:

The best ERA+ (147) in Dodger history in...
872.2 IP, the 16th most in the NL from 1999-2003
Two years of Jeff Weaver, who provided 46 quality starts in his two Dodger years
Yhency Brazoban -- not so much for the relief pitching, but for the inspiration for this awesome t-shirt
Part of Manny Ramirez. Don't laugh...following the Kevin Baconish connectivity, Brown begat Weaver, and Weaver begat Bryan Morris (#26 overall pick in the 2006 draft as compensation for Weaver signing with the Angels), and Bryan Morris (and Andy LaRoche) begat Manny Ramirez at last year's trading deadline.

So sit back and relax and have a Happy Kevin Brown Day everybody!

MLB.com Box Score

I almost forgot...True Blue LA is now on Twitter. Click here if you would like to follow us (and you know you do!)

Spring Training Jobs Up For Grabs: Orlando Hudson Take II Edition

Eric Stephen — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:00:11 -0000

With the signing of Orlando Hudson, I thought it would be prudent to revisit our look at what jobs are at stake this spring...

For the most part, barring injury, the Dodgers have a pretty set roster heading into spring training. Since ~~pitchers and catchers report Saturday~~ spring games start Wednesday, let's take a look at the probable 25-man roster, and the spring training battles that will round out the edges of the roster.

The Locks

Catchers (2)
Russell Martin, Brad Ausmus

Infielders (5)
James Loney, Orlando Hudson, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Mark Loretta

Outfielders (5)
Manny Ramirez*, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre, Delwyn Young

Starting Pitchers (4)
Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf

Relief Pitchers (4)
Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, Cory Wade, Guillermo Mota

*Assuming Manny eventually signs of course

That's 20 of 25 spots that can safely be written in pen. Here's how the other five spots will be filled:

Utility Infielder

1) Tony Abreu
As a 22-year old in 2007, Abreu put up a .309 OBP, 19 points higher than Castro's career high. However, Abreu's first move might have to be simply introducing himself to Ned Colletti, Joe Torre and the rest of the coaching staff. Abreu hasn't been healthy in a year and a half, so it's quite likely that he has been forgotten. Last week, Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise reported this when Colletti brought up the club's infield situation:

Colletti also would be interested in another infielder "if the right player came along," and he mentioned the Dodgers already have Mark Loretta, Chin-lung Hu, Ivan DeJesus Jr., Hector Luna and Juan Castro.

Notice anyone missing there? Abreu might be the best of the middle infield bunch, but he's only an afterthought right now in the organization's eyes. He's got a lot of work to do.

Since spring practice has started, Abreu has indeed started to make his mark. Again, per Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise:

The Tony Abreu lovefest continues. "To me, Abreu is really a perfect fit for a utility guy. But we have to be comfortable that he's going to be there for you. He's got high marks right now. He seems to be a different guy, too."

It seems right now like the utlity infielder spot is Abreu's to lose.

2) Juan Castro
On the plus side, the soon-to-be 37-year old Castro can still pick it. Or at least he has the reputation for being able to field. Castro seems to be slipping a bit:

Fielding at Shortstop
Year	Innings	Plus/Minus	UZR	FRAA
2005	568.2	---	7.9	15
2006	548.2	+5	2.3	2
2007	89.1	+1	-0.3	-1
2008	408.2	-4	-4.2	-1

However, even if he lives up to his defensive reputation, Castro simply cannot hit. In the last five years, of all the players with at least 1,000 plate appearances (there are 357 of them in all), only John McDonald has produced worse than the anemic 59 OPS+ by Castro. Castro has had a plate appearance in 14 different seasons. Outside of the .400 OBP he pulled off in his 5-PA first season (1995), Castro has never had an OBP higher than .290.

Castro is on a minor-league deal, and will earn $700,000 if he makes the big club. If he's not on the 40-man roster by June 30, he can ask for his release. ~~Sadly, he might be the favorite for the position~~. A few weeks ago, I thought Castro had the inside track for this spot, but today I feel Abreu will have every chance to win the spot.

3) Chin-Lung Hu
Hu made the opening day roster as the utility man last season, and even started 23 of 30 games at SS once Rafael Furcal went down with injuries in May. However, Hu only hit .132/.175/.197 during that span, and looked completely lost at the plate. Hu later claimed to have vision problems, which caused him problems all year. It was quite a fall for the Dodgers' 3rd-best prospect per Baseball America in 2008. Last year's Prospect Handbook gives us the best reason for Hu to win the utility spot:

His well-above average defensive package -- with the arm strength, footwork, and hands of a Gold Glover -- always will be his best asset.

Hu is a defensive wizard, but he might be better served by playing everyday in AAA. Kensai of Fire Ned Colletti Now has a very informative profile of Hu here.

4) Blake DeWitt
Up until a few days ago, the second base job appeared to belong to DeWitt, with perhaps a healthy dose of Mark Loretta against LHP. While DeWitt would make a fine utility man at either 2B or 3B, his presence is on the roster is redundant with Mark Loretta. If DeWitt could play SS, he might have a better shot at making the club. It's important to remember DeWitt is still only 23 years old, and playing everyday at AAA for one year wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

5) Ivan DeJesus, Jr.
DeJesus is another defensive wizard at SS, with very good plate discipline (through age 21, he has a .385 OBP in four minor league seasons, despite only limited power -- .369 SLG). Some of those doubles (he hit 43 in the last two years) could turn into homers as DeJesus matures. He was invited to big league camp, but like Hu would be better served playing everyday in the minors.

6) Hector Luna, Luis Maza, et al
They are part of the "If Wilson Valdez made it, why can't I?" club.

5th Starter

1) Jason Schmidt
If he's healthy at all, Schmidt will claim this spot. Then again, if he's healthy the devil will probably lace up his ice skates. Schmidt, with one win as a Dodger and one season left on his contract, needs seven wins in 2009 to pass Darren Dreifort on the dollars per win scale:

Pitcher	Contract	Salary	Wins	$$$ per Win
Darren Dreifort	2001-2005	$55 million	9	$6.1 million
Jason Schmidt	2007-2009	$27.5 million*	1*	$27.5 million

*Schmidt's total contract is $47 million, so 8 total wins will push Schmidt to $5.875 million per win

2) Claudio Vargas
Vargas has battled injuries his entire career, never pitching more than 167.2 innings in a season. Right elbow pain limited Vargas to 37 innings last season with the Mets. Like Schmidt, if healthy Vargas will have a spot on the pitching staff, whether it be as the 5th starter or long relief man. The Dodgers are hoping for a Chan Ho Park redux here. Vargas is set to make the major league minimum of $400,000, but can earn $1.4 million in incentives based on games started and days on the active roster.

3) Ramon Troncoso
While Cory Wade got the bulk of the attention in the "rookie in the bullpen" department (much of it deserved), Troncoso was a pleasant surprise last season, riding his power sinker to strike out a batter per inning, and post a 3.00 FIP. The Dodgers made the decision to convert Troncoso to a starter, and could end up reaping the benefits of it very soon. David Cameron of Fangraphs called Troncoso the next big thing:

No matter where he ends up, Troncoso has shown all the skills necessary to be a terrific major league pitcher. Just on the strength of his sinker, he’s going to be a nightmare for right-handed hitters, and his slider and curve have made enough progress that he’s a legitimate option as a potential relief ace or a starting pitcher. For whatever reason, the world hasn’t jumped on the Ramon Troncoso bandwagon yet, but I’d imagine that will change twelve months from now.

Whether he makes the rotation right out of spring training or a few months down the road, Troncoso could make significant impact on the staff. I would imagine if he doesn't win the 5th starter job out of spring training, Troncoso will end up starting every 5th day for either Albuquerque or Chattanooga.

4) Eric Stults
Stults had a couple things going for him:

1) In 14 starts over the last 3 years, Stults has put up a 4.08 ERA in just over 5.3 IP per start, while averaging 3.24 BB/9 and 6.84 K/9.

2) In 20 minor league starts for Las Vegas in the hitter-happy Pacific Coast League last year, Stults put up a 3.82 ERA and averaged 7.8 K/9

However, Joe Torre hasn't taken a liking to Stults, banishing him for two months after only one bad start in Coors Field, despite a relatively strong showing in his five previous starts. Stults seems destined to be the insurance starter at AAA, but the Dodgers could do worse for a 5th starter.

If I had to guess, I say Stults will make at least 10 starts for the Dodgers this year, especially since the injury-prone Schmidt and Vargas are ahead of him on the depth chart.

5) Shawn Estes
Signed to a minor league deal, Estes seems like a long shot to make the club. Say what you will about this pitching staff, but the Dodgers have cornered the market on pitchers who put up a 4.74 ERA for the Padres in 2008:

Pitcher	IP	ER	ERA
Randy Wolf	119.2	63	4.74
Shawn Estes	43.2	23	4.74

6) Eric Milton
Signed to a minor league deal, the lefty Milton hasn't pitched in a game since May 8, 2007. He has been recovering from Tommy John surgery in the last year and a half. Since Milton came into the majors in 1998, only Scott Elarton and Jose Lima have given up more HR/9 than Eric Milton.

The Bullpen (3 Spots)

If both Schmidt and Vargas are healthy, I suspect one of them will end up in the bullpen, with Vargas the most likely in the pen. Stults and Estes also have a shot to be the long man as well. Here's a look at the rest:

1) A free agent, yet unsigned
Per Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise, Colletti is still looking to sign another veteran in the pen:

"Doesn't make any difference if it's left-handed or right-handed. It'll give us a little more of a foundation and a deeper club."

Past reports have linked the Dodgers to lefties Dennys Reyes , Will Ohman, ~~or Luis Ayala~~, or maybe even the return of Joe Beimel.

2) James McDonald
A starter for most of his minor league career, the Dodgers seem to like him more out of the bullpen, based on his increased velocity last fall in all of 11.1 innings. Baseball America rated McDonald as having the best changeup and best control in the Dodgers' farm system. I tend to think McDonald would be better served as a starter, but if he can contribute out of the bullpen to start the season I'm OK with that.

3) Scott Elbert
Another one-time starter, Elbert was more or less forced to the bullpen due to a myriad of injuries as a minor leaguer. Elbert has a plus fastball and curveball, and Baseball America said last year:

He profiles as a No. 2 or 3 starter, and he could wind up as a top-flight closer if moved to the bullpen.

Given Kuo's injury history, Elbert has an excellent chance to make the roster as the second lefty in the bullpen, especially if Reyes, Ayala, or somebody else isn't signed.

4) Greg Miller
Miller is intriguing because he has all the talent in the world -- before his injuries he was one of the top prospects in the game. ~~Since he is out of options, the Dodgers would have to expose him to waivers in order to send him to the minors if he doesn't make the club in the spring~~. Thanks to astute reader Silverwidow for pointing this out, but Miller actually has a rare 4th option year so he still has a year before the tipping point. I think Miller will get every opportunity to add his live left arm to the Dodger pen, but it will be a longshot.

Kensai has another excellent breakdown of Miller here (you really should check out his site, Fire Ned Colletti Now, for more great information like this).

If Miller makes the club, that would be a great story, but he'll have to improve his control in order to sniff the majors. Over the last four years, Miller has struck out 9.88 batters per nine innings, but the excitement is dampened by the fact that he has also walked 224 batters in his last 225 innings (8.96 per 9).

5) Yhency Brazoban, Tanyon Sturtze, Jeff Weaver, Eric Milton, et al
With all the young talent, it would appear the chances of these non-roster invitees are quite slim. Vargas and Estes seem more likely to take the veteran roles than any of these guys. However, we might need another bullpen catcher...

I am assuming a 12-man pitching staff coming out of the gate, due to the need for a 5th starter right away, but that of course could change.

Well, enough talk. It's time for the spring battles to begin. We can all sit back and relax with today's secret ingredient.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:28:33 -0000

Some things to read while avoiding having "the talk" with your kids.

As noted in the FanShots, the Brewers and Yankees continue negotiations on the Cameron/Cabrera deal, but it now seems relatively certain the deal will include Kei Igawa, with the question being how much of his remaining $12 million contract will be eaten by the Yankees. True Blue LA has an unattributed quote that makes it sound like tensions have run relatively high in the negotiations. A quote from Tom H.'s blog still makes it sound like the Brewers are getting bullied here:

Because the Yankees refused to put one of their top pitching prospects in the deal, the Brewers might settle for disappointing left-hander Kei Igawa, who spent most of the 2008 season at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

There's likely not any truth to the rumor that Doug Melvin has refused to make the trade until Brian Cashman agrees to send over all of his disappointing players.

Meanwhile, the seeming inevitability that Melky Cabrera will be a Brewer has upset Claire, and that rarely ends well.

Even without mentioning the Cabrera/Cameron deal, Jon Heyman ranked the Brewers among the losers at last week's winter meetings.

Apparently there's also a rumor circling the web that the Brewers have offered a package including Alcides Escobar to the Padres for Jake Peavy. It seems unlikely, but it is interesting.

The Brew Town Beat has a plan for the Brewers offseason that involves signing Bobby Abreu, Brad Penny and Juan Cruz to three year deals and starting Seth McClung's 2009 season in AAA. Speaking of Abreu, FanGraphs has a closer look at what the future may hold for him.

Signing Abreu would likely require the Brewers to either trade Corey Hart or move him to center. The Hardball Times thinks Hart is poised to have a nice rebound season in 2009.

Among the players non-tendered on Friday was former Astros 2B/3B Ty Wigginton. I've seen a few comments suggesting the Brewers should be interested, but it looks like the Twins, Giants, Pirates, Indians and Reds are already involved. Elsewhere on the hot stove:

Angels: Have reportedly offered Mark Teixiera $160 million for seven years. The Nationals previously offered $160 million for eight.
Braves: May be interested in Japanese right-hander Kenshin Kawakami.
Cubs: Re-signed Chad Gaudin and Neal Cotts.
D-Backs: Acquired Scott Schoeneweis from the Mets for P Connor Robertson.
Dodgers: Non-tendered Takashi Saito, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban and Angel Berroa.
Mets: May be looking at Randy Wolf as an option for their rotation.
Nationals: Re-signed Willie Harris for two years, $3 million.
Orioles: Will reportedly bring Chad Moeller into spring training to compete for their Opening Day catcher's job.
Pirates: Are reportedly among half a dozen or more teams interested in Derrick Turnbow, who will throw for teams in January in the hopes of getting a major league deal.
Reds: In addition to Wigginton, they're rumored to be interested in Willy Taveras and Aaron Miles. They also signed Laynce Nix.
White Sox Signed Cuban infielder Dayan Viciedo to a four year, $10 million deal.

Here's a relatively complete list of players non-tendered on Friday. Leave a comment if you have a more complete one and I'll swap the link.

While there's a lot of money being thrown around this offseason, 2009 will be another season of peanut butter and jelly for minor leaguers, as MLB has rejected a proposal that would have raised their daily road meal allowance from $20 to $25 per day. It's estimated the league will save $750,000 by rejecting the measure...which is roughly what A.J. Burnett will make per day on the DL.

As Jack Zduriencik continues to overhaul the Mariners, he's about to get a bunch of help: As things stand right now, the Mariners would have three first round picks along with two more in the top 60. They're also apparently taking their advance scouts off the road and bringing the entire operation in-house, to be done via video.

I've heard a lot of big leaguers like to spend their winter someplace warm and put their feet up for a bit. Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima went someplace warm...and ran the Honolulu Marathon. The Red Sox don't sound too thrilled about it.

Oh, and WeAreFanatics.com wants to see you in your Brewers gear.

Drink up.