What Can We Expect in 2010?

Baseball can be a funny game. The unexpected can happen at any given moment in any given game. Every year there's always a few surprises that take us back.

This year should be no different.

Trying to predict who will win each division, or the wild cards, or the League Championship Series, or even the MVP or Cy Youngs is always a crapshoot. You just never know.

So with that said, a few days late, it's time to roll out my predictions for the just commenced season.

I always start with the National League because, well, I'm a National League fan. Always have been, always will be.

The past two seasons have practically been mirror images of each other in the NL. The Dodgers have won the West the last two seasons while the Phillies have won the East the past two years. The Cards won the Central last year after the Cubs dominated the year before. And the Rockies won last year's Wild Card after the Brewers won the year before.

The Phils then beat the wild card winner both years in the post-season while the Dodgers swept the Central champs both years before losing to the Phils in the LCS 4-1.

This year shouldn't be much different from last.

The Dodgers have a very potent lineup, as do the Rockies, and both teams have solid young hurlers to anchor the rotation. The Dodger pen is always one of the best in baseball but the difference this year from last is the lack of depth in the Dodger rotation. Having said that, the Rockies should edge out the Wild Card-winning Dodgers for the division.

In the Central, the Cards are the team to beat, but if the Cubs can avoid the injury bug and stay healthy, they will give the Cards a run in the Central. And keep an eye on the Reds as a sleeper.

In the East, the Phillies are far and away the best team in the NL once again. And they only got better when they added former Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay to the mix. Barring any major injuries to any key players, the Phils should outlast the Braves and Marlins.

The American League is a whole different animal from the NL.

The AL East is arguably the best division in baseball. Three of baseball's top five teams hail from the East. Last season, the Yankees not only dominated the division which also included the Wild Card team in the Red Sox, but they dominated the entire league, parading through the playoffs and beating up a very good Phillies team for the franchise's 27th title.

But even as the Yanks reloaded after losing several key players, 2010 won't be easy for the Bronx Bombers. That's because the Red Sox have also reloaded, including adding John Lackey to the rotation, and the Rays finally have a legitimate closer to compliment a solid rotation and bullpen. All that said, the Rays and the Wild Card-winning Yankees should prevail in a three-team East dogfight.

The Central is the most interesting. The defending champs needed 163 games last season to win the division, and they lost their closer to Tommy John surgery. But they added two players in Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy that should be key in keeping them atop the division. The White Sox have the best rotation in the division but have some question marks offensively, as do the Tigers. Either way, all three teams have a chance, but the Twins balanced and consistent lineup and rotation should prevail.

Out West, the Angels have dominated the division, more or less, since 2002. But with the emergence of the Rangers young pitching last season, and the Mariners retooling atop their rotation and lineup, the division is as wide open as ever. The Angels lost several key players and really only replaced one of them. And the Mariners added two key pieces, but they still lack middle-of-the-lineup power and offense. Having said that, in the end, the Rangers will be left standing as division winners.

When all is said and done, only one team will be left standing as 2010 World Series winners. This year, because of their balance and consistency in their lineup and rotation, that team will be the Tampa Bay Rays, edging out the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

It would also be kind of hard and foolish to bet against last year's MVP and Cy Young winners in both leagues to win again in 2010, though, again, anything can happen. Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer should be the favorites to repeat for MVP in their respective leagues. Troy Tulwitzki will give Pujols a battle in the NL, while Evan Longoria will push Mauer in the AL. NL newcomer Halladay will edge out two-time NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and Rockies hurler Ubaldo Jimenez, while Zack Greinke should repeat in the AL. Atlanta's Jason Heyward is the early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year with Baltimore's Brian Matusz the favorite in the AL.

Until November...

Ugly Start to New Season

That was definitely ugly, and hopefully there won't be many games like today. And it's probably a good thing it was only the first game of 162. Final score: Pirates 11, Dodgers 5.

But after watching today's game, several things became clear to me. One, it's going to be a long season pitching-wise. Vicente Padilla seemed to be pitching from behind all afternoon. He pitched himself into a mess that resulted in a bases-clearing double by Ryan Church off Ramon Ortiz, who replaced Padilla during a five-run Pirate fifth. George Sherrill didn't look very sharp either, as he failed to keep the game within reach and failed to get out of the eighth, giving up three runs in the process.

The offense appears like it's going to be just fine. The lineup is well-balanced. They pounded out 11 hits today as Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt all had multiple hits today. Both Manny and Kemp each had two RBI today, as well.

They're not going to get the big hit every time but if today was any indication, they won't go down without a fight. They won't go down until the final out is recorded, which has been very indicative of this team for the past two seasons.

And lastly, Blake DeWitt looks like he's still not very comfortable at second base. He didn't commit any errors, but on one pop fly over his head, he appeared to get turned around and looked rather confused in doing so. That tells me he's still not very comfortable out there. I suppose it's a good thing the kid can hit, and the fact there are two pretty solid guys to back him up defensively in Ronnie Belliard and Jamey Carroll.

Day off tomorrow. Right back at it on Wednesday night.

Some Tidbits from the Ravine

The Dodgers have returned to Southern California for three exhibition games in the area before heading out on the road to start the season, with Opening Day Monday in Pittsburgh. After a 6-3 loss last night at the Stadium to the Indians, they head down to Anaheim tonight to face the Angels at Angel Stadium, and then the two teams head back to the Dodger Stadium for an afternoon match-up tomorrow.

The roster is much more clearer today as we approach Monday. First, Joe Torre named Charlie Haeger the Dodgers fifth starter, and Blake DeWitt has been named the starting second baseman. Russell Martin has declared himself ready to go, so barring any last minute changes, it looks like he will be ready for Opening Day from his groin injury. The team also released longtime prospect Jason Repko two days ago.

As of right now, the Dodgers 25-man roster will probably look something like this on Monday:

Starting eight: Martin, James Loney, DeWitt, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Manny, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier.

Bench: Brad Ausmus, Garrett Anderson, Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard, Nick Green, Reed Johnson.

Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla, Haeger.

Bullpen: Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Ramon Troncoso, Jeff Weaver, Carlos Monasterios, Ramon Ortiz.

Hong-Chih Kuo will start the season on the DL and Ronald Belisario is on the "Restricted List" and will likely start the season on extended Spring Training in the minors.

Stults on the Move?

It's possible. According to Dylan Hernandez of the Times, Ned Colletti was quoted just moments ago that the Dodgers "have something going with [Eric Stults]." Colletti declined to elaborate on the details, but we do know that Stults has been scratched from his scheduled start today.

Stults is out of options but there has been some interest in him from teams in Japan.

This might also mean the Dodgers have probably already decided on Ramon Ortiz as their fifth starter to start the season.

Stay tuned.

Items from the Ranch

The inevitable has arrived. We now have an idea who that primary left-handed bat off the bench will be in 2010. His name is Garrett Anderson.

This all became more clearer after the Dodgers informed Doug Meintkiewicz on Friday that he would not make the Opening Day roster. Meintkiewicz, who still wants to play in the Majors, then left camp after talking with Ned Colletti to weigh his options.

Both players were hitting the ball well this Spring, but the Dodgers have apparently opted to go with Anderson, who was signed a Minor League deal two weeks into Spring Training.

Also getting a roster spot on Opening Day will be Ronnie Belliard, who finally got his weight down to 208. That essentially guaranteed his $850K contract for the 2010 season.

Depending on who starts the season at second base, and even that's still up in the air despite Blake DeWitt's offensive prowess this Spring, the bench will probably consist of two of the three among Belliard, DeWitt and Jamey Carroll, with one of them getting the Opening Day nod, Anderson, Reed Johnson and either Brad Ausmus or A.J. Ellis, depending on Russell Martin's status.

The Blue are also set to move forward without Ronald Belisario, who still has not reported to camp due to visa issues in his native Venezuela. And with Hong-Chih Kuo all but expected to start the season on the DL with elbow issues, the bullpen and fifth rotation spot are still uncertain.

We know the front four rotation guys are Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla, who just named the Opening Day starter for April 5th in Pittsburgh (which means Kershw will get the home opener the following week), and the back end of the bullpen is Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill and Ramon Troncoso. Beyond those seven guys, the pitching staff is still undetermined.

The Two Ortizes, Russ and Ramon, Carlos Monasterios, Jeff Weaver, Josh Lindblom, Eric Stults and Charlie Haeger are still options to sort out the final five spots on the pitching staff. And there's also still a possibility the Dodgers might go out of the organization and sign just-released Chad Gaudin, who was last seen on the Yankees. Ramon Ortiz appears, at the very least, to be the in-house front-runner at the moment.

So obviously, there's still a lot at stake here, and with only about a week left before the season opener, Colletti, Joe Torre and the rest of the coaching staff have a lot of decisions to make.

More on Gagne, Torre, Martin

As it turns out, Eric Gagne asked for his release, and it was granted. Gagne apparently decided he didn't want to be in the minors and exercised the opt-out clause in his contract.

As for Joe Torre, he suspended all talks for an extension until after the season, saying he didn't want it to become a distraction for the team. He insists he still wants to manage the team another year after this.

And Russell Martin's batting practice session was cut short today after he was knocked down once and plunked twice by minor league pitcher Tom Corcoran. Martin was heard to have shouted a couple of obscenities as he entered the hallway outside the clubhouse after being shut down, but laughed about it later while he was getting treatment in the training room. Corcoran, on the other hand, appeared to have been rattled after knocking down Martin, which could have led to his controls problems that resulted in plunking Martin twice thereafter.

Angel Berroa, signed in the off-season to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, was released today. However, the Yankees returned Jamie Hoffmann, whom they selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers in December, back to the Dodgers. However, Hoffmann could find his way back to New York in a deal with the Dodgers involving either Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre. This would allow the Yankees to send Hoffmann to the minors with out the Rule 5 thing attached to it.

Game Over... Again

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but the Dodgers have decided to release their former closer and 2003 Cy Young Winner, Eric Gagne. Gagne didn't look very sharp in Major League camp and was demoted last week to Minor League camp to get more game innings. Unfortunately, it appears he didn't fare any better there, and the Dodgers felt the best thing to do was to sever all ties with him.

Gagne hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2008 while with Milwaukee, and it all but appears that unless another team decides to take a flyer on him, his career is likely over.

More on this tomorrow.

Couple More News Bits

Dodgers Minor League instructor and former Dodger player Lenny Harris is stable after undergoing an emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery on Saturday. Harris complained of chest and arm pain on Friday, and while he did not suffer a heart attack, doctors went ahead with the surgery to unblock four arteries, including one that was 95% blocked.

Twins and catcher Joe Mauer have agreed on an 8-yr, $184MM extension. Mauer, the reigning A.L. MVP and two-time batting champ, was in the final year of his current contract. He would have been a highly sought-after free agent next winter. Twins owner Jim Pohlad, who took over the team in January 2009 after his father, Carl, passed away, vowed that the Twins would be more active when it came to free agency, especially in light of the team moving into a brand new ballpark this season, Target Field.

Catching Up in Dodgertown

When we last spoke about a week or so ago, half of the Spring Training roster was halfway around the world playing an exhibition series against a Taiwanese All-Star team, Blake DeWitt was making noise to be named the team's starting second baseman, Garrett Anderson was working out at first base, a beardless Casey Blake was out with a ribcage injury, and Don Mattingly admitted the Dodgers have made "overtures" about him becoming Joe Torre's heir apparent.

Since then, the roster has been cut in size as Opening Day nears, DeWitt still hasn't been officially named the starting second baseman, Anderson is still working out at first base, Blake has returned from his minor ribcage deal, and Mattingly has returned to his current role as hitting coach.

As for the roster cuts, Eric Gagne and Scott Elbert were reassigned to minor league camp. The Dodgers want Gagne to continue to pitch and get some innings under his belt in games, something they can't give him in Major League camp right now. There is still mutual interest from both sides for Gagne to get a shot at the big club again, but Gagne has an out clause in his contract that he can exercise if he's not on the Major League roster by a certain date. It seems at this point that Gagne won't be exercising it.

Cory Wade, who made a plea to get his old job back from 2008 as the club's primary set-up guy, will be out approximately three months after undergoing shoulder surgery. Wade struggled early last year that he was sent back out to Albuquerque, and was eventually sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, Garrett Anderson continues to workout at first base. The back-up job and primary lefty bat off the bench is now down to Anderson and Doug Meintkiewicz as Brian Giles called it a career last week and retired due to his nagging injuries. All indications are the Anderson-Meitnkiewicz battle will go down to the wire.

And don't look now, but Ramon Ortiz - yes, that Ramon Ortiz - is making a case to be the team's fifth starter out of Spring Training. Even if he does make it, there's no guarantees he'll be the long-term solution there as the season goes on. But for now, he's become the leading candidate, or, at the very least, the best option. With both Eric Stults and Charlie Haeger out of options, the Dodgers have some decisions to make as far as the fifth rotation spot is concerned.

No longer a candidate for any roster spot is James McDonald, who was also optioned to the minors. McDonald has struggled immensely this spring, and his 20.25 ERA was enough for the Dodgers to send him down. His demotion came just days after the team said he would be headed to the bullpen.

Rule-5 pick Carlos Monasterios is quickly gaining momentum to be included on the bullpen staff. As of right now, the only guarantees in the pen are Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill and Ramon Troncoso. But with Hong-Chih Kuo still sidelined with a sore elbow after he was scratched from his start in his native Taiwan, and with Ronald Belisario still having visa issues and not in camp yet, an opportunity has opened up for Monasterios, and he hasn't disappointed. Monasterios has pitched well in eight Spring Training innings, and the Dodgers like the fact he has the ability to strike people out, as his K/9 IP ratio in the minor leagues last season proves. Unless someone else steps up to be the sixth inning guy out of the pen, there's no reason Monasterios won't be given first crack at it.

Though Russell Martin still won't be ready for Opening Day after he pulled his groin earlier in the spring, he's making progress and is ahead of schedule on his rehab, etc. There are still plenty of people blaming the injury on the 25 pounds of added bulk Martin added to his frame in the off-season, but Martin assures us that is far from the case. Either way, Martin is progressing nicely and he should be ready to go by mid-April.

Off the field, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully is back in the booth today after falling in his home the other day getting out of bed and hitting his head. The 82-year old was taken to the hospital as a precaution for observation, but was released the following day. He's on the air right now doing the Dodgers-Indians game from The Ranch.

And finally, Giles wasn't the only player of note retiring last week. Former Dodger and L.A. native Nomar Garciaparra called it a career, as well. Nomar, who was a free agent after spending last season with Oakland, signed a one-day contract with the Red Sox and then retired because of nagging injuries.

Nomar certainly left Dodger fans with plenty of excitement as he hit the game-winning walk-off homer in the 10th of the "4+1" game. And had it not been for the rash of injuries over the past five or six seasons, Nomar could have finished his career as one of the greatest shortstops who ever lived. He was certainly well on his way to that. He finished his career with a .313/.361/.521 line with 229 home runs, 927 runs scored and two A.L. batting titles with the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000. Nomar was also the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1997.

A Few More Spring Training Tidbits

I'm usually one who tries to stay on top of things when it comes to the Dodgers, especially during the season (Spring Training included). For whatever reason, I've been slacking, and throwing a bunch of posts into one big post, such as this one. In any case, a few notes from the past few days to get caught up.

First, it appears more and more likely that Blake DeWitt will be given the everyday second base gig to start the season. Defensively, he could still use some more seasoning, but his offense is probably what's already getting him the nod over Ronnie Belliard. As for Jamey Carroll, I doubt the team ever considered him a serious candidate for the everyday job, although he'll likely get some starts against lefties periodically. Carroll was brought in to be the super-utility guy anyway. Either way, good news for DeWitt fans. This also probably means Belliard is a longshot to make the team.

Meanwhile, still no word on beardless Casey Blake, who was pulled early from Monday's game because of a strain in the ribcage area. He opted against an MRI, so it appears as if the strain is nothing serious, though he was given the last two games off. My guess is if this had been the regular season, he would probably be back in the lineup by now.

It also appears that the Dodgers are doing whatever they can to keep Garrett Anderson over Brian Giles and Doug Meintkiewicz. Anderson has been working out the past few days at first base, and given that he's probably the healthiest of the three, he probably has the best chance of the three to make the team. On the flip side, Anderson has never played first base in his 16 years in the Majors, so we'll see how this all turns out as we get closer to Opening Day. Anderson still has not appeared in a Spring Training game.

About half of the team is currently en route to Taiwan for a weekend exhibition "goodwill" series with a Taiwanese All-Star team. Among those making the trip are Taiwan-born Hong-Chih Kuo and Chin-Lung Hu, as well as Manny, and manager Joe Torre. As for Kuo, he will get the starting nod in the series finale after Charlie Haeger was scratched from the split-squad to Taiwan due to some sort of hip injury.

Meanwhile, with Torre on his way to Taiwan to manage that split-squad, hitting coach Don Mattingly was left behind to manage the split-squad in Arizona for five games. And there might be more to it than we think.

When Joe Torre was hired to manage the Dodgers before the 2008 season, he brought along a couple of his buddies with him from New York. Mattingly was one of them. It was said in New York that when Torre hired Mattingly to be the hitting coach there, it was done with the idea of grooming Mattingly to eventually be the heir apparent when Torre retired. But Torre never got that chance in New York, and he was eventually not offered a new contract after the 2007 season, thus making him a "free agent." The Yankees eventually hired Joe Girardi as their manager even after interviewing Mattingly.

In all actuality, nothing really changed when Torre was hired by the Dodgers and he brought Mattingly along with him. The same speculation has been made for the past two-plus years with the Dodgers. This past off-season, Mattingly interviewed for the vacant manager's job in Cleveland, but eventually withdrew himself as a candidate and then opted against interviewing for the same vacant job in Washington. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

Today, Mattingly finally confirmed that the Dodgers have made "overtures" to him about being the heir apparent to Torre whenever he steps down as the Dodger manager. Torre has one year left on his contract with the Dodgers but he's stated that he wants to manage beyond this season, and the Dodgers say they want him to manage the team until he decides to retire. So whenever that happens, I think we can expect that Mattingly will in fact be the next Dodger manager.

As for today's game, an interesting rarity involving Andre Ethier took place against the D-backs. Here's what happened, as explained by MLB.com's Doug Miller.

And finally, a sad day yesterday in Dodgertown and the baseball world as former Dodger outfield great Willie Davis passed away. Davis was an integral part of the Dodgers success during the 1960s as he manned centerfield for the Dodgers for 13 seasons beginning in 1961. In 1969, he hit in a Dodger record 31 straight games, and finished his career with a .279 average and 2,561 hits. Davis also had short stays in Montreal, St. Louis, Texas and San Diego before calling it quits after playing for the Angels in 1979. Davis was 69 years old.

A Few Spring Training Notes

First, Russell Martin will miss 4-6 weeks after an MRI revealed a strained hamstring area. This means Martin could miss Opening Day. In the interim, A.J. Ellis takes over as the starting catcher.

Garret Anderson, who nearly retired last week before the Dodgers came calling, says he'll need about a week before he'll be ready for any kind of game action. Anderson is competing with Brian Giles and Doug Meintkiewicz for a potential bench role as the primary left-handed bat off the bench. I say potential because yesterday Joe Torre hinted at the possibility of going without a left on the bench this year. (Good luck with that, Joe. You'll put the Dodgers at a huge disadvantage when teams start throwing all their right-handed relievers at you and you've got no one to counter with.)

Eric Gagne, battling with a handful of others for a spot on the roster out of Spring Training, didn't look very sharp in his Spring debut yesterday against the White Sox. Gagne gave up two runs on three hits in an inning pitched. He'll likely have to start the season at AAA-Albuquerque before getting a crack at the Bigs again. He's clearly got a long ways to go.

The Dodgers have split the first two games of the Spring so far. On Friday, they beat the White Sox 8-3 at The Ranch. Vicente Padilla, Reed Johnson and Jamey Carroll had solid days. However, the White Sox returned the favor yesterday, beating the Blue 8-4. Gagne, Jeff Weaver and James McDonald all struggled on the bump for the Dodgers.

Manny appears to be in mid-season form. In five plate appearances, he's 4-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in two games.

Dodgers are in Mesa today taking on the Cubs.

Spring Training Has Arrived

It's been a relatively quiet past two weeks for the Dodgers.

Oh, yeah, sure, Manny had something to say. And then he had something to say again.

But did he really tell us anything the first time that we didn't already know? Not really.

And was he just having fun with us when he changed courses the second time around? You betcha.

And of course, the media ran with it both times.

Ah, it's that time of year again.

The warm air; the sunny Arizona and Florida skies. The green grass. The muffled sounds of a 95-mph fastball hitting a catcher's mitt. The hallowed sound of a bat cracking on impact with another 95-mph fastball.

Ah yes, life is finally back to normal.

The Blue have taken refuge at The Ranch for the next four weeks. They have their official Spring Training opener this Friday against their "Ranchmates," the White Sox. A home-and-home series, so-to-speak. One team is the home team on Friday, and the other on Saturday.

And with that, as the Dodgers continue to figure out who will be their fifth starter, or who will be their everyday second baseman, or who will round out the bench, and the bullpen, they quietly keep adding to their collection of veterans coming in on minor league contracts with Spring Training invitations.

Today's addition: Garret Anderson.

Anderson played for a number of years with the cross-town Angels, and then bolted for Atlanta before last season as a free agent. So of course, G.A., as he was so popularly known as down in the O.C., finding a home in Dodger Blue can only sting a little when it comes to Halo fans down I-5.

Of course, there's also no guarantees Anderson even makes the team. He's competing with Brian Giles and Doug Meintkiewicz to be the left-handed bat off the bench. And, as it's been said here before, unless by some miracle chance the Blue go with 11 pitchers out of Spring Training instead of the recent customary 12, Meintkiewicz would seem to have the inside track to serve as not only the primary lefty bat off the bench, but also as James Loney's back-up. That would all but eliminate any chance of the Dodgers carrying five outfielders.

But then again, with the health questions of Giles and Meintkiewicz, Anderson might be the only sure thing among the three.

You can't really even fault Ned Colletti for at least trying. He knows most of these guys he's brought in have little-to-no chance of panning out. So naturally, the plan is to bring in as many of these guys as possible anyway, throw them out there in Spring Training, hope one or two of them pan out (my votes go to Anderson, Ronnie Belliard, Jeff Weaver and Eric Gagne, for nostalgia purposes), and then take the credit for it later in the year when he's labeled a genius for pulling a rabbit out of his hat.

Ah, the joys of Spring Training.

Game Over Revisted?

Eric Gagne is back in Dodger Blue. Four years after he threw his last pitch for the Dodgers, Gagne and the Dodgers have reached an agreement to bring the former Cy Young winner back to L.A. Gagne will sign a minor league deal worth $500K with an invitation to Spring Training, which officially gets underway Saturday at The Ranch when pitchers and catchers officially report. Should Gagne make the team, he could earn an additional $500K in performance incentives, and would likely be the sixth inning reliever for the Blue, although I doubt he makes the team based on his recent ineffectiveness.

We all remember how Gagne electrified Dodger Stadium crowds from 2002 to 2004 with his ninth inning dominance. During that span, Gagne had a whopping 152 saves, including a Major League record 84 straight over a two-year span, to go along with ERAs of 1.97, 1.20 and 2.14. In his five seasons as the team's closer from 2002 to 2006, his strikeout ratios were among the best in baseball with his strikeouts per 9 IP ratio ranging between 12.5 and 15.0. His strikeouts to walk ratio was even more impressive as he posted ratios between 5.18 and 7.33 between 2002 and 2005.

Gagne won the N.L. Cy Young Award in 2003, but injuries in 2005 and 2006 limited him to just 16 total games even though he was a perfect 9 for 9 in save opportunities in those last two seasons. Prior to 2002, Gagne struggled to get his groove in the Dodger rotation after making his Major League debut in 1999.

Gagne signed with Texas as a free agent before the 2007 season and pitched well enough that Boston acquired him mid-season for the stretch-run. He struggled mightily with the Red Sox but would end up being part of Boston's 2007 World Series Championship team. He then pitched for Milwaukee in 2008, continuing to struggle before spending last season with a Canadian independent team. He didn't fare much better there either.

Gagne's name showed up in the Mitchell Report in 2007, and many have attributed his injuries and sudden down fall in 2007 and 2008 to possible steroid use, though no hard evidence suggested he ever used.

Here's hoping he proves me wrong and does make the team!

Frank McCourt Interview

Jon Weisman recently sat down with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt for a one-on-one interview. In it, McCourt discussed a number of things surrounding the state of the team, including personnel moves, arbitration, player development, the budget, and his perception and belief in himself and the decisions he makes.

Great column and interview. It's long, but well worth the read.

Obviously some people will still disagree with half of what McCourt says, whether he's telling us everything or not, but Weisman did a fantastic job asking questions that many of us as fans are concerned about when it comes to the Dodgers.

And I think Weisman hits the hammer on the nail when he says this:

Of course, what McCourt believes about himself ultimately isn't relevant. What's relevant is whether the Dodgers organization will thrive going forward. And I'm going to go this far: This team will live or die on its judgment – on the judgment of McCourt and the people he employs – rather than on McCourt's finances. His bank account, despite what most people have concluded this offseason, is not destroying the team.

I'm an objective person, and I truly believe, as Weisman notes, that the demise of this team going forward is going to be based on the development of players and other personnel decisions rather than how much they can spend or save based on the payroll budget. I'm a true believer in spending for the right reasons, and spending wisely, and not spending just for the sake of spending. To me, it seems that the Dodgers are, at the very least, trying to make decisions for baseball reasons, and not necessarily for budgetary purposes, at least this off-season.

Stealing Headlines on Super Bowl Sunday?

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Now it just seems like all the Dodgers are doing is signing random players to minor-league deals and hope something sticks after they've been thrown at a wall.

The latest victim is Brian Giles, four years too late.

Giles almost became Ned Colletti's very first signing as the Dodgers' GM in the spring of 2006 when Giles opted to return to San Diego at the last minute. Because of that, Colletti wound up signing Rafael Furcal instead.

Now Colletti and Giles have come full circle.

Giles will likely compete to be a fifth outfielder. But because of the Dodgers recent history of carrying 12 pitchers out of Spring Training, the chances of Giles making the team as such is virtually remote and non-existent. He's never played first base either so the chances of him seriously challenging Doug Meintkiewicz for the back-up there is slim to none, as well.

The Dodgers need a legitimate power left-handed bat off the bench. Meintkiewicz doesn't have any power, and Giles left his in Pittsburgh.

So why was Giles signed?

Beats me.

And I'm sure Reed Johnson's wondering the same thing.

*****

We can also officially say farewell and bon voyage to Orlando Hudson, who signed up with Minnesota late this past week for one year and about $5MM.

I'm particularly disturbed by how the Dodgers shunned him at the end of last season and virtually let him walk without even picking up a phone and saying, "Hey Orlando, we loves ya!"

Send us a postcard from the Twin Cities, O-Dog! You are a true pro!

And Yet Another...

And this one's a familiar face. Jeff Weaver is returning to the Blue on a minor league deal rather than a Major League deal because of roster restrictions on the 40-man roster. He should make the team out of Spring Training as the long-man/spot-starter out of the bullpen once they figure out the 40-man roster dilemma.

Also, Guillermo Mota has jumped shipped and signed a minor league deal with the Hated Ones to the North.

Another Signing

And another outfielder. This time it's Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league deal.

Reed Between the Lines: Johnson Signs

He gets a one-year deal to serve as the Blue's fourth outfielder and his signing all but assures three things:

1. Doug Meintkiewicz will make the team as the only left-hander off the bench.
2. Ronnie Belliard will be the team's everyday second baseman.
3. Blake DeWitt will not make the team, and will start the season in Triple-A, again.

All this is made possible by the simple fact the Dodgers generally go with a 12-man pitching staff rather than 11. This means the Dodgers will likely go with five bench players rather than six.

Jamey Carroll is the super-utility guy, and recently re-signed Brad Ausmus is Russell Martin's back-up. Johnson is the fourth outfielder, and either Nick Green, Angel Berroa or Chin-Lung Hu will be the back-up middle infielder. All of these players are right-handed hitters, leaving the team with just one bench spot left and just one guy at this point to be the primary lefty off the bench: Meintkiewicz.

With most pitchers being predominantly right-handers, this leaves the Dodgers with a predicament, unless they plan on going with just 11 pitchers instead. Or, they could perhaps still sign yet another outfielder such as Garret Anderson or Brian Giles, unless they go with Xavier Paul, all left hand hitters. Anderson or Giles could conceivably be brought in as a back-up first baseman, as well, though between them they've only played one career game at the position making this scenario highly unlikely.

Don't get me wrong, I love Meintkiewicz as a player, but he simply has no power in his bat, and that's what the team sorely needs.

Any way you slice it though, the Dodgers have an interesting problem on hand, and only time will tell how they decide to shape out the remainder of the roster.

Will McCourt Sell After Divorce is Settled?

I stumbled across this blog post over at Dodger Divorce a little bit ago, which prompted me to this blog post at Circling the Bases from earlier today.

Make of it whatever you please, but for whatever it's worth, we really didn't learn anything new today as far as the Dodgers response to refute Circling the Bases's report is concerned. We already knew the Dodgers weren't for sale. They can't be for sale anyway, as Dodger Divorce explains. Not yet. Not right now.

Busy Blue

A day after Mark Loretta retired from the game of baseball after 15 seasons, his last one with the Dodgers this past season, the Blue were busy filling a hole in the infield and filling out their bench, bringing back two of their own free agents, re-signing infielder Ronnie Belliard and catcher Brad Ausmus.

Both players get one-year deals in the $825K to $850K range. Belliard will likely get the bulk of the playing time at second base, though he can play anywhere on the infield. He can earn an additional $250K in incentives based on plate appearances. Ausmus will back-up starter Russell Martin for the second straight season. His deal includes a $1MM mutual option for 2011 with a $150K buyout.

With the addition of Jamey Carroll earlier in the off-season, as well Angel Berroa, and now Belliard re-signing, the team has some nice infield depth. This doesn't bode too well for Blake DeWitt, though he'll fight hard for a job in Spring Training.

The addition of Ausmus also means A.J. Ellis will be headed back to Triple-A Albuquerque for another season.

Rangers Sold to Group that Includes Nolan Ryan

Word out of Arlington/Dallas tonight is the sale of the Texas Rangers from Tom Hicks to a group that includes current Team President and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan has been finalized. The group to purchase the Rangers is headed by attorney Chuck Greenberg. The agreement now goes to MLB for review by the ownership committee and approval from 75 percent of the club owners. MLB is expected to approve the transaction once the deal is approved by the lending groups that hold the debt on Hicks's group.

Trouble in Paradise Already for Giants?

This just makes me smile. As a Dodger fan, nothing is more rewarding than to see and read about stuff like this when it comes to the Giants. And nothing is more rewarding to see Giants fans restless and squirm over their team's inability to fix something so simple.

Kudos to Jon Weisman over at Dodger Thoughts for picking up on this.

Is Ng's Gender a Hurdle For Her?

Kim Ng has been with the Dodgers for nine years. She's the most recognizable female executive in baseball, let alone the most recognizable Assistant GM in baseball. But has her gender prevented her from making the leap to a higher position in baseball? If you ask people around the league, the answer is no.

ESPN Los Angeles' Tony Jackson has the story. Check it out. A very good read.

Padilla Returning

UPDATE (2:08PM CT): The deal is now official. It's a one year gig for $5.025MM ($4MM base and $1MM in incentives).

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He's agreed to a one year deal with the Blue, with a base salary somewhere between $4MM and $5.025MM, depending who you ask.

This should be interesting and fun. A whole year of Padilla. While I thought he was a solid addition for the stretch run last season, I'm not too keen on the idea of Padilla over a full season. I suppose only time will tell, but for now, despite the low-base salary he's getting, I'm not too thrilled with this signing. If Joe Torre can keep this guy straight mentally, the sky's the limit for Padilla. If he goes Carlos Zambrano on someone, I'll be the first to tell the world, "I told you so."

Dodgers Avoid Arbitration with Remaining Six

Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton both get two-year deals, while Russell Martin, Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill and James Loney all ink one-year deals. Here's the story.

The Dodgers now have everyone signed for 2010 and will not have to go through the arbitration hearings with any of their players. Martin, Kuo, Sherill, Loney, Jason Repko and Chad Billingsley will go through the arbitration process again in a year.

Selig Says Changes Are A'Coming

Last Thursday at the annual Owners' Meetings, Bud Selig met with his newly formed 14-man committee and acknowledged that changes are coming to baseball in the very near future. Now what we don't know is what those changes are but according to Joe Torre and Mike Scioscia, two of the 14 members, the topics that were discussed were plentiful.

So what kind of changes might we see? Expansion of first round LDS playoff series to seven games? Fewer off days between playoff games? The elimination of the designated hitter? Expansion of instant replay? How about league expansion?

I'm all for each of the above suggestions. Obviously, they each have their own drawbacks and hurdles to jump for any of them to come to fruition. But at the same time, there are very good reasons to implement each of them.

Expanding the LDS to seven games means playing more games in November. But it also gives teams with the better records a better chance of advancing past the first round. Condensing the post-season schedule means the networks lose out on possible revenue, but the need for extra off days goes back to the why you don't want to expand the first round and be playing into November, where the weather becomes a bigger factor, especially on the east coast and in colder winter climates.

Eliminating the designated hitter would be a major obstacle with the players union as it could affect players careers. But is it really needed? Has the designated hitter really helped over the long haul?

The instant replay system is fine as it is and really shouldn't be tinkered with. It's enough that it's even in the game as it is.

Expanding the league is probably the longest of long shots here, and probably not even on the agenda for discussion with the committee, but for fun, let's play around with this idea.

I would be all for it for a number of reasons. By adding two more teams and realigning the leagues into four four-team divisions, you could eliminate the Wild Card, expand the LDS to seven games while cutting out off days in the post-season, and possibly even shorten the season back down to 154 games. I had given this some thought some months ago and think I might have come up with a realignment system that could work.

The National League could look like this:

West: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco

Central: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, St. Louis

South: Florida, Houston, Oklahoma City (Expansion Team 1), Tampa Bay

East: Atlanta, NY Mets, Philly, Washington

The American League could look like this:

West: LA Angels, Oakland, Portland (Expansion Team 2), Seattle

Central: Colorado, Kansas City, Minnesota, Texas

North: Chicago Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee

East: Baltimore, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto

In this format, the divisions would keep most of the old rivalries intact. To make it work, Milwaukee would have to move back to the American League and Colorado and Tampa Bay would have to switch places so that they fit geographically in a suitable division. I don't think any of those franchises would be opposed to it.

As for the expansion teams, I came up with four viable cities/regions that could support a Major League team, and then eliminated two. Portland, Oregon is the largest city in the country without a team. They've been candidates in the past for expansion, as well as relocation, so it would only seem logical to add Portland. The next most populous city without a team is Sacramento, but I think it's still too close in proximity to the Bay Area. The Giants and A's would have a big problem with adding a team there. That leaves the last two cities/regions that I came up with being Oklahoma City and the Carolinas. I think Oklahoma City would be more receptive to having a Major League team than the Carolinas would, so they would get the nod here.

We really have no idea what's on the menu and what changes could be coming. The whole expansion thing by adding two teams is extremely far-fetched in that I highly doubt Selig or the owners would ever go for it, but I really like the idea of it for the reasons I mentioned above. It seems to me that some of the other ideas probably have a better chance of becoming a reality than league expansion, and if I had to put money down on what changes I think are coming, I'd put it down on either expanding the LDS to seven games or cutting back the number of off days during the playoffs. Or both.

The Hall of Fame Voting Process

I don't have a vote on the baseball Hall of Fame, and my opinion will probably be met with a grain of salt from anyone who has earned the right to have a vote. But I have a problem with those who have a vote and waste it for certain reasons. I also have a problem with how certain guys who don't belong in the Hall of Fame are being voted in.

Last week, Andre Dawson was finally elected into the Hall of Fame by the baseball writers. Now, I have nothing personal against Dawson, and I thought he had a solid career. But as I watched him play growing up and look at his stats now, I never thought of then or think of now Andre Dawson as a Hall-of-Famer. His stats don't scream Hall of Fame to me. Andre Dawson was a very good player. He was not a great player.

I have very high expectations for players who should be in the Hall. The Hall of Fame in my eyes is supposed to be for the elite. It's supposed to recognize those players who had great careers, players who impacted the game in a way that no other player ever did. It's supposed to be for players who dominated the game during their careers. Andre Dawson just doesn't fall into that category for me.

Two players who were on the ballot this year, one for the very first time, should have been no-brainers. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. But for some reason, a few of the writers elected not to vote for these players. Some of the reasons why some writers aren't voting for certain players is pretty laughable.

One writer suggested he turned in a blank ballot because he didn't think any of the players on this year's ballot deserved to be in the Hall. That's certainly his opinion, but the facts suggest otherwise. A couple of others didn't vote for any of the first timers on the ballot because they don't think any player should ever get in the Hall on their first try. And some writers didn't vote for certain players because they still hold grudges and are punishing players for their actions when they were already punished by the league.

Now, to say none of the players deserved to be in the Hall is crock of bull. Bert Blyleven's stats speak for themselves. And to have put up the kind of numbers he did (287-250 record, 3,700+ strikeouts, 3.31 career ERA) on such bad teams throughout his career says a lot. If those aren't Hall of Fame numbers then I don't know what is.

This whole thing about writers punishing a player eligible for the first time is pretty comical. I mean, really, good luck explaining why, in 2013, you didn't vote for Greg Maddux in his first year, or in 2014, why you didn't vote for Randy Johnson in his first year. Well, it's pretty much the same thing with Roberto Alomar. Which leads me to my next argument.

Alomar was punished by the league when he spit on the umpire. The league suspended him for 10 games. So why are the writers punishing him, as well? One thing has nothing to do with the other. It's the same thing with the steroid users, at least those who tested positive and were suspended or those who openly admitted they used steroids. Or worst yet, players who have been linked to steroids but have never been suspended or have never tested positive that we know of.

Barry Bonds was never suspended, and for all we know, has never tested positive for steroids. (That's not to say he used something else, such as HGH, that can't be detected through a urine sample. But that's a whole other issue itself.) Yet, when his time comes for the Hall of Fame, the writers are going to shun him because of his ties to BALCO. (If the writers' argument for not voting for him is because he was a regular arrogant prick, then that's entirely different because Bonds was an arrogant prick to a lot of people, the writers included.) Bonds did nothing but put up Hall of Fame numbers with or without using anything. He was putting up Hall of Fame numbers long before the BALCO thing ever surfaced.

Mark McGwire is another example. Sure, he hurt his chances in the eyes of the writers when he refused to talk about his use of steroids at the Congressional Hearings in 2005, and he probably hurt his chances even more last week when he admitted to using steroids the latter part of his career. And also hurting his chances, which should be the real argument for keeping him out of the Hall is the fact, outside of the 583 home runs, he was essentially just that: a home run hitter. He was a below average hitter overall, with just a .263 career average. He was very good defensively at first base. He didn't have a great arm. And he couldn't run. But every other eligible hitter with at least 500 home runs is in the Hall.

Same goes for Roger Clemens. I'm not going to sit here and come up with reasons why he should or shouldn't be in the Hall. Steroids or not, his numbers more than speak for themselves. So do his seven Cy Young Awards, which the writers vote on. So for any writer who voted for him to win those seven Cy Young Awards, or who voted for Barry Bonds to win his five MVPs, and then doesn't vote them into the Hall, they're hypocrites.

And what's even more sad is the fact the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee is already making a stand against these players who are tied to, have admitted to, or tested positive for using some kind of performance enhancing drug. Well I got news for them, as well. Some of them are hypocrites, too. Especially if they don't allow some of these players into the Hall if the writers don't. Because it's no secret that about 50 of them already in the Hall shouldn't be there based on any of my arguments above or because some of them have decided to label the steroid/performance enhancing drug users as "cheaters."

They're not the cheaters. The cheaters are the hypocrites already in the Hall refusing to let the steroid users in even though they themselves cheated in some way, shape or form throughout their careers. And I'm talking about Gaylord Perry and Joe Morgan, two of the most outspoken Hall of Famers.

Jose Offerman Punches Ump

Former Dodger Jose Offerman, managing in the Dominican Winter Leagues, punched an umpire during an argument over the weekend.

Now I don't speak fluent Spanish, nor do I understand a lot of it, but the announcers covering this game seem to be so nonchalant about the punch it almost makes one laugh at this. The punch itself doesn't seem to have much on it, and yet the umpire still took a fall as if he just got slugged by Mike Tyson. One has to wonder what the umpire might've said to Offerman that prompted him to sucker-punch the umpire.

And here we all thought Milton Bradley had some real anger management issues.

Kemp, Billingsley Avoid Arbitration

Here's the story from dodgers.com.

Kemp's deal is a two-year deal that buys out his first two arbitration years. He's the first arbitration-eligible Dodger ever to get a multi-year deal.

McGwire Admits to Using Steroids

And in other news, today is January 12, 2010.