It's been quite a while (five weeks) since I last posted anything so I figured now would be as good a time as any to update this.
In the last five weeks a lot has transpired in Dodger land. Below are some links of the latest. I'll try to keep this in chronological order as much as possible, with the most recent occurances at the bottom.
- On November 20th, the Dodgers announced the name of their new spring training facility in Glendale, AZ, to be shared with the Chicago White Sox. The new state-of-the-art facility will be known as "Camelback Ranch."
- On December 1st, the Dodgers offered arbitration to three of its 14 free agents. Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake were all offered arbitration by the Dodgers. What this meant was should any of them had accepted arbitration by the deadline a week later, they would have essentially become signed players by the Dodgers, and would go through the usual arbitration process. However, all three declined just before the deadline on December 8th, thus meaning should any of them sign with another club, the Dodgers would receive compensation draft picks from the team that signs them.
- On the first day of the 2008 Winter Meetings in Las Vegas on December 8th, four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux officially announced his retirement. Maddux, who pitched two short stints with the Dodgers in 2006 and 2008, finished his 23-year Hall of Fame career with 355 wins, 3,371 strikeouts, and a 3.16 ERA. Maddux pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Dodgers and San Diego Padres, and won a Major League record 18 Gold Gloves, all of them between 1990 and this past season with the Padres and Dodgers. Maddux is sure to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2013.
- On December 9th, the Dodgers agreed to terms with one of their own free agents. Third baseman Casey Blake agreed to a three-year deal with an option for 2012. The signing means Blake DeWitt will stay at second base.
- The following day, the Dodgers signed veteran utility infielder Mark Loretta to a one-year deal. The versatile Southern California native replaces Nomar Garciaparra, who is contemplating retirement for health reasons.
- And this past Friday, December 12th, the Dodgers non-tendered five players who were arbitration eligible, effectively making them free agents. Takashi Saito, Angel Berroa, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban and minor league pitcher Mario Alvarez were not offered contracts by the Dodgers for the 2009 season. Each of them, for various reasons, could have received hefty pay raises through the arbitration process. Each of the non-tenders can still negotiate a contract with the Dodgers, and some, if not all, could be back next season. Four other players who are eligible for arbitration were tendered contracts. Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton and Jason Repko will return in 2009.
- As far as other news goes, the Dodgers are patiently waiting on Manny Ramirez, and should know tomorrow afternoon whether ot not they will retain the services of shortstop Rafael Furcal. Furcal is mulling offers from three teams including the Dodgers, and his agent expects him to make a decision by tomorrow afternoon.
As more news breaks, I'll post what I can here. In the meantime, to stay up-to-date on your own on all the latest rumors surrounding Major League Baseball, check out MLBTradeRumors.com!!
