Dodgers Non-Tender Russell Martin (And Sherrill & Oeltjen); Rod Barajas Returns
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 9:06 PM PST
in Los Angeles Dodgers Roster
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The Dodgers have tendered contracts to arbitration-eligible players Chad Billingsley, Hong-Chih Kuo, and James Loney today, and declined to tender a contract to Russell Martin and George Sherrill. Martin and Sherrill now are free agents, able to negotiate a contract with any team, including the Dodgers. As free agents, Martin and Sherrill are not subject to the 20% maximum salary cut rule, so the Dodgers, should they wish to re-sign them, are not bound by their 2010 salaries of $5.05 million and $4.5 million, respectively.
Earlier tonight, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweeted that the Dodgers had been trying to trade Martin. Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times tweeted that the Dodgers and Yankees were working on a deal Wednesday that would have sent Martin to the Yankees for catcher Francisco Cervelli, but that deal fell apart.
The Dodgers have also non-tendered Trent Oeltjen.
Martin has regressed offensively from his back-to-back All-Star selections of 2007-2008, and has hit .251/.354/.331 since the 2008 All-Star break (he hit.289/.373/.450 in his career prior to that). Martin hit .248/.347/.332 in 2010, and missed the final 55 games of the season after suffering a labral tear in his hip. Then again, everyday catchers with .350 on-base percentages are hard to come by, and replacing Martin is likely much easier in theory rather than in practice. Martin did throw out 27 of 70 would-be base stealers (38.6%), while his backups gunned down just 12 of 66 runners (18.1%).
Had the Dodgers tendered Martin a contract, he would have likely made at least $6 million in salary arbitration. At the very minimum, Martin's contract would have to be at least $4.04 million, which represents 80% of his 2010 salary, but good luck finding someone who didn't get a raise in salary arbitration. The club and Martin's agent have been working in the last week or so on a potential new deal, but could not come to an agreement. Martin can still return to the Dodgers, but they will have to contend with several other teams for his services should they want him back.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Martin's last offer to the Dodgers was for $5 million, plus another $1 million in incentives. That seems to me close enough to where a deal can be struck, but since the two sides couldn't agree on the amount before the tender deadline, the Dodgers had to non-tender him. They can continue to negotiate (again, Martin can also now talk to other teams), but had the Dodgers tendered a contract, Martin would have been in line for a raise from his $5.05 million, and he would have had no reason to accept anything less than that.
Hernandez reported that the Dodgers are interested in re-signing Martin, and that they also signed a one-year deal with catcher Rod Barajas. It would not surprise me at all if the Dodgers end up with both.
Sherrill made $4.5 million last season thanks to his previous closing experience, and was an obvious non-tender after his 6.69 ERA and 24-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. However, as a left-handed specialist Sherrill would be a nice option to return for a six-figure salary. Left-handed batters hit just .192/.286/.288 against Sherrill last season, and have hit a mere .167/.235/.265 against him in his career. There is definite value there.
Ryan Theriot was another non-tender candidate, as the Dodgers signed Juan Uribe to take his second base job, but Theriot was traded to the Cardinals on Tuesday for pitcher Blake Hawksworth.
For the three that were tendered contracts, they will be eligible for salary arbitration. At some point between January 5-15, 2011, the players will file for arbitration, and on January 18, both player and club will each submit a single salary figure. In most cases, the two sides can work out a deal, but if they cannot come to an agreement, their case will be heard by a three-person arbitration panel at some point between February 1-21. The arbitration panel will pick one side or the other, with no in between. I will have more detailed look at the Dodgers arbitration cases next month, but here are their 2010 salaries:
- Billingsley: $3.85 million
- Loney: $3.1 million
- Kuo: $950,000
The Dodgers 40-man roster now has 37 players (including Barajas, whose deal isn't yet official).
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Dylan waits all night for this and
The #Dodgers have non-tendered Rusell Martin.
Billz!!!
So glad to see you are here.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Martin Sherrill Oeltjen
Anagram?
A Northerners Jell Limit (that one is for Russell)
i got buried in the comments from the last thread
is there any good link to corroborate the Padilla news?
What happend to the Night Stalker?
Padilla?
by The Real Pancho on Dec 2, 2010 9:11 PM PST up reply actions
The Dodgers are going to give him another shot
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:12 PM PST up reply actions
reportedly
team re-signed him.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 2, 2010 9:12 PM PST up reply actions
btw
dodgers: Colletti: We still have interest in continuing discussions with Russell. #Dodgers
That's sort of what I expected
Honestly, when all is said and done, Martin’s non tendering is the least surprising development given his injury recovery. They probably still want him back. They want more time to negotiate a contract that will be more appropriate for his status incl with incentives. I hope they bring him back. But now have to compete with other teams.
Re Padilla, he’s a swingman not just a 6th starter, for a team that didn’t really have a good one. I’m fine with that.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
i agree
and he’s good insurance incase someone gets hurt. I really don’t think Colletti will trade any of the starters with all the emphasis he’s put on pitching.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 2, 2010 9:14 PM PST up reply actions
It’s like Eric said, you give Uribe $7 mil a year then turn around and dump Martin. I say screw Colletti.
russ had his shot
..at staying but thought the dodgers offer of $4.2M was too low….good luck in finding a better offer…
I don't get that argument
Uribe has a WAR of 5.3 to Martin’s 2.7 the last two years. Plus he’s healthy. And clutch. Colletti made the right move, and I think Russell will end up back in LA anyway.
Overqualified in an underqualified world since 2008.
Soap Bubble returns
this I will like, but if he is throwing it to Ellis/Barajas my delight will be tempered
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 9:15 PM PST up reply actions
“I didn’t get a Harumph outta that guy!”
"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"
“Give the governer a harumph!”
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 2, 2010 9:20 PM PST up reply actions
Eh
I think it’s time to move on. Martin hasn’t done shit for the past few years. I just wish the Dodgers had a good replacement.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:18 PM PST up reply actions
Can't wait to hear the Martin side
Wonder when Martin’s agent will talk? I think from those comments will have a better idea.
Did Padilla really get signed?
May want to add a side note to the story…thats a pretty important development.
Why do we need Padilla?
We already have 5 starters.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:13 PM PST up reply actions
He can relieve
His stuff is good enough to set up potentially. Other players will probably get injured.
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
yeah
someone gets hurt, we don’t have to rely on Monk or Ely or some crappy NRI
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 2, 2010 9:15 PM PST up reply actions
As long as Padilla stays healthy, which is iffy.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:16 PM PST up reply actions
Can someone please photoshop Frank out of that picture please?
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:15 PM PST up reply actions
just photoshop Ned's face onto Frank's
I’m sure Ned would love to give himself a hearty handshake
So Barajas as insurance, or backup if they resign Martin anyway?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Ellis Finished The Season Quite Strong
Ely shit all over himself, and the same for Monk when starting. Putting Ellis in the same boat as Ely and Monk is wrong-headed, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as the back-up catcher.
Martin is still the best catcher available.
Ronny Paulino wouldnt be bad…but there’s really nothing good out there.
There's Pierzysnski
But I don’t think his personality would fit with the clubhouse.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:24 PM PST up reply actions
Reported earlier he has re-signed with the Sox
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:29 PM PST up reply actions
I stand corrected
I missed that memo.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:30 PM PST up reply actions
Paulino is still on suspension i think
AJP is going back to the pale hose
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 2, 2010 9:25 PM PST up reply actions
8 games next season
Paulino is still on suspension i think
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 9:28 PM PST up reply actions
ugh
so that whole deal about “working hard” to resign martin is a boldface lie
holy hell, does Kuo stand to make a lot in arbitration?
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Dylan with the inside information
Russ is suggesting 5MM with 1MM in incentives
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Aj supposedly got two years
Two years-4mil per
Thats about what he would have gotten in arbitration…so its obvious the Dodgers dont want him for that price.
I get that
I like this contract because maybe they’ll sit him so he doesn’t hit the incentives.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
If that's the problem
there isn’t a problem. They can work that out.
do it ned
do it now, there is nothing else out there, and please do say Ronny Paulino
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 9:25 PM PST up reply actions
At this point
Martin is not even worth half that.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:28 PM PST up reply actions
so you would go with
Bararas & Ellis? or is there somethning else out there, I am just not seeing?
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 9:30 PM PST up reply actions
Who else hit the non-tender list tonight around the MLB?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:31 PM PST up reply actions
I would try
to resign Martin at 1-2 million, and if he won’t take it, I would just take my chances elsewhere. He’s just not worth the money he’s demanding right now.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:32 PM PST up reply actions
if the comp is AJP
He got 4 mil a year for 2, I do not see the problem for a better defender and equal offense 7 year younger getting 5 + incentives for a single year. sure I would like it to be less but 1-2 is unrealistic
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 9:35 PM PST up reply actions
Martin has hit .250 and .248 the last two years with 12 homers.
Pierzynski has hit .300 and .270 the last two with 22 homers.
I’d hardly call that equal offense. Martin has fallen off a cliff at the plate. I wouldn’t pay 5 million or more for that kind of production. He needs a year to reestablish his value at a low price. Then he can ask for more money if he bounces back strongly. But right now he simply isn’t worth it.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:45 PM PST up reply actions
Martin needs to see if he can work regularly till the All Star Break
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:47 PM PST up reply actions
I almost have to agree
although I don’t see an outside solution
"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"
But you have to add to it
Pierzynski’s negative Prick-DORK rating.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Yeah that's my one big knock against him
otherwise I think he’s better by far right now than Martin.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:56 PM PST up reply actions
ops+ 2010
ajp 83
rjm 89
think a lot of the hr differnece is ballpark related
obp 2010
ajp 300
rjm 347
we do not need russal to bang HRs we need him to get on base and to erase opposing baserunners
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:01 PM PST up reply actions
This is the same argument we’re having about Uribe, but in reverse.
Everybody posts Uribe’s awful OBP numbers, ignoring his slugging, and say, ZOMG .2998 CAREER OBP as if the fact that he hits the ball out of the park pretty often for a middle infielder means nothing.
Now we see Martin’s OBP numbers, as if the fact that the ball rarely seems to leave the infield means nothing.
I don’t mean to pick on you, Mammoth, and Martin’s OBP certainly is a reason to consider tendering him a contract. But it seems to me that both Martin and Uribe are flawed players, and one is getting the benefit of the doubt and the other is not.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:08 PM PST up reply actions
Yes. Oh, I love our golden god too, and I don’t want to go too far out on the Uribe limb — his deal is certainly too much money over too many years. Just saying: both these guys are flawed, and Martin non-tender just might be the right thing to do.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:12 PM PST up reply actions
not sure I ever said HRs do not matter
i do want players to hit Hrs but it is nice to have someone on base ahead of the bang. I am warming up to the Uribe signing, my intial reaction was not a f..ng gnat.
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:13 PM PST up reply actions
If I went over the top, I apologize. I really didn’t mean to pick on you.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:14 PM PST up reply actions
no worries
hot stove silly season can do that shit.
I agree with you that we do not know at this point what is the correct decision especially where a serious injury to a taxing position player is concerned. I just have troble seeing where a replacement is coming from. The available FAs are not upgrades and will cost as much, and I do not wnat to see any high prospects traded (mostly because it seems ned overpays with the kids)
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:19 PM PST up reply actions
are not upgrades and will cost as much,
I suppose that is the rub. I agree that they are not upgrades, but isn’t the argument that they will be much cheaper than the $6 million Martin would have received at the end of the day had he been tendered?
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:21 PM PST up reply actions
i worded that poorly, any one that will give rjm’s production will cost about the same. if we sign a shitty replacement to a 1 year then $ will be saved. but I do not want a shitty replacement I want at least rjm production. otherwise are we looking at the punting of 2011 after all the optimism after the pitcher signings last month
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:25 PM PST up reply actions
gotta have guys on base when Uribe and Barajas are up
And
The guys at the top of the order have to produce because Uribe, Barajas, and the pitcher likely will not be on base
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:15 PM PST up reply actions
Do we even want Martin on an incentive-based contract? Isn’t the huge knock on Martin that he’s always been overworked? Incentives are only for playing time, right? Seems that tying Martin’s pay to his playing time is a recipe for disaster.
Now with 33% more Kavula
If you make them easily attainable, I don’t think it would be a problem. The idea, in theory, would just be to protect the Dodgers against having to pay Martin full freight if he is injured for a significant portion of time.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:05 PM PST up reply actions
Appropriate music?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaG2Acg8n60
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:24 PM PST reply actions
or some Janis Joplin
Bye … bye … bye
Baby bye bye …
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:26 PM PST up reply actions
Hopefully Jensen’s performace this season will have me playing this song for Broxton same time next year.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:32 PM PST up reply actions
Is Jensen as the Closer and Broxton as the set up guy that far fetched?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:33 PM PST up reply actions
It’s pretty far fetched when Kuo is around.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:35 PM PST up reply actions
jansen was a catcher...
let’s see if he multi-task this season :)
it’s been said dude’s so good he can catch his own pitch
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:35 PM PST up reply actions
Seems to me
Several teams will be interested in Martin. It will be interesting to see what kind of contract he eventually signs.
It's very appropriate for Sherill
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:27 PM PST reply actions
does this mean Barajas is our starting catcher?
he is much worse defensively than Martin.
"Pluto’s not even a planet no more, which I’m very disturbed about. I grew up when Pluto was a planet. Now, I’m 25, I turn around and Pluto’s no longer a planet. I’m going to elbow that guy in the nose." -Ron Artest
Tigers just got Vmart
Can’t see Tigers, too expensive for the Pads
Yeah throw the Tigers out.
I could see the Padres going after him though…they’ve moved alot of payroll this off-season.
Blue Jays probably have the dough also.
SD would be weird, no doubt.
They’ve seen a lot of him. That worries me.
I honestly think he re-signs with us.
wonder what the medical report on that hip reveals?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:40 PM PST up reply actions
This night keeps getting worse
Farscape no longer available for instant streaming? fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
awwww
that main character guy was so cute
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Those bastards just got me on their 7.99 plan too.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions
Plenty of other worthwhile stuff on there
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
At some point I don’t think you can say “well, he’s not worth what he’s asking for, screw it” because if there is a glaring need for a decent catcher what difference is a million or two. Martin might be the best FA catcher, so if a team needing a catcher misses out on him, there is a chance they’ll end up with Gerald Laird. If the Dodgers don’t see it this way I’m sure some other org that needs a catcher will sign him for 5 or 6 million.
Completely agree..
I dont understand why the Dodgers would overspend on Kuroda, Lilly but pinch pennies on Martin.
Because they were actually good in 2010. Healthy too.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:47 PM PST up reply actions
i dont think so
i guess it’s sort of similar to A-Rod’s hip injury, which hasn’t really shwon up in catchers at all
This sucks
Ol’55, is one of my fav players. I hope that they bring him back. This is why I don’t get player jerseys. Unless it’s an past player like ol’34. I like the 6 man rotation. I hate the Uribe signing.
by Skunkburner on Dec 2, 2010 9:42 PM PST via mobile reply actions
And we need something better than what we have in LF right now
I guess it’s pick what you want to fix first.
I'd rather upgrade LF than catcher.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:46 PM PST up reply actions
I'll say this
It’s going to be damned interesting to see what we do in LF. At this point, all bets are off.
If Pods is out there on Opening Day
I think I will cry.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
Can we trade 2 of them then for 1 LF?
I forgot the conversion rate…
Trade Casey Blake cause the Angels are desperate for a decent 3rd baseman. We can teach Jensen to play 3rd, he’ll be all-star calibur at that postion by June.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:49 PM PST up reply actions
This sucks
Ol’55, is one of my fav players. I hope that they bring him back. This is why I don’t get player jerseys. Unless it’s an past player like ol’34. I like the 6 man rotation. I hate the Uribe signing.
by Skunkburner on Dec 2, 2010 9:43 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Is this far fetched?
Furcal 10 HR
Kemp 25 HR
Ethier 30 HR
LF 30 HR
Loney 15 HR
Uribe 20 HR
Blake 20 HR
Barajas/ ? 20 HR
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
And cost 20 with the glove.
Not really, but it would seem that way.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:15 PM PST up reply actions
this is a question
can he learn to track and catch the ball in the air?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:17 PM PST up reply actions
I will also point out that if Jay Gibbons was really a reliable choice for an every day LF, he would not have spent two years out of baseball.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:18 PM PST up reply actions
There was that steroids thing..........
"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"
Yeah, I know — but that thing hasn’t gotten in the way of anybody else who was deemed a reliable performer.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:32 PM PST up reply actions
If Podman returns, I’m only watching intermittently on TV.
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 9:53 PM PST up reply actions
yes
furcal wont hit 10
i doubt we’ll get a LF that will hit 30
Blake wont hit 20
Barajas probably wont hit 20
Looks pretty good
except for LF. I have a sinking feeling we’re not going to like what we see out there ar the start of next season.
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 9:52 PM PST up reply actions
Is this far fetched?
Jensen learns to play CF this season.
Jensen 75 HR
With the same amount of stolen bases.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:54 PM PST up reply actions
Only if he can also catch & close
"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"
Subtract 5 homers from Blake
Subtract 7 homers from Barajas
Subtract 3 homers from Loney
Subtract 3 homers from Furcal
Subtract 20 homers LF.
Probably 38 less homers than listed.
OK, last year
Fucal 8 HR
Kemp 28 HR
Ethier 23 HR
LF – via trade – a power bat – ?
Loney 10 HR
Uribe 24 HR
Blake 17 HR
Barajas 17 HR
Furcal and Ethier need to stay healty and Loney needs to step up
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:01 PM PST up reply actions
Adds up to 170 HR
would’ve been 5th best in the NL in 2010.
Realistically subtract 30 of those and you’re at 140, which is 20 more then last year but lower middle of the pack.
I'm gonna say 35 for Kemp.
He had a 20 minute convo with Ned today, don’t ya know?
For how much? I like Barajas but not as a starter. He really likes playing for the Dodgers which I like.
Is it a coincidence that he didnt sign until Martin was non-tendered?
Wouldnt the Dodgers have improved their bargaining position by signing Barajas before deciding whether to tender Russ…
ok
So, Rod is the backup. Ellis isn’t good enough to be a backup catcher? I don’t see how all these pieces fit. Is Barajas an insurance plan starting catcher?
The pieces will fit better or make more sense if
the Dodgers end up signing Russ to new contract.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Ellis is fine as a backup
but it’s not cool when there is literally nobody behind Ellis (I’m not counting Gimenez).
Is Vicente Padilla's return confirmed by a reliable source?
If so. . . wtf
by SeanMillerSavior on Dec 2, 2010 9:49 PM PST reply actions
today is one of those days
where the dodger fan in me conflicts with the smart dodger fan in me…..
i will miss martin, i liked rooting for him a lot but the move makes sense. next stop marlins for him?
Next stop:
Back to the Dodgers.
Otherwise: Blue Jays.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Marlins just spent a boatload on John Buck
so, no.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Thankfully I’m a bandwagon fan and I just jumped on board in ‘09, so I don’t understand what will be missed about Martin.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 9:58 PM PST up reply actions
Red Sox non tendered Andrew Miller
It’s hard to believe the Tigers took him one spot ahead of Kershaw.
Nothing is ever easy.
That’s Sam Bowie status times two right there.
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
Paging Matt Bush!
Nothing is ever easy.
by drulenarendes on Dec 2, 2010 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
While it's cause injuries, not lack of talent
Anyone interested in a Prior-project?
Boy, I don’t envy Colletti here. Fuck if I know what the right thing to do with Martin is.
I’m sorry to see him go (if he goes — I hope there’s a deal coming) and I’m sure Colletti is, too. But man, $6 million seems like a lot if they’re really concerned about the hip.
If you had told me in 2007 that Russell Martin would be the first of the young Dodgers to be jettisoned, I would not have believed you.
Now with 33% more Kavula
If you had told me in 2007 that Russell Martin would be the first of the young Dodgers to be jettisoned, I would not have believed you.
True that
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:05 PM PST up reply actions
Not really that surprising
Catchers wear down… And Russ didn’t just wear down, he broke down…
"I love you, but I'd love you more if you were as miserable as me"
by angelofdeath on Dec 2, 2010 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
Who has logged more innings in the MLB since he became a starter?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:07 PM PST up reply actions
Up until his injury
No one, I think… Can’t confirm
"I love you, but I'd love you more if you were as miserable as me"
by angelofdeath on Dec 2, 2010 10:07 PM PST up reply actions
Torre may have been tough
Martin’s injury sadly was caused by him not sliding properly. I agree that Torre used him alot in his early years, but Martin also never wanted out.
It was definitely Martin before August 2
Kendall was the only one close
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
Heh
From May 5, 2006, Martin caught 5,499 1/3 innings.
From May 5, 2006, Kendall caught ~5,701 innings (I estimated slightly removing first 23 games of 2006).
Martin was ahead before the hip
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:12 PM PST up reply actions
he of the broken and dislocated right ankle
What year was that? It was fairly early in his career.
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
Out of curiosity, I checked the innings caught for Piazza as a Dodger, and his highest total (1255.2) is 1.2 innings more than Martin’s (1254). There totals over a 3 year peak Martin has about 50 more innings than Piazza. Not making any type of argument, just pointing that out.
yeah, this was a pretty rough decision. as much as i understand why, and im still hoping they come to a contract, it kind of feels like the beginning of the end of an era. there were a few seasons that i totally fell out of interest with baseball (at the height of Bonds’ freakish steroid run). It was guys like Martin, Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Bills (and Kershaw on the horizon) that got me excited about the team. Martin was the first to show a lot of promise, and it’s sad to see a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, All-Star (who was arguably the best NL catcher period for a couple seasons) be non-tendered.
This just in...the Kings actually won a game!
George Lazenby is James Bond!
by Bobblehead Addict on Dec 2, 2010 10:12 PM PST reply actions
dont know if this has been talked about, but could matt diaz be an option? better or worse than pods? this is an honest question.
How much?
kinbote estimates Diaz will require 3 years at $7 mil per
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:20 PM PST up reply actions
he mashes LHP
hes a perfect 4th outfielder to plattoon with ethier
smashed lefties to an .850ish ops though
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
Well
He’s a grinder… That’s aces in Ned’s book
"I love you, but I'd love you more if you were as miserable as me"
by angelofdeath on Dec 2, 2010 10:21 PM PST up reply actions
Gurnick has some info
here:
Barajas will team with A.J. Ellis behind the plate.
Yet, Colletti left open the possibility of Martin’s return as more than a catcher, namely at third base and even left field. But not at the salary Martin is currently seeking.
Martin won’t start running until later this month and won’t start baseball activities until next month, even though he has not had any setbacks in his rehabilitation.
I don’t like the 3B/LF talk. Not at all.
THIRD BASE?! LEFT FIELD?!
WHERE THE FUCK IS MY GIN?!?!
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:22 PM PST up reply actions
Seriously.
Third base.
Left Field.
The mind boggles.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:34 PM PST up reply actions
what I said about the Martin arbitration dilemma earlier today
In this case, there is almost nothing Ned can do where I won’t be able to see it from that perspective…but I can never count him out completely!
I thought I was kidding, but deep down inside, I knew I wasn’t. :/
makes no sense
his bat plays much worse at 3B, and he offers no platoon with Blake. LF is a laugher.
Overqualified in an underqualified world since 2008.
funny how there is not a quote for this
Colletti left open the possibility of Martin’s return as more than a catcher, namely at third base and even left field
I say the BS meter is peaking
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:35 PM PST up reply actions
I think that every day over the 2011 season, Donnie Two Times should pick names out of a hat — those will be that day’s starting players. Then those players will pick their positions out of a hat.
Only then will we get an answer to the age-old question: can Jay Gibbons pitch?
Of course, it’ll fuck up Xei’s simulations, but some price has to be paid for glory.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:37 PM PST up reply actions
Next season's daily contest
“Guess tonight’s lineup”
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:39 PM PST up reply actions
if Dutch Rudder can do it
so can J Martin….BOOM, that shores up the bullpen
Overqualified in an underqualified world since 2008.
Also answers the other age-old question
Can an offense score just 400 runs?
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:43 PM PST up reply actions
Tender rules
We know that Martin’s agent offered 5million and 1 million in incentives. If the Dodgers would have offered 4 or 3.5 base plus incentives equal to 6 or more, would that have triggered a tender-hence the road to arbitration?
The smallest contract the Dodgers could offer was $4.04 million base salary.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:22 PM PST up reply actions
Could they have said, “We’ll non-tender Martin, but we’d like him back at $2 million guaranteed plus incentives?”
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:23 PM PST up reply actions
Sure
But Martin would then say, “thanks but I’m going to now shop this offer around.”
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:24 PM PST up reply actions
It sounds like that’s what the Dodgers offered (per Gurnick’s article), $4.04m plus incentives.
Honestly, the Dodgers and Martin aren’t that far off. A deal can be had.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:26 PM PST up reply actions
If they offered $4.04 million plus incentives, and he wants $5 million plus incentives, then…
…wait, hang on, let me get my calculator…
YOU SETTLE ON $4.5 MILLION PLUS INCENTIVES AND YOU FUCKING CALL IT A DAY.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:27 PM PST up reply actions
this will work
Hating the Giants for going on a half century and counting!
by MammothDodger on Dec 2, 2010 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed
But I can’t blame Martin for wanting to see how green that other grass is, first.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
I think he will find that grass is burnt to a crisp. Now I hope he Jody Reeds himself.
Not really. I want him back. But COME ON.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:31 PM PST up reply actions
Playing Canadian advocate for a second
Martin’s mind:
1) The Dodgers offered me $4m plus incentives. That offer will still be there in a week or two.
2) No reason to sign for less than $5m before the tender deadline, because the Dodgers could tender a contract and I will get at least that.
3) If they non-tender me, I can call Theo and see what’s up, shop around for a bit, see if I can get a two-year deal or something
4) I can always come back to the Dodgers since the only alternatives for starters are Miguel Olivo, et al.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:36 PM PST up reply actions
Also, to add to your "COME ON" point
(which I agree with), Gurnick updated the post:
Martin wanted: $5m + $1m incentives
Dodgers wanted: $4.2m + $1.5m incentives
COME ON!!!
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:46 PM PST up reply actions
I don’t get it :(
I don’t know math
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
It means the sides were even closer than we thought.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:47 PM PST up reply actions
which means…we’re frustrated they didn’t come to an agreement?
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
I think they still might. They are really not that far off at all.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:50 PM PST up reply actions
Really
I just wanted to join Humma’s crusade, since he was so behind it, and I also wanted to show Gob. :)
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:58 PM PST up reply actions
Does seem to be close
Agreed if the numbers are true, but again is someone going to pay him now 5mill plus incentives-they aren’t obligated to? Martin should have taken the Dodger deal if it is only a difference of 500k
Man, I have been trotting out the f-bombs tonight. I must have made that drink a litttttttle stronger than I intended.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:29 PM PST up reply actions
Heh
I just want the Dodgers to sign Martin for $4.5 million so I don’t have to change the sidebar :)
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 10:30 PM PST up reply actions
question
If Ned does not have much money left, I would rather spend it on some power in LF like Diaz rather than 6m on Martin.
OK, I’m also heading in. Hopefully I’ll be in a better mood in the morning. G’night all.
Now with 33% more Kavula
by Humma Kavula on Dec 2, 2010 10:44 PM PST up reply actions
nite nite
thanks for a great day at TBLA
it was a lot of fun
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 11:05 PM PST up reply actions
Dodgers were talking to Yankees
From Michael S. Schmidt of the NY Times:
yanks and dodgers came close on a deal that would have sent russell martin to the yanks for francisco cervelli
but deal fell apart and dodgers ended up non-tendering martin .. story shortly on nytimes.com
talks between dodgers and yanks were hottest on wednesday, with teams exchanging medical records
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/s/michael_s_schmidt/index.html
whoa whoa whoa
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
who the hell
is francisco cervelli?
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Young catcher
from Venezuela, 24 yo.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cervefr01.shtml
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Yanks back up catcher
Guy who catches AJ Burnett, I think
"I love you, but I'd love you more if you were as miserable as me"
by angelofdeath on Dec 2, 2010 10:52 PM PST up reply actions
Montero's still in the minors
Maybe next year… And Montero isn’t likely to stay at catcher anyway…
"I love you, but I'd love you more if you were as miserable as me"
by angelofdeath on Dec 2, 2010 11:01 PM PST up reply actions
The thought of Martin in pinstripes
is damn near sacrilegious to me. I hope this contract negotiation goes by quickly and we have our boy manning the plate for us on Opening Day 2011. Make it happen, Ned.
First of all, the prospect of Russ not being a Dodger completely bums me out.
Secondly, I can’t fight the feeling that Russell will have a better year next year and we’ll have nothing to show for it. Let’s face it, LoDuca was older, just kept getting worse, and we had a handful of new players, including all-star caliber BradPenny for a couple years. Piazza, of course, continued to be awesome, but at the very least, Sheffield hit the shit out of the ball.
Third, I may now have to see about converting my Martin jersey (purchased thankfully right after the 2006 season so I could sport it SUPER proudly for a full two years) into a Hershiser jersey. I hoped I would never have to.
All in all, sad.
Don't give up yet
he ain’t a goner yet. As Eric noted, they weren’t that far apart in a deal and he’s kind of out of touch with reality in what he was asking for. They could still work out a deal and re-sign him.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
show me you can run
show me you can play four games in a row regularly
then I give you $4,000,000.00?
until then, here’s $1 mil + incentives?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:59 PM PST up reply actions
I’m aware. I just don’t see it happening, I guess. I know the sentiment has been expressed here before, but I think Dodgers fans generally hate on Russ a bit too much.
He was just so fucking good for two years or so that when he became less that what he was, many people thought he was shit, when in actuality, he was still pretty valuable.
This just feels like some bullshit small-market move..and fucking Juan Uribe to ice the cake.
Grumble grumble…
long day, only people after this harder than this group today works for the Dodgers …
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 2, 2010 10:55 PM PST up reply actions
Keeping LF warm for Sands
Non Tendered Matt Diaz, RH LF, had a .250/.318 /.512 for 830 OPS in 2010 vs LH
and OPS’d while making $2.25 mil. Yeah. .302 OBP vs LHP, but .512 SLG. 244 ABs.
He was better in 2009 in only 152 ABs .412/464/640 for 1.103 OPS.
His career splits vs LHP 335 .373 .533 for a .907 OPS…797 ABs.
He turns 31 in March and should be a cheap platoon partner for LH Gibbons while both backed by 5th OF XP Scraps.
Keep the seat warm without blocking Sands even in 2010 if he breaks out.
If money is no object…other LF choices will appear.
I can live with Barajas and Ellis. Maybe the new catcher kid and Wallach’s boy can compete in 2012.
Payroll constraints still exist, no? Get me Padilla in whatever role keeps him from shooting himself or anyone else. Lots of good pitching plus big years from the glamour boys in the OF and we’ll contend in 2011 for sure.
What is Martin thinking? Sounds like a guy that squats for a living can’t run in December.
Go on, take the money and run…or limp…there ain’t a $4mil plus deal out there I bet.
Is $4 million that much? It didn’t used to be for this team, and it certainly isn’t for, say, the Red Sox. If you don’t think they’d rather have Russ than Salty, you’re crazy. They’ll take that gamble, and Russ, if healthy, will regain some luster hitting in that park.
All those things we loved about him will be loved even more with the magnifying glass of the AL East…even in his current incarnation.
they offered him a 5 mill plus
1 mill incentive and he didnt want it
Other way around
Martin wanted $5m + $1m.
Dodgers offered $4.2m + $1.5m
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 11:06 PM PST up reply actions
Dodgers were prepped for post-Martin scenario
Sounds close $wise but they spent alot of time shopping him and ultimately non-tendering him these last two days. Talked with a number of catcher types if rumors are true (Varitek for eg)
Still a few catchers on the market. Ellis belongs in ABQ though with two catchers in LA imo.
well he was valuable for about a year and a half
credit his first season to pitchers not knowing him…His bat barely plays at C…to even hear rumors bout him at third is hilarious plus there were multiple things that should have made you cringed when he played the hot corner
Are we not forgetting
that he regressed in second halfs
thats not what i am sayin
all i am sayin is if they couldnt agree on a contract then non tenderin him was the best way to go because he hasnt shown up in 2years
but he has shown up, and almost everyday…he just wasn’t the best catcher in the NL anymore…still near the top though
im just sayin
N see that is probably part of the problem…Im just sayin what set him apart when he came on the scene was his ability to spray the ball around the park he became a dead ball hitter and his stats are in line if he was a defensive minded catcher
haha cause he is a corner stone who has WS to his name
we both agree he is still valuable but to what point…..For evey other team though why trade for a guy if there is a chance to sign him if he is non tendered….the old adage is catching is the fastest way in and out of the bigs
Cervelli made sense
He’s arb-eligible in 2013 with some skills but not a everyday guy nor much of a prospect.
RH turning 25 in March, kinda like punch and judy Ellis who’s benefit is his cost. But Ellis turns 30 in April. Jeez. Barajas is 35.
I’m thinking another catcher besides Barajas coming
Has anybody looked at the Dodgers record since May of 2006 w/ Russ as opposed to without him?
I bet it’s a lop-sided thing.
Regardless, its hard to commit $5mil to a broken-down catcher with bad numbers recently…in a buyers market for catchers
Agreed
Just for fun, I found the numbers (not that they are all that illuminating)…
Dodgers with Martin starting, from May 5, 2006 to present: 356-276 (.563)
Dodgers without Martin starting: 61-88 (.409)
by Eric Stephen on Dec 2, 2010 11:14 PM PST up reply actions
you guys must have been suicidal when Piazza was traded. Glad to see you guys made it thru..No matter what happens you will pull thru. I mean this isn’t Loduca were talking about :-)
I was bummed about the LoDuca trade, and I still think it took the wind out of our sails in 2004 (mostly because it ruined the shutdown trifecta of Dreifort, Mota and Gagne), but at least we got things back for the guy.
I can’t help but remember that proposed deal a couple years back for A-Gon and Bell for Martin, Loney and others….sigh…
I was very happy to see LoDuca go. He along with Karros are on my most disliked by me but otherwise popular dodgers at the time list. I see what you are saying though and respect it..I liked getting Penny and if he would have remained healthy our playoff run may have gone deeper..
Diaz-Gibbons Platoon
Ok, maybe I’m late to the party, but here are numbers.
Here’s his and Jay Gibbons’ career platoon splits:
.335/.373/.533 .385 wOBA 29 HR vs LHP (Diaz, 797 career PA)
.259/.319/.464 .336 wOBA 105 HR vs RHP (Gibbons, 2402 career PA)
Here’s the wrong way platoon splits
Diaz vs. RHP: .317 wOBA .269/.327/.382, 14 HR, 849 PA
Gibbons vs LHP: .307 wOBA .265/.300/.423, 21 HR, 676 PA
The advantage of Gibbons over Diaz is so slight (.019 of wOBA) vs RHP that you can justify his average corner OF defense over Gibbons’ terrible corner OF defense.
Just a note on the Angels
by tendering 8 arbitration-eligible contracts, they probably now have a payroll between $113-116M and that is before any free agents are signed. This past year, the Angels had their highest payroll under Moreno at $121M, including money paid out Gary Mathews, whom they are paying another $11M this year (this number is included above).
My estimates are based on just slight bumps on some of their deals
Weaver should see another big jump.
I saw that when I woke up this morning
very sad.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 6:13 AM PST up reply actions
this guy! he’s got jokes!
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
I was actually serious (well sort of.) I did go to bed at 8:30. I woke up this morning and start going through tweet deck on my phone as though it was still 8:30. That allowed me to feel like I was living through the drama going around at deadline time. BTW, hats off to all the Dodgers bloggers I follow on Twitter, a lot of funny stuff last night.
I saw that Russ is gone, Rod is back. I also saw a (rumor?) that Padilla is re-signing. But scanning up the thread I don’t see much on that.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 7:37 AM PST up reply actions
I was actually serious (well sort of.) I did go to bed at 8:30. I woke up this morning and start going through tweet deck on my phone as though it was still 8:30. That allowed me to feel like I was living through the drama going around at deadline time. BTW, hats off to all the Dodgers bloggers I follow on Twitter, a lot of funny stuff last night.
I saw that Russ is gone, Rod is back. I also saw a (rumor?) that Padilla is re-signing. But scanning up the thread I don’t see much on that.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 7:37 AM PST up reply actions
the Padilla thing
not confirmed.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 7:39 AM PST up reply actions
wow, that’s a win right there.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
FTFY
I’m gonna go get the papers pitcher get the papers pitcher
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 7:54 AM PST up reply actions
Sounds cool, like something out of Bugsy Malone
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I caught that one too, news broke a few weeks before I went to sleep last night.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 7:48 AM PST up reply actions
It was cool that HBO showed the one-time, non DVRable sex tape at 8:31.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 3, 2010 7:56 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Rosenthal
says six teams are interested in Martin, including the Yankees.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
Well, bye bye Russ.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Not so fast
Yankees don’t want him to start full time.
by Eric Stephen on Dec 3, 2010 7:53 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
they may have to move a few guys ;)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 7:52 AM PST up reply actions
and by guys
i mean cushions in Steinbrenner’s couch, they’ll find it there.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 7:53 AM PST up reply actions
I was wondering why the Yankees haven't signed Russ yet
If they were interested in trading for him, that means they were comfortable that he would get an arb reward of $6MM. The Dodgers have to represent that if they didn’t trade Martin to the Yankees, they would tender him an offer (otherwise why would the Yankees trade for him.) Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. Russ wanted 1 yr $5MM with incentives, why haven’t the Yankees met Russ’s demand as of 9:01 PST last night?
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 8:01 AM PST up reply actions
Now is 5million the real number
Rosenthal lists 6 teams supposedly interested in him: Royals yanks, Mariners, Mets ,Brewers, and Rangers. I question off the top of my head the Rangers having just signed Toreaballa paying 5million for a back-up, and the Royals?
Wonder if Martin will give the Dodgers the chance to match. Dodger offer seems pretty good in retrospect
One more thing
Let the record show I got 100% of my Dodger news last night from TBLA. I didn’t even visit another site. The work Eric and others [like Alex for example] do here is just mind-boggling. I still remember when I used to turn on KNX at 15 & 45 just to get in-progress scores. Huge kudos for an amazing site. We don’t take it for granted. (Now do a fund raiser or something so we can give back . . .)
Shirts would be awesome
unless you guys would rather do a “pass-the-hat” kind of thing.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
let's use Maddz's hat
they gave you a big one when you became a southern belle right?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 7:56 AM PST up reply actions
I like the shirt idea
Considering I already have a DT one. Make a cheap one, gouge us for $20, pocket the change. I’d do that in a heartbeat.
Hmmm
Was a post ever made about potential slogans?
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Ha!
I like that.
But here
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
I have been thinking that been a free agent is just superb, why? Because you are not subject to the 20% maximum salary cut rule like for the case of Sherrill and Martin. But the only worry is that you might no get a permanent employment.
Michael Jordan Scores Court Points Over Ex-lover
You Canadian Bastard
Apparently Russell wants to play closer to home, according to Buster via twitter…so NYY or TOR.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
well, if he's got the choice
Thanks for the memories Russ
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 8:14 AM PST up reply actions
I wouldnt be mad if he signed with the jays
Good story and we’d never see or hear from
him again. Yankees are another story
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Dec 3, 2010 8:37 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Everyone says that in negotiations. He will go to whomever offers him the most money (or reasonably close), then he can go to his bank and exchange it for weirdly colored money with other dudes’ faces on it.
I wondered too if Ned’s “he can play infield, outfield” talk was a ploy to keep Russ, assuming he still wants that. Surely these other teams see him splitting catching duties and no more.
"Baseball is the heart of America, I would never do anything to besmirch our National Pastime."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Dec 3, 2010 8:50 AM PST up reply actions
PADILLA IS ONLY 33?!
Whoa.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
On Russell Martin
1. Until he signs a deal, I won’t believe he still won’t be a Dodger in 2011
2. Anyone who signs Martin with the idea that he will catch more than 100 games is probably taking a big chance.
3. The minimum for him is probably going to be in the 4.2-4.8 with incentives.
Now, this could drag out a bit but both Martin and for the teams interested in him, there is a risk, for Martin, the risk is teams will continue to look for catching and as each team signs one, his market dries up. For the other teams, if Martin’s rehab continues well, his price will only stiffen.
And
I agree with Jon, the non-tender of Martin had probably a 80/20% split on health concerns vs. performance, had Martin remained healthy but had the same numbers, he would be a Dodger today.
by bhsportsguy on Dec 3, 2010 8:45 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
So
Colletti is likely posturing when he says Barajas will get the bulk of the time with Ellis backing him up. If we don’t sign Martin, do you think we’ll add a different catcher?
Smithers, begin the thawing of Roy Campanella!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
by underdog on Dec 3, 2010 8:53 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Mike Piazza—tanned, rested, ready.
"Baseball is the heart of America, I would never do anything to besmirch our National Pastime."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Dec 3, 2010 8:54 AM PST up reply actions
"Good morning, Smithers! You're quite good at turning me on!"
“……ummm……you should probably ignore that.”
i've read that his doctors
say he will be.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 8:34 AM PST up reply actions
from DH's article
Martin’s agent, Matt Colleran, said doctors expect his client to be ready for the start of spring training.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Dec 3, 2010 8:36 AM PST up reply actions
I hope so, but Jason Schmidt comes to mind too. Agents speak agent-speak.
"Baseball is the heart of America, I would never do anything to besmirch our National Pastime."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Dec 3, 2010 8:47 AM PST up reply actions
Wall punching.
"Save that for the girl chat rooms. No here cares that you are sentimental and sweet. Jose [sic] already passed on you, Dodger SF is having a mid 20’s relationship crisis living in a town where she can’t love anyone because they are either gay or Giant fans, Maddz is stuck in Theology hell, and Teal is married. Not sure what is up with Connector. And my nieces are off limits. Sporky hates you because you adorn the cover of Jon’s book."
Nice article, but...
he provides all of these reasons for why Kevin Brown is getting (or going to be) ignored by voters, but then doesn’t even mention the Mitchell Report.
I don’t think Kevin Brown is a hall of famer because of my suspitions that he was on roids for the second half of his career.
The monkey is out of the bottle.
So…..no Bonds, Clemens, or McGwire for you? Not a snarky question, just curious.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:20 AM PST up reply actions
Ya, I mean, that’s why it’s kind of tough to rule out Brown’s acheivements. You have to do it to a ton of guys.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:26 AM PST up reply actions
Right
I get the whole “everyone was doing it and they were still the best” argument, but not everyone was doing it. I’m not saying to exclude guys based on suspitions of steroids, but if it was found that the guy received shipments of HGH, he doesn’t get in.
I’m not looking for a witch hunt, just a Hall of Fame where non-users get their due.
My abbreviated hall of fame list for guys coming up is basically: Maddux, Randy Johnson, Pedro, Smoltz, Glavine, Griffey, Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Ichiro, Jeter, Hoffman, Rivera, Halladay, Piazza (though he had suspitions too, I don’t think it was ever proven), Vlad Guerrero (fringe ballot), Chipper Jones, Bobby Abreu gets some votes but not in..I’m sure there are more that I’m missing.
The monkey is out of the bottle.
Martin is a POS
and has been for the last two years. I can’t tell you how many times I almost cracked my TV screen when he hit a weak groundball to SS to end an inning. No way the Dodgers should sign him for more than 2M/year plus some incentives. Martin gor lazy behind the plate and got weak in the box.
Give Ned some time. He will work out a trade before spring. Probably see Loney gone.
A few other Martin thoughts this morning
Russell Martin – Apparently Brian Cashman nearly traded Francisco Cervelli to LA for him. I talked about how Martin would be a good fit earlier in the offseason. I just don’t know how he would take to not playing very much. With top prospect Jesus Montero and Jorge Posada, how much playing time could he get? I suspect there are better opportunities elsewhere.
http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=31618
And from Canada:http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/story/2010/12/03/sp-martin-freeagent.html
(Mostly nothing new)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
If all this talk about him being butthurt that he wouldn’t be playing all the time is true, then dude needs to have a coke and a smile and shut the fuck up.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
You tell him!
Meaning he’s asking for too much money? Yeah I think so.
It may become clear, sadly that he also just doesn’t want to be in Cali anymore and was looking for a way to push his way out. Maybe he asked for too much on purpose. I can’t imagine him getting that much money to be a part time catcher coming off two shitty seasons and an injury.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
like 3B
it might be possible because there aren’t great players at that position that are free agents.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
First response to the Colletti 3B, LF comment was BS
However, is he also inferring that Martin may not recover to the point that playing the catcher position is a viable option going forward?
Someone posted yesterday taht Martin isn’t even able to run yet
and what other catcher has recovered from a serious hip injury and logged signifigant playing time?
by 68elcamino427 on Dec 3, 2010 9:26 AM PST up reply actions
I remember reading on here that his injury is very ODD for a catcher and hasn’t really been seen before, so there’s no real idea.
BTW, I was referring specifically to the fact that catchers aren’t great, not that Martin should play 3B. :)
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
So it seems the three major issues left to settle this offseason
are improving C, LF and the relief pitching. What about Joel Peralta for the ‘pen? He had a damn good year for the Nationals last year and surprisingly didn’t get tendered…his career stats seem to suggest he’d be better in the NL (like every other pitcher).
I’m inclined to believe that if the Padilla signing is true, then the relief pitching issue has been solved; I think we’ll see Jansen get called up and Troncoso getting optioned after Belisario finally makes it to the US in June.
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
You could always throw in Link/Schlichting as necessary.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:28 AM PST up reply actions
Then colleti still needs to sign his loogy
no way he trusts the in house options
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
Shouldn’t be a problem, signing 1 reliever isn’t too expensive.
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:30 AM PST up reply actions
I think it might depend on ST
how Tron and Elbert do might determine who makes it
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
Tron looks like the weekling of that group
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:31 AM PST up reply actions
Is Jansen “that Blake guy”? Does Blake = Black? Am I missing someone named Blake?
The monkey is out of the bottle.
My feeling for the bullpen
is that it will consist of:
Broxton
Kuo
Troncoso
Belisario
Hawksworth
Padilla
LH specialist (maybe Jesse Orosco is still pitching? =D)
I'm an idiot
Missed him…how many arms would we need in the pen, anyway? Isn’t 13 pitchers a lot to carry on a roster?
no more than 12. 11 depending on schedule
Probably get something like:
Kershaw
Billingsley
Kuroda
Lilly
Garland
Broxton
Kuo
Jansen
Belisario
LOOGY
Trancoso
Padilla
if 12. If 11, no Troncoso
The monkey is out of the bottle.
BTW
With Padilla and Hawkesworth, Ely is now (at best) the 7th starting pitcher on the depth chart. Realistically, his chances for being a starting pitcher with the Dodgers may well be over. The Dodgers are set next year and the year after he may well be looking up the depth chart at Rubby, Withrow and Miller (wishful thinking on all of them.)
by Michael White on Dec 3, 2010 9:29 AM PST up reply actions
even better
I can stalk him when he comes to play the Nashville Sounds!
"Are you telling me they are out of dragons?"
"They never had dragons!"
"Who didn't?"
"The world!"
"They want to continue discussions with the idea that Russ could come back and catch, play second base and third and a little bit out of outfield to see if he likes something like that in the event he ever wants to transition from behind the plate," Colleran said.
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
I hadn't seen 2nd mentioned as of yet
LAST SEASON, I led this team in ninth-inning doubles in the month of August!
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