The Dodgers have purchased the contracts of catcher Hector Gimenez and pitcher Luis Vazquez, adding both to the 40-man roster in preparation for next month's Rule 5 draft, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Rosters must be set by tonight at 9 p.m. PST, and those on a 40-man roster by this date are ineligible to be drafted, or Monked, as it were.
Gimenez is a 28-year old catcher who the Dodgers signed to a minor-league contract last week. He played two games for the 2006 Astros, going hitless in two at-bats. Gimenez missed all of the 2007 season in Houston after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He spent the last two seasons in the Pirates organization, hitting .305/.384/.533 in Double A last season. He was an Eastern League All-Star in 2010. Gimenez is currently hitting .253/.330/.442 with Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Gimenez also happens to be out of options, which makes this move all the more puzzling. He used options in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and now can't be sent down to the minors without first clearing waivers.
Vazquez, who turns 25 next April 3, was signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in 2007. The right-handed reliever was 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 37 games for Class A Great Lakes last season.
Brandon Lennox had a great preview of the potential additions to the 40-man roster last week, so if you want to see who is eligible to be plucked from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft, be sure to read that.
Since the World Series ended, the Dodgers have re-signed Ted Lilly, Jay Gibbons, and Hiroki Kuroda, and also purchased the contract of Jamie Hoffmann, who was selected in last year's Rule 5 draft by the Yankees, only to be returned to the Dodgers in spring training. The current Dodgers 40-man roster has 37 players:
| Dodgers 40-Man Roster | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | 2011 Age* | Service Time | 2011 Salary |
| Pitchers (18) | |||
| Ronald Belisario | 28 | 1.133 | team control |
| Chad Billingsley | 26 | 4.110 | arb eligible |
| Jonathan Broxton | 27 | 5.020 | $7,000,000 |
| Scott Elbert | 25 | 0.100 | team control |
| John Ely | 25 | 0.101 | team control |
| Javy Guerra | 25 | 0.000 | team control |
| Kenley Jansen | 23 | 0.073 | team control |
| Clayton Kershaw | 23 | 2.105 | team control |
| Hong-Chih Kuo | 29 | 4.114 | arb eligible |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 36 | 3.000 | $8,000,000 |
| Brent Leach | 28 | 0.090 | team control |
| Ted Lilly | 35 | 10.102 | $7,500,000 |
| Jon Link | 27 | 0.047 | team control |
| Carlos Monasterios | 25 | 1.000 | team control |
| Travis Schlichting | 26 | 0.143 | team control |
| George Sherrill | 34 | 5.147 | arb eligible |
| Ramon Troncoso | 28 | 2.080 | team control |
| Luis Vazquez |
25 | 0.000 | team control |
| Catchers (3) | |||
| A.J. Ellis | 30 | 1.062 | team control |
| Hector Gimenez |
28 | 1.016 | team control |
| Russell Martin | 28 | 4.150 | arb eligible |
| Infielders (9) | |||
| Casey Blake | 37 | 8.138 | $5,250,000 |
| Jamey Carroll | 37 | 8.020 | $2,500,000 |
| Ivan DeJesus | 24 | 0.000 | team control |
| Rafael Furcal | 33 | 11.000 | $12,000,000 |
| Chin-lung Hu | 27 | 1.016 | team control |
| John Lindsey | 34 | 0.028 | team control |
| James Loney | 27 | 4.012 | arb eligible |
| Russ Mitchell | 26 | 0.028 | team control |
| Ryan Theriot | 31 | 4.118 | arb eligible |
| Outfielders (7) | |||
| Andre Ethier | 29 | 4.153 | $9,250,000 |
| Jay Gibbons | 34 | 7.057 | $650,000 |
| Jamie Hoffmann | 26 | 0.025 | team control |
| Matt Kemp | 26 | 4.049 | $7,100,000 |
| Trent Oeltjen | 28 | 0.087 | team control |
| Xavier Paul | 26 | 1.041 | team control |
| Trayvon Robinson | 23 | 0.000 | team control |
| *age is as of June 30, 2011 | |||
For more roster information, be sure to click here.
The next important date to remember is Tuesday, which is the deadline to offer arbitration to free agents to qualify for compensation should the free agent(s) decline (the deadline for that is one week later, on November 30). The Dodgers have two Type B free agents, Rod Barajas and Scott Podsednik. Should the Dodgers offer arbitration to one (or both) of them and they decline and sign elsewhere, the Dodgers would receive a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds of the 2011 draft.
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In other news, the Pirates tonight designated for assignment old friends Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young, along with Zach Duke (opening day mound opponent of one Vicente Padilla in 2010).