True Blue LA - Skip Schumaker trade: Dodgers acquire utility man from Cardinals for Jake LemmermanWhere The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2012-12-12T17:44:17-08:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/35397412012-12-12T17:44:17-08:002012-12-12T17:44:17-08:00Scott Van Slyke DFA'd by Dodgers
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen</figcaption>
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<p>The outfielder hit .167/.196/.315 with two home runs in 27 games for the Dodgers in 2012, including 21 games in the outfield and five games at first base.</p> <p>To make room for the newly acquired <span>Skip Schumaker</span> on the 40-man roster, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> on Wednesday designated <span>Scott Van Slyke</span> for assignment.</p>
<p>Van Slyke has not yet been outrighted in his career, so if he clears waivers he could be headed for a repeat performance in Triple-A. Players can be outrighted to the minors once in their career without their consent.</p>
<p>Van Slyke hit .167/.196/.315 (9-for-54) in two stints with the Dodgers. His season highlight came on May 20, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.truebluela.com/2012/5/20/3033198/scott-van-slyke-home-run-dodgers-sweep-cardinals">with a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning</a> to lift the Dodgers over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> 6-5.</p>
<p>He hit .327/.404/.578 with 18 home runs and 34 doubles in 95 games with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2012, and But despite his strong season in Triple-A, Van Slyke was passed over for a September call-up after rosters expanded. Which makes this move not terribly surprising.</p>
<p>Van Slyke won the Branch Rickey Award as the Dodgers minor league player of the year in 2011.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2012/12/12/3760942/scott-van-slyke-dfaEric Stephen2012-12-12T15:01:36-08:002012-12-12T15:01:36-08:00Skip Schumaker trade now official
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<figcaption>Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>To get the veteran utility man, the Dodgers sent minor league infielder Jake Lemmerman to the St. Louis Cardinals</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> on Wednesday made official their trade for utility man <span>Skip Schumaker</span>, sending infielder <span>Jake Lemmerman</span> to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>.</p>
<p>The Dodgers have yet to announce the corresponding roster move to make room for Schumaker on the 40-man roster, which leads one to wonder whether the Dodgers are in the midst of another deal.</p>
<p>Schumaker, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round in 2001, and hit .288/.345/.377 in parts of eight seasons in St. Louis. He was an outfielder through 2008, his first full major league season, but transitioned to second base in 2009. In the last four seasons Schumaker has started 382 games at second base and has played 135 games in the outfield, including 29 starts.</p>
<p>Schumaker has one year and $1.5 million remaining on his contract, signed before the 2012 season. In addition, he <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7348883/st-louis-cardinals-sign-skip-schumaker-cut-ryan-theriot">can earn up to $200,000 in performance bonuses</a>.</p>
<p>Lemmerman, like Schumaker, was drafted in the fifth round, in 2010. He hit .233/.347/.378 in 116 games in Double-A Chattanooga in his age-23 season in 2012.</p>
<p>As it stands now, the Dodgers' bench looks like this:</p>
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<li>Second baseman/outfielder Schumaker (L)</li>
<li>Infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. (R)</li>
<li>Infielder <span>Nick Punto</span> (S)</li>
<li>Infielder <span>Juan Uribe</span> (R)</li>
<li>Catcher <span>Tim Federowicz</span> (R)</li>
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<p>Keep in mind that it's still early and there is still plenty of time for more moves, and counting on Uribe, who started once and had 18 plate appearance in the season's final 66 games, to win a roster spot may be a foolish notion. But that's where we are at now.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2012/12/12/3759270/skip-schumaker-trade-dodgers-cardinals-officialEric Stephen2012-12-12T10:06:19-08:002012-12-12T10:06:19-08:00Dodgers links: Greinke, Schumaker
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<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A look from around baseball at Zack Greinke's introductory press conference as well as the Dodgers' trade for Skip Schumaker.</p> <p>I'll have a little more on <span>Zack Greinke's</span> press conference later on Wednesday, but for now here is a look back at the coverage of the event from Wednesday, plus some <span>Skip Schumaker</span> links as well.</p>
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<li>Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports was at the press conference, <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dodgers--don-mattingly-won-t-run-from-pressure-to-win-with-addition-of-zack-greinke---if-we-lose--we-re-failures--023317525.html">then caught up with Dodgers manager Don Mattingly</a>, who said, "We're supposed to win. There it is. If we lose, we're failures." Brown also noted that Mattingly will reprise his role of Mother Ginger in The Nutcracker in his hometown of Evansville, as he did last winter.</li>
<li>Scott Miller of CBS Sports wrote that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/scott-miller/21365095/dug-in-dodgers-not-about-to-apologize-for-stunning-spending-spree">aren't about to apologize for their spending spree</a>.</li>
<li>Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times wrote <a target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-1212-dodgers-greinke-20121212,0,1257650.story">more about Greinke's November meeting with Mattingly, general manager Ned Colletti, and CEO Stan Kasten at Dodger Stadium</a>.</li>
<li>Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com <a target="_blank" href="http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121211&content_id=40607738&vkey=news_la&c_id=la">wrote about Greinke's desire to win</a>.</li>
<li>Gonzalez also wrote about how the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121211&content_id=40610226&vkey=news_ana&c_id=ana">were never really deep into negotiations for Greinke's services</a>.</li>
<li>Steve Dilbeck at the Times <a target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-stan-kasten-impressed-zack-greinke-20121211,0,839055.story">wrote about Greinke calling Kasten a genius</a>.</li>
<li>J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailynews.com/dodgers/ci_22174143/dodgers-new-color-money-is-dodger-blue">recapped the news conference</a>.</li>
<li>Jill Painter at the Daily News <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailynews.com/dodgers/ci_22173931/jill-painter-zack-greinkes-charm-is-strictly-bottom">wondered about Greinke's comfort level in Los Angeles</a>, but noted that winning would provide the ultimate comfort.</li>
<li>Vincent Bonsignore at the Daily News <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailynews.com/dodgers/ci_22173589/vincent-bonsignore-dodgers-spending-binge-just-doesnt-feel">doesn't feel good about the Dodgers spending all this money</a>.</li>
<li>Mark Saxon of ESPN LA wrote that with the Greinke signing, <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8738026/zack-greinke-last-major-expense-los-angeles-dodgers">the Dodgers have pretty much reached their spending limit</a>.</li>
<li>Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thinkbluela.com/index.php/2012/12/12/scary-smart/">called Greinke "scary smart."</a> </li>
<li>Hernandez <a target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-skip-schumaker-20121211,0,708278.story">reported on the acquisition of Schumaker</a>.</li>
<li>Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-trade-schumaker-to-dodgers/article_3bac049e-6ce0-5a58-87fe-206f6275ee22.html">wrote about Schumaker heading to Los Angeles</a>, and noted that the southern California native worked with Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire for years in the offseason before McGwire came back to baseball with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> in 2010.</li>
<li>Minor league infielder <span>Jake Lemmerman</span>, reported to be headed to the Cardinals for Schumaker, spent <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/HeyItsFernTree/status/278723033055756288">part of Tuesday night</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JoshHandler/status/278724613301751808">retweeting welcome notes</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MStrooo7/status/278722675961126912">from Cardinals fans</a>. But as the deal still <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/schlemmerman12/status/278737693838544896">awaits a physical exam of Schumaker</a>, Lemmerman also tweeted, "Still waiting for confirmation on everything so not official yet!"</li>
</ul>
https://www.truebluela.com/2012/12/12/3759108/dodgers-links-zack-greinke-skip-schumaker-tradeEric Stephen2012-12-11T21:01:33-08:002012-12-11T21:01:33-08:00Dodgers waiting for Schu to drop
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<img alt="Skip Schumaker gets up close and personal with his new teammate." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JLpUeEz2NQdZMC_-yYlCduny74s=/0x240:4000x2907/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4832517/20120913_kkt_aj4_975.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Skip Schumaker gets up close and personal with his new teammate. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers will reportedly ship infielder Jake Lemmerman to St. Louis to complete the trade, per Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.</p> <p>After the big ticket signings of the last two days, the additions of pitchers <span>Zack Greinke</span> and <span>Hyun-jin Ryu</span>, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> have made decidedly smaller news on Tuesday. The team has traded for utility man <span>Skip Schumaker</span> from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a>, per reports from both Mike Petriello of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mikesciosciastragicillness.com/2012/12/11/sources-dodgers-to-acquire-skip-schumaker-for-jake-lemmerman/15012">Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness</a> and Dylan Hernandez of the <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/dylanohernandez/status/278713430515535873">Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p>The deal will be finalized once Schumaker passes his physical. Heading the other way in the trade is infielder <span>Jake Lemmerman</span>, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2010.</p>
<p>Schumaker, who turns 33 in February, hit .276/.339/.368 in 107 games for the Cardinals in 2012, and in his career has hit .288/.345/.377 in parts of eight years in St. Louis. The left-handed batting Schumaker has played second base and all three outfield positions in his career, and fits the description of whom general manager Ned Colletti said he was looking for on Monday.</p>
<p>"If we could add somebody who could hit from the left side, especially with versatility, it's something we would look in to," Colletti said.</p>
<p>In his career, Schumaker has hit .305/.359/.403 against right-handed pitching, and hit .295/.357/.385 against right-handers in 2012.</p>
<p>He was born in Torrance, went to high school at Aliso Niguel High in south Orange County, and went to UC Santa Barbara.</p>
<p>Schumaker has one year left on his contract, which will pay him $1.5 million in 2013. That ties him with fellow utility man <span>Nick Punto</span> for the 21st-highest salary on the team, and that doesn't include <span>Manny Ramirez</span>, <span>Andruw Jones</span>, no <span>Hiroki Kuroda</span>, all of whom will be paid more by the Dodgers next year but are no longer on the team.</p>
<p>Interest in Schumaker piqued in the winter meetings, and his former hitting coach Mark McGwire, now with the Dodgers, "prodded" Los Angeles to check in on the utility man who had lost playing time to <span>Daniel Descalso</span>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/strauss-schumaker-s-days-with-cards-seem-over/article_fadfc1c0-0c19-585d-a99b-8aa69739ae30.html">per Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch</a>.</p>
<p>"We’re trying to optimize the type of return we might get for him," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told reporters last week, per Strauss.</p>
<p>That return is reportedly Lemmerman, who struggled with Double-A Chattanooga in 2012, hitting .233/.347/.378 with 29 doubles in 116 games. Lemmerman did show the highest walk rate of his career in 2012 (11.8%), with 55 walks in 449 plate appearances. The 6'1", 192-pound Lemmerman, who turns 24 in May, played exclusively shortstop until this year, when in addition to his 83 games at shortstop for the Lookouts he also played 28 games at second base and once at third.</p>
<p>To add Schumaker, the Dodgers will need to make a corresponding roster move to create space on the 40-man roster. Candidates to get designated for assignment include infielders <span>Justin Sellers</span> and <span>Elian Herrera</span>, pitcher <span>John Ely</span>, and outfielder <span>Scott Van Slyke</span>.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2012/12/11/3757494/skip-schumaker-trade-cardinals-dodgers-jake-lemermanEric Stephen2012-12-04T18:06:10-08:002012-12-04T18:06:10-08:00Winter meetings Day 2: Victorino, Ryu, Greinke
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<figcaption>USA Today Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Dodgers free agent outfielder Shane Victorino has landed in Boston, signing a three-year deal with the Red Sox worth $39 million, seemingly designed to make Angel Pagan's four-year, $40 million deal with the Giants look even better.</p> <p>The biggest <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> news of the day so far on Tuesday has been outfielder <span>Shane Victorino</span> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2012/12/4/3728692/red-sox-shane-victorino-agree-on-three-year-deal">agreeing to a three-year deal worth $39 million with the Boston Red Sox</a>. The deal is pending a physical, but the switch-hitting outfielder <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ShaneVictorino/status/276121158112391169/photo/1">tweeted from Hawaii</a>, "Just agreed to join the Boston @RedSox in the middle of paradise. #BLESSED!!! Can't wait to get to Boston!"</p>
<p>The Dodgers acquired Victorino from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> on July 31 for pitchers <span>Josh Lindblom</span> and <span>Ethan Martin</span>, and infielder Stefan Jarrin, but he was a non-entity with his original organization. Victorino hit .245/.316/.351 with 18 stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 53 games with the Dodgers.</p>
<p>The Dodgers remain committed to <span>Zack Greinke</span>, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote late Tuesday that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21265126/rangers--dodgers-believed-battling-it-out-for-greinke-at-moment">the pursuit of Greinke was down to the Dodgers and Rangers</a>, with a possible third team involved. Heyman, who noted the Dodgers are the favorites to land the right-hander, cited unconfirmed reports that Greinke's deal could exceed $160 million over seven years, nearing the record for a pitcher of $161 million over <span>CC Sabathia</span> with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> three years ago.</p>
<p>Heyman noted that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> have temporarily put their <span>Josh Hamilton</span> talks on hold in order to focus on Greinke.</p>
<p>Aside from Greinke, the Dodgers made an offer to Ryu Hyun-jin on Tuesday, which was rejected, and agent Scott Boras intimated that if the Dodgers don't sign Ryu by Sunday's deadline the Korean pitcher could pitch in Japan, but <a target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-offer-to-ryu-hyunjin-rejected-20121204,0,7524799.story">as noted by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times</a>, that is highly unlikely.</p>
<p>Boras presented the Dodgers with a counter offer and told Hernandez, "We exchanged offers and negotiations continue."</p>
<p>In addition to <span>Nate Schierholtz</span> as a candidate for a left-handed hitter off the bench, the Dodgers are interested in utility man <span>Skip Schumaker</span> of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>, per both <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/DKnobler/status/276124475341291521">Danny Knobler of CBS Sports</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlblogs.com/2012/12/04/schumaker-on-dodgers-radar/">Ken Gurnick of MLB.com</a>. Schumaker, who turns 33 in February, was born in Torrance and went to Aliso Niguel High School in Orange County, and hit .276/.339/.368 in 107 games with St. Louis last year.</p>
<p>Schumaker will make $1.5 million in 2013, and has split time between second base and the outfield throughout his Cardinals career.</p>
<p>Gurnick also noted that <span>Eric Chavez</span> is on the Dodgers' radar as a left-handed hitter off the bench.</p>
<p>Dodgers minor league right-handed pitcher Jose Dominguez, who will serve a 25-game suspension to start 2013 for violating baseball's drug policy, has been generating buzz heading into Thursday's Rule 5 draft, wrote John Manuel of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/prospect-bulletin/2012/2614431.html">Baseball America</a>. Dominguez, who turned 22 in August, was 4-4 with a 4.90 ERA for Class-A Great Lakes and Double-A Chattanooga in 2012, with 87 strikeouts and 47 walks in 79 innings.</p>
<p>Jon Morosi of Fox Sports noted on Monday that 25-year old infielder <span>Rafael Ynoa</span>, who hit .330/.374/.515 in the Arizona Fall League, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/275733089047674883">was also drawing interest heading into the Rule 5 draft</a>.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2012/12/4/3729388/winter-meetings-day-2-notes-shane-victorino-ryu-hyun-jin-zack-greinkeEric Stephen