This is a fun interview with National League Cy Young Award-winner Clayton Kershaw, especially with the twist at the end.
Best wishes also to Nick Punto, who has signed a nice deal with Oakland.
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Bob_Hendley
That Punto! We were just a stepping stone for him. Be nice to slide Uribear over into that utility position if we are able to upgrade at the hot corner.
thescrounger
You can’t get Uribe for Punto money, so I don’t see him in a bench role. I do see the possibility of resigning him for third, hopefully for fewer dollars, and leaving Hanley at short. Still need a backup shortstop and another bench infielder or two.
Bob_Hendley
You can’t even get Punto for Punto money these days!
foul tip
Do you think Punto still respects the Dodgers this morning?
dalegribel
I’m guessing they are grooming Dee Gordon for it. We know he has played shortstop (or tried to), learned some second base in AAA last year, and is playing the outfield in winter ball.
WBBsAs
Dee Gordon is done for, I fear.
foul tip
OK. Good to see Roy Clark has joined the Dodger scouting dept.
Been wondering what he was up to since his Hee Haw days….
PismoBruce
Never the same without Buck Owens and the Buckaroos.
WBBsAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBiynCWQguc
foul tip
Wiki says the Hee Haw Clark pursued a career in his mid-teens as a baseball player while winning banjo and flatpick guitar championships, and also tried to be a boxer.
And that he sang God Bless America at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 23, 2010.
WBBsAs
I’m still surprised the cash-strapped A’s offered such a contract to a utility player.
Bumsrap
Ho hum, Kershaw wins CYA. Now, lets get back to talking about Punto
SaMoDodger
Kershaw got screwed out of MVP votes.
WBBsAs
I can’t get too worked about even a less-than-unanimous Cy, let alone MVP.
NoahUCLA
How much money and years do you guys think Stephen Drew will get? He might work for us for a year or two, although not as versatile as others. Not too impressed by the infielders on the market. Signing Guerrero was a huge plus.
Bob_Hendley
Getting Hanley off SS seems to be the bigger challenge here. He didn’t do as badly there as might have been expected (BR even gives him a positive dWAR), so not sure that he can be convinced at this point.
foul tip
Talks between NYY and Beard are short but not so sweet because of……the Beard.
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2013-11-13/mlb-trade-rumors-yankees-brian-wilson-beard-free-agent-agency?icid=maing-grid7|maing14|dl25|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D406285
WBBsAs
I find Twitterboy to be an exhibitionist, but the Yanquis’ treating adults like schoolboy or military recruits is simply silly. The last club to enforce such a rule, to the best of my memory, was Marge Schott’s Reds. I would like to see Hermeto Pascoal play GBA at Yanqui Stadium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGaaxlvP-BA
foul tip
From Dodgers.com story applying brakes to rumors of big spending on free agents and such:
“they were busy during the General Managers Meetings that ended Thursday talking to representatives of several second-tier free-agent pitchers….. kicking the tires on a group that includes Ervin Santana, Matt Garza, Hiroki Kuroda, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bartolo Colon and Bronson Arroyo, as well as Nolasco.”
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/la/stan-kasten-los-angeles-dodgers-likely-to-temper-spending?ymd=20131114&content_id=63917630&vkey=news_la
OK, I’m just a reasonably uninformed fan. But why not seriously consider signing Volquez instead of these guys? He was doing as well at season end as most on that list, if not better. He’s younger than most of them, still has #2 stuff. And he’d probably be very interested in coming back since the Dodgers rescued him from the scrap heap and seem to have fixed him. Probably cheaper too, which may have begun to matter.
People forget he was an opening day starter before floundering. Also, why sign more likely Harangs and Capuanos? (Tho I’d be fine with bringing back Cap as a lefty reliever)
After the starting big 3 and the possible return and re-emergence of Bills and Becket, he’d add a degree of fallback/certainty. Also, we know how the starter logjam to start last season worked out, no matter any additional pitcher signings or trades.
He certainly couldn’t demand a no-trade clause, if any logjam couldn’t be resolved.
If Hiroki hadn’t hit the wall so hard toward the end of the year I’d strongly object to any “second-tier” label for him. He was one of the top 5 or so in the AL most of the year.
But at some point Father Time taps him on the shoulder. May have in 2013.
Bob_Hendley
Another factor in weeding through this group is whether they would costs us a draft pick. In the cases of Volquez and Nolasco I think not.
John_from_Aus
sounds like we won’t be spending
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/hot-stove-roundup-ricky-nolasco-contract-offers-topic-in-rumor-mill?ymd=20131114&content_id=63937882&vkey=news_mlb
Casey Barker
Oh, the Dodgers will be spending!
John_from_Aus
Hope so :)
Jon Weisman
2014 promotions schedule
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=la
Jon Weisman
New Entertainment post above.
John_from_Aus
Nice story on old friend Aussie Trent
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/la/trent-oeltjen-enjoying-playing-ball-back-home-in-australia?ymd=20131115&content_id=63950024&vkey=news_la
Bob_Hendley
Always liked the cut of Trent’s jib.
John_from_Aus
We are all like that down here :)
John_from_Aus
Ellis and the officials will have a nice trip, all those venues mentioned that they are going to visit are all must sees.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/la/aj-ellis-los-angeles-dodgers-officials-set-for-australian-goodwill-tour?ymd=20131114&content_id=63922078&vkey=news_la
Bob_Hendley
Ricky leveraging 6 games in August into a four-year contract!? Really doubt that the Dodgers are among the teams.
http://tracking.si.com/2013/11/14/ricky-nolasco-multiple-four-year-offers/
foul tip
He may bristle at the idea of a hometown discount. Sounds like he might not have to take a discount of any kind.
But then what’s a few mil among old friends, right?
Bob_Hendley
Four years for what would be for us a 4-5 (barring injuries) doesn’t seem the way to go almost no matter what the price.
foul tip
Agreed. Big-picture, 3-4 years of league average.
Bob_Hendley
Average for a fifth is not bad. I could be wrong, but you should be able to get that for less money with less risk.
Bob_Hendley
The Kid is clean shaven and colorful!
foul tip
OT from the chuckles dept., subdivided into either the silver-tongued-devil or deep-doodoo depts, most likely the latter–
Man (fortunately not this one) to wife after she put extra effort into looking great to go out–
“You look a lot better than you usually do.”
foul tip
MLB pulls its offer for changes in the posting system, possibly meaning no Tanaka this year. Says Japanese drug their feet too long.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20131114/posting-system-japan-masahiro-tanaka/
Bob_Hendley
Dang. Get Ricky on the line!
Jon Weisman
NPUT