Kuzul

When it comes time to renew a player’s contract, make trades, or sign free agents, major league general managers can seem incredibly cut-throat and can be perceived as demonstrating little loyalty to their players.

But when major league general managers change jobs, they are often stricken with a dose of loyalty, and will often seek to acquire many of the prospects and youngsters they developed during their time with the previous team.

It is the reason Sammy Sosa went from Texas to the White Sox to the Cubs at an early age, as Larry Himes went from being the White Sox GM to being the Cubs GM. It is the reason the Cincinnati Reds were littered with former Twins under Wayne Krivsky, and it is the reason the Washington Nationals were littered with former Reds under Jim Bowden.

And so it is that Ed Wade, the current Houston Astros GM and former Philadelphia Phillies GM, has also had his imprint on his current and former teams during the last four years. As the Phillies have become World Champions and the Astros have become Phillies-South, players developed, signed, and traded by Ed Wade have made their mark on both teams.

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Dodgers‘ outfielder Andre Ethier has reportedly announced that he would “love” to play in Boston, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. Given the Red Sox‘ myriad outfield woes this season and Ethier‘s .851 career OPS, the Boston brass would no doubt equally love to welcome the 28-year-old lefty to Beantown.

Certainly, much of Red Sox Nation would leap at the prospect of acquiring Ethier, and the Dodgers’ divorce disarray could make such an acquisition an unlikely reality.

Not often do the financial, legal, and contractual stars align so perfectly. A year ago, the idea that Ethier might be available via trade would have been almost laughable, but the Dodger franchise is now in such turmoil that dealing a rising star with a favorable contract is no longer beyond the realm of possibility.

While most franchises, particularly ones situated in such mammoth markets, would smile upon Ethier‘s $9.25 million 2011 paycheck, the Dodgers are not one of them. Despite front office adamant statements to the contrary, the highly publicized McCourt divorce seems to have hamstrung that office’s spending ability.

In fact, the Dodgers’ financial constraints may not be limited to maintaining what is already a questionably low payroll. The Dodgers may be forced to cut further a budget that already seems shy of their perceived revenue streams.

Ethier may be one of the young stars of Hollywood’s ballclub, but his rising stock may be the very thing that sees him prematurely exit the Los Angeles stage.

Oddly enough, it’s not so much Ethier‘s next big raise that might render him unaffordable for the divorce-embroiled Dodgers; rather, it’s Ethier‘s paltry $3.75 million pay increase from 2010 to 2011 that might ship him off to Boston.

Obviously, given Ethier‘s limited MLB service time, his desires factor little in any possible trade destination. However, the Red Sox and Dodgers have a solid history in the trade market and in an essentially forced trade, an easy, familiar negotiation may be valued at a premium.

In case there is any doubt, the Red Sox certainly could take advantage of Ethier‘s bat in 2011 and beyond.

Presently, Boston has Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, and J.D. Drew manning the outfield for another year, but the Red Sox could easily make room for Ethier. Should an Ethier trade become a palpable possibility, the Red Sox could let David Ortiz walk, shift Drew to designated hitter, and plant Ethier in right field.

Both Drew and Cameron are under contract for only one more year, and the Sox aren’t likely to resign either, so keeping them happy with their playing time or positioning shouldn’t be particularly high on the list of 2011 priorities.

There is ample room for Ethier and his Pesky-perfect lefty bat.

For breaking Red Sox news updates, follow Peter on Twitter at BoSoxUpdate.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Many words may be used to characterize the ups and downs of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2010 season, but from the standpoint of the fans, the best fitting description would be nothing short of “disappointing.”

Normally, most teams who don’t achieve the goals and ambitions that were set in spring training have the entire offseason to rebuild and regain focus, but in the case of the Dodgers, there are numerous off-field situations that seemingly need resolving before the team can move forward.

The decision regarding current manager Joe Torre’s future in Dodger Blue may be coming in the next week or two once Los Angeles is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs; however, all signs are pointing to the fact that the organization is still undecided on Joe’s replacement if he does indeed decide to pack his bags.

Unless Frank and Jamie McCourt reach a settlement before their divorce trial resumes on September 20, the court’s ruling regarding future ownership of the club may not be arriving until sometime in December.

Also, with the uncertainty as to whom will be controlling the team in 2011 comes the question marks of the payroll parameters heading into next season.

More than a handful of current Los Angeles players are facing possible arbitration with the team, yet with next year’s budget still unpredictable, the Dodgers may even decide not to negotiate with these players at all.

Regardless what happens in the winter, the Boys in Blue hope to develop a new, sharper focus, and build on the positives that were displayed in 2010.

The following slides illustrate 10 of those bright spots and offer a few words of commentary as to how the Dodgers’ organization will benefit from them moving forward.

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It’s that time of year when it becomes apparent certain teams have players remaining on their rosters that don’t really belong.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are no exception, and they have several pitchers that should be on their own, or at the very least in the minor league system. 

Here are five pitchers the Dodgers could do without, and why.

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The Giants’ season-long chase after the San Diego Padres has finally paid off. San Francisco is half a game back of the Padres.

Getting here has been a lengthy and remarkable pursuit marked by the resilience and dedication of the boys in orange and black.

And it isn’t over. Much will depend on how the Giants play their last remaining games.

And yet there are some things beyond the Giants control that may happen to hamper their run at NL West Pennant.

Let’s take a look at 10 key things to watch for down the stretch for the Giants.

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The air has turned cool, the leaves are turning brown, and the NFL is ready for some football.

That’s right, Phillies fans, September is here once again, and we all know what that means: Ryan Howard is ready to kick his game up a notch.

Or actually, a few notches.

As the Phillies have returned to the top of the NL East on the strength of their dominant pitching and resurgent offense, much has been made of late of how amazing Howard has been during his career in the month of September.

To put Howard’s dominance in September in perspective, let’s do this: as of Monday, September 13th, Howard has now played the equivalent of one full season of games in the month of September. Howard has 153 games, totaling 716 plate appearances and 598 at-bats.

With that in mind, let’s look at Howard’s career numbers in September and analyze how good they would be if they were single-season totals in a given year.

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The San Francisco Giants did three significant things during their humongous four-game series against the San Diego Padres. Call it a pleasant coincidence that the team also won three of the weekend contests.

By taking three of four in Petco Park, the good guys exorcised some serious demons in a personal house of horrors. Since the start of the 2009 campaign, the Giants had only won three of the last 14 contests played in the Friars’ home. You have to imagine the lads enjoyed doubling a two-year win total in four days.

More importantly, the trio of triumphs moved the Orange and Black into a virtual tie with the Fathers atop the National League West—one up in the win column, one back in the loss column, and only percentage points behind the technical front-runners.

Finally and most importantly, San Francisco showed that it was strapped in for the 2010 stretch and ready to make a hard charge at the playoffs. By pennant or by Wild Card, SF seems intent on reaching Major League Baseball’s second season.

And that development has to disturb the other contenders from the Senior Circuit.

Though we’re not yet sure who will be vying for the NL’s ticket to the World Series, any team hoping to be one of those fortunate four can’t be relishing the prospect of a date with the City’s nine.

Here are the top 10 reasons nobody wants to see the San Francisco Giants in the postseason.

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Only July 21st of this year, the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis. The loss was the sixth in seven games for the Phils, and dropped the team to just two games over .500 and 7.0 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

The season looked to be all but over for the Phils, who weren’t playing particularly well in any facet of the game.

Now, on September 9th, less than two months later, the Phillies have the best record in the National League.

Here is a look at some stats from during that period that we just wouldn’t have believed on that July night when we thought our season was over.

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What a difference a year makes.

After two consecutive trips to the NLCS in 2008 and 2009, Dodgers fans had even higher hopes for the 2010 season.

Folks in Dodgertown knew that the divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt would have some type of effect on the organization, but nobody guessed the 2010 campaign would turn into a struggle on the field.

For the first two months of the season, the experts were concluding the Dodgers easily had the best offense in the NL West, and they presumed starting pitching would be the downfall for the Boys in Blue. However, those experts were way off the mark with their analysis—the starting pitchers were steady, and the offense was scarce.

Some critics say it was the overwhelming number of injuries that prevented a successful year, while others insist it was the lack of funds to sign a big market player to put the team over the top. Some even blame the coaches and managers for ineffective guidance and poor decision-making.

After Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers found themselves under the .500 mark for the first time since May 11. Trailing the division-leading Padres and the Wild Card leaders by 10 games in both categories with only 23 contests remaining, the Dodgers are hoping to close out the year on a high note and build momentum heading into 2011.

Still, with future management and ownership uncertain, many questions remain to be answered in the off-season, and depending on the outcome of the divorce trial, it may be difficult for the Dodgers to get a fresh start heading into next year.

The following slides show eight primary reasons why the Los Angeles Dodgers fell from contention 2010. Everyone in Dodgertown hopes to put these horrors and nightmares in the past and start with a new sense of enthusiasm, and a fresh appetite in 2011.

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When the Texas Rangers slipped in and made the deal for left-hander Cliff Lee, stealing him right out from under the New York Yankees, Ranger fans and players couldn’t have been more excited.

They were getting a guy that was a proven winner not only during the season, but also in the playoffs.

However, that’s not what they’ve gotten. Through 11 starts, Lee is 2-5 with a 4.69 ERA and has been nothing short of awful over his last five starts, giving up a combined 25 runs in those starts.

He’s also struggled against two potential first round playoff opponents, Tampa Bay and Minnesota.

It’s easy to look back now and call Lee a bust. I will admit that I wasn’t sold on this trade from the beginning but wasn’t completely against it because of his postseason track record.

With his struggles, there has been more and more doubt planted in the minds of fans and the Dallas media, but there are also those that will defend him tooth and nail.

Here are five reasons Lee won’t be able to help the Rangers come playoff time.

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