Kuzul

The deal is finally complete, and for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it turned out to be quite a mess.

On Monday, the Dodgers acquired outfielder Anthony Jackson from the Colorado Rockies in return for Octavio Dotel, which finalized the trade made last September.

Not only did Jackson cost the Dodgers Dotel, but Los Angeles also sacrificed starting pitcher James McDonald and prospect Andrew Lambo to the Pittsburgh Pirates in order to land Dotel last July.

According to Baseball America, Jackson isn’t listed as one of the Rockies’ top 30 prospects, and hasn’t elevated past the Double-A level in five minor league seasons.

Jackson, 26, is primarily known for his quickness and speed. In his five years with the Rockies organization, he played all three outfield positions as well as seeing limited time at second base and shortstop.

In 2010, Jackson appeared in 122 games for the Tulsa Drillers, hitting .251 with 67 runs scored, 109 hits, two home runs, 40 RBI and 33 stolen bases.

It’s speculated that Jackson will report to either the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes or the Great Lakes Loons—both Single-A affiliates in the Dodgers’ farm system—in early spring.

The Dodgers made the deal for Dotel just before the 2010 trade deadline in an effort to strengthen the bullpen with hopes of a possible run at the playoffs.

Needless to say, in terms of improvement, the trade was far from beneficial, as the Dodgers quickly found themselves falling from contention not long after the trade deadline passed.

During his brief stint with Los Angeles, Dotel appeared in 19 games and posted a 1-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. He logged just over 18 innings, and surrendered 11 hits, 11 walks, three home runs and was responsible for one blown save.

With the Rockies, Dotel was 0-1 with a 5.06 earned-run average in eight games and five innings of work.

On November 3, the Rockies declined Dotel’s team option for 2011, and as a result were forced to buyout his contract for $250,000. Dotel is currently a free agent and will turn 37 on November 25.

On the other side of the country in Pittsburgh, Pirates managers and coaches are pleased with the progress of James McDonald and are looking forward to him maintaining a second or third slot in the starting pitching rotation next season.

While with the Pirates in 2010, McDonald started 11 games and compiled a 4-5 record with a 3.52 ERA. He struck out 61 batters while logging just over 64 innings of work.

In 26 games for the Altoona Curve, the Pirates Double-A affiliate, outfielder Andrew Lambo hit .275 with two home runs and 10 RBI, but once acclimated, hopes to play a more prominent role in 2011.

Fans across Dodgertown can’t help but have sour tastes in their mouths. Only a few weeks ago, they learned that Scott Podsednik, also acquired just before the 2010 trade deadline, won’t be returning to the team, as he declined his 2011 player option.

In order to obtain Podsednik, the Dodgers dealt the best catcher in their farm system, Lucas May, along with pitching prospect Elisaul Pimintel, to the Kansas City Royals.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

MLB trade rumors have every team shipping away a good player for prospects or for an even better player.

How many of these rumors are actually true we will never know. But with the general managers’ meetings just three weeks away, there is going to be a lot of discussion. And with free agency just starting to kick into high gear, is going to be no shortage of good players available this winter.

The Hot Stove League is starting to fire up so we’ll take a look at who is (reportedly) available and whether or not they will actually be dealt.

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More so than any other sport, baseball is truly an all year event. The World Series ends, and we get treated to about four months of rumors, speculation, blockbuster signings and trades, and unheralded moves that pay major dividends down the road.

While this year’s free agent class is obviously lacking in depth, there are a few marquee talents headlining the group, such as Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth. Additionally, a few future Hall of Famers near the end of the road (Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome) may be available at bargain prices.

I enjoy speculation as much as anyone and have taken a stab at predicting where some of the cream of this year’s crop will be suiting up next season.

Most of the contract guesses are a shot in the dark. How much each player gets often depends on how soon they sign, and it’s hard to guess who will sign when.

If you like this piece, please become a fan and give some of my other work a look. Enjoy!

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Among his dozens of cluttered notepads and hundreds of files containing scouting reports of players across Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti has the beginnings of an Opening Day roster plan stirring in the back of his mind.

Since the moment Colletti and team owner Frank McCourt announced a potential increased payroll budget for 2011, fans throughout Dodgertown have been imagining both the best and worst possible scenarios for the upcoming season.

Names such as Cliff Lee, Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, Victor Martinez and Jayson Werth have been the talk of Tinseltown, yet with several minor tweaks and a few key additions, the Dodgers may not need to break the bank or sell the farm to once again emerge as contenders in the NL West.

On paper, the Boys in Blue weren’t as bad as their 2010 record suggested. However, problems with ownership, hostility within the coaching staff, and turmoil in the clubhouse created a negative chemistry which led to one of the more disappointing seasons in recent Dodgers history.

Colletti and new Los Angeles skipper Don Mattingly have been carefully assembling a coaching staff with all of the team’s best interests in mind, and with the proper bonding and a bit of luck, the Dodgers may create the exact type of locker room atmosphere which the squad desperately needs.

Of course, there are literally thousands of roster possibilities for next year, and a number of MLB experts and analysts are already tossing around names of players who may be taking the field at Chavez Ravine on Opening Day.

The following slides highlight seven bold predictions for the Dodgers’ Opening Day squad, offer a brief commentary for each and suggest a starting lineup against the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants on April 1.

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With the World Series in the rearview mirror, the hot stove season is well underway and we now have the time to ponder interesting things like possible free agent acquisitions; trades that may or may not happen this winter; boneheaded contracts that are surely to be handed out because GM’s panic after a down year; and what it would be like to be inside the mind of Brian Wilson for a day.

In some order.

Today, we are looking at some arbitration-eligible players that may turn up on the trade market.

If a player stands to see a significant raise in his salary via arbitration, his club may end up deciding that the best option is to trade him instead of paying an annual salary that it may find a bit, well, exorbitant.

There’s a lot of value in these types of players for smaller market clubs because they usually aren’t making any big free agent splashes or posting eight-figure bids for the right to negotiate with a player. 

(Wait. Didn’t the Oakland A’s just do that? Crap.)

The club can then get a player with a few years of control left without being burdened by a long-term contract.

We are tossing around a few different names for fun, but remember, this list is subjective and is not a prediction of the market. These players may be traded, or they may not be traded. It’s all for discussion.

If you would like to add a name that wasn’t mentioned, or discuss any that were, feel free to post your thoughts in the comment section. 

Now the list …

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This offseason marks a turbulent time for Major League Baseball, as several key names around the league are free agents, and many of them have already begun the steps towards a new team and a new beginning. 

By now, experts and analysts everywhere are already buzzing about the possibilities of blockbuster trades and big-name free agent signings.

Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has leaked to the media his plan to add starting and relief pitching, and maybe acquire a power bat if the price is right.

With this in mind, let’s explore the possibilities no one is talking about.

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Piece by piece, the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers coaching staff is slowly coming together, and within the next few weeks, general manager Ned Colletti is expected to confirm all reports and make an official announcement about who will be working under new skipper Don Mattingly next season.

Ken Davidoff, a national baseball writer for Newsday, reported on Tuesday that pitching coach Rick Honeycutt has agreed to return to Los Angeles for a fifth season.

Honeycutt will presumably be joined by new third base coach Tim Wallach, who was recently eliminated as a candidate for the Milwaukee Brewers‘ managing vacancy.

Several weeks ago, Wallach agreed to a contract to become the Dodgers‘ bench coach or third base coach, as long as he didn’t land a managerial position with another Major League club. Outside of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Brewers were the only team to contact the Dodgers and ask permission to interview Wallach. Toronto wasn’t on the list of teams that Wallach was permitted to talk with, as specified in the contract.

According to Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com, former Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman has emerged as the favorite to become Don Mattingly’s first bench coach. Mattingly had been campaigning for Larry Bowa to stay on with the Dodgers in the role of bench coach, but it is assumed Colletti wasn’t comfortable with Mattingly’s decision.

Bowa, along with last year’s bench coach Bob Schaefer, have recently confirmed that they will not be returning to Los Angeles next season.

Hillman was fired on May 13 of this year after managing the Royals for just over two seasons. Prior to managing in Kansas City, he was the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. In 2006, Hillman guided the Ham Fighters to their first Pacific League championship title in over 25 years.

Jeff Pentland, who last year was the Dodgers’ secondary hitting instructor at Camelback Ranch, will be named as the new Los Angeles batting coach. Before being hired by the Dodgers, Pentland worked as the batting coach for the Chicago Cubs (1997-2002), the Kansas City Royals (2003-2005) and the Seattle Mariners (2005-2008).

Former Major League slugger Chili Davis will assume Pentland’s previous position while Dodger great Manny Mota will continue his role as a hitting instructor.

According to a number of sources, Ken Howell is expected to return as bullpen coach despite more than several implosions by Dodger relievers over the course of the 2010 season.

Additional sources are reporting that current first base coach Mariano Duncan has been told to pursue other interests, although there may be a spot available for him coaching in the Dodgers’ farm system if he decides to pursue that route.

Most new managers are permitted to assemble a coaching staff on their own after being hired by a Major League club, but since 2011 is Mattingly’s first year managing and due to the tumultuous state of the franchise, Colletti has decided to intervene to ensure that all the proper moves are made.

If Mattingly doesn’t fare particularly well in his initial season as manager of the Dodgers, it’s already been suggested that he can utilize the excuse of not being able to put together the staff underneath him by himself.

Right now, however, the first task at hand must be to focus on assembling a competitive roster and building positive momentum heading into spring workouts.

In other management news, Dodger fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Assistant General Manager and Scouting Director Logan White will be returning to Los Angeles next season. White was being considered as the new general manager for the New York Mets, but was eliminated as a candidate for the position late last week.

White is described as the “heart and soul” of the Los Angeles scouting system by many who are familiar with the Dodgers organization.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes when making an effort to rebuild a team, many general managers make the mistake of choosing the best player available on the market rather than addressing one particular area where the squad is weak.

Instead of paying millions for a superstar, then trying to find out how or where a certain player will mesh with the team, the good general managers will first break down the specific needs of the club and make a checklist, then when considering any new additions, they check to make sure that each prospective player meet the required criteria.

Such should be the case with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason.

Many people, including Los Angeles General Manager Ned Colletti, continue to refer to the Dodgers’ “core” talent of players. There’s no question that a core of talent does indeed exist, but there are a few tweaks that are required and several areas that need to be addressed before the Dodgers can once again become contenders.

Seemingly, money will be the biggest question mark for Los Angeles when assembling a roster and preparing for next season. However, several experts, including Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles, believe that owner Frank McCourt will do all that he can to push the team payroll up to the $100 million range.

After all, the Dodger fan faithful is the driving force of the franchise, and if the fans aren’t happy, then the seats aren’t filled at Dodger Stadium, and the team doesn’t generate dollars. Without question, after everything the McCourts have put the organization through, Frank should be on the ground kneeling to his own employees and the fans in an effort to assure them that he will do his best to put the Dodgers back on the right track.

This includes spending money on several high-quality big market players, and not your everyday 10-year veteran who is lurking in the bargain basement. Whether it be through free agency or trades, there isn’t any reason that Los Angeles shouldn’t at least improve from the 2010 season if careful moves are made.

Yet before even targeting a specific player, Colletti should make a list of specific needs, prioritize them, then decide which available players on the market fulfill the requirements he chose to list.

The following slides show five specific areas that Colletti should consider when putting together the Los Angeles Dodgers roster this winter.  

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Normally when a new manager is hired in Major League Baseball, his first task is to assemble his own coaching staff, but in the case of Don Mattingly and the Los Angeles Dodgers, things may be a bit more complicated than they look.

Seemingly, the market for potential coaches around the league is excellent, but problems may lie in trying to convince possible candidates to come to Los Angeles and join a franchise in heavy turmoil. This could very well be the primary reason that General Manager Ned Colletti has gotten involved in the hiring process and not allow Mattingly to put together the staff on his own.

It was reported on Saturday that Tim Wallach has signed a deal to become part of the coaching crew in 2011, so long as he doesn’t accept a managerial position with any other team.

Although it sounds like good news for Dodgers fans, the number of Major League clubs seeking managers will be very high, and Wallach has stated previously that managing is his highest ambition.

Still, it was speculated that Wallach was a leading candidate to fill the Toronto Blue Jays‘ managing vacancy, yet several sources revealed last Saturday that Wallach turned down an interview for the job.

Many people guessed that Wallach could possibly fill the batting coach position vacated by Mattingly, but Dodgers officials confirmed that if Wallach indeed becomes part of the staff, he will assume the role of either bench coach or third base coach. Wallach held the post of batting coach previously for Los Angeles during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

If Los Angeles is forced to primarily promote from within the organization, it’s assumed that current hitting instructor Jeff Pentland may be a sure bet to become the next Dodgers batting coach.

It has also been mentioned that Los Angeles may be pursuing Willie Randolph to become bench coach. Randolph, a former teammate of Mattingly’s with the New York Yankees, is the current bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Larry Bowa, the current Dodgers third base coach, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for bench coach. Bob Schaefer, who was the Dodgers bench coach in 2009, has already declined to return next season.

According to additional reports, current first base coach Mariano Duncan has been told to pursue other interests, although there may be a spot available for him coaching in the Dodgers’ farm system if he so inclines to explore that avenue.

Rick Honeycutt, who has been the Los Angeles pitching coach since 2006, was reportedly offered a contract to return, however Honeycutt has yet to accept or decline the offer.

Baseball critics everywhere continue to say that the Dodgers need to be very aggressive in both the free-agent and trade markets this winter in order to be contenders in 2011, yet at this stage assembling a coaching staff seems to have its own difficulties.

Depending on the outcome of the McCourt divorce trial and the availability of cash, it may be difficult to convince a big market free-agent to sign a deal with Los Angeles, much less a high profile coach.

For the Dodger faithful, there’s probably no reason to panic just yet; nevertheless, everyone involved with the organization should hope to have something definite in place before Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings begin on December 6. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the first time in three years, the Los Angeles Angels will not represent the AL West in the postseason. 

Despite returning six starters on offense, the Angels stumbled to an 80-82 record in 2010 as they ended up in third place in the West behind both the Rangers and A’s, marking the team’s worst finish since 2003.

The free agent losses of Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero created voids at the top and in the middle of the Angels’ order that were never filled. The loss of Kendry Morales (.291, 11 HRs, 39 RBI in just 51 games), who broke his leg celebrating a game-winning grand slam on May 29th, robbed the Angels’ lineup of its premier bat, creating another hole in an already-weak Angels lineup. 

A prototypical Angels offense relies on speed, getting on-base, and timely hitting; this year’s Angels followed none of those three guidelines.

For the first time since 2001, L.A did not finish in the top three in the majors in stolen bases, ending up 11th, a career-low for the Angels under Mike Scioscia. 

Even though the Angels finished third in on-base percentage last season, they fell to fourth-worst in the majors in 2010, just ahead of the fearsome Pittsburgh offense. 

Behind only the Yankees in RBI in 2009, the Angels fell to 19th in that category this year, devoid of a 100-RBI player for only the second time in the last decade. 

Priority number one of the 2010 offseason for owner Arte Moreno has to be resuscitating an abysmal offense via an influx of speed and power.   

When healthy, Mike Butcher’s pitching staff was one of the lone bright spots during an otherwise disappointing season. 

Led by ace Jered Weaver (13-12, 3.01 ERA), the Angels featured four starters with earned-run averages under 4.00. Coupled with Weaver, Ervin Santana (17-10, 3.92 ERA) helped anchor a rotation that ranked among the league’s best; from innings 1-6, Angels starters had the third-best ERA (3.96) in the AL. 

The mid-season acquisition of Arizona ace Dan Haren bolstered a staff that already had high hopes for the 2011 MLB season. After toiling away in the Midwest for 2.5 seasons, Los Angeles seemed to breathe new life into Haren, who ended the year on a four-game winning streak, finishing with a 5-4 record and a 2.87 ERA in 16 starts for the Halos. 

If GM Tony Reagins can find good value for a No. 5 starter in this year’s free agent pool, then the Angels’ rotation could challenge those of the Rays and the A’s for American League supremacy.

The bullpen remains a concern for Mike Scioscia, especially the closer position. With no definitive closer since the departure of Frankie Rodriguez, the Angels handed the reigns to the talented, yet volatile Fernando Rodney, after trading incumbent closer Brian Fuentes to the Twins in late August.

Among all major league teams, the Angels ranked in the bottom 10 in ERA from the seventh inning on, highlighting the late-inning struggles of a bullpen that quite simply couldn’t finish games. After Rodney ended the year with only 14 saves in 21 chances, the Angels will look to retool their bullpen if they hope to compete in 2011. 

In order to return to dominance, the Angels must load up on offense and boost a porous ‘pen this offseason. 

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