@Buster_ESPN: With some money freed up, Dodgers expected to target some pitching. Joel Pineiro, said to be looking for 3- to-4 years, might be a fit.

The argument that Pineiro could be a good fit in Los Angeles is very sound. Last season he was pretty comparable to Wolf, going 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 214 innings, arguably his best season in his 10-year career. He could essentially step right into Wolf’s spot and give you the same production. The issue thou comes down to money and years.

Jayson Stark of ESPN says that Pineiro is looking for a better contract then the one Wolf got, meaning he wants three or four years with a higher annual salary. Wolf is making just south of $10 million.

The Dodgers did free up $8 million by trading Pierre but with part of his salary still on the books, would they be willing to pay Pineiro the kind of money he wants and for that length of time?

That I’m not sure about. Personally, I wouldn’t as who knows what you’re going to get from Pineiro. Throughout his career he’s been pretty inconsistent. Early on he was lights out, the middle portion he was getting hit all over the place and now all of a sudden he’s pitching well again.

Could he have finally solved whatever problems he had? Yea it’s possible but for me their is too much uncertainty to guarantee him $10+ million a season.

I’m sure the Dodgers will think along the same lines and look for cheaper alternatives.

The Orioles do have a few players that have drawn interest, they’re the usual suspects Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora and Danys Baez. None of whom could be considered be big ticket items, they’d be role players on a contending team. Very good role players, but still spare parts. They’re guys that could get you at best a mid-level prospect and guys that could easily be had at the waivers deadline in August.

So looking at the Sun’s article I have to say the only way there would be a big deal was if it involved Sherrill, it’s the only noteworthy one they could make.

Sherrill is 32 now and an average big league closer. He was the Orioles 2008 All-Star representative ending the season with 31 saves and a 4.72 era. He’s been much improved in 2009, sporting a 2.40 era with 20 saves in 23 opportunities. Even with the improvement I’d still call him an average closer as he loves to let runners on base, 47 in only 41 and a third innings.

Looking at that you have to wonder what makes him attractive to a contender. Well, he’s proven he can get out of the jams he creates, but more importantly he’s a left handed pitcher. If he were to go to a contender with a solid closer, he could be an outstanding talent in the 8th inning. To no surprise the teams with the elite closers are the ones looking at him.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – The Angels of Brian Fuentes whose had an outstanding year. He’s already had 30 saves matching last years total. He’s also got the problem of making things interesting. Bringing Sherrill in would give manager Mike Scioscia more options depending on the situation.

Los Angeles Dodgers – They’ve got Jonathan Broxton and you have to ask is there many better in the National League. He’s got 23 saves with a 2.76 era and 73 strikeouts in 45 innings. The Dodgers problem lately has been getting the ball to Broxton. They’ve got solid relievers but they’re starting to show signs of fatigue, the norm with Joe Torre relievers at this time of year.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phils have Brad “Lights Out” Lidge and an outstanding set-up man in Ryan Madson but they do have question marks everywhere else in that bullpen. They’ve got two key middle relievers, JC Romero and Chad Durbin both on the disabled lists and way too many Chan Ho Park sightings. If the deals for Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee fall through the Phillies can turn to Sherrill and the Orioles. What this would do is help shorten the game to six innings on most night for their starting pitchers. With guys like Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer, you’ll need those extra quality relievers.

The Orioles won’t be selling Sherrill for cheap. Both the Angels and Dodgers have been told they’ll have to give up their top third base prospects in any move. For the Dodgers that would mean Josh Bell, and for the Angels Brandon Wood.

Can’t blame the Orioles one bit, Sherrill may be 32 but he’s under team control for two more seasons. Fr a financially strapped club you got to keep those kind of guys.

“There are very few teams in baseball that couldn’t use a quality left-handed reliever,” president Andy MacPhail said. “We don’t feel an obligation to be the farm system for a contending team. We’ll act on whatever we perceive is in the best interest of the club.”

I don’t blame the Orioles one bit for putting a high price on their trade chips. The future is bright for this young team and to compete in the American League East they’ll need all the help they can get.

According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark the Dodgers contacted the agents of Adam Dunn during the holiday. This could be a good scenario for both parties. The Dodgers sorely need a power bat in their lineup and that is definitely something Dunn can provide. He’s hit 40 homers each of the last four seasons, which is exactly how long its been since the Dodgers have done so. Last time being Adrian Beltre in 2004. For Dunn, he’d get to play for a well liked players manager in Joe Torre and get to contribute to a playoff contender.

Dunn has received interest from quite a few teams over the past couple weeks. Notably the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles. Stark mentions that the Cubbies have been Dunn’s first choice all along, but could that change now with the Dodgers involved? A signing of Dunn would also benefit the Dodgers in the fact that they would not have to give up a draft pick, as the Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t offer him arbitration. If Dunn his signed to a deal look for a trade to happen with either Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre.

Ken Gurnick at MLB.com mentions Bobby Abreu as another possibility. Abreu is a player that manager Joe Torre knows well from their days in New York. Abreu enjoyed his time with Torre and I’d have no doubts that he’d go back and play for him if given a chance. His patience at the plate is also something the Dodgers could desperately use as the current roster tends to be free swinging. If either Abreu or the forementioned Dunn are signed to a deal it will all but guarantee that Manny Ramirez will not be returning to Hollywood.

When it comes to the trade front there is a huge rumor brewing. Buster Olney reports that the New York Mets and Dodgers are talking about an Andruw Jones swap. The thinking here is that the Dodgers are looking to dump salary and the Mets would like another veteran outfielder. Would the Mets take Jones? Yea, on certain terms. They’d obviously look for the Dodgers to pay almost all of the insane $15 million he’s due this season. Would the Dodgers do that? Not a chance, they’ve already turned down other offers because that’s what every team is demanding. Olney suggests one way to make a deal work would be for the Mets to send Luis Castillo the LA and in return they’d request less cash from the Dodgers. I’d say that only happens if the Dodgers are desperate to dump Jones, as they already have a second baseman and Castillo is owed $18 million over the next three seasons. If this deal happens I’d be shocked.

Now to the pitching options. Gurnick mentions veterans Jon Garland and Randy Wolf as possibilities. Wolf was his usual self in Houston last year with a mid four era. Nothing to blow you away, but solid enough to keep his team in the game. The plus side in a move would be he’s always pitched well at Dodgers Stadium. Garland presents an interesting scenario, his era is usually mid four range just like Wolf, but he’s a pitcher who could possibly benefit from the spacious Dodgers Stadium. He has a career 1.28 GO/AO ratio, last year it ballooned to a 1.71. What is GO/AO? It’s the ground ball to fly ball ratio for a pitcher, so basically Garland gets a lot more ground outs then he does fly outs. Garland’s problem is a good amount of his fly balls leave the park, going to a big park in LA could help keep those balls in the park.

The Dodgers have been busy today and they need to be. The National League West is going to be improved next year with the stock piling of arms in San Francisco. The Dodgers may have won the division and made the playoffs but that was more due to Manny Ramirez. Taking him out of the lineup makes this a struggling team that will have to fight, so any moves to add players is beneficial.

It’s believed the Dodgers made this offer just to make the fans happy and have them believe the team tried to resign the slugger. Scott Boras (Manny’s agent) has made it known that his client wants a long-term four year deal that will take him to possible retirement. This is the reason why the Dodgers only offered a two year contract. They’re pretty confident that he’ll turn that deal down and in doing so make him look like the bad guy in the eyes of the fans.

Personally, I hope that Man Ram decides to screw the Dodgers. How so? Take the contract Manny! Yea you want a 4 to 5 year deal worth $20-25 per season, but you know what a 2-year $60 million deal is still pretty sweet. When that contract is over you’ll still be only 38 and most likely still performing at a high level and still be able to cash in. So if you stay this productive for as long as you think you will, then the Dodgers would actually have made you even richer then you thought you’d be. So yes Manny, take the contract play for the money, that’s what America thinks of you anyways. But at least here you’d keep a fan base happy and keep another MLB team from making you look like the bad guy.

Here is another link to a recent article we wrote regarding Manny Ramirez.
K-Rod and Manny? Mets fans can keep dreaming.

Proctor missed significant time (all of July and August) this season due to a sore elbow. At the time, the severity wasn’t really known and Proctor was activated on September 1st when the rosters expanded. Manager Joe Torre went back to using his work horse regularly, albeit a little less then usual, 8 appearances in 23 days. During that stretch he was actually pretty damn effective but for some reason the Dodgers decided not to add him to their postseason roster, and it looks like they won’t be using him at all if they advance to the World Series.

With that being pretty much finalized, the pitcher has decided to undergo surgery on his elbow area. The injuries aren’t to severe but still bothersome. He’ll be undergoing surgery to repair a partial tear of his flexor tendon, as well as having a bone spur shaved off the back of his elbow. OUCH! The recovery time isn’t that long and Proctor should be ready to go at the start of spring training.

Hopefully the problems he is currently experiencing aren’t the beginning of things to come as Proctor has shown the ability to be an effective set-up man in the majors. If these injuries aren’t the norm and he recovers fine he still has a chance, but managers like Torre are going to have to make sure to not over use him. Unfortunately, due to all over usage by Joe in 2006 and 2008, and former Dodgers manager Grady Little in 2007, I don’t think Proctor will ever reach his potential. At the age of 31, he could still prove to be effective but his best days are probably already behind him.

I truly believe this series has a chance to be a classic. Like mentioned earlier, both teams have pitchers who if they want can dominate a game. The Phillies big guns have completely dominated Dodgers hitters this year. Cole Hamels dominated Dodgers hitters to the tune of a 2.57 era, while Brett Myers dazzled with a 1.93 era, both pitchers over 14 innings. Now wait a minute, don’t think this was pre-Manny Ramirez, these appearances took place in August. After how Hamels and Myers just blew away the Brew Crew, there fans have to be very encouraged about the chance to take on the Dodgers. The wild card for the pitching staff is going to be Jamie Moyer. Moyer hasn’t faced the Dodgers this year and was uncharacteristically wild in his Divisional Series start. The fans will tell you that he was getting bum calls, and that most of his pitches were strikes. Well sorry they weren’t he was just off on his control and it showed, for the Phillies to win this series they will need Moyer to be effective.

Dodgers pitchers on the other hand have had some trouble against the Phillies hitters this year. Their ace Derek Lowe has an era of 4.26, and Chad Billinglsy a 4.50. Those two are starting the first two games on the road in Philadelphia. Hiroki Kuroda thou has dominated the Phils throwing 12 strikeouts over 13 innings, while compiling a 1.38 era. An interesting note to all of this thou, even thou Lowe has struggled this season against the Phils, he has traditionally done well with an era just over 3 in 11 career starts. Phillies hitters have also hit well against him, but struggle with the long ball which is their catalyst.

For the Phillies to win they’ll need their dormant offense to wake up. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both had dismal Divisional Series Utley went 2-15 and Howard 2-11. Utley did have big double off Mike Cameron’s glove in Game 1 but other then that he was pretty quiet, and many times looked like he was completely lost at the plate. The Phillies NEED these two to get off their asses, and produce. Utley needs to prove he’s not a regular season guy who can’t perform when the lights are on in October, for his career he is 4 for 26. There are some positive signs thou, mainly Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth. Both players woke up and had big games in the division series clincher. You’ve also got Shane Victorino, and no hit was bigger that series then his Grand Slam in Game 2 that sent a Citizens Bank Park crowd through the roof.

The Dodgers put on a hitting clinic against some pretty good Chicago Cubs pitching. They’re led by the hot hitting Manny Ramirez, and what else can I say about him that hasn’t been said in the last couple days? What hasn’t been mentioned that while Manny has dominated the National League pitching, he’s struggled mightily against the Phillies. In 8 games, he has only a .250 average with 1 homer and 5 rbis. But here’s the deal Manny lives for the big stage, 8 games in August when the team was fighting for a playoff berth don’t define him. I’m quite sure Manny will be more productive now that it’s October and that’s a scary thought as he’s been arguably the most dominant force in baseball history over the past month. I know I’m laying it on thick there, but it’s kind of hard to argue that. The key for the Dodgers thou is to continue the production from the rest of the lineup. And you know what? Despite the low run production, Dodgers hitters did get on base quite frequently against Phillies pitching. James Loney, Jeff Kent, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp all boast averages well over .300. If those guys are on their mark it could be a long series for the Phillies pitchers.

After all of that thou, I feel this series is going to come down to just that the Phillies pitchers. The Phillies pitching staff was simply amazing the Brewers, but they did take advantage of a team that is known for free swinging and very little patience. The Dodgers are a typical Joe Torre club, their big bats will take pitches, they are going to make you work hard for every out, and your pitch count is going to rise. Will the Phillies pitchers be able to deal with a lineup that won’t let you get away with a hanging curve? A player like Manny Ramirez isn’t going to just miss that pitch for a long fly out, he’s going to crush it to Ashburn Alley. So for me the key to this series is that Phillies pitching. If they can control the strike zone and keep the Dodgers hitters off sync they’ve got a chance to win this series.

Taking all things in to consideration I think this will be a long series, 6 or 7 games. Which would mean the Dodgers will have to take at least 1 game in Philadelphia to have any chance at winning this series. This season the home team has won every match-up, with the Phils sweeping at home, and the Dodgers sweeping out in Los Angeles. With the Eagles struggling, Philadelphia wants a winner, and you know what they’re fans will be giving these players all the energy they need. You may hear this is a football town, but step in to Philly now and you’ll see what it really is. My call is Philadelphia in six.

There is still a chance to get tickets for this series, so hurry up if you got some extra cash. Screw the economy go enjoy some good baseball and have a good time. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did.

First, divisional championship coin flips. These would only occur should there be a tie for the division title. I repeat these will ONLY occur if there is a tie.
Minnesota Twins @ Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox
New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee Brewers
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers.

I’d say the three teams here that would benefit the most would be Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Milwaukee because they get away from those Cubbie faithful. Philly and Boston are winners because they get to play in front of their wild fan bases.

Now the Wild Card Scenarios. Again these would only take place should there be a tie.
Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox
Milwaukee Brewers @ Philadelphia Phillies
Milwaukee Brewers @ Houston Astros
Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros or Milwaukee Brewers @ St. Louis Cardinals

The Phillies are huge winners here as they would host any tie breaking game in front of their rabid fan base.

Even with such a high salary the deal is very team friendly this year, in the fact that it doesn’t kick in till 2009. Therefore he’s only making $3.5 million this season. His current contract and his extension all contain no-trade provisions as well, including a full no-trade for 2008 and 2009. Fort Worth Star-Telegram points out one possibility of this being waved, and that is to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, his home town team. They actually go with a whole list of reasons why this trade could happen, but even they come to a conclusion that there is no way this is going to happen.

Now who else could the Dodgers land at short? The Newark Star-Ledger also mentions the name such as Jack Wilson, who they say is unlikely. The others are smaller more affordable guys who could serve as stop gaps till Rafael Furcal is healthy again that includes Toronto’s John McDonald, Yankees’ Alberto Gonzales and Minnesota’s Adam Everett. Personally, I don’t think the Dodgers will get anything done that addresses their need at short.

Jason Bay – Bay is having a pretty solid season batting .280 with 19 homers and 54 rbis. Interestingly enough, the Pirates are not receiving as many phone calls about the outfielder as you would expect. The reason being is most likely the price tag. He has continually put up the big power numbers for the Bucs the last few years, and the team views him as a player they need on the roster if they will ever compete. Another reason for the high price, well the New York Yankees. Whenever the Yankees keep calling you about to player you have to raise the bar and get as most as you can, its just the baseball way.

Xavier Nady – Nady is finally starting to play up to his talent, and I say finally as the guy is approaching 30. After seven seasons in the majors, Xavier is finally starting to show that he can be an every day player. His numbers so far .323 (career high), with 12 homers (career high is only 20) and 56 rbis (career high is 72). So as you see, he should put up career highs across the board this year and doing that makes you a valuable sought after commodity. Every playoff contender has been calling for this guy, the Yankees, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and the surprising Tampa Bay Rays. The price tag is slightly lower then Bay, but still substantial, which would leave those Rays in the lead as they obviously have the deepest minor league system.

Jack Wilson – Not as many teams have a need for a short stop but it hasn’t stopped them from calling the Pirates for this guy. The only known team that needs help there is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Another team that may come calling is the Detroit Tigers as they are joining the list of teams who have said why did we get Edgar Renteria. Trading Wilson thou would leave a gaping hole at the position for the Pirates, but for the right group of prospects anything is possible.

John Grabow – Grabow? Clubs are calling about him? Yes, they are. The reason is the price on Damaso Marte is just way to high. He is a lefty and there are plenty of teams that are in need of a solid lefty-specialist. Thats something he really isn’t thou, Grabow is a specialist against all hitters, as all hitters are only sporting a .227 average against. He’s the one I most expected to get traded, as he can probably be moved for just one decent prospect, not even a top one.

Damaso Marte – Outside of Bay, the highest price tag is on Damaso Marte. This is no surprise as he has around 12 teams interested in his services. Most teams view him as a lefty-specialist as lefties have a .198 career average against him. The Pirates look at him otherwise thou. The Bucs see him as a legitimate set-up man, who can close when needed. During Matt Capps recent stint on the disabled list, Marte has gone 3 for 3 in save opportunities. With the Pirates considering him a true set-up man, the price tag goes way up, as high as two solid prospects.

It’s pretty remarkable to have so many players on a last place team drawing this much interest. You have to wonder when a team has this many solid players, how are in they last place? are they a team on the rise? should they really trade all of this away? Well the Pirates are in a unique situation. They’ve been rebuilding for years and finally have a decent stash of players at the major league level. If they keep all their players they could easily make a run at the .500 mark, something they haven’t done since 1992. It’s still a stretch thou as they are 10 games under .500 at this point.

The Pirates do realize this team is getting better and they are still a few pieces away from making a legitimate run in the National League Central. Which is why they are only dealing players for the right price, THEIR PRICE. If they make any deals before the deadline, they are going to make sure it’s a deal where they are clearly a winner.

Pirates fans you have a glimmer of hope, your team is getting closer to being competitive, just look at the Rays cause when it happens its going to happen fast. So enjoy the ride!

Furcal was placed on the DL due to a lower back injury. He recently had a cortisone shot in his sprained sacro-iliac joint. He’s eligible to come off the DL on May 21st but would definitely be experiencing lower back pain. With a sprained joint in the lower back, there is no idea how long he may be out for. Furcal suffered a similar injury last year and was forced to miss 12 games.

The team would love to find a veteran to play short, in case this winds up an extended DL stint. MLBTradeRumors.com suggests Andy Cannizaro as a possible replacement. If the team isn’t able to find another short stop by game time tonight, you could expect Luis Maza to be called up from AAA-Las Vegas where he is currently batting .402.

This injury hurts the Dodgers in more ways the one, offensively and defensively. The team lacks any real offensive threat as Furcal even leads the team in homeruns. But now, they’ll be hurt as they should lose Andre Ethier as well. Ethier isn’t hurt but manager Joe Torre would be more likely to start Juan Pierre in left field that way he can still have a lead-off hitter. The Dodgers better get some lights out pitching over the next 10 days, as they’ll be playing a lot of 2-1, 3-2 type games, most likely even a shutout or two.