The Dodgers’ Recent Moves Seem Entirely Public Relations Based.

As Chad Moriyama noted a while back, it’s not just the oddity of the collection of moves that could lead one to believe the new ownership group is looking at things more so from a PR perspective than from an on-the-field, performance-based one.

The humongous trade with the Red Sox is a prime example. The Dodgers took on a quarter of a billion dollars in contracts – let that sink in for a moment – while also giving up a prime prospect (De La Rosa), a pretty good one (Webster), and another solid one (Sands). Even for a team flush with cash after a long period of operating under a broke and crooked owner, the combination of giving up prospects and taking on so much money is absurd and not smart business in the least.

Where it becomes a PR move, in appearance, is two-fold. First, Dodgers’ owner Peter Guber said as much in early September:

“You can’t tell nine days later. Look at it for a season. Not over three weeks. We did it to send signals, to the fans, to the media. You have to recognize that it’s a business proposition. The biggest risk in business is taking no risk.”

The bolded emphasis is mine. Why would any of your moves be predicated on impressing the media? And while I'm a fan at heart, no move made by one of my favorite teams should in the least involve pleasing me. Make moves you think will improve the team and lead you to a championship; that would impress me, particularly when the Dodgers are the team up for discussion.

Oh, and the best teams build from within and continually replenish their farm system through the draft, trades, and not depleting said farm system year after year. That method, it could be said, is taking no risk.

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I get maybe the last man on a roster being there if he's a fan favorite and sells merchandise, but Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez are not roster filler, and were not acquired to be roster filler or simply sell tickets and gin up good press.

The second aspect that makes it seem largely PR-based is the fact that the principle piece coming over in the Sox deal, Gonzalez, is a Southern California kid with familial roots down South now playing in an area that is largely Hispanic and for an organization with a heavy and loyal Hispanic fanbase. Gonzalez was having his worst year ever since becoming a full-time player, so investing that much in a guy who could easily be on the downside of his career doesn’t lend itself to being a strictly baseball move on the surface, particularly with how much his heritage has been a focus of fans and the organization.

Yes, he's better than James Loney. However, that does not inherently equate to the level of necessary production the Dodgers desperately have been and are in need of from a litany of positions.

Add to all of that the fact that the Blue Crew – in taking on so many contracts – went with the “big name and good years ago” approach in bringing aboard Beckett and Carl Crawford, and the new regime seems to believe big names are all that really matter in placating a starving fanbase. Sadly, this seems to be true much of the time.

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That brings us to the Dodgers latest cash-rich expenditure, as the club recently won the rights to Korean southpaw Hyun Jin Ryu for an astonishing $25.7 million. I say astonishing because nobody estimated his posting fee would reach such heights.

Opinions on him are mixed, and even the most optimistic see him as a 3/4 starter. Important to note is his velocity is Barry Zito-esque and he already has a ton of mileage on his arm. The Dodgers have partnerships with Korean businesses, and the move reeks to me of PR and trying to placate every segment of the fanbase.

A final piece of evidence is the Dodgers’ reported interest in EVERYBODY and anybody with a pulse and, more importantly, a name. Torii Hunter, Kevin Youkilis, Ryan Dempster, Anibal Sanchez; the list goes on. Some of these guys may have been the ones to express interest, as has been reported in Hunter's case, but the Dodgers don't have to seriously consider every single free agent with a reputation. Attack the areas of your club that need improvement.

Some of these guys could definitely help, and many are probably just rumors concocted by their agents to increase bidding amongst the legitimate suitors, but if it’s true Ned Colletti is looking at most if not all of these guys, it further underscores the point that the ownership group is just throwing money around like they have a private printing press in Ned’s suite and PR is playing far too large of a role in the future of this team.

Oh, and the obvious point that Colletti does not understand value, building a farm system, and being a competent General Manager.

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So, to sum it all up, I don't doubt that some of these guys could help and would be upgrades, but it seems as if the new ownership group is just looking to spend money because they can.

Just because you spend a lot of money does not inherently mean that you spent it well.

PR is important when running any business, and keeping your fanbase happy is essential, but winning and smart business, above all, will suffice to keep fans coming back for more and ponying up dollar after dollar. Building a PR type of team is a recipe for failure, both in the short-term and the long-term. The Dodgers' recent moves don't seem to have any flow or plan behind them, beyond the club now having money after years of not having it. And apparently, you must spend all of your money, and spend it on anything that has a pulse and moves.

The increased international spending is great, the fact that ownership actually has money to spend is a welcome change, and the seeming desire to interact with fans and improve the in-game experience at Dodger Stadium is a commendable and long-time coming proactive endeavor.

All that said, there does not appear to be any method to the recent madness in Los Angeles. Time may prove me wrong, but at the moment, I'm seriously questioning what Ned Colletti is doing – though I always question him – and what this post-Frank McCourt ownership group is attempting to accomplish with this recent string of player personnel moves.

Clayton Kershaw Is One of A Kind, Yet The Dodgers Risk His Health?

As I watch the Dodgers allow an injured Clayton Kershaw to pitch down the stretch as the team's playoff hopes stand at something like 5-10%, I'm reminded how stupid and short-sighted this organization has been, can be, and is. There is in fact baseball beyond 2012 guys. Remember that as you allow Kershaw to pitch with a hip injury that - even though doctors say it can't get worse - could lead to Kid K altering his delivery and hurting his amazing arm.

You know, like Eric Gagne did all of those years back. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be a fan of a team that has intelligent ownership and an intelligent General Manager. I mean, I'm stoked to be rid of the McCourts, and this ownership group has potential, but throwing money around doesn't inherently solve problems, especially when it seemingly has no rhyme or reason and might just be a P.R. ploy. Oh, and keeping Colletti is, well, turrible.

The team will easily be better next year when you factor in Matt Kemp isn't likely to miss 60ish games, but without Kershaw, 2013 could be a lost cause. Anyways, on a brighter note, the above Kershaw 1/1 Yellow Printing Plate from 2011 Bowman Finest Futures was had for just under $16 and is only my second Clayton plate. Clayton has followed up his Cy Young season with another 5 WAR season.

Embarrassed? Yes. Happy? Yes.

Fuji's latest contest question revolves around an embarrassing piece of memorabilia or related story we have. And by embarrassing, he means the price paid, the piece itself, or the story behind it. I'm going to stretch the definition of memorabilia here, but I find it's a relevant story nevertheless.

I own a Clayton Kershaw Dodgers t-shirt, and I very much enjoy wearing it. I picked it up a couple of years ago after he hit the show. Unfortunately, none of the stores in my neck of the woods had a Kersh shirt in-stock. They had plenty of Andruw Jones shirts and Jason Schmidt shirts, but nothing of a player who was actually good.

So, I had to resort to the unthinkable: buying said shirt from Dodger Stadium. After a game, my buddies and I swung by one of the shops set up outside of the stadium, and I found my Kid K shirt, complete with red number 22 on the front. I knew I had to have it, and knew I wouldn't find one locally for some time, because things that should be simple are often far too complicated. Remember, this was 2009/2010ish, smack dab in the McCourt era.

So naturally, the shirt was waaaaay overpriced.

But I bit anyways and picked it up.

$33 later and I still love wearing the shirt, but hate the price I paid, considering it would have been $16ish from a store in the nearby mall. Had they actually carried any.

Again, I'm happy to have the shirt, and I realize the price may have been the same at other stadiums. However, I'm still embarrassed to this day that I actually shelled out thirty-three bones to that crook Frank.

Ned Colletti, Value, Prospects, and A Complete Disconnect

Value is a funny thing. We debate it when it comes to major awards like Most Valuable Player, and often infer it from team accomplishments when trying to assess the contributions of an individual. The one thing I believe we can all agree on, however, when it comes to value, is that Ned Colletti has no conception of it.

None whatsoever.

The man has proven that to be true time and time again, and in varying ways (the recent trade of Dana Eveland for two mediocre, raw prospects not withstanding). It's evident with his recent signings of over-the-hill veterans whose best days are behind them, or who were for all intents and purposes never-weres to begin with. These signings waste money and years and take up roster spots from younger players who are both cheaper to keep on the roster and have a little something called upside. Ivan DeJesus is not going to be any worse than an aging and terrible Adam Kennedy, and in all likelihood he'll be better. There's certainly the chance he'll be more productive, while we know what we're getting from Kennedy (no offense, solid at best glove).

Bringing in one utility man to round out the bench is never a bad idea, and Ned's signing of Jerry Hairston, Jr. was just that. I would not have given him the two years he received, more money than he's ever made in a season as he's in his mid-30s, and signed him after already having signed two other utility men in Kennedy and Mark Ellis, who will unfortunately be starting. Of course, I would not have signed Kennedy and Ellis to begin with, but that's neither here nor there since I'm just a lowly blogger and not a General Manager with a clear fetish for the aged.

Moving back to value, that veteran fetish of Ned's manifests itself in not only blocking young prospects, but trading them away. Josh Bell was one such prospect, moved to Baltimore for reliever George Sherrill. The Dodgers have had a black hole at third base for years, and they traded away their best third base prospect in Bell for a reliever, way way back at the deadline in 2009.

Sherrill was solid as 2009 wore down, though he was quite lucky as well, as his advanced stats show that his shiny ERA was a mirage. Bell would not make his MLB debut until 2011, and has lost much of his luster as a prospect since being moved. However, it must be noted that he is still just 25 years old. That's ten years younger than Hairston, Kennedy, or Ellis can boast, and it also brings with it that all important potential and upside. Some guys are late bloomers, and perhaps Bell is one.

Even if Bell never accomplishes a single thing at the major league level, it's that value that he possessed that is so critical. He could have easily been part of a larger package of players used to bring in an impact player, but instead was shipped away by our terrible G.M. for a player who plays at the most fungible position in baseball. Colletti gave away a young third baseman with pop, a good eye at the plate, the willingness to take a walk, and a projected good glove for an older middle reliever.

I would imagine some would make the argument that Colletti didn't settle for Sherrill, but knew he couldn't pry more away from a team for Bell and took what he could get. That fallacy falls apart for two major reasons. We'll start with the second of the two reasons. Bell was coming off of two fantastic seasons in the minors, putting up lines of .273/.373/.455/.828 (.368 wOBA) and .296/.386/.497/.883 (.393 wOBA) with the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009, respectively. And now, the first and foremost reason Colletti simply failed (and continues to fail) to get adequate value back for a player he didn't need to trade in the first place and who should have been given the opportunity to help in the show at a position the Dodgers have desperately needed help in for ages: he's Ned Colletti.

Colletti Gonna Colletti, as it's been put elsewhere in the blogosphere. The Carlos Santana for Casey Blake trade is all the proof you need that Ned Colletti is a terrible General Manager who can't comprehend value to save his life. I'd say to save his job, but clearly he has pictures of someone. That, and our soon-to-be-deposed owner is a broke crook who is even worse at his job than Colletti in all likelihood, and that's extremely difficult to do.

Picture this Dodger team: Santana behind the dish, Bell at third, Dee Gordon at short, Blake DeWitt at second, Jerry Sands in left or right, and enough money that's not presently tied up in mediocre veteran-y goodness to have been serious players for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder to man first base.

A point I can't possibly emphasize enough is that results-based decision making is intellectually lazy and highly flawed. When you make a decision in sports, you don't know exactly what will happen. You can prognosticate what will occur and have some idea, but you're never entirely sure how a player will perform, if he'll stay healthy, and things of that nature. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, however, to know that trading a young asset with value for an aging and at best mediocre veteran is a terrible idea. Waiting until a situation has played out to pass judgment is just an easy way to never be wrong. It's saying that I don't want to take the time and put in the effort to analyze something, so I'll wait, see what happens, and then look intelligent.

Ned Colletti, value, and prospects just has Colletti Fail© written all over it. Anyways, the Bell autograph above was a couple of bucks at my LCS, and was acquired on Black Friday. Every time I look at it, it simply invokes disappointment in the current state of the Dodgers and our quite useless General Manager.

Mike Piazza, I Can See Right Through You!

I picked up this Piazza 90s insert from eBay - where else - a couple of months ago. It's not easily photographed, hence my fat fingers being in the below picture. It comes from 1994 Leaf Slideshow, and when held to light, is see-through. I took a video, but it was pretty damn terrible. So it was deleted rather quickly. Not bad for like a buck forty-nine.

Next, a Russell Westbrook relic I picked up for 99 cents months ago. Never got around to posting it. Here it is now. It becomes my fourth Westbrook relic. I assume him being pictured in his UCLA regalia means the swatch came from said UCLA jersey. Which is just awesome, of course.

Now, we move to something completely different. I urge you all to check out this great new blog that features original sports-related art, 7th Inning Sketch. It's run by Gary Finkler. Here's his take on Frank McCourt.

Help: Is This An Authentic Autograph?

Back when I first re-entered this glorious hobby, I was faced with getting organized. While it took me quite a while to finally feel like I had achieved that goal, my first attempts mainly consisted of separating my cards by sport, and occasionally by set.

In doing so, I came upon a group of cards that Night Owl would describe as wholly imbuing a West Coast flavor: Mother's Cookies. I had a vague memory of these from years gone by, but it was pretty cool to come across a small piece of my youth. If you've ever scanned my Want List, you'll see that I almost have the entire 1996 Team Set, less four cards. As I began to group the Mother's Cookies cards I had together, something caused me to flip at least one of them over.

I have no idea what possessed me to do so. But had I not, I would not have come across this potential authentic auto.

Clear as day, that says John Roseboro. The question, of course, thus becomes whether or not it was John Roseboro himself who wrote John Roseboro.

I honestly have no idea how I would have gotten Roseboro's signature, and why I would have used a Mother's Cookies card of Tommy Lasorda in doing so. My best guess would involve me somehow being near field-level at Dodger Stadium once upon a time (so much easier to do back yonder, before the McCourts), with this card as my only available item to be autographed, and Roseboro there as well.

Not entirely impossible, and even, I would go so far as to say, decently plausible.

Anyways, quickly back to my attempt to put the 1996 Team Set together. Lasorda is one of the cards I'm missing, though as you can see, I'm technically not sans-Lasorda. However, as you might imagine, if this is in fact a real John Roseboro auto, this card will go with the rest of my Dodger autos, and not with the team set. But if it is indeed a falsified John Hancock, I'll throw it in with the team set.

So, for those of you kind souls who read this far (or just decided to skip this long-winded diatribe and answer my question), is this a real John Roseboro autograph? A quick Google search has me wondering, if only because some show a similar "J" but a different "R", while others show a similar "R" but a different "J".

So yeah.

I have no idea.

Though I'm leaning towards legit, if for no other reason than it would be cool to have a Roseboro auto.

You Always Remember Your First Time: Zach Lee

I think this is the beginning of a new series of posts. A series that will randomly appear from time to time. And that first time is now.

Zach Lee's autographs were out of my price range when they first hit, and as badly as I wanted one I decided it was a more prudent option to wait and let the prices drop. And drop they most certainly did. After missing out on a few auctions, I finally found one with a price I was happy with and was able to lock it down for a grand total of $7.11 shipped (five and eleven pennies for the winning bid).

Lee's expression on the card is priceless. I feel like he's thinking to himself, "I can't believe the McCourts had over $5 million to throw my way. Good thing for them I was willing to accept it over five years".

Or something like that.

Carlos Santana Had A Pretty Damn Good Birthday

Santana turned 24 on Thursday, and, playing for AAA Columbus, smacked 2 HRs, all part of a 4-5 day that also included a double and 4 RBIs.

I will never forgive the Dodgers for trading him. Especially for such a mediocre return.

The man certainly knows how to celebrate.

Repko Released

Jason Repko was released after the Dodgers placed him on waivers Tuesday.

The move saves the team $375,000, according to Ken Gurnick. That money probably ends up with Jamie McCourt. Having fun Frank?

In Protest Of Atrocities On The Diamond/In The Front Office

In protest of the ridiculous trades of Carlos Santana and Josh Bell in 2008 and 2009, respectively, I have decided to leave their names in the sidebar.

Good luck to these two gentlemen in their careers. May they be long and prosperous.

And may they somehow find their way back to the Dodgers.

Favorite Dodgers

A discussion has broken out in the comments section over at Memories Of Kevin Malone regarding a person's "5 favorite Dodgers". So, here are mine, with the first two being, well, quite obvious.

1. Matt Kemp
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Jonathan Broxton
5. James McDonald

My reasons for McDonald's inclusion can be found here, in my recap of my trip to the Dodgers Caravan Event at Best Buy earlier this month. The man is comical.

The gentlemen most likely to have been my first two choices for # 5, Carlos Santana and Josh Bell, are inexcusably no longer with the organization. Always remember to thank Ned and Frank for those brilliant moves!

Jeff Weaver, Come On Down! (Again)

Jeff Weaver has been brought back on a 1-year minor league deal worth $800,000. Of course, he's invited to Spring Training.

The hits just keep on coming!

Unfortunately, they all are aimed at the hearts of Dodgers fan.

Ned, Frank: no matter how many veterans you bring in, how many Spring Training invites you hand out, they're still crappy, over-the-hill veterans.

This concludes another installment of "Write Like Bill Plaschke Day".

Until.

Next.

Time.

Dodgers Sign Chad Billingsley

The deal is for $3.85 million, and the parties avoid heading to arbitration.

It's a one-year-deal, and I had hoped the team would wise up and sign him long-term long ago (long ago being a couple of seasons ago). But with the divorce and a general lack of good management at many levels, at least they didn't trade him. Not that management should get credit for not trading an asset like Chad Billingsley, but some people like to think in those terms.

I've been a big and vocal Billingsley supporter, even being called a "Billingsley apologist". I'll apologize any day of the week for one of the most talented pitchers in baseball, who doesn't even turn 26 until the end of July. Every team in baseball would love to have a pitcher of Billingsley's talent, capability, and success. Every. Single. Team.

MLB Trade Rumors & The Dodgers

MLB Trade Rumors set up a discussion thread for the Dodgers yesterday, with topics ranging from the McCourt divorce drama to the offseason and what moves may lie ahead.

I haven't read through the comments. What a joyless venture that would be.

Dodgers Pursuing Joel Pineiro?

According to Buster Olney, they are. ESPN Insider is needed to read the full article, including the portion about the Dodgers' interest in the righty.

Pineiro, 31, has pitched for Seattle, Boston, and most recently St. Louis over 10 major league seasons.

Pineiro has a career FIP of 4.23 and has K'd 5.59/9 IP. Other warning signs regarding Pineiro:

• His best seasons have been his last few, meaning regression is much more likely than progress
• Even in those last few seasons, his xFIP has been near 4, with the exception of one season (3.76 xFIP in 2009).
• Pineiro relies heavily on the defense behind him, and defense is tough to predict from year-to-year. I'm always weary of a pitcher who has to rely on others around him in order to have any success.
  

Eric Stephen over at True Blue L.A. discusses the merits of Pineiro. As Eric points out, what Pineiro does well is limit walks and HRs.

Considering pitching is THE organizational strength, I really don't see the point in this. And we have cheap, divorce-riddled owners. So yeah, color me not only uninterested in the slightest, but skeptical the club could even afford this considering the financial constraints currently imposed upon it by the philandering, cheapskate McCourts.

Names like McDonald, Elbert, Haeger, Lindblom, and Ely should become household names (in Dodger households) when talking about the 4th and 5th rotation spots.

And you know what?

That's more than fine with me.

Eric Stults May Have To Learn Japanese After All

Stults is still being pursued by Japanese clubs, specifically Chiba Lotte. Their interest in Stults is so strong that they are reportedly sending a negotiator to discuss what it will take to purchase Stults' contract and pry him away from the organization.

I don't know if the services of Eric Stults have ever been in this high of a demand. He should feel good, I think. An interesting question: would you rather pitch in AAA for most of the season, with the likelihood of one or two call-ups, or pitch full time at the highest level in Japan? I would take the stay-in-America path, but that's just me. Oh, and I couldn't pitch if my life depended on it. And by pitch, I mean throw more than one or two pitches over or anywhere near the plate.

Considering how cheap and in desperate need of money Frank McCourt is, I would be shocked if he didn't sell the contract for anything he could get his cheap hands on.


Previously in the Eric Stults to Japan Mystery Conundrum Rumor-Mongering Saga:

• Dodger Rotation Rumors (December 3rd, 2009)
• Dodgers Decline Offer For Eric Stults, Japanese Lessons Put On Hold (December 13th, 2009)
  

Ned Colletti Returns To His Normal, Awful G.M.ing Ways

Dylan Hernandez is reporting that the Dodgers have begun to explore "a possible trade with the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Aaron Harang".

The price, according to Hernandez: one or two players off of the MAJOR LEAGUE ROSTER, plus a good chunk of money.

Yeah, how about no.

Harang, 31, has a career FIP of 4.10, WHIP of 1.33, and has K'd 7.54/9 IP for his 8 year career, but he's nothing more than a back of the rotation starter at this point in his career, even accounting for the bump in numbers he would likely see after moving from the little league field in Cincinnati to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark in sunny Southern California.

Again, wasn't money a problem, why arbitration wasn't offered when it clearly should have been? Oh, and we have plenty of options for the 4 and 5 spots in the rotation: James McDonald, Scott Elbert, Charlie Haeger, Josh Lindblom, and perhaps even John Ely.

Color me uninterested in Harang.

This comment form Hernandez's article, from a reader who I'm pretty sure would do whatever it took to get Harang on the Dodgers, sums up Frank McCourt's business philosophy:

It would probably take prospects, the better the prospects the more cash the Reds would pay.

Yeah, cause that has worked out so well in the past, hasn't it?

Dodgers Decline Offer For Eric Stults, Japanese Lessons Put On Hold

The Dodgers declined an offer for Eric Stults from a Japanese club. He remains a Dodger, and in America, for now.

The Dodgers had been shopping his contract, what with the team's financial foes and all.

Ned Colletti Doesn't Regret What Ned Colletti Should Regret

Randy Wolf signed a 3-year-deal with Milwaukee today. It's being reported there's a team option for a 4th year.

Colletti doesn't regret not offering Wolf arbitration.

I regret it, because we would have received picks.

Damn you Ned and Frank, damn you.

On a side note, Wolf looks so stoic in the picture to the right. That smirk is probably Randy laughing silently at how stupid Dodgers management is.

Rumor Tuesday, Now Featuring Juan Pierre and Aging Veteran Infielders: The Backups Strike Again

Backups, Unite!

• Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports Tweets that the Dodgers met with infielder Nick Green's agent.
• Joe Frisaro Tweets the Dodgers are interested in infielder Alfredo Amezaga.
• Frisaro also Tweets at least 3 teams are interested in Juan Pierre. Why, I have no idea, but let's hope one bites, and all the Dodgers have to do is eat some of his contract, and not include prospects, as some have speculated. Then again, McCourt is cheap and broke, and he has a history of choosing to give away elite prospects instead of paying money, so I'm scared of what that trade could look like.
  

Until next time, this has been the Backups edition of Rumors.