Trade With Night Owl Cards: One Dodgers Fan/Collector Hooks Up Another.

I completed my fifth trade with fellow Greg, Greg, from the legendary Night Owl Cards. You can find the first here, second here, third here, and fourth here. Our late night friend was interested in a duplicate Josh Lindblom Sterling RC Auto I had, and sent along some nice PC additions in return for the John Hancock.

First up, The Bison. I believe this is an exclusive retail parallel from Target. I think....

Next up, Mr. Cy Young, Kid K. All chromed out, which my scanner isn't terribly fond of. Kersh is numbered, 0248/1962.

A Ginter mini with a Ginter Back! Wooo! My Russ PC continues to chug along nicely as it nears 200 cards.

I requested a wrapper from Greg when he posted some Heritage, because Dirtbag alum Evan Longoria graces said wrapper, and I won't be buying any myself. He kindly obliged my request.

Finally, random awesomeness. Campy, Sandy, Jackie, and Duke (in cloth form) shall always be scanned.

Thanks for the great trade Greg! Oh, and since you once upon a time requested every trade post with you must contain photos of a certain someone....

And of course, because you're the Grand Poo-bah of bloggers (I realize the term has a negative connotation, but I'm taking it back), the best picture of my future wife must make an appearance.

Trade With TheLostCardsFile: What Do Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Podres Have In Common?

I completed my first trade with Nicholas from TheLostCardsFile. Nicholas is new to the blogging community, so head on over and add him to your blogrolls, as he's already shown off some really terrific pulls and other creative hobby-related ideas. Moving on to our first trade. I spotted a card that interested me, and while Nicholas decided to hold on to that, we were able to work out a great deal for the below cards. You can see what I sent him here.

KKKKKKKKKershaw! A sweet 2010 Topps Tribute auto/relic of the dy-no-mite young lefty, and it's numbered 95/99. This marks Kid K signature number eighteen in my PC - my second base auto/relic from '10 Tribute - and was without a doubt the highlight of the deal. That wasn't all I received, however.

My second Johnny Podres autograph is the awesome 2010 Topps T-206 American Caramels Back autograph above. Always happy to add a nice hit of the 1955 World Series hero!

Nicholas also sent along an Andre Ethier Marquee base card, as well as a pair of hits I already have, but am very happy to receive nevertheless. The Kershaw Heritage jersey swatch will serve as an upgrade to the one I already own, which arrived long ago from eBay with a slightly dinged corner. The Lindblom is available for any of my Dodgers brethren: DodgerBobble, Owl of The Night, Spiegel. A fight to the death appears to be the only way to solve this! Or, whichever one of you is interested. The former would be more entertaining though. DB, this could be one of a bajillion cards in exchange for that high-end hit you're semi-contemplating dealing, or towards that Lob City Kia auto. And by bajillion, I truly mean bajillion.

Thanks for the fantastic, fantastic trade Nicholas! I look forward to many more, and welcome to the community!

Trade With Reader Eric: I Got An E-Mail. I Was Offered A Clayton Kershaw Rookie Auto. I Made It Happen.

Seriously, I would be in heaven if I woke up every morning to an e-mail with an offer of a Kershaw autograph I needed/wanted/had to have at all costs. Will it happen again? I don't know, but it has happened once already. I completed my first trade with Eric S., who to my knowledge has no blog. He e-mailed me about a Kershaw autograph. I bit. Quickly.

This absolute stunner was the prize, without a doubt, of my end of the deal. I knew it would be difficult to obtain, but thankfully my previous eBay binges left me with an extra Carlos Santana sig, and Eric is an Indians fan. So a trade was born. It marks Kershaw autograph number sixteen. The Kershaw was the massive draw (on-card all day baby!), but Eric hooked me up with some more awesome stuff in return for other relics I sent his way.

Keeping with the Kershaw theme is this Photographer's Proof - #'d 05/50 - from 2008 Topps Stadium Club. It's an interesting parallel, and one I'm very pleased to knock off and not have to worry about anymore.

Next up, a sick, sick Mike Piazza jersey swatch with the majority of a Mets pinstripe! I'm in bad need of a Piazza as a Dodger relic. And a Piazza cardboard autograph.

I've somehow become an unofficial Josh Lindblom collector, much as Night Owl is the resident Jon Link SuperCollector. I don't mind being a haven for Lindblom autos though, as I like Josh and think he'll be a solid bullpen contributor for a number of years. Plus, the Bowman Sterling RC auto above - my fourth Lindblom signature - is an awesome card.

My second Jonas Hiller autograph! Wooo! This is the first of the two that's on-card. And it's a mini. Boosh. The man, aside from being an excellent goaltender, graced us with the greatest mask in hockey history.

And finally, a pair of player collection cards I needed/wanted/both. The Kemp is from 2009 and is the Ginter-back variation - which I needed - and the Kershaw RC mini is a standard back and my second of Kershaw's Ginter rookie in mini form. I love me some Ginter rookie mini madness.

Thanks for the great trade Eric! I hope you enjoy your end of the deal as much I love the cards you sent, and you should definitely start blogging. I look forward to trading again!

Box Break: 2008 TriStar Prospects Plus (BIG, BIG HIT + Trade Bait)

I could have also titled this post "I'd Make A Killing If This Were Still 2008". That's not to say I wasn't happy with this box, because I am quite elated with it. It's only the second box I've every busted, I got some really nice hits, and I also picked up some cards to include in trades I'm presently working on. It's just that this box would have been pretty dynamite in 2008.

The box was a great deal, as I picked it up for under $30, and it guarantees nine hits: four autographs, one relic, and four serial numbered cards numbered to 50 or less. There are 20 packs, and six cards per pack. The checklist features a lot of great names, including Posey, Alonso, Smoak, Hosmer, Matusz, Gordon Beckham, Ike Davis, Pedro Alvarez, and 2008 #1 overall draft pick Tim Beckham.

The only disappointing thing about the checklist is that it does not include Carlos Santana, which I find a bit odd.

So, without further adieu, here's how I did. I'll start with the hits, and in particular the last hit I pulled, which was the best hit I pulled. Oh, and I apologize ahead of time for the horrendous glare on some of the corners of the cards. I did my best, but this is simply more proof that I desperately need to get a scanner.

48/50

A cut auto of 2008's #1 overall pick, Tim Beckham. I'm positive it would have been far easier to just have him sign the actual card instead of a piece of paper which TriStar then cut and pasted onto the card, but whatever. This would of course have been a much bigger hit three years ago, but I figure when I finally do move the card - whether via trade or eBay - I'll recoup something I'll like more, be it cards or dolla (dolla?) bills.

Logan Forsythe, Padres

Bryan Shaw, Diamondbacks

Charlie Blackmon, Rockies

Josh Vitters, Cubs

Matt Pederson has first dibs on the Vitters, as we're working on a trade.

Now, we move to the serial-numbered cards.

Gordon Beckham, 11/50

Tyler Ladendorf, 5/5

Ladendorf was drafted by the Twins, but was dealt to the A's in exchange for Orlando Cabrera. This is going to Mojo, who I still owe cards to.

The Beckham and Ladendorf are some sort of die-cut dealio. They're pretty cool looking, regardless of the short-printing aspect.

15/25, 13/25

Pete Ruiz of the Red Sox is reserved for Mike Travers if he wants it, as we're very close to finishing off another trade.

The Forsythe, Shaw, and Blackmon Autos are all available, as is the Gutierrez /25. For the time being, I'm going to hold on to the T. Beckham - and hope he makes it to the show, at the least - and the G. Beckham, because I believe he's a far better player than his current numbers would suggest. Of course, you could always wow me with an offer. I'm open to being wowed.

The base set is only 150 cards deep, and I ended up with 109 of those base cards, with no duplicates (hooray TriStar!). Thusly, I'll be putting this set together and chasing the remaining 41 base cards I need.

So all in all I am very, very pleased with this box. Nine hits for under thirty bucks, with a shot at some really great minor league autos of some of the top young players and prospects in the game is a phenomenal bargain in my mind. I pulled base cards of three Dodger prospects - Kyle Russell, Josh Lindblom (whose auto from this set I purchased from my local some months ago), and Ethan Martin - and had a great time busting the box. In fact, it was so enjoyable, I might be doing it again. And soonish.

Autos: Blake DeWitt Ginter, Josh Lindblom Obak

Trade With BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet: Lindblom Letterman Auto, Hits Galore

I completed a great trade with Mike from BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet a few weeks or so ago. I sent Mike a wide variety of cards, which he already recapped here. In return, he sent me some really cool hits and other assorted goodness.

The card that started it all:

5/5

Mike also sent along three Dodgers' hits:

And to rap the hits up, a pair of UCLA Autos, with the players depicted being a mystery to me until I had the cards in my hands.

The Donnie Edwards Auto not only fits into my UCLA Hits PC, but also fits into my Chargers PC, as Donnie wore both uniforms. Edwards' signature has changed quite a bit, but in a unique and different way. Usually players shorten their signature after making the pros, but after looking up some of his autos, it appears that his signature now encompasses his full name, while these '96 sigs were a short, short version.

Just something I found interesting.

Mike sent over a number of other great cards, but I just don't have the patience to include them all. Thanks for the great cards Mike, hope you enjoyed yours and I look forward to trading again!

Dodgers Pick-ups From My Local Shop

Who Should Replace Vicente Padilla?

With the news that Vicente Padilla has been sidelined with a strained forearm and will hit the 15-day DL, the question becomes who will replace him in the Dodgers rotation? Who will Joe Torre and Rick Honeycutt deem worthy enough to replace our venerable Number 4 1/2 starter?

First, confirmation from the Dodgers that Padilla is Padidown (/wah wah), and a fairly troubling quote from Vicente:

"I can't even throw right now," Padilla said, declining to speculate on the severity of the injury.

The choices at their disposal, currently up in the bigs:

• Ramon Ortiz
• Jon Link, recalled to replace Padilla
• Carlos Monasterios

A few more choices, currently at AAA:

• James McDonald
• Scott Elbert
• Josh Lindblom
• Josh Towers
  

Eric Stults, where for art thou, Eric Stults? Oh yeah, you're turning Japanese. And Jeff Weaver, who would have undoubtedly gotten the spot-start, is DL'd with a bad back.

Two excellent rundowns of the options come from Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, who fears we'll see Josh Towers (who I had thankfully forgotten about), and Eric Stephen at True Blue L.A., who prognosticates Elbert could get the call. One thing that's for sure: we're all just hoping it's not Ramon Ortiz.

If I were to guess, and that's all it really is, a guess, I would rank these gentlemen, in likelihood of getting the start:

1. Ramon Ortiz
2. Josh Towers
3. Scott Elbert
4. Josh Lindblom
5. James McDonald
6. Link/Monasterios
   

Whoever it is (and there is the possibility of rain in New York or Torre deciding to run a 4-man rotation for a short amount of time) the chosen one only needs to realistically go 5 innings or into the 6th, and not get completely shellacked.

I'm fairly positive they all can do it once or twice, but I'll admit it, I'm terrified of a Ramon Ortiz start. Josh Towers doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside either, but they're both veterans, so it will more than likely be one of them getting the ball handed to them in New York next week.

Still, my vote, if I had one, would go to James McDonald. Then Scott Elbert. Somehow, I think Josh Towers would get the bronze from me. I guess it's because he kind of reminds me of Dave Bush. And that is........well, it's something alright.

Josh Lindblom and Russ Mitchell Will Join Legion Of Worse Than Ordinary Veterans At Spring Training

Among the sea of crappy veterans the Dodgers have signed and invited to Spring Training comes good news: Josh Lindblom and Russ Mitchell will also be invited to Spring Training.

Lindblom, 23 in June, could make the team, and is certainly talented enough to, though I expect he won't because veterans are, well, veterany in their veteran-like goodness.


Mitchell, 25, would basically need a miracle to make the team. He's old for a prospect and has been bad in the minors, never having an OBP above .324 in his 4 minor league seasons. He's had some good seasons in terms of XBH, but if he learned the advantages of drawing a walk, he probably would have seen time in the bigs already. Not walking while striking out a ton is a toxic combination.

Vicente Padilla Returns To The Dodgers

On a 1-year deal worth $5.025 million.

$4.025 million is the base salary, with Padilla also receiving $1 million as a signing bonus.

Dylan Hernandez Tweets some contract details.

Last we saw of Padilla, he was shooting himself (or was shot) in the leg while in Nicaragua.

I would much rather go with some combination of Charlie Haeger/James McDonald/Scott Elbert/Josh Lindblom to fill out the 4th and 5th rotation spots, or attempt to sign Ben Sheets, then bring back the mediocre at best Padilla, who, at 33 years of age, sports a career FIP of 4.45 and has only struck out 6.20/9 IP while walking 3.22/9 IP over his 11-year career.

There really is nothing that Padilla can do that one of the young arms in the organization can't do, and adding in the significantly higher upside of the aforementioned young arms makes this deal even more unnecessary in my eyes.

On second thought, they probably can't shoot themselves in the leg in Nicaragua. So at least Vicente has that going for him.

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.

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?

Links On A Monday Night

Ned Colletti's extension is for 5 years, reports Jon Heyman. I don't know whether or not to believe this, because I hate Jon Heyman, and he's an idiot. But of course McCourt is stupid enough to have done this. Shit. 2014 can't come soon enough. If 2012 ends up as the Mayans "predicted", let the only causalities be Colletti and McCourt. [Jon Heyman via Twitter]

Mitch Jones wins the 2009 Joe Bauman Award as the minor league HR king. [Minors Journeyman Wins HR Title]

Dodgers President Dennis Mannion gets more responsibility, as Frank McCourt makes him responsible for baseball operations. [Mannion To Oversee Baseball Operations]

Joe Torre apparently wants to return for 2011, then receive a front-office role when he finishes managing. I would really prefer him just leave now, and not have a front-office role. [Torre, LA Talk Extension, Front-Office Gig]

Ned Colletti denies that George Sherrill is on the market. The article also mentions the team intends for Josh Lindblom and Scott Elbert to begin 2010 as starters, with James McDonald's role up in the air. I assume the club wants Lindblom and Elbert starting in the majors. [Dodgers' Colletti Disputes Trade Reports]

Top 10 Dodgers' Prospects, According To Baseball America

-Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Prospects-

1. Dee Gordon, SS
2. Chris Withrow, RHP
3. Aaron Miller, LHP
4. Ethan Martin, RHP
5. Josh Lindblom, RHP
6. Scott Elbert, LHP
7. Andrew Lambo, 1B/0F
8. Ivan DeJesus, Jr., 2B
9. Trayvon Robinson, OF
10. Allen Webster, RHP


I'm also partial to Kyle Russell and Garrett Gould.





Previously on Plaschke, Thy Sweater Is Argyle: Dodgers Farm System Ranked Poorly, According To Baseball America

Cliff Lee Is A Two-Way Player?

("I played basketball, so I'm qualified to talk about which baseball players are the best. They play with a ball in baseball, right?")


Because unless he plays 1st or SS and can hit and get on base, he really doesn't improve a club whose problem has been its offense, not pitching staff. After hearing Mychal Thompson (LA Sports Live on ESPN Radio 710) spout off again about how trading for Cliff Lee had to be done, and Clayton Kershaw should have been included, I had to write something, something to not keep screaming obscenities in my head.

And consider what the Dodgers would have had to give up to acquire his services. Colletti smartly deemed Clayton Kershaw off-limits, and taking into account what the Phillies gave up (4 of their top ten prospects), the Dodgers would have paid a similar price.

Therein lies the problem though - the Dodgers top ten prospects are, on the whole, better than the Phillies top 10 prospects. And yes, I'm biased, but not stupid - the prospects are close, but I would give the Dodgers the edge even if I wasn't a Dodgers fan.

The Phillies, based off of those Baseball America rankings listed above, parted with their #'s 2, 3, 4, and 10 prospects. Obviously the performances of those prospects would have altered their rankings at the time of the trade deadline, but it's still a useful barometer for what was needed to land Lee from the Indians.

Using those same slots, the Dodgers would have parted with James McDonald (2), Ethan Martin (3), Josh Lindblom (4), and Nathan Eovaldi (10) to acquire Cliff Lee. Again, those rankings would have changed at the trade deadline, and I highly doubt the Indians would have accepted 4 pitchers. The Indians very well could have asked the Dodgers for what the Indians were giving up (2 Pitchers, C, SS), and that new deal would then have been McDonald, Ethan Martin, Dee Gordon, and Andrew Lambo/Josh Bell substituted for a C, since the Dodgers don't have a top catching prospect any more (thanks Ned & Frank).

I don't know about you, but that's a ridiculous price to pay for a player in Lee who only, at best, makes you marginally better, and doesn't actually address your team's pressing needs of more offense from the 1st base and shortstop positions. Of course the rotation is more formidable with Lee in it because we keep Kershaw and Billingsley and are replacing the # 5 spot of said rotation, but giving up that many high-end prospects just doesn't sit well with me.

The future is always important, and ripping this team apart for, at best, a slightly better shot at winning this year does not simply hurt our future chances, it comes dangerously close to wiping them out.