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.

2 Dodgers Make MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects List

Dee Gordon at # 36, Ethan Martin at # 49.

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.

John Sickels's Prospect Rankings

Sickels's Top 20 Dodger Prospects for 2010, as well as those who just missed the cut.

Who Replaces Joe Torre?

Don Mattingly or Tim Wallach?

Dodgers' Current 40-Man Roster

36 Dodgers are on it.

	Pitchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	Ronald Belisario	R/R	6-3	235	12/31/82
	Chad Billingsley	R/R	6-1	245	07/29/84
	Jonathan Broxton	R/R	6-4	295	06/16/84
	Scott Elbert	L/L	6-1	215	08/13/85
	--Javy Guerra	R/R	6-1	195	10/31/85
	Charlie Haeger	R/R	6-1	210	09/19/83
	--Kenley Jansen	S/R	6-2	220	09/30/87
	Clayton Kershaw	L/L	6-3	225	03/19/88
	Hong-Chih Kuo	L/L	6-1	240	07/23/81
	Hiroki Kuroda	R/R	6-1	220	02/10/75
	Brent Leach	L/L	6-4	220	11/18/82
	--Jon Link	R/R	6-1	190	03/23/84
	James McDonald	L/R	6-5	195	10/19/84
	--Carlos Monasterios	R/R	6-2	175	03/21/86
	Travis Schlichting	R/R	6-4	215	10/19/84
	George Sherrill	L/L	6-0	230	04/19/77
	Eric Stults	L/L	6-1	220	12/09/79
	Ramon Troncoso	R/R	6-1	220	02/16/83
	Cory Wade	R/R	6-1	190	05/28/83
	--Armando Zerpa	L/L	5-11	175	02/13/87
	Catchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	A.J. Ellis	R/R	6-2	225	04/09/81
	Russell Martin	R/R	5-10	210	02/15/83
	Lucas May	R/R	5-11	195	10/24/84
	Infielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	Casey Blake	R/R	6-2	205	08/23/73
	--Jamey Carroll	R/R	5-9	170	02/18/74
	--Ivan De Jesus	R/R	5-11	190	05/01/87
	Blake DeWitt	L/R	5-11	205	08/20/85
	Rafael Furcal	S/R	5-8	185	10/24/77
	Chin-lung Hu	R/R	5-11	195	02/02/84
	James Loney	L/L	6-3	220	05/07/84
	Outfielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	Andre Ethier	L/L	6-2	210	04/10/82
	Matt Kemp	R/R	6-2	225	09/23/84
	Xavier Paul	L/R	5-9	205	02/25/85
	Manny Ramirez	R/R	6-0	200	05/30/72
	Jason Repko	R/R	5-10	190	12/27/80
	--Trayvon Robinson	S/R	5-10	175	09/01/87

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

Dodgers Farm System Ranked Poorly, According To Baseball America

Link.

Partly due to the young core being the young core at the major league level, and partly due to McCourt and Colletti.

A lot to do with McCourt and Colletti.

Hey Look, Baseball Writers Got Something Right RECAP

*Part 1: Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young.*

*Part 2: Tim Lincecum Wins NL Cy Young.*

*Part 3: Joe Mauer Wins AL MVP.*

*Part 4: Albert Pujols Wins NL MVP.*


Andre Ethier finished 6th, while Matt Kemp finished 10th in the voting . Ethier's best placing was two 2nd place votes, while Kemp's best was two 4th place votes.

The last pair of Dodger outfielders to finish in the top 10 in MVP voting were Brett Butler (7th) and Darryl Strawberry (9th) in 1991.

Dodgers Add Javy Guerra To 40-Man Roster

Javy Guerra has been added to the 40-man roster.

Guerra, 24, split 2009 between Class A Great Lakes and Double-A Chattanooga.

Guerra was a 4th-round selection in 2004.

This addition comes a day after 3 Dodger prospects were added to the 40-man roster.

The 40-man roster currently has 33 players on it.

Dodgers Add 3 Players To 40-Man Roster

IF Ivan DeJesus, OF Trayvon Robinson, and pitcher Kenley Jansen were added on Thursday.

DeJesus is 23, while Robinson and Jansen are both 22.

DeJesus broke his leg in March of 2009 in a home-plate collision; he returned from the injury to play in 4 games for the Arizona Dodgers of the Arizona League (Rookie League) in 2009.

Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier Prefer Silver

Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have each won a Silver Slugger Award for their performances in 2009.

I can't photoshop.

The future is bright. Now, sign away*!


*Young, core players to long-term deals.*

Jon Garland 2010 Option Declined

It was a $10 million mutual option, with the buyout of $2.5 million to be paid by the D-Backs.

I thought it was a really bad and unnecessary trade originally, an overpayment in the form of Tony Abreu only typical of Ned Colletti, and my opinion hasn't changed.


The McCourt Divorce Debacle makes me worried to the utmost degree at what kinds of moves and non-moves we may see. Almost as worried as the fact that Colletti makes them and is still here, with a shiny new extension in hand.

Lambo Leap

Andrew Lambo has been tearing it up in the Arizona Fall League.

Jamie McCourt's Termination Letter (UPDATE)

Via 6-4-2 and TMZ (Christ I hate TMZ).

"However, your actions, including, but not limited to, your insubordination, non-responsiveness, failure to follow procedures, and inappropriate behavior with regard to a direct subordinate, have made this decision necessary."

UPDATE: H/T to reader Daniel Ha for passing along this link that may indicate who Jamie McCourt was seeing that led to the line "inappropriate behavior with regard to a direct subordinate" being included in the termination letter linked to at the top of the post.

This Should Be A Fun Divorce

CEO Jamie McCourt has been fired by soon-to-be ex-husband Frank McCourt.

Please guys, just think of the children*.





*And by children, I mean the young core of the team that should have been given long-term contracts 3 days before the day after tomorrow.*

Dodgers-Diamondbacks Complete Jon Garland Trade

The Dodgers and D-Backs have completed the August 31st Jon Garland trade, sending the man rumored all along to be the PTBNL, Tony Abreu, out to the desert.

As I stated when this trade was first consummated, it's an overpayment for a mediocre pitcher in Garland who, yes, we could have done without. Did Garland pitch well, sure (3.82 xFIP, 3.73 FIP, 2.72 ERA, 6.4 SO/9 IP in 36.1 IP), but he also had the great fortune to face Arizona, Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and San Diego in his 6 starts in Dodger Blue. When those are the 6 teams you're facing, the story would be not pitching well.

Ned Colletti doesn't understand value, especially the value of prospects, a point I've mentioned once or twice:

Ned has a history of selling top prospects short and not getting anywhere near sufficient value back for them, and it would shock no one if he did it again.

Oops, he did it again.

Snag With Tony Abreu Trade?

The Tony Abreu-Jon Garland trade, where Abreu had basically been confirmed as the player to be named later going to Arizona, appears to have hit a snag on the D-Backs end.

Abreu has also resumed playing at AAA, though that could also be because he was claimed on waivers, forcing the Dodgers to pull him back and wait until the off-season to complete the deal.

There is apparently a list of players the D-Backs would be willing to accept if Abreu didn't make the cut, and if Ned Colletti ends up including someone even better than Abreu, I may just have to take matters into my own hands and dispose* of Ned.

Ned has a history of selling top prospects short and not getting anywhere near sufficient value back for them, and it would shock no one if he did it again.

It is now time to pray. Pray for the future remaining in Dodger Blue.



* And by dispose, I mean send him to some distant land, not the Sopranos kind of dispose.*

Ronnie Belliard?

WTF?



Rosters expand on Tuesday, and depth at that point will not be a problem. And consider that depth come Tuesday will not cost 2 players. And knowing Colletti, the player to be named later will turn out to be one of the team's top minor league prospects, because that's just how Ned rolls.

How the fuck does Ronnie Belliard cost 2 players? Oh, that's right, because Ned Colletti's the one dealing for him. Shit.

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.