December 2008 Archives

I just talked to Stan Conte, who told me the Dodgers have had Kuroda on a strengthening program for his right shoulder, where you may recall he had some soreness that landed him on the DL for the second half of June. He is fine now, but Conte and his team made it very clear to Kuroda that the success of this program depends upon his staying on a regular routine with it all the way through the end of spring training. That clearly includes the time of the WBC. Conte did say that Dodgers officials never specifically told Kuroda he should skip the WBC. But they certainly are happy to hear that he plans to. In the end, this is a perfect case of a guy putting his team's needs ahead of his own, individual desires. Good for him, I say. ... I'm off on another vacation tomorrow. See you on Jan. 9.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

By all appearances, it's only precautionary, and his status for the Dodgers isn't in jeopardy. I'm looking into it, but the fact his arm isn't quite 100 percent isn't news. We have known that for a while. More when I know more.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20081221TDY24307.htm

This just means he passed his physical, so it's all done now. If you're scoring at home, add him to your 40-man roster. This is the official release from the club:

DODGERS SIGN SHORTSTOP RAFAEL FURCAL TO THREE-YEAR CONTRACT

LOS ANGELES - The National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers today signed shortstop Rafael Furcal to a three-year contract with a vesting option for the 2012 season. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.
"Raffy has proven to be a very important player for us over the last three seasons," said Colletti. "He sets a great example with his enthusiasm and passion for the game and his teammates."
"You can't overestimate Raffy's value to the team," said Dodger Manager Joe Torre. "He brings so much more to the table than just his ability to play the game. The players feed off his energy and I think he's an integral piece of the puzzle. I look forward to having that leadership in a Dodger uniform for the next several years."
Furcal in 2008 was among several offensive leaders prior to going on the disabled list on May 6 with an injured lower back. Furcal led the Majors with 49 hits and 34 runs scored at the time he went on the DL. He also ranked second in the Majors at that time with a .366 average and third with a .448 on-base percentage. The switch-hitter returned to the club during the final week of the regular season, and went on to start at shortstop in each of the Dodgers' eight post-season games. The 31-year-old had undergone back surgery on July 3, a microdiscectomy performed by Dr. Robert Watkins at Marina Del Rey Hospital.
Furcal is a career .286 hitter with 259 stolen bases and 788 runs scored in 1,150 games over nine Major League seasons with Atlanta (2000-05) and the Dodgers (2006-08). Since the start of the 2000 season, Furcal ranks fourth among big league shortstops in runs scored, third in walks (468), and seventh in on-base percentage (.352). He also ranks sixth among shortstops in that span with 1,328 hits and 227 doubles. His 259 stolen bases since the start of the 2000 campaign rank seventh among all players.
Since signing with the Dodgers as a free agent prior to the 2006 season, Furcal is hitting .293 (404-for-1378) with 67 doubles, 148 walks, 70 steals, 234 runs scored, and a .362 on-base percentage in 333 games. Despite missing 125 games in 2008, Furcal ranks second on the club in runs scored since the start of the 2006 season behind only Russell Martin (239). He also ranks third on the team in that span with 404 hits behind Martin (430) and Andre Ethier (409). He ranks fourth among Dodgers in average and on-base percentage beginning in 2006 as well.
Furcal in 2006 was voted by his teammates and coaches as the winner of the inaugural Roy Campanella Award, given to the most inspirational Dodger. Furcal collected a career-high 196 hits that season to rank tied for fifth in the National League. He also established career highs in 2006 with a .300 average and 63 RBI, while tying his career high with 15 home runs.
The Dominican Republic native has played post-season baseball in seven of his nine Major League campaigns, including 2006 and 2008 with the Dodgers. Furcal was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2000 and an NL All-Star in 2003. He ranked in the Top-10 in steals in five of his first six full seasons (2000, 2003-06), and stole 226 bases in all from 2000-06 to rank fourth in that time behind Juan Pierre (325), Ichiro Suzuki (235), and Carl Crawford (226).
Furcal has hit 23 career first-inning leadoff home runs. He has 11 such home runs as a Dodger to rank second in franchise history behind Davey Lopes, who clubbed 28 in nine seasons from 1973-81.
Furcal signed with the Dodgers as a free agent on December 19, 2005. He was originally signed by Atlanta as a non-drafted free agent in November 1996.

The Dodgers still haven't officially announced the signing, but this showed up in my email. It's apparently from Arn Tellem, one of the two agents representing Furcal (the other was Paul Kinzer), and it is in response to statements made by Atlanta Braves officials who felt they weren't deal with fairly on the issue. Here it is:

With regard to the negotiations between the Atlanta Braves and Rafael Furcal, the essential facts are clear and cannot be disputed.

1. There was never an agreement reached between Rafael Furcal and the Atlanta Braves.

2. In fact, the Braves were fully aware that Furcal was not prepared to make a decision but had requested an opportunity to sleep on it, before deciding.

3. Moreover, the Baseball rules which all agents and teams operate under are clear that no deal exists between a player and a team unless and until: (i) there is a signed and executed player agreement or; (ii) the Player's Union and the Commissioner's office have otherwise confirmed the deal. Neither occurred here.

4. Furcal ultimately decided to accept the Dodgers' offer, taking into consideration a number of factors the most important of which was his desire to continue playing short-stop and not make the position change to second base that the Braves were requiring.

5. Losing out on an all-star player like Furcal is always disappointing, and we understand the Braves' frustration with the outcome of this negotiation, but it does not change in any way the fact that we conducted ourselves with integrity and complied with all rules of major league baseball throughout this process.

6. Our primary obligation is to serve our clients best interests, and we will continue to do so in accordance with all relevant rules governing MLB negotiations and the utmost integrity.

7. If it serves our clients we will continue to present opportunities to the Braves, which in accordance with the rules governing Major League Baseball, the Braves must entertain. We hope that once emotions have subsided, the Braves will act in a manner consistent with not only their obligations under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and The National Labor Relations Act, but also the best interests of the franchise. In short, we would not want this incident to color their better judgment.

He is the 2008 Setup Man of the Year, as voted on by fans through mlb.com. Here is the release from the Dodgers:

LEFT-HANDER HONG-CHIH KUO VOTED BY FANS AS 2008 SET-UP MAN OF THE YEAR

Award is part of MLB.com's "This Year in Baseball Awards"

LOS ANGELES - Dodger left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo today was named the 2008 Set-Up Man of the Year, as voted on by fans on MLB.com. The award is part of the website's This Year in Baseball Awards. The Taiwan native received 30.3 percent of the vote, ahead of Tampa Bay's Grant Balfour (19.2 percent), the Cubs' Carlos Marmol (17.6 percent), and the Angels' Scot Shields (7.5 percent).
Kuo's 1.69 ERA (13 ER/69.1 IP) as a reliever in 2008 led the National League and ranked seventh in the Majors (min. 50.0 innings). The 27-year-old bounced back from left rotator cuff and left elbow injuries in 2007 to pitch a career-high 80.0 innings over a career-best 42 games (three starts). Kuo went 5-3 with 12 holds, one save, and a 2.14 ERA overall. He finished tied for second on the Dodgers in holds with Joe Beimel, behind only Jonathan Broxton's 13.
One of five Taiwan-born players in Major League Baseball history, Kuo struck out 96 batters in his 80.0 innings for an average of 10.80 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He limited the opposition to a .204 average, including a .202 mark (19-for-94) by left-handed hitters. Beginning July 27, left-handed hitters went just 3-for-23 (.130) against him.
Kuo earned his first big league save on August 14 vs. Philadelphia, closing out a 3-1 win with a two scoreless innings.
In four Major League seasons, all with the Dodgers, Kuo is 7-13 with a 3.90 ERA in 87 games (14 starts).

It's actually three years and $30 million, not $33. It breaks down to $6.5 million in 2009, $8.5 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011, with a $3 million BONUS (not a buyout) that he gets at the end of the contract regardless of whether the option vests. The option is, as previously reported, $13 million, and it vests if he has 600 plate appearances in 2011. That's a lot of PAs even for a leadoff guy. If you assume 4.5 per game, that's 133 games, which is very reachable if he stays healthy and not so reachable if he doesn't.

John Nadel at the AP reports that it's three years, $33 million, with a $13 million club option for 2012. Salaries are $7.5 million in 2009, $9.5 million in 2010 and $13 million in 2011, with a $3 million buyout of the option. The option will vest if he meets certain incentives in 2011, but it isn't yet clear what those incentives are.

Rafael Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, just told me that ``things are getting close'' and Raffy ``is going to be a Dodger.'' He wouldn't get into any details about the length of the contract, but I'm almost sure it's a three-year guarantee with possibly a fourth-year option. When I asked if it would be premature to say the deal was done pending a physical, Kinzer said it would be. But it sounds like the Dodgers at least know they're getting him back.

Ned Colletti just informed me that ``we have had many conversations today on the subject of Rafael Furcal'' and that ``I can't tell you if it's dead or not. I can only tell you that his people continue to engage me in conversation as if it's not, and I have been assured by them that it's not.'' What is clear here is that somebody, either the Dodgers or the Braves, is being lied to by Furcal and his people, because the reports out of Atlanta and nationally have this as a done deal pending a physical. Ned still won't say whether the Dodgers have offered to guarantee the third year, but if they're still in on Furcal, it's pretty obvious that they have because the Braves' alleged done deal is for three years and an option.

David O'Brien, who covers the Braves for the Atlanta Journal Consititution, cites two unnamed sources who confirm the deal. It's still contingent on Raffy passing a physical.

http://www.ajc.com/wireless/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/12/16/braves_furcal.html

That's according to Foxsports.com, where Rosenthal is reporting the deal, three years with a vesting option for 2012, will be announced later today. What this means for the Dodgers is that they'll either pursue Orlando Cabrera or trade for a SS. It remains unclear whether the Dodgers ever offered to guarantee a third year, but my guess is they did. Braves simply added an option year, and Atlanta is obviously a comfortable fit for him.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8947764/Source:-Furcal-to-sign-with-Braves

Tim Brown of yahoo.com is reporting that a decision will be made tomorrow and that it isn't necessarily Oakland. I just talked to Ned Colletti, who said he had conversations ``all weekend'' with Furcal's representatives, but he wouldn't get into details about them.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=At5K9CwFcOHRqrIIIaweg1MRvLYF?slug=ti-furcal121508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

OK, so it's a different Dice-K. But I got your attention, didn't I? Here is yet another release in which the Dodgers claim the name Camelback Ranch as their own, even though it existed long before they decided to move there.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have hired Daisuke "Duke" Yamashita as infield coach at Camelback Ranch-Glendale for the 2009 season. Yamashita, a native of Shizuoka, Japan, will specialize in infield instruction, specifically fielding, and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
"We've been searching for an additional infield coach to try different methods to stimulate our system and Yamashita was highly recommended by Acey Kohrogi, Dodger Director of Asian Operations. We are always open to new teaching styles, technology and creative ways of developing players," said Dodger Assistant General Manager, Player Development De Jon Watson. "Yamashita brings his vast coaching and playing experience to the Dodger organization."
Yamashita has extensive coaching experience in Japan. Recently, the infield coach served as a coach for the Rakuten Eagles (2005). Prior to that, Yamashita managed (2003-2004) and coached (1998-2000) the Yokohama BayStars, winning the 1998 Japan Series Championship.
"I am honored to become part of the Dodgers' coaching staff. In 1973 when I was a senior at Keio University, I visited Los Angeles as a member of the Japan-US collegiate baseball championship and played at Dodger Stadium," said Yamashita. "Ike Ikuhara of the Dodgers helped me a lot during that visit and the whole experience was an asset to my career. Thiry-five years later, I am connected with the Dodgers again. Now it's my turn to help the young players to achieve their American dream."
Yamashita had a successful playing career in Japan as well, playing for the Taiyo Whales of Japan's Central League for 14 years. He was the Whales' number one draft pick in 1974 and was a four-time All-Star during his tenure there (1974, 1975, 1978, 1981). Yamashita also set records for the most consecutive chances without making an error at shortstop in both the Central League (205, 1976-7) and the Nippon Baseball League (322, 1977-8). He was awarded Golden Glove awards for eight consecutive seasons (1976-83) as well as the Best Nine award (1981). Yamashita also boasted a fielding average of .988 in 1976.

Below are the first three paragraphs of the Dodgers' release. The amazing thing to me is that he wasn't already in, but apparently this thing wasn't even founded until a year ago. They seem to have Halls of Fame for just about everything these days. And if you look at the other names from this year's class and last year's inaugural class, it's (not surprisingly) all pretty New York-centric

LOS ANGELES - Dodger Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will be among the distinguished list of broadcasting professionals inducted into the 2008 class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in New York City tomorrow night. The ceremony, hosted by CBS' Jim Nantz, will be held tomorrow night in Manhattan at the New York Hilton and is the culmination of a selection process by more than 80 industry leaders from national broadcast networks, cable sports networks, leagues, teams, and related organizations.
Going into the HOF alongside Scully will be Marvin Bader (ABC Olympics), Chet Forte (ABC Sports), Curt Gowdy (ABC, CBS, and NBC), Teddy Nathanson (director, NBC Sports), Don Ohlmeyer (ABC and NBC), Val Pinchbeck (NFL), Bob Seiderman (CBS and Fox Sports), and Charlie Steinberg (Ampex and Sony). The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, formed in 2007 to honor sports TV industry innovators and leaders, announced its inaugural class last year, which included broadcasting legends such as Roone Arledge, Howard Cosell, Jim McKay, and Ed Sabol.
Scully is expected to accept the award via videotape due to the lengthy travel required to be in attendance.

He rejected the A's earlier offer, so whether he accepts this one probably depends on his reason for rejecting the first one. Was it because it wasn't for enough money? Or was it that Raffy simply didn't want to play in Oakland? If it's the latter, that works in the Dodgers' favor, especially given that we know the Dodgers are his first choice. If it's the former, he is probably on the verge of being gone.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081215&content_id=3717525&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp

Also, Chan Ho Park has agreed to terms with the Phillies on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, with incentives that could double his salary. It is contingent on his passing a physical.

He is also eligible for arbitration. That makes four guys -- Ethier, Martin, Broxton and Repko -- that the Dodgers will go through the process with. Just a primer, the way it works is that the club will try to reach agreement with each of the four in advance of arbitration -- that is what is known as ``avoiding arbitration.'' If a player doesn't reach an agreement, he will exchange salary figures with the club, then go to a hearing in early February in Phoenix, where a three-person panel will choose either the club's figure or the player's figure, with no wiggle room in between. There is also a period between the exchanging of figures and the actual hearing when the two sides still can reach an agreement and avoid a hearing.

... but he DID have an arm injury that was going to keep him out for all of 2009, and given that he was on the 40-man roster, he would have had to be on the big-league DL all year accruing big-league service time. This also clears a 40-man spot. Also, I just spoke with Ned, and he reiterated that the Dodgers are open to re-signing Saito and Berroa. If Saito ISN'T re-signed, the closer's role could go to Broxton, Kuo, someone else in the organization or someone outside the organization. Even if Saito IS re-signed, he won't necessarily be the closer.

The others were Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban, Angel Berroa and a guy I had no idea was arbitration-eligible, Mario Alvarez. Anyway, the important thing to note is that all of these guys can still be re-signed. All this does is take them out of the arbitration loop, leaving only Martin, Ethier and Broxton. Haven't spoken with anyone about this yet, so I should have more information when I do.

Tom Hoffarth, the Daily News' media columnist, reports today that the Dodgers will move Charley Steiner to a full-time radio role and hire someone to handle TV during the non-Scully innings/games. Who should it be?

Dodger do some TV repair work for '09: Steiner back on radio fulltime; gig opens for 40-game slate

Don't believe it for a second, though. This is just, as they used to say in Boston, Manny being Manny.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spmanny115960657dec11,0,548502.story

These Major League Baseball winter meetings coincided with the National Finals Rodeo, which is held here in Las Vegas every December. There are cowboys everywhere, but it isn't quite the culture clash you might think it to be. This morning, I saw two of them walking down the hall just outside the media work room, and these were REAL cowboys from head to toe: boots, Wranglers, long-sleeved Western-cut shirts, cowboy hats and full salt-and-pepper beards. As they walked, one of them was intently thumbing through the latest issue of a certain publication, copies of which had been stacked on a table outside one of the ballrooms. The publication? Baseball America, of course.

The Dodgers didn't select or lose anyone in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft today. They did lose three players -- SS Francisco Lizarraga (Cincinnati), RFAndrew Locke (Houston) and SS Shane Justis (Milwaukee) in the minor-league portion, which works differently from the major-league part. Those players are gone for good, the Dodgers getting $12,000 each for them from the teams who drafted them. The Dodgers did add one player in the minor-league phase, an infielder from the Toronto chain named Anthony Hatch.

Ned Colletti characterized the negotiations as ``a staredown,'' and although he didn't say it, it was clear that if Saito doesn't reach agreement with the club by Friday, the deadline for clubs to offer contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, he will be non-tendered and sent into what is shaping up as free-agent purgatory this winter for many of the game's unsigned players. The Dodgers are offering an incentive-laden, one-year deal, with those incentives presumably based on games finished. Saito's representatives want a stronger guarantee, something the Dodgers are never going to give the right-hander given his recent health issues and inconsistency. In fact, as many as five of the Dodgers' eight arbitration-eligibles -- Saito, Angel Berroa, Yhency Brazoban, Scott Proctor and Jason Repko -- are in at least some danger of being non-tendered on Friday if they don't agree to terms. In Brazoban's case, he is almost a lock to be non-tendered because of his continued failure to lose weight and get into better physical condition. ... By the way, I got bad info earlier. The Dodgers are NOT interested in Omar Vizquel.

He clearly would be nothing more than a fallback plan if the club doesn't sign Rafael Furcal, he'll turn 42 in April, and he hasn't hit better than .250 in three years. But he IS an 11-time Gold Glove winner and would be another excellent addition to the clubhouse. He also would shore up the SS position for a year until Ivan De Jesus is ready, although he wouldn't come close to providing the offense Furcal did.

The announcement is coming shortly, but this is something we have all basically known since last night. Appears to be a one-year, $1.25 million deal, and it's as much about what he'll bring to the clubhouse as it is about what he'll bring to the field. Other than that, this penultimate day of the winter meetings is shaping up to be a slow one for the Dodgers.

Tommy Lasorda has once again been named Global Ambassador to the World Baseball Classic, a title he gladly took on in 2006 and will fill again in 2009. He is at the podium speaking right now. He was introduced by MLB COO Bob DuPuy as being like Sara Lee. ``There is nobody who doesn't like Tommy Lasorda,'' DuPuy said. Tommy just told the audience that from now on, he would like to be addressed as Mr. Ambassador, which elicited a smattering of laughter. ... In case you didn't already know, former Dodgers manager Davey Johnson will manage the USA team. Felipe Alou, who is also here, will manage the Dominican Republic.

Today's Winter Meetings festivities included a news conference with Ned Colletti, Joe Torre, White Sox GM Ken Williams and Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen to discuss the upcoming first spring training in Glendale, Ariz., at the new facility the two clubs will share. It was all pretty basic stuff, but the most interesting thing that came out of it, IMHO, was this:

the Dodgers will be using it not only as a spring-training site, but as a year-round staging ground for much of their baseball operation:

``This will be practically a 12-month endeavor,'' Colletti said. ``Our player-development department will move its headquarters there. Our Instructional League team will play there, and we may be able to double up on the Instructional League. We may double up on some specific clinics for players in the fall months. A few of our players reside in Arizona all year long, and they will have the opportunity to work out any day of the offseason. We will have extensive video, we will have extensive hitting oppotunities, pitching, fielding, and a lot of former Dodgers will be invited back to partake in it to be there both as instructors and as people who can teach a little bit about what the game is all about.''

The White Sox also will use the facility year-round, but not nearly to the extent the Dodgers will. After all, Chicago is much farther away from Phoenix than Los Angeles is.

``For now, we are going to keep our short-season (minor-league) teamsin Great Falls, Montana, and Bristol, Connecticut, so we will not have a Rookie League presence there,'' Williams said. ``But we will have a medical staff there for rehab players, things of that nature.''

At the end of a very long day, I am now headed out to what has become a small, winter-meetings tradition that we started a few years ago. Every year, all the writers who are here at the winter meetings who ever worked at the now-defunct Cincinnati Post, a paper whose sports staff was down to about seven or eight people when I left there for the Daily News in 2004 and which disappeared completely on Jan. 1 of this year, all pick one night and go to dinner together. Sadly, this year's contingent includes only three people: Chris Haft, who now covers the Giants for mlb.com, Marc Lancaster, who now covers the Rays for the Tampa Tribune, and yours truly. I'm sure we'll have a toast to the grand old lady, may she rest in peace. To varying degrees, we all owe our careers to the time we spent filling her pages with the latest news on the Reds. Thankfully, we were all lucky enough to get out before the curtain fell.

It includes salaries of $5 million in 2009, $6 million in 2010, $5.25 million in 2011 and a $1.25 million buyout of a $6 million option in 2012

It's three years. More details when I have them.

One story that hasn't gotten a huge amount of attention this winter is the Dodgers' complete lack of interest in re-signing pitchers Brad Penny and Joe Beimel. Joe Torre, who made his first appearance at the winter meetings earlier today, was asked about both of those players, and while he wasn't completely transparent in his answers, he left little doubt that he didn't want either one of them back.

On Beimel: ``You make a decision as to what you want to do. We just felt Joe was inconsistent. He took the ball, whether good or bad, and went out there on a regular basis. I love Joe, but he wasn't as good against left-handed hitters as he had been in the past.''

On Penny: ``I thought it was best that he go out there on his own. He was uncomfortable, and I know he had some physical issues. We tried to use him out of the bullpen, but I think he was a little hesitant about doing that. Maybe the fact he was becoming a free agent had something to do with that.''

On a separate note, we now know why the Dodgers are so hesitant to talk about their deals with free agents Mark Loretta and Casey Blake. Turns out that when a deal is in place pending that player passing a physical -- something we know is true in the case of Loretta and that we suspect is the case with Blake -- if that information gets out in the open, there is a concern that if the player fails the physical and the deal never gets consummated, then it becomes obvious to other clubs that the player failed the physical and in theory hinders that player's ability to get a deal with another club. That player can then file a grievance or perhaps even a lawsuit against the first club for allowing the information to get out. In other words, a player can sue one team for hindering his ability to deceive another team about his physical condition. What a world we live in.

By the way, this means nothing other than an interesting vignette, but Joe Torre and Joe Girardi are currently conversing on the other side of the media work room.

It happened late last night, at Scott's request, and it was the first correspondence between the two sides since Nov. 4, when the Dodgers made their two-year, $45 million offer that was later rescinded whey they got no response.
``He said that Manny still has interest in playing for the Dodgers,'' Colletti said. ``I said thank you for the information.''
And that was pretty much where the sides left it.
``We haven't (decided on) the next step,'' Colletti said. ``As time goes on, we will decide what the next step is. I don't know if there is a next step or not.''
The Dodgers APPEAR to have all the leverage in this matter, given that there doesn't appear to be any serious interest on the part of ANY other club in Manny Ramirez, which is probably a big reason why Boras suddenly requested this meeting. And it is pretty clear that Ned is enjoying the fact that the club is in complete control. Ned was asked by us whether the original offer could materialize again, and he said he didn't know yet.
Could Manny and Boras be starting to panic?
Ned also said he and Boras discussed Derek Lowe, but that nothing has changed there.
``I do not believe Derek Lowe is going to pitch for the Dodgers next year,'' Colletti said.

Even as the Dodgers' deals with Mark Loretta and Casey Blake appear to be either done or close to done, it might not help their effort to sign CC Sabathia, something the Dodgers aren't expected to try to do until they fill their shortstop vacancy. The word around here is that Giants officials are supremely confident that they are going to sign the big lefty, this despite the fact they are already paying all that money to Barry Zito. If Sabathia does sign with the Giants, that would dramatically change their prospects in the very-winnable N.L. West next season. I'll update when I know more.

The official word through the club is that they don't have a deal, which is probably true. But MLB.com is reporting that they do, so there has to be something to it. My guess is it will be announced and completed tomorrow. Good, veteran pickup for the boys. Not sure if he'll be an everyday 2b or a utility guy.

Just filed these for tomorrow's paper, updates on Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, CC Sabathia and Manny Ramirez and a bonus note on Trevor Hoffman/Takashi Saito.

By Tony Jackson
Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS -- Although all indications are that the Dodgers are close to re-signing free-agent third baseman Casey Blake to a contract believed to be worth about $17 million over three years, general manager Ned Colletti said Monday night that there was no agreement and that he didn't plan to meet with Blake's representatives again until today.
``We have had continuing discussions over the last few days,'' Colletti said. ``We had a long get-together on Saturday before we came (to the winter meetings). Hopefully, we're getting closer (to an agreement).''
Blake's options apparently were narrowed last week to the Dodgers and Minnesota, something Colletti confirmed that Blake's agent, Jim McDowell, had told him. But the Twins pulled out over the weekend after Blake reportedly spurned their two-year offer, with an option for 2011, that would have paid Blake $12 million through 2010.
The Dodgers' willingness to guarantee a third year probably was the determining factor in their ability to retain Blake, whom they acquired from the Cleveland Indians on July 26 and who hit .251 with 10 homers and 23 RBI after that trade.
Signing Blake would mean Blake DeWitt, who had a solid rookie season for the Dodgers and was their primary third baseman before Blake was acquired, will move to second base to replace Jeff Kent. That would leave shortstop as the Dodgers' only remaining infield hole, and the club still has hope of re-signing free agent Rafael Furcal.
Furcal is seeking a four-year contract, something Colletti said the Dodgers aren't willing to give him. But Furcal turned down a four-year offer from Oakland, believed to be for $35 million to $40 million, over the weekend. The Dodgers probably won't offer more than two years, presumably because of Furcal's inability to stay healthy over the past couple of seasons and because club officials believe top shortstop prospect Ivan De Jesus Jr. will be ready to take over the position by 2011 if not sooner.
Colletti met with Furcal's representatives on Monday, a fact that in itself was a sign of progress because the Dodgers had all but given up on him.
``(The talks were) cordial, and perhaps there is more to discuss,'' Colletti said. ``As of three weeks ago, I didn't think there was anything to discuss.''
Colletti stopped short of saying he wouldn't give Furcal more than two years.
``It all depends on how it's structured and what it entails,'' Colletti said.

Sabathia update
Colletti cleared up a misunderstanding after it was widely reported that left-hander CC Sabathia, the top free-agent pitcher on this year's market, had told him he wants to pitch for the Dodgers. What Colletti actually said was that Sabathia had made the Dodgers aware, not directly but through conversations with third parties, that he had a desire to pitch for them.
Sabathia's failure to accept a six-year, $140 million offer from the New York Yankees, an offer that has been on the table for about three weeks, seems to indicate that he has no desire to pitch in New York. Sabathia grew up in Vallejo and recently purchased a home in Southern California, facts that might indicate the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are the two clubs with the inside track.
However, the Dodgers are highly unlikely to sign Sabathia until they have a complete infield because given Sabathia's price tag, signing him might deplete the club's financial resources to the point that other needs couldn't be adequately addressed.
Colletti did say Sabathia is enticing enough that the Dodgers would be willing to break from their recent tradition of offering no more than a three-year contract to any pitcher.

Miscellany
Colletti continued to express annoyance at the fact that Manny Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, still hasn't been in communication regarding the free-agent outfielder since the Dodgers made a two-year, $45 million offer. That offer which carries a club option for 2011, was made more than a month ago and later rescinded. But the fact no other club is known to be strongly pursuing Ramirez could be an indication there isn't much of a market for him and that he could eventually fall back into the Dodgers' laps. ...
Colletti said the Dodgers had some interest in free-agent closer Trevor Hoffman, but only if the club doesn't offer a contract to Takashi Saito, who battled elbow problems this season and whose health remains a question. Saito, who will turn 39 in February, made $2 million last season and is eligible for arbitration. But the Dodgers are highly unlikely to go to a hearing with him if he doesn't agree to terms.

The deal is believed to be for three years and about $17 million and could be announced as soon as tonight. Beat writers are meeting with Colletti in his suit in about 90 minutes, so there could be something announced at that time. Stay tuned.

According to this espn.com report, he does. Or at least that is what he reportedly told Ned Colletti in the hotel lobby last night. It is rare for players to attend the winter meetings, but considering this is the marquee free-agent pitcher on this year's market, it is understandable that Sabathia would be here. Anyway, here is the link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3755609

OK, I am told the Dodgers are NOT close to re-signing Casey Blake, but if you listen closely to the words of Ned Colletti when he held court with the media for more than an hour following the Greg Maddux formal retirement announcement today, it sure sounds like Colletti is more hopeful of doing so than he has been in recent weeks, a fact that could have something to do with the Minnesota Twins walking away from negotiations with the veteran 3B last week.
``We were negotiating with Casey all along, and we continue to do so,'' Colletti said. ``I think if we lock Casey up, it will be a huge piece for us. It will give us a third baseman who has character and is team-oriented.''
Could be nothing, but it sounds like something.

Former New York Yankees second baseman Joe Gordon was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame this morning on the Veterans' Committee ballot, but no one else who was on that ballot -- including Dodgers legends Gil Hodges and Maury Wills and current manager Joe Torre, who was on the ballot as a player and is a lock to make it as a manager one day -- got enough votes. Former Cubs 3B Ron Santo, who is becoming the Susan Lucci of Hall of Fame hopefuls, led all post-WWII players with 39 votes, appearing on 60.9 percent of the ballots, but under the current rules, that wasn't enough.

This comes as no surprise to anyone, and it really doesn't mean anything. The Dodgers can continue to negotiate with all three. What it does mean is that if any those players signs elsewhere, the Dodgers will get compensatory draft picks, two each (one first-round, one sandwich) for Ramirez and Lowe and one (sandwich) for Blake. Winter meetings begin in earnest tomorrow. First order of business is tomorrow morning's announcement of the veterans' committee ballot for the Hall of Fame.

Was just informed of this by my buddy LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, who said the Twins have decided to move on to other 3B options. If that's true, and if it's also true that Blake's list had been narrowed to the Twins and Dodgers (and that's what is being widely reported out there), then that would seem to suggest the Dodgers now have a golden opportunity to re-sign this guy and move Blake DeWitt to 2B. The Twins reportedly offered Blake a two-year, $6 million deal with an option for 2011.

According to various reports that have come out in the past hour or so, his agent, Scott Boras, announced the decision earlier today and said that Maddux will formally announce the decision on Monday in Las Vegas, where he lives and where baseball's annual winter meetings are set to begin that day. Can't say it's much of a surprise, given his age (42) and the fact he clearly had declined even though he won 14 games as recently as 2007. But there is no disputing the fact that he is one of the all-time greats, a 355-game winner who will go into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. And of course, he finished his legendary career with the Dodgers, going 2-4 with a 5.09 ERA in seven starts after they acquired him from the Padres on Aug. 19. He pitched out of the bullpen in the playoffs, giving up two unearned runs in four innings.

Just found out there is nothing to the Wilson story, that the Dodgers haven't talked to the Pirates about him in months. Not sure exactly where the Dodgers are going to go shortstop-wise if they don't re-sign Furcal, but if they can add offense at another position, they just might be inclined to give Hu/Abreu/Berroa a shot.

This is the link to an Associated Press story out of Pittsburgh -- the story appears on the USA Today web site, but the byline is that of Alan Robinson, who is the AP guy in Pittsburgh -- stating that the Dodgers are in a hard pursuit of longtime Pirates SS Jack Wilson, a Thousand Oaks High alum who, presumably, would be thrilled to come home. He is a fomer All-Star (2004) and a brilliant defensive shortstop, but he isn't a high-OBP guy or a big basestealing threat. So while he might be a good candidate to replace Rafael Furcal at his position, the Dodgers would probably need someone else to lead off.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-12-04-3260913154_x.htm

This is the link to a Ken Rosenthal story saying the Dodgers and Twins are the frontrunners for Casety Blake and that an agreeement with one of those teams could come as early as this week.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8883076/Agent:-Dodgers,-Twins-leading-in-Blake-pursuit

Here's the official release from the club:

LOS ANGELES - The National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will embark on an inaugural holiday caravan today through Sunday that includes a party for children, visits to hospitals, and a festival to thank season ticket holders.
Today, more than 350 children will visit Dodger Stadium for the club's Children's Holiday party.
Tomorrow, outfielders Matt Kemp and Delwyn Young, pitcher James McDonald, and former Dodger Kenny Landreaux will visit children at City of Hope Hospital, and on Friday, outfielder Andre Ethier will visit Children's Hospital LA. The two hospitals are partners, along with the Dodgers and the McCourt Family, in ThinkCure!, which is engaging Southern California in collaborative research to cure cancer.
After Ethier's visit, he will host 40 pre-selected children for a holiday shopping spree at Best Buy. Ethier donated $2,000 to buy holiday presents for the kids, and Best Buy is matching his contribution.
On Sunday, the Dodgers will thank more than 2,000 season ticket holders at a Dodger Stadium baseball festival, "The Fabulous Fiftieth: A Season to Remember," presented by Coca-Cola.
Current Dodgers expected include Kemp, Ethier, McDonald, Young, and southpaw Clayton Kershaw. Also expected are a host of Dodgers legends including Hall of Famers Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully, plus Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, Steve Yeager, Lee Lacy, Landreaux, "Sweet Lou" Johnson, Jimmy Campanis, Bobby Castillo, and Derrell Thomas.
Season ticket holders are also invited to bring non-perishable food to benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and toys that Marine Reserves will donate to "Toys for Tots."
"It is a privilege to bring joy to children and families at any time, but particularly in the holiday season," said Dodger President Jamie McCourt. "Our players of yesterday and today encourage and inspire children, and they provide moments families will cherish forever."
At Sunday's event, Dreyers ice cream will stock the Dodgers Ice Cream Truck with a thousand ice cream bars. FSN's broadcast team will also be on hand to meet fans.
Today's Dodgers' Children's Holiday Party takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium. Expected are Lasorda, McDonald, Johnson, Castillo, Landreaux, Lacy, Thomas, Yeager, and Rudy Law. The children are from Al Wooten, Jr Heritage Center, Albion Street Elementary School, Ann Street Elementary School, Castelar Elementary School, Central City Action Committee, El Centro Del Pueblo, Elysian Valley United, Bassett Street Elementary School, Lexington Primary Center, Logan Street Elementary School, Solano Avenue Elementary School and Tom Bradley Elementary Magnet School.
Dodger sponsor Carl's Jr. will bring out their Star Diner and provide lunch, Dodger partner Levy Restaurants will provide an icee machine, and Alta Dena dairy will provide milk for the children. Staples will donate bookcases for each school, and the Dodgers Dream Foundation will provide 100 books for each bookcase. The children will also receive gifts.

The Dodgers appear to be at an impasse with representatives for Rafael Furcal. From what I understand, the club is offering a shorter contract at a lower salary than what Furcal is looking for, with a lot of incentives/bonuses based on Furcal's ability to stay in the lineup -- something he wasn't able to do this year -- and stay healthy -- something he wasn't able to do either of the past two seasons. Furcal and his people apparently aren't interested in an incentive-based contract. They want a four-year guarantee at something in the neighborhood of the $13 million average annual value Furcal had on his just-expired contract with the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' reason for not offering Furcal arbitration is fairly simple. Players are guaranteed to take no more than a 20-percent pay cut in arbitration, which means that if Furcal had accepted (something Dodgers officials felt there was at least some chance he would do), he would have been guaranteed at least $10.4 million in 2009 (he made $13 million in 2008). But that 20-percent paycut limit is really kind of a joke, because players ALMOST ALWAYS increase their salary through aribtration no matter what kind of year they had. That means had the Dodgers offered Furcal arbitration and had he accepted, they probably could have expected to pay him AT LEAST $15 million in 2009. And that's on top of the $4 million in deferred money they already have to pay him next month as part of his previous contract. ...

The lunch between Dodgers' and City of Glendale public-relations reps earlier today had been scheduled far in advance and had nothing to do with naming rights, a largely political controversy that will have little impact on the baseball side of things. As one Dodgers official I spoke with rightly pointed out, none of this really means anything other than semantics. Oh, and one thing I said in my previous post apparently is wrong. Camelback Road is NOT the boundary between Glendale and Phoenix, at least not in the part of town where the complex will be. The complex is actually IN Phoenix, but on land OWNED BY the City of Glendale. Got a headache yet? Good thing I still have two months to figure out what dateline to use.

In the last blog entry I posted before going on vacation, I took the Dodgers/White Sox to task for trying to claim credit for coming up with the name Camelback Ranch, which they jointly announced would be the name of their new spring-training complex in Glendale, my rationale being that the name already existed and was sort of a blanket name for the entire area of Glendale/Phoenix (the area falls on either side of the boundary between the two cities, which is Camelback Road) in which the complex is being built. Well, today, I picked up a copy of West Valley View, a small weekly (I think) that shows up in my driveway every few days. On Page 4 of an issue dated today, there is a story stating that the Dodgers/White Sox might have jumped the gun on the announcement.

It includes the following quote from Julie Frisoni, the PR chief for the city of Glendale, whom you have seen quoted in many of my own articles over the past couple of years:

``Basically, we have said it was probably a little premature to announce that. In our agreement with the teams, the city has appproval of naming rights. We are having good conversations and are working on this. We need to ensure Glendale's name is on that facility. The teams have been very amenable to that.''

That is to say, they were amenable right up to the point in which they announced a name for the facility that DIDN'T have Glendale in it. I do know that at least one Dodgers executive had lunch with Frisoni and her staff somewhere in the Phoenix area today, but to say the meeting had anything to do with this naming issue would be pure speculation on my part. Trying to run that down now.

I return to work today following a very refreshing and enjoyable vacation with my daughter to NYC. Doesn't sound like there is much more going on at Chavez Ravine than there was before I left, but the winter meetings begin on Monday in Las Vegas, so things should start heating up soon. ...

The significant thing to take from Monday's news that the Dodgers had offered arbitration to Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake is that if the Dodgers don't re-sign any of them, they are now virtually assured of having six first-round picks in next year's draft (three of the first 30 picks, then three sandwich picks). That's because you can pretty much assume that both Manny and D-Lowe will go to clubs who were among the top 15 in the majors in winning percentage in 2008, because most of the clubs who didn't fit into that category are small-market teams without the resources to go after those players. That means the Dodgers will get a first-round pick and a sandwich pick for EACH of Manny and D-Lowe, and they're guaranteed a sandwich pick for Blake if he signs elsewhere. Add that to the first-round pick the Dodgers already have and, assuming they don't sign any Type-A free agents themselves, they'll get six of the first 50 or so picks (depending on how many sandwich picks there end up being) ...

This is hardly major news -- it isn't even a major-league contract -- but the Dodgers might be on the verge of bringing a long-lost member of the organization back into the fold. The club has offered a minor-league contract to veteran shortstop Juan Castro, who if he accepts would have a strong chance of making the club as a backup infielder. Castro came up in the organization, but never established a foothold and was shuttled back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues so many times between 1995 and 1999 that by the time he was traded to Cincinnati in April 2000, he had accrued enough major-league service time to achieve arbitration eligibility despite a grand total of 432 big-league ABs. He is what he is, a defensively gifted infielder with a lifetime average of .228, but he is a consummate professional and one of the all-time great guys and would be a strong addition to the clubhouse. ...

The Dodgers are expected to announce either late today or early tomorrow that the Cactus League schedule they released last month has been revamped as a result of the White Sox making it official that they will be going to Glendale in 2009. My guess is this means the two teams will play each other a few more times than the already-scheduled four games, since they'll be sharing a complex. At any rate, the schedule that appears on the Dodgers web site RIGHT NOW is apparently inaccurate.