Arizona Fall League assignments announced; Dodgers affiliated with Glendale Desert Dogs.

The Arizona Fall League coach and team assignments were announced Tuesday, and the Dodgers will affiliate with the Glendale Desert Dogs, which will play its home games out of Camelback Ranch.

The Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins will also assign players to the Desert Dogs, which will be managed by Jeff Smith. Johnny Washington, the hitting coach at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, will be the team’s hitting coach.

The season begins October 8.

Daily Distractions: Dodgers reportedly sign Brian Wilson to minor-league contract.

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson has appeared in two major-league games since the end of the 2011 season. (Getty Images)


According to multiple reports this morning, the Dodgers have signed former San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson to a minor-league contract.

Wilson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2012, tried out for the New York Mets in January but was unimpressive. Pitchers who undergo Tommy John surgery typically need 12 to 18 months to fully recover, sometimes more, so it stands to reason that Wilson has improved considerably in the last six months. He tried out recently with representatives from several teams in attendance; conveniently for the Dodgers, Wilson lives in Southern California.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was the Giants’ assistant general manager in 2003, when San Francisco took Wilson in the 23rd round of the June draft. Evidently Wilson bore some resemblance to his pre-Tommy John self at the recent tryout, beard and all.

As we reasoned yesterday, the Dodgers don’t really need to add a player with the non-waiver trade deadline about 24 hours away. They still might make a trade. But signing a pitcher who’s appeared in two games since the end of 2011 — to a minor-league deal, no less — isn’t the kind of impact move that contenders gear up for at the trade deadline, regardless of his reputation or facial hair. Wilson’s resumé includes more saves from 2008 to 2011 (163) than any pitcher in baseball.

Rather it’s a move that signals the Dodgers are looking ahead to the postseason. Wilson has 10 games of postseason experience, all with the Giants during their 2010 World Series run. That year, he saved six games in seven opportunities. Wilson would still have to be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster between now and October but, as was the case with Carlos Marmol, it makes sense for a contending team to stockpile former closers as Plans A, B and C should Kenley Jansen falter, or fall victim to illness (like last year) or injury.

The Dodgers have that luxury with Brandon League, Marmol and now Wilson.

Onto some bullet points:
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Daily Distractions: Maybe the Dodgers don’t need to make any trades.

Dodgers Red Sox trade

Last year it was Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto. Who will be on a plane to Los Angeles this year?

OK. Time for some numbers.

In July, the Dodgers’ pitching staff has been among the best in the National League in terms of ERA, fielding-independnt pitching (FIP) and batting average against, and they’re getting more run support.

Throw in their MLB-best 18-5 record this month, and the Dodgers look like baseball’s least likely team to acquire a major-league player at the trade deadline. There aren’t any bombshells on the horizon this year, unlike a year ago, when Dodger Stadium was hailing firebombs full of big-name acquisitions.

There is usually room for at least a minor upgrade, of course, and general manager Ned Colletti has mentioned the bullpen as a possible area for improvement. While Carlos Marmol has underwhelmed since becoming a Dodger, number-five starter Stephen Fife can return from his rehab assignment this weekend (his turn comes around Saturday), meaning incumbent number-five starter Chris Capuano could go to the bullpen as a long reliever. That could be the upgrade Colletti aims for.

The Atlanta Braves took one veteran reliever off the market Monday morning, acquiring Scott Downs from the Angels. Other contenders are in the market for relievers too, teams that are probably more hungry for relief pitching than the Dodgers.

For now, at least. Like last year, the horizon is farther away than it looks. The Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett/Nick Punto trade didn’t go down until August 25 of last year. Joe Blanton became a Dodger on August 3.

Inevitably, some deals are being discussed right now that will fizzle, some will go down before 1 p.m. Wednesday, and others won’t be consummated until August. So we won’t really know what team the Dodgers are taking into September until September, though it will probably look a lot like this one.

Some bullet points for a Global Tiger Day:
Continue reading “Daily Distractions: Maybe the Dodgers don’t need to make any trades.” »

Dodgers spoil Shin-Soo Choo’s moment in the spotlight — twice.

Shin-Soo Choo has attracted a lot of attention since his Cincinnati Reds landed in Los Angeles. He and Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu are the only two Korean-born players active in the major leagues, and tomorrow’s game with Ryu starting has been a focal point of the Korean-language media the past two days.

Shin-Soo  Choo

Korean-born Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo had a larger press conference Thursday than perhaps any visiting players at Dodger Stadium this year. (J.P. Hoornstra on Instagram)


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Skip Schumaker discusses Ryan Braun and Mark McGwire.

Ryan Braun

Dodgers utilityman Skip Schumaker believes Ryan Braun should be suspended from Major League Baseball for life. (Getty Images)

Dodgers utilityman Skip Schumaker was among the most outspoken players on the topic of Ryan Braun‘s recent suspension. Here’s what he said:

“Watching him talk right now makes me sick,” Schumaker said. “I can’t stand it. It needs to be eliminated from the game. I have an autographed Braun jersey in my baseball room that I’ll be taking down. I don’t want my son identifying what I’ve worked so hard to get to and work so hard to have, I don’t want him comparing Braun to me.

“In my opinion, he should be suspended — lifetime ban. One strike, you’re out. It’s enough. It’s ridiculous,” Schumaker added. “He lied to a lot of people. I was convinced, after that MVP, that he didn’t do it.”

Continue reading “Skip Schumaker discusses Ryan Braun and Mark McGwire.” »