January 22, 2008
Breaking news: Don Mattingly will NOT be the Dodgers' hitting coach
Not in 2008, anyway. Due to an undisclosed family matter he says requires his undivided attention, the heir apparent to possibly take over for Joe Torre as Dodgers manager in 2011 won't even be on the staff this year. He'll move into a role as special assignment scout, which will allow him to stay home in Evansville, Ind., most of the time, although he IS expected to be in spring training. Mike Easler, who had been slated to be the hitting coach for Triple-A Las Vegas for the second year in a row, will now be the major-league hitting coach. This sounds like a temporary thing, with Mattingly possibly moving into the big-league hitting coach's job in 2009, but I haven't talked to anyone in the organization so far except for Josh Rawitch, who is letting everyone know about the development. More info as the day goes along, hopefully.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 1:11 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2008
Proctor signs
Scott Proctor agreed on a one-year, $1.115 million contract this morning, avoiding arbitration. The figure they settled on was exactly the halfway point between the numbers the two sides exchanged on Friday, when Proctor filed at $1.3 million and the club filed at $930,000. Proctor more than doubled his 2007 salary of $445,923. That leaves Joe Beimel, for the second year in a row, as the Dodgers' only pending arbitration case. He filed at $2.15 million, the club at $1.7 million. Beimel's agent, Joe Sroba, said Friday that he has to be prepared to go to a hearing just as he did on Beimel's behalf last winter. But if Beimel settles at the midpoint, he'll get $1.925 million. That's still a raise of more than $1 million from last year's $912,500, so it's hard to imagine this will get to a hearing.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Arbitration numbers
Joe Beimel filed at $2.15 million, with the club coming in at $1.7 million. Scott Proctor filed at $1.3 million, the club $930,000. At first glance, these look like fairly manageable gaps to me, so I'm guessing both players will eventually agree to terms and avoid going to hearings. Beimel went to a hearing last year and lost, getting the club's figure of $912,500. He's a five-plus, meaning he'll be eligible for free agency next winter unless he agrees to a multi-year deal. Proctor is a three-plus, meaning he is eligible for arbitration for the first time and the club controls him through 2010. Hearings will take place Feb. 1-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 1:07 PM | Comments (0)