NEWS/RUMORS/INJURIES/"CHRIS's CRAZY THOUGHTS" Thread

:argue:

 

dodgers nation, on romo

2015 Offseason Free Agent Profile: Sergio Romo
by Vincent Samperio | Dodgers Nation -- November 24, 2014



With a completely new front office, the Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to make a splash in free agency this winter and truth be told, they might not.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers won’t be looking for free agents to fill holes on the roster. We take a look at some of those potential names that could find themselves in Los Angeles next year.

Today, we examine a right-handed relief pitcher that has been a thorn in their side with the San Francisco Giants for the past few years.

Sergio Romo

Sergio Romo lost his job as the closer in 2014, but he recovered to have a strong finish to the season and in the postseason. He finished with a 3.72 ERA in 58 innings over 64 appearances.

Why The Dodgers SHOULD Sign Him

It’s no secret that the Dodger bullpen was a huge reason they were unable to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. While Clayton Kershaw took the losses, it was because there was no consistent arm ready to take over in the seventh inning. Romo would give the team another former closer, but one with a better track record over the past few years. He would project as a late-inning guy that is used to the pressure and is able to come in to get outs. He would instantly become the third-best reliever on the roster.

Despite his higher than usual ERA, Romo’s 2014 campaign was a tale of two halves. In the second half of the season, he had a 1.80 ERA in 24 games and solidified the bridge to closer Santiago Casillas. In seven innings in the playoffs, the right-hander allowed just one run and helped the Giants win the World Series. Overall, he has a 2.11 ERA in the postseason in his career. He’s been in the pressure before and has done well.

Despite being a one-trick pony, Romo’s one trick is better than most. His slider continues to get outs. In 2014, batters hit just .189 against his slider. The former All-Star threw the pitch almost twice as much as his fastball and more than all his other pitches combined. In his career, he’s been even better with this slider, holding opponents to just a .160 batting average. It’s an effective and proven pitch.

Why The Dodgers SHOULD NOT Sign Him

Besides the fact that many fans have grown to hate Romo, there are a few other reasons the Dodgers should be weary of signing him. Although he finished the season strong, Romo allowed nine home runs in 2014. In the two seasons prior, he allowed 10 home runs combined. Also, despite his BABIP being lower than the year before, Romo’s allowed more runs than the year before. His walk rate also went up and his rate of stranding runners went down. It could just be a blip on the radar, or it could be a sign of more to come.

Romo hasn’t publicly said anything about his role, but it would be likely that he wants to remain a closer if he leaves San Francisco. Closers make more money and get more of the glory, something Romo should want. The Dodgers don’t have a need for a closer, meaning they would likely have to overpay in order to sign him, much like they did with Brian Wilson last winter. Paying relievers a lot of money has not worked out well in the past, starting with Wilson among others throughout the league.

Potential Contract/ Chances Of Landing In LA

Romo is in the second tier of available relievers because of his demotion from closer. Thus far, only Zach Duke has signed a significant reliever deal getting $15 million over three years. Romo could get a two or three-year deal worth about $3-4 million annually.

The Giants will likely try to re-sign Romo at a discount, but depending on the market, Romo could command better money elsewhere. It appears the Dodgers will not go for any big names in free agency, leaving Romo off their radar. The chances we see Romo in Los Angeles sit around 10% at the moment.​

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Jon Lester Rumors: Tuesday
By Jeff Todd [November 25, 2014 at 2:56pm CST]

Yesterday, we took a look at some news and rumors on free agent Jon Lester and the connection of his market to the trade market for Cole Hamels. As things continue to develop for Lester, here’s the latest …

• The Cubs have made Lester an offer of over $135MM and are willing to go to six years on a deal, according to a report from David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com (audio and written version).

• Kaplan also reports that the Giants‘ interest in Lester is real and significant. The lefty is scheduled for a visit to San Francisco next week, per ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (Twitter links).

• Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, that he is “confident that we’re making every attempt internally here and the hope would be to get [Lester] back here.” But things could still take some time to shake out, with Farrell adding that he expects to “get a better read on that in the coming weeks.”

• Meanwhile, the Dodgers front office is preparing to make a large offer... on a Black Friday Groupon deal for iPads. "Those things are awesome! You can play Angry Birds and still download saber porn to jerk off to," said Dodgers' president of something Andrew Friedman.

 

silly you

 

Dodgers seek short-term solution at shortstop
Hanley's departure likely means defensive upgrade as club waits for Seager
by Ken Gurnick | MLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- It's not clear who will play shortstop for the Dodgers in 2015, but for the past year it was clear it wouldn't be Hanley Ramirez.

Two Dodgers management teams could have re-signed him and didn't, agreeing that he sought (and ultimately received) a contract incompatible with his brittle body (which missed one-third of the team's games played over the last two seasons) and faulty defense at a critical position.

The Dodgers danced delicately with Ramirez during the 2014 season, encouraging him to earn a multi-year deal by proving his worth and dangling the carrot of a contract if he did. As the season wore on and no extension came, the enigmatic Ramirez didn't hide his disappointment. But he couldn't stay healthy, either.

Now that Ramirez has cashed in ($88 million for four years) by returning to Boston, the Dodgers get a compensation Draft pick between the first and second rounds because they made him a qualifying offer.

On offense, the Dodgers have lost a threatening right-handed bat, but undoubtedly gained a defensive upgrade at shortstop. As evidence, Ramirez was introduced Tuesday as Boston's new left fielder.

With an outfielder still needing to be dealt and the Winter Meetings less than two weeks away, the Dodgers will try to add a shortstop, short term. Corey Seager, the 20-year-old can't-miss prospect, is close but not yet ready.

The internal depth chart shows Justin Turner, a utility man coming off the best offensive season of his career; Miguel Rojas, a journeyman Minor Leaguer who made the club as Ramirez's defensive replacement in late innings; and Erisbel Arruebarrena, a Cuban signed for $25 million with a flashy glove but uncertain bat.

External options are limited, if not scarce. Top names on the thin free-agent market are Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew and Jed Lowrie, while rumored trade targets include Alexei Ramirez and Jimmy Rollins.

Whomever the Dodgers acquire, he won't come with Ramirez's bat. But management is prepared to offset the lost run production with a run savings differential through improved defense.

Whatever that equation lacks in sexiness is balanced by the fact it should thrill the club's elite starting rotation that there is a stronger defense behind them. In theory, emphasizing infield defense with fewer runs allowed would take some pressure off a Ramirez-less offense to score runs.

The ultimate decision will be framed by management's projection of Seager's arrival date. The top position prospect in the organization, Seager remains at shortstop, although many scouts believe at 6-foot-4 he's already outgrown the position and will end up like smaller brother Kyle at third base.

Andrew Friedman disagrees. He and the club's new management team watched many of Seager's games in the just-concluded Arizona Fall League and came away believing that Seager should remain at shortstop.

"I'm convinced that I would not move him off shortstop right now -- his hands work really well, and we have a number of guys who think he has a real chance to stick there," Friedman said earlier this month. "The few number of games we got to see him, he had a number of different chances and completed plays from all different angles. ... It's a difficult thing to project but we're going to give him every chance; it's of significant value if he can play there. The little I've gotten to know him, I would not bet against him."

Friedman also called Seager an "incredibly impressive prospect" who's "got a maturity about him," but wouldn't hint at an arrival date.

 

so awesome to have someone truly on the inside
on mlb network last night, richard justice gave virtually the exact same estimate... three weeks after chris
so thanks chris...

now what else you got for us bkitch? :rubhands:

 

agreed
hamels at a fair price would be one thing
but there's no way amaro will ask for anything less than, well, everything (in return)
and rightly so, he's in a position of leverage with hamels

as for rollins
he would be a nice stop-gap given our alternatives
rojas sucks, arru/guerrero are still unproven, and unrealistic to expect another great year from turner :laports96:
that said, i'd still be wary dealing with amaro
that swarthy little ckunt always tries to fuck us over, so caveat emptor