Angels, Dodgers Discussed Trade For Kendrick In July By Mark Polishuk [August 19 at 9:21pm CST] The Angels and Dodgers "held extensive trade discussions" about a possible deal that would've sent Howie Kendrick from Angel Stadium to Chavez Ravine, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports. Negotiations went on right up until the July 31 deadline, a source tells Rosenthal, and Zach Lee would've been part of the package that went back to the Angels in return. It isn't clear which team backed away from the deal. Kendrick also drew attention from the Blue Jays and Royals before the deadline as the Angels openly shopped a number of pieces on their roster in an attempt to gauge their trade value and obtain young, MLB-ready pitching. (Alberto Callaspo and Scott Downs ended up being the only notable Angels moved in July.) ESPN's Jayson Stark reported on July 30 that the Angels and Dodgers had discussed Kendrick, but there was no indication that a deal was close. Kendrick has a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block trades to 12 teams, but Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers aren't one of them. Rosenthal says the Halos are likelier to deal Kendrick than they are Erick Aybar since they think it's easier to find a replacement at second base than at shortstop. Indeed, Anaheim may already have an in-house second base option in Grant Green. The Dodgers' pursuit of Kendrick could be a sign, Rosenthal notes, that the team is looking for second base options besides Robinson Cano. It has been widely speculated that the Dodgers would be one of the very few teams that could meet Cano's salary demands in free agency but we heard earlier today that L.A. might not pursue Cano (or any major free agents) this offseason. Kendrick, 30, has hit .301/.341/.437 with 11 homers in 451 PA, though hasn't played since August 5 due to a sprained left knee. He is owed $18.85MM over the 2014-15 seasons, the last two years of his current four-year contract. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Kendrick's limited no-trade protection drops to just six blocked teams in 2014, so the Halos could have a wider array of trade partners in the new year. Lee, the 28th overall pick of the 2010 draft, was ranked by MLB.com as the sport's 78th-best prospect prior to the 2013 season. The right-hander has a 3.19 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 3.9 K/BB ratio in 26 games (23 of them starts) at Double-A this season. Lee's name has popped up in a few trade rumors in recent years, perhaps most notably in a rumored deal for Matt Garza in July 2012. .
Dodgers Don't Intend To Pursue Robinson Cano By Steve Adams [August 19 at 9:05pm CST] Robinson Cano is expected to sign the largest contract of the offseason, but it doesn't sound like the Dodgers will be a major factor in those dicusssions. USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Dodgers have privately stated they don't intend to pursue Cano or bid on any other high-priced free agents this offseason. Many have expected the Dodgers to be one of the biggest players for Cano's services this winter based on the way they've spent since new ownership took over the club in 2012. The Dodgers took on the contracts of Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett (and, to a lesser extent, Nick Punto) in blockbuster trades last summer. Then, in the offseason, they shelled out $147MM for Zack Greinke, $42MM for Yasiel Puig, $36MM for Hyun-Jin Ryu and $22.5MM for Brandon League. And that's to say nothing of the $6MM obligation they took on in acquriing Ricky Nolasco last month or the $85MM extension given to Andre Ethier last Spring. Last month, Dodgers president Stan Kasten said the club was comfortable guaranteeing salaries through age 36, which could present a problem in pursuing the soon-to-be-31-year-old Cano, as a six-year offer would be shorter than the contract he appears likely to sign. Cano, unsurprisingly, occupies the No. 1 spot on Tim Dierkes' Free Agent Power Rankings -- a claim to which he has laid stake all season. .
Any player and just because I believe that doesn't mean I believe Kerhsaw will turn out to be a bad deal.
to be fair not like there's a lot available and/or fits our needs other than cano starters: ck/greinke/ryu/billingsley/nolasco is set pen: same; re-sign howell, maybe go after gregg again 3B: fine with re-signing uribe for 1 year 2B: same with mark (we actually hold a $5.75MM option) imo, if we acquire any upper-echelon/marquee players for it will be via trade __
Nolasco is not set, he's a FA to be. I'd like to keep him but it's not set that we will. Also, I'd bet money we don't go into 2014 with both Mark and Juan, it'd be playing with fire IMO.
Completely out of LF, no base to this, just curiosity.... Would you trade Crawford, Lee & Reed or another like prospect for Jayson Werth?
Nope, that's assuming Werth is a sure bet upgrade in his 35-39 seasons than in Carls lower 30s seasons which I see as extremely risky, even given Carl's just as risky body
We should learn from the Giants mistakes. Find the best and healthiest fits instead of getting the band back together. I know they won 2/3 but I don't think it was indicative of how they managed each team the following year in each situation.
This blew me away.... Since July 8th Clayton Kershaw has a 1.56 ERA and Zack Greinke has 1.41 ERA. Wow.........just wow.