Dodgers in on Halladay and Relievers
Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White and special assistant Vance Lovelace scouted Toronto starter Roy Halladay’s victory over Boston Sunday. The need for Halladay is clear in a rotation that lacks a clear ace and the club has enough prospects that it probably could put an enticing package together. The biggest obstacle is whether ownership is willing to take on the salary Halladay will command when all the negotiating over no-trade clauses and contract extensions is done. The team payroll dropped by $30 million this year, even with the money (some deferred) committed to Manny Ramirez. The Ramirez exception aside, this is a franchise committed to developing from within and controlling costs. Depleting the farm system and adding payroll for one player, even a Cy Young winner, runs completely counter to that. Especially with the horrible history the Dodgers have had with their highest-paid players over the last 20 years.
And there’s still the issue of acquiring bullpen help, which management considers at least equally important. The Dodgers might make that easier by sweeping the Reds this week and turning that club into a seller, because it has three relievers the Dodgers are watching — Francisco Cordero, David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes. Among the other veterans they are scouting is Baltimore’s George Sherrill. — Ken Gurnick
Trade Talk 
This series is big for the Reds, not just because they haven’t won in LA in 2 years. A strong showing on the coast and in Chicago over the weekend, and the (hopefully) bullpen isn’t going anywhere!Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com
Frank McCourt needs to stop beign cheap and put together a world series team. With Halladay, Codero and Sherrill we are to win the world series. Also, with Halladay he will improve our pitching staff just the way Maddux did, Billingsley will learn from halladay because Billingsley needs help at this poin. The dodgers need Halladay, McCourt needs to stop beign cheap and put together a championship team.
Dude i totally get what your saying. Frank McCourt needs to stop being cheap and actually get us to the top unlike last year where we fell short to the Phillies because we lacked in pitching. So Bringing in Halladay, Cordero and Sherrill from the reds and the orioles our pitching would be set for a while. Halladay, Billingsley, Kershaw, Wolf, Kuroda, Schmidt, Weaver, Vargas, Mota, Kuo(if healthy), Cordero, Sherill, and Broxton. 2009 World Series Champions, The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Its not about McCourt being cheap and not getting Halladay. Its going to take a lot of trade chips to get Halladay and that wont happen without giving up Bills or Kershaw. Some of you guys live in a fantasy land and act like a team can just say OK we want Halladay and it will happen. The Dodgers had a great off-season signing the best 2bagger(Hudson) SS (Furcal) 3b(Blake) and OF(Manny) and yet some of you still say McCourt doesnt wanna win? Unreal.
I’m all for getting Halladay but this guy is right we will be giving up our future just to get Halladay. What they need to get is an American League relief picther so that he can dominate the opposition on the fact that they don’t know his stuff. All i know is that Kershawor any other pitcher that will be good for the long run shouldn’t be given up for Halladay
Problem picking up Halladay is what do we have to give up?
If its multiple minor league futures, then go for it. If it is Ethier and Kershaw…..to hell with it. Halladay is one year guarantee only. I doubt McCourt will pay to keep him long term. Paying big bucks for pitchers hasn’t paid off for many teams and Dodgers shouldn’t be doing it now. I’d be happy with Sherrill, or Cordero in the Pen. Maybe Washburn or someone similar to fill the 5th spot in the rotation.
I agree, the question is Halladay at what cost, Kerhsaw no way he’s just coming in to his own, but it may cost us Bills and some prospects. It may sound nuts to give up Bills and not Kershaw but I think Kershaw has more talent than Bills and Kershaw I believe will Go farther and yes Halladay is worth the cost. He may not guarantee a W.S. win but he all but assures whoever gets him of going to the W.S. For a major market team to have 83mil. in salary and complain proves we have a cheap owner. All the off season trades last year included the other team keeping large amounts of salary or getting players at rock bottom prices. McCourt is a skinflint, everyone in baseball knows it, it’s no secret. That’s why the guy is leveraged to the hilt still just from buying the Dodgers, he should have never been allowed to buy the team.
You do live in fantasy land. Sorry for the reality check but MLB baseball is as much a business as it is a sport league. Players and their agents try to get as much salary and bonus as they are able to. Owners try to pay the least amount as possible to sign on players. Owning a baseball team is a balance of making good business decisions. solidifying the brand, selling, and building a good team. Every business has a budget (except NY apparently) and a successful owner has to work with scarce resources even in a major market. You see the off season acquisitions as being “cheap”. If the Dodgers had paid more that would make him a better owner and then he would be less of a “skinflint”? Brilliant analysis.
Talk about living in a fantasy land. McCourt is still leveraged to his eyeballs from the purchase of the Dodgers, that whole deal was done almost entirely with multiple loans from various sources because he could not come up with it all in one place or one loan. When a ball club is paying back that kind of not so long term interest, it doesn’t leave much for payroll, unless the boss dips in his pocket and gets rid of debt himself if he can. If McCourt is such a great owner than why is he so scared to sign anyone worth signing to a contract longer than 2 years, just because he got burned by Jones and Schmidt. Welcome to the big leagues Mr. McCourt s–t happens, players get hurt, people let you down, that is no reason not to sign great players to good contracts. His actions not his words over the last season and a half are practically the definition of a “skinflint”.
Colletti is too smart to give up too much. And, what is this talk about improving the bull pen all about? The LAD bullpen is the best in the majors right now, WHAAAT?
And quit knocking McCourt. No one can BUY a championship.
I do not know if I would like to see any trade all!
I think that the dodgers should check out Shmidts next start before the make a move for a 5th starter. Better to see Sherill in La than bills or kershaw leaves. i dont think that one player can make us to win a WS. as we saw that the dodgers were plaing very good even Many being out .
if dodgers are willing to keep Doc for a long term i would say go for it but i dont think he will be here after 2010
[ MY OPINION] I am a die hard Dodger fan. But i am not feling too good about these 3 games we lost in a row. Everything is ok,but our pitching. Every good team has a one -two punch.We dont. We have Kershaw as # 2 and the rest are fours and fives. We need to bring in the guy everybody wants. This is our year. We have everything else from the owner to the bat boy. Bring in Halladay, Kershaw, Billingsley,kuroda. That would be the shot in the arm we all need. Thats my opinion.
[ MY OPINION] I am a die hard Dodger fan. But i am not feling too good about these 3 games we lost in a row. Everything is ok,but our pitching. Every good team has a one -two punch.We dont. We have Kershaw as # 2 and the rest are fours and fives. We need to bring in the guy everybody wants. This is our year. We have everything else from the owner to the bat boy. Bring in Halladay, Kershaw, Billingsley,kuroda. That would be the shot in the arm we all need. Thats my opinion.
I think it was a brilliant move from the Dodgers side to scout Toronto starter Roy Halladay?s victory. After all, this really makes the situation clearer and vivid that the club is going to put an enticing package altogether in regard of its high prospects. The only thing that I see here as a major obstacle is the fact that the ownership could take the will command of the salary Halladay! Well, let us find out!
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