REPKO!

I believe his one-year deal has incentive clauses for leaping tall buildings in a single bound and for refining next season's flu vaccine. 

BK

Dodgers release Andruw Jones, and other happy items

It's hard for me to slag Ned Colletti too much for the logic behind the Andruw Jones signing -- I thought it was a good idea at the time too -- but I think at this point we can all agree it didn't work out, right?  In the way that a trip to Camp Crystal Lake didn't work out, or the Hindenburg didn't work out ... in large part because Jones himself literally didn't work out.  Well, it was a messy mistake, but as expected the Dodgers have been able to extricate themselves from it (somewhat), with official word coming down that Jones has been released.  He'll get the rest of the $22 mil owed to him by the Blue over the next six years. 

That's quite a severance.

But the Dodgers deserve some credit for not trying to bleed the rock, recognizing that the situation was an expensive failure, and cutting the cord. 

In other news, the LAT's Bill Shaikin reports that the Dodgers and Russell Martin are quietly talking extension (using their inside voices).  If the team could wrap up the arbitration eligible backstop, it might go a long way toward soothing the concerns of many Dodger fans, who worry not only about the present but securing the team's future as well. 

Ramon Troncoso ... starting pitcher?

BK

The "Hey, what about that guy?" Guy of the Day

With the appealing rotation toppers off the market, perhaps it's time to concentrate on the other end.  And with that in mind, I present:

Braden Looper. Former reliever, now a decent enough (read: average to a little above) starter who threw 199 innings last season for St. Louis and could probably be had for a reasonable price.  Positives include: Better trends in his second year as a starter than his first (lower ERA, better K/BB ratio), 14 starts of seven or more innings in '08 including nine after the all-star break, a tendency not to singlehandedly lose games for his team (an appealing quality for a back-of-the-rotation guy), a VORP (24.6) that exceeds higher-profile names like Javier Vasquez, Justin Verlander, Brett Myers and Oliver Perez, and a funny name.  Negatives: Homer prone (tied for team lead in HR allowed last season), allowed 33 more hits in only 24 more innings from '07 to '08, tends not to singlehandedly win a lot of games for his team, and if memory serves, a really big head.  Literally.  Could be a problem for the equipment guys.

Put the package together and I'm sold.  He won't excite a lot of folks or provide a great postseason presence (should the need arise), but Looper would be better than the average fourth or fifth starter L.A. would be seeing across the league, and likely better than most alternatives when effectiveness and innings load are factored in.  That's worth a couple wins, I think.

BK

Derek Lowe to Atlanta

Nothing's been officially confirmed with a formal announcement, but word around the campfire has free agent Derek Lowe settling in Hotlanta as his next destination.  Reportedly, he'll be locked in through 2012 and compensated to the tune of 15 mil per.   Bobby Cox loved the "kid" after a meeting.  That's easy to believe, since Dodger fans generally loved them some D.Lowe.  Sir Sinkerball was among the more consistent Dodger hurlers during his time in L.A., and definitely the team's most durable (basically a lock for 200 innings).  What was also impressive about Lowe was a consistent habit of getting better as the season chugged along, whether last season, in 2006 or in 2005.

Really, about the only thing Dodger fans might not like about Lowe was his disinclination to appear excited about staying in L.A.  Yes, there was a statement about loving it in L.A. and an offer never coming from Team Colletti, but that feels rather after-the-fact, considering how many previous times he declined to express interest in returning.  The folks I've talked to, whether fellow writers or people with the organization (as recently as last Friday) also read his desire for a Blue follow-up as somewhere between lukewarm and nonexistent.  That's the explanation I'm buying, for what it's worth.

Guillermo Mota, Part Deux

When last we saw lanky right-handed reliever Guillermo Mota in a Dodgers uniform, he was mowing down hitters with regularity as L.A.'s set-up guy.  ERA's right around 2.00, low BAAs, and so on and so forth.  Then Mota was shipped away, part of the blockbuster deal in '04 -- known locally as The Trade That Proved Paul DePodesta Was an Unfeeling Computer Geek and Made Him Dead Here -- that also sent Paul LoDuca and Juan Encarnacion to Florida in exchange for Brad Penny, Hee Sop Choi and Bill Murphy. 

Well, for those who still feel damaged from that trade (I was one of the only people I know who defended it at the time, if you're curious), today there can be some healing because Mota is back in Dodger Blue.  He agreed to a one-year deal that should be finalized today, pending a physical. The hope is that a homecoming of sorts will benefit all involved. The Dodgers are thin in the pen and need reinforcements, while Mota, who hasn't been the same guy since leaving L.A., needs a little shot in the arm, career-wise.  (Could be a poor choice of words for a guy who was suspended 50 games for performance enhancers in 2006.)  Given Cory Wade's emergence last season, I doubt Mota will be slotted for the eighth inning anymore, but he can still be a handy fellow to have around.

The move helps but doesn't solve L.A.'s pen questions heading into the season.  Often, the construction of a quality relief corps is a matter of assembling quantity and seeing what sticks.  Still plenty of time to finish that process.

BK

(photo: John Soo Hoo, Dodgers)

Dodger Stadium branding opportunities?

A while back, the Blue brass announced that while Dodger Stadium itself isn't in danger of becoming the new Starbucks Ravine, there could be oodles of opportunities to rename just about every inch of individual space inside the building.  The great Sons of Steve Garvey blog offers a few suggestions.  I particularly liked the Trader Joe's take -- seriously, I love their food and prices but remain flabbergasted at the franchise's ability to turn any parking lot into a Pacman maze -- and the spin on Andre Ethier (as someone who's bitched endlessly about him being undervalued).

Any other natural section/product pairings come to mind?

AK

Vin Scully named top sportscaster of all time

It's not just Dodgers fans thinking Vin's the best.  The American Sportscasters Assn. got together and formally named the Blue icon the greatest to ever sit behind a microphone.  It's hard to take much umbrage with that decision.  It's easy, however, to realize how incredible Dodger fans have had it with Scully calling their games for the last 60 years.  Throw in the glory years with Chick Hearn and Bob Miller and Los Angeles is one very blessed town, broadcastically speaking. 

Unfortunately, I do come bearing some bad news.  I know this will break most of our readers' hearts, but Joe Morgan wasn't Vin's runner up.  Try to remain strong, Blue Notes community.

The news release from the Dodgers is below the jump.

AK

Saito to Boston: We'll always have toe socks

This summer, when I hit the diamond in my men's baseball league wearing the pair of toe socks given to me by Takashi Saito, it'll be with a heavy heart.  Why?  Because the guy is now officially in Boston.  The Red Sox signed L.A.'s former closer to a one-year deal with a club option for a second.  Since that Jonathan Papelbon guy is pretty good, Saito's days as a closer seem over. But I wish him well, and hope he continues what has been a surprisingly successful major league career. 

Is it gross to use a sock to wipe away a tear?

BK

Questions for a Saturday morning

Just a few Q's kicking around in the ol' noggin':

As Buster Olney points out, there are a lot of names left on the free-agent rolls as the new year gets into gear.  Not all are appealing, but many are.  There's still plenty of time to build a better mousetrap at Chavez Ravine for the '09 season.  That said, in no particular order:

• Are the Dodgers better off now than they were at the end of last season anywhere on the diamond?  Lineup?  Bullpen?  Starting rotation? 
• Do you worry at all that when the Manny Sweepstakes are all said and done, if Ramirez doesn't get the contract he wants that he'll be mopey, instantly looking for his next deal?
• While the Giants have improved, every other team in the division has regressed.  Does 86 wins get it done in the West next season?
• If that's the case, should the Dodgers be trying to build a team that can win 95? 
• Is the biggest need in the rotation or starting lineup?  I'm worried the former will be tougher to fill.
• Are you comfortable with Jonathan Broxton in the ninth?
• Is there a point where the Dodgers should "spend" some of the capital they've built up in young players?
• If Manny signs in L.A. for a reasonable deal, will fans call Ned Colletti and the McCourts smart or lucky? 
• On the economy and priorities, are you holding off to see the results of this winter before making ticket purchases for the spring? 

BK

Trevor Hoffman now a Brewer

ESPN's Buster Olney says "Hells Bells" will be ringing in Milwaukee for at least one season.  The deal has been confirmed by Trevor Hoffman's agent, according to MLB.com.  The competing offers had been previously described as more or less the same, so perhaps Hoffman just has a craving for some brat.  If that's the criteria, hard to compete with Laverne and Shirley's homeland.

So where does that leave the Dodgers?  Likely with Jonathon Broxton still closing and even fewer names of note to pursue outside of one Manuel Aristides Ramirez, whom Bill Plaschke feels is being played like a fiddle in the hands of a virtuoso like Johnny.  Although let's be honest.  The devil may be despicable, but he plays a much better fiddle.

By the way, check out this version from "The Muppet Show."  Awesome.

AK