In: A.J. Ellis and Mitch Jones
Out: Blake DeWitt (again) and Jamie Hoffmann
The reason? The Dodgers want DeWitt and Hoffmann to play everyday as they continue their development in Triple-A Albuquerque.
Ellis is supposed to be there until the eventual return of Eric Stults, who might be back from the DL this Sunday. That's already happened to Ellis once this year, as he was up temporarily before Hiroki Kuroda was back from the injured list.
The story for Jones is a good one, as he's a 31-year-old journeyman with no big league experience. He was promoted by the Yankees under Joe Torre in 2006, but never entered the game. In fact, he didn't even get to take batting practice, as it was rained out that day. With plenty of doubt whether he'd ever make it back or not, it finally happened.
He entered Tuesday night's game against the A's as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, but struck out. Oh well. With 21 home runs for Albuquerque this season, maybe he'll get a long ball soon.
Showing posts with label Hoffman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hoffman. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hoffman goes with the Brewers
In the race between the Dodgers and Brewers for the services of Trevor Hoffman, it was Milwaukee that came away winners.
Hoffman agreed to a 1-year deal worth $6 million with incentives worth up to $1.5 million. He technically has to pass his physical first before the signing is official, but I would guess that's just a formality.
As I originally said a few days ago, the Brewers looked to be the favorites from the start. Hoffman was refusing to do anything but close, and that's what the Brew Crew desperately need. In LA, he could have been the closer with Jonathan Broxton the setup man, but maybe he wasn't convinced that he'd be the full time closer with Broxton around. And for that, I can't blame him.
So now the Dodgers have Hong Chih-Kuo, Cory Wade, and Broxton at the back end of their bullpen, and that looks pretty good. They still can sign a guy like Dennys Reyes or Juan Cruz to get even better.
By the way, if you're feeling down about missing out on Hoffman, here's a funny blog post written by ESPN's Eric Karabell talking about how lousy he might be in Milwaukee.
Hoffman agreed to a 1-year deal worth $6 million with incentives worth up to $1.5 million. He technically has to pass his physical first before the signing is official, but I would guess that's just a formality.
As I originally said a few days ago, the Brewers looked to be the favorites from the start. Hoffman was refusing to do anything but close, and that's what the Brew Crew desperately need. In LA, he could have been the closer with Jonathan Broxton the setup man, but maybe he wasn't convinced that he'd be the full time closer with Broxton around. And for that, I can't blame him.
So now the Dodgers have Hong Chih-Kuo, Cory Wade, and Broxton at the back end of their bullpen, and that looks pretty good. They still can sign a guy like Dennys Reyes or Juan Cruz to get even better.
By the way, if you're feeling down about missing out on Hoffman, here's a funny blog post written by ESPN's Eric Karabell talking about how lousy he might be in Milwaukee.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Hoffman offered 1-year deal
*** UPDATE ***
The Brewers have also offered a 1-year deal today to Hoffman. I should also mention that both clubs have included an option for 2010. So the ball is totally in his court now.
***
The Dodgers have officially offered free agent closer Trevor Hoffman a 1-year deal to be their closer. The dollar amount wasn't announced, but it's said to be worth more than the $4 million offer the Padres had back in November.
After I speculated between the Brewers and Dodgers yesterday, it seemed to me that the Brewers were in the lead because they needed a closer and I wasn't so sure if the Dodgers wanted him to close. But, that looks to have changed, as Jonathan Broxton will be kept in the 8th inning role should Hoffman be brought in.
The other factor that could play a major role for the Dodgers is his California ties. Since he lives in San Diego, that would allow him to be closer to home and his 2 young boys. At 41 and close to the end of his career, playing close to home could be very important to him.
Now that the offer is on the table, we'll see what the Brewers do from here. The decision should come soon on where he'll end up.
The Brewers have also offered a 1-year deal today to Hoffman. I should also mention that both clubs have included an option for 2010. So the ball is totally in his court now.
***
The Dodgers have officially offered free agent closer Trevor Hoffman a 1-year deal to be their closer. The dollar amount wasn't announced, but it's said to be worth more than the $4 million offer the Padres had back in November.
After I speculated between the Brewers and Dodgers yesterday, it seemed to me that the Brewers were in the lead because they needed a closer and I wasn't so sure if the Dodgers wanted him to close. But, that looks to have changed, as Jonathan Broxton will be kept in the 8th inning role should Hoffman be brought in.
The other factor that could play a major role for the Dodgers is his California ties. Since he lives in San Diego, that would allow him to be closer to home and his 2 young boys. At 41 and close to the end of his career, playing close to home could be very important to him.
Now that the offer is on the table, we'll see what the Brewers do from here. The decision should come soon on where he'll end up.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Hoffman could go to Dodgers or Brewers
The race to sign Trevor Hoffman appears to have become much clearer. It all comes down to the Dodgers or Brewers as finalists. Both teams need bullpen help, and will absolutely be eager to sign him.
The Dodgers have lost a bunch of people from their 'pen, namely Chan Ho Park, Joe Beimel, and Takashi Saito, and are looking to reload. Currently, Jonathan Broxton is the closer, as he assumed that role at the end of last season. But, is the final solution? That's the unknown right now. Pursuing Hoffman makes me think that the Dodgers are more comfortable leaving Broxton in the 8th inning role for now. I can't say I disagree with that line of thinking, but I certainly wouldn't be uncomfortable seeing him close either.
From what I can tell, the Brewers are probably the favorite. It's been said that Hoffman would like to get to 600 saves (he's currently at 554), and won't sign with a team where he can't close. The Brewers have basically nobody right now in that role. The only guys who's somewhat close is Jorge Julio, but I'd hardly call him a closer.
So the ball is now in Hoffman's court. Both teams made the playoffs last year, but both could lose big free agents (Brewers lost C.C. Sabathia to the Yankees; Dodgers may lose Manny Ramirez). One thing the Dodgers do have going for them is that Hoffman is from Anaheim and lives in San Diego, so LA would be close to home. That helped lure Jeff Kent a few years back, and that worked out nicely. Is it enough to get Hoffman? The next couple of days should tell the story.
The Dodgers have lost a bunch of people from their 'pen, namely Chan Ho Park, Joe Beimel, and Takashi Saito, and are looking to reload. Currently, Jonathan Broxton is the closer, as he assumed that role at the end of last season. But, is the final solution? That's the unknown right now. Pursuing Hoffman makes me think that the Dodgers are more comfortable leaving Broxton in the 8th inning role for now. I can't say I disagree with that line of thinking, but I certainly wouldn't be uncomfortable seeing him close either.
From what I can tell, the Brewers are probably the favorite. It's been said that Hoffman would like to get to 600 saves (he's currently at 554), and won't sign with a team where he can't close. The Brewers have basically nobody right now in that role. The only guys who's somewhat close is Jorge Julio, but I'd hardly call him a closer.
So the ball is now in Hoffman's court. Both teams made the playoffs last year, but both could lose big free agents (Brewers lost C.C. Sabathia to the Yankees; Dodgers may lose Manny Ramirez). One thing the Dodgers do have going for them is that Hoffman is from Anaheim and lives in San Diego, so LA would be close to home. That helped lure Jeff Kent a few years back, and that worked out nicely. Is it enough to get Hoffman? The next couple of days should tell the story.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
If Saito is out, Hoffman could be in
With Takashi Saito's status uncertain, the Dodgers could shift their focus to Trevor Hoffman, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.
Hoffman's contract situation with the San Diego Padres has been ugly to say the least. There's some definite bad blood going on there, despite the fact that he's the all-time saves leader. Their offer was for $4 million, but was yanked off the table for whatever reason. Weird.
The Dodgers have to decide if they want to roll the dice with Saito. He missed 2 months at the end of last season with an elbow injury, obviously a big deal for a pitcher. He tried to come back for the postseason, but was horrible in his only appearance against the Cubs (thankfully the Dodgers were up big). It sure looks like the Dodgers would rather release him and move on, not being fully convinced he'll have the same effectiveness that he had as a closer since 2006.
If Saito is indeed gone, then Hoffman is an interesting option. True, he's 41 and understandably doesn't have his best stuff he once had, but he's still pretty darn good. The start of last season didn't go so well, but he turned it around to go 30/34 in save opportunities.
If anything, he can be a mentor for Jonathan Broxton, as well as play a key role in the late innings, whether it's closing or not. I think it'd be worth a shot at a 1-year deal.
Hoffman's contract situation with the San Diego Padres has been ugly to say the least. There's some definite bad blood going on there, despite the fact that he's the all-time saves leader. Their offer was for $4 million, but was yanked off the table for whatever reason. Weird.
The Dodgers have to decide if they want to roll the dice with Saito. He missed 2 months at the end of last season with an elbow injury, obviously a big deal for a pitcher. He tried to come back for the postseason, but was horrible in his only appearance against the Cubs (thankfully the Dodgers were up big). It sure looks like the Dodgers would rather release him and move on, not being fully convinced he'll have the same effectiveness that he had as a closer since 2006.
If Saito is indeed gone, then Hoffman is an interesting option. True, he's 41 and understandably doesn't have his best stuff he once had, but he's still pretty darn good. The start of last season didn't go so well, but he turned it around to go 30/34 in save opportunities.
If anything, he can be a mentor for Jonathan Broxton, as well as play a key role in the late innings, whether it's closing or not. I think it'd be worth a shot at a 1-year deal.
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