There haven't been too many positive things to say about this off-season for the Dodgers baseball club, but they did a pretty good job in avoiding arbitration.
The Dodgers will avoid arbitration with Matt Kemp for the next two years, paying him about $11 mil over the next couple of seasons. He'll be arbitration eligible for one more year following this pact, but let's hope a contract extension is worked out.
I feel like this is a great deal for Kemp, especially when you consider that Broxton got the same amount of money over the same years. I think it was a pretty decent deal on Broxton. Maybe a little high for a reliever, but very few are as good as he is.
Andre Ethier's deal was very good, especially only paying him $6 mil in 2010. He'll make over $9 mil in 2011, but he's worth it.
Getting Chad Billingsley for under $4 mil was pretty good, and getting James Loney for just over $3 was very good. Russell Martin is overpaid at $5.05 mil, but considering the big bump he got after his 2008 season, he got just a minor bump this year. I still think the team did well here.
Getting Hong-Chih Kuo for under $1 mil was a great price.
The only signing I have more than a minor problem with is George Sherrill's. $4.5 mil for a setup guy is way too much, plus he has incentives. I know he was great for the Dodgers, but he won't be like that for a full season. He'll be his usual, solid self, but not unhittable.
I am sensing a possible trade here to a team with the need for a closer, if Joe Torre is happy with his bullpen and can picture it without Sherrill.
Now we just need to sign a pitcher not named Russ Ortiz, right?
Maybe signing a starter might be beneficial...maybe. Russ could be the fourth starter w/ someone new like Monasteryios pitching the fifth spot so we dont have to send him back to the phillies....AND MONKEYS MIGHT FLY OUT OF MY BUTT!!!! I worry that this is a possibility w/ or one of the guys we got for Pierre to start as well...I would love it if we signed Sheets but dont see us ponying up the cash he is looking for...someone will. My targets for the fourth and fifth spot are as follows in order
Fourth Starter
Sheets
Padilla
Garland
Bedard
Washburn
Fifth Starter
Elbert
McDonald
Stults
Haeger
Also wouldnt everyone rather have Chan Ho Park starting again long before Ortiz???
As for the deals, no one is locked up for any length of time, but we save a few bucks if Kemp, Johnny Cakes, or Ethier improve upon their numbers again.
The club will definitely save some money in the long run. A nice, long extension for these guys would be nice. I guess as soon as salaries like Manny's and Kuroda's are shed.