Twins trade Santana

Twins traded Santana to Mets. I'll post more about the impact this could have on the Dodgers later.

Lieberthal retires

Not that it's that important, but the most underused backup catcher is going to retire. I must admit, if i was a backup catcher, I would definitely want to be the backup to Russel Martin. I wouldn't need to do much, and still get paid a lot. Well, here's a farewell to Lieberthal who had a great 14 year career.

Dodgers sign Proctor

Dodgers sign Scott Proctor for a 1 year deal worth $1.1 million to avoid arbitration. Personally, I like the move a lot. I know during the last season, a lot of people complained about the Proctor trade, but I feel that the trade paid off in the end. First, the Dodgers had no use for Betemit. Sure, he was a great power bat off the bench, but his hitting is simply too inconsistent. Secondly, Proctor is a workhorse. It might have contributed to his decreased effectiveness but he does have above average stuff on most nights. Thus, it increases the deepness of the Dodgers rotation. Thirdly, Proctor was amazing down the stretch. For that reason, I feel he will be great for the Dodgers this year. With Proctor, Beimel (whom the Dodgers still need to sign or go to arbitration with), Broxton and Saito, the Dodgers definitely have one of the better bullpens in the National League. Furthermore, if Brazabon can come back and Meloan can emerge as a successful reliver, then the Dodgers will be an extremely deep team.

Schmidt throws off mound!!

Breaking News! Breaking News! Jason Schmidt throws off a mound!! Just as we thought he was going to be another Darren Dreiford, he proves us wrong! okay maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but I am rather hopeful for a full Schmidt recovery. I don't think he'll be able to return to his ace form, but I think he'll make a solid 4 or 5 pitcher with the Dodgers. If Schmidt can fully recovery and post a era in the low 4s, then the Dodgers will definitely have one of the best rotations in all of the National League (too bad the other great rotations are in the National League West too). Here's to hoping Schmidt fully recovers and can contribute to the Dodgers this year!!

In other news, Mark Hendrickson signs a one year contract with the Marlins. All i can say about his tenure with the Dodgers is that he was decent out of the bullpen. But with the addition of Kuroda and the hopeful return of Brazoban and rising stars in Meloan, there simply isn't a place for Hendrickson anymore. Now the Dodgers just need to sign Beimel and Sweeney, then it would be an A+ off season in my opinion.

Season In 2.5 month

Man, I am extremely excited for the season! I really feel the Dodgers have a great shot of winning the West this year! It's good to bleed blue this year!

Colletti's Most Important Agenda

Now that the off season signings are pretty much over aside from a few minor league invites here and there, I feel that Ned should turn his attention to the next big issue: resigning Furcal. Furcal is currently in the last year of his 3 year $39 million contract and will become a free agent at the end of the next season. I want to see Ned lock up Furcal to a 3 to 5 year extension before the season begins.

Now, I know that the Dodgers have many highly touted youngsters coming up in the farm who can play shortstop (most specifically Hu), but no matter how good they are, they can't bring the intangibles Furcal brings. First of all, Furcal is a fierce competitor. For example, he played hurt all of last year and never made an excuse about it. That's definitely the type of player and the type of example I want on the Dodgers. Hopefully, his fiery attitude towards playing baseball would influence the younger players on the team.

Secondly, he's the spark to the entire Dodgers offense. He has the ability to get on base and make things happen. Although Pierre can also lead off, he simply does not have the same abilities Furcal does in terms of igniting the offense. In addition, Furcal also have the power numbers to remain a threat in the RBI category. Thus, Furcal is a instant boost to the Dodgers lineup when he bats lead off.

Thirdly, he's in his prime and is one of the only veterans on the team. He's currently 30 years old and should be in prime condition to play for at least the next 6 years. With the young lineup that the Dodgers have, they need a legitimate veteran player in his prime. For that reason, the Dodgers need Furcal and the leadership attributes he brings.

Even with Furcal, the Dodgers can still play their Future All Star Games MVP Hu. Hu can switch positions to 2B and be the heir of Kents after this year. With Furcal, Hu, LaRoach and Loney, the Dodgers will have terrific infield defense in the future. For all these reasons, I feel that Ned needs to sign Furcal.