The Dodgers got the pitcher they so desperately needed. The question is can he make up for his off-season bumble? Vincente Padilla signed a 1yr/$5M contract with the Dodgers Thursday afternoon ending weeks of speculation who was the Dodgers capable starter. Padilla (12-6; 4.46ERA) came in last season and pitched great after being dumped by Texas. Will he be able to keep the ball off the batters? And will he be able to forget about the gun problem he had? The Dodgers have no room for distraction this season.
After spending the money to retain SP Joe Blanton, the Phils locked up an important part of their line-up by re-upping OF Shane Victorino. Victorino got a similar deal as Blanton (3ys @ $24M, Victorino's only $2M less). C Carlos Ruiz is the last arbitration-eligible Phillie left. Victorino posted a .292 average, hitting 10HRs and driving in 63 RBIs. The only downside of these deals is there' not a lot of money to retain OF Jayson Werth, whose due for a big payday. The Phils have committed $130M dollars of payroll for 2011. If I had the choice between Blanton and Werth, I'm picking Werth easily. He's a great fielder and had great production this past season accompanying his good seasons before hand. The Phils are also ready to pull the trigger on a one year deal with SP Jose Contreras. Contreras (6-13; 4.92ERA) pitched horridly for the White Sox last season, but was slightly better in Colorado. More than likely, Pedro Martinez will probably not return now. I would've picked Pedro over Contreras because Martinez is more consistent and has a desire to win.
Remember when OF Rick Ankiel was a pitcher trying to make his way into the Cardinals rotation? The ugly outings filled with wild pitches and runs & bases galore for opponents? How about the demotion back to minor leagues where he struggled again. For Ankiel (.231, 11HRs, 38RBIs) it was probably hell. Luckily, he hadn't had enough suffering and signed a 1yr/$3.2M contract with the Royals. Seems an awful lot of money for a guy who underachieved previous numbers.
The Mets appear to be on the brink of a trade for Angels OF Gary Matthews Jr. for RP Brian Stokes. Not a good trade for the Mets, Stokes is no superman, but Matthews has not lived up to expetations in LA. He was a poor defender and batted only .231 with 4HRs and 50RBIs. Stokes posted a 2-4 record and 3.97ERA. The Angels are sucking up some salary and sending %500K the Mets way. Angels get the better part of this deal I think.
The Reds have signed RP Jose Arredondo to a minor league contract. Arredando (2-3; 6.00ERA) was cut by the Angels during arbitration period because of his impending surgery which will cause him to miss all of 2010. The Angels will regret this in 2011 when Arredondo pitches like he did in '08.
Rumors and Notes:
The Nationals are interested in 1B Mike Jacobs.
The Twins are interested in Jim Thome. Thome is interested in Chicago(AL).
Jayson Stark says the Rockies should actively be pursuing Orlando Carbrera, Orlando hudson, and Miguel Tejada.
The Mets have interest in Chein Ming-Wang, Ben Sheets, and Chad Tracy. This comes from multiple sources including Post's Ken Davidoff, Alan Nero(Wang's rep), and Anthony McCaron of the New York Daily News. Mike Puma of the Post hears Fernando Tatis could be in the fold if Carlos Delgado doesn't return.
SI's Jon Heyman reports, "The Yankees and Johnny Damon have talked or met, no progress made though."
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