It’s Time to Jump Ship, Right?
December 1, 2009 at 2:41 pm | Posted in Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf | 32 CommentsI… am… almost literally without words. We were already horrified at the idea that Orlando Hudson wouldn’t be offered arbitration, but it just got worse (via Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times):
The Dodgers aren’t offering arbitration to any of their free agents, according to team spokesman Josh Rawitch.
I’m sitting here trying to think of a way to accurately describe just how floored I am at the decision not to offer Randy Wolf arbitration – in addition to Hudson, of course – and I just can’t find the words, at least in a fashion that’s not a never-ending string of expletives.
Randy Wolf is almost universally regarded as the second-best starting pitcher in the free agent market behind John Lackey. So what if he accepted? He’d get what, $8m or so in arbitration? There’s not a team in baseball that wouldn’t fall all over themselves to give him that for one year, knowing that there’s no doubt that some team is going to sign him to a multi-year deal once he’s free. Like Hudson, there was no chance that Wolf was accepting anyway.
But no. The razor-thin chance of having to spend any money at all means that the Dodgers are now out four draft picks (two firsts, most likely) that they could have picked up for nothing. Nothing. You wonder why people complain that the farm system isn’t what it once was? This is exactly why; it’s because the smart baseball people are having their hands tied by the utter jokes that are the absolutely worthless McCourts.
So while you could have offered arbitration and had a 5% chance that your second base hole is filled and a 1% chance that you get a quality starting pitcher back at rates FAR below market value, and a 98% chance you walk away with four top picks, you get nothing at all.
I know it seems odd to say this in December after two crushing NLCS losses in a row, but this is one of the darkest days I can remember as a Dodger fan. I have absolutely zero faith in the jackasses running this team going forward (and for once, I’m not talking about Ned Colletti, because I think we all realize that his hands have been tied on this), and that’s just not how you should feel with a great young core who’ve been steps away from the World Series twice in a row.
I envy Royals fans right now. At least they never had hope.
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Comment by J— December 1, 2009 #
The Dodgers MUST be afraid of signing young talent! They must think we’re going to get lucky and sign a good talent like Aaron Miller way below where he should have gone in the draft every time! To not offer arbitration to Hudson is one thing, but Wolf? Come on. The McCourt’s need to sell this team NOW if they’re going to put baseball operations entirely on hold for their jackassery.
Comment by The Fury— December 1, 2009 #
No. The Dodgers may be afraid of paying for first-round draftee signing bonuses, however.
One possible way to read this is that the Dodgers don’t feel like it’s worth the risk that any of the aforenamed players would accept arbitration and then win.
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 1, 2009 #
Sure, I just don’t see the risk though. Getting either one back on a one-year deal would be fine (great in Wolf’s case), and there’s almost no chance either one would accept.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 1, 2009 #
Why are we trying to rationalize this even the slightest bit? The “risk” that the Dodgers might be faced with returning players, or expensive draft picks? What, are the McCourts looking for some college interns to play the game, then come in and mow the lawn afterwards for $4.25 an hour?]
Look, they are disgusting. That’s the only explanation. I’ve never seen anything like this. Even the Tigers- who have made their own dire situation clear to the public- made 2 offers of their Type A’s. And the Rockies, in a far smaller market with less talented pitchers than Wolf, offered TWO of their pitchers arbitration. I could go on, but you get the idea.
This starts and ends with the McCourts, and we must not let them forget it next season.
Comment by sarcastro9— December 1, 2009 #
Do you think they’ll actually attempt to explain themselves on this one? Unless there are some serious countervailing circumstances that we’ve never been informed about…this just doesn’t make sense. You rightly lament the loss in regards to our farm system and I wonder if there could be some more immediate effects. If this is just the first of more “cost cutting” measures, then we’re going to start seeing some arb eligible players get dealt pretty quick. And I hope I’m completely wrong.
Comment by gklarsen— December 1, 2009 #
Chad Billingsley for Josh Fogg?
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 1, 2009 #
I’ll dream big. Bills for Jeremy Hermida.
Comment by gklarsen— December 1, 2009 #
I am very very sad right now
Comment by Kevin— December 1, 2009 #
[...] would refer you to MSTI who is rightly shocked and dismayed. True Blue LA feels the same. I cannot argue with any of [...]
Pingback by I think this might be really bad « Regal Blue— December 1, 2009 #
You’re free to jump ship, but I must alert you to the fact that all the life-rafts were sold to make room for high-end, ocean-side seating.
Comment by John Clevenger— December 1, 2009 #
2 for 2, you’re really bringing your A game today.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 1, 2009 #
zzzzzzzzzzzzzing!
Well done sir. Well done.
Comment by Justin— December 1, 2009 #
Sad day for Dodger fans. Ugh.
Comment by Eric Stephen— December 1, 2009 #
Pick the shit sandwich behind this move: (1) the divorce is driving the Dodgers right into the next chapter of War of the Roses (2) McCourt is incredibly cheap and thinks the average Dodger fan won’t spot it in the way he is handling the arbitration offers (3) McCourt is stupid. There is no good logical answer.
In addition to being a lifetime Dodger fan I am a lifetime Raider fan, and have sat for years watching Raider ownership do one stupid thing after another. Destroying a classic, storied franchise in the process.
Jump ship? Never. But I think we have to prepare ourselves for one painful episode after another until competent ownership is restored.
Comment by Luke— December 1, 2009 #
Im going to Dodger stdium right now to toss rocks at the windows this is crap…Mark Cuban welcome to LA brotha
Comment by johnny— December 1, 2009 #
Mccoourt is now officialy a small market owner. Fans should go to the games, but buy nothing. Not even a pepsi. this makes me grieve for the future of the franchise.
Comment by bluetrain— December 1, 2009 #
I thought this might happen. Based on the last few drafts when the team drafted players below the talent level of the pick (probably for signing reasons), I thought they might avoid the possibility of future draft picks by refusing to offer arb.
My fear now is that the McCheaps may not be able to pay for for all the arb raises. Can we say Kemp for 3 Bosox AA prospects? What about Ethier for a banjo-hitting cheap middle infielder?
Comment by marty— December 1, 2009 #
Actually, my post tomorrow is about where Ethier’s going to end up, and it’s not Los Angeles.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 1, 2009 #
I could live with him in an Angels uniform… he profiles nicely that way for several reasons:
1) He’s not really a top-drawer player, though he can sometimes simulate one.
2) He doesn’t play a defensively challenging position.
3) Because of (1) and (2) he won’t command top dollar.
4) The Angels’ outfield weakness is rather obvious. Vlad Guerrero may or may not be back next year, but it will be as a DH, Bobby Abreu’s tenure there is iffy at best, and Juan Rivera is among the worst defensive left fielders in the majors (and the worst baserunner on the team among non-catchers). If it’s by trade, I don’t see it happening, but perhaps eventual free agency … ? Dunno.
I could see Boston. The Yankees if I squint. The Mets? Maybe Atlanta or the Cubs.
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 1, 2009 #
A perfectly good day was ruined by this announcement. My kid is offered a partial baseball scholarship (but I am not bitching) at a Big West school (not Cal State Disneyland, but it is D1 baseball) and I might actually have a good reason to stay in this state. Instead, I am wondering if we will be able to compete with the Giants, Padres, Rockies or Snakes – teams who are taking player development seriously.
While I consider whether the jail time would be worth it to jolly stomp Frank in a public place, I have to give a shout out to Bud Lite and his excellent handling of this whole situation. Kudos, Bud. You were able to find a solvent, well-heeled owner for your franchise, but stuck the Dodgers with this freakin’ disaster. What a freakin’ joke.
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 1, 2009 #
Which school?
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 1, 2009 #
… or, you could join me in the Mickey Hatcher netherworld, where OBP doesn’t mean anything and ex-Dodgers rule the roost.
Yeah, I figured that wasn’t happening.
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 1, 2009 #
Tempting as that sounds, I would think that most of us will pass. I am envious of the Angels – strong ownership, outstanding player development and an actual interest in what the fans think. All concepts that are foreign to the ownership of the Dodgers.
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 2, 2009 #
Unless they get new owners, the future looks bleak.
Comment by mpearse— December 1, 2009 #
I see it wasn’t a bad dream. I haven’t been this disappointed to be a Dodger fan since the day Tom Niedenfuer laid one up to Ozzie Smith. Truly a dark day
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 2, 2009 #
UOP. I know they are not the CSUs or UCs of the league, but it is D1 ball and the scouts still visit Stockton.
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 2, 2009 #
Interesting. Did he try out for any of the CSU schools?
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 2, 2009 #
I wrote an email to the Dodgers yesterday explaining my frustrations. They thread is posted below:
Tim,
Not a problem – it’s always our pleasure to reach out to anyone that takes the time to reach out to us. Communication is a two-way street and it’s important that our fans know that we are responsive and available, especially when it comes to the ballclub and how things are looking for the future.
As for draft picks, we have no way of knowing this, but a scenario that seems plausible is that maybe Players X & Y said they would accept arbitration if offered, so…Team Z responded by not offering it and thereby being freed from an obligation of inflated costs for two players that could be replaced in a more productive manner. They lose 2-4 draft picks, but they’re also free to pursue additions to their roster in a manner they see fit and at a cost that makes the most sense to them.
At the end of the day, nobody really knows, but it’s always interesting to speculate. Enjoy the off-season and give it time to play out…the ballclub is looking to improve on the successes of the past 2 seasons – not regress.
Your friend at Dodger Stadium,
Steve Anguiano || Fan Services || Los Angeles Dodgers || Dodger Stadium || 1000 Elysian Park Ave || Dodgertown, USA 90090 || 2009 NL West Champions
________________________________________
From: Mosa
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 10:52 AM
To: FanFeedback
Subject: RE: la – Other – Other – arbitration – hudson and wolf
Steve,
I appreciate your reply and what you describe makes sense. I disagree that Hudson will sign in the $10M range, although I could see Wolf getting close to that. In either case, it seems ridiculous that a big market team like LA, which lead the majors in attendance last year, cannot afford to pay $10M for Randy Wolf.
It’s interesting you didn’t mention the 2-4 draft choices we would have received if Hudson and/or Wolf declined arbitration. To me, that’s the biggest mistake of not offering arbitration in this instance.
Thanks again for the reply. I hope the management team does something to restore the faith of the Dodger fans. There are quite a few of us upset at this decision.
Regards,
Tim Mosa
From: FanFeedback [mailto:FanFeedback@ladodgers.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 9:51 AM
To:
Subject: RE: la – Other – Other – arbitration – hudson and wolf
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the email – we appreciate your feedback.
Let me start by saying that it’s easy to understand a fan’s frustration when it comes to off-season transactions. It’s unfortunate that you feel the need to cancel your season seats so early in the off-season, but hopefully my response will make things a bit clearer and afford you the opportunity to reconsider your decision.
Wolf and Hudson, as Type A free agents, would have received contracts in the $10m+/yr range had they been offered arbitration and accepted (using comparable contracts from the last couple of off-seasons such as Derek Lowe/Oliver Perez for Wolf and Brian Roberts/Chase Utley for Hudson) – considering their age, health history and performance…that much per year is probably not the type of contract the ballclub is looking to take on. Something else to consider is that neither player is probably interested in a one year contract from any ballclub after the types of seasons they had. By not offering arbitration, the Dodgers are able to take their time and pursue either player (should their continue to be interest in having them on the ballclub) and offer them a multi-year deal that is more in line with what the team thinks the value of the player is and that will fit into the overall salary structure. The player is also able to get a sense of their worth on the open market and figure out what they feel is the best situation/contract for them. Much like last off-season, when both players were acquired, the idea was to be patient, not overpay for marginal talent and then capitalize on particular situations that afford the club top level talent at a club-friendly price. If a situation presents itself where a player can be had sooner, I’m sure the club will do whatever it takes to lock them up.
While this is in no way an actual explanation for what is occurring, as neither you nor I are privy to the inner workings of Baseball Operations here with the ballclub, it is best to remember that all of these decisions are made with long-range goals in mind and a strategy to address shortcomings on the roster in place. We very well could end up with both players back on the ballclub or even better alternatives – still plenty of off-season to go.
Thanks for your time and please feel free to get back in touch with us should you have any further questions. We hope you reconsider your decision and I’d be happy to speak with you about your account should you still have any trepidations.
Take care and have a healthy and happy holiday season!
Your friend at Dodger Stadium,
Steve Anguiano || Fan Services || Los Angeles Dodgers || Dodger Stadium || 1000 Elysian Park Ave || Dodgertown, USA 90090 || 2009 NL West Champions
________________________________________
From: mosa
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 3:49 PM
To: To Whom It May Concern
Subject: la – Other – Other – arbitration – hudson and wolf
Last Name: mosa
Phone Type: Mobile Phone Number
Subject: arbitration – hudson and wolf
Message:
Dear Mr. McCourt, As a lifelong Dodger fan, your decision to NOT offer arbitration to either Orlando Hudson or Randy Wolf is very upsetting. Had either of them accepted arb, we would fill a need at two open positions, at a market appropriate salary. Had either declined arb, we would have received 2 compensation draft picks for each of them. This decision doesn’t make baseball sense, nor is it financially sound. I will be cancelling my season tickets this season as a result of this decision. If you can’t spend the money on the team, why should I? Regards, Tim Mosa Seal Beach CA
Comment by mosa— December 2, 2009 #
Very interesting. Thanks for posting. It’s nice that he wrote back, but it’s still such BS from him.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 2, 2009 #
You can’t expect anything different from the PR people. They’re paid to spin.
Comment by Rob McMillin— December 2, 2009 #
[...] who are no longer under team control. You might remember this story from such times as “why would the Dodgers pass up the likelihood of a first round draft pick for Randy Wolf and/or Orlando Hudson out of fear they might accept a [...]
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