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Bill Shaikin reports (as if that’s not assumed already) that, at 8:30 P.M., PDT, MLB and Frank McCourt have reached a settlement, in which the team will be auctioned through bankruptcy court.
Put differently: McCourt is gone.
We’ll have more information as the story develops further, but until then…
Rejoice! Our Dodger Spring has come.
- Vin 
Juan Rivera and the Dodgers are closing in on a one-year contract that would include a team option for 2013, according to baseball sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. The deal could be completed later this week.
No surprise here – Rivera was roundly hailed as a savior when he replaced Marcus Thames in July, and I’ve never thought that he wouldn’t be back in 2012, though it’s probably not the route I would have taken. The fact that it’s apparently not two guaranteed years is promising, though the value of this contract depends entirely on the dollars and his role. Ideally we’re not talking about more than $2m or so, because he made $5.25m last year and got DFA’d by Toronto, so he deserves a pay cut.
Almost as important – and obviously it’s far too early to know the answer to this – is what his role would be. Remember, for all of the accolades he received for merely being better than Thames (and Jay Gibbons, etc.), he only hit .274/.333/.406 – not bad, but hardly numbers you want from a starting corner outfielder. The idea of “Juan Rivera, starting left fielder” isn’t exactly how I want to get this offseason started. That said, he does still produce against lefties (even though he absolutely cannot hit righties), and there’s definitely a spot on this team for a platoon bat to help spot for Andre Ethier and/or James Loney. Along with being possible insurance for Jerry Sands, you could do worse. I suppose, anyway; Ned Colletti doesn’t exactly have a sterling track record when it comes to repeat engagements from low-cost mid-season veteran pickups from the year before.
Update: The deal is reportedly for $4m, per Ken Gurnick. I suppose there was no way I wasn’t going to be disappointed by this, but is there really anyone who thinks this deal is going to be worth it? I’d say there’s just about an equal chance that he’s DFA’d by July than there is that he actually earns that money. Oh, and Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier won Gold Gloves, which is such a flawed award that I can’t even bring myself to speak about it. It’s just the height of lunacy that anyone puts any stock into the Gold Glove, though you can all prepare for Steve Lyons to be about 40 times as insufferable next year.
Bill Shaikin, once again, brings us what looks to be fantastic news:
After a two-year battle to keep the Dodgers through a bruising divorce and a bankruptcy filing, owner Frank McCourt appears close to agreement with Major League Baseball on a bankruptcy settlement in which he would agree to sell the team.
McCourt would get some control over the sale, people familiar with the negotiations said Monday. The purchase probably would include Dodger Stadium and the surrounding parking lots in a package that could command a record price of $1 billion or more.
The negotiations are fluid, and settlement talks could fall apart at any time, said the people, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the confidential discussions. McCourt has not reached any final decision to sell, another person cautioned.
This is an expansion of Shaikin’s report from last week that McCourt and MLB were working to see if there was a deal to be made, and it is, on the surface, good news. The mere indication that McCourt might be accepting this is a no-win situation for him makes the possibility of a resolution a little more likely, at least moreso than an endless cold war of appeals and legal battles.
But I’m not ready to throw a party just yet, because as Shaikin notes, we’re a long way from a settlement. Then even if happens, the process of soliciting bids, selecting a buyer, and going through the approval process is hardly a speedy one. (Just look at how long it’s taken to get approval of the Astros sale, even though a sale agreement was announced nearly six months ago.)
Then there’s also the unknown of what will happen if McCourt gets “some control over the sale”. Obviously we can’t be sure what that would mean yet, but who among us really thinks that McCourt and MLB would be going into this process with similar goals? McCourt would obviously be interested only in maximizing his financial return (would you put it past him to sell to a mobster billionaire or a drug cartel if they offered him the most money? I wouldn’t), while MLB has to also worry about not setting up one of their marquee franchises with another ill-equipped or criminal owner.
It’s a step in the right direction, to be sure. But just a small one in what is sure to be a long, arduous process.
