The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

If Ned is still GM, I would edit your list accordingly:

Sure, pops. Rather than a full list, here's where I differ w/ yours:

Loney stays. Even with a raise, his defensive value is more premium than ever thanks, to Dee.

Rivera stays, as a decent backup to Sands and Loney, and platoon option with Ethier if he's still a Dodger, which I hope is not the case. The Dodgers did not suffer in his absence, it should be noted.

Barajas stays. I know you can't stand 'fat Rod', but he's about league mediocre average, and he's better than FedEx, at least for now, and we're waiting for Erickson at least another year.

Gwynn stays. Speed, defense, better than expected hitting, and very low cost = good bench value.

Hawksworth, Kuo, and McDougal - at least two go, to make room for two of [Ames, Tolleson, and St Clair].

Ethier and Guerra - trade 'em. Even at Ethier's lower value, these two packaged together should be able to get us a regular 3Bman who doesn't suck - ignoring for a moment, that Colletti does. Guerra's value will likely never be higher - looks like Boston could use a closer after last night.

Carroll stays as a high dollar insurance policy against injury, and the possibility Sellers doesn't cut it.

Uribe.- 50/50. Isn't there ANY way to lose this guy? Give him two months to show something besides total suckitude - if he doesn't cut him, eat the contract. I feel like one of the biggest reason for the Dodgers' late season surge is that Uribe did not take a single in-game swing.

Guerra- Should be sold off while value is astronomical and with (Tolleson/Ames/St. Clair)

I'll just be happy with McCourt gone by opening day. No reason to predict ANYTHING with him still around.

Random thoughts on this subject:

• If Ned doesn't pull a rabbit named Prince Fielder out of his toupee case, then Loney stays. I fully expect Loney to return, which I'm okay with if he plays next season the way he played these last couple of months. There's just too much legal insanity going on to allow for a marquee free agent signing like Fielder.
  
• I'm really on the fence with Barajas. He seems like a good guy and can hit some dingers but not much else. If FedEx is not ready however, then Barajas will stay. Ned got FedEx for a reason - to be the starting catcher at some point. I won't be surprised if Barajas comes back for one more year and FedEx is the starter in 2013.
  
• It would be good if Kuroda came back for another year but who knows? If he leaves, we'll need another starter. Even if he does come back, I won't be surprised if Ned spends some of Frank's creditors' money on another starter.
• Ethier comes back and I think he should. He's a head case for sure, but let's see what he can do with a good knee. Who else will play the outfield and replace him in the lineup? Rivera? Gwynn? A warm body? I'd rather see a healthy Ethier than any other current in-house option.
  
• Speaking of Gwynn and Rivera, if Sands sticks as a starter (which is my preference) then I think we only need one of the two. Can't decide which one. I just think the team looks weak with both returning and potentially starting games in the outfield. Neither guy is really that great.
  
• I don't have strong feelings about bullpen changes except that Guerrier stinks, but we are stuck with him. This was a strength for the team this year and shouldn't be messed with too much.
  
• Uribe will play either 3B or 2B. We're stuck with him too, so we all better hope he either bounces back or loses the starting job to somebody better. Again, who is that person? Sellers is not a starter to me, so we either need a new 3B (Blake is gone) or a new 2B. That's a significant requirement, in my opinion. Not sure who is available via free agency, but I could see Ned attempting to make a trade for a starting second or third baseman.
  
• A clever trade here and there could net us a missing piece or two, but frankly I don't trust Ned to be able to do that. He is more likely to surprise us with one of his patented "I just traded
  several talented minor league players including Jerry Sands for a proven
  veteran" deals.
  
  

I do think that in spite of all the McCourt shenanigans, this season ended on an upbeat note. So I'm actually more optimistic about the team going into this offseason than I was last season. I think if Ethier bounces back, Loney continues his current form and we get some production out of Uribe, that already gives us more offense than we had this year. I believe at least two out those three things will happen next season. Add to that Kemp, Kershaw, solid 2 and 3 starters in Billz and Lilly, a good bullpen, and the exciting twelve-year old Dee Gordon, and you've got a much more solid core team than we did going into 2011.

Of course, I could be wrong. ;)

I just read on Dodgers.com, that Mattingly says Furcal has been discussed as a candidate for the 'open 2nd base' job, and there have been talks concerning a possible Broxton return. That's surprising.

Donnie also says he expressed a need to improve to both Ethier and Bills, saying Ethier emotionally 'gave away' around 100 at bats this year, and Bills has been 'flatlined' for a couple of years. He also said Uribe is not guaranteed a starting position in 2012.

Well, all right. Call 'em out right now - good job, I say.

How about Ethier & Guerra to Boston for Josh Reddick & Bucholtz/Doubront?  Ethier would rake in Boston.  There's a lot of upside IMHO in Reddick.  Yeah, doubt Bos would give up either of those 2 pitchers.....

Keepers

Kemp

Sands (RF)

Gwynn - Prince recruitment and an excellent bench player. Hey Donnie, he's a BENCH player.

Gordon

Carroll - Should start the majority of games at 2B.  What can I say, he is awesome.

Sellers - Excellent D, versatile, good speed, bench player.  Check.

Ellis - should start or split time.

Barajas - 1.5 mil to split time with Ellis.

Kershaw

Lilly - the contract looks so bad because of the backloading and NTC - otherwise it's just the going rate.

Billz - Good year, bad year, good year, bad year, good year?

Hiro - for 10 mil and one last shot at a title.

Eovaldi - as the 5th starter with a cheap swingman in the bullpen for security.

Guerra

Jansen

Lindblom - for years to come.  Finally! a cheap bullpen!

Elbert - is improving.

Guerrier

50/50

Ethier - Shame the Dodgers waited this long before trading him (cough, trade deadline).  Clears money for Fielder and could still net ONE decent prospect.

Rivera - on the cheap to platoon with Ethier, Loney, or a 1st baseman like Pena.

MacDougal - Not good but better than Cormier…

Kuo - 600k or gone.  It's a shame too.  Kuo was part of my favorite live Dodger experience (back to back to back against the Mets.  I was sitting in the LF bleachers)

Oeltjen - 2012's Xavier Paul.

Mitchell - Should be Sellers, not Mitchell.

FedEx - AAA

Gone

Loney - Traded or Non-tendered.  Could probably be resigned after a contender if the Dodgers miss out on Fielder or don't get the deal they want for Pena.  Would make the Dodgers tender him if he said, "Hey Donnie, how about you teach me to play 3rd like you did."

Uribe - Bad contract swap, maybe part of Zambrano deal.  Should not come back to the Dodgers under any circumstances.  It's better to admit mistakes and move on.  A Dodger prospect could also perform at replacement level while getting valuable experience at the same time.

Velez

Hawksworth - traded or non-tendered.

Garland

Padilla

Blake

Miles

Tron 

yuck, sry about the formatting

I just read on Dodgers.com, that Mattingly says Furcal has been discussed as a candidate for the 'open 2nd base' job, and there have been talks concerning a possible Broxton return. That's surprising.

Donnie also says he expressed a need to improve to both Ethier and Bills, saying Ethier emotionally 'gave away' around 100 at bats this year, and Bills has been 'flatlined' for a couple of years. He also said Uribe is not guaranteed a starting position in 2012.

Well, all right. Call 'em out right now - good job, I say.

Yeah, I just read that and I like it, too. Good to see Donnie Baseball be a little candid with guys like Ethier and Billz. He's absolutely right, too. The prospects of a good season will hinge on Billz and Ethier having bounceback seasons (unless one of them is dealt, of course).

My feel on Mattingly is that he may be a little too laid back, so it encourages me when I read these types of stories that he talks to players about improving.

I certainly feel like he has the respect of the players. I also want to see him be a little more assertive and try and coax more out of certain guys who may need a little more butt kicking.

Nice interactive poll on espn.com: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/polls?id=7052899

doctyper said:

Nice interactive poll on espn.com: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/polls?id=7052899

Thanks for the link.  Good stuff. :)

SamAdams said:

doctyper said:

Nice interactive poll on espn.com: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/polls?id=7052899

Thanks for the link.  Good stuff.

Trash Him Leader in a landslide is Frankrupt McBroke.  99% say Get Rid of Him.  I'm thinking this poll has an error factor of 1%!  

Second is Juan Urine at 78% Trash,

:)

Kemp and Clayton are both at 99%.  I am assuming it is the same guy who voted to keep McCourt. 

How are 51% of the public voting to KEEP Ned????  Amazing.

DoppelgangBang said:

How are 51% of the public voting to KEEP Ned????  Amazing.

There are a lot of people in San Francisco, Denver, San Diego and Phoenix.

minndodger said:

DoppelgangBang said:

How are 51% of the public voting to KEEP Ned????  Amazing.

There are a lot of people in San Francisco, Denver, San Diego and Phoenix.

=D>

minndodger said:

DoppelgangBang said:

How are 51% of the public voting to KEEP Ned????  Amazing.

There are a lot of people in San Francisco, Denver, San Diego and Phoenix.

.....and anyone Ned has made a trade with over the past few years.  

Tony Jackson's "Take 'em or Trash 'em" blog has one price piece: There have been over 3,000 votes on whether or not to "take/trash" McCourt: 99% to 1% trash.  99 to 1!!! That's incredibly high for a poll like this.  But even still, who are the idiots in the 1%?  I'm guessing his lawyers are reading the blogs too, eh?

BluePastorKyle said:

Tony Jackson's "Take 'em or Trash 'em" blog has one price piece: There have been over 3,000 votes on whether or not to "take/trash" McCourt: 99% to 1% trash.  99 to 1!!! That's incredibly high for a poll like this.  But even still, who are the idiots in the 1%?  I'm guessing his lawyers are reading the blogs too, eh?

I am going with Frank, his kids and any family member he owes money to.