Top Five Friday: Survivor - A Dodger Edition

What was that I said last week about 1-10 shifts on a Friday? Grrr.

Anyways, one day removed, I've decided to expand upon my words earlier this week regarding the Dodgers' youth movement. Obviously, some bodies need to hit the floor over this off-season and quite frankly, a lot of them. And just as obviously, it'll be close to impossible to get rid of everyone I'd like to get rid of. So, I'm going with the opposite approach today.

The Top Five Members Of The '08 Dodgers Roster I'd Keep For '09!

NOTE: I considered the current 25 Man Roster as well as the disabled list when coming up with this list.

That means the players under consideration are the following:

RP Joe Beimel
SP Chad Billingsley
RP Jonathan Broxton
SP/RP Scott Elbert
SP/RP Jason Johnson
SP/RP Hong-Chih Kuo
SP Hiroki Kuroda
SP Derek Lowe
SP Greg Maddux
SP/RP Chan Ho Park
RP Ramon Troncoso
RP Cory Wade
C Danny Ardoin
C Russell Martin
IF Angel Berroa
3B Casey Blake
IF Blake DeWitt
IF Nomar Garciaparra
IF Jeff Kent
1B James Loney
IF Mark Sweeney
OF Andre Ethier
OF Matt Kemp
OF Juan Pierre
OF Manny Ramirez

DL
--
RP Scott Proctor
SP/RP Brad Penny
OF Andruw Jones
OF/IF Delwyn Young
RP Yhency Brazoban
RP Takashi Saito
SS Rafael Furcal
C Gary Bennett
SP Jason Schmidt
IF Tony Abreu

First, we ditch the journeymen who are easily replaced. So long Jason Johnson, Ramon Troncoso, Cory Wade, Danny Ardoin, Angel Berroa, Mark Sweeney, Scott Proctor, and Gary Bennett.

Next, we bid adieu to the oft-injured lot who you just can't depend on over a 162 game season. Hit the road Hong-Chih Kuo, Tony Abreu, and Yhency Brazoban. All have/had potential but they just can't be relied on. That also casts out Jason Schmidt who has sat on the DL for two of his three year deal and has become yet another reason why Dodger fans fear FA pitching [see: Brown, Kevin and Dreifort, Darren.] Everyone will be gunning for Sabathia in the off-season but the length of deal and numbers he's talking will make me nervous. And yes, a fond farewell to Nomar Garciaparra. We really wanted to love you - but your injury prone history couldn't help but catch up with you.

Here's a few that I hate to drop but odds are, it's time.

Greg Maddux is a great midseason grab - but to watch him hold a spot in the rotation [unless the other four are way above average] at this point, it probably not a good idea. He wants to sign on as a pitching coach? Hell yes. As a starter, I think I'm over it.

Chan Ho Park's return is a great story but at this stage of his career, he's basically a long reliever and occasional spot starter. I don't think he's about to relive his youth so I'll pass.

Brad Penny's recent slew of injuries have me worried that he may never recapture his ace form. I think it's time to cut bait and run. Takashi Saito also gets dropped at this point sadly. I think he's still got life in him but if Broxton's the closer of the future, give him the ball and see what happens.

Next, we drop a couple of overpriced free agents. Obviously, Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones must go. 'nuff said.

I'll also not re-sign Casey Blake cause I don't feel like spending the money on a 35 year old 3B.

Here's a few that I wouldn't mind keeping but just don't have room for. Joe Beimel, Hiroki Kuroda, Blake DeWitt, and Delwyn Young.

Of course, my number one "please get him out of my sight" on this list is Jeff Kent.
That leaves us with ten.

Scott Elbert gets pulled off the list since he hasn't had a start yet and I don't have any reason to keep him on here at this point.

Derek Lowe gets knocked off the list because I think he's peaked as a Dodger and just hasn't seemed himself since the Carolyn Hughes mess. Plus, as a FA, he'll be too pricey I'd imagine. Down to eight.

This is where it gets tough. I also gotta give up Jonathan Broxton here. I think he's a great pitcher but his recent struggles have me wondering if his conditioning or the pressure is the problem. Either way, I'm not sure I trust him as the closer of the future at the moment.

Rafael Furcal is the next to go on my list. While he's a fantastic player and has been a great asset to the team over the past couple of years but he does have some pretty chronic injuries that would make me think twice before giving him the kind of deal he's likely to want.

5. Andre Ethier/Manny Ramirez
This is the hard one. It really depends on how the rest of the team is made up. Right now, there's a surplus of outfielders. There's also a surplus of big money contracts. Unless serious salary can be shed, I'm guessing Manny will have to go despite his positive impact on the team's offense, public relations, and fan support.

4. James Loney
I think Loney is the Dodger first baseman for some time to come. He's an excellent hitter and will only get better in time.

3. Russell Martin
Of course. In my mmind, the team captain and best chance they have at a Kirk Gibson type who will get the squad fired up and make the kind of hustle plays to carry the team to the next level. There's been a lot of talk this week about lack of heart and passion. Russell Martin could be the answer to that.

2. Chad Billingsley
The ace of the future - and perhaps the ace right now. Billingsley should anchor the Dodgers rotaton for a long time to come. When Kershaw and Elbert are ready to join him, we should really see something special.

1. Matt Kemp
When Matt Kemp becomes the kind of player that we all believe he can, the Dodgers will have their own homegrown Manny Ramirez at a fraction of the price. To me, Kemp is perhaps the most vital piece of this puzzle the franchise is trying to put together.

Uh Oh

With Ned Coletti's job in jeopardy, many Dodgers fans have been holding their breath over the past few weeks as trade rumors swirled. There was a narrow aversion of disaster when Frank McCourt put the kibosh on a rumored CC Sabathia deal that would have lost Matt Kemp for the team - a deal I wouldn't find worth the cost.

But when Casey Blake was acquired this week for a relatively low cost, many Dodger fans breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this trade deadline would pass without any more frightening moments.

Hold on tight, Dodger fans.

From Jon Heyman at SI:

The Dodgers are one of a few teams showing interest in embattled superstar Manny Ramirez and are currently in discussions with the Red Sox, SI.com has learned.

However the talks are said to be in the very early stages, and there are numerous complications and hurdles to clear for a Dodgers deal to get done. People familiar with the talks say it is too early to gauge the chances for a trade.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, a Bostonian, is believed to love the idea of adding Ramirez to bolster the Dodgers' mediocre offense. However, McCourt, whose team has previously acquired or signed ex-Red Sox Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller and manager Grady Little under his stewardship, has been telling Dodgers people he doesn't want to add payroll during this trading season, and has been openly complaining about disappointing attendance and revenues. Ramirez is making $20 million this year.

...

Dodgers players likely to interest the Red Sox would include young outfielders Matt Kemp and perhaps Andre Ethier. The Dodgers have a deep reservoir of young talent.

...

While Ramirez has announced that he badly wants out of Boston, it is believed he'd want an acquiring team to waive the $20-million team option for 2009 so he can become a free agent.

Lots of red flags there. First off, there is no chance I trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier in this deal - especially if Manny insists on that team option being waived. Even if he doesn't, Kemp's off-limits and Ethier is right there with him. If the Sox were willing to take one of the Dodgers' bad contracts back [either Jones, Schmidt, or Pierre] I'd consider putting Ethier in the deal very reluctantly.

This one really concerns me because we all know McCourt's weakness for BoSox players. I'd love to see Manny in Dodger Blue but only at the right price. If you can't keep him or get him on the cheap, let him become a free agent and revisit it then.

Random Randomness

Considering I work late tonight, I thought I should probably give you more of a post today than the Carlin thing. So, some random thoughts on some random news over the past few days.

NEWS: G.I. Joe Movie Gets A Subtitle
REACTION: Well, there's two good things about this. To me, a subtitle means it's a high probability that the studio is thinking "franchise" - and I'm hopeful that means they really like the footage they're seeing and think it's going to be a success. The other good thing? The subtitle is "Rise Of Cobra" - which is exactly the kind of thing I want to hear, baby! This is the first piece of news we've had on this movie in a long while [although I expect that to change next month at Comic-Con] and I think it's good news.

NEWS: UFC Fight Night Was Saturday Night
Yeah, it was. But other than the TUF Finale being another surprising win for Amir, nothing on the show really did much for me. Everything just seemed kinda... there. But I did come away from the show with two pieces of insight - 1] Joe Rogan is a loose cannon out there. Knowing how similar Dana is to Vince McMahon, I gotta think Dana's sitting in the back ready to spit nails when he hears Rogan mention Tito Ortiz and Kimbo Slice on his TV show. He used to do the same thing with Pride. It really is fascinating that Dana lets him get away with it.

Oh, the second thing?

Evan Tanner's beard needs its own reality show as it has reached ungodly levels of awesomeness.

NEWS: It's Been One Year Since The Chris Benoit Situation Went Down
REACTION: It's hard to believe it's been a year already. I still can remember exactly how I found out and how absolutely stunned I was. It started with "Chris Benoit is dead" to "His whole family is dead too" and then developed into what we know now. I often joke about people who claim George Lucas "raped their childhood" but if anything, if anyone has ever come close to doing that to me - it's Chris Benoit. He has completely changed the way that a lot of people look at the business that they loved - hell, he's even caused some people to stop watching all together. But of course, that's not even close to the worst part of the whole situation. There's a special place in hell reserved for Chris Benoit.

NEWS: Dodgers Considering Trading Billingsley And Kemp For Sabathia
REACTION: God help me. Here we go again. After I spent all winter paranoid that Coletti was going to do some huge ill-advised desperation move, he managed to play it safe and stay the course for the most part. Now? The rumors are starting again and this time, I'm even more concerned because many believe Coletti's job may be on the line if he can't salvage this season. Don't do it, Ned! Stay the course! Listen to Logan White!

NEWS: First John McCain For President TV Ad Spotted
REACTION: Eh, it didn't do anything for me. Nothing inspiring. Nothing memorable. Just the same ol', same ol' wrapped up in a different package. But then, of course, I'm probably not the target demo for him. I've never voted Republican before and I'm not likely to start now. But since I was watching Deadliest Catch when it came on, I have to wonder exactly who that ad was aimed at. It's going to be an interesting few months leading up to election.

That's it for me! You guys have been great! Don't forget to tip your waitress!