Winter Meetings Day 2 - Dodgers waiting on Uribe, Kemp trade rumors still present, otherwise quiet

Honestly, I expected Day 2 of the Winter Meetings to be a lot more active around baseball -- and for the Dodgers. But it was relatively quiet.

There was a somewhat significant 3-way trade involving Mark Trumbo, Tyler Skaggs, Hector Santiago and Adam Eaton. Brett Anderson was also moved. But that was really about it.

Early in the day, the Dodgers were waiting on Juan Uribe to make a decision. Apparently, he's holding up the team's offseason at the moment. As the best third baseman on the market, he has every right to test the market and let it develop.

The White Sox were going after him, before they weren't. The Marlins were going after him, before they weren't. The Dodgers still want him back. Those are the only teams linked to Uribe right now.

I have a hunch the situation will be resolved on Wednesday -- one way or another. If the Dodgers don't retain Uribe, things could get quite interesting.

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Matt Kemp's name is still being bandied about in trade rumors. The Red Sox appear to be out, but the Tigers threw their hat in the ring. Also -- and I can't truly confirm it because I didn't see it -- there are two National League teams that have called the Dodgers on Kemp.

It still makes no sense for the Dodgers to trade Kemp when his value is at its lowest. The only way they move him is if they're overwhelmed.

The Tigers checking on Kemp spawned a great post over at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness based on the "brilliance" of Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

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Wednesday is the last full day of the meetings, with the Rule 5 Draft occurring on Thursday. If the Dodgers don't make any moves, fear not. They're still allowed to make moves after the meetings and pretty much all the time.

Oh, and Masahiro Tanaka still remains unposted.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Winter Meetings Day 1 - Dodgers after Wright, Price rumors heating up, Kemp rumors abound, Numata official?

Jamey Wright? That's your ace in the hole, Ned?

Just kidding. Actually, Wright would be a pretty solid signing. The Dodgers need a long reliever (doesn't require him to be long in the tooth, though), and Wright would fill that role.

Ken Rosenthal tweeted Wright is deciding between his former team, the Rays, and his former-former team, the Dodgers. Honestly, he can't really make a bad choice. Both teams are in need of a long reliever and he had success at both stops.

In 2012 with the Dodgers, Wright put up some surprisingly good numbers.

67 2/3 IP
3.72 ERA
3.39 FIP
7.2 K/9
61.2 GB%
6.4 HR/FB

Wright wasn't retained and spent 2013 with the Rays. He, once again, posted some surprisingly good numbers.

70 IP
3.09 ERA
3.13 FIP
8.4 K/9
50.8 GB%
7.1 HR/FB

Something to note is the reduced ground ball percentage. The nearly 11 percent decline didn't result in an outrageous rise in his home run per fly ball rate, which was likely because he struck out more than a batter per nine innings more in 2013 than he did in 2012.

He'll be 39 later this month, so there's no guarantee the success will continue. But on a 1-year deal, Wright would be well worth a look.

Wright has made a Major League rosters in each of the last eight seasons as a non-roster invitee. This year, it seems he won't have to be an NRI, as NRIs don't usually get inked in December -- especially those who have been really solid the last couple of years.

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With the uncertainty surrounding Masahiro Tanaka (seriously, no one really knows what's going on), the David Price market is set to heat up.

The Dodgers, Mariners and Rangers are the teams in on Price at the moment, and the Rays figure to get quite the haul in return.

I still balk at Corey Seager and Julio Urias. I'm now starting to balk at Seager or Urias. I'm not even keen on including Joc Pederson, but the Rays are going to want at least one of the Dodgers' three best prospects in return for Price. Dee Gordon's name was even mentioned, for some reason.

I'd still rather the Tanaka situation be resolved and the Dodgers just throw gobs of money at him, but I've said it before: The Dodgers will end the offseason with either Tanaka or Price.

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Matt Kemp rumors are still out there, despite his medicals not being the best. The Mariners, Orioles, Rangers and Red Sox are the teams on him (and Andre Ethier).

In fact, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweeted this tonight.

Yep. No specifics on return. But M's can eat more money than most clubs. @topherJmitchell: are you hearing any Kemp to Seattle buzz?
— Bob Dutton (@TNT_Mariners) December 10, 2013

I'm not sure if that means a whole lot at this point, but Kemp's name isn't going away in rumors. I wrote about what a deal to Seattle might look like at Yahoo Sports today. I'm still really against moving him.

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Remember Takumi Numata? Of course you don't, as I got a lot of questions on Twitter when I was retweeting him today.

He's the 19-year-old Japanese pitcher the Dodgers signed. Numata is the player who got himself a lifetime ban from the Japanese Amateur Baseball Association because he agreed to sign with the Dodgers. He circumvented the rules, which obviously didn't make Japanese officials too happy.

Well, Numata was apparently at Dodger Stadium today for his physical, a stadium tour and to likely make his minor-league deal official.

If I had to guess, he'll begin the season at either Ogden or Great Lakes -- depending how aggressive the Dodgers want to be with him.

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At press time, that's about it. Day 2 of the meetings could be a lot more eventful. The Dodgers are going to have start making moves sometimes, right?

Photo credit: Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons

Dodgers' Winter Meetings shopping list: Relievers - Albers, Logan, Veras

In the last of a four-part series, I look at what left-handed relievers the Dodgers could target at the Winter Meetings, which start today.

The Dodgers did quite well when they re-signed Brian Wilson last week. That helped to shore up the back end of the bullpen, but there's still some work to be done.

I looked at some bullpen options last week -- one of whom signed on the day of the post (Wesley Wright with the Cubs).

There are plenty of relievers to be had, including some intriguing options from both sides.

• Third base
• Starting pitcher
• Bench pieces
• Left-handed RP/power right-handed RP

Matt Albers

Albers is an extreme groundball pitcher. The Dodgers just non-tendered an extreme groundball pitcher in Ronald Belisario. But Albers would be a nice addition as a replacement for Belisario -- if the Dodgers are looking for a pitcher who doesn't rely on the strikeout as much as other guys.

Going into his age-31 season, Albers could continue to get better, especially if his sinker continues to do magical things.

John Axford

I wrote about Axford last week, and he's going to be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market, so he won't be inclined to sign quickly if the deal doesn't meet what he's looking for.

Still, he's just two seasons removed from being an elite closer who has nasty strikeout stuff. He'd be worth a look.

J.P. Howell

Howell is the must-sign of the Winter Meetings for the Dodgers. If it means a 3-year deal, the Dodgers need to do it. Howell is unlike most desirable pitchers on the market. He is plenty good at getting batters out, but he does it with a below-average fastball. His off-speed pitches are good and he throws them where he wants.

I'm probably in the minority when it comes to giving him a 3-year deal, but I'd do it without hesitation.

Boone Logan

I'm kind of surprised Logan is available and/or hasn't been snatched up yet. In the last three years, he's struck out 10.9 batters per nine innings while keeping his pitches somewhat under control.

Logan, 29, is strictly left-handed specialist. In his career, lefties have hit .243/.312/.378 against him. Righties have hit .297/.379/.475. If he's throwing against a right-handed hitter, it's in an extreme situation or his team is getting blown out.

Oliver Perez

Perez enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in 2013. For the Mariners, he threw 53 innings that had mixed results. He had a 3.74 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 1.0 HR/9 and a 4.4 BB/9. Definitely not great. But he struck out 12.6 per nine innings in those 53 innings.

He's the "boom" guy available from the left side. He's as likely to strike out the side as he is to walk two batters and give up a home run. But that mid-90s fastball from the left side is awfully intriguing.

Jose Veras

Veras began 2013 as the Astros' closer before being traded to the Tigers to set up Joaquin Benoit. He had a solid season and has been just that for the last few years.

Veras, 33, showed marked improvement with his control in 2013. He reduced his walk rate to 3.2 per nine innings. That makes him a much more reliable reliever. He also has three pitches he goes to -- a fastball, a splitter and a curveball. He has confidence in all of his pitches, which makes him a more viable weapon out of a bullpen.

Photo credit: Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons

Dodgers' Winter Meetings shopping list: Bench pieces - Baker, Chavez, Davis, Gutierrez, Nelson, Turner

In the third of a four-part series, I look at what the Dodgers could do to strengthen the bench during the Winter Meetings, which begin Monday.

The Dodgers have already lost Nick Punto (Oakland) and Skip Schumaker (Cincinnati) to free agency, and they're not expecting to bring back Jerry Hairston and I hope they steer clear of Michael Young.

• Third base
• Starting pitcher
• Bench pieces
• Left-handed RP/power right-handed RP

Jeff Baker

Baker mashes against left-handed pitching -- perhaps better than any other free agent available. He can play multiple positions and a guy Mike Petirello looked at in early November.

In 800 career plate appearances against lefties, he owns a .298/.353/.522 triple slash. He's probably limited to the corner outfield or first base. However, he's played a little second- and third base in his career.

He'd be a nice addition so the Dodgers could sit Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier against tough lefties.

Eric Chavez

I had the Dodgers signing Chavez in my offseason plan, and he'd be a great left-handed power bat off the bench. While he's been a third baseman most of his career, Chavez is more of a 1B/3B baseman at this point. He can handle third base, but he'd need a right-handed platoon partner.

Chavez has hit .281./.341/.488 over the last two seasons as a part-time player, and he figures to be a hot commodity this winter.

Rajai Davis

Davis should be able to land a starting position on the open market, but at 33 years old, he might be ready to go into a part-time role on a championship-caliber team.

A speedster, Davis can play center field, but he's better suited to play left. He's a career .268/.316/.377 hitter, but he's a career .294/.354/.425 hitter against left-handed pitchers. Davis also has 268 stolen bases at nearly an 80 percent clip.

Franklin Gutierrez

This will be short, as I wrote an extensive post about Gutierrez last month. The Dodgers need a true backup center fielder, and Gutierrez is the best one available.

Health issues continues for ex-Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez; sidelined by virus infection in winter ball in Venezuela.
— Bob Dutton (@TNT_Mariners) December 2, 2013

That really shouldn't hamper him come the 2014 season.

Chris Nelson

Nelson had a wild 2013 season, spending time with the Rockies, Yankees and Angels. At 28, he's the youngest guy on this list and would be worth a flyer.

The former No. 9 overall pick in 2004 is more of a 3B/2B, but he played 532 games at shortstop in the minor leagues.

Nelson went to Pasadena City College, so he has some local ties. He also owns a .268/.312/.399 career triple slash. In 2012, he hit .301/.352/.458 in 377 plate appearances, but was aided massively by Coors Field (.347/.411/.500 at home).

Justin Turner

Turner is probably the most realistic option on this list, as the Dodgers have reportedly checked in on him. I heard to the same thing, and at first glance, there are worse players the Dodgers could acquire.

He's not spectacular, but he's solid for hat he is. From Petriello:

"Turner was expected to be tendered by the Mets, but it didn’t happen after an injury-plagued year, and so he’s free after parts of five years and just under 1,000 major league plate appearances. Over that time he’s got a 93 wRC+ and a .684 OPS, making him somewhat below league-average, but he’s made starts at second (88), third (50), short (21), and first (17), which is pretty nice versatility. That said, DRS (-21) and UZR/150 (-21.5) both hate him at second, which is where he’s seen the most action, so it’s hard to call him a plus glove."

That's pretty much him in a nutshell. I'd bet on him being a Dodger before the end of next week.

Next up: Relief pitchers (please come back, J.P. Howell)

Photo credit: mikelachance816, Flickr