Yardbarker: Scott Proctor

Greg Maddux To The Dodgers Is Official

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:23:00 -0500

The Dodgers get Maddux from the Padres for either two minor leaguers or cash.

"To get Maddux, the Dodgers sent the Padres two Minor Leaguers to be named or cash considerations, probably after the season ends. The teams will share the cost of the remaining $2.3 million of Maddux's $10 million contract. Maddux had a no-trade clause, but told the Padres he would waive it for the Dodgers so he could remain close to his Orange County home."

In corresponding moves, Eric Stults will be sent down to AAA, and Scott Proctor will be placed on the 60-day DL.

"The Dodgers optioned lefty Eric Stults to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Maddux, and they cleared a 40-man spot by moving Scott Proctor to the 60-day DL."

The sense of this trade ultimately depends on who the Dodgers will give to the Padres in the deal. Players to be named later are usually not top prospects, but it is Ned Colletti, so who knows.

With that said, on the surface, Greg Maddux seems like a sure bet to bolster the fifth spot in the rotation. He's a future Hall Of Famer with 353 career wins, and he pitched great for the Dodgers last time he was here. Plus, his ERA is 3.99 this year, above average for any pitcher, much less a fifth starter. However, while all those things are true, what he did in the past is of no consequence to me. It's only what he does from here on out that's of any value to the Dodgers. And like with Manny Ramirez, the fact that he has so many wins only means one thing: he's old. Also, while his numbers great this year, the unfortunate reality is that his ERA away from PETCO Park is a horrendous 5.75. To be honest, i'm not entirely sure that Stults, or even James McDonald, would do much worse in the fifth spot of the rotation.

Still, if the two prospects the Dodgers give up (or even better if it's just cash) turn out to be relatively inconsequential players, I can't see how this ends as a negative move. The away ERA does concern me, but I still think Maddux ends up being a league average pitcher. And for as much as I hate shit like "veteran presense", Maddux is much more of a sure bet to attain decent numbers over a month long period than a guy who would have to learn to adjust on the fly (McDonald), or a guy who's still unproven (Stults). I just hope that Maddux can find a month of magic left in that old right arm of his, because by all accounts, the Dodgers are going to need it.

NL All Crap Team

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:09:28 -0500

Screw the All Star Game let's put together a roster from those that have been utter disappointments this season.

C: Carlos Ruiz - With a lot of bad awful terrible catchers out there, Ruiz takes the cake this season. He's hitting .206 with only 2 home runs in the band box in Philly.
1B: Todd Helton - His power #s have been in a steady decline for awhile but now he's not even hitting for average, registering in at .266 so far this season.
2B: Freddy Sanchez - The former batting champ is now hitting .226 with a .253 on base % and a .307 slugging %. Ouch.
3B: Geoff Blum - Not that surprisingly Geoff Blum hasn't been very good. He's hitting .219 for the Stros.
SS: Omar Vizquel - Old Man River has been basically the worst hitter in baseball history.
OF: Eric Byrnes - Captain hussle, has not been hustling too much with multiple trips to the DL and only 4 steals and 6 homers to his name.
OF: Andruw Jones - Whatever has happenned to ole Andruw Jones. No longer a beast, he's now a player fans are grateful to have on the DL and not on the field.
OF: Corey Patterson - Somehow still on the roster despite an OPS of .562, but mercifully relegated out of the Reds starting lineup.

Bench: J.R. Towles - Basically you can pick out any bad catcher for the backup position but Towles was the rookie de jour coming into this season and well he's hitting .152.
Bench: Felipe Lopez - A utility man of awful this season. He's mixed time at SS and 2B and is
Bench: Troy Tulowitzki - While not spending massive amounts of time on the DL, Tulowitzki is hitting under .170.
Bench: Khalil Greene - Hitting .222 on a team that needs hitting more than any other in the league.
Bench: Michael Bourn - His massive amount of steals be damned, the guy has an OPS of .571.
Bench: Wily Mo Pena - Wily Mo is having a major major power outage this year with only 2 homers while hitting .210.

SP: Barry Zito - Who wouldn't want to pay 200+ million for 12 pre-all star break losses.
SP: Brett Myers - So bad that the Phillies decided to send him to the minors to get straightened out.
SP: Ian Snell - Looking like an emerging young star after last season, Snell has an ERA of 5.88 before landing on the DL.
SP: Brad Penny - Formerly an All Star game starter, Penny has an ERA well above 5 and is now on the DL.
SP: Mark Hendrickson - The opening day starter for the Marlins now sits with a bunch of losses and an ERA above 6.
SP: Tom Gorzelanny - Gorzo was terrific at times last season. This year he has 7 losses and an ERA above 6.
RP: Guillermo Mota - Former Steroid User Guillermo Mota has been so bad the last month he's gone from closer to be to ERA above 6.
RP: Scott Proctor - The former Yankee who was abused by Torre, is now abused once again in LA where he has called himself out for being so terrible.
RP: Luis Vizcaino - He was a Type B free agent, meaning the Yankees got a draft pick for letting him go. Now he has an ERA above 9 for the Rockies.
RP: Manny Corpas - Corpas went from looking like Mariano in the postseason last year to out of the closers job in a flash.
CL: Eric Gagne - Continued his miserable performances with the Red Sox last year with Milwaukee this year.

Dodgers are Walking Wounded

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:47:41 -0500

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a disappointment all season. The off-season signings of manger Joe Torre and slugging outfielder Andruw Jones brought optimism to Chavez Ravine, but that has morphed into a 38-43 record at the halfway point. Torre has not been able to ignite a punchless offense, and Jones is among 10 players currently on the disabled list. Can the Boys in Blue turn it around and when will their wounded get back on the field?

Proctor Really Was Hurt; Falkenborg Gets Called Up

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:24:51 -0500

I sorta expected something like this, but I was suprised at how long it took for him to admit it. Proctor only told the Dodgers that he was hurting after it was announced that he was being optioned to AAA. "The Dodgers announced on Wednesday that reliever Scott Proctor had been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. Then they announced he had been placed on the disabled list with a sore elbow. Proctor said he he's been pitching hurt 'for a month, a month and a half,' in part because...

If Scott Proctor Were A Horse, He Would Be Put Down

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:36:57 -0500

I've expressed my displeasure with Proctor in the past, but this is just ridiculous. I can only assume that he's hurt after all these years of Joe Torre riding his arm like it was Seabiscuit, because he's seriously never been this terrible over the past 2 years. So far in June, he's allowed 12...

Proctor Blows, Martin Rules, Furcal Might Be Dead

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:53:05 -0500

Proctor being abused, Martin is a God, Furcal's injury is beyond frustrating. Stan Conte gives me blue balls, and certain Dodgers recovering is bad news. "This was supposedly a day-to-day injury when it was first sustained, now he's going to be out at least 2 months. And seriously, does anybody believe he'll be back in 3 weeks? Every time they say he'll be back at a certain time, they just end up tacking on another week or two. It's like us Dodger fans are being given blue balls by Stan Conte's injury updates. Who knew being a trainer involved knowing how to give erotic massages with no happy ending."

Dodgers Have An Offensive Explosion

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:13:48 -0500

I knew the Dodgers were going to have a big day the moment Jeff Kent launched his homer in the first inning. You gotta figure that if Kent can hit a homer, the pitcher has to be pretty terrible. Fortunately, my assumption was correct, and the Dodgers scored as many runs today as they did over their past 3 games...or approximately the amount of runs Josh Hamilton drives in by the 5th inning of every Rangers game. In other game news, Matt Kemp continues to show that he has "no clue" at the plate by going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and homer. Professional run fairy Scott Proctor also made an appearance and, well, gave up a run. Again.

Catching a Ball, Sororities & Spending 10 Hours in a MLB Park

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:27:23 -0500

Saturday, I spent nearly every waking hour at Turner Field, and every bit was worth it as I made some sports connections, watched the Braves win, viewed some good looking girls, and caught my first home run ball in batting practice!

MLB Trade Hype

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:08:48 -0500

Although the trade buzz was loud most of the big names stayed put.

Fantasy Impacts at the Trade Deadline

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 02:34:18 -0500

As a result of yesterday's MLB Trade Deadline, some things got shook up in fantasy baseball. FIO staff writer Lou Poulas discusses some of the trades that went down - those with fantasy implications and the ones that really didn't mean anything.

Is it too early too call the police?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:49:01 -0500

The gap filler that I've got for you is Kige Ramsey giving his winner and loser from the MLB trade deadline, and I have to say, I think for the first time, I'm genuinely disappointed in K-Ram...

Betemit to Yankees for Proctor

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:50:11 -0500

Don't really understand this trade since the Yankees offense is stacked...hopefully not to replace A-Rod next year.

For Yankees, today is about getting rid of Farnsworth

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:45:00 -0500

The clock is ticking toward today's 4 p.m. major league baseball trade deadline, and as I write this Eric Gagne is still a Texas Ranger, and Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth are still New York Yankees. Most reports have the Yankees, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox all still competing to try and pry Gagne away from the Rangers. As a Yankee fan, I care less about acquiring Gagne than finding somebody, anybody to take Farnsworth-less off the Yankees hands.

MLB Rumors: Deadline Edition

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:52:31 -0500

Now that the long-rumored Mark Teixeira to the Braves deal is finally done (well, almost), we can look at the other possible blockbuster deals looming on the horizon. Huge names like Mark Loretta, Octavio Dotel, Al Reyes and Mike Lamb could move by tomorrow's 4 p.m. deadline. Those are names that could change the landscape of not only this season, not only your team, but of baseball as a whole! OK, so I'm kind of overselling this. There's probably not a whole lot left to happen, but here are the latest rumors circulating. Dye to the Red Sox now off? The Red Sox apparently made a very aggressive offer to the White Sox for Jermaine Dye, but got rejected, according to Buster Olney. Unless the White Sox change their mind, the deal won't happen. The Angels are no longer interested in Dye either, so for now, unless something big happens, Dye will stay in Chicago. The White Sox may have dropped the ball on this one. They are going to lose Dye in the offseason, since they have been unwilling to extend his contract and he will be a free agent. He'll get money from someone and apparently Chicago isn't willing to keep him long term, so why not get rid of him for something in return? Doesn't make sense to me but maybe they've got something up their collective sleeves. Dotel will move, but where? The Mariners and Braves are locked in a battle to gain the services of Octavio Dotel. The Royals like Mariners prospect Wladimir Balentien but Royals GM Dayton Moore was formerly the Braves' scouting director, so he might want one of his former finds in Atlanta's farm system. My question is, will Dotel add much to either team? I guess he's another arm, but he's been shaky as of late and doesn't have the greatest track record. Would you give up a great prospect for a middle reliever/set-up guy who has a history of melting down and getting injured? Personally, I'd keep my prospects and stick with my 'pen. Gagne a hot commodity as the deadline looms The Mets, Yankees and Red Sox are all trying to take Eric Gagne off the Rangers' hands. Gagne can block a trade to all but 12 teams, two of whom are the Mets and Yanks, he can block a move to Boston. Jason Stark is reporting that all three teams would bring him in as a set-up guy but don't want to overpay, and the Rangers are motivated sellers. The Yankees always seem to add a guy like Gagne at the deadline, so I'd put them out front in this one. Betemit going or staying? The Yankees continue to pursue Dodgers infielder Wilson Betemit and are trying to convince the Dodgers to accept reliever Scott Proctor in return. Betemit would likely play first base for the Yankees, giving them another option there, and would be insurance at third base if A-Rod decides to opt-out after the season. Proctor would give the Dodgers another middle reliever, which is one of their weakest areas. This deal would fill a hole for both teams, but the Dodgers just are not sold on Proctor and they like Betemit's versatility, especially when you consider Nomar is about due for a muscle pull of some type. The Yankees want Betemit badly, and have been after him since last season when he was still with the Braves, but they'll probably have to add something to the deal to get him. Piazza moving South? The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Angels are a realistic possibility for the A's if they want to move Mike Piazza. Piazza is currently on fire, going 14-for-35 since coming back from the DL. The Angels likely wouldn't have to part with any prospects to get the deal done, though they would have to absorb the remainder of Piazza's $2.7 million contract. I don't think this gets done, even though Artie Moreno is worth more than Guatemala and can definitely afford the salary hit. Loretta to Seattle? The Astros really want to move Mark Loretta but the destination remains unclear. The Padres aren't as high on him as they were less than a week ago and the Mets were on him for a while, but have backed off because they have a deal in place for the Twins' Luis Castillo. Meanwhile, the Mariners have decided they want him, and look to be poised to obtain him, if the deal can get done. They really like him and would love to have him coming off the bench, but the Astros still feel they can get more for him. The Padres have actually shifted their focus from Loretta to Mike Lamb, and if the Astros can get a deal done, they would prefer to keep Loretta. One of the two will almost certainly be moved, it will depend on which team (Mariners or Padres) comes up with the better offer. Mariners in another rumor Apparently the Mariners are not satisfied with their roster, as they are now trying to get Al Reyes from the Devil Rays to be a setup option in front of J.J. Putz. Reyes is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 17 saves in 18 chances so far this season, but the Rays want to keep both him and the recently acquired Dan Wheeler. The Mariners will have to throw a ton at the Rays to move him, but they really want him to strengthen their bullpen, which could use some help.

Yanks Mulling Deal For Garland and More

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:19:51 -0500

While a move for Garland would make sense for the future of the ball club, the starting rotation is not a pressing issue for a team that expects Hughes and Jeff Karstens back as early as next week. Although to have somebody to replace Roger Clemens when he 'retires' or Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina as they get older would make sense. Perhaps they will follow-up on Garland in the off-season. While both of those deals appear to be long-shots, the team is discussing more practical moves as well. The team is still interested in trading one or the entire trio of Proctor, Farnsworth, and Bruney but cannot find any takers. The Devil Rays have been mulling a deal for Proctor which would send Ty Wiggington to New York and the Colorado Rockies have reportedly been interested in Kyle Farnsworth, but the Yankees don't want to pay the $5.5 million he is owed next season. Management is focused on moving one of the three ineffective middle relievers apparently to make room for Joba Chamberlain or Ian Kennedy on the roster.