National Baseball Report

Angels and Dodgers looking into Halladay

The Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers are both looking into acquiring Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Roy Halladay.  The possibility of the Dodgers acquiring Halladay is considered a long shot at this time.  The Dodgers would have to give up a young pitcher, perhaps Chad Billingsly, and the Dodgers are not likely to do that.

The Angels tried to get Halladay at the 2009 trade deadline but the Angels would not give up Erick Aybar.  It appears that new Blue Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos is willing to make a trade that does not include Aybar.  Anthopoulos is also willing to allow teams to negotiate with Halladay and agree on a new contract before making a trade.  This will increase what the Blue Jays would get in return for the pitcher.

Source: Mike DiGiovanna - Los Angeles Times

Torii Hunter to have sports hernia surgery

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter will have surgery Monday to repair a sports hernia.  Hunter orginally had a groin injury in May when he ran into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium.  He aggravated the injury several times throughout the season.  Doctors told Hunter that if everything goes well he should be able to continue his normal offseason training in about six weeks.

Source: Mike DiGiovanna - Los Angeles Times

Re-signing Lackey and Figgins is top priority for Angels

Los Angeles Angels general manager Tony Reagins denied reports that said the club was one of three teams, along with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, that have expressed serious interest in free agent outfielder Matt Holliday.

"He's a talented player," Reagins said of Holliday, who hit .313 with 24 home runs and 109 runs batted in for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals in 2009 and could command a deal in excess of $100 million. "But our focus is not on him right now."

The Angels are currently focused on re-signing two of their own free agents, John Lackey and Chone Figgins.  Lackey has reportedly drawn interest from the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the New York Mets.  He is expected to land a contract worth around $100 million.

Figgins has reportedly drawn interest from the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.  He is expected to receive a contract worth around $50 million.

Source: Mike DiGiovanna - Los Angeles Times

Cuban would be interested in owning the Dodgers

Bill Shaikin reports that Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks, would be interested in purchasing the Dodgers if he could purchase a controlling interest in the team.

"I'm not a fan of debt-driven acquisitions," Cuban wrote. "If a unique situation came up where I could contribute capital to buy out a majority shareholder and gain control, with existing shareholders or note holders staying in place, I would consider it."

The Dodgers are not currently for sale but some are speculating that they might be in the future because of the McCourt's pending divorce.

Torre looking to manage past 2010

T.J. Simers reportsthat Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Joe Torre is talking with the Dodgers about extending his contract past the 2010 season.

"It's been fun. When I came here, I was curious about how it might go. But the last two years have been invigorating. You see progress and your ego tells you maybe you had something to do with it."

Don Mattingly has passed up opportunities to interview for managerial openings with other teams because he has been discussed as the successor to Torre in Los Angeles in 2011.  However, Mattingly is not concerned with Torre hanging around longer.

"I really like it there and that's key for me. They've shown me tremendous loyalty and I like the club. I can't say assurances have been given to me [about becoming Torre's successor], but I like the way talks are going. That's a place where I want to be."

 

Boras says Manny returning to Dodgers in 2010

Dylan Hernandez reports that Scott Boras said Manny Ramirez will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.  Ramirez has an escape clause he could excercise to get out of the contract for 2010.  Boras told the Dodgers that Manny will not exercise that clause.

"Obviously, he enjoys L.A.," Boras said. "If he went into the marketplace, the real negative was that he could end up playing in a place he wasn't comfortable playing."