BASEBALL: Dodgers near blockbuster

By J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES - Kenley Jansen turned to face a television as he was leaving the home clubhouse to take the field Friday.

The announcement was splashed all over the screen - the Dodgers were "close" to acquiring Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in a blockbuster trade - and the Dodgers closer was as surprised as anyone.

"Whoa," Jansen said. "It might be done."

Three thousand miles away in Boston, they were rolling up life-sized photos of Gonzalez from the windows overlooking Yawkey Way across from Fenway Park. Inside the park, Gonzalez merchandise was being pulled from the shelves.

The deal wasn't done when the game between the Dodgers and Miami Marlins began, and it had not been made official as of press time.

Judging by the trade winds blowing from coast to coast, however, any impediments to the massive trade were tiny.

According to multiple reports, the Dodgers will receive Gonzalez, pitcher Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford, infielder Nick Punto and cash. Going to the Red Sox: first baseman James Loney and minor-leaguers Jerry Sands, Rubby De La Rosa, Ivan De Jesus Jr. and Allen Webster.

Both teams must review medical information for all players involved and agree upon the amount of money changing hands. Boston must also get approval from Beckett because he has at least 10 years' service time and five with his current team.

Because the non-waiver trade deadline has passed, Gonzalez and

Beckett had to pass through waivers before the Dodgers could put in their claim on both players. The two teams now have an exclusive 48-hour negotiating window that expires Sunday.

One of the game's premier power-hitting first basemen, the 30-year-old Gonzalez started slowly but has enjoyed a productive 2012 overall: A .300 batting average, 86 RBIs - tied for sixth in the majors - and 15 home runs, nine since July 16. He was able to clear waivers because few teams can absorb the six years and $127million remaining on his contract, which expires in 2018.

But for the Dodgers, expensive acquisitions have become routine since Guggenheim Baseball Management was awarded ownership of the team in April. They agreed to pay the remainder of Hanley Ramirez's contract (north of $31 million), which runs through 2014, when they acquired the shortstop from the Marlins. They extended Andre Ethier's contract through 2017 for a total of $85 million.

More recently, they took on the expiring contracts of Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Even the players in the room didn't think the Dodgers were done dealing then.

"No," center fielder Matt Kemp said. "They said they were going to try to do some more stuff."

"Before any of this happened, before any of these moves happened, ownership told us `This is for real,"' catcher A.J. Ellis said.

According to multiple reports, the Dodgers are expected to get some money back in the deal because the four Red Sox players reportedly have a combined $262.5 million left on their contracts. It's the first MLB trade ever involving two players (Gonzalez and Crawford) with more than $100 million left on their contract, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Among outgoing Dodgers, only Loney had to pass through waivers since he is on the Dodgers' major-league roster.

De La Rosa was optioned to Double-A Chattanooga before Friday's game and Alex Castellanos was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his place on the active roster.

Loney was a late lineup scratch in favor of Juan Rivera and left the Dodgers dugout during the second inning of the game against the Marlins.

"Things are always going to be out there floating around," Loney said before the game, just after he was scratched. "Until something happens, your real reaction happens, it's hard to speculate what your real feelings are going to be."

Loney, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, wore out his welcome among fans and lost his grip on the first baseman's job by getting off to a miserable start offensively. He was batting just .198 on May 7, and by July the Dodgers had a deal in place to acquire Carlos Lee from the Houston Astros. Lee ultimately rejected the trade and became a Marlin.

Though Loney had recovered to hit .254 through Friday, he clearly wasn't part of the team's long-term plans after seven seasons in Los Angeles.

"James has been one of the guys that's, from a hitting standpoint, a coaching standpoint, a little frustrating because you think there's more there," Dodger manager Don Mattingly said. "I love James, but it's disappointing because you think there's more there."

De La Rosa could prove to be the best player going to Boston. His fastball was regularly clocked at 100 mph last season, which was cut short by elbow pain that resulted in Tommy John surgery in August.

The 23-year-old righty defied medical estimates and pitched two-thirds of an inning for the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing two runs in a loss to the San Francisco Giants. Before that, he did not allow a run in 12 minor-league rehabilitation innings and said he touched 99 mph on a radar gun.

Sands, 24, was enjoying a stellar season for Triple-A Albuquerque, batting .303 with 24 home runs and 101 RBIs. He had a 21-game hitting streak for the Isotopes but could not translate that success to the majors, where he's hit .244 over parts of the past two seasons.

De Jesus, 25, batted .273 during his brief time in the majors this season and .295 at Albuquerque.

Webster, 22, had a 3.55 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 121<MD+,%30,%55,%70>2/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>3 innings at Double-A Chattanooga.

Beckett finished ninth in American League Cy Young Award voting last season, but has slipped to 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA and career-low 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings this year. He's 0-4 in his past six starts and hasn't won a game since July 15.

According to the website fangraphs.com, Beckett's fastball velocity has dropped from an average of 93.0 mph last year to 91.4 this season.

Opponents are hitting the pitch to a .325 average, up from .219 last year. He missed three starts in June while on the disabled list with an inflamed shoulder and some in baseball have speculated that he is still injured.

The contents of Beckett's medical report could affect how he fits in with the Dodgers during their stretch run.

Crawford is on the 60-day disabled list and underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Thursday. The Red Sox said he will be ready to play in six to nine months.

The 31-year-old outfielder has a .292 batting average in 11 major-league seasons, but has batted just .260 with a miserable .292 on-base percentage since signing a seven-year, $142 million contract with Boston in 2011.

Punto, 34, has played all four infield positions in a reserve role this season. He is hitting .200 with five stolen bases in 125 at-bats.

The big fish in the deal is Gonzalez, who is most familiar to Dodgers fans from his days with the San Diego Padres. From 2006-10, he averaged 32 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .288 average at hitter-unfriendly Petco Park. The 30-year-old signed a seven-year, $154 million contract extension prior to the season.

Among all major-league teams, Dodgers first basemen rank 28th in OPS (.641), 27th in home runs (9), 23rd in RBIs (54), and 28th in runs scored (45). The left-handed-hitting Loney and right-handed Rivera are currently platooning at the position, both in the midst of one of their worst offensive seasons. Sands can play first base, but for all his success in Triple-A (.303/24 HRs/101 RBIs) he has only four hits in 23 major-league at-bats this season.

Boston is 59-66 and stuck in fourth place in the American League East, and some players - including Gonzalez - have complained about a lack of commitment from team ownership.

jp.hoornstra@inlandnewspapers.com

909-483-9372

twitter.com/jphoornstra

Source: http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_21397620/baseball-dodgers-near-blockbuster?source=rss

lotto winner michael oher jerry lee lewis cesar chavez winning lotto numbers lottery tickets mega lottery