Category: Dailies

Report Has Dodgers After Sherrill

If the Dodgers acquire a left-handed reliever before Friday’s trade deadline, it most likely will be Baltimore’s George Sherrill. They’ve been scouting him the past two weeks and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that the Dodgers have backed away from talks for Indians starter Cliff Lee and are focusing on Sherrill. — Ken Gurnick

Colletti on Halladay

The price in players for Toronto ace Roy Halladay is “two or three players off our current club, including a young pitcher, or five or six prospects,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told KABC Radio Friday morning. Colletti wouldn’t mention names, but presumably the young pitcher is either Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley or Jonathan Broxton. Trading any of them would hardly improve the Dodgers’ chances this year, not to mention the other player off the Major League club, not to mention the long term impact. However, a larger deal (or separate deal) could be made with Toronto that would return reliever and former Dodgers farmhand Jason Frasor, according to the Toronto Globe. Frasor would address the Dodgers’ other need, a veteran reliever. — Ken Gurnick

No Day Off for Manny

Dodgers employees, still stunned over Manny Ramirez’s jaw-dropping pinch grand-slam homer Wednesday night, arrived at Dodger Stadium Thursday morning to find Ramirez taking batting practice. Although the club has a rare day off in the middle of a homestand, Ramirez had arranged for first-base coach Mariano Duncan to pitch to him, apparently not wanting to go two days without taking live batting practice. Ramirez skipped batting practice Wednesday because of a sore hand that also kept him out of the starting lineup. Then pinch-hitting in the sixth inning, he rocketed Nick Masset’s first pitch into the Mannywood section of seats for a grand slam. — Ken Gurnick

Belisario Painfree

Disputing media speculation that he’s out for the year, disabled reliever Ronald Belisario played catch for the second conecutive day and said his elbow was painfree. Belisario will increase the intensity of his throwing and won’t likely return until next month. — Ken Gurnick

Milton Hurting

The Dodgers were already searching for a new fifth starter, but the way pitcher Eric Milton was painfully moving through the Dodgers clubhouse after Thursday night’s game, don’t expect his return any time soon. Milton was placed on the disabled list last week, necessitating moving Jeff Weaver from the bullpen into Saturday’s start. — Ken Gurnick

Dodgers Rumored Interested in Halladay

The Dodgers are already in the mix of teams rumored to be interested in Toronto ace Roy Halliday, whose club announced it is willing to listen to offers. Other clubs also expected to be interested are the usual suspects — Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers and Angels. Halladay’s contract status makes him an unlikely Dodgers pickup. He’s due to receive the remainder of his $14.25 million salary this year and he’s owed $15.75 million next year. And he has a no-trade clause. All of that means any acquiring club not only would pick up the remaining $22 million plus, but would need to tack on an extension to get him to waive the no-trade clause. Then there are the prospects it would take to pry him from Toronto. — Ken Gurnick