Bait Presentation

Holy mackerel! Jose De Leon is tipping the scales at fifth on MLB Pipeline's Top 10 RHP Prospects list. Why am I casting his name out there? Because, having emerged from obscurity, De Leon has evolved from being reeled in in the 24th round of the 2013 draft and spawning a 6.96 ERA, to leading MiLB in K's per nine in just two years. He would make a great catch for any team looking for a major league-ready starter in the bottom half of their rotation that could be cost controlled for years to come.

Please don't trust me because I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. My instinct tells me, though, that the Dodgers are shopping prospects along with some dead money like Carl Crawford.

I'll be curious to see what happens, for reel!

POWERBALL

Justin Upside

Just like me, Adrian Gonzalez is optimistic about the Dodgers roster in 2016. In an LA Times story from last month about his off-season training regimen, Gonzalez says of the defection of Zack Greinke to Arizona, "you're not going to replace him, but you can use that money that you didn't spend on a couple starters and a bat."

In the time since that piece was published on December 24, the Dodgers have spent on a couple starters. Their names are Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda and they committed to reasonable contracts.

The only item left from Adrian's proclamation is the "bat".

"These guys could be working on something really big that no one is thinking of. I don't worry about it. Right now, it might seem slow, it might seem like they're not doing much, but they could be doing a ton behind the scenes.

People focus on today," Gonzalez said. "They don't focus on what it might look like in February. I tell everyone to be patient. The off-season doesn't end until Game 1 of the regular season. You never know."

Just in time.

Have A Cigar

Q: What's the difference between a humidor and the Los Angeles Dodgers?

A: The Dodgers have more Cubans!

The Dodgers have reached an agreement with Cuban righty Yaisel Sierra. He will join a host of fellow countrymen on his new team. The posse of established (to various degrees) teammates now includes similarly spelled given-namer Yasiel Puig, deliciously lobed Alex Guerrero, and the enigmatic Erisbel Arruebarrena.

Stud Cuban prospects were added in the form of outfielder Yusniel Diaz and infielder Omar Estevez. There's right-hander Yadiel Alvarez, outfielder Starling Heredia, and infielder Ronny Brito, too. Also, outfielders Christopher Arias and Carlos Rincon. Oh, and shortstop Oneal Cruz.

[take a breath] Picked 12th overall in the 2010 draft, Yasmani Grandal was born in Havana. In addition, the Dodgers had previously signed Cuban defector Hector Olivera for $62.5M and subsequently traded him. I probably missed one or two dozen, but you get the idea.

Could Lazarito be next?