Vogelsong toiled through three seasons in the Japanese League before Triple-A stints in 2010 for the Phillies and Angels. In the Bay Area with the team that originally drafted him in the fifth round in 1998, Vogelsong became a front-line starter at last. And he did so at first by filling in for injured Barry Zito.
DECISION CLEARS WAY FOR SALE
OF TEAM
BY RANDALL CHASE | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WILMINGTON, Del. — A bankruptcy judge in Delaware on Wednesday approved a settlement between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports that clears the way for the sale of the team.
The settlement, reached late Tuesday and quickly approved at a brief court hearing Wednesday morning, ends a contentious legal battle between the ball club and Fox.
“The agreement with Fox clears the path for the Dodgers to sell the team on schedule and to maximize the value of the debtors’ estate,” Dodgers attorney Sid Levinson told Judge Kevin Gross.
Fox Sports attorney Greg Werkheiser said Fox was glad to have resolved its differences with the Dodgers, and attorneys for Major League Baseball and the Dodgers’ committee of unsecured creditors told Gross they support the settlement.
Gross quickly signed off on the settlement, saying it was in the best interest of all parties in the Dodgers bankruptcy case.
The settlement was reached with the help of a court-appointed mediator after a federal district court judge said last month that Fox likely would win an appeal of a ruling by Gross that authorized the Dodgers to begin a process to market the media rights to future games starting in 2014.
Fox Sports Net West, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., claimed that the media rights marketing plan violated its rights under an existing telecast contract with the Dodgers.
Under the settlement, the Dodgers will abide by the terms of the existing contract with Fox. That contract gives Fox an exclusive 45-day period starting in October to try to negotiate a contract extension with the Dodgers. The contract also prohibits the Dodgers from talking to other potential buyers of the media rights before Nov. 30 and gives Fox a limited right of first refusal on competing offers received after that date.
Angels re-sign first baseman Morales
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels have re-signed Kendrys Morales to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration with the injured first baseman.
The Angels announced the deal Wednesday for Morales, who hasn’t played since breaking his left ankle while jumping on home plate to celebrate a game-ending grand slam May 29, 2010.
The Cuban slugger appeared to be on the verge of stardom after batting .306 with 34 homers and 108 RBIs in 2009, but has undergone several procedures on his injured ankle, including a bone graft and surgery to remove scar tissue last year.
Giants give Vogelsong two-year contract
SAN FRANCISCO — Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants agreed Wednesday to a two-year contract worth approximately $8.3 million after he became one of the team’s most reliable starters and an unlikely All-Star last season.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who had been eligible for arbitration, had a remarkable comeback season in 2011. He set a career high for wins while going 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA in 30 games, 28 starts. The deal includes a club option for 2014.
Vogelsong toiled through three seasons in the Japanese League before Triple-A stints in 2010 for the Phillies and Angels. In the Bay Area with the team that originally drafted him in the fifth round in 1998, Vogelsong became a front-line starter at last. And he did so at first by filling in for injured Barry Zito.