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Wednesday, August 04, 2004 |
The Deal Before The Deal
None of the other Dodger bloggers has mentioned this Jason Reid story in the Times, so I will. In particular, he brings up the sequence of events leading up to the mega-trade. DePodesta "targeted the All-Star break to begin dismantling an overpriced roster". Then,
U.S.S. Mariner promises to analyze the weekend's trades presently, "especially the Dodgers deal". Should be interesting to read, but I can surmise where they're headed with it by this quote:
... a funny thing happened on the way to beginning the rebuilding process — the Dodgers played much better than expected. They raced out to a 22-10 start and held a three-game lead in the division on May 12.After losing 12 of 14 but turning around and winning "eight of nine to close the first half, and nine of 10 coming out of the All-Star break", DePo went into high gear. In particular, he wanted to
- unload the contract of grossly overpaid Juan Encarnacion
- acquire Steve Finley from the D'backs
- acquire another starter for the rotation, which would only have Jackson, Ishii, and Weaver signed for 2005
It had become clear to DePodesta that he could not get Randy Johnson or Finley for prospects, and Florida was the only team that would take Encarnacion, a member of last season's World Series title team. DePodesta also realized the Dodgers would not be able to add the player they wanted without disrupting the major league roster. He would have to think big or do nothing at all.But of course the Johnson trade fell through later, so DePo worked a secondary trade with Arizona for Brent Mayne, just in case. And that is where the story ends. A very busy day for the young GM.On Thursday, the Dodgers agreed to trade a minor leaguer to Colorado for Charles Johnson, who had to be persuaded to waive his no-trade clause. Colorado also agreed to pay all but $2 million of the approximately $12.1 million Johnson would have been owed.
Oh, and did I mention that Mr. Small Sample Size reminds me that the Dodgers are now 3-1 since the trade? And that three of those games were on the road against division opponents? No? What about the fact that the Dodgers are now four and a half games up on the Padres?
U.S.S. Mariner promises to analyze the weekend's trades presently, "especially the Dodgers deal". Should be interesting to read, but I can surmise where they're headed with it by this quote:
Brad Penny's firing a two hitter in his Dodger debut, and LA is winning 3-0. Apparently, Paul LoDuca's heart and grittiness didn't go with him to Florida, but Penny's 3.06 ERA certainly came west.I guess by now the M's bloggers are tired of watching guys hired for their intangibles (read: Spiezio, et al.) swing and miss repeatedly. I don't blame them (read: Encarnacion).
Comments:
You read this? Not that Paulie has no right to feel this way; sure, he's on a different team now. Of course he wants to beat us. But just as he has moved on, so should all the people crying tears for him.
mattkew
PHOENIX -- The Marlins' new No. 3 hitter, Paul Lo Duca, did not take Saturday's trade from Los Angeles personally, but he does look forward to facing his old teammates in two weeks.
"It's over with. I could care less," he said on Tuesday of the deadline deal. "I want to go back in there and kick their [rear ends], I'll tell you that much.
"And am I rooting against them? Yeah. Wouldn't you? I want [the Marlins] to win, and I could care less what else happens as long as we get to the playoffs."
At the same time, Lo Duca credits Dodgers manager Jim Tracy for giving him his first shot in the Major Leagues, as well as coaches John Shelby and Glenn Hoffman for their work in making him a polished pro.
"I have a lot of friends over there. I wish them the best of luck, except when we play them," said Lo Duca, who came up with the Dodgers in 1998 and has been a regular since 2001. "It's not a slap in the face. Things happen. That is part of baseball."
The trade came at a trying time for Lo Duca, as his wife, Sonia, is 6 1/2 months pregnant with the couple's first child, a girl.
"It's tough," he said. "The toughest thing about it is moving everything, making sure things aren't getting lost. I'm more worried about supporting two ladies instead of all this going on."
mattkew
PHOENIX -- The Marlins' new No. 3 hitter, Paul Lo Duca, did not take Saturday's trade from Los Angeles personally, but he does look forward to facing his old teammates in two weeks.
"It's over with. I could care less," he said on Tuesday of the deadline deal. "I want to go back in there and kick their [rear ends], I'll tell you that much.
"And am I rooting against them? Yeah. Wouldn't you? I want [the Marlins] to win, and I could care less what else happens as long as we get to the playoffs."
At the same time, Lo Duca credits Dodgers manager Jim Tracy for giving him his first shot in the Major Leagues, as well as coaches John Shelby and Glenn Hoffman for their work in making him a polished pro.
"I have a lot of friends over there. I wish them the best of luck, except when we play them," said Lo Duca, who came up with the Dodgers in 1998 and has been a regular since 2001. "It's not a slap in the face. Things happen. That is part of baseball."
The trade came at a trying time for Lo Duca, as his wife, Sonia, is 6 1/2 months pregnant with the couple's first child, a girl.
"It's tough," he said. "The toughest thing about it is moving everything, making sure things aren't getting lost. I'm more worried about supporting two ladies instead of all this going on."
# posted by 
: 8/04/2004 06:40:00 PM
: 8/04/2004 06:40:00 PM
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