Extra! Extra! (7.28)
Slow news days. Perhaps the nation's writers are having trouble varying descriptions of the Dodgers' struggles. It hasn't been a picnic for us. With any luck, Thursday's break will help the Dodgers regroup. Or refresh. Or rejuvenate. Re-anything, as long as some tangible results are quickly on display. Though by now it requires the help of a forklift, Grady Little is keeping his chin firmly high.
And on the positive side, the NL West remains the still the most winnable division this side of a beer softball league, so anything can happen. And since the Dodgers are running out of ways to lose, "anything" may start including wins purely by default.
Elmer Dessens rides like the wind when it comes to getting on the mound.
Will East Coast bias hurt Andre Ethier (or darker horse candidate Russell Martin) in a Rookie of the Year campaign?
If you're such a roto enthusiast that you play minor league fantasy baseball (not to judge, but... loser!), you may wanna consider releasing Chris Hobdy from your squad. Kid won't be of much value for a while (unless you also play prison league fantasy sports).
Tonight's game: "Last meets Last" in a battle between the Dodgers and the Nationals. Rookie Chad Billingsley will attempt to turn the team's fortunes by outdueling Tony Armas. Bills picked up his first win two starts ago, then proceeded to get crushed. One hopes that was just a hiccup on the road to breakthrough, although Armas is certainly just as vulnerable a pitcher.
Subscribe to this Blog | What is RSS?
Carlos Lee is being traded to Texas for:
Kevin Mench-a guy with Princess-like stats 12 HR, 50 RBIs;
Chad Cordero-Baez-like stats, especially the blown saves and has been replaced as closer &
Lance Nix-hitting .094 in the minors
Maybe it isn't so hard to make a trade. Doesn't look like the Rangers gave up blue chip prospects to get a solid hitter.
No, we'll hang on to our deadwood.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | July 28, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Sorry, my mistake. It was Francisco not Chad Cordero that was in the Carlos Lee trade. PLUS, Milwaukee had to send one of their top prospects along with Lee. Shouldn't it have been the other way around?
The Brewers dumped salary, got rid of someone they weren't going to be able to re-sign. Still seems like they gave up quite a bit, got journeymen in return.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | July 28, 2006 at 10:14 AM
Something concerns me about Billingsly- he hasn’t been able to miss many bats. Its not a surprise that his control is shaky- hes 21. Thats pretty much expected. He is going to walk people and give up hits as he works out his command. But only 23Ks in 44 IP with 33BBs? That’s a little disturbing. He doesn’t seem to have quite the fastball I though he had. Maybe that will come with experience/confidence. Have to remember- young pitchers usually struggle- what were seeing in Weaver is pretty rare- and I bet he goes though some rough patches before its all said and done. One thing Dodger fans should remember when deciding on buy VS sell thoughts is prospects are just that. Prospects. They may well turn out to be great pros, but its far from certain. Will, say LaRoche ever be as productive as Kent? Odds are against that (no matter how much I hope he is) . Loney as good as Nomar? Billingsly as good as Lowe? Etc.. I wouldn’t be too quick to assume bagging this year and everything will be fine next year or the year after is the way its going to all work out.
LETS WIN A GAME!!!! (hate to think of Tommy starving...)
Posted by: john | July 28, 2006 at 10:30 AM
There goes Lee... D'oh!
Posted by: Andrew the Great | July 28, 2006 at 10:43 AM
The Rangers have outbidded the Dodgers for Carlos Lee. SMALL MARKET MENTALITY!
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | July 28, 2006 at 10:47 AM
Hey Soriano is still available !!!!
Posted by: JC Blue | July 28, 2006 at 10:50 AM
Good riddance that Odalis Perez is gone. The last thing we need is a negative person in the clubhouse. The Dodgers need some consistent starting pitching and we should try to get the Marlin's Dontrelle Willis. Bring Him Home. He's a L.A. native and would love to pitch for the Dodgers. Let's make the trade .
http://www.williamcoit.com
Posted by: WilliamCoit.com | July 28, 2006 at 01:11 PM
William,
I hope your TVs are better than your information. Dontrelle is not an LA native, he was born and raided and still lives in Oakland.
Posted by: Dodgerdog | July 28, 2006 at 02:34 PM
It's only fitting that the Nationals and Dodgers meet this evening - it was 15 years ago today Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game for the Expos at Chavez Ravine.
Posted by: Patrick | July 28, 2006 at 02:34 PM
Anything can happen. The lowly Cubs, no Derrick Lee, counting on Prior and Wood who are still injured, 20 games under .500 defeated the Cardinals again today. That makes the count Chicago 8 wins, St. Louis 3 wins.
I'm not sure what this means. St. Louis isn't nearly as tough, dominating as the Dodgers made them appear or that we really suck.
This weekend will be very interesting. The Nats have a 4-game winning streak, but, in general, are lousy. There is tons of talk about Alfonso Soriano being traded, but the uncertainty hasn't slowed him down. We'd find that kind of speculation distracting.
The end of the 3-game series will bring us to the edge of where we're going. Add someone? Get rid of the numerous useless parts? Essentially stand pat?
Posted by: Dodgerdog | July 28, 2006 at 03:06 PM
We already have 6 OF's on our team. If we land a bat it has to be an infielder (Soriano is an IF). The headache involved with clearing room for Lee would have been massive.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Small market mentality? Oh, I'm sorry. Did Carlos Lee land with the Yankees, who are also searching for an OF bat? Man, they must have a small market mentality.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 03:15 PM
"I hope your TVs are better than your information"
That was funny. HAHA!!
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 03:16 PM
lolo,
You're such a loney guy. How can you say something like that? The Yankess have a reputation for big spending. They have players coming back from injury. Matsui, Sheffield...what don't you understand about the Yankees spendinig money. Even now with injury they have Giambi, ARod, Jeter...it's common knowledge of the Yankees spending ways. How dare you even defend the Dodgers against the Yankees.
If the Yankees really wanted Lee they would have gotten him. The Yankees have won more Championships in the last 10 years than the Dodgers have won in 40 years.
Wow! I can't believe you put yourself out there with such an ignorant statement.
The Dodgers compared to the Yankees act like they're SMALL MARKET!
I've been following the Dodgers for 40 years. There isn't anything about the Dodgers, Lakers, and the Rams that you can tell me. When it comes to the Dodgers their conservative ways have always made them look like a SMALL MARKET TEAM!
For a guy with a "higher" understanding of the game you sure say some pretty ingnorant statements.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | July 28, 2006 at 03:44 PM
Mike,
The Yankees have a reputation for spending foolishly (recently). How quickly you forget that their dynasty had little to do with spending big bucks. That’s why now they have a $200 million payroll, no farm system, and are currently not in the playoffs if they started today. Since you like to think that we have a double-standard concerning your boy Odalis, maybe you should consider your own double-standards. If getting out-bid by the Rangers for Lee makes us a small-market team, then the Yankees fall in the same category (who by the way are desperately trying to find a bat yet have not made a move. You think it has to do more with trying to make the right baseball decision?).
It is ignorant to think that just because you spend money without using common sense it means you have a “big market mentality”.
It is ignorant to think that trading a core of our rookies to get Soriano is a “big market decision”.
It is ignorant to think that because you are negative about everything good the Dodgers do that it makes you right.
As for your 40 years following the Dodgers, it is ignorant to think they have done you any good based on the ridiculous statements you make.
Also, last I checked, YOU are the lonely guy.
And for your information, your boy Buss is not the big spender you make him out to be. HE was the guy too cheap to rehire Phil. HE was the guy too cheap to give Shaq the money he was demanding. HE was the guy who wouldn’t take on Pippen’s contract during the 2000 season. HE is the guy who was quoted as saying that he was not willing to pay a 3rd high salary to compliment Shaq and Kobe, therefore he traded Campbell and Jones for garbage. And that’s just in the last 10 years, so don’t get me started on the 80s when we could have won the entire decade had it not been for some of his decisions to save money. The Lakers are what they have been because they have made great basketball decisions, not because they spend like a “Big Market Team”. Ask the Knicks how that “Big Market Spending Mentality” is working out for them.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 04:20 PM
I would love to know what the Dodgers offered for Lee, and what the Brewers demanded. They got two players off Texas' major league roster in Mench and Cordero, plus Nix, who has been there. Obviously, Texas got the best player in the deal, but it would be hard for the Dodgers to trade guys on their big league club, because the talent drain would mitigate the gain. If they only would accept ML players in return, the Dodgers were SOL. It's not like they'd take Drew in return.
The bigger issue is how much they should be willing to move at this point to pick up a player. They're seven behind in the division, seven behind in the wild card with about three quarters of the NL to pass before they'd make the playoffs. Is Carlos Lee going to get them there? Not if everyone else doesn't get their proverbial rear ends in gear.
But like I said, I'd love to know what the Brewers asked for. If it had cost Guzman, for example, I'd have given it some serious thought. After all, in the West, an 8 of 10 winning stretch can make up four games. Why not take a shot? All of the kids can't play up here in the long run, and the longer they sit in the minors, the less valuable they become.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | July 28, 2006 at 04:21 PM
Has it been 15 years already? I was at that game, and got to watch from one of the photographer's wells as Dennis Martinez worked his magic, then cry in the dugout afterwards. Quite a memorable experience.
As for missing out on Carlos Lee, it's probably not a big loss for the Dodgers. I'm not sure how much he would have really helped without everyone else in the lineup getting their butts in gear as well. But, as we saw the first half of the season, when the current lineup has its butts in gear, it can accomplish what it needs to without Lee. So, I dunno. *shrug*
Let's hope the Soriano trade gets done quickly, so the Dodgers don't have to face him all three games....
Posted by: Eric B. | July 28, 2006 at 04:32 PM
As far as spending goes, it's not how much, but how wise. Unfortunately, the Dodgers have struggled in recent years with both.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | July 28, 2006 at 04:32 PM
"If they only would accept ML players in return, the Dodgers were SOL"
There's the million dollar statement! We have so much dead-weight on our team that it's impeding us from 1) offering something that someone is willing to take, and 2) finding the room available to fit in the players we can trade for. As is we are having a hard time finding room for Tomko.
We can't fix this mess today, tomorrow, or this year. Colletti inherited a mess, and some of the band-aids he used to patch together a competitive team have fallen off. Making irrational baseball decisions at this point will make things worse in the long-run.
I too would like to see what we offered for Lee. But Colletti needs a Cruz/Ledee/Lofton plan to fit an OFielder in.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 04:33 PM
"As far as spending goes, it's not how much, but how wise. Unfortunately, the Dodgers have struggled in recent years with both."
You are on a roll and right on the money (pun intended). We have spent big money on players that have not panned out in the past. Dishing out money and trading away the farm to get big names is not the whole answer. Just because we are losing right now it doesn't mean it's time to land big names at all costs just to appease the crowd. Now is the time where we are most vulnerable to make stupid decisions that we will end up paying for in the long run.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 04:37 PM
Guzman for Lee straight up? I would have done that in a heartbeat, even if it meant eating some contracts to create space on the roster for him.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 04:39 PM
Lolo-
I assume it would have to be Guzman plus other stuff, but if he was the best player they had to give up along with other prospects, it's a doable deal. It's a tough spot, because PR is important, but PR trades generally get a team in trouble. I'd be surprised, though, if this recent... um... "tough stretch" (this is a family website) didn't cost them a shot at guys like Lee and Soriano, because it put them too far back.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | July 28, 2006 at 04:44 PM
BK,
I honestly think that Colletti is willing to trade prospects (LaRoche, Loney, Guzman, etc.). As far as rookies, the only guy I see him trading is Aybar (who has been struggling, therefore might not have the same value now that he did earlier). But I think Martin/Bills/Brox/Ethier/Kemp are untouchable right now, and I agree with him it that's his mentality. Losing one of them I could get over, but certainly not a package of them.
Our regualr players stink so bad. The only way to get rid of these relics is to release them outright. But then again, Ned did manage to find a taker for Perez.
Posted by: LoLo | July 28, 2006 at 04:52 PM
Foolishly?
The Yankees are either in 1st place or a wild card team. Foolish or not they got out and spend to please their fans.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | July 28, 2006 at 05:07 PM
That San Francisco article hit the nail right on the head, and echoes what many of us have been saying for the past few weeks. None of the teams in the NL West are good, and whoever manages to climb into the playoffs as the West champions or the Wild Card have a miniscule chance of doing anything in the playoffs. No player on the block right now is so good that he is going to singlehandedly launch the Dodgers into the World Series.
The Dodger's current roster problems are something more than Ned Colletti can fix in one trade deadline maneuver. He has to undo a decade's worth of inconsistent GM strategy and rebuild the team from the ground up, and the keystone of the rebuilding efforts are the rookies/prospects that are making a name for themselves this year.
There is no doubt that all of the big names on the trade block this season would be a welcome addition to any contending team (and I'm going to make a stretch by saying that the Dodgers are contending). If Colletti is able to swing a deal for a Soriano or Willis, and only give up a package of Cruz Jr., Drew, and Baez,then more power to him. No major league GM, as a matter pride and PR, is going to consummate a deal with Colletti without getting one or two top-tier prospects in return. So, unless you want to see two of the following: Ethier, Martin, Billingsley, Broxton, wearing a different team's uniform on August 1, I suggest not giving Soriano, Willis, or Zito another thought.
As for the Dodgers having a 'small market' mentality, I suggest taking a look at the team's huge payroll. Weighing in at slightly less than $100 million, the Dodgers rank right up there as one of the biggest spenders in all of sports. The problem with the Dodgers has been a 'spoiled rich kid' mentality and a 'I have no clue what I'm doing' mentality, with whatever Dan Evans was trying to do sandwiched in between. Small market has nothing to do with it.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | July 28, 2006 at 05:57 PM