Guillermo Mota, Part Deux
When last we saw lanky right-handed reliever Guillermo Mota in a Dodgers uniform, he was mowing down hitters with regularity as L.A.'s set-up guy. ERA's right around 2.00, low BAAs, and so on and so forth. Then Mota was shipped away, part of the blockbuster deal in '04 -- known locally as The
Trade That Proved Paul DePodesta Was an Unfeeling Computer Geek and Made Him Dead Here -- that also sent Paul LoDuca and Juan Encarnacion to Florida in exchange for Brad Penny, Hee Sop Choi and Bill Murphy.
Well, for those who still feel damaged from that trade (I was one of the only people I know who defended it at the time, if you're curious), today there can be some healing because Mota is back in Dodger Blue. He agreed to a one-year deal that should be finalized today, pending a physical. The hope is that a homecoming of sorts will benefit all involved. The Dodgers are thin in the pen and need reinforcements, while Mota, who hasn't been the same guy since leaving L.A., needs a little shot in the arm, career-wise. (Could be a poor choice of words for a guy who was suspended 50 games for performance enhancers in 2006.) Given Cory Wade's emergence last season, I doubt Mota will be slotted for the eighth inning anymore, but he can still be a handy fellow to have around.
The move helps but doesn't solve L.A.'s pen questions heading into the season. Often, the construction of a quality relief corps is a matter of assembling quantity and seeing what sticks. Still plenty of time to finish that process.
BK
(photo: John Soo Hoo, Dodgers)
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Thanks of reminding me of Hee Sop Choi and Paul DePodesta. I thought we exercised those demons and the curse of Kevin Brown last year. Let's see Hee Sop Choi, Andrew Jones, Paul DePodesta, you really don't have a quite stellar track record do you?
I agree we should keep adding the best pitchers we can sign short term while still signing Manny.
Posted by: Dodger Dude | January 13, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Just what the Dodgers need, a 35-year-old guy whose best years are behind him, and who has never been as good since going off the steroids.
Mota has been remarkably consistent in the past two years--consistently mediocre. Why you'd let go of Chan Ho Park or Joe Beimel (I know, he's a lefty, but he got out righties too) to sign a guy with an ERA over 4, and a WHIP of 1.4 is beyond me.
It's just more deck chairs being moved around on this sinking ship.
Posted by: SaMo | January 13, 2009 at 09:32 AM
wow!!!.............last "weak" Brazoban, and now Mota, the bullpen of "old"..........can't Ned sign Gagne' too????.....
and re-activate Manny (the "other" Mota) for pinch-hitting........and rumblings too about a possible "No-more" return........and where-oh-where is Duke Snider, as he would be an invaluable lefty power bat off the bench, and ink Piazza as backup catcher........and if puch comes to shove, there's always "granpa" (Kent) to re-sign too????????.......glad to see Ned trying to determine how "old/washed-up" he can make this roster????.....(too bad Hoffman slipped thru the cracks, in Ned's head, to Brew-crew; he'd have fit in nicely w/Ned's madness!!!!)
Posted by: WhatsTheMotaive | January 13, 2009 at 09:45 AM
I'm glad to see him back, but only because of the fond memories of the good 'ole days when he and Gagne (both apparently aided by chemicals) were mowing people down on a regular basis. Somehow I doubt that his return at this point in his career means "Game Over" if the Dodgers get through the 7th with a lead like it used to. Certainly not with the closer situation not exactly on firm ground.
Hopefully being back in LA will allow him to recapture some of the old magic.
Posted by: Steve | January 13, 2009 at 09:45 AM
All we need now is for LoDuca and his steroid connection to come back to town.
I don't mind this signing, but it is beginning to look like they aren't going after Starting Pitching and might not be going after a big bat.
Posted by: SteelMohawk | January 13, 2009 at 10:14 AM
The Dodger staff has lost 40% of the starting rotation that began last year, their closer, their lefty specialist and a couple of useful right-handed relievers. I was a bit concerned but the signing of Estes and Mota tells me I was just being alarmist. Was Tomko unavailable?
Posted by: uclart47 | January 13, 2009 at 10:20 AM
OK OK you guys understand he will have earn a spot!
Posted by: pk-in-the-mesa | January 13, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Well, with Mota back into the mix, The Dodgers instantly become the favorite team of Santa Cruz, CA as well as Humboldt County...
Posted by: DodgerBlueBalls | January 13, 2009 at 11:29 AM
"Often, the construction of a quality relief corps is a matter of assembling quantity and seeing what sticks. Still plenty of time to finish that process."
That's exactly it. There's potential here, and very little risk. Hey, this could turn out great. I mean, really, it could.
Probably won't though. Especially considering that one of DePodesta's motives in shipping him may have been boxing the known steroid users in one...
And that, incidentally, is why the trade was actually a good one. No, it didn't seem so at the time, but DePodesta was trying to do the right thing. As we learned in the Mitchell Report, LoDuca was supplying the team and had been using himself.
I don't think DePodesta would have signed Jones. In fact, I think we might be a better team now if we had stuck with him instead of getting Colletti.
Posted by: VA Blueblood | January 13, 2009 at 11:43 AM
this is getting ridiculous. replacing lowe, penny, saito, beimel and park with guys like vargas, estes, brazoban, mota and, heaven forbid, one or two of the minor league fodder we just signed (randolph, strickland, et. al.)? all of these retreads make me think we're the royals, not the famed dodgers. what's going on in the dodger executive offices? mccourt keeps talking about winning but all he's done is build himself outrageously expensive estates in malibu. watch out frank, fans will bite back if this cost-cutting continues. if manny is not signed, there will be consequences. this winter has been extremely disappointing.
Posted by: HI Dodger Fan | January 13, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I hear Danys Baez wants to be a Dodger again.
Posted by: SaMo | January 13, 2009 at 11:55 AM
I actually think Mota can help. The shrinking of our bullpen concerned me and this should help.
Hee Seop Choi is the Korean Babe Ruth
Posted by: Mike G | January 13, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Sandwiched in between the Mets, Yankees, and Phillies, I just no not hear of those teams sigining so many marginal players as the Dodgers continue to sign!
Posted by: Joe the Plumber | January 13, 2009 at 02:27 PM
Hee Seop Choi is the Korean Ruth Gordon, you mean.
Posted by: SaMo | January 13, 2009 at 03:56 PM
You wonder why Dodger fans aren't respected in the community? It's because of 90% of the commenters on this site. Name me some YOUNG and PROVEN relievers we had on the team last year that actually contributed to having the best bullpen in baseball.........times up! Beimel was relatively young and proven but don't let his ERA fool you. He didn't pitch very well. He struggled with lefties (supposed to be a lefty specialist) and he let far more inherited runners score than a "proven" reliever should. Hence the reason his ERA was so low. To keep Saito we would have had to commit nearly 15M over 2 years to an injured closer to compete with the Red Sox offer. Chan Ho went to the Phillies because he wants to start and we weren't giving him that opportunity. Nobody saw Chan Ho doing a superb job at the beginning of the season. Nobody knew Troncoso or Corey Wade or Elbert would contribute successfully. We still have those three plus Broxton and Kuo. Now we can let Mota and Brazoban and Vargas and Estes compete and whoever has a good spring will make the club. Thats how we filled our bullpen last year with Chan Ho and Corey Wade and Troncoso. This is standard operating procdure. All teams do this, you just dont read about it because there are other stories that take up the headlines. Quit whining about Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt. These are the same guys that brought us a division title last year. Why offer 4/100M to Manny if we can get him for 2/50M and have more cash to spend in the future? Boras is the reason why he hasn't signed yet. Quit blaming the management for Manny still being on the market. We will put a competitive team on the field like we always do. Whining won't help get Colletti fired or Manny hired so save your breath.
Posted by: wags | January 13, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Don Sutton is available.
Posted by: benzojones | January 13, 2009 at 07:18 PM
Couldn't we have signed someone comparable if not better than Mota? Someone who doesn't have a history playing for the LoDuca Dodgers. It's hard to believe with 100 plus free agents out there that we couldn't find a pitcher other than Mota.
Posted by: DonD | January 13, 2009 at 11:43 PM
Rumor has it Darryl Strawberry wants to join the party....
Posted by: DonD | January 13, 2009 at 11:48 PM
The good news: Mota was 3-0 with an ERA of 1.00 against the NL Central. The bad news: Mota was 1-1 with an ERA of 20.67 against the NL West (not including the Dodgers.) Welcome back...
Posted by: zelator90004 | January 13, 2009 at 11:57 PM
Wow, tough times in tinsletown, eh? I'm seriously begining to feel bad for you guys. I recall that Ned likes Correia and he's still available. Ask him to give him a call. Boros met with the Giants again on Monday. Cheers!
Posted by: Giants Fan | January 14, 2009 at 06:21 AM
$2.35 Million? for Mota?? WHAT??? now I really don't like this signing.
Posted by: SteelMohawk | January 14, 2009 at 05:51 PM
At this rate, the Dodgers should re-sign Koufax. I know he's 65, but washed-up pitchers are commanding a premium these days.
Posted by: SaMo | January 14, 2009 at 06:30 PM