Can anyone explain the Dodgers' trades to me?

[dogs24]

Totally don't understand these boneheaded deals.

Number one, the Dodgers are HOT, and they go ahead and mess with their chemistry by trading away their clubhouse leader, LoDuca.

More importantly: they had two of the best players at their position, in positions at which it is hard to find quality players, and they gave them up for virtually nothing. After Pudge, Piazza, and MAYBE Victor Martinez and maybe Posada (questionable), LoDuca is the best offensive catcher in the game...and it's not easy to find a good hitting catcher.

Guillermo Mota's ERA was somewhere around 1.80, and the Dodgers were 45-0 in games in which they led after 7 until tonight...in large part because of Mota's stellar setup work in the 8th. Who else has a comparable, rock solid setup guy? Maybe Gordon on the Yanks. Maybe. But other than that, Mota's best in the league.

And who did they get for those two stellar stars? Brad Penny -- a pitcher of some potential but a guy who's been hurt and has never been great consistently, and Hee Seop Choi, and abject failure in his rookie season who broke out strong this year, is now only hitting in the .270s, and who is absolutely not guaranteed to hit anywhere near that in the future: he hit a whopping .218 last year and .180 the year before. Even Dodgers hit better than that.

And for good measure, they threw away Juan Encarnacion too!

I really, truly do not understand what the Dodgers did. They hurt themselves more than any other team. Usually, when bona fide stars get traded for no-names, the pain is lessened for the fans by emphasizing that the no-names are 'prospects' -- a loaded term, but one that means the potential IS there for future stardom.

But to trade away one of the best hitting catchers and the best setup man and a decent outfirelder...for two highly unaccomplished players who HAVE been in the majors?

I really don't get it.

 

[sportsmonitor]

I don't understand this move either unless their trying to dump future payroll, it really doesn't make any sense. When you have a good catcher in your system then you damn well better hang on to him. You just don't find good hitting catchers these days, they are few and far between. The one position that should be coveted more than any except maybe starting pitching and the Dodgers blew it. Just ask the KC Royals, they have been looking for a good catcher for what....30 years now or more?? That tells you just how difficult it is to find a good catcher like LoDuca in the major leagues.

 

[bulldog77]

Dumping payroll is not an excuse for a top 5 revenue team like LA. I don't understand Dodgers' thinking at all, either. Since I have an endangered over 81 wins future on Fla. I will just thank them, however. I wish Marlins would play Phillies more because it is apparently only team they can beat as they continue to get roughed by Expos and Pirates for Godsakes!

 

[Journeyman]

yes i agree....payroll or a players contract status past this season is a big factor in what we saw yesterday...in some examples it seemed teams who are in strong contention took a giant step backward to save money....another example of why baseball sucks now...

 

[Shotgun]

LoDuca isn't that good, and he fades in the 2nd half. The chemisty claim seems to only happen when a team wins...how come LoDuca's personality only affected the team this year if he was so outstanding? Mota is a pretty solid pitcher, but the Dodgers have a deep bullpen and should be able to handle his loss. Encarcacion is a stiff; he's not a good player and his absence helps the Dodgers.

For those guys they got a pretty good young hitter in Choi (ignore his batting average and look at OB% and power numbers), a pretty good young pitcher who should thrive in Dodger Stadium, and a prospect that helped enable them to add Finley. It was a great deal for the Dodgers, and a questionable one for the Marlins.

 

[docdekay]

Paul DePodesta went to Harvard, is a big numbers guy with statistical models that would blow your mind, and worked under B. Beane's tutelage. Trust me, he knows what he's doing.

 

[ppeter]

LA has about a million Korean-Americans. Choi will provide a huge boost at the gate, much like Chan Ho Park did in his prime and Nomo did with the Japanese-American community.

 

[REDEYE]

It seems to me that what they were doing was working,why mess with that.I see them fading down the stretch

 

[sportsmonitor]

Shotgun, I'm afraid your wrong. You can check out many disgruntled Dodger fans on insider.com and even ESPN graded this as the worst trade before the deadline. It also doesn't matter if DePodesta attended Harvard, Yale, or St. Mary's of the blind...just ask that wife beater Steinbrenner. All the models and stats in the world will not guarentee a World Series Championship especially when the Dodgers have trouble enough just trying to win their own division.
espn

 

[usc]

It is a terible trade because of the loss of Mota. Last night in the 8th inning they gave up 2 runs in the inning Mota would have been pitching in. All you have to do is look at Houston since the Dotel trade to Oakland. They had 2 closers and moved one of them who had originally been the setup man into the closer role, but now they have no setup man. They have lost several games in the eighth inning because of this situation.

The Dodgers main strength is Gagne, but if they don't have the setup men to get to him, they are really neutralizing this strengtth.

 

[Chris@OlympicSports]

Paul DePodesta went to Harvard, is a big numbers guy with statistical models that would blow your mind, and worked under B. Beane's tutelage

so this makes him a good GM

Guy gave away way too much and Choi is a total stiff

see those $$$ guys believe anyone can be a closer

so I guess Mendoza , Rhodes Etc have worked out well so far

 

[kermit16]

Bold moves are not always smart moves ! Why fix something that doesn't need fixing ? I can see a little fine tuning but the Dodgers have made a major overhaul. Bad move imo

 

[docdekay]

Chris

On the surface, no. But considering what he and Beane did in Oakland, Paul's no slouch and is very deliberate. He can quantify every aspect of the game and truly leaves nothing up to subjectivity. If you ever get a chance, read "Moneyball." You'll really gain a deeper understanding of whats overvalued and overpriced in the market - not from a gambling perspective, but a fan's. I think you'll enjoy the book. LA's third order adjusted standings show them winning 56.4 games. Paul knows they are not as good as they appear and is fortifying the areas he feels need help while maximizing value of his dollar.

 

[Chris@OlympicSports]

I read it, liked it too a point

Beane is a total ego maniac , problem is until they win something old school ($$$) will rule


What they are doing is nothing new


Horsemen have been doing this for yearling sales for years

breaking down Sire and Dam's bloodlines

 

[Chris@OlympicSports]

Rob Murphy who pitched for Cinn was years ahead of $$ ball when it came to Horses and using stat's etc

 

[Shotgun]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sportsmonitor:
Shotgun, I'm afraid your wrong. You can check out many disgruntled Dodger fans on insider.com and even ESPN graded this as the worst trade before the deadline. It also doesn't matter if DePodesta attended Harvard, Yale, or St. Mary's of the blind...just ask that wife beater Steinbrenner. All the models and stats in the world will not guarentee a World Series Championship especially when the Dodgers have trouble enough just trying to win their own division.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=1850117 <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Chris, it is hard to take any writer seriously when he quotes unnamed sources as saying Penny is just a 5th starter and Choi is a platoon guy. He overestimates what the Dodgers gave up (Encarncion a starting right fielder???) and minimizes the talent level of what they received. Losing Mota hurts a bit, but can easily be overcome by giving Gagne a few longer outings and the overall depth of LA's bullpen. The Dodger fans are pissed because LoDuca was a favorite and they likely believe in the "chemistry" myth...their opinions mean little to me.

 

[sportsmonitor]

The Dodgers may have ended up with the short end of the stick but at least it's better then what the Red Sox received for Nomar...or should I say what they didn't receive in return for Nomar!! From contenders to pretenders once again. 2 hits today and another loss. Truely a pathetic display. They are punchless with no leadership and no chemistry.