Dodgers eye shakeup
Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:13 am
The Dodgers have won 22 of their past 29 games, taking a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL West. Yet Paul DePodesta, their first-year GM, appears on the verge of giving the team a major facelift.
With less than 24 hours remaining until the non-waiver trade deadline, DePodesta continues to work on deals that could land the Dodgers either Diamondbacks left-hander Randy Johnson and/or center fielder Steve Finley — both of whom could quash any deal by invoking their no-trade protection.
The Dodgers reportedly are ready to being their makeover by sending catcher Paul Lo Duca, reliever Guillermo Mota and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins for right-hander Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi and Class AA lefthander Bill Murphy.
If the Dodgers-Marlins trade goes through, it could be a precursor to a blockbuster involving Randy Johnson and/or Finley. Penny could be included in a package for Johnson, along with outfielder Jayson Werth and prospects.
Randy Johnson reportedly has rejected any trade to the Dodgers, preferring to be sent to the Yankees, but his stance may be softening. Finley is adamant about remaining in center field — a potential sticking point, because the Dodgers would want to keep Milton Bradley in center and move Finley to a corner-outfield position.
The Diamondbacks apparently have another option: Arrange deals that they know Johnson and Finley would reject, then send outfielder Danny Bautista to an unidentified club that would part with a highly regarded prospect. Diamondbacks officials fear their major-league club would sink even deeper if they traded both Finley and Bautista, even though both are potential free agents.
If the Dodgers get Johnson, one of the greatest left-handers of all time, few will dispute the price, even if Lo Duca and Mota are gone. But if they acquire only Finley, other questions would arise.
The Dodgers are losing their heart and soul by trading Lo Duca, a clubhouse leader who is batting .301 this season with 10 homers and 49 RBIs. They also are losing perhaps the game's most valuable setup man in Mota, who represents insurance for closer Eric Gagne and won't be a free agent until after the 2006 season.
Then again, Finley and Penny would represent major additions, and Johnson the biggest addition of all. The Dodgers would still need to find a catcher, which is where a proposed deal for the Rockies' Charles Johnson comes in. The Dodgers traded Johnson to the Orioles in Dec. 1998. L.A. would likely give up a minor league player and possibly a player to be named later to the Rockies for Johnson, who, according to the Associated Press, will make a decision about waiving his no-trade clause on Saturday.
The danger is that the end result might not be better than the team that currently has the third-best record in baseball.
Most general managers wouldn't dare tinker with the chemistry of such a club, but DePodesta, a former assistant to A's general manager Billy Beane, is a new-age GM who values statistical analysis over intangibles that only can be measured subjectively.
He's blowing up a first-place team.
He's risking it all.
http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2611108