To win now, Dodgers could deal Kemp
Rival executives are skeptical, considering that the Dodgers frequently have backed out of trades involving their youngsters. Dodgers officials, however, say privately that they are indeed more willing to break up their young core. If that is true, Kemp would bring the greatest return.
Kemp, batting .299-.346-.446 at age 23, possesses the tools to become a major star. A rival executive describes him as an "awfully, awfully intriguing talent," one who only figures to get better. Questions persist about Kemp's makeup and ability to make adjustments, but those are not unusual criticisms of a young player.
A trade of Kemp is not the Dodgers' only alternative — the team also could pursue a less dramatic possibility, trading either first baseman James Loney or right fielder Andre Ethier to add more of a veteran presence to a lineup that ranks 11th in the National League in runs per game.
The eventual returns of shortstop Rafael Furcal and even center fielder Andruw Jones should help the offense, but Furcal is expected to be out three more weeks, with the Dodgers now talking about the oft-injured Nomar Garciaparra replacing him short term at shortstop. If the Dodgers ever get healthy — if — the addition of a proven slugger could be the difference in their quest to overtake the Diamondbacks in the NL West.
A two- or three-month rental such as Reds left fielder Adam Dunn — defensively challenged and expensive at $13 million — would not be a sufficient return for a young player such as Kemp, Loney or Ethier. But if the Dodgers were creative, they could make a variety of deals work.
Bay is the most attainable of the hitters under contract beyond this season. He is not yet 30, ranks 12th in the NL in on-base/slugging percentage and qualifies as a bargain at $5.75 million this season and $7.5 million in '09. Even so, the Dodgers probably would require the Pirates to expand the deal rather than trade Kemp for Bay straight-up — and the Pirates have pitching to spare.
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Ordonez, 34, is a more problematic pursuit, in part because the Tigers will not give up on their season easily after spending $137.6 million on payroll. What's more, Ordonez possesses limited no-trade protection, and his $18 million option for 2010 and $15 million option for '11 will become guaranteed if he reaches certain thresholds in '08 and '09. The Tigers probably would need to contribute money and additional players to complete a deal for Kemp.
Then there is Holliday, who finished second in the National League Most Valuable Player voting last season. At 28, he is younger than Ordonez and more accomplished than Bay — though, like many Rockies hitters, he performs much better at Coors Field than he does on the road.
To trade Holliday, who is signed for $9.5 million this season and $13.5 million next season, the Rockies would want considerably more than Kemp. The Dodgers might resist adding prospects to a trade that would benefit a division rival long-term. Then again, they've got the resources to keep Holliday beyond 2009.
If the Dodgers are patient, Kemp might prove more productive than Bay, Ordonez or even Holliday. But this is a team that has won only one postseason game in the past 20 years. Colletti needs to win. Manager Joe Torre wants to win. And Matt Kemp is one powerful chip.
Bradley's future: Intriguing
The Rangers have several options with outfielder Milton Bradley, all of them appealing:
Of course, there is one other possibility for the Rangers: Sign Bradley long-term.
It would be a gamble, given Bradley's history of injury and volatility. However, the Rangers are considering a similar risk with outfielder Josh Hamilton, who was out of the game for nearly four years due to injuries and drug suspensions and has yet to play a full major-league season.
Bradley, who turned 30 on April 15, finally appears settled with the Rangers, his sixth club in the past eight seasons. Even a two-year deal would be a triumph for a player with such a stormy past.
Dontrelle: Too much bulk?
One theory circulating among the Tigers is that left-hander Dontrelle Willis is much more muscular than he was during his 22-win season in 2005, making it much more difficult for him to repeat his mechanics. Willis requires great flexibility to achieve the contortion in his delivery; he might need to work with a strength and conditioning coach to regain the suppleness he once had.
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| Has Dontrelle Willis gotten too big? (Ben Margot / Associated Press) |
The Tigers' decision to sign Willis to a three-year, $29 million extension before he threw a pitch in the American League looks even worse now that the team has demoted him to Class A Lakeland. One rival executive cracks that if Willis follows the custom of paying for his minor-league teammates' postgame food, "Thirty million will buy a lot of nice spreads in the Florida State League."
Willis, of course, is not the Tigers' only problem. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez, 36, is not likely to be happy with manager Jim Leyland's decision to have him split time at catcher with Brandon Inge. Rodriguez, a free agent after this season, would command more money as a full-time player. Problem is, it's difficult to play him full-time when he's batting only .250-.290-.357.
The Pirates: Improving ... and selling?
The Pirates are 19-15 since their 12-19 start, a tribute to first-year manager John Russell's leadership and his players' refusal to quit.
Russell has deftly managed his top four relievers; the Pirates' 7-6 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday night was their first this season when leading after six innings and their first when leading after eight; closer Matt Capps blew his first save after converting his initial 15 opportunities.
Oh, and lest we forget, the Pirates' outfield ranks first in the majors in OPS — yes, ahead of even the Rangers'.
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Not surprisingly, the Pirates are drawing trade interest in outfielders Bay and Xavier Nady, as well as their relievers and young starting pitchers.
Unlike in past seasons, the Pirates are not under pressure to move salary. Left-handed reliever Damaso Marte is their only potential free agent of significance, and the team could offer him arbitration after declining his $6 million option and potentially keep him under club control.
The best guess, then, is that the Pirates will operate strategically, trading either Bay or Nady but probably not both as they await the arrivals of Andrew McCutchen and Steve Pearce. They also could move a reliever and certainly a starter in the right deals.
Around the horn
The Cubs, contrary to what I reported previously in an earlier version of this column, do not have interest in Rockies closer Brian Fuentes.
The Cubs' principal left-handed reliever, Scott Eyre, has worked 31 consecutive scoreless appearances. The other lefty in their bullpen, Neal Cotts, has thrown five scoreless innings since his promotion from Class AAA. Fuentes, a free agent at the end of the season, will appeal to other contenders because of his ability to fill a variety of roles — match-up specialist, set-up man, closer. The Cubs' priority will be adding the best available starting pitcher — C.C. Sabathia? . . .
The Brewers are another team poised to make a push for an accomplished starter. Their Class AA Huntsville affiliate features four of the top six OPS leaders in the Southern League — third baseman Mat Gamel, right fielder Matt LaPorta, catcher Angel Salome and first baseman Chris Errecart. Rival clubs also like Class AAA center fielder Tony Gwynn Jr., though the Brewers might prefer to keep Gwynn as a replacement for Mike Cameron, who is a free agent at the end of the season . . .
The A's have cooled to the idea of offering closer Huston Street a contract extension, and to this point the trade interest in Street has been minimal. Street, who turns 25 on Aug. 2, has spent time on the disabled list in each of the past two seasons, and his chronic groin problems remain an issue. He threw only 87 to 88 mph Sunday against the Angels, holding back to make sure he didn't overextend himself physically . . .
The Yankees are aggressively shopping right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, two rival executives say, intending to clear a spot for a reliever who currently is at Class AAA. Righty J.B. Cox, who missed all of last season after undergoing elbow-ligament transplant surgery, is one candidate; he began the season at Class A, but has since moved to AAA, where he has allowed one run in 12 1/3 innings. Righty David Robertson, who began the season at AA, also has been impressive at AAA. Hawkins, signed to a one-year, $3.75 million free-agent contract, has a 6.08 ERA in 22 appearances . . .
The Dodgers, before obtaining shortstop Angel Berroa, attempted to acquire White Sox infielder Juan Uribe in a deal for Esteban Loaiza, major-league sources say. The Dodgers offered to split the difference between Loaiza's contract and Uribe's, but the White Sox balked and signed Loaiza for the pro-rated minimum after the Dodgers released him — a move that also enabled them to retain Uribe as a trade chip. The White Sox could move either Uribe or Pablo Ozuna and add a reserve outfielder now that Alexei Ramirez has taken over at second base . . .
The Phillies, lacking the prospect inventory to land an impact starting pitcher such as Sabathia, are trying to add another left-handed reliever to complement J.C. Romero. Another possibility for the Phils is to obtain another left-handed hitter for their bench. Chris Snelling, back at Class AAA, is too much of a physical question, and the right-handed hitting So Taguchi is batting only .203-.288-.271 in 62 plate appearances . . .
The Rangers could be both buyers and sellers at the deadline, entertaining offers for Bradley and right-handed starters Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla, while shopping for a reliever they could control for more than one season. The Rays made such a deal last summer, acquiring right-hander Dan Wheeler from the Astros for third baseman Ty Wigginton . . .
One of the many complaints the Mariners' starting pitchers have with Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima is that he costs them strikes. "He umpires," according to a rival executive. "When he catches the ball, instead of framing it, he decides for himself if the pitch is a ball or a strike and yanks it out of the zone quickly."
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