by Ken Rosenthal

Comment

The deal for Maddux has not yet been announced, but it is close to complete, according to major-league sources. The Dodgers and Padres will divide the pitcher's remaining $2.3 million salary, one source says, though the exact split is not known.

If the Dodgers want to live on welfare, that's their prerogative, even as a high-revenue club. But I've got one question, a question that begs for an answer, a question that will haunt the Dodgers if they fail to win the NL West.

Why didn't they block Adam Dunn?

The Dodgers certainly had the chance to prevent Dunn from going to the Diamondbacks, the team they are tied with for first place in the division. At the time the Reds put Dunn on waivers, the Dodgers had a worse record than the D'backs, giving them priority in the claiming process.

Yet, the Dodgers failed to place a claim on Dunn, awarding a "Get out of jail free" card to the Diamondbacks' sagging offense. And Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, bound by the supposed confidentiality of the waiver process, can't tell us why.

The only plausible explanation is that the Dodgers feared getting stuck with Dunn's remaining salary -- about $3.5 million. But if that was indeed the reason, then it's fair to ask just how obsessed the Dodgers have become with the bottom line -- and just how much they are being compromised by their financial restrictions.

The Dodgers had to know the Diamondbacks might pursue Dunn, the D- Backs' interest in him before the July 31 non-waiver deadline was widely reported by various outlets.

The Dodgers also had to know that the Reds were not simply going to dump Dunn, not when Cincinnati stood to receive two high draft picks as compensation if the outfielder left as a free agent.

No, the Reds wanted a significant return, and they got it from the D- backs -- three players for less than two months of Dunn. To secure that package, the Reds also agreed to pay half of Dunn's remaining salary.

None of it should ever have happened. The Dodgers should have claimed Dunn and then offered nothing for him, forcing the Reds to pull him back and remove him from further trade consideration.

The addition of Maddux will help the Dodgers, who can plug him into their rotation for injured right-hander Brad Penny. The team, which also is without injured closer Takashi Saito, can now move Chan Ho Park to the bullpen. Other bullpen options include Class AAA righty James McDonald and even Penny if he recovers from shoulder trouble by the end of the season.

Still, imagine how much larger the Dodgers' competitive advantage would be if they had acquired Ramirez, Blake and Maddux and kept the D-Backs from getting Dunn.

The truth is, the Dodgers already might have blown it -- for this season and beyond. When they required cash from their trading partners, they were forced to give up better prospects in return.

For Ramirez, the Dodgers parted with third baseman Andy LaRoche and Class A right-hander Bryan Morris. For Blake, the price was Class A catcher Carlos Santana and Class AAA reliever John Meloan. The package for Maddux is not yet known.

The Dodgers will not miss any of the players they traded short-term; they might not miss any of them, period. But Santana, in particular, is not the type of prospect teams move for two months of Casey Blake.

Maybe Dodgers owner Frank McCourt did not want to increase his initial payroll of $118.6 million, the game's seventh largest at the start of the season.

Maybe McCourt no longer trusts Colletti after the general manager's ill-advised signings of right-hander Jason Schmidt and outfielders Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones.

Or maybe McCourt is simply cash-poor.

In today's game, young players represent their own form of currency. High-revenue clubs such as the Yankees and Red Sox protect such players fiercely. But the Dodgers, at least in certain instances, would rather have cash.

Granted, the Dodgers have retained their top young major leaguers -- Kershaw, Matt Kemp, James Loney. But Santana, for goodness sake, is batting .331 with a .431 on-base percentage, 38 doubles, 18 homers and 107 RBIs in his combined stints for the Dodgers and Indians at Class A.

Yes, the Dodgers control their All-Star catcher, Russell Martin, for four more seasons. Yes, they boast another good catching prospect, Lucas May, at Class AA. Yes, they will receive two premium draft picks if they lose Blake as a free agent, and maybe find another Santana that way.

Some with the Indians, however, view Santana as an even better prospect than Class AA outfielder Matt LaPorta, the marquee player that Cleveland received in the CC Sabathia trade. Quality catchers are scarce. If the Dodgers had kept Santana, they could have used him in a bigger deal later or eventually moved Martin to third base.

If the Dodgers win the division and play deep into the postseason, their fans will give as little thought to Santana as they do to Ramirez's disgraceful exit in Boston. But the NL West race is not over, even though the Dodgers are on the verge of trading for their second Hall of Famer in three weeks.

Which goes back to the original question:

Why didn't the Dodgers block Adam Dunn?