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Dodgers making moves, but missed a key one
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?
Member Comments
When the dodgers finally get into first place over the Dbacks then I listen to dodgers talk about thier world series chances you alls can't even get into forst place
ratfinkaz48/22/2008 21:52:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Dunn in his last 10 games:<br />avg .290, 8 runs, 8 RBI, 2 HR, 14 BB, 9 SO<br />not too bad I would say.
GoBraves10747348/22/2008 5:56:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
dodgerscamp: thank you, you just proved my point, you are dumb, but also angry because you know this article is right on the money, but go on, continue being ignorant for all I care, there will be a big "told you so" come october when Dunn will be playing and the LA-LA boys wont...
Quick_Draw_McGraw8/20/2008 12:30:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
the dodgers are drying way too hard. they're out of the wildcard race and not gonna win the division. dbacks again
wilson148128/20/2008 11:19:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey DBacksArb,<br /><br />I think all the Dodger fans are pissed that they didn't block the Dunn deal and they know Arizona is going to win the division.
simmonsii8/20/2008 9:40:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
rtwsfsa...and you dodger fans- Dunn has an on base percentage of .475 since coming to Az... and hit a 2 run shot last night to help win the game geniuses...Dodgers suck.......
jakob00518/20/2008 9:23:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
In 2008 Dunn is hitting .375 vs. the Dodgers with 2 home runs in 8 games. In 52 plate appearances with two outs and runners in scoring position this year Dunn's OBP is .475 and he has 7 home runs in 41 at bats.<br /><br />And strikeouts are just another form of out, barely worse than Juan Pierre's perpetual lazy flies. What's important is that Dunn makes fewer outs at the plate than almost every other player, his OBP is among the leagues best and when he connects he's got the most power in the league.
DBacksArb8/20/2008 7:39:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
It was a smart move by the Dodgers. Dunn is a great person, but, cant't play defense.
bobbyd07678/20/2008 6:41:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
look at what adam dunn has done against dodgers pitching in his career...nothing...maybee the dodgers look at it like that..dunn is a strikeout machine especially against guys who throw a lot of breaking balls
davey5w8/20/2008 6:26:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Bad decision by the Dodgers, but it is good for the fans.
GoBraves10747348/20/2008 4:48:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I am really fond of him. He is a classy man...he was said to have a personal account on a millionaire&celebs online service <br /><br />***r i c h m a t c h m a k i n g . c om*** with his hot pictures and blogs there. Quite a few fans and hot girls are found <br /><br />in his circle there.
bhjhkjk8/20/2008 4:35:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I am really fond of him. He is a classy man...he was said to have a personal account on a millionaire&celebs online service <br /><br />***r i c h m a t c h m a k i n g . c o m*** with his hot pictures and blogs there. Quite a few fans and hot girls are found <br /><br />in his circle there.
bhjhkjk8/20/2008 4:34:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Quick Draw McGraw...the authority when it comes to waiver claims. We don't care what your point is so quit hatin' you hillbilly shmuck!
dodgerscamp8/20/2008 0:07:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
well my point is ur dcacks can have the will farrell look alike. its just gonna make things more interesting. it wouldnt be a race if it wasnt tighter than a beyonce sweatsuit. its pretty much gonna come down to the head to head series. who ever can win more of those key games will win the west. survey says.......GO DODGERS!!
A-DOG8/19/2008 23:21:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
point is, LAD should've blocked that trade, and I hope it bites them in their phony LA-LA ass...
Quick_Draw_McGraw8/19/2008 22:36:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
losing o-dog last year didnt hurt the dbacks alot as they still made the ostseason so the loss of hudson really isnt bad. Plus the dodgers have more games against plus the dodgers play 23 of their remaining games on the road, the dbacks only 15. Dunn has a good OBS and OPS and Hits a ton of HRs and Walks a lot
phxsuns148/19/2008 21:34:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Dunn is a feast or famine hitter. While he hits a ton of HR's, he also strikes out a lot in key situations. He's also a below-average fielder. But what will hurt the D-backs the most is the loss of the O-Dog. AND the D-backs still have to play St. Louis seven times in September. GO DODGERS!!!
jon_4648/19/2008 21:24:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Oh, Juan Encarnarcion!!! I forgot about him because he was never a league average outfielder. He never could hit worth a darn, he only had one decent year at the plate, ironically in 2005. His entire career he was a below average hitter, i.e. which is lousy for a MLB corner outfielder. His career OBP was .317, which is awful. He's been a significantly below average defensive player as well. Juan Encarnacion is a great example of a guy who most years belongs in AAA.
DBacksArb8/19/2008 21:04:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Lo Duca was a good hitter for two more years, but he also made $6M per year, and his defense declined. The third year he collapsed and the Mets had to eat his salary. Which wasn't surprising, catchers in their 30s don't last long, and they aren't worth paying big bucks to unless they are superstars like Piazza. Certainly they aren't worth as much as stud starters who averaged 190 innings and a 3.75 ERA over those three years. And the Dodgers didn't give up an outfielder, they gave up Mota who became worthless after that trade.<br /><br />And Depo isn't the GM in San Diego, but with him being there the future is brighter. The Dodgers have a $118M payroll while the Padres and DBacks are under $80M. Do you really think Colletti is making "great" moves under big "restrictions"? Anyon who thinks Depo would not have done better is in denial.<br /><br />And Shawn Green was a below average outfielder when he was dumped on the Diamonbacks, and was a big reason the DBacks rebuilding effort was held back another year.<br /><br />And anyone who thinks Dunn is bad because he strikes out alot or only hits .230 doesn't know anything about baseball. Dunn's on base percentage is .378, which would make him 3rd on the Dodgers behind Martin/Man Ram. His slugging percentage is .520, which would make him 2nd to Man Ram. Midway through tonights game he tied for the MLB lead with his 33rd HR (in a close game) and added yet another walk. The DBacks have scored anther 6 runs, keeping their run average above 6 with Adam in the lineup despite being shut out two nights ago by one of the best pitchers in baseball, Roy Oswalt. Dunn is a huge addition to the DBacks lineup, maybe not enough to overcome the loss of O-Dawg, but he's a big difference maker. And he's gutty, he's played out seasons with a broken hand, a torn knee ligament, and never quit on a team to force a trade or a new contract like a certain Man-Ram. And if the DBacks don't re-sign him, they'll have 9 draft picks in the first two rounds next year.
DBacksArb8/19/2008 20:58:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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