Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

Man I wish we could edit/delete posts.

I can't imagine Beane can get too much for Blanton at this point. He just doesn't miss enough bats, and I wonder if Beane regrets not trading him this winter.

the cards dont need blanton. we have 4 starters but in a month(givr or take) we will have 6. lefty reliever and an impact bat.

Wow, I can't believe how poor that trades list is. The Dodgers clearly came out better with that trade than this guy is saying. Penny became their ace, Choi hit for very respectable power the next season and LoDuca , who was already 32 years old, had Russell Martin breathing down his neck anyway and was already suspected to be a bit of a clubhouse GH guru which could have only caused problems. In the end, the Dodgers cleared the way for their best home grown player since Mike Piazza and got Penny out of it, who has generally pitched well for the Dodgers, if not this year, which is 4 years later.

"he Dodgers clearly came out better with that trade than this guy is saying. Penny became their ace, Choi hit for very respectable power the next season and LoDuca , who was already 32 years old, had Russell Martin breathing down his neck anyway and was already suspected to be a bit of a clubhouse GH guru which could have only caused problems. In the end, the Dodgers cleared the way for their best home grown player since Mike Piazza and got Penny out of it, who has generally pitched well for the Dodgers, if not this year, which is 4 years later."

I was thinking the same thing about that trade. I mean c'mon, what'd LA give up that really would accomplish anything after the trade? Lo Duca was solid in Florida but he broke down quickly and wasn't the long term solution in LA anyways. Encarnacion was a nice player but he always seemed to waste most of his skills. He really didn't produced as much as his talent indicated he should have. And Mota pretty much fell apart after leaving Los Angeles, so really the Marlins didn't get all that much value out of that trade.

The Dodgers ended up with the best player anyways in Penny, a guy who has fronted their rotation since the trade and has actually been quite good. Choi really never panned out like he was supposed to but he did post a .789 OPS in his final season in the majors, which was the season after the trade in LA.

Encarnacion did seem to be coming into his own before that terrible beaning that ended his career, but his value was pretty low as a Dodger and he had players coming up behind him too, particularly Kemp, who the Dodgers were just figuring out.

Still, Penny was by far the best player in that deal and even Murphy was of use, as he was part of the Steve Finley deal that helped the Dodgers get to the playoffs that year.

Honestly, I will never understand why people bashed--and continue to bash--that Dodgers trade. That was a great move by DePodesta, and it cost him his job. Insane.

Yeah the Mets are going to be looking for offense, not pitching. I still think Nady or Randy Winn makes a lot of sense. I guess Kearns could too but Bowden always seems to ask for a ton for his players, and Kearns is one of his favorites, despite generally subpar performance. I mean c'mon, the guy is batting .199 this year. He really shouldn't cost the Mets much at all, but I suspect the Nationals would ask for a legitimately good prospect.

It's interesting Carrasco said he didn't want to be traded. This is the first time in years I'm legitimately excited over the Phillies at the deadline.

"The Giants/Twins trade was not great, but not the worst in the last 10 years. Pierzynski was a below average defensive catcher who swung at everything and was a cancer in the clubhouse and the Twins were trying to dump him to make room for Mauer anyway. That they got ANYTHING of value for him is outstanding for them. It's interesting how things played out, though, since Bonser was the highest rated player coming to the Twins in that deal. Hmm, and the knock on Liriano was not his talent, but his injury history."

Nathan is, by far, the best player from that trade. However, I do agree with the assessment that it wasn't a bad deal then, and really hasn't been that bad now either. Liriano is amazingly talented, but I don't know if he will ever overcome the injuries. Bonser is also a talented guy, but he is starting to look like a 5th starter or swingman these days.

I do agree that the Edmonds trade was incredibly stupid, especially considering how popular he was in L.A./Anaheim, but Kennedy did play a huge role in the World Series win.

"I submit a 22-year-old Jeff Bagwell for a 37-year-old rental in Larry Andersen."

That trade didn't happen this century. Think about it ;-)