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Could The Dodgers Switch To Sell Mode?

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Having lost six in a row, the Dodgers have slipped to nine games out in the NL West and seven out in the wild card.  We're only a couple of days removed from the July trade deadline, but you have to wonder if the Dodgers might be inclined to switch to sell mode later this month.

The Dodgers were labeled trade deadline winners by some, mostly because they added multiple veteran players in Scott Podsednik, Ted Lilly, and Octavio Dotel.  The cost was Blake DeWitt and a handful of decent prospects.  What's done is done, though, and GM Ned Colletti can only look forward.  If at some point this month he determines the Dodgers are not contenders in 2010, it makes sense to turn around and shop Podsednik, Lilly, and Dotel.  Podsednik and Dotel figure to void their 2011 options and hit the open market.  And although Lilly profiles as a Type A free agent and the other two as Bs, recent history suggests the Dodgers may not be willing to offer arbitration to any of them.

If Colletti's focus turns to 2011, the Dodgers could shake up the August trade market.  Manny Ramirez, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla, Ronnie Belliard, Reed Johnson, and Jeff Weaver are also free agents after the season.  Colletti could clear significant payroll space for next year by trading some of these players or even just handing over contracts if they're claimed.  He could also get a jump on trading catcher Russell Martin, who is a candidate to be traded in December.

Waiver Trade Candidates: NL West

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The current NL West picture: the Padres hold a slim lead over the Giants and the Rockies and Dodgers are playoff contenders, too. The Diamondbacks haven't been close to contention for months. Here are some waiver trade possibilities to keep in mind:

Padres bench player Matt Stairs, who was traded two Augusts ago, could clear waivers in spite of his $700K contract because of his .590 OPS. Scott Hairston could see reduced playing time with Ryan Ludwick around and it's possible that his $2.45MM salary would clear waivers. Hairston has a .235/.316/.390 line in 2010.

Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand would both clear waivers, but Zito is an important part of San Francisco's rotation. Rowand has $27MM remaining on his contract, but is hitting just .252/.302/.405. The Giants have enough outfielders to give the 32-year-old up, but no team would claim Rowand given his salary. Edgar Renteria is hitting .284/.346/.376, but he's making $9MM this year, so he could clear waivers. The Giants, who have a club option for Renteria's services in 2011, could get by without him. It's possible that Todd Wellemeyer would clear waivers given his 5.52 ERA, but his $1MM salary is affordable. The Giants have bullpen depth, so they would likely consider parting with Wellemeyer, who is finishing a rehab stint.

Manny Ramirez earns $20MM this year, but the White Sox and Rays showed interest in him last month. Manny could definitely clear waivers in late August if he returns from his calf strain, so he is a player to watch. George Sherrill cleared waivers recently, so teams clearly don't think he's worth his $4.5MM salary. He hasn't pitched well this season, so he will be available. Like Stairs, Garret Anderson would likely clear waivers despite his modest salary ($550K) because of his poor production (.484 OPS).

The Rockies have waiver trade candidates galore, from relievers Rafael Betancourt, Joe Beimel and Randy Flores to bats like Brad Hawpe to role players like Jason Giambi and Melvin Mora. Aaron Cook, who went to the hospital this weekend after getting hit on the foot with a line drive, could appeal to contenders. He'd have to prove he's healthy first, but Cook makes $9MM this year with $9.75MM or more remaining afterwards, so he'd likely clear waivers. He has pitched to a 5.08 ERA this year, but contenders could have interest if his foot is fine and the Rockies keep fading.

Diamondbacks first baseman Adam LaRoche makes a reasonable $4.5MM this year, so it's possible that someone would claim him. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the D'Backs trade LaRoche given the many deals they've already made. Chris Young and Stephen Drew are making reasonable salaries, so they will probably be staying put.

For our primer on the waiver trade process, click here.

Discussion: Manny Ramirez

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After being unable to land Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, the White Sox turned their attention to another target in the hours leading up to the Trade Deadline: Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez.  The conversation reportedly didn't last long as Dodgers GM Ned Colletti essentially told White Sox GM Kenny Williams, "Thanks, but no thanks."  Reportedly, the Rays made an inquiry of their own as well.

As they sit a surmountable seven games back in the NL West, the Dodgers made moves at the deadline to improve themselves in the short-term.  Octavio Dotel and Ted Lilly were brought aboard and younger players with upside and team-friendly contracts like Blake DeWitt, James McDonald, and prospect Andrew Lambo were shipped out.  However, the club's goals can change very quickly if they are unable to make up ground or even tread water in the coming weeks.

The enigmatic superstar has spent a good deal of time on the disabled list this season but has still managed to put forward a .317/.409/.516 slash line and eight homers in 61 games.  For a team still in the playoff hunt, the 38-year-old could be very attractive, even for the roughly $7MM he is owed for the rest of the year.  If the Dodgers can't keep their playoff dreams alive, one has to imagine that Ramirez will be an August trade target.  The White Sox, Rays, and other contenders will certainly be keeping an eye on the club.

Trade Deadline Reactions

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While we wait for August's rumor mill to pick up, the focus remains on the trades made over the last few days. Let's take a look at how a few writers are evaluating those deals….

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale and the New York Post's Joel Sherman list their winners and losers, agreeing that the Rangers and Padres did very well, while the Mets and Red Sox needed to do more.
  • In Jeff Passan's assessment of July's deals for Yahoo! Sports, the Mets get a surprising thumbs-up.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examines how the trades affect the playoff races. The Phillies and Cardinals are among his predicted division winners, after their respective deals for Roy Oswalt and Jake Westbrook.
  • The Cardinals paid too high a price for Westbrook, according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers' and Angels' moves were nice, they won't be enough to propel either team into the playoffs.
  • A pair of New York Daily News writers disagree about the merit of the Yankees' weekend acquisitions. According to Mike Lupica, all the additions make the Yanks seem slightly desperate, but John Harper sees nothing wrong with making baseball's best team better. I have to side with Harper here – Brian Cashman's goal is to field a championship team, not to worry about whether a division rival's inactivity makes his club look insecure.
  • The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice and Jerome Solomon have conflicting views on the post-deadline Astros. Solomon can't think of much to be happy about, while Justice writes that a younger, more energetic roster should be fun.

Odds & Ends: Duffy, Tigers, Yankees, Reds, Red Sox

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Some leftovers in the wake of another trade deadline…

  • I'll be appearing on Sporting News Radio at 8:25pm PT tonight to talk about the deadline. You can listen in here.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark named his trade deadline winners and losers, with the Rangers, Padres, and Yankees among the teams earning praise.
  • The Phillies released Triple-A outfielder Chris Duffy, reports Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that he "had a chance to do something surprising and big," and that it was like "getting the wind knocked out of you" when it fell through. He didn't elaborate any further, so we'll have to keep playing the guessing game.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post says the Yankees took on $4.8MM at the deadline, more than any other team (Twitter links). The bankrupt Rangers came in second at $4.1MM. 
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that he was working on some deals in recent days, but they "fell apart at the end." 
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets the Red Sox finished second in the Kerry Wood race, ditto the Rays and Lance Berkman, both of whom ended up with their biggest rival.
  • Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider tweets that Yunesky Maya's deal with Washington will be made official within the hour. 
  • The Padres inquired about Jacoby Ellsbury before picking up Ryan Ludwick, but were told he's not available according to ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes (Twitter links).
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Dodgers took on about $3MM with all their deadline moves. Their financial situation has been in question basically all season.
  • Chad Tracy has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Yankees and is now a free agent, tweet Conor Foley with the Triple-A Scranton Yankees.
  • Barret Loux has joined the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League according to the team's official Twitter feed. Loux was the sixth overall pick in last month's draft, but recently failed his physical with the Diamondbacks and could be looking to rebuild his stock.
  • The Royals traded minor league catcher Jeff Howell to the Twins for future considerations according to milb.com's official Twitter feed.

White Sox, Rays, Angels Asked About Manny Ramirez

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3:47pm: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he believes Manny will stay with the team for the rest of the year, tweets Nightengale.

12:49pm: Brown says the Angels are not the third team he was referring to earlier.  ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that there are absolutely no indications the Dodgers are trading Manny today. 

12:36pm: The Angels also asked about Manny, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  I wonder how recently that happened.

12:26pm: The White Sox haven't heard a counter-offer from the Dodgers on Manny, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale, and the Sox are moving on.

11:35pm: The Dodgers asked the White Sox for Dayan Viciedo in exchange for Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com on Twitter. The Manny market is heating up, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown on Twitter. The Rays, White Sox and a mystery team are all involved. The Dodgers are considering dealing Manny, according to Brown, who explains that the Dodgers are not shopping him. The left fielder is said to be open to a trade.

11:18am: The Sox intend to make one more run at Manny today, tweets Rosenthal.  Yahoo's Steve Henson tweets that the Dodgers would love to move Manny but they don't want to eat his contract.

11:15am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Manny appears amenable to going to the White Sox but the Dodgers want big prospects back.

11:06am: The Rays inquired on Manny a while back and it went nowhere, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

10:28am: The White Sox made a failed run at Manny Ramirez, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Ramirez has over $7MM remaining on his contract, and Rosenthal tweets that the Sox wanted the Dodgers to pay all but $1MM and did not want to send any players to Los Angeles.  This was apparently what Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times was referring to when he said GM Kenny Williams was trying to "shock the world" before yesterday's Edwin Jackson trade.

Though the Sox were rejected, Manny makes for an interesting DH target for multiple teams.  Ramirez is having a strong year statistically, but he was otherworldly after the '08 trade to the Dodgers.  Obstacles abound: Manny has a full no-trade clause, he's on a rehab assignment for a calf strain, and as we mentioned he has over $7MM remaining on his contract (much of it deferred).  The contract makes Ramirez an August trade candidate, if the Dodgers feel they can spare him.

Dodgers Acquire Octavio Dotel

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The Dodgers acquired reliever Octavio Dotel and $500K from the Pirates today for pitcher James McDonald and outfielder Andrew Lambo.  Dotel will move to a setup role for the Dodgers after saving 21 games for the Pirates.  Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan should get a shot to close games in Pittsburgh now.

The 36-year-old Dotel may be a rental for Los Angeles, as his $4.5MM club option for 2011 became mutual upon the trade.  Including the buyout on that option, Dotel has $1.65MM remaining on his contract.  Eddie Bajek's latest Elias rankings have Dotel as a Type B free agent, though an arbitration offer from the Dodgers is no sure thing.  Dotel has a 4.28 ERA, 10.8 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 on the season with five home runs allowed in 40 innings, though he's been better since May.  One red flag is that Dotel has brutal control against lefties, but Hong-Chih Kuo is more than capable of handling those batters.

McDonald, 25, has fallen out of favor since being voted the organization's minor league pitcher of the year in '07 and '08.  He opened the '09 season as the Dodgers' fifth starter, but was out of the rotation a month later.  This year he's dealt with a hamstring injury while compiling a 4.41 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.4 BB/9 in twelve Triple A starts.  It wasn't long ago that Baseball America projected McDonald as a No. 3 starter or late-inning reliever, and he'll have plenty of opportunities in Pittsburgh. 

Lambo, meanwhile, was slapped with a 50-game suspension in May for violating baseball's drug policy.  BA ranked him seventh among Dodgers prospects before the season.  They profile him as a gap hitter who may grow into his power, but label him a substandard outfielder.  Lambo still hasn't done much in Double A.

The Pirates haven't hit on too many of these types of players yet, but these gambles make more sense than keeping Dotel around.

Rays Pursuing Luke Scott

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2:21pm: Teams haven't been too aggressive on Scott, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The Orioles would want a solid return since Scott is under team control for two more seasons beyond this one.

2:08pm: Scott is getting play but not from the Dodgers, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.

1:55pm: The Dodgers are making a push for Scott and the Rays are in the mix, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.

1:02pm: The Rays and Orioles are in trade talks, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.  He wonders if Luke Scott or Will Ohman would be the Rays' target.  However, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that an Orioles trade before the deadline is highly unlikely.

Multiple Teams Eyeing Brandon League

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2:06pm: Aside from the Dodgers and Rays, add the Marlins to the mix for League according to Stark.  Not a big surprise.

1:51pm: The Rays are unlikely to make a deal today, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.

1:41pm: The Dodgers are also in on League, tweets Ken Rosenthal.

1:13pm: The Rays are interested in Scott Downs and Brandon League, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Tampa Bay added Chad Qualls this morning, but lost Grant Balfour to the DL for 4-6 weeks with an intercostal strain (Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reporting on Twitter). 

Downs and his former teammate, League, will not come cheap, according to Sherman, but the Rays continue looking for relief help despite a thin, highly-priced market. The Giants may be in serious talks with the Blue Jays regarding Downs and reportedly have interest in League, too.

Dodgers Acquire Lilly, Theriot For DeWitt

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The Dodgers acquired veteran lefty Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot, and $2.5MM from the Cubs for second baseman Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit today.  Lilly has $4.24MM remaining on his contract, while Theriot has $918K.  The Cubs are picking up about half of the tab on the players they're sending. 

Lilly set himself apart from the many brutal pitching signings made in the 2006-07 offseason by making 113 starts for the Cubs with a 3.70 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 over the four-year deal.  Though he began this season on the disabled list due to November shoulder surgery, Lilly sports similar numbers in 2010.  He serves as proof that velocity isn't everything, with the sixth-slowest average fastball velocity in baseball at 86.1 mph.  Lilly currently projects as a Type A free agent, though the Dodgers' recent history suggests they will not offer him arbitration and therefore will not receive draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.

Theriot, 30, has a .284/.320/.327 line on the season.  He'd been the Cubs' starting shortstop for a few years, but moved to second base when they promoted Starlin Castro in May.  Theriot's walk rate reached 11.0% in 2008, but is down to 4.6% this year.  He's under team control through 2012, if the Dodgers want to tender a contract two more times.

DeWitt, 25 next month, is having a better season than Theriot at .270/.352/.371.  He's under team control through 2014, so the Cubs acquired a long-term asset for second base.  Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein calls his the "prettiest swing you'll see never turned into results," calling DeWitt a "constant source of disappointment" for the Dodgers.

Wallach, son of former big leaguer Tim, was a third-round pick of the Dodgers last year.  Baseball America ranked him 20th among Dodgers prospects heading into the season, saying he could blossom into a No. 3 in time.  He's currently in Low A.  Smit, a reliever, spent most of this year in High A ball where he posted a 2.49 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 50.6 innings.  He's now in Double A.

Jayson Stark, Ken Rosenthal, Joel Sherman, and Tim Brown reported on the trade as it developed.

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