Dodgers Acquire Maddux and Lugo from Cubs and Devil Rays

The official press statement from the Dodgers front office. We tried getting into the conference call with Ned Coletti, but the lines was full. Apparently, four slots alone were taken up by writers from some rag called the L.A. Times. Glory hogs. But we'll keep an eye out when the audio is posted on the Dodgers website and let you know.
—AK

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Greg Maddux and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Cesar Izturis and infielder Julio Lugo from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for minor leaguers Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza, according to Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.

“Greg is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game,” said Colletti. “What he can bring to this team goes beyond his ability on the mound. We expect him to solidify our rotation and serve as a strong influence in the clubhouse.

“Julio is a solid infielder both offensively and defensively and will help strengthen us up the middle. He also adds more speed to our lineup.”

Maddux, 40, is a four-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star. His 327 career victories are second among active pitchers behind Roger Clemens and rank 12^th on the all-time victory list in Major League history. He has won 15 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, including 13 consecutive from 1990-2002 and back-to-back awards in 2004-05. Maddux has led the league in victories three times and ERA four times.

In 22 games (21 starts) this season, the right-hander is 9-11 with a 4.69, tying him for the ninth-most victories in the league. He recently surpassed Bob Gibson on the all-time strikeout list, as his 3,133 rank 12^th in big league history and third among active pitchers behind Clemens and Randy Johnson.

Maddux has appeared in the postseason 11 times, including nine consecutive years with the Braves from 1995-2003. He has twice helped Atlanta to the World Series, winning the championship in 1995. In 31 career playoff games, Maddux has a 3.22 ERA, including a 2.09 ERA in five World Series starts.

From 1988-2004, he won 15 or more games each year, surpassing Cy Young (15 from 1891-1905) for the most consecutive 15-win seasons (17) in Major League history. His next victory will give him 19 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins, equaling Young’s mark set from 1891-1909.

Maddux’s brother, Mike, played for the Dodgers in 1990 and 1999, making the duo the ninth pair of siblings in franchise history, joining Con and Ed Daily, Jim and Mickey Hughes, Ramon and Pedro Martinez, Dave and Steve Sax, Larry and Norm Sherry, Chris and Johnny Van Cuyk, Lloyd and Paul Waner and Zack and Mack Wheat.

Lugo, 30, is batting .308 with 12 homers and 27 RBI and 18 stolen bases for Tampa Bay this season. In 2004-05, he averaged 158 games played and a .286 mark with 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases.  In eight Major League seasons, he has a .279 career average with 68 homers, 326 RBI and 133 stolen bases.

Lugo set career highs in homers with 15 in 2003 and RBI with 75 in 2004. He swiped a career-high 39 stolen bases in 2005, which ranked fifth in the American League. He ranked sixth in the AL with 41 doubles in 2004. In 2005, Lugo led all Major League shortstops in batting average, doubles, triples, RBI and stolen bases. The Dominican Republic native was raised in Brooklyn, where he attended Fort Hamilton High School.

Izturis, 26, was batting .252 with one homer and 12 RBI in 32 games for the Dodgers following Tommy John surgery last season. The 2004 Gold Glove Award winner has played six seasons in the Major Leagues, including the last five with the Dodgers.

Guzman, 22, is batting .297 with 11 homers and 55 RBI this season for Triple-A Las Vegas. He appeared in eight games for the Dodgers this season and batted .211 (4-for-19) with three RBI.

Pedroza, 22, batted .281 with 21 homers and 75 RBI in 89 games for Single-A Columbus before a promotion earlier this month to Single-A Vero Beach. In 13 games with the Vero Beach Dodgers, he was batting .154 (6-for-39) with three homers and nine RBI.

Comments

[THE WOLF]

lolo,
hey man good points on the earlier post. i will get over the izzy thing and the maybe the lugo one too. i just feel like we could have gotten more from today. the other teams in the leagues look like they got more from dealing lesser players, i thought we could have done the same. i hope they could resign maddux next year or this would have been a waste for sure. i also hope the furcal clone we also picked up wont be a factor in the clubhouse like toby "trade me" hall.

[THE WOLF]

maybe the dodgers(logan white) knows about a major draft pick next year so picking up lugo and letting him walk will put them in a great position to draft the future stud. or two. lugo is a type A-FA like soriano(2 1st round draft picks if they leave the team after arbitration)

[Dodgerdog]

A couple of thoughts on Maddux...I think he will help some, but don't forget, he is about a 6-inning pitcher these days (guess he fits right in). Pitching at Dodger Stadium should be beneficial, but as a ground ball pitcher, that defense is important and it is hardly a Dodger strength. If they go 5-2 in his remaining starts, then it'll be successful in the short run.

I keep hearing reports about how Ned Colletti knew Greg when both were with the Cubs. What was that, 15 years ago? You don't make decisions based on familiarity, friendship or long-ago past history. That's a recipe for disaster, akin to a coach or manager who won't part with guys well past their prime because he's known them for so long.

I hate to quote him but Rex,the Wonder Drug Hudler always reminds us that, "this is a performance-based game." Without results, you're the Pirates, Orioles, Devil Rays or some other perpetually losing franchise.

[RC]

LoLo, granting your point about Kent at 1b (I do remember that discussion now that you mention it, but I figured it had been dropped given Kent's poor performance at first in very limited duty last year and Nomar's excellent work there this season -- hadn't heard any recent talk about moving Kent to first next year), I still don't see what either of these trades has to do with Nomar.

Lugo doesn't want to play 2b, so he'll be gone after this season. Betemit is the 3b solution, apparently. Furcal's a fixture at ss for the next two years after this one. So, if Kent moves to 1b (bad idea, we both agree), we have a huge hole to fill at 2b next year. Clearly these deals were only designed with respect to this season -- Maddux may re-sign as a free agent but Lugo won't.

Nomar is a separate question entirely.

[Eric B.]

Wait a minute... I just re-read the news release... Zack Wheat had a brother named Mack? Did the old Brooklyn Dodgers once have a Zack and Mack Attack?

[Makoto Ueno]

RC, this is the way I see it (all conjecture):

Jeff Kent's injury is worse than what the Dodgers are reporting, and is probably not slated to return until late August or September, when expanded rosters negate the need for a roster shuffle. Until then, Lugo, Betemit, and Furcal own 4, 5, and 6 (not necessarily in that order). Assuming Kent does return healthy, the Dodgers want to move him to 1B next season, where his limited range and 39 year old knees won't be so much of a liability. If Loney is still around, he'll be given the chance to fight for playing time. Loney has to earn a spot in the majors next year, or his future with the Dodgers is over. Nomar, who will either be injured, or cost $10 mil+ is the logical one to go.

Hopefully Colletti made these trades with a reasonable chance of signing Lugo to some kind of an extension.

Guzman was still one of the top prospects in the game, but the Dodgers severely messed up his development by leaving him at SS for so long, and suddenly making him change positions on a daily basis. Whether he turns out to be great or not, he did not have a future in LA. This happened even before Colletti came to town. As for Aybar, I was upset to see him go as well, but Betemit more than makes up for the loss.

There is one looming problem with bringing all these young players up at the same time: money. In a few years, all of these guys currently playing for the league minimum will be eligible for arbitration, at the same time. If these guys do what we are all counting on them to do, the Dodgers will suddenly have to find the money to pay Ethier, Martin, Kemp, Betemit, Billingsley, and possibly others million dollar contracts. Although I suspect Colletti and team will do what they can to keep everyone, I have a feeling economics will not allow everyone to stay together for as long as we all want them to.

[David O]

Like someone already said, Kent just signed an extension this past year. He is definitely locked up next year. Nomar is the only one who is not. Not that I would wanna be the one to chose who stays and who goes and who plays 1B, but it does look like Nomar is gone next year. If you re-sign him next year an infielder is definitely gonna be traded, most likely being Kent, which wouldn't be an easy thing to do coming off an injury-filled season.

[CamTheFan]

RC

I believe the thinking behind trading Aybar and Guzman, rather than other top prospects in the system, is that neither one projects defensively at a skill position. Aybar, in his short time in the Bigs, has shown he can hit (but probably not with much power), but is not going to cut it on the left side of the IF. At best, he MIGHT be a serviceable second baseman. By contrast, the Dodgers have guys who would play ahead of Aybar now (e.g., Furcal and Betimet--Kent if healthy) and in the future (e.g., LaRoche).

The same can be said for Guzman, defensively he projects at the big league level only as an OF or possibly at 1B. He appears to have difficulty making contact and poor judgment as to the stike zone. There is no question he has the potential to put up some big offensive numbers (particularly extra BHs), and may ultimately do so.

However, as with Aybar, Guzman is not likely to break into the Dodgers line-up anytime soon with kids like Kemp, Ethier, Loney, D. Young around, and with vets like Nomar and Drew. (I also think the Dodgers had issues with Guzman's attitude.) I remember hearing him say he was upset before his call-up earlier this year when other rookies were brought up to the big club before him!)

Only time will tell if these trades were worth it, but I have to at least give credit to Ned for trying to do something to improve the club enough to make it possible to get into the playoffs this year.

[LoLo]

All,

I just want to make something clear: Between paying Drew, Kent, or Nomar, it’s no contest for me; Nomar all the way. I’m a HUGE Nomar fan. The problem is that he’s not signed through next year. Not only that, but now we have a complete infield with our recent 3B acquisition, which is what made Izzy expendable in the first place. What I don’t get with the Lugo trade is that we traded Izzy to clear a starter off the bench, only to immediately go out and get another starter that is going to be a bench player. I just don’t get it. I never agreed with giving Kent that contract, and I don’t agree with the Lugo trade. Too many starters, not enough positions to go around, and too many people playing out of position will make people grumpy. I just think that the negatives outweigh the positives.

Again, something is not right with Kent and/or Nomar. That has to be the reason why Ned went out and got Lugo.

I will miss Izzy. I didn’t like his offense but he was a stud on the field. He also proved to be a team players and standout citizen. Good for him that we traded him. Now he will get a chance to start where as if he stayed here he would have been reduced to a reserve role. I honestly think that Colletti had that in mind when he traded Izzy. Unfortunately, Izzy was the odd man out. We can debate whether or not he deserved to be, but let’s be happy for him that he is going to start everyday at his native position.

[Ben C.]

RC,
LaRoche used to play 2B before turning into 3B. So he can fill that hole at 2nd if he is ready by next year. If not, swing Betemit to 2B and play LaRoche at 3B.

If Lugo resigns, he can play 2B or play OF with Drew and Ethier.

[Tom]

RC,
"Guzman didn't perform to our expectation? When was he given a chance? I think he only had around 12 ABs in the bigs. I would have traded Loney, LaRoche, or even Kemp before Guzman.
Among the young kids we've seen this year, Aybar and Guzman were the two I thought had the best long-term offensive potential."
----True, Guzman wasn't given a chance but Loney batted .370+ in triple A, LaRoche bats .300+ with power, and Kemp is untoubable, a .330 hitter with power, speed, and defense. Aybar will be a .310+ hitter in his career, but he will hit no more than 15 homers in a season and is sub-par on defense

[Andrew Kamenetzky]

Lolo,

Sorry. We've both been working on a few work items at once. But I'll take a sec and go through both swaps.

IZZY FOR MADDUX:

Maddux can only help this rotation, if for no other reason than (save Penny) the staff's been shakier than Colin Farrell trying to get through the day without a drink. Maddux hasn't been a world beater this year, but it's not crazy for a vet to get rejuiced by a new, more pleasant environment (say what you want about the Dodgers recent slump, but the Cubs spent an entire season hopeless). I'm guessing he'll be more or less "solid." But even if he pitches more like "old Maddux" than the "Maddux of old," he'll likely get it done a few times. More importantly, I think he'll be a good presence for the starters, who could certainly use one right now (and especially if a postseason happens). In terms of impact, it's at worst a wash.

As for Izzy, the writing was tagged in the wall in Spray paint. He was eventually gonna forward his mail. And if Kent comes back healthy (which I'm not convinced he will, but for now, let's run with it), he'd have lost mucho PT, anyway. So even if you don't think Maddux helps much, the same might be said about Izzy in a few weeks. And the need addressed by Maddux is much more pressing than the one by Izzy.

My only problem (aside from the fact that I like calling people "Izzy" and the opportunity will present itself considerably less often now) is wondering what they could have gotten for Cesar in the offseason. It wouldn't shock me if a Gold Glove SS would nab a solid middle of the rotation starter (maybe even a #2) or established relief help, both of which the team could use. The market for Izzy isn't huge now (since it's based purely on contenders' situations), but that could change come fall/winter. And as much as winning is about "now" and "anything can happen if you make the playoffs," I'm not convinced this team can make tons of postseason noise. Thus, I'm thinking they may have sacrficed a better hypothetical incoming piece for the 2007 squad (and beyond). But I also doubt Izzy would have nabbed them an elite enough player to make this a mistake of monumental stature.

GUZMAN FOR LUGO:

I think Colletti is just determined to make a trade with Tampa work and won't rest until that happens, come hell or high water.

Kidding.

This is almost like bringing in "Bizarro-Izzy" (better hitter, not as strong a fielder). Yeah, they already have Furcal (and Betemit), but I think Lugo's gonna be playing a LOT of second. A LOT OF SECOND. As in, I'm not convinced Kent's gonna come back healthy for long spurts, if at all. That's my gut feeling. If nothing else, I think they're very concerned. And by subbing Lugo into that spot over Izzy, you're supplying an offensively challenged squad a little more zest. While I think fans sometimes exagerated Izzy's lack of bat (you'd have thought he was the second coming of Bob Eucker. haha), there's no question Lugo's an upgrade.

Is losing Guzman a big deal? Yes and no. "Yes," in the sense that he's a highly touted prospect. If he ends up a great player, many a Blue Blood would find that a stinger. But also "no," in the sense that the Dodgers are loaded with prospects and there's no way they can keep them all. Some guys will end up elsewhere no matter what happens.

I know Colletti said he didn't want to trade prospects for a rent-a-player, a philosphy I happen to think is smart (given that I think there's only so far this team can go). But if Colletti's also trying to win this season and dudes keep dropping like flies around Chavez. So he sort ate and hoarded cake. He gave up a good youngster, but not one that (for now) smacks of irreplacable. And similar to the Aybar-Betemit trade, got a guy he can put on the field right now. Had he have traded Ethier, Kemp, Martin, Broxton (i.e., the fellas generally considered "untouchable except for extraordinary circumstances) for a two month guy, I'd find that nothing short of insane. But this is a pretty good compromise, if you're gonna trade prospects at all in this situation. And again, the Dodgers can afford it.

All in all, I'm giving them both transactions something of a "thumbs sideways." I think they make the team somewhat better, although not significantly. But they're definitely not worse team and (what I believe is) the logic behind them makes sense.

Hopefully, the same can be said about my ramblings. haha

AK

[LoLo]

RC,

I didn't see that Lugo doesn't want to play 2B. In that case you may be right, but I still don't like Nomar's chances of getting resigned. Kent and his horrible contract can be moved to 1B and the new Atlanta kid can be moved to 2B. Then they can bring up Laroche to play 3B. There are many different scenarios that can occur, but not many of them revolve around Nomar. Again, I’m not saying that I agree with these decisions, but I feel that the more infield moves are made the less of a willingness management will have to sign Nomar.

GREAT!! So we traded for a guy that is supposed to play 2B until Kent gets back who doesn't want to play there. I also assume that we traded for him so he can spot Furcal/Kent from time to time, only he isn’t willing to spot Kent.

You see what I was saying about having too many starters and too many people playing out of position. I don't like this Lugo thing at all.

[Tom]

I feel the Dodgers should have placed Guzman, Izturis, and Billingsley in a deal that would have landed a major player that puts them over the top. Izturis is a good player but there is no place for him to play in the Dodger's infield. Guzman will be a .250 hitter with around 20 HR and 75 RBI because he strikeouts way to much. He isn't a ryan howard. In Billingsley, i see a edwin jackson. People seem to forget that Jackson's problem was walking too many batters just like Billingsley. While he is still a top prospect, Dodgers should get a good player in return, so the Dodgers wont' have another Baez and CArter in return.

[George Eazell]

The Dodgers have no clue as to what they are doing. Pitching AND defense wins in playoff games. Betemit and Furcal now make up the worst left side of the infield in Baseball. Izturis is the best defenisive SS in Baseball! The signing of Furcal was horrible. Can someone please tell me why J.D. Drew is batting 3rd in the lineup? His .286 BA, 27 HR, and 85 RBI make his a number 6 hitter. Little bats Drew 3rd because he is one of the highest paid players, showing hes clueless. I am a longtime Dodger fan who is tired of seeing a weak team year after year. Go to the playoffs and hope to simply win a game is pathetic. After the Dodgers finish in 2nd again maybe they will be inspired to sign Zito in the offseason. Zito would be an instant #1 starter to go with the other 4 number four starters on the staff. I think the new ownership could care less about really winning and wants to just show a profit. The Dodgers should be competing with the NY Yankees for players. I am quite sure the Dodgers will pass on Zito because of price and they will sign another average starter. The Florida Marlins had a fire sale last year and their record is not far off from the Dodgers. Pathetic isn't it?

[LoLo]

The Dodger WILL go after Barry Zito. I have no doubt about that.

[Andrew Kamenetzky]

Lolo,

Granted, it's early, but my initial instinct is that Lugo won't complain. He said he's excited to be coming. And I read something where Lugo's agent said he's fine playing second for a couple months, but bottom line, dude's a SS and wants to be thought of that way. Whatever. Works for me. But I don't think it'll be an issue.

Then again, I've been wrong before. Lugo may be screaming at Little on his cell as I type this. Haha.

AK

[THE WOLF]

lets not forget that every teams needs change during the offseason. just because no one wants our scrubs now dosent mean that they wont next year too. that includes everyone on contract too. if the dodgers are not planning on re-signing nomar, we should be saying that the dodgers are acting like a bush league squad. (before i get all the "what are you talking about" posts, its just my opinion) he get hurt a lot, but when he is on the field the guy produces, straight out. before next seasons start, believe me a lot of these overpriced players and waste of roster spaces will be gone. off season acquisitions will be all about pitching for sure.

[THE WOLF]

george,
i would have to believe that if there was good pitchers available and they could be had with the right price, the dodgers would have jumped all over it. this trade deadline didnt showcase anything "real" (barry zito is going to walk after the season to the highest bidder, willis cost way too much) and if the dodger got rid of all the good rookies for someone like zito, i would lead a mob to oust ned. this wont be the case this offseason(i hope not). jason schimdt, d willis, zito, etc. will be available then and we can get back our elite status in pitching. you are right in that pitching and defense win the WS (angels02, astros just getting there 05) but if none is available, what do you do? since we have no pitching, load the team with offense! if you cant get good pitching outscore your opponent. we could be like the yankees!

[THE WOLF]

i want zito but i cant stand boras. i dont even want to deal with that turd. i guess thats why i am not the GM. ha!

[RC]

On Lugo, I read his agent say that he's fine playing 2b for a couple of months (e.g., with the Dodgers) but that next season, he will go back to SS. Since he's a free agent, the Dodgers wouldn't have any chance to resign him unless they dump Furcal -- not likely at all as Rafael is better defensively and offensively (remember, Furcal hit around 18 HRs a couple years ago with Atl) than Lugo.

Maddux we may be able to re-sign for, presumably, his final year or two before he retires. Assuming he pitches well the rest of this season.

With regard to the other points made here, I still think Aybar can be a 30 HR guy -- he's got the body for it and he was on a pace for 30 HRs in AAA before being called up. When you have power in the minors, you generally have it in the majors -- eventually.

Guzman may be an open question -- for years, he was touted as our "can't miss", #1 guy, so that's the primary impression I've had of him. Granted, his defense was a question -- but I've always been of the opinion that offense matters more than defense. Perhaps he did stall out in terms of development over the past couple years -- but I haven't heard anything about the "attitude" problems that some people have mentioned here. He seemed like a good kid to me.

On the point about all these young players hitting arbitration eligibility at the same time and the Dodgers having to pay them, I think that's a problem Frank would love to be faced with. If you have 4-5 years of these kids producing at the major league level -- and the Dodgers winning as a result -- the payroll could be slashed to $70 mil or so. The savings and large profits accumulated over those years could then easily be spent on paying these guys what they are worth in a few years' time, so I don't really see that as being much of an issue.

For me, having core players year after year (like the Braves and Yankees) is more important than continually mixing and matching each season to try to find the right winning combo. I guess I'm old school in that regard, but I want players who are going to spend all or at least most of their career in a Dodger uniform.

Lastly, Nomar is really the only reason the Dodgers led the NL in runs for the first half of the season. Subtract him, and the Dodgers don't have a chance this year. Clearly he MUST be LA's top priority in the off-season. I think he can be had for as little as $8 mil/season, which sounds like a lot but really isn't these days. I presume his preference will be to stay in LA. Kent at first just isn't an option, not based on his performance this season. I see him, as someone else here said, as the "Saenz of 2007", unless he plays 2b again.

[Brian Kamenetzky]

RC-

I read the same thing regarding Lugo. I think he'll be fine at 2nd. The bigger question is how he'll be sitting if/when Kent comes back. He'll play, but not every day.

As for Nomar, we were just kicking this around in the clubhouse yesterday (by we, I mean the writers, not me and Nomar). I think the issue isn't the money, but the length of the deal. For every year he wants, the amount teams will be willing to pay w/o fear and trepidation goes down. If he wanted to sign a one year deal, assuming he's healthy and productive after this stint on the DL, he could get way more than 8 mil. Maybe upwards of 10 or 12. I don't think it's an overwhelming FA market this year.

We thought someone would be willing to give him 3/30, which is a pretty scary idea. You have to figure at least one of those years will be eaten away by an injury. Maybe two. Hell, it could be all three. I don't blame Nomar, I think he's a gamer and wants to play. But for whatever reason (and there are a few theories out there) he is a serious injury risk at this point in his career.

It's a very tough call. If I thought I could replace him with a more durable 1B, even one that I knew wouldn't be as productive but I could count on to be in the lineup every day, I'd probably do it.

BK

[Makoto Ueno]

RC, I think Colletti still has a solid group of players that have the potential to be the backbone of the Dodgers for years to come.

Guzman's 'attitude problems' most likely stem from some comments he made earlier when Kemp was promoted ahead of him. That, and the fact that the Dodgers asked him to do just about everything but pitch in Las Vegas right after he had made a name for himself as the top SS in the minors had to have ticked him off a little bit. He had no place to go in LA.

As for Nomar, I would really like for Loney to get his playing time for the rest of the season before the Dodgers make any decision about the future 1B. It seems like he matured significantly at AAA since the beginning of the season, and if he proves he can play, I think Colletti has to continue with the youth movement.

[Nelson Hultberg]

Say what you want, Colletti is looking like a real winner as a GM. What a terrific improvement over the "Stat Freak," DePodesta. Colletti has given us a chance to win this year, but he didn't give up the core of our future -- Martin, Ethier, Broxton, Billingsley, Kemp, Loney, LaRoche, Elbert, and Dewitt. That is shrewed trading.

Izturis was a real gem (as a fielder), but I kind of suspect the pitchers had found a weakness or two after his brief flourish as a decent hitter in 2004. Thus he probably will play out his career as the truly great fielding shortstop he is, but with an average bat and not enough speed to be a lead off hitter.

Guzman is the real enigma here. But obviously management saw something they didn't particularly like, which made him expendable. Big hole in his swing? Clumsy in face of breaking balls? Whatever. But as "The Wolf" says, the trade pans out as a high draft pick (Guzman) that was beginning to show some flaws, in exchange for two high draft picks (to be received for Lugo when he signs elsewhere this winter). That's not so bad. The throw-in, Pedroza, is a bit of a sleeper. Lefty with some pop so far at Lower Single A. But he has yet to prove his credentials at Higher Single A, let alone Double A, which is the big important jump for newbies.

Aybar will be a good big leaguer, but probably a reserve. Betemit has more pop and better hands. But third is really LaRoche's spot to lose. Betemit is basically a stand-in until he's ready.

Perez for Dessens -- my god, what a masterful trade even if the Dodgers did have to eat a big part of OP's bloated salary. DePodesta would surely have ended up paying all of OP's salary and thrown in Billingsley to boot to entice someone to take this rotund malcontent off our hands. And then the "Stat Freak" would have congratulated himself. Whoever it was that convinced McCourt that DePodesta was the death knell of winning baseball for the Dodgers has my undying gratitude. Was it you, Tommy? Thank you! Thank you!

So add em up -- Maddux, Lugo, Betemit, Dessens, Hendricks, and Hall as new additions. I say we improved ourselves nicely, and we did it without losing any of the REAL prospects.

Unfortunately, I think we can forget about seeing Garciapara in uniform next year. He's too old, too injury prone, and going to be too expensive. No doubt about it -- he's an inspiration, a star player, a class guy, a pressure producer! But we have caught him in the twilight of his great career -- right when the jackal agents price him out of the market for a sanely managed team. His agent will probably prod him into asking for three years at $12 million per.

Colletti would be insane to add such a risk to the contract of J.D. Princess (another of the "Stat Freak's" marvelous acquisitions). Did Boras play DePodesta for a chump on that one, or what? And to think, the "Stat Freak" congratulated himself after Boras took him to the cleaners for the Princess.

Even McCourt, for all his naivety, must have begun to see that the "Stat Freak" was in over his head. But thank you Tommy for surely pointing it out to the Big Guy. Thank you! Thank you!

All in all, Colletti looks like a real gem to me. Now if he goes out and gets Zito in the off-season, he will have earned superstar GM status as far as I'm concerned.

[wwash]

Fellow Blue fans,

I like these trades, though I think it's important not to think too much beyond this season. We had a decent chance of getting to the playoffs this year, and Maddux and Lugo will help, especially with a shaky rotation and the injury questions surrounding both Nomar and Kent. I'm bummed we didn't trade Guzman and a good pitching prospect for Soriano, but perhaps the price was higher than that. In sum, these moves help a flawed team increase its chances of making the playoffs, something we all want to see happen.