My thoughts on all these new deals are still pretty disjointed, but here they are.
*I think the Dodgers have screwed up. If indeed they have Dave Ross and maybe Brent Mayne at catcher, they have definitely made a mistake. The scene in the LA clubhouse doesn't sound too good. It seems like exactly what you'd expect from DePodesta -- a brain-bending move that could be an upgrade on paper, but could also be devastating to morale. Of course GMs treat their players as interchangeable parts, but that doesn't mean the players like to see their team gutted midseason, especially while sitting in first place. "It doesn't sound like a first-place clubhouse in here," someone said. Dave Roberts, for example, is probably wondering what the hell happened.
The outfield, I guess, is now Bradley, Finley and Green -- a significant upgrade over Werth, Bradley and Encarnacion. Hee Seop Choi replaces Green at first, effectively displacing one of the outfielders. Choi has been streaky, astonished the Giants with a very long homer this year, but I have to wonder whether all those Ks are the reason why two teams have given up on him since last fall. And catcher is a major, major downgrade. It's hard enough to find a catcher who can hit .300 -- like, say, ours -- and very, very difficult to replace one as hard-nosed as LoDuca. (As a Giants fan, of course, I'm happy to see him in another division now.)
They've added Brad Penny, who I think will be pretty dominant, but thinned their bullpen significantly, trading away Mota and Martin. I guess it doesn't take five guys to set up Gagne, but their once-fabulous 'pen doesn't look nearly as good anymore.
Net effect? Probably downgrade. I bet the Padres are into this. If they win the division by a game, they should send Charles Johnson a nice box of chocolates.
*The Cubs can probably get the Wild Card with Nomah. I don't think the Padres are into that.
*The Boston Red Sox have made a thoughtful decision but canned one of their best players in the process. With Nixon hurt and Millar hitting, they'll presumably place the Boss in the outfield and turn their other 1B, David Ortiz, into a full-time DH. Mientkiewicz is a defensive upgrade over Ortiz, O-Cab is a BIG step down from Nomah. Morale? It's Boston, right? The fans even hate the good players.
*The Yankees, it appears, have dealt Jose Contreras for Esteban Loaiza. I guess the White Sox, losers of six in a row, aren't really trying to win. Still, despite his terrific 2003, Loaiza is basically a pretty lame pitcher. Check out some his crappy seasons.
*I understand the Mets dealt a lot of highly-touted prospects for Kris Benson, who could be their Sidney Ponson. And as for their other new pitcher, maybe they thought he was Carlos Zambrano...
*Looks like the A's did nothing. Fuckin' A.
*I'll leave the Felix deal to Alex, but let me ask this: is it possible that the bullpen just improved?
It's been a wild 24 hours. Wonder how it'll all play out.
