Jim Thome won't start at first base for Dodgers

Ned Colletti said on Prime Ticket's Dodgers Live postgame show that he and Jim Thome spoke at about 8:30 p.m. tonight, right before his trade to the Dodgers was officially completed, and Thome said that he is eager to contribute but that "playing first base is probably not going to be an option."

Nonetheless, Colletti was excited to get him.

"Jim Thome is a great hitter, a home-run hitter," he said. "He is in the twilight of his career, no question. He is also a great leader."

Colletti said that he had no communication with White Sox general manager Kenny Williams until today.

In contrast, Jon Garland has been on the Dodgers' minds since last winter, and Colletti said that Arizona had let him know "as the season wore on" (and as Arizona's fortunes went south) that Garland might be available.

Update: How did Matt Kemp find out about the trades? "Larry King's son yelled out, 'We got Jim Thome! We got Jon Garland!'"

Update 2: Joe Torre's comments:

"Ned didn't watch much of the game, that's all I can say. I was here early today, and we talked about the possibility of getting those guys, and we all know that possiblity and reality are sometimes a long way from being pushed together, but there it was. I think it's made us stronger. We have some threat off the bench now, and with Garland, we have someone who certainly knows how to pitch and has pitched in the heat of battle before.

"(Hiroki) Kuroda, we're hoping everything goes well tomorrow (in his rehab start), and possibly he'll pitch (for the Dodgers) on Sunday. And if that's the case, if we have too many (starting pitchers), I'd rather go in that direction.

"I'm not saying you won't see Jimmy at first, but I want to talk to him. I haven't had that opportunity yet. The most important thing to me is the threat he brings to the table."

Comments

[berkowit28]

So if Thome is going to be PH and, should it come to that, DH in the Series, that means Manny stays in LF (not DH) and Pierre is out of all his jobs. Except PH in the 12th inning.

[berkowit28]

But I can't imagine that either W hite Sox or D'backs want to pay part of Pierre's contract as PTBNL. That might come in the off-season.

[Jon Weisman]

Pierre becomes Dave Roberts.

[Deuces are Wild]

Hey, LAT'd.
(Jon, let me know if you ever need a guest post-writer).

Ned in Dodgers Live said that Jim Thome talked to him at 8:30pm, saying he was willing to come off the bench.

I'm not sure how it will play out, but I'm guessing they'll have Thome starting 2 out of 5 games or so...

[trainwreck]

Pierre having no role is always great.

Been awhile since I got to rip on Juan Pierre.

Feels good!

[Deuces are Wild]

Pierre becomes Dave Roberts.

Posted by: Jon Weisman | August 31, 2009 at 10:37 PM

...with heavy, heavy pockets.

[jujibee]

re. Dewitt as the PTBNL for Garland discussion

I'm not so sure Dewitt is the 2nd baseman of the future with the emergence of Dee Gordon. This pushes DeJesus Jr. to second in my opinion, where it likely is a toss up if he comes back to form. While Dewitt was messed with entirely too much in terms of having been called up and sent down so frequently, he had a very poor season. If both of those guys play more to their potential next year, all the better, and you also have to factor in where Abreau fits in on this team. Is he a future 2nd baseman, or a super utility player with a better bat than the aforementioned?

Lat'd

[ucladodger]

Dueces, where would he start? They've already said he wont play first, and that is the only option. I wonder if Thome even owns a glove...

[Deuces are Wild]

Torre talking about the possibility of a 6-man rotation.
That's a great idea, especially with the playoffs coming to keep everyone rested.

[Deuces are Wild]

Ucla, if Big Papi starts at 1B in NL parks, there's no question Thome can do it. He may not be Keith Hernandez, but he can do the job.

[gagne55]

So this isn't going to take Loney's feeble bat out of the lineup?

[trainwreck]

Papi should not be playing first. And definitely, Thome should not.

[Deuces are Wild]

Maybe we can use Thome the same way we used Manny right after the suspension. Have him play 5 innings, get 3 PA's and then bring in the Lonester.

[Branch Rickey]

Jon reading Colletti's mind comparing the Belliard acquisition to the Marlon Andserson acquisition.

[nsxtasy]

>> I'm not so sure Dewitt is the 2nd baseman of the future
.
Maybe. But my point was, DeWitt still has enough potential that he's worth something significant as trade bait, and is not likely to be used where the PTBNL is apparently expected to be just not all that good.
.
I think we should send them Mark Loretta as the PTBNL, now that we have recent acquisitions to cover Loretta's backup positions at first base (Thome), at second and third (Belli), and in the bullpen (Sherrill). :)

[DA in LA]

Can Thome play in the playoffs? I thought he would have to sign a minor league contract to do so. That's what Penny did for the Giants.

[Jon Weisman]

Thome and Garland will be eligible for the playoffs.

[DA in LA]

How are they eligable for the playoffs?

What's the point of the July 31st trading deadline?

[jujibee]

Penny was claimed by the Giants. The other 2 were traded for. I don't exactly know what the rules for the waiver deadlines consist of, but I assume that has something to do with the assignments.

[Jon Weisman]

Fuller is officially the tradee for Thome.

[Alex41592]

I'm a little surprised some thought Thome would play first base. Thome is strictly a left handed bat off the bench in the N.L. A great pickup by Ned and company.

Garland leaves me a little confused especially with the very good news about Kuroda. But, he's insurance and he has serviceable numbers when not pitching in Arizona. His ERA is near 5 and a half at Chase Field.

Bad loss but easily forgettable. The team is now built for the postseason everywhere.

[jujibee]

I was under the assumption that a PTBNL consisted of several minor league players of which the trading team is undecided on, and has a set timeline to choose one of the offered PsTBNL.

[Jon Weisman]

The July 31 deadline doesn't require players to pass through waivers. The August 31 deadline does. Any NL team could have blocked this trade - at the risk of being stuck with Thome themselves.

[nsxtasy]

The way the Thome trade is being reported by the AP, the Dodgers are giving "cash considerations" along with Fuller to the Sox, not receiving cash along with Thome from the Sox as described here on DT.
.
http://tinyurl.com/n8xjho

[Alex41592]

Manny gets to play with Thome again. He's always wanted that.

[Jon Weisman]

Posted by: nsxtasy | August 31, 2009 at 11:03 PM

According to the article you linked, it says "The White Sox get infielder Justin Fuller and will send cash to the Dodgers."

[Alex41592]

Jon, the article was updated so you're both correct. But, it is Thome and cash to the Dodgers.

[jujibee]

I have no idea how Ned pulled that Thome trade off. Fuller is not that good of a prospect, and we get cash. I bet they aren't covering all of Thome's remaining contract, but just some of it, but still...

[nsxtasy]

Yes, the article was updated to indicate that the cash is going from the White Sox to the Dodgers along with Thome. As difficult as that is to believe.

[tleonp]

Some thoughts...

1. Tonights loss wasn't a complete surprise, but disappointing nonetheless. Torre's selection of McDonald to pitch the 10th was idiotic...yet somehow inevitable and par for the course. Yes...this is our manager.

2. I didn't realize that Thome was that advanced in circling the drain as a defensive player at 1B. Having him play every day there would've made us MUCH better. Having him come off the bench improves us, makes managers change the way they look at the late innings against us, and makes us a more dangerous team if we get to the WS.

3. Of course, I'm overlooking the most IMPORTANT thing in the eyes of LA's sporting press, and of course, in the eyes of Joe Morgan: how this effects America's Martyr, Juan Pierre. After having read the love poems published in tribute to him over the last couple of months I'm convinced: he's a combination of Mother Theresa, Ghandi, and Jesus Christ. He is simply put the finest man who ever lived, and the victim of gross injustice every day he has to sit next to the sunflower seeds. I bleed for Juan Pierre. I grieve for Juan Pierre. I thank the good lord every day that I am allowed to breathe the same air as Juan Pierre.

[nsxtasy]

>> How are they eligable for the playoffs?
>>
>> What's the point of the July 31st trading deadline?
.
Jon addressed this, but just so it's clear... The July 31 trading deadline is for trades to be made without the players having to clear waivers, a process in which other teams can claim them. After that point, players have to clear waivers. The August 31 deadline is the point by which a player must be part of a team's organization in order to be eligible for post-season play. At the end of the regular season, the 25-man rosters for the post-season are selected from those eligible by each playoff team.

[Phenomenal Smith]

Back in my day, the trading deadline was June 15. And we liked it that way!

[Michael]

LAT'd

Frustrating, frustrating loss.

But what a masterful job by Colletti today. We have needed a power bat off the bench all year, and Thome gives us that in a huge way. I think he is just what the Dodgers need to wake up the slumbering offense.

As for Garland, while a lot of people might feel he is unnecessary considering the pitching has been a real strength, I think he can only help. He's a better option then Haegar, and provides big insurance if Kuroda is unable to return to full strength.

Colletti has made some questionable moves during his tenure as GM, but he's done a great job this year, and in particular, this month. I'm especially excited about Thome. The offense needed a kick in the rear to get going again, and this is it.

[Deuces are Wild]

"Beautiful night, purple sky at Dodger Stadium"
Victor Rojas, MLB Network.
Followed by "you gotta love twilight at Southern California"

Any knowledge of the fires?

[trainwreck]

I agree with Bob's old-timey thoughts.

That should be a blog. Bob's old-timey thoughts.

He could talk about presidents and crud.

[Alex41592]

Haeger was scheduled to face Garland on September 3rd. I would guess Garland will now face the D'Backs on this date. That'll be interesting.

[jasonungar]

That 10 million just got a little harder to spend for poor Juan...

So for next year Garland would cost 2.5 not to play for us and 10 for one year to play for us? If so u gotta think we would pick up the option..

[Phenomenal Smith]

And my pajamas weren't flame-retardant when I was a kid either.

[bandwagonesque]

Rumor is that the PTBNL for Garland is Tony Abreu: http://twitter.com/dbackswriter/status/3683504649

Curious how/if this changes the feeling among folks about this move, if it's true.

[trainwreck]

I still wish I was in footies. Footies should be the pre-determined wear for all male adolescents.

[nsxtasy]

Anybody want to guess who gets DFA'ed to clear the two spaces on the 40-man roster for Garland and Thome? Repko seems the most likely to me, but I'm not sure who else. (Loretta?)

[Jill]

Okay, there is so much going on I just want to be clear - we know who/what the Thome trade was for, but don't know yet for Garland, right? Please let it not be DeWitt, man that would annoy me.

And I second Deuce are Wild in wanting to know what the air was like at the game tonight because even here in Hollywood it's nasty just to walk outside...

[trainwreck]

Losing Abreu kind of sucks, especially since D-Backs had no second base answer.

[Alex41592]

There were active fires in the distance during the game. It was very uncomfortable to watch at times.

[underdog]

Several of your favorite Dodger tweeters already uh tweeted this but just in case:

RT @dbackswriter Word among some #Dodgers players is that the PTBNL in Garland trade is INF Tony Abreu (must clear waivers).

Whoa. That actually wouldn't surprise me and on some level would make sense, but I still kinda hope it's not true.

Better than a superprospect, I guess. He's no Carlos Santana and yet, I'd rather not give him up.

[underdog]

And again, he'd have to clear waivers, so... would he, is the question?

[bhsportsguy]

I heard through a telephone conversation I had with a friend and fellow commenter on DT and TrueBlueLA, that the PTBNL was someone with MLB experience. He had thought it was a pitcher so to me once you exclude Schicting and Leach, you were left with Stults, Wade and Elbert. I did not think it would be Elbert.

We did not discuss any position players, Abreu would seem to fill the bill as the Diamondbacks are stilling looking to fill that hole plus Tony could be a good utility man for them.

That being said, it wouldn't bother me that much.

[nsxtasy]

>> So for next year Garland would cost 2.5 not to play for us and 10 for one year to play for us? If so u gotta think we would pick up the option..
.
Interesting question. Of course, the next month will give us a better idea of his ability. It might also depend on how much the free agent alternatives might be asking. For example, if I had to choose between paying the extra $7.5 million to keep Garland, vs. let's say we could keep Randy Wolf for that same amount, I'd take Wolf over Garland. (But if those are the numbers, I might consider keeping both of them!)

[JT_Dutch]

... There's no need to go in and bust up a terrific defensive infield with ancient Jim Thome. It's bad enough that the Dodgers carry Manny's "glove" in the outfield as it is.

The only scenario where Thome could start is in a platoon arrangement in LF. The Dodgers have given up on defense at that position, and Manny's only value to the team lies in his hitting -- which has been sloppy, uninspired, and insufficient. Maybe a platoon with Thome will wake Manny from his nap.

Beyond that, Garland is a good pickup, in that he will push one of the spot starters to the bullpen and perhaps alleviate some of the damage Torre has done to it this season. Belisario and Troncoso will likely be unusable by the time October rolls around, so the team will have to lean on guys like Weaver, McDonald, Haeger, and Garland in relief if the Dodgers make the playoffs.

[Robert562]

I would rather not have it be Abreu for Garland...though I wouldn't be surprised since Zona is paying for it all. But I doubt Abreu clears waivers...if that still needs to be done.

Also....anybody have info on this?

Why would the Giants not try to pick up Thome??????

[miketink]

It appears to me that many of you esp. jason ungar have not seen the 2nd update from the Ariz. Republic that was added to one of Jon's earlier posts. It says the Dbacks are paying all of Garland's remaining salary plus are responsible for his option. This, of course, means that Garland will not be on the Dodgers next year or at least not for $10 million and thus requires a much better player going to Ariz. in return as per the Blake trade.

[nsxtasy]

If the PTBNL is someone on the 40-man roster, we will know by tomorrow (Tuesday) because the trade will have to be completed to avoid DFA'ing anyone.
.
I really hope it isn't Tony Abreu, as speculated above. I think he's got great potential, although I suspect my opinion of him may be higher than that of other folks around here. I'd rather it be Repko or Hoffman or Ellis, among position players. Maybe even DeWitt.
.
>> He had thought it was a pitcher so to me once you exclude Schicting and Leach, you were left with Stults, Wade and Elbert.
.
I'm not sure why you would exclude Schlichting and Leach. Any of that group is possible. Or maybe McDonald.
.
Well, we'll probably know within a few hours!

[bayareadfan]

Abreu just makes that deal worse. We didn't need Garland and his .290 baa.

Well, maybe the pitching coaches can work a miracle here...ugh.

[Robert562]

Also = rumor is Garland is also going to be a type B free agent so that helps....but Abreu??? I don't know. Though I have wanted us to go to a 6 man rotation for a while now. We really need to LIMIT Kershaw and Bills innings this month. Kershaw has already thrown 153 innings and Bills is at 166.2

Last year Bills did throw 200 but Kid K only got to 107 + whatever he threw in the minors.

[regfairfield]

I was going to request that Jon make a "reasons Blake DeWitt can't be the PTBNL" post, but, if it is Tony Abreu, who knows.

[trainwreck]

I cannot believe they brought Norm Macdonald back to do the Tonight Show already.

I am loving this.

[ucladodger]

Definitely not excited if it is indeed Abreu. Garland is basically an insurance policy for one month, and the dodgers shouldnt give up anything for an unnecessary part. I do somewhat like the idea of going to a 6 man rotation for the last 30 games, but again, giving up Abreu is just too much for that.

I do love the Thome deal, but he isnt going to be any type of answer for our offensive struggles. He wont start and getting one AB a game wont exactly kick start the offense into high gear. What he is is a big time threat off of the bench and a huge asset if the team can get into the playoffs. Now what we need is for Torre to read scouting reports and not send in a lefty other than Kuo to face a right handed hitter with 1.3 OPS against left handed pitching (as Upton has this year).

[Eric Stephen]

Underdog,

Designating Abreu as the player to be named later, if true, implies that Abreu wouldn't, or didn't clear waivers. Making him the PTBNL means he stays on the 40-man until the offseason, when he will be announced as the completion of the deal (again, if true).

Of course, that complicates the short term, as the Dodgers still have to clear a 40-man spot for Garland anyway (of course, and Thome, and likely Mientkiewicz and Ohman too).

[ucladodger]

Oops, previous post should say Thome will be a huge asset if the team can make the World Series, not just the playoffs.

[bhsportsguy]

I have always had one word in mind when it comes to describing Ned Colletti's philosophy about his roster. And its actually two words, back up. He does not want to be caught in a situation without having adequate replacements if something were to happen.

When he constructed the 2009 Dodgers, he knew there were 2 possible injury risks in Hudson and Furcal and this year, instead of having a rookie like Hu be the primary back up, he got both Loretta and Castro, both long time major leaguers who would know their roles before the season started.

He got Brad Ausmus, as a second catcher, he already had Pierre for the outfield.

And what happened, well, only's Manny 50 game suspension has thus far (knock on wood) made a significant impact of to the playing time of the 8 regular players.

However, his pitching staff has really been a patchwork job all year. Billingsley has missed a few starts due to hamstring problems but he's basically been there when his turn comes, Kershaw hasn't missed a start but he is still under a pitch count, and Wolf has pitched better than a lot thought he could.

When it comes to the 4th and 5th spots, that has been a revolving door, 7 other pitchers have made at least one start, Kuroda was out for about two months after his opening day start and when it appeared he was starting to find some consistency, he got hit by the line drive and it will probably end up costing him 3 weeks or more. Weaver has made some spot starts and everyone knows the rest from Stults to Haegar, many of these guys spent time both in Albq. and LA.

The one thing that struck me about this period, is that the Dodgers did not go out and find another mid-level guy to fill in that spot. They really just used the options they had in-house. And when you add the wins and losses from those guys, the Dodgers had a really good record.

So the deal for Garland isn't a surprise, the surprise is that it didn't happen in May.

[jasonungar]

Thanks for the update Mike!

[miketink]

Robert562, Garland's free agent status is of no importance to the Dodgers. For it to be they would have to take up his option at $10 million which they will not do and (if I an wrong about that which I find inconceivable) he would then have to refuse that $10 million (which would save the Dbacks $1.5 million)which he would not do. Even if Garland is the MVP of every post season series in which the Dodgers appear he will not make $10 million next season imo.

[Ben]

Posted by: bhsportsguy | September 01, 2009 at 12:27 AM

great commentary. you ever think about writing on your own?

[Ben]

hmm. just realized that that could come through as sarcasm the way i wrote it. totally dont mean it. im being sincere.

[miketink]

Someone with the very attractive name of Mike earlier asked if the Ojeda 2-run double should have been caught. As they say "Is the Pope Catholic?".

[trainwreck]

Do grizzly bears wear pointed hats?!!

[bhsportsguy]

no worries, took it as a compliment. the main reason I don't write a blog is that I don't have the discipline to write something each day.

[miketink]

The Dodgers will need to make several moves to clear space on the 40-man roster for Thome and the anticipated activations from the 60-day disabled list of Doug Mientkiewicz and Will Ohman.
The above from dodgers.com. I don't understand why Garland is not also mentioned. It must be an oversight. Thus, 4 players must be removed from the 40-man. In-grown toe nails will not do the trick. Please tell me your guesses. I would guess Repko, Stults, Haegar, and either Leach or Garate.

[Robert562]

Mike - That was my point. 99% certain we will nto exercise Garland's option and Ariza will pay the 2.5 buyout. Which leaves Garland as a Type B free agent. Picks delivered to Mr. White.

:D

[Dodger Tony]

A whirlwind of activity.

My understanding is that the Giants claimed Thome on waivers and the Dodgers acquired him as a block. Is that possible? Can a team UNDER the HIGHER claiming team block? This is what Kruk said. Perhaps I don't understand the hierarchy of it all.

Not one post gave Doug Davis any credit tonight. I find that pretty odd. He has been very effective lately, allowing only six hits a game in a fair number of recent starts, many of them D'Back losses.

The Dodgers core offensive problem is hitting with RISP. This is the primary reason for their being a .500 team in the second half thus far. If they don't lift themselves out of the cellar in this category, we will be looking toward next year quite soon.

Sherill, Padilla, Belliard, Garland, Thome. Not bad, Ned.

[overkill94]

Can't they just phantom 60-day DL a couple guys? MLB seems very lax about actually making sure guys are hurt so why not have a couple guys who weren't going to play a part anyway take one for the team? They'll even get major league pay during those 60 days. Then again, I have no idea if you can put someone on the 60-day DL this late in the season or whether they have to be on the major league roster in the first place. Baseball transaction rules are way too confusing.

[overkill94]

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that the D-Backs might have played hardball with the Garland thing. Everybody knows the Rockies need starting pitching, so maybe they played the Rockies and Dodgers against each other to see how far they would go? It just doesn't make sense to me that we gave up virtually nothing for a HOF-worthy hitter who can still hit yet had to give up a quality prospect for a pitcher we didn't need at all. Is Josh Byrnes that much smarter than Kenny Williams?

[miketink]

Robert, I disagree with you as I tried to make clear in my first post to you. To earn a compensatory pick, a free agent must either be signed before the arbitration deadline in early December, or be offered arbitration by their former team but still sign with someone else. Neither of these things will happen in Garland's case. Certainly the Dodgers will not be offering Garland arbitration, they will decline his option and make him a free agent. No team will sign him until compensation is not due the Dodgers. If the rules have changed in such a way as to make you correct please explain in detail if you would be so kind.

[miketink]

overkill, The White Sox wanted to save money, Ariz. wanted a good player and was willing to put up money. Simple as that.

[Daniel Prouty]

... There's no need to go in and bust up a terrific defensive infield with ancient Jim Thome. It's bad enough that the Dodgers carry Manny's "glove" in the outfield as it is.

Posted by: JT_Dutch | August 31, 2009 at 11:49 PM

Despite Manny's occasional lapses and antics in the outfield, overall he's been only a slightly below average defensive player this year, certainly better than he was in Boston. Loney, on the other hand, while improving his defense from last year, is still only an average defensive first baseman. I certainly have no doubt that Loney would be a better fielder than Thome, but most of the great defense in the infield has come from Furcal and Hudson up the middle.

It looks like Thome won't start much (or at all), but it's not like he's NEVER played 1st base. I was thinking maybe they put him there on the same days they start Pierre (once a week or so), to offset the power difference in having Manny/Kemp/Ethier on the bench.

[bhsportsguy]

What do Mets, Braves, Astros and Marlins have in common. They all have higher batting averages with RISP. The Rockies do too but they are 5th in league at .265 while the Dodgers are tied for 6th with the Nationals at .263.

BTW, the Cardinals and Phillies not only have lower batting averages with RISP than the Dodgers, they also have done that in far fewer plate appearances with RISP.

The Dodgers lead the NL in runs scored with RISP and have over 80 more at bats than any other team in the league with RISP.

[bhsportsguy]

Even if you could put some on a phantom 60-day DL right now, you probably could only do it for players already on the DL. And you couldn't do it for anyone not on the current 25-man roster, which means none of the players in the minors that are on the 40-man roster could be put on the 60-day DL (also the Dodgers would not do that since they would have to paid pro-rated MLB salary for being on the major league roster).

[bumsrap]

So, the Dodgers traded Abreu for Garland?

If that is true, the dodgers have to be saying the mental Abreu overshadows the physical Abreu, but then how do they explain their new infielder that owns supposedly a sour personality?

[Ken Noe]

Abreu was in Ned's doghouse for so long that it shocked me when he got out. In retrospect, maybe it was just to show him off. Still a lot for a month-plus of this year's Maddux 2.0, if true, but it does suggest that they are comfortable with the long term notion of DeWitt at third and DeJesus/Gordon at 2B. (Clearly Belliard is the short term replacement). Also makes me wonder if they're privately more concerned about Kuroda's ability to come back 100%. As for Thome, that's just a great deal.

[Sports Scatter]

No problem Jim, we've got plenty of guys who can play first. Don't forget to bring your third baseman's glove. We play baseball in this league, so get off your duff. Think of the next month as your last exhibition season before your final stand as a baseball player. Show some self-respect. Honestly, if you can't wear a glove you shouldn't be on the field, out of respect for this great game. Even Barry Bonds pretended to play defense his last 17 years in the league (we even gave him gold gloves for the effort). If Paul Molitor and Edgar Martinez could make last ditch efforts to become baseball players again at the ends of their careers, so can you.

[Dr. Gary]

Thome and Garland are good acquisitions and they demonstrate the Dodgers are astute in making high percentage trades while avoiding commitments to today's versions of such big fizzles as Darren Dreifort, Andruw Jones, and Kevin Brown.

How much is each pick-up worth, expressed in percentage terms? If Sherill, Thome, Garland, and Belliard are just a 1% improvement each, then the Dodgers may have given themselves the edge they need to get out of the first round of the playoffs.

But to go farther, everyone will have to bring his "A" game: especially Manny.

[Sports Scatter]

Abreu they can live without. Probably never would have made the roster. It is good that he gets a chance to go play somewhere because he's running out of time.

As another poster alluded, Ned doesn't bring young guys up unless it is to start and there is no prospect of Abreu starting here with blake and furcal on long term, and DeWitt being a future superstar who was brought up 2 years before his time because of a series of injuries.

Remember with DeWitt you're essentially referring to a #1 draft pick who was hitting .260 in A ball when he got called upon last season. It is truly remarkable that he progressed enough and showed the plate poise to hit near .260 with regular playing time in the big leagues in 2008. Matt Kemp is the only Dodger I can think of in the last decade who managed to make such an impressive jump, but Kemp was promoted when he hit a prolonged hot streak (similar to Pujols with the Cardinals), not as a last resort off a good week of exhibition games.

DeWitt projects in a couple years as a guy who hits for more average and power than casey blake, and was already considered one of the best defensive 3rd basemen in A ball, even though he was relatively new to that position. He just needs some time, especially after what they did to him this year, but the upside is better on him than any of the 3b prospects since konerko and beltre. If you think of him as a 2b, he has no rivals as a propsect since Steve Sax. The dodgers haven't brought up an offensively viable 2b since Eric Young Sr., and he wasn't even thought of as that much of a prospect at the time.

Anyways, if the Dodgers gave up DeWitt for a mediocre pitcher, it'd be the craziest trade since Konerko for Shaw (honorable mention to Edwin Jackson/Dionar Navarro for nothing). Although the craziest roster move of all time had to be dumping 5-tooler Jayson Werth. (When I say crazy, I'm not speaking retrospect, I'm speaking of my thoughts at the times of the moves given the knowledge of that time...)

[Chunkdog]

If the Dodgers have to drop 4 guys from the 40-man roster, can't they simply dfa REPKO!!!!, who can take the place of 4 players at the same time?

[das411]

Ned Colletti has done the impossible: made conceivable for the first time a situation (most likely in the ninth inning and Lidge pitching) when Phillies fans will have to boo our former homey JI
JIM THOME :(

[Jack]

The Dodgers basically got a free month of Jim Thome.

To waste him on the bench would not be making the most of his value.

Stick him at 1st, and enjoy the .900+ OPS he brings.

[nsxtasy]

>> So, the Dodgers traded Abreu for Garland?
.
We don't yet know for sure who got traded for Garland.
.
>> Designating Abreu as the player to be named later, if true, implies that Abreu wouldn't, or didn't clear waivers. Making him the PTBNL means he stays on the 40-man until the offseason, when he will be announced as the completion of the deal (again, if true).
>>
>> Of course, that complicates the short term, as the Dodgers still have to clear a 40-man spot for Garland anyway (of course, and Thome, and likely Mientkiewicz and Ohman too).
>>
>> Posted by: Eric Stephen | September 01, 2009 at 12:10 AM
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I don't understand. If someone from the 40-man is going to be the PTBNL, why wouldn't we name him now, so we don't have to DFA (and risk losing) someone else from the 40-man?
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Also, my gut tells me we will not see Ohman for the rest of this season. Minky has been on a rehab assignment for a while, but his place on the team may have just gotten stolen by Jim Thome. Ohman has not been on a rehab yet and I don't think we're that desperate for him either. My guess is we leave him on the 60-day for the rest of the season, rather than DFA anyone to free him up. And that could possibly happen now for Minky too.

[das411]

also,

"Thome back together with Manny. Maybe that'll set Manny back into his path of destruction that he displayed last year.

Posted by: jujibee | August 31, 2009 at 10:10 PM"

makes things look just wonderful for the rest of the league, and I for one can't wait to see what The Dugout does with the deal!

[nsxtasy]

>> It just doesn't make sense to me that we gave up virtually nothing for a HOF-worthy hitter who can still hit yet had to give up a quality prospect for a pitcher we didn't need at all. Is Josh Byrnes that much smarter than Kenny Williams?
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By all accounts, yes. Ned has been talking with the Dbacks about Garland all year, so they (the Dbacks) have had a chance to ask for someone good in return. (Again, we're not sure who the PTBNL is.) By contrast, the possibility of getting Thome just came up yesterday morning and was not thought through in advance or negotiated over time. As best I can figure, the Sox put Thome up for waivers, no team ahead of the Dodgers bothered claiming him, the Dodgers did, and the Sox basically gave him away for free. I don't know why they (the Sox) did that. I guess they have given up on the post-season this year (which makes sense) and just wanted to save on his remaining salary this year, but they're putting in cash too (don't know how much). The possible savings on salary are the only thing I can see that they're getting out of the deal - Justin Fuller, I mean get serious - and it was really a freebie from our standpoint. Pay a couple mil and get a strong power bat for the bench, which was an offer too good to be true.
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Oh, and I don't think Kenny Williams is a dummy; he has a strong record in his tenure with the Sox. I just don't think he was in a position to get anything better than he did, since the Dodgers were the ones who claimed Thome from waivers, so he was stuck with doing what he could to unload Thome's salary.

[poppinfresh]

Chunkdog, remember the savior!

[Jack]

I'm also very surprised that an AL team wouldnt have claimed Thome. There's gotta be a contending team in the AL that could have used him as a DH.

If all Thome really is going to do is pinch hit, then he'll likely get at most 40 ABs or so. Not sure how much damage he can do in those ABs...Plus this has to be the only time in his career that he'll be pinch hitting on a regular basis. 1 AB a nite is tough. I just cant imagine, given Loney's anemic bat, that he or Loretta would still start all the games with Thome on the bench.

The Garland for Abreu (if its Abreu) trade kinda sucks. Garland's a "name" guy that can put up innings, but the Dodgers have Weaver, Haegar, Stults, Padilla that could all do the same thing. This just seems meaningless but its a classic Ned trade. If Garland catches fire and does a 2005 playoff impersonation, Ned will be lauded as a genius for getting him. If Garland either does his career norms or downright sucks, no one will care bc what he gave up (Abreu) isnt much.

[dodgerkramer]

I wish today's game started in 10 minutes. It can't come soon enough for me.

Need to get that bad taste out of my mouth from Monday's loss. I woke up this morning and was still grumpy.

One of my friends said he seems to remember Thome having some sort of defensive blunder a few years ago that perhaps led to a mental issue? Maybe that's why he doesn't want to play the field?

In other words, perhaps he has Steve Sax Syndrome or something similar to it? My buddy wasn't sure, though. Does anyone remember reading anything about this?

There might be something to it, because it's absolutely astounding to me that Thome has not played the field since 2007. You'd think the Sox would have put him in the field once in a while when Konerko got a day off -- especially during interleague games.

[LAT]

As far as big old white guys go, I hope Thome has a sense of humor when the team's best player moves a trash can.

[LAT]

Jack wrote:
"If Garland catches fire and does a 2005 playoff impersonation, Ned will be lauded as a genius for getting him. If Garland either does his career norms or downright sucks, no one will care bc what he gave up (Abreu) isnt much."

Perhaos or there are these guys

Werth, Jayson
Ross, Cody
Jackson, Edwin
Navarro, Dioner

now,

Abreu, Tony

[Menifee Jim]

I think it is time to start giving kudos to Ned C! I have been one to criticize Colletti for the bonehead signings and lackluster trades.

I did however support the dumping of LaRoche and the acquisition and re-signing of Casey Blake. O’Dog has been great and I hope is re-signed. Raffy…No one expected a down year.

If Ned can re-sign the youngsters to long term deals, including Martin, who’ll rebound for sure, then we will all be happy fans.

I may be stating the obvious or maybe it’s my way of publically apologizing for being so critical, but I believe Ned has done an outstanding job this year with fiscal restraints that other large market teams don’t seem to be concerned with.

[Jack]

LAT, I really hope Abreu doesnt become another Cody Ross, but one good thing is that Abreu doesnt really have the trackrecord that Werth/Ross/EJ/Navarro had.

Tony Abreu hasnt done that much in the minors, and not really done much in the majors --> I guess his real comparable would be Cody Ross as a guy that could come back & hurt the Dodgers if let go....but Ross was a guy that had a better minor league track record which made it reasonable to assume he could turn into a quality MLB player.

With Abreu, nothing in his minor league career really leads you to believe he'll turn into much.

With Garland, you know what you're getting. The Red Sox got a Paul Byrd. The Dodgers get Garland. Both known quantities...the only difference being the Red Sox got Byrd out of retirment, while the Dodgers give up a player..

I just hope against hope that the Dodgers decline Garland's option. I cant imagine they want to pay him 10 mils a year. At least this is better than the Loaiza mess-up...With Loaiza, the Dodgers were on the hook for the following year. Garland, they can just let go.

[dodgerkramer]

I don't see the harm in trading Abreu, to be honest.

I know we have a very small sample size to go on, but I just never saw much there that made me think, "We MUST keep this guy in the organization."

I mean, he's pretty much a singles hitter, no. (10 homers in the PCL this season is NOT an impressive total)

At best, Abreu will have the impact of a Mark Grudzielanek. Solid, not spectacular.

More likely, Abreu will have the impact of a Jeff Hamilton.

[dodgerkramer]

oops. forgot my question mark...

I mean, he's pretty much a singles hitter, no?

[nsxtasy]

I see that dodgers.com says "The remaining $1.2 million of Garland's 2009 salary, plus a buyout of either $1 million or $2.5 million from a 2010 mutual option, will be paid by the D-backs." Given that, the net cost to the Dodgers for him to stay next year according to the terms of his current contract would be his full $10 million salary - in which case I agree with those who say there's no way we would keep him around next year. Not at that price, anyway. I suppose it would be possible for the Dodgers to not take that option, let the Dbacks pay him the buyout, and then sign him at a lower price. We'll probably need to sign at least one starter for next year; that could be a Wolf extension, a Garland free agent, a trade (Halladay?), etc.

[Terry A.]

Including Abreu in this deal, in my opinion, is a mistake.

A steep overpayment.

[samahin31]

Take this for what it is worth, but on national sports comment page a White Sox fan said it is Thome's very bad chronic back problem that prevents him from playing first base.

It seems to be that this would explain Thome's personally telling Colletti that he (Thome) can't play first base. "Except in a emergency situation...maybe", as Thome put it.