One of the best parts about a Baseball Prospectus subscription is getting to read "Will's Mill" - - Will Carroll & friends' rumor mill which is published the week before the trade deadline. The Mill is a fun way to catch a glimpse into the cellphone & crackberry-powered world of MLB front offices. Of course, sometimes, the Mill can reveal some less-than-pleasant truths. Like in this morning's article (subscription required):
- The Dodgers haven't been able to do much of anything [with regards to making a trade for Octavio Dotel] because of arguments about who's untouchable and who isn't withinin [sic] that organization.
- Are the Dodgers really so "injury ravaged", as one report put it, that they have to trade for a starter? Yes, Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf are out, and yes, Derek Lowe and Brad Penny have recent injuries that raise some concern. But "ravaged" seems a bit strong for a team that seemingly planned for this kind of depth. Remember that Brad Penny was on the market this spring since the team was worried about his stamina and stockpiled guys like Mark Hendrickson and Brett Tomko to back things up. With Chad Billingsley, D.J. Houlton, and Eric Stults all there, I'm not sure that giving up the prospects it will take to get even a fifth starter in this thin market is going to bring them much better than what they have on hand. The reports that Joe Blanton is being discussed are interesting, since he'd be instantly the best starter available, meaning that the Dodgers will have to bid high to make sure other teams aren't knocking down Billy Beane's door.
0 comments:
Post a Comment