Has it really been four years since Paul Lo Duca became an ex-Dodger? In retrospect it's a great trade, but it also likely signaled the beginning of the end for GM Paul DePodesta.
Now SportsHubLA has dissected the infamous transaction: 07.31.04 Revisited: Looking Back at the LoDuca/Penny Deal. They sensibly conclude:
Forget that the presence of Lo Duca would’ve blocked Russell Martin’s development, and Guillermo Mota’s flameout, and that Finley was gotten for a song. Critics of the trade have never confronted the salient question, which is this: In cutting ties with an aging free agent catcher in favor of a young Top 20 starter entering his prime, isn’t it just possible that Paul DePodesta had enough foresight to recognize a 2008 spreadsheet opportunity when he saw it in 2004? Isn’t it foolish to pass judgment on a long-term move in the short-term? And isn’t it senseless to treat “character” and “leadership” as if they’re static features, especially when you’re talking about 25-year-old jocks?
The article also scores bonus points for containing the phrase "colossal wankers."
4 comments:
If the only positives about Juan Pierre are character and leadership, then why the hell are we hanging onto the guy? Not to mention how he single handedly lost the game for us last night.
I'm sure that DePodesta also new about LoDuca's extracurricular activities with the cream and the clear. There were some dodger memos that stated they knew he was juicing and looks like didn't want that kind of character in the clubhouse. From that, DePodesta looked like he was a moral guy too.
DePo definitely got the shaft. But so did Dan Evans.
Juan Pierre sucked in the ninth, but many other Dodgers left men stranded. Russell Martin, surprisingly, has yet to show up this year.
Post a Comment