Can somebody explain to me why there is so much talk about the Dodgers being interested in CC Sabathia?
Granted, Sabathia is the biggest name on the trading block by a mile, but let's be honest, the Dodgers are desperate for more offense. Incidentally, the Angels are also in desperate need of a slugger but for vastly different reasons.
The Angels could win the World Series if they add a bat. The Dodgers need to add a bat just to be able to win a series (forget the World Series).
And let's not get too excited about taking three of four from the Astros. Houston is struggling and has been one of the five worst teams in baseball over the last 30 games. They're struggling, so this doesn't mean a whole lot.
Let's be honest. The NL West champion is going to be nothing more than cannon fodder for one of the other three NL playoff teams, but it might as well be the Dodgers. The D'Backs are in a tailspin and the Rockies, Giants, and Padres are atrocious.
Please, Ned, add a bat. All Sabathia will get you are more 3-1 losses.
Here is why I think, they should and will go after him. Derek Lowe and Brad Penny are not gauranteed to be on the Dodgers past July 31st themselves, so bringing in a #1 starter could be a necessity. If Lowe and Penny are not traded, Derek Lowe will most likely sign somewhere else this off season, and Penny's option will most definitely not picked up. Which would leave a huge hole in the rotation, of Billingsley, Kuroda, Kershaw and hmmm, pretty much a bunch of question marks, like Schmidt, McDonald and such.
You are right a bat would be nice, but as of today, we have the rest of the month to see if Ethier, Jones, Kemp outfield will produce. Hopefully it will. I would like them to go after a good hitting SS, like J.J. Hardy, or maybe a questionable avg, but big power with Jhonny Peralta. Maybe a Sabathia/Peralta deal could be worked out.
My guess is Cleveland will probably want a good deal more than the Dodgers are willing to give up. I'm sure that it would be in their best interest though if the Dodgers resigned one of the two for next season. Next season's rotation would be something like: Billingsley, Penny/Lowe, Kuroda, Kershaw, Park/Stults/Other
The Dodgers need a shortstop though, maybe Christian Guzman of the Nationals. It's that or a combination of Luis Maza and Angel Berroa.
Trust me, the Dodgers could have traded for C.C. had they truly wanted him. All Milwaukee is giving up is a hot AA hitting prospect and a couple draft picks.
Ned Colletti has made some serious mistakes in his short tenure as GM (Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt), but he made the right decision here. I stand by the assertion that the Dodgers desperately need hitting. I think they're pitching is good enough to win a bad division.
In a sense, they didn't go after Sabathia for the same reason why they didn't pursue Johan Santana over the winter.
It was a short sighted decision, had they thought for the future, knowing they are going to lose Penny and Lowe at seasons end, Sabathia with an extension should have been done. Giving up LaRoche (already replaced by DeWitt), Hu (soon to be replaced by De Jesus) and McDonald was the reported package, and frankly that's not that much. Although well more than LaPorta, and 2 lower level minor leaguers.
They think they need a bat to get to the playoffs, I agree, but once you get there, and beyond, CC would have been a great aquisition. At the same time, I can see why they didn;t pull the plug, hoping to sign him at years end, and add Wilson this year who is under contract for next year and club option for the year after that. Tey should pry Hardy away from Milwaukee if they can, much better bat than Jack Wilson.
Well, the Dodgers need to understand that they're simply not good enough to win the World Series this year. In fact, they'd be buried in every other division in baseball right now.
But, it's pretty clear that the Brewers are merely renting C.C. Sabathia for the remainder of the season. Hell, they couldn't even find a way to extend Ben Sheets; so there's no way they'll be able to afford Sabathia (unless they're willing to throw Sheets to the wind).
The Dodgers will be able to get Sabathia this winter if they want him. But I don't think it'll happen. If the Yankees fall apart down the stretch, I can't see why they wouldn't sign him to a huge deal.
