OVERVIEW OF THE DEAL
The Dodgers traded 1B Eric Karros, 2B Mark Grudzielanek and $2 million to the Cubs for C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen. "Our first and foremost goal was to gain some roster flexibility," Dodgers GM Dan Evans said. "This trade doesn't give us an unlimited amount of money (roughly $5 million in savings for 2003), but it gives us some freedom." While this deal is essentially a swap of high-priced headaches, it is hopefully the beginning of addressing the Dodgers need of more offense.
MY REACTION
It's a miracle!!! Is the world coming to an end? I couldn't imagine a better scenario than GM Evans finding a team willing to take one of these stiffs and he finds a team that will take both. GM Evans did a great job last winter and this deal only solidifies my confidence in his ability to make something out of nothing. So why do I love this deal? The reason why the Dodgers didn't make the playoffs last year was because of lack of offense. The team ranked just 12th in the NL in OPS and ranked dead last in walks. Grudzielanek and Karros were of the weakest players at their positions offensively and they managed to walk only 59 times in 1060 at-bats. Karros's .722 ranked dead last among major league 1B and Grudzielanek's .665 ranked dead last among second basemen (9th worst among major league regulars overall). Karros has battled a back problem in 2001 and a shoulder injury in 2002, but at 35 years old, to expect him to return to 30 homer, 100 RBI man is ridiculous. Grudzielanek is even a worse offender as his OPS has declined each of the last seasons from .812 in 1999 to .665 in 2002.
WHO PLAYS 2B in 2003
GM Dan Evans was desperately trying to trade Grudzielanek to clear the way for prospect Joe Thurston. Thurston will have every opportunity to win the starting job in spring training. He has the potential to be a Ray Durham-type top of the order threat. In 2002, he was named Dodger minor league player of the year and also Baseball America's Triple-A player of the year. In 136 games for Triple-A Las Vegas, Thurston hit .334 with 106 runs, 39 doubles, 13 triples, 55 RBI and 22 stolen bases. While the Las Vegas park is a hitter's paradise, his work ethic and improvement from season to season make him one of the most exciting Dodger prospects. His weakness is same as the 2002 Dodgers, the inability to take a walk - he walked only 25 times in 587 at-bats (and struck out 60 times). If Thurston struggles terribly in the spring, expect Alex Cora to play second.
WHO PLAYS 1B in 2003 - SHAWN GREEN?
GM Evans has stated that Green is an option to move to first. Green has taken ground balls regularly at 1B for the past couple of seasons, just in case he was needed in an emerency at 1B. Fantasy wise having Green eligible at 1B and in the OF would be valuable. In the real world, the possibilty of moving Green to first provides Evans with more options as there are a lot more outfielders on the trade market.
On the free agent market, Jeff Kent and Cliff Floyd are mentioned just about everywhere around town; however GM Dan Evans says "it's unlikely we get one of those guys." Evans has a tight budget and also doesn't want to lose next year's first round draft pick as compensation for signing a Type-A free agent.
But let's take a look at both of them anyways. Cliff Floyd last played first base regularly in the minor leagues 9 years ago for then manager of the Expos minor league club Jim Tracy. Floyd, 30, is a 5-tool threat in the prime of his career. The knock on Floyd is his durability, yet in 2001 and 2002 he played in 149 and 146 games, respectively. With Shawn Green and Floyd in the same lineup, they could be vulnerable to left-handed pitching.
Kent started 9 games at 1B last season, but has said that he's willing to play 1B regularly. Kent, who will be 35 next season, has been one of the game's premier run producers as he's driven in 100+ in 6 straight seasons. Kent would be a great right-handed compliment to Green but his punchless postseason is a concern. If Kent is looking for a long-term deal, then the Dodgers should stay away. Kent's attitude and tendency to rub players the wrong way is also be a reason for concern.
The Dodgers could look to their own minor league system for an answer in the first Taiwanese major leaguer Chin-Feng Chen. Last season at Triple-A, Chen hit .284 with 26 homers and 84 RBI; however, Chen needs to improve his plate discipline as he struck out 160 times in 137 games.
GM Evans has said that filling 1B or an outfield spot (if Green moves to first) will likely be done by way of trade. Some names that are on the trading block are Arizona's Erubiel Durazo, Philly's Travis Lee, Florida's Derrek Lee, Toronto's Jose Cruz Jr and Shannon Stewart, Yankee's Raul Mondesi (I hope not), Detroit's Bobby Higginson and Tampa Bay's Ben Grieve.
LOCAL FAN REACTION
Shockingly, Dodger fans seem about as divided as the Gore/Bush election; either fans love the deal or hate it. Most of the negative opinion stems from the fact that Eric Karros (EK to Dodger fans) was a beloved Dodger. He's a local California product who had been a career Dodger and is the all-time Dodger home run leader with 270. Karros was the 1992 NL Rookie of the Year, the first of 5 consecutive Dodger ROY winners. Fans also are not happy with Todd Hundley as his first stint with the Dodgers from 99-00 was not a very successful one.
LOCAL MEDIA SPIN
The media is supportive of this deal and has painted the deal as a purging of unhappy veterans, which there is definitely truth to. Both Grudzielanek and Karros complained about playing time and their movement in the batting order, despite the fact that their performance was extremely poor. The question is how will Todd Hundley fit into the clubhouse: hopefully better than Mark and Eric. The media is also touting the free agent options in Kent and Floyd, as discussed above.
HUNDLEY RETURNS
Todd Hundley returns to LA after 2 extremely disappointing years in Chicago. In two seasons with the Cubs, Hundley played only 171 games hitting just .199 with 28 homers and 66 RBI. In the past 5 seasons, he's hit over .211 just once. At 33-years-old, a return to form is highly unlikely. With the departure of Chad Krueter, the Dodgers will use Hundley as a backup to Paul Lo Duca.
HERMANSEN IS PLAIN BAD
Chad Hermansen was once considered a high ceiling prospect with the Pirates. However, Hermansen has never developed any plate discipline. In 460 major league at-bats, he's hit 13 homers but has struck out 156 times. At 25-years old, he still has time to improve but don't expect much.
If you have any questions of suggestions, please email me at dodgers@fantasyinfocentral.com.
Chris Wang
Dodger Correspondent
