Nah... This is a great trade. Choi is a rising star and a possible long-term solution for first base. Penny is a terrific pitcher, and we got also a nice minor leaguer. Randy Johnson would seal the division for us instantly, and he's a decisive factor in any playoff series. Meanwhile, Encarnacion is a poor hitter, and it's great to unload his contract. I hate to lose LoDuca, but the fact is that his hitting tends to drop off markedly in the second half.

Paulie DePodesta knows what he's doing. It's more romantic to think that the Dodgers' success has come because they're more "lovable," but the real cause is the high on-base percentage of the reworked lineup. He's not "blowing up" that lineup - he's optimizing it.

I hate to see LoDuca go. I guess the Marlins really wanted him, but the guy loved LA and played his heart out. I can replay his slide into the dugout from 2003 over and over in my mind and always smile. I hate that baseball, or all pro sports I guess, will dump a player b/c of the next big thing. Choi has one season. One. It's not like LoDuca was gettin old and past his prime. I think he's coming into it. Paul was hitting hot and had made major contributions this year. To think he wouldn't be spectacular in any post-season environment is pure speculation. He never had a chance to prove it. He got shafted. I hope he comes back to town in August and rips the Dodgers apart.

Paul Lo Duca Onbase-plus-Slugging, 2001-2003, month-by-month - April: .796, May: .907, June .879, July .777. Great for a catcher. And then: August: .626, September: .681. There's evidence to suggest that Lo Duca's fatigue would continue to affect him if he got a chance at the playoffs (which he hasn't, due to the annual Dodger flameouts in... August and September!)

Meanwhile, your Los Angeles Dodgers pounded 12 stakes into the Padres last night, thanks to the heroism of DePodesta pickup Milton Bradley. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, it's going to be a fun decade with this genius GM at the helm.

Well that's the beautiful thing about baseball, you have to play the games to see if the team on paper actually turns up. Choi does seem a major upgrade over Encarnacion at the plate. If Ross is the catcher, they lose there. Johnson, if they get him and he holds up, might make up for Lo Duca. Finley's OBP is a tad lower than Roberts', the guy he'd send to the bench, but he's got more power. There's still the weaker bullpen to consider, and the longterm impact of the loss of Edwin Jackson if he goes to Arizona. And, yes, team chemistry, immeasurable as it is. The old Dodgers were 60-42; we'll see if the new Dodgers match that pace.

Meanwhile, ESPN and the Arizona Republic say the Johnson trade looks unlikely to happen.

Yeah, ESPN now says no deal for sure. Dang! Still, I've seen Penny tear up opponents and I think he's a good upgrade. Apparently, we're still trying to get Finley... I don't know, I don't see why you don't just stick Jayson Werth into that role. But DePo knows best.

Also, I'm not sure that Finley would replace Roberts as opposed to Encarnacion. He's spry but he's a little old to play CF.

If you look at this as a Lo Duca for Choi trade, the Dodgers come out on top.

If you look as this as an Encarcion for Shawn Green trade, the Dodgers come out on top.

If you look at this as a Brad Penny for Mota trade, the Dodgers come out on top.

Plus they get a good pitching prospect.

As a Padres fan, I'm pretty bummed about this trade. Sure, you lose a good catcher and team leader, but even at that, he's not worth $4 million. There's better things to do with that money. I'm no fan of C. Johnson, but Koyie Hill shows some promise, and there's other young catchers out there who could help. Good veteran catchers are a dime a dozen. It's nice to have a guy who produce both at the plate and behind the plate, but the Padres went to the World Series in '98 with Carlos Hernandez at catcher.

Finley's a Dodger. And yeah, he's replacing Roberts, as Green moves into the OF again. Now we have a lineup core of Green, Bradley, Finley, Choi, and Beltre. Sure beats holding your breath and hoping Devon White can produce.

Nomar to the Cubs? Didn't see that one coming.

re: "I'm no fan of C. Johnson, but Koyie Hill shows some promise..."

They already dumped Hill:
"The Dodgers sent minor league catcher Koyie Hill, outfielder Reggie Abercrombie and left-hander Bill Murphy to Arizona." (ESPN)

They picked up the grizzled & back-sprained Brent Mayne as backup catcher in the Finley acquisition. No word on Johnson (did he turn it down?)

As for losing Lo Duca, well, after that brilliant move I'm sure DePodesta will soon receive a job offer from Donald Sterling.

>> Sure beats holding your breath and hoping Devon White can produce.

Sure does, but so did yesterday's lineup. The question will be does it beat Bradley, Beltre, Lo Duca, Green, Encarnacion...and by enough to make up for the loss of Gagne's setup man.

Heard on the radio that LoDuca hit two-run pinch hit homer on his first at bat for the Marlins. Go, Paulie....

Time will tell on this one. Regarding the Dodgers, I'm still recovering from Fox's first moves, when Bill Russell, Mike Piazza, and Hideo Nomo were dumped...

Yeah, noooowwww Lo Duca will discover a power bat.

As a Padres fan, I fear Finley, Choi, Green, Bradley, Beltre A LOT more than what the Dodgers had two days ago.

As a Padres fan, I'm certainly hoping tonight's bullpen blow up is a precursor of what the rest of the season is going to be like for the Dodgers.

That sait, as a moneyball believer, I have a certain amount of fear that the Dodgers will collapse now and the anti-moneyball crowd will make DePodesta a poster child for why the theories are flawed.

Despite their overall success this year thus far, haven't the Dodgers been subject to some hellacious losing streaks? You've got to break that shit up.

Here's the oldest baseball adage of all: you need hitting down the stretch. LoDuca has a chance to prove himself otherwise, but with his typical late-summer swoon and the team's habit of streakish skids, the stretch ahead has looked very uncertain--until now, now it looks a little more promising. This looks like a classic August stretch-run trade where one team is sufficiently happy but the other one really means business.

The Dodgers appear to have something against great Italian-American catchers. First Piazza and now Loduca. Maybe this is a case for the NAAIAC.

Milton Bradley and I used to be good friends in High School. After graduation I moved to bangladesh and came back to America not to long ago. I heard from a friend that he's playing for Dodgers. Oh I'm soooo proud of him. I knew he'd be there one day. I know now that it is almost imposible to get in touch with him but if someone would please tell him that Dilara and Nina said hi, I would be so Thankful.

Dilara

the question about this trade is: if prospects and demoted starters can set up (dreifort, etc.) and if the rotation was not playoff ready. lima is not as good as his numbers suggest. ishii just got demoted to the pen. i wish we had kept lilly and pedro and konerko to go with gagne, beltre, penny, bradley... if penny and odalis carryt he rotation; if finley makes a diving catch against the yankees; if chio hits a homer off kevin brown, we'll all see the trade as genius. i say in a few years, LA will re-sign loduca (Marlins wont) and all will be well.

the question about this trade is: if prospects and demoted starters can set up (dreifort, etc.) and if the rotation was not playoff ready. lima is not as good as his numbers suggest. ishii just got demoted to the pen. i wish we had kept lilly and pedro and konerko to go with gagne, beltre, penny, bradley... if penny and odalis carryt he rotation; if finley makes a diving catch against the yankees; if choi hits a homer off kevin brown, we'll all see the trade as genius. i say in a few years, LA will re-sign loduca (Marlins wont) and all will be well.