Creative Deal Making

I keep talking about creative deal making. Making trades with and for players who aren't necassarily available.

The Dodgers proposed deal is what I call creative deal making.

L.A. gets Finley from Arizona, and Brad Penny and Hee Seop Choi from Florida.

Florida gets Guillermo Mota, Paul Lo Duca and Juan Encarnacion from L.A.

Arizona gets Jayson Werth from the Dodgers, and prospects from the Marlins.

If the Dodgers can pull that off, that is a great trade for them. They not only improve the pitching but they improve the offense as well. Notice how L.A. is willing to trade off current parts and even an all-star catcher to improve the team as a whole. You have to give a little to get a little. Hendry's deals involve giving very little and getting everything in return. Which works fine for teams wanting to move pay roll but does little to get players from teams who have no pay roll problems. That's why the Expo's are in no hurry to trade Cabrera for fear of being stuck with his contract. They can just offer arbitration to him in the winter and when Cabrera rejects that the Expo's will get draft picks in return.

Update: Just as I am writing this, the deal has gone through Choi, Finley, Penny are Dodgers. Charles Johnson has been traded to the Dodgers to replace Lo Duca, and Randy Johnson could be on his way also to the Dodgers.

Geez talk about a team shake up.

Update 2: Got ahead of myself there. Choi, Penny, Murphy to the Dodgers in exchange for Encarnacion, Lo Duca, and Mota. Dodgers are then trying to spin off Penny and who ever else to the D'Backs for Randy Johnson.