Trade off as Dodgers do business with Boston

Those who were expecting a quieter time in August after a busy July dealing were awoken once again in Los Angeles at the weekend – and Boston too – in one of the biggest trades in major league history.

It was a deal that began to surface before the trade deadline last month but was halted because the players in question had not yet cleared waivers. But that, it seems, was simply the calm before the storm. It is without question the Dodgers biggest trade ever; the boys in blue acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto from Boston in a nine-player deal.

Oh, and did I mention the $260million in payroll negotiations? That total is hardly eased by the Red Sox $12million hand over, and the Dodgers gave up first baseman James Loney, top pitching prospect Allen Webster, infielder Ivan De Jesus and two players to be named to the Red Sox.

Suffice to say the Dodgers gave up a lot in this deal, especially when they really only wanted Gonzalez, a massive upgrade at first base over the struggling platoon of Loney and Juan Rivera, but had to bring along his Red Sox buddies for the journey.

That journey has an expected stop at the World Series because the new owners in Los Angeles want to win now and in five years time, and perhaps a change of scenery and the excitement of a pennant race will turn around the fortunes of the headline creator Beckett and the recovering from Tommy John Surgery outfielder Crawford.

But whatever the implications it will have to the farm system, the Guggenheim Baseball Management group isn’t worried about the money it is spending. To all intents and purposes there is no limit, especially when owner Stan Kasten said “I haven’t found a cap yet, but I’ll let you know if we get there.”

What a kind man he is.

The Dodgers are trailing the rival Giants by two games entering the new weeks play and still need to make up 1.5 games in the wild card race too, so the chemistry issues will have to be zero if the Dodgers are to take advantage of what is now a very threatening lineup.

Along with playoff expectations and pressure, Chavez Ravine is now set to be the epicentre of hatred, seeing as the Dodgers are now attempting to ‘buy a championship’. Seriously, if it wasn’t for their plush white uniform, they’d be hated just as much as the men in pinstripes on the east coast.

For Dodger fans, the more hatred the better because it will mean the team they are attempting to build are winning. If on the other hand it doesn’t go to plan, mockery will run amok.

Whatever we think of the deal, the Dodgers are now an instant contender for October success, and it would seem the future is just as bright as the lights shining over the Hollywood sign of an evening.

In a city where championships are nearly as common as running water, the Dodgers are trying to match the Lakers for sheer dominance and star names. This trade will bring back the fans who were just one year ago mystified at the happenings of what was a franchise in bankruptcy.

The Frank McCourt era is a thing of the past in the wake of additions that combine to make 11 All-Star games, four Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, a World Series MVP and an All-Star Game MVP Award.

The message from the owners to the fans is that money comes after baseball moves and that is as evident as is humanly possible with this move. They want to win baseball games and enhance the fan experience, and Dodger fans can expect some changes to the stadium over the next few seasons too.

Los Angeles is building a contender, and now the players must deliver. It will be tough, because the Giants aren’t going away and they continue to win with their own recently added players making a significant impact.

But if ever there was a message from the Dodgers to the Giants and every other team in the majors, it came from General Manager Ned Colletti last weekend.

Is he done spending? “We’re done until the next one”, Colletti said.

Suffice to say the Dodgers aren’t finished, and you’re best advised to get used to it instead of waiting for them to be ‘done’.