Dodgers Trade For Reliever, May Not Get Halladay Now
The Dodgers got a quality bullpen guy, but what about an ace starter?
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He's not an ace, but he's not bad either.
The Dodgers have made a move to address their pitching needs through a trade — just not the big one a lot of Dodger fans had hoped for.
The Dodgers will receive George Sherrill from Baltimore in exchange for two prospects, third baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Steve Johnson.
Casual baseball fans may be asking, “George who?” but the Dodgers have added a quality left-handed reliever to their bullpen. Sherrill has 20 saves with an impressive 2.40 ERA this season, and he strikes out three guys for everyone he walks. Sherrill was an All Star last season.
Wednesday night, the Dodgers lost by giving up runs in extra innings, Sherrill may not have changed that but he would have helped. The Dodgers bullpen has needed a boost and this is it.
Expect Sherrill to slide right into the setup role for closer Jonathon Broxton (although he could close if needed). If nothing else, with Sherrill listed at 230 pounds and Broxton at 295, the Dodgers will have the heaviest closing hurlers in the game. It gives the Dodgers a fearsome combination at the end of games — if the Dodgers take a lead into the eighth they will be very hard to catch.
The question is: Are the Dodgers now out of the running for one of the big star pitchers to get them to the eighth?
Bell, the third base prospect the Dodgers sent to Baltimore, was one of the most coveted in the Dodger organization. Toronto wanted him as part of a deal for Cy Young Award winning starter Roy Halladay. Johnson sometimes was on the list of potentials in that trade mix as well.
Now, with Bell gone, there are serious questions about whether the Dodgers are in the Halladay sweepstakes. The Dodgers have allegedly already told Toronto that front-line starters such as Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw are unavailable. Now the Dodgers top third base prospect is out of the mix as well.
That is not to say the Dodgers are done dealing, they may add yet more pitching before the noon Friday trading deadline. But a blockbuster to counter the Phillies getting Cliff Lee? That ship may have sailed.
Kurt Helin lives in Los Angeles, is not left handed nor a reliever, and runs the NBA/Lakers blog Forum Blue & Gold (which you can also follow in twitter).
