If you couldn’t tell that the new Dodgers owners aren’t frugal by the amount of money they bid for team, then the move they made late Tuesday night certainly sealed it. The Dodgers acquired Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate from the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough in a four-player deal. The trade does not involve any cash, so that means the Dodgers will pay Hanley Ramirez the rest of the $15 million he’s owed this season and the $31.5 million he’s owed the next two seasons.
This type of move would have been unfathomable under the previous ownership group which would never have budged from its payroll ceiling if it meant skipping a thousand-dollar dinner or hundred-dollar haircut.
Though I love what this move says about the new owners’ willingness to spend money to improve the team, I’m not a big fan of it baseball-wise.
Hanley Ramirez is batting .179 this month and his OPS has been under .700 since June. I think he’s a flaky player and not the superstar he appeared to be from 2007-2009. Maybe a change in scenery and a new team will help him get back to crushing the ball and spark a turnaround, but I’m not too optimistic.
If the Dodgers wanted a third baseman, they would have been better served trading for Kevin Youkilis instead of letting the White Sox get him. I even think Chase Headley or Aramis Ramirez would have helped the team more.
The Dodgers are losing Nathan Eovaldi in the deal. He’s a former 8th-round draft pick who made six starts last season and 10 this season. The guy is a flame thrower and routinely sits in the mid-90s, so he has strong strikeout potential. The downside with him is that he throws too many pitches like Chad Billingsley who never overcame the problem. Of course, if Eovaldi turns out to be as effective as Billingsley, the Marlins will probably be thrilled. The other player in the deal is Scott McGough, a former Oregon pitcher who was drafted by the Dodgers last year. He’s only 22 and playing in single-A, so it’s too early to tell what he can do.
Love the new owners’ mentality, but would have preferred a different deal.
