According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers have acquired Octavio Dotel for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo (Lambo’s presence in the deal comes from Jayson Stark via Twitter.).
The Dodgers Get
Dotel helps become the bridge to Jonathan Broxton and could give him a day off from time-to-time. He brings strikeout ability, with 48 Ks in 40.0 innings, though he does have a 4.28 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He’ll hold value for those who play in leagues that value middle relievers, but that’s about it at this point.
The Pirates Get
First of all, they open up their closer’s role. There has been a lot of speculation as to who will asume the job between Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek. At this point, I would imagine that both will get a shot at some point, but Hanrahan may get the first opportunity.
He has a track record, albeit a small one, and has been lights out of late. He’s also just 28 years old, so it is not like he is an “old” relief pitcher as opposed to Meek. He has struck out 63 batters over 45.2 innings, giving him the characteristics of a potentially dominant closer. He’s certainly worth taking a flyer on in all formats.
McDonald is a pitching prospect that we’ve heard about for some time. Baseball America ranked him as the team’s second best prospect heading into 2009, at the time saying, “McDonald can add and subtract velocity from all three of his pitches—fastball, curveball and changeup—and has strong command. His best pitch is his 11-to-5 curve, which ranges from 69-77 mph, and his changeup is a plus offering with sink. When he pitched in relief in the majors, his fastball jumped up to 93-96 mph.”
He’s struggled this year, with a 4.17 ERA over 69.0 innings in the minors and 8.22 ERA over 7.2 IP in the majors. Clearly he has a ton of potential and could develop into a useful starting pitcher or a dominant arm out of the pen. If he starts, he could have value in all formats, so keep an eye on him.
The Dodgers No. 1 ranked prospect prior to ‘09? That’s right, it was Lambo, who is currently at Double-A.
He has disappointed, with just four HR in 181 AB, having missed time due to a 50-game drug suspension. Prior to ‘09, however, Baseball America said, “Lambo has plus raw power and bat speed, with an ideal swing path and mechanics. For a big player, he has a short and direct path to the ball, and he’s very consistent with his stroke. He shows mainly gap power now, but he has the big frame to provide leverage for more homers in the future.”
Certainly sounds worth the gamble.
Seems like the Pirates got a very good return for their closer, but what do you think? Also, who do you think will close games now in Pittsburgh?
Make sure to check out our trade deadline analysis:
Yunel Escober for Alex Gonzalez
Alberto Callaspo traded to the Angels
Dan Haren traded to the Angels
Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers
Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers
Roy Oswalt to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and two minor leaguers
Jorge Cantu to the Rangers
Miguel Tejada to the Padres
Matt Capps to the Twins for Wilson Ramos
Edwin Jackson to the White Sox
Christian Guzman to the Rangers
Lance Berkman to the Yankees
Austin Kearns to the Yankees
Chad Qualls to Tampa Bay
Chris Snyder to Pittsburgh in five-player trade
Ludwick to Padres, Westbrook to Cardinals in three-team trade
Lilly and Theriot to the Cubs
Minor Deadline Deals
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