Just in case any of you thought the Dodgers didn't make enough noise at the trade deadline, they more than made up for that on Monday night.
On a pretty crazy night, in the middle of a game no less, the Dodgers traded for both Jim Thome of the White Sox and Jon Garland of the Diamondbacks. Both will play key roles in the run to the postseason.
First, let's look at Thome. It's not everyday a team gets to add a player with 564 home runs, good for 12th on the all-time list. Couple that with Manny Ramirez and his 542, and that's just crazy to look at.
Thome has already indicated that he's not physically able to handle first base, which isn't a surprise. Since he had to waive a no-trade clause, he obviously had to be comfortable with the deal and being strictly a pinch-hitter. The Dodgers now have a fantastic lefty option off the bench late in games.
While Thome brings big power, including 23 homers and 74 RBIs this season, he also bring lots of strikeouts, as in 116 in 345 at-bats. That's something that the Dodgers are willing to live with, as his presence alone creates problems for the opposing team.
Garland is 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA this season. Those numbers aren't bad, but the encouraging sign is that he's been much better since June. A horrible first two months of the season make his numbers look inflated. He's coming off of a win against the Astros where he pitched seven innings of scoreless ball, striking out five.
Joe Torre made an interesting comment, as he said that Garland will be the fifth starter, yet the Dodgers may end up going with six. That sixth will depend on the effectiveness of Vicente Padilla. But, Garland will have a chance to add stability to the back end, something the Dodgers haven't had much luck with this year.
In all, it was a pretty amazing night for the Dodgers, as the news of the trades came one right after another. Two veteran players who've been All-Stars in the past and know how to be a part of winning teams. Plus, the Dodgers will only pay a portion of the $2 million remaining on Thome's salary, and the Diamondbacks will pay the rest of Garland's.
I'd say the Dodgers just got better while barely paying a penny for it.
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