How close were the Dodgers to making a blockbuster deal?

In researching what exactly was the proposed deal between the Dodgers and Padres, I was blown away by what I found. Here is what was being tossed around by both teams:

Dodgers would give away:
James Loney
Russell Martin
James McDonald
Blake DeWitt
Ivan DeJesus

Padres would give away:
Heath Bell
Adrian Gonzalez

My first thought was, "Holy crap!" That trade would have certainly changed both franchises in big ways to say the least. Of all the deals done this season, that would have easily been one of the biggest ones.

Why didn't it happen? The Dodgers were the ones that backed out. I can only assume that the above deal was put together by the Padres, and Ned Colletti was not willing to part with that many young players. Maybe some, but certainly not all.

As for Roy Halladay, Colletti was asked about this during the Dodgers-Braves game tonight. On the phone from L.A., he said that the Blue Jays wanted six players, which was way too high of a price to pay.

I expressed some disappointment in a previous post about not getting a starter. But, after looking at what the price tag was, I completely agree with not pulling the trigger on either trade. The players they would have gotten are legitimate all-stars, but not worth selling the farm for.

Unless another trade happens during the waiver period (not likely, but possible), this is your Dodgers team from here on out. Major trade or not, I still like their chances this postseason.

Nothing doing on Bell or Gonzalez

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Dodgers tried, but were unable to acquire either player.

It would have been nice to get at least one of them, but who knows what the price was. An educated guess tells me it was way too high. Oh well.

Dodgers eying Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez

According to "sources" (which basically could mean anybody), the Dodgers are looking to make a big splash before the trade deadline. Either separately or together, they are going after closer Heath Bell and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres.

With Jake Peavy out for most of the season, the Padres have been terrible. But, easily the two reasons to pay attention to them are Bell and Gonzalez. So it's only natural for teams to take a run at them.

Bell took over the closer's role from the departed Trevor Hoffman and has been great. He has a 2.01 ERA with 25 saves in 26 chances. Should the Padres actually get a lead, he's been rock solid at the end.

Gonzalez is the only offensive threat on that team. Here's a funny stat - he has 28 homers and only 59 RBIs. So that pretty much sums up how bad of an offensive team he has around him.

The price would have to be pretty steep, but the only name mentioned is James Loney. If the Dodgers can pull this off with only giving up Loney from the big club, they instantly become a whole lot better.

Remember, it's just a rumor, as are many others that are out there. We shall see how serious it is in a little while.