We are a little over a week removed from the blockbuster trade that brought the MLB’s focus back to Southern California. The Los Angeles Dodgers made a roster move that can only be described as “tremendous”, accquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto in exchange for first baseman James Loney and a handful of minor leaguers. Since the ground-shaking trade took place, the Dodgers have won a measly 2 of the last 6 games. It is still far too soon to discuss whether or not the lopsided trade can be viewed as a bust, but this much is certain: The Dodgers have taken on in a massive increase in contract costs for what some view as slumping talent.
How does this affect the Halos? Besides once again being an afterthought in the nightly sports recaps, the Angels should remain largely unaffected. Trout is still on track for Rookie of the Year, the bullpen is still highly questionable and Pujols is still signed for the next decade. Speaking in day-to-day terms, it’s business as usual. However, maybe thinking in terms of impact to the team is incorrect at this juncture. Maybe we should start thinking in terms of opportunities and taking actions instead of having reactions. The Dodgers have essentially advertised themselves as a team not afraid to take on big contracts based off of past performances. What’s more is that Dodgers management, apparently, pays very little heed to recent history when making these moves.
The stars have aligned in Los Angeles and created a situation in which Chavez Ravine is the perfect place to send Vernon Wells.
It’s not so far-fetched when you think about it. The Dodgers took several big contracts in exchange for farm clubbers, the Angels have a big contract to offload and a five-star farm system. Dodgers and Angels fans have always had a friendly rivalry. Perhaps it is time to reach out in the spirit of that competitive friendship and give both teams what they seemingly want. The Angels wouldn’t ask for much. At this point, Vernon’s contract has become such an elephant in the room that it’s plausible the Halos would take an injured Todd Coffey and call it even. If that’s too much, another potential move would be to send a pitching prospect to AAA Salt Lake, throw in a crate of Scioscia bobbleheads and call it a trade.
The idea may be silly, but what is not so amusing is that both teams are going to need some serious spark if they plan on making the postseason. With division hopes soon to be beyond reach, both of our beloved SoCal franchises will be in wild-card races with up to 6 other teams. The playoff window is shrinking. The time to act is now.
If there’s one thing Dodger and Angel fans can agree on, it is that we’d rather see at least oneof our teams make the playoffs than have to sit through yet another Yankees postseason appearance.
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