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Dodgers trade Lo Duca, Mota, and Encarnacion
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded catcher Paul Lo Duca, reliever Guillermo Mota and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to the Florida Marlins on Friday night for pitcher Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi and minor league left-hander Bill Murphy.
Penny should help strengthen the Dodgers' starting rotation, which entered play Friday ranked sixth in the NL with a 3.92 ERA.
"We're thrilled to be able to add a front-line starter, especially given what was available in the marketplace," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said. "I'm also pleased that we were also able to add a young, powerful, left-handed bat to the lineup as we head down the pennant stretch. This trade will not only help us this season, but we also expect to reap the rewards for years to come."
The addition of Choi will allow the NL West-leading Dodgers to move Shawn Green back to right field to replace Encarnacion. Green, who primarily played right field throughout his career, was moved to first base in spring training.
Florida also gets cash as part of the deal.
By the time the Marlins had wrapped up an uninspiring 9-0 home loss to Montreal on Friday night, Choi and Penny were gone, and their lockers were empty.
"It's tough for us to deal with because of what they've done to get us to this point," Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis said. "It's like a classmate moving."
Although the trade was not yet official before the Dodgers played San Diego on Friday night, players came to Lo Duca's locker to say their goodbyes.
An emotional Lo Duca, who was putting on street clothes, said he would drive back to Los Angeles with Encarnacion and Mota, then fly to Florida on Saturday to join the defending World Series champions.
"It's hard because this is the only organization I've ever known," said Lo Duca, the Dodgers' emotional leader who was a 25th-round draft pick by Los Angeles in 1993. "It's difficult because I've made a lot of friends."
At one point, Lo Duca had to momentarily stop talking to reporters because he began to cry.
"Right now it's hard to really fathom it, especially with Lo Duca being here for so many years," Green said. "The three that have been traded have been a big part of the chemistry and it's obviously going to change the dynamic. Other guys are going to have to step into different roles on the field and in the clubhouse."
The Marlins have been seeking to upgrade at catcher ever since the offseason loss of Ivan Rodriguez to free agency. Florida has also looked for help in its bullpen, which has struggled at times to hold leads.
The deal would seem to fill those two big holes with the additions of Lo Duca, one of baseball's top-hitting catchers, and Mota, who has pitched consistently for the Dodgers as a setup man.
Penny is 8-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 21 starts. The right-hander is the Marlins' career leader with 48 wins, and he won two games in last season's World Series victory over the New York Yankees.
"I came up with Brad. I've known him for quite a while," Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett said. "We go pretty far back. We're going to miss him, but we'll get some good guys in return."
Lo Duca is batting .301 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. Encarnacion, who came to Los Angeles in a trade from Florida last winter, will rejoin the team that he helped win a World Series last fall when he drove in 94 runs and did not commit an error.
Encarnacion is hitting .234 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. Mota appeared in 52 games with an 8-4 record and an ERA of 2.14.
Choi was batting .270 in his first year with the Marlins after being acquired in a three-player trade with the Chicago Cubs in November for Derrek Lee. Choi has 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Murphy was 6-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 20 games at Double-A Carolina this season, with 113 strikeouts in 103 2-3 innings. He also appeared in the Futures Game during All-Star festivities in Houston.
Source: AP
Penny should help strengthen the Dodgers' starting rotation, which entered play Friday ranked sixth in the NL with a 3.92 ERA.
"We're thrilled to be able to add a front-line starter, especially given what was available in the marketplace," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said. "I'm also pleased that we were also able to add a young, powerful, left-handed bat to the lineup as we head down the pennant stretch. This trade will not only help us this season, but we also expect to reap the rewards for years to come."
The addition of Choi will allow the NL West-leading Dodgers to move Shawn Green back to right field to replace Encarnacion. Green, who primarily played right field throughout his career, was moved to first base in spring training.
Florida also gets cash as part of the deal.
By the time the Marlins had wrapped up an uninspiring 9-0 home loss to Montreal on Friday night, Choi and Penny were gone, and their lockers were empty.
"It's tough for us to deal with because of what they've done to get us to this point," Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis said. "It's like a classmate moving."
Although the trade was not yet official before the Dodgers played San Diego on Friday night, players came to Lo Duca's locker to say their goodbyes.
An emotional Lo Duca, who was putting on street clothes, said he would drive back to Los Angeles with Encarnacion and Mota, then fly to Florida on Saturday to join the defending World Series champions.
"It's hard because this is the only organization I've ever known," said Lo Duca, the Dodgers' emotional leader who was a 25th-round draft pick by Los Angeles in 1993. "It's difficult because I've made a lot of friends."
At one point, Lo Duca had to momentarily stop talking to reporters because he began to cry.
"Right now it's hard to really fathom it, especially with Lo Duca being here for so many years," Green said. "The three that have been traded have been a big part of the chemistry and it's obviously going to change the dynamic. Other guys are going to have to step into different roles on the field and in the clubhouse."
The Marlins have been seeking to upgrade at catcher ever since the offseason loss of Ivan Rodriguez to free agency. Florida has also looked for help in its bullpen, which has struggled at times to hold leads.
The deal would seem to fill those two big holes with the additions of Lo Duca, one of baseball's top-hitting catchers, and Mota, who has pitched consistently for the Dodgers as a setup man.
Penny is 8-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 21 starts. The right-hander is the Marlins' career leader with 48 wins, and he won two games in last season's World Series victory over the New York Yankees.
"I came up with Brad. I've known him for quite a while," Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett said. "We go pretty far back. We're going to miss him, but we'll get some good guys in return."
Lo Duca is batting .301 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. Encarnacion, who came to Los Angeles in a trade from Florida last winter, will rejoin the team that he helped win a World Series last fall when he drove in 94 runs and did not commit an error.
Encarnacion is hitting .234 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. Mota appeared in 52 games with an 8-4 record and an ERA of 2.14.
Choi was batting .270 in his first year with the Marlins after being acquired in a three-player trade with the Chicago Cubs in November for Derrek Lee. Choi has 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Murphy was 6-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 20 games at Double-A Carolina this season, with 113 strikeouts in 103 2-3 innings. He also appeared in the Futures Game during All-Star festivities in Houston.
Source: AP
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