There's a little more than a month until the July 31st trade deadline but the trade market is starting to heat up. So let's take a look at a couple of rumors swirling about the Dodgers.
According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times the Dodgers aren't interested in free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez. Shaikin writes:
"The Angels scouted Martinez at his workout last week in the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers did not scout the workout, and Manager Joe Torre said that the team has not discussed Martinez since spring training."
Pedro is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but he is nowhere near the pitcher he once was. He has only thrown 137 MLB innings from 2007-2009 and his ERA and FIP last year were the highest of his career. His fastball has lost its zip in recent years; according to a source in the article he was throwing it around 85 MPH at the workout. According to the same source:
"Martinez had good arm speed and quality off-speed pitches but said teams would have to consider whether he could pitch effectively at that velocity or whether he might regain enough velocity in time to help this season."
If the report is true, it's probably a good thing that the Dodgers aren't going after him, especially given his pricetag.
On the trade front, Ken Gurnick writes that Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti is on a trip across the country to scout the Dodgers various prospects. Gurnick goes on to say:
"The likely reason is to determine who to keep and who to include in deals as he looks to bolster the starting rotation. One veteran rumored on his radar is Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn."
We should probably expect a trade for pitching sometime between now and the deadline. The question is whether the Dodgers acquire an ace, a mid rotation starter, or a reliever. And if we do want a mid-rotation starter, is Washburn the guy? He's having a great year with a 3.24 ERA and a 3.76 FIP in 83.1 innings, although his 6.8% HR/FB ratio is unsustainable. ZiPS projects a 4.55 ERA out of Washburn for the remainder of the season. Personally I'd be worried that Colletti would overvalue Washburn's improvements and give up too much in a trade, but that's just me.
I don't want to forget to mention Kenchanayoh's insightful fanpost examining some of the possible moves the Dodgers could make to upgrade the team for the post-season push. Make sure to take a look at that as well.