The Lunatic Fringe

The Dodgers trade has been real for two days now.  The Dodgers are 1-1 in that span.

Unfortunately, the Giants are 0-2.

My feelings on this trade can be summed up in these professional bullet points.

• The trade will help the Dodgers this year, except every fifth day when Josh Beckett pitches.

• The trade will destroy the Dodgers for the next few years.  The contracts involved will take up space that could be used for free agents, like Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand.  Players like Beckett and Carl Crawford will take up roster spots that could be used for more productive players.  Gonzalez was signed to be a DH at the end of this contract by an AL team; the Dodgers aren’t going to the AL anytime soon.    Oh, and the Dodgers gave away five players in the deal, including a couple of pretty good prospects.

• The Giants won’t respond.  There’s no one out there to get that will significantly help.  And quite frankly, they don’t need more help.  They need who they have to play better, like they can.

One side of the Giants fan in me loves this trade.  The Dodgers will suck, and get beaten.  A lot.  Another side of that same Giants fan hates this.  I prefer a competitive Dodger team as a rival.  Not better, just competitive.  I don’t want a doormat as a rival.  Why do you think not a single person in baseball thinks of the Padres as a Giants rival, even when they’re kind of good?  Because, they’re doormats.

But, ultimately, the Giants need to be better.  Much better.  The offense can’t shut down like it did today.  Hunter Pence needs to stop trying so hard.  Lincecum needs to get his head out of his ass, figure out his control, and be who he can be again.  Because who he is wouldn’t be a major leaguer right now if he hadn’t been who he can be before.

The Giants of the last two days needs to have a fire lit under their ass again.  This trade should’ve done it.  It worries me that it didn’t.  This offense needs to stop being so high-maintenance that needs to be pulled out of its shell.

That’s what I think.

There is one thing that I love.  Carl Crawford has the best no-trade clause ever.  He can block trades to two clubs, but if he ever does get traded, his new club can not trade him to the Yankees.  That’s right, the one club that can do for the Dodgers what the Dodgers just did for Boston is not an option.