Dodgers Possible August Trade Targets

Update 8/31: Colletti completed three deals in the last 48 hours completing trades to acquire Ronnie Belliard, Jim Thome, and Jon Garland. Ned got it done at the deadline and pulled out three solid moves.

Update 8/27: There are some recent additions to the players list below, check out the latest on LaTroy Hawkins, Trevor Hoffman, and Chad Qualls.

Update 8/26 9:02pm: Not a whole lot going on as the month of August is coming to a close. The Colorado Rockies took Russ Ortiz and Jason Giambi off the market by signing both of them for the remainder of the season. Missing out on Ortiz is not a big surprise as the Dodgers are no longer in the market for a starting pitcher. With the recent signing of Vicente Padilla, and the impact that Eric Stults and Charlie Haeger have had on the season, Torre and company are not looking to make any other additions. Ben Maller tweeted that the Dodgers have had there eyes on two or three players that have cleared waivers.

Update 8/20 7:10am: Jon Garland has cleared waivers according to Jon Paul Morosi at Foxsports. Garland is probably the best thing on the open pitching market currently, but his $4MM left on his current contract could shy GM's away. Garland is 6-11 but plays for one of the worst teams in the league, and he has managed to hold a 4.42 ERA in 25 starts this year. He does have some appeal because of his postseason experience with the White Sox in 2005. He is also averaging over 6 innings pitched per game, so that could draw some appeal to a team like the Dodgers.

Update 8/19 1:36pm: John Smoltz is off the market as he has officially signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for about 100K. Vicente Padilla is close to an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With these two guys off the market there is little to no starting pitcher options on the market. The Dodgers may still not be done as they have kept tabs on the relief market for weeks. Justin Speier would be a good fit for the Dodgers after his release from the Angels of Anaheim.

Update 8/18 1:22pm: Despite Joe Torre recently saying "he doesn't think a player with Padilla's reputation would cause problems in the Dodgers' clubhouse." Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says that the Dodgers are not likely to pursue recently released Vicente Padilla. Paul Kinzer contacted the Dodgers to let them know his client Padilla would "absolutely" like to pitch in Dodger Blue. If Padilla signs, his new team will only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary. Not a whole lot of risk here, and it's not like we don't need pitching help. There aren't a lot of better options out there since it appears Arroyo and Harang aren't going anywhere.

Update 8/17 12:39pm: Ken Rosenthal says you can add Russ Ortiz as a player being considered by the Dodgers after his release by the Yankees. Ortiz had three decent starts in the Yankees AAA affiliate.

Update 8/17 12:26pm: John Smoltz has been released by the Boston Red Sox and is now free to sign with any team. The Dodgers have expressed formal interest to the right-hander and Smoltz is likely to make a decision before August 31. Smoltz had an 8.33 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP in eight terrible starts with the Red Sox. Smoltz had signed a one year contract worth $5.5MM, leaving the Red Sox on the hook for the remainder of that deal.

Update 8/12 8:30pm: As the Dodgers rumors have fallen very silent lately, I did find an update that Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says that Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang will not be traded. I find this a little hard to believe since the Reds have no shot of contending anytime soon and need to shed payroll.

Update 8/12 7:46pm: Doug Davis has been claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers according to Jon Heyman. The Brewers think they actually have a shot at contending this year?

Update 8/10 2:07pm: Jon Paul Morosi from Fox Sports has an update on Reds pitchers for us today. Not a big surprise but Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang both cleared waivers today and can be traded to any team. Arroyo is at $9.5MM this season and Harang is making $11MM this year. It's speculated the Reds will have to take on salary in any deal. Purely speculation here what if you have Harange in a pitchers park with good defense behind him? Pierre for Harang could be an interesting deal. Reds need help in the outfield, and everyone knows the Dodgers need help in the rotation.

Update 8/9 8:11pm: Despite my better judgment I added Danys Baez from the Orioles and John Smoltz to the list. I seriously doubt the Dodgers interest in either player. However with the amount of players falling quickly off the list, they could remain longshot candidates.

Update 8/9/ 5:23pm: David Weathers has been claimed off waivers and traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. The list is dwindling pretty rapidly, Colletti better get busy.

Update 8/7 10:09am: Rotoworld says Carl Pavano has been traded to the Twins for a PTBNL.

Update 9:28pm: Paul Byrd has signed with the Boston Red Sox, so he can be scratched.

Update 8/5 6:05pm: I will be updating this post as any new players or information comes across. You can the updates below regarding Erik Bedard likely being done for the season, and eliminates any possible trade from happening.

The July 31 trade deadline has come and gone. George Sherrill and Vinny Rottino were added, and Claudio Vargas, Josh Bell, and Steve Johnson were subtracted. A lot of Dodgers rumors talk, however very little action when the dust settled yesterday afternoon. However the Dodgers may not be done yet, as they have until August 31st to complete any trades. That's right the real trade deadline is August 31. There is one slight little catch because players must pass through waivers before they can be traded.

The following players are mostly speculation, with a mixture of knowledge and gut instinct. The Dodgers are focused on pitchers, and I don't really see that changing in the next 30 days. Last year Greg Maddux was an August addition, and we could see a similar acquisition this year. Paul Byrd, Odalis Perez, Ben Sheets, and Mark Mulder are still free agents. I am not sure if any of those players are currently an upgrade over fifth starter Jason Schmidt.

Starting Pitchers
Bronson Arroyo-Cleared waivers today and can be traded to any team.
Aaron Harang-Cleared waivers and can now be traded to any team.
Jon Garland- Cleared waivers on 8/20 and can be traded to any team with no restrictions.
Doug Davis- Was claimed off waivers by the Brewers but no deal was reached.
Carl Pavano- Traded to the Twins on 8/7/2009
Erik Bedard-Rehab assignment has been shut down and is likely done for the season.
John Smoltz- The Cardinals reached an agreement with the 42 year old this morning.
Vicente Padilla- The Dodgers signed Padilla and will make his first start on 8/27.


Relief Pitchers
Trevor Hoffman- Recently put on waivers by the Brewers, he is has a very high chance of being moved.
LaTroy Hawkins- Put on waivers and was immediately claimed by another team, and the Astros pulled him back and now can not be traded until after the season is over.
David Weathers- Acquired by the Brewers for a PTBNL.
Chad Qualls- Recently put on waivers by Arizona, he is not expected to be traded. He would bring in a nice haul however.
Heath Bell- Remains a long shot due to waivers, and the Dodgers having the best record in the majors.
Danys Baez- Recently cleared waivers, not a great fit in Los Angeles.
Justin Speier- Recently released by the Angels of Anaheim.

As far as the starters go, I am not sure if Arroyo, Harang, would clear waivers. This becomes obstacle one for those players. Davis, Garland, and Pavano are the more attainable trade targets.

In the relief market it is quite possible any one of those four players could be traded and clear waivers. Weathers and Frasor remain the most probable trade candidates. Rhodes seems to not fit anymore with the recent acquisition of Sherrill. Capps and Duke are probably the best of the group, and remain a long shot for the Dodgers.