Dodgers, Marlins swap six players, may not be done

By Jim Callis
July 30, 2004

In terms of quality major leaguers, the Dodgers and Marlins pulled off the biggest trade on Friday. Los Angeles got Brad Penny, Hee Seop Choi and Double-A lefthander Bill Murphy in exchange for Guillermo Mota, Paul LoDuca and Juan Encarnacion. And that seems to be just the beginning for both clubs.

To replace LoDuca behind the plate, the Dodgers reportedly have worked out a deal to acquire Charles Johnson from the Rockies, pending his approval. Los Angeles also has a possible blockbuster in the works with Arizona. The Dodgers could pick up Randy Johnson and Steve Finley in return for Penny, Jayson Werth and some combination of top pitching prospects Edwin Jackson, Chad Billingsley and Chuck Tiffany. That move would require Johnson and Finley to waive their no-trade clauses, and if Johnson refuses Los Angeles could make a reduced deal for Finley. As for the Marlins, they were rumored to be pursuing a trade that would send Encarnacion and Double-A slugger Jason Stokes to the Rockies for Larry Walker—who also has a no-trade clause. Walker rejected a trade to the Rangers for a pair of Double-A prospects (shortstop Ian Kinsler, righthander Erik Thompson) on Friday and also turned down a deal to the Diamondbacks before the 2003 season.

Penny, a 26-year-old righthander, is the leading winner (48) in Marlins history and beat the Yankees twice in the 2003 World Series. He has gone 8-8 with a career-low 3.15 ERA in 21 starts this season, posting a 105-39 strikeout-walk ratio in 131 innings. Opponents are batting .249 with 10 homers against him. Penny has some nasty stuff, including a low-90s sinker, a mid-90s four-seasm fastball and a power curveball. He's at his best when he doesn't worry about velocity and remembers to mix in some curveballs and changeups to keep hitters off balance. Penny is making $3.725 million this season and will be arbitration-eligible afterward. He owns a career 48-42, 4.04 record in 131 games.

Choi, 25, joins his third team in the last eight months after the Cubs sent him to Florida in the Derrek Lee trade last November. The first Korean position player to sign with a big league organization, he received a $1.2 million bonus from Chicago in 1999. He could develop into an offensive force, because he has prodigious power potential and a good eye at the plate. He also moves well around the bag at first base. Choi has batted .270/.388/.495 with 15 homers and 40 RBIs in 95 games this year. He'll allow Shawn Green to move back to right field, where he'll replace Encarnacion. Choi is a career .242/.364/.450 hitter with 25 homers and 72 RBIs in 199 games.

Mota, a 31-year-old righthander, has emerged as one of the game's best setup men over the last two seasons. He's tied for the big league lead with eight relief wins in 2004, paces the National League with 63 relief innings and ranks eighth in the majors with 17 holds. He's 8-4, 2.14 with one save in 52 appearances. He has a 52-27 K-BB ratio in 63 innings, and has limited hitters to a .228 average and four homers. Mota has explosive stuff, blowing away hitters with a mid-90s fastball and a high-80s slider. Eric Gagne also taught Mota his changeup, giving him an extra weapon. If Armando Benitez' elbow woes persist, Mota could close for Florida. He has a $1.475 million salary for 2004 and will be arbitration-eligible again after this season. He has a career mark of 19-18, 3.29 in 304 appearances.

LoDuca, 32, not only is one of baseball's better-hitting catchers, but he also was considered the heart and soul of the Dodgers clubhouse. He was batting .301/.351/.444 with 10 homers and 49 RBIs in 91 games and will give the Marlins a nice upgrade over their current starting catcher, Mike Redmond. LoDuca consistently hits for average, though he hasn't approached the 25-homer power he showed in 2001. LoDuca, who also has seen action at first base and left field, led major league catchers with 15 errors in 2003 but topped NL backstops by throwing out 34 percent of basestealers. LoDuca has cut down on his errors to just three this year, but he has erased just 23 percent of basestealers. He's making $4.067 million this year and is another member of this trade headed to arbitration. In 588 career games, he has hit .287/.342/.428 with 57 homers and 275 RBIs.

Encarnacion, 28, was the Marlins' starting right fielder in 2003 and came to Los Angeles in a December salary dump for minor league outfielder Travis Ezi. He signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Dodgers that pays him $3.55 million this year. He hasn't been close to worth it, hitting .235/.289/.417 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 86 games. Encarnacion just doesn't have enough power and on-base ability to be a productive corner outfielder. He does run well and is a good defender with a strong arm. He has career totals of .266/.311/.442 with 109 homers, 446 RBIs and 111 steals in 838 games.

Murphy, 23, was a 2002 third-round pick by the Athletics out of Cal State Northridge. Oakland used him as part of the Mark Redman trade last December. Hitters have trouble making contact against his lively, deceptive 89-91 mph fastball. He ranks second in the Double-A Southern League with 113 strikeouts in 104 innings, but needs to work on his location because he tops the SL with 59 walks and has allowed 17 homers, second-most in the league. He has a 6-4, 4.08 record in 20 starts, with opponents batting .215 against him. Murphy, who also throws a curveball and changeup, pitched a scoreless inning in the Futures Game at Minute Maid Park. He has a career 17-15, 3.58 mark in 58 minor league games.