Blake--->Dodgers

by Aaron Campeau on Jul 26, 2008 10:27 AM PDT

Indians get C Carlos Santana (heh) and RHP Jon Meloan. I don't know a ton about the guys the Dodgers gave up to get Blake (who is having a much better year than I thought) other than the fact that Santana is having a nice year at Inland Empire and that Churchill identified Meloan as a player the M's might target in any trade involving Beltre. Meloan is apparently seen as a bullpen arm (albeit a good one) going forward, while Santana is 22 and in High A.

This could be seen as good news and bad news as it relates to the M's. Although it has been reported that Adrian would veto any trade to the Dodgers, others (including Churchill) were not so sure that this was the case. If Adrian was open to going back to LA, that's no longer happening. The downside is that the price for Blake seems to have been fairly low, and despite the fact that Beltre is obviously the better player, he was never going to bring in what he was worth on the trade market. Even a slightly better return than what Cleveland got would be a terrible deal for the M's. Hopefully, if the team was still actively trying to trade him, this move will make them reevaluate their strategy. (It's also entirely possible that I've completely misjudged the talent going to Cleveland, so feel free to correct my assessments.)

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Good

That’s one less suitor for Beltre. With no one to play the Twins off of, I doubt he goes anywhere this month. And with Blake now a Dodger, the Mets don’t have a lot of other options if they want to improve their offense. This is a win for the Mariners.

by katal on Jul 26, 2008 10:36 AM PDT reply actions

I agree.

I’m just terrified of the possibility that they’ve decided to trade him no matter what.

FanShots are underrated.

by Aaron Campeau on Jul 26, 2008 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't think they were going to.

I heard that when the Dodgers inquired Lee asked for Kemp. I don’t think they will trade Adrian unless they are blown away

Go Nova

by dbroncos31 on Jul 26, 2008 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions

This.

Beltre was never going to be traded anyways. Blake off the market means Ibanez has to be top of the order for the Mets.

by Matthew on Jul 26, 2008 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Hmm

I first reaction was that this is an overpaty. A catching prospect who can hit, and a hard throwing relief prospect for a couple months of a league average 3b.

OTOH, Blake just missed out on being a type A player after 2007. Given that he’s having a good year, he’s got a very good shot at being a type A after 2008. Which means 2 picks for the Dodgers, as long as they offer arby.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on Jul 26, 2008 10:39 AM PDT reply actions

As someone who watches the Dodgers I hate this trade

Meloan was an awesome reliever who the Dodgers tried to move to starter this year and the experiment wasn’t really working. Considering Broxton just took over for Saito having Meloan up in the pen could’ve been a lot more valuable.

Blake makes the Dodgers a lot worse defensively in the infield. Which is bad because their best pitchers are all ground ball pitchers.

The arbitration thing sucks because if he accepts then the Dodgers have to deal Andy LaRoche since he’s out of options.

Dumb fucking trade.

The poster formerly known as Matt.

by bluemax on Jul 26, 2008 11:34 AM PDT reply actions

Supernatural goes to the Florida State League!

Jon Meloan walks way too many batters, but he has good stuff and an ability to miss bats. The possibilities if he can learn to control his great stuff is his top draw.

His easy-target name aside, Carlos Santana is a catcher with some pop, patience and a consistent bat. He could have a future provided he continues his progress he’s shown in High A ball this year.

Not the best pickup the Dodgers could have made, for the reasons max stated above. I’m guessing this was Shapiro dumping an expendable player in a rebuilding stage for the best return he could get.

by Gomez on Jul 26, 2008 2:09 PM PDT reply actions