The Dodgers had a few options from which to choose -- Justin Sellers, John Ely, Stephen Fife and Juan Uribe -- but they decided to ditch Van Slyke.
The most obvious choice would have been Sellers, as he was coming off surgery and doesn't have much of a future in the majors. The guy the Dodgers traded to get Schumaker -- Jake Lemmerman -- probably has more of a future in the majors. But the Dodgers sure do love themselves some middle infielders.
Ely and Fife would have gone because the Dodgers have eleventy-billion starting pitchers now. They're more serviceable than Sellers, but it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them go.
And of course there's Uribe, but it seems the Dodgers just can't bring themselves to do the right thing.
Something else to consider is the Dodgers could still trade Van Slyke. He's on waivers and could be claimed by a team. If he is, the Dodgers and the claiming team could work out a deal. The Dodgers could also just let him go without a trade.
The Dodgers should package Van Slyke with Chris Capuano to get Joel Hanrahan from the Pirates.
From John Perrotto of USA Today:
It makes a lot of sense.
The Dodgers did take an unusually long time to announce the roster move after Schumaker was officially added, so one could assume they were discussing some sort of other transaction. If all it takes is a 26-year-old likely Four-A player to pair with Capuano to get a guy like Hanrahan, I'm all for it.
Photo credit: EephusBlue, Twitter
When would the public know if a claim had been made on Van Slyke? If claimed on waivers would they be able to pull him back onto the 40 man?
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