Lots of deals, nothing big for LA

The non-waiver trade deadline came and went at 1 p.m. Pacific time with a flurry of moves. However, there was no other significant move for the Dodgers. The Dodgers were in on Roy Halladay, whom is staying in Toronto due to the foolishness of Blue Jay GM J.P. Riccardi. There was a late rumor that said the Angels could be getting Halladay, but that fell apart.

There was also a report for the always accurate (lol) Ken Rosenthal, stating the Dodgers were trying to get 1B Adrian Gonzalez and RHP Heath Bell from the Padres. If Dodger GM Ned Colletti thought the price for Halladay was expensive, he must have been off his rocker to think LA could acquire both Gonzalez and Bell.

The biggest deal of the day was the White Sox getting Jake Peavy, again, from San Diego. The teams agreed to a deal a few months back, only to have Peavy block it. Now that Peavy has been injured for awhile and the rumors of San Diego trying to trade its other stars, Peavy probably thought it was time to say good bye to the Padres. It was a post-deadline deal that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Here is a rundown of all the deadline day trades and winners:

• Detroit acquired LHP Jarrod Washburn from Seattle for two prospects: LHPs Luke French and Mauricio Robles. Winner: Detroit
• Milwaukee acquired RHP Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers for C Vinny Rottino. Rottino is a 29-year-old Double-A catcher who has no value. Vargas was moved to clear a roster spot for the newly-acquired George Sherrill. Winner: Milwaukee
• Minnesota acquired SS Orlando Cabrera from Oakland for SS Tyler Ladendorf. Winner: Minnesota
• Boston acquired C/1B Victor Martinez from Cleveland for RHPs Justin Masterson, Bryan Price and LHP Nick Hagadone. The Indians got a better return here than they did for Cliff Lee. Winner: Push
• Atlanta acquired 1B Adam LaRoche from Boston for 1B Casey Kotchman. Winner: Atlanta
• N.Y. Yankees acquired INF/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr. from Cincinnati for C Chase Weems. Winner: New York
  
• Colorado acquired LHP Joe Beimel from Washington for RHPs Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian. Winner: Colorado
• Cincinnati acquired 3B Scott Rolen from Toronto for 3B Edwin Encarnacion, RHPs Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart. Winner: Cincinnati
• Florida acquired 1B Nick Johnson from Washington for LHP Aaron Thompson. Winner: Florida
• Chicago White Sox acquired RHP Jake Peavy from San Diego for LHPs Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard and RHPs Adam Russell and Dexter Carter. Winner: Chicago

Like I said, a busy day. Trading isn't completely over, though. Players can still be traded if they pass through waivers. Don't expect guys like Halladay and Gonzalez to be traded, but some of the lower-tier players will easily clear waivers and could make a small impact on divisional/wild card races.

The Dodgers end up as losers in this deadline season. The Sherrill acquisition was solid, but without a big addition (a workhorse SP or the Bell-Gonzalez combo), it is going to be tough for the Dodgers to compete with Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Cardinals absolutely own the Dodgers. I'm disappointed, especially since this seemed to be such a buyers market. The Phillies, Cardinals and Red Sox all won this trade season. We'll see what happens in October.

Dodgers acquire George Sherrill

The Dodgers have acquired LHP George Sherrill from Baltimore for 3B prospect Josh Bell and RHP Steven Johnson.

On the surface, this looks like a good, even trade. However, the Blue Jays were said to be interested in Bell in a potential Halladay package. Unless the Dodgers also acquire Halladay by 1 p.m. tomorrow, this trade will look a lot worse. I don't believe Dodger GM Ned Colletti would blow a chance to get Halladay by trading Bell for a reliever, so there's still hope, I suppose.

Trade round-up from Wednesday

There were many trades on Wednesday, just two days before the Major League Baseball non-waiver Trade Deadline. Here's a look at the deals and the winners:

1. Philadelphia acquired LHP Cliff Lee and OF Ben Francisco from Cleveland for RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Jason Knapp, C Lou Marson and SS Jason Donald. My previous entry has my thoughts about this deal, suffice it to say, the Phillies killed this 0ne. Winner: Philadelphia
   
   
2. Seattle acquired SS Jack Wilson, RHP Ian Snell and cash from Seattle for SS Ronny Cedeno, 1B/C Jeff Clement, RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Brett Lorin, and RHP Nathan Adcock. Despite none of the prospects being ranked higher than No. 24 by Baseball America to start the season, Pribanic and Lorin are having excellent seasons, while Adcock is struggling a little. This trade is somewhat baffling, as Seattle had been rumored to be moving Jarrod Washburn. The trade with Pittsburgh shows Seattle thinks it can still contend in a load American League. Wilson is a solid defender at short and Snell has great stuff, but he hasn't been the same since his breakout 2007 season. Winner: Pittsburgh
   
   
3. San Francisco acquired 2B Freddy Sanchez from Pittsburgh for RHP Tim Alderson. This was my favorite trade of the day. As a Dodger fan, it's always nice to see the Giants give away talent for decent players. Alderson was ranked No. 4 by Baseball America to start the season and was ranked as a Top 50 prospect in all of baseball in its mid-season rankings. It isn't everyday the Pirates get over on a team, let alone twice in one day! Winner Pittsburgh

Dodgers miss out on Cliff Lee, goes to Philly

Earlier today, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired LHP Cliff Lee and OF Ben Francisco for four prospects. The four prospects the Phillies dealt were RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Jason Knapp, SS Jason Donald and C Lou Marson. Lee is the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League.

The Dodgers were said to be very interested in Lee, but apparently a deal could not be struck. The Phillies made out like bandits in this trade. Carrasco is the best prospect in this deal, but he's had a really tough season at Triple-A Lehigh. Knapp is a high-ceiling guy, but there are concerns about his mechanics, injury concerns (he is on the DL in the minros right now) and profiles as a reliever. Donald is a utility infielder and Marson is a decent catching prospect. However, the Indians have Carlos Santana, whom the Dodgers traded to Cleveland last year for Casey Blake. He is one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball.

The question now, is, what are the Dodgers going to do before Friday? I think they had their sights set on Lee, but that option is gone. Roy Halladay is likely too pricey, though, I think the Dodgers could still explore that option. George Sherrill seems to be atop the list of potential acquisitions for L.A. However, time is running out. The Dodgers are almost forced to counter the Lee trade if they want to compete with the Phillies in the postseason.