July 31, 2012

Grade That Trade! Flyin’ Hawaiian Edition

When the Dodgers’ new ownership said they would spend money and make whatever move it takes to win a championship…they weren’t kidding. After acquiring Hanley Ramirez last week, they jumped in and got another former All-Star in Shane Victorino from the Phillies this morning.

Let’s break it down:

Dodgers Get:

OF – Shane Victorino

Phillies Get:

RP – Josh Lindblom

SP – Ethan Martin (Double-A)

A player to be named/cash

Once again, the Dodgers trade away high-ceiling prospects in return for an established veteran. Sounds good to me. And at first, I was worried about the sheer volume of young talent the Dodgers were shipping away. But as Ken Rosenthal pointed out on Twitter, the organization’s top 7-8 prospects are still intact.

But the Phils really do make out well, as Lindblom has shown flashes of brilliance in the set up role. Though he’s had his ups and downs this season, Lindblom has a ton of potential and room to grow. A good fastball just needs to be coupled with a little improvement on the off speed stuff and his overall control.

The long ball has plagued Lindblom this year, but that is something the Phillies can fix. Martin is the gem of this trade for Philly. They got a 23-year-old stud starter, who is almost Major League-ready. He’s really improved his overall arsenal of pitches over the past season and has put up very good numbers in Double-A this season.

As for the contenders, the Dodgers picked up that left fielder and top of the order guy they were thirsting for all year. With Dee Gordon on the DL, the Dodgers really had zero speed at the leadoff spot. With Victorino in place (possibly moves to the two-hole after Gordon returns), that lineup has a lot more options with Victorino’s speed on base in front of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Ramirez.

It’s really hard to say who won this trade, mostly because Lindblom and Martin haven’t played long enough to garner a fair scouting report. As it stands now, the Dodgers get a high “B” from me for adding another good bat to the lineup and hanging on to some of their more prized prospects. The Phillies get an initial high “B” from me too, but that could go down to a “C” or worse if Lindblom and Martin don’t pan out. Depending on who the player to be named later is, the Phils could bump up into the “A” range.

All I know, as a Dodger fan, is that a lineup of Victorino-Ellis-Kemp-Ethier-Ramirez-Hairston-Rivera-Cruz-Ellis looks a hell of a lot better than it did about a week ago. This may be the push the Dodgers needed to surpass and hold off the rival Giants.

Side note: The Dodgers also acquired former Mariners closer Brandon League for minor leaguers Leon Landry (OF) and Logan Bawcom (RP). This allowed them to move Lindblom and deal for Victorino, but both players they gave away also have very high ceilings. That trade looks like a push to me, depending on how League performs in the Dodger pen.

So what do you think? How would you grade the Victorino trade for the Dodgers? For the Phils? Vote in our polls below, and comment with your opinions!

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– Jeremy Dorn (@Jamblinman)