ANALYSIS: PENNY PITCHERS DODGERS TRADE ACE BROWN FOR WEAVER, SAVE ENOUGH CASH FOR NEW TALENT.Byline: Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded - The entire offseason landscape now has changed for the Dodgers. By sending Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
 Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , the Dodgers would
free up enough room to become serious players for almost any of the top
hitters on the trade and free-agent markets this winter.
Suddenly, the likelihood of the Dodgers trading for Nomar Garciaparra Anthony Nomar Garciaparra[1] (born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a Mexican-American baseball player who currently plays third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers. has increased significantly. Or perhaps the Chicago White Sox's Magglio Ordonez or Carlos Lee Carlos Noriel Lee (born June 20, 1976 in Aguadulce, Panama) is a left fielder in Major League Baseball who plays for the Houston Astros. He bats and throws right-handed. He is married and has two daughters, Cassandra and Karla and a son, named Karlos. . Suddenly, they can get the attention of a top-level free agent such as shortstop Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada (born May 25, 1976 in Baní, Dominican Republic), nicknamed "Miggi", is currently the shortstop of the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team. , or maybe even outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), and known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. . In poker terms, the Brown trade - for Jeff Weaver This article is about Major League Baseball player Jeffrey Weaver. For other people named Jeff Weaver, see Jeff Weaver (disambiguation). Jeffrey Charles Weaver , prospects and cash - allowed Dodgers general manager Dan Evans to exchange his pair of fives for a straight flush. Now, how will Evans play those cards? Brown will make $15 million in 2004 and 2005, while Weaver (Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. High) will make $6.25 million and $9.25 million. Subtract from that the $1.5 million the Yankees will pay the Dodgers both years, and Evans now has an extra $10.25 million with which to play for 2004, assuming the Dodgers don't cut payroll. Factor in the approximately $22 million the Dodgers saved by cutting loose free agents - some of which will be offset by this winter's arbitration cases - and the Dodgers have some breathing room. ``If we make a deal involving one of our pitchers,'' said Evans, who wouldn't comment specifically on the Brown trade, ``it will be because it allows us to pursue things we haven't been able to explore. Our whole idea has been to try to improve and create some payroll flexibility. ``In a perfect world you'd like to give up nobody and continue to improve, but that's not always possible.'' A Dodgers source said Thursday that the team approached the offseason with two plans: one in case they weren't able to free up a significant amount of money, and one if they could. Now Evans happily can turn to Plan B and attempt to make major improvements to the Dodgers' lineup. The loss of Brown certainly will impact the Dodgers' pitching staff, but they never made the playoffs with him, so how much worse can they be without him? Hideo Nomo Hideo Nomo (born Aug. 31, 1968 , Osaka, Japan) Japanese baseball pitcher whose success with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 created new opportunities for Asian players in Major League Baseball. had an excellent 2003 and should be even better with improved run support. Kazuhisa Ishii Kazuhisa Ishii (石井一久 Ishii Kazuhisa; born September 9, 1973 in Wakaba-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese Major League Baseball pitcher. and Odalis Perez - if the Dodgers keep him - give them two solid left-handed starters. The Dodgers are trying to bring back Wilson Alvarez after his surprisingly successful 2003, and they believe young Edwin Jackson has the stuff to compete for a spot in the 2004 rotation. Weaver is bound to improve upon his dreadful stint with the Yankees, or perhaps more likely, he will be used by the Dodgers as trade bait in the coming weeks. The danger for Evans is he might not be able to pull in at least one big name and justify trading away one of baseball's most feared pitchers (when healthy), but things are looking good for the Dodgers. By the end of the weekend, the Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. and Texas Rangers should reach some resolution in the trade talks involving Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez. Regardless of that, it's believed Garciaparra won't return to the Red Sox because of some hurt feelings. If the Red Sox don't demand any of the Dodgers' seemingly untouchable untouchable Former classification of various low-status persons and those outside the Hindu caste system in Indian society. The term Dalit is now used for such people (in preference to Mohandas K. prospects, the Dodgers gladly would take Garciaparra, who wants to play in Southern California, and sign him to a long-term contract. Or perhaps the Dodgers will choose a different route. They weren't considered strong contenders to sign Tejada, but last week the Seattle Mariners offered Tejada $25 million over three years, and the Dodgers now have the ability to match or exceed that offer, if they desire. An offensive upgrade at shortstop certainly would help the Dodgers, but their two biggest holes remain at first base and in left field. Initial published reports had the Dodgers interested in trading Weaver to the St. Louis Cardinals For the National Football League team that played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987, see . The St. Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards" or "the Redbirds") are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. for outfielder J.D. Drew, but sources said those rumors came from previous conversations that centered on the Cardinals possibly receiving Brown, not Weaver. Several teams have shown interest in Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the New York Mets. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004) and Florida Marlins (2004-2005). , who will make $3.9 million next season and be a free agent after that. The financial flexibility created by this trade might increase the Dodgers' likelihood of keeping Lo Duca. Or, if they believe they can sign free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, they might consider trading Lo Duca for help at one of their ``need'' positions. Evans' trade talks invariably in·var·i·a·ble adj. Not changing or subject to change; constant. in·var  i·a·bil include his former employers,
the Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. , who are listening to offers for several of their
top hitters. One rumor had the Dodgers, Yankees and White Sox
negotiating a three-way deal that would have landed the Dodgers first
baseman Frank Thomas.
Rich Hammond, (818) 713-3611 rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com HIGH & LOW FIVE Retracing Kevin Brown's five-year stay in Dodger blue: Dec. 12, 1998 Signs richest contract in baseball history, a seven-year deal worth $105 million. April 5, 1999 Allows five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings against Arizona and earns no decision in Dodgers debut. Sept. 29, 1999 Loses final start of season to San Francisco, but still leads team with 18-9 record, 3.00 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 252 1/3 innings. Finishes tied for sixth in Cy Young Award voting. July 11, 2000 Pitches one scoreless inning in All-Star Game and becomes fifth player to represent four teams in Midsummer Classic (Texas '92, Florida '96-97, San Diego '98). Sept. 23, 2000 Strikes out career-high 13 Padres and finishes season 13-6 with National League-best 2.58 ERA. July 15, 2001 Records 2,000th strikeout of career, fanning Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson. July 16, 2001 Goes on DL for more than a month with right elbow pain. Makes most of 19 starts, though, allowing one earned run or less in 12 of them. April 4, 2002 Makes seventh career opening-day start and gets roughed up for seven runs and nine hits in four innings of a 9-2 loss to Giants. May 26, 2002 Lasts just two-thirds of an inning at Arizona before leaving with elbow pain. Heads to DL for 81 days and finishes season 3-4 with just 10 starts and 63 2/3 innings pitched. May 31, 2003 Finishes 5-0 month with eight shutout innings against Milwaukee. July 3, 2003 Heads to DL for 10th time in five seasons, this time with strained abdominal muscle, and misses All-Star Game. Sept. 24, 2003 In what turns out to be his final start at Dodger Stadium, he surrenders five runs and seven hits in loss to Giants. Makes one more start, earning a no-decision the following week in San Diego. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 3 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Kevin Brown) Gary Caskey/Reuters (2) The trade of Kevin Brown (pictured) for Jeff Weaver will net the Dodgers $10.25 million to spend as they see fit. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Box: (1) HIGH & LOW FIVE (see text) (2) WALKING WOUNDED (3) STORY LINES |
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