DODGERS: ANALYSIS : BEST THING DODGERS DID WAS TO DO NOTHING.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

In a hellacious season in which the Dodgers have accomplished nothing, it finally benefited them.

They didn't trade pitchers Ismael Valdes or Chan Ho Park or Darren Dreifort or first baseman Eric Karros or anyone else. They didn't jump at crazy offers and remained with their plan. They'll take care of any housecleaning once September ends, when it should be done.

Unless they could've unloaded the salaries of lefty Carlos Perez or second baseman Eric Young, both of which will be focal points of the offseason, the Dodgers were right to hold still.

The left-handed power hitter they covet wasn't available, so neither were their players. The prospects who would add depth at the minor-league level weren't offered.

Nothing can save this season, so why destroy the next few for the sake of change?

Why give up young pitching talent for younger pitching that isn't as talented?

The word throughout baseball was that general manager Kevin Malone was asking a lot for one of his three young pitchers, and no one was willing to give back the type or number of top prospects the Dodgers craved.

``Everybody's going after pitching, including us, so why give it up, unless you get some back?'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said.

Malone could have moved Karros. Baltimore and Atlanta showed interest. But when Malone tried to tack Young's $9 million over the next two years or Perez's $12.5 million over the next two years to it, teams backed off.

If Young comes back from his disabled-list stint healthy and Perez can return from Triple-A Albuquerque and be, at the least, serviceable, it will increase their trade values during the offseason. (Their trade values can't get lower). Or, after the season, teams may be more willing to absorb an add-on player in larger deals.

``At this point, we didn't think we needed an overhaul,'' Malone said. ``If we did, we would have started that now. It's just a modification. Some changes need to be made.''

Ideas are already in the minds of Johnson and Malone and Dodgers president and CEO Bob Graziano.

Those ideas will become entrenched by what transpires in the next 58 games.

To baseball, the next two months are meaningless at Chavez Ravine. To the Dodgers' health the next few seasons, the next two months are critical. Dodgers brass can evaluate how players perform when nothing is at stake but pride, see who's giving the honest effort and who's doggin' it.

The crowd booed Saturday when center fielder Devon White opted not to dive for a fly ball. Management listens to the fans.

``It's more of a time to evaluate character, integrity, desire and commitment,'' Malone said.

The next two months will be painful for the eyes, and the soul won't feel too good either. The payoff should come in the offseason, when the Dodgers reevaluate their talent, and the heart their players possess.

The Dodgers could have made a rash decision and traded one of their core players. They didn't because the market didn't bear what the Dodgers sought.

Much like any other day during the past four months, nothing happened at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.

It's really the best thing.

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