DODGERS ANALYSIS: TRADE IS ALL PART OF A BIG PUZZLE; OUTCOME MUST BE GAUGED OVER TIME.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Industry folks - managers, general managers, scouts and everyone else - were ripping the Dodgers for whacking payroll and getting one major-league arm for a gifted starting pitcher and a starting second baseman.

On the surface, that seems right. Saturday's trade that sent right-hander Ismael Valdes and Eric Young to the Chicago Cubs for middle reliever Terry Adams leaves the Dodgers with holes . . . and questions about how to fill those voids. But it had to be done.

Tangibly, the Dodgers didn't get better.

But tangibles related to a disastrous 1999, mainly because the intangibles were lacking.

Two problems the Dodgers had was an ongoing feud between Young and Dodgers manager Davey Johnson after Johnson tried to bench Young in July. It blasted the clubhouse and caused rift after rift in its wake.

Valdes, for all his talent, had his moxie questioned publicly by the pitching coach and privately by some teammates. True, he's 26, and the market is starving for pitching, but it just shows the cost the Dodgers had to pay to crawl out from the burden of Young's contract.

But this isn't a deal that can be judged today or tomorrow, but rather when the Dodgers' wheelin' and dealin' ends.

Adams offers help in the bullpen, which the Dodgers need, but moving Young's $9 million of contract creates other options, and what the Dodgers do with those options is the significant part of the deal.

``We're positioning ourselves to do some other things,'' said Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone. ``We're moving forward in the process.''

That process, of course, will be slowed by the Adrian Beltre situation. The Dodgers cleared money to sign low- to medium-impact free agents, but Malone and Dodgers managing general partner Robert Daly said they would most likely wait until Beltre's case is settled before making another move.

Beltre's impending status also is important in this deal.

If baseball rules Beltre a free agent, the Dodgers would like the opportunity to re-sign him. Baseball could rule against the Dodgers re-signing Beltre. But if that happens the players' union would likely file a grievance to get the Dodgers involved in a bidding war that could net Beltre $50 million over seven years.

By moving Young's salary, the Dodgers positioned themselves to be part of the bidding, if allowed.

``Once we finish the (winter) meetings, we'll sit down and talk to free agents,'' Daly said. ``We need to know what happens with the Beltre situation. We may make some offers to free agents.''

However, it means the Dodgers can begin lining up potential free agents to fill the void of a leadoff hitter, second baseman, bench depth and bullpen help, particularly a hard-throwing lefty.

One option is Terry Shumpert, but a source said the Dodgers won't sign him because they'd have to give Colorado a draft pick to get him.

The Dodgers also talked to Shawon Dunston's representatives. He's being courted by the Mets, St. Louis, Toronto, Cleveland and the Dodgers, and something could happen late next week, a source said. Dunston is willing to sign a one-year deal just to play every day.

Former Rockies infielder Kurt Abbott also remains a possible option.

The trade of Valdes also means Darren Dreifort's status is clear. Though manager Davey Johnson hypothesized about using Dreifort in the bullpen, he's now inked into the rotation while Jeff Williams, Mike Judd and Eric Gagne, by far the leading candidate, duel for a starting spot.

Daly admitted to talking to former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser about returning to his first team. But given the Dodgers' current economic state, Daly said it's unlikely.

``We've talked to Hershiser, but he's on a different time table than we're on,'' Daly said. ``He'll probably sign somewhere else.''

Daly also said his ``gut feeling'' also was that lefty Arthur Rhodes couldn't be had by the Dodgers.

The possibilities are few because the free-agent class is weak. But, because of Daly's mandate to move payroll, even the few, nondescript free-agent possibilities didn't exist when the winter meetings began here.

Now, they do.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

PHOTO (1) ERIC YOUNG

(2) ISMAEL VALDES

(3) TERRY ADAMS

CHART: Trading places