Friday July 27th, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: After acquiring shortstop/third baseman Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, the Dodgers got exponentially better. With Hanley, the Dodgers gained an offensive force on the left side of the infield. With two solid pitchers, the Dodgers are good team, but a third would take them to the next level. There are several options out there:

Cliff Lee, Phillies

Signed through 2015, Lee will be a long-term option that could cost a premium. Fortunately for the Dodgers, money isn’t too much of a factor now with the new ownership. The left-handed Lee would fit well possibly as the number-three starter after Chad Billingsley to rotate left/right/left with Clayton Kershaw at the top of the rotation. The Phillies might trade Lee this year due to his out-of-character 1-6 record with a 3.95 ERA.  Signing Cliff Lee could potentially put at risk the ability to re-sign Clayton Kershaw, since Kershaw’s two-year $19 million contract expires after next year. The Dodgers would be busy paying Lee the last three and a half years of his five-year $120 million contract, so Kershaw might have to settle for a little bit less (even with the new ownership) or sign with another team—the last thing the Dodgers would want. Acquiring Cliff Lee will be highly unlikely for this reason, plus the fact that the Phillies might want to hold onto their 2nd/3rd ace.

Zack Greinke, Brewers

Brewers’ general manager Doug Melvin came out and said that Greinke would be traded before the deadline. The White Sox are the apparent front-runner for Greinke, but he wouldn’t be a bad candidate for the Dodgers. Greinke would be exactly what the Dodgers want with a 9-3 record and a 3.44 ERA. Unlike Cliff Lee, Greinke would be more of a short-term option and wouldn’t carry such a large price tag. Greinke was considered the next-best option out there before Cole Hamels signed his extension with the Phillies.

Ryan Dempster, Cubs

After a lot of confusion about a possible trade to the Braves, Dempster has stayed put in Chicago and has listed the Dodgers as his top choice. Dempster is signed through this year, so the Dodgers would be using him as a rent-a-player and would hope to resign him. This would be the safest option in that if Dempster were to struggle, the Dodgers wouldn’t be stuck with him for the next few years. This would be less of a risk than trading for Cliff Lee.

These three are the front-line starters that would benefit the Dodgers the most right now. But in case the Dodgers don’t want to spend the kind of money needed to lock up one of these guys, here are some less-expensive options:

Francisco Liriano, Twins

Liriano’s been having an awful year, posting a 5.31 ERA. The Dodgers could take a gamble and trade for him, hoping he could somehow find it and put together a couple solid starts. He has shown the potential to break through recently, throwing a no-hitter against the White Sox last year. Liriano would also be helpful by adding another left-handed arm to the rotation.

Ricky Romero, Blue Jays

On the off-chance that the Jays would trade Romero, the Dodgers could hope that he would benefit from being close to home in Los Angeles and pitch well in the National League. Romero could thrive as most NL West hitters haven’t seen him much, if at all. Romero is signed through 2015, so the Dodgers would have to be confident that this season’s struggles are simply bad luck. The Blue Jays would probably request a nice package of prospects for Romero as well, so this is very unlikely.

Unless the middle of the lineup with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Hanley Ramirez can carry the Dodgers (which is possible), they might have a hard time contending without another strong-arm in their rotation. It will be interesting to see what the next few days will bring. Remember, the MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is only 4 days away. Stay tuned to see how this story unfolds!

***Today’s feature was prepared by Bernie Olshansky, MLB reports Intern & Facebook Administrator.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Bernie on Twitter (@BernieOlshansky)***

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