Lilly & Theriot to the Dodgers for DeWitt, 2 Minor Leaguers

[Illini Iceman]

Epic fail!

 

A 22 year old in Low A ball that isn't dominating and a 23 year old reliever.

 

If that is the expectation of what you would get out of a 1st round pick and a sandwich pick plus $2.5 million, then you need to change your scouting.

 

You are assuming they were going to take the chance and offer him arbitration when there was talk he might accept it.

 

So the Cubs would have had Lilly on a one year deal at market price. Things could be worse.

 

Except they didn't want to pay him.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Is DeWitt a rental or is he under a few years of team control? Any chance he'll thrive in the more hitter friendly Wrigley? Again, it makes me wonder if Fontenot will be dealt in the next few hours. I remember the Red Sox having mild interest in him at 1 point.

 

DeWitt, 25 next month, is having a better season than Theriot at .270/.352/.371. He's under team control through 2014, so the Cubs acquired a long-term asset for second base. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein calls his the "prettiest swing you'll see never turned into results," calling DeWitt a "constant source of disappointment" for the Dodgers.

 

I guess that answers my question.

[Outshined_One]

I'm a tad disappointed, but it's fair. I was hoping for one of their top 10 guys somehow.

 

Dodger fans seem to be under the impression that Wallach was a Top 10ish guy in their system. Judging from the scouting report and performance, I'd probably slot Wallach in the 11-15 range in our system.

[mookie]

Dodger fans hate this deal.

 

I'm feeling better about it already!

 

I am thinking the Dodgers fans will like the deal a little bit more when they see how awesome Lilly is and develop a blind spot for Theriot.

[rawaction]

Is DeWitt a rental or is he under a few years of team control? Any chance he'll thrive in the more hitter friendly Wrigley? Again, it makes me wonder if Fontenot will be dealt in the next few hours. I remember the Red Sox having mild interest in him at 1 point.

 

 

Dewitt actually hits better in LA than on the road.

[Outshined_One]

Another thing worth noting about DeWitt is that he's a very good defender at 3B. He probably won't hit enough to justify being there long term, but he can definitely hold down the fort over there if Ramirez opts out.

[Butterscup1679666578]

I like the trade. I think DeWitt's got decent upside to him and Wallach sounds pretty decent. Hendry's done worse in the past. And Theriot is gone, thank the lord.

[Guest]

At least we didn't lose much on the grit factor by getting DeWitt back.

[inari]

Blake DeWitt seems kinda like a Theriot clone to me.

[CUBZ99]

Is DeWitt a rental or is he under a few years of team control? Any chance he'll thrive in the more hitter friendly Wrigley? Again, it makes me wonder if Fontenot will be dealt in the next few hours. I remember the Red Sox having mild interest in him at 1 point.

 

DeWitt, 25 next month, is having a better season than Theriot at .270/.352/.371. He's under team control through 2014, so the Cubs acquired a long-term asset for second base. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein calls his the "prettiest swing you'll see never turned into results," calling DeWitt a "constant source of disappointment" for the Dodgers.

 

I guess that answers my question.

 

Maybe Rudy J. can work some magic on him.

[sneakypower]

i actually do trust Hendry when it comes to scouting pitchers

[dew1679666265]

Is DeWitt a rental or is he under a few years of team control? Any chance he'll thrive in the more hitter friendly Wrigley? Again, it makes me wonder if Fontenot will be dealt in the next few hours. I remember the Red Sox having mild interest in him at 1 point.

 

DeWitt only has just over a year of major league service time, meaning we've got him cheap for a while and under team control for longer. He's also only 24 (turning 25) so he could develop a bit more.

 

Trading Fontenot would make sense, but I don't know that any team still is looking for a middle infielder.

[Guest]

Official Press Release:

 

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired infielder Blake DeWitt and minor league right-handed pitching prospects Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach from the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot and a cash consideration.

 

DeWitt, 24, is a career .262 hitter (176-for-673) with 31 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs in 230 games covering the last three seasons with the Dodgers. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound DeWitt has seen action in his major league career at second base (107 games), third base (109 games) and shortstop (two games).

 

The left-handed batter and right-handed thrower is batting .270 (69-for-256) with 15 doubles, four triples, one home run, 30 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .352 on-base percentage in 82 games with the Dodgers this season. He has made only seven errors in 358 total chances at second base this season, good for a .980 fielding percentage.

 

Originally selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2004 Draft (28th overall), DeWitt had not played above the Double-A level before making the Dodgers 2008 Opening Day Roster at the age of 22. He began that season as the Dodgers Opening Day third baseman and completed the campaign as their everyday second baseman, helping the club to the National League Championship Series.

 

DeWitt has been a member of the Dodgers Opening Day roster three seasons in a row despite not turning 25 until next month (August 20). He batted .264 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 52 RBI in 117 games for the Dodgers in 2008. Last year, DeWitt split the season between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Dodgers and had six different stints with the big league club, batting .204 (10-for-49) in only 31 major league contests. He is a native of Sarasota, FL.

 

Kyle Smit has reached the Double-A level this season at the age of 22, combining to go 5-3 with six saves and a 2.35 ERA (14 ER/53.2 IP) in 37 minor league appearances (one start) between Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Chattanooga. Smit began the season with Inland Empire and posted a 1.74 ERA (9 ER/46.2 IP) in his 33 relief appearances to earn the promotion to Chattanooga, where he did not allow a run in three relief appearances. Combined between the stops, Smit has a 1.63 ERA (9 ER/49.2 IP) in 36 relief outings this year.

 

The righthander is 2-0 with five saves and a 0.72 ERA (2 ER/25.0 IP) in his last 18 relief appearances starting May 30. Overall this season, he has walked only 10 batters in 53.2 innings pitched, an average of 1.7 walks per nine innings, and opponents are batting only .191 (13-for-68) with runners in scoring position.

 

Smit was originally selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2006 Draft out of Spanish Springs High School in Sparks, NV. He is 11-22 with seven saves and a 5.16 ERA (156 ER/273.0 IP) in 105 career minor league appearances, including 40 starts.

 

Brett Wallach, 21, went 6-0 with a 3.72 ERA (35 ER/84.2 IP) in 17 starts for Single-A Great Lakes this season and struck out 92 batters in only 84.2 innings pitched, an average of 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The righthander limited opponents to a .230 batting average (73-for-317), including a .209 mark (40-for-191) by right-handed batters and a .262 mark (33-for-126) by lefthanders.

 

Originally selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2009 Draft, Wallach began the season ranked as the club’s No. 20 prospect by Baseball America and ended last year as the No. 16 prospect in the Pioneer League, where he went 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA (18 ER/31.0 IP) in 12 starts in his first season of pro ball with Ogden Rapids.

 

Wallach is the son of former Dodger player and current Dodger Triple-A Manager Tim Wallach. He is a native of Anaheim, CA and was drafted by Los Angeles out of Orange Coast College.

 

Ted Lilly went 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA (48 ER/117.0 IP) in 18 starts with the Cubs this season. Signed by the club to a four-year contract prior to the 2007 season, Lilly went 47-34 with a 3.70 ERA (290 ER/705.2 IP) in 113 starts with the Cubs during the last four seasons.

 

Ryan Theriot batted .284 (110-for-388) with 10 doubles, two triples, one home run and 21 RBI in 96 games with the Cubs this season. Originally selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2001 Draft, Theriot batted .287 (648-for-2254) with 91 doubles, 16 triples, 15 home runs and 174 RBI in 609 games covering all or part of six seasons with the club.

[mookie]

I think DeWitt has better plate discipline than Theriot. I will welcome a patient approach.

[Guest]

Blake DeWitt seems kinda like a Theriot clone to me.

We got more left-handed.

[JoshiQ]

I guess I'll give this trade a so-so. Not overwhelmed but it's not horrible either.

 

Which is exactly what we should have expected. We weren't exactly giving up CC Sabathia here. When you are trading a 34-year-old pitcher who is considered second-tier, you aren't going to get a top 5 prospect. It's a fine trade.

 

Pretty much agreed.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Dodger fans hate this deal.

Apparently they haven't seen Lilly pitch.

[rocket]

Blake DeWitt seems kinda like a Theriot clone to me.

 

except younger and cheaper, with the added bonus of 2 halfway decent pitchers. congrats2hendry

[Illini Iceman]

Thomas Diamond, come on down!! (or up I guess)

[haubrich91]

Dodger fans hate this deal.

 

I'm feeling better about it already!

 

Lmfao, that's great. From those posts, I get the feeling they hate Ned Coletti.

[Tim M]

Even Smit has a nice K/BB. Could potentially be a cheap middle relief option next year.

[ScrubMD]

Replacing Theriot with Dewitt is good, but I would have rather had Johnson. With giving $2m, I think we should have gotten more for Lilly, but I'm liking what I'm seeing on Wallach. This seems ok.

[hawkeyecub]

Blake DeWitt seems kinda like a Theriot clone to me.

 

except younger and cheaper, with the added bonus of 2 halfway decent pitchers. congrats2hendry

 

And better with more upside.

[dew1679666265]

i actually do trust Hendry when it comes to scouting pitchers

 

Yeah, the Archer/Gaub/Stevens trio is looking really good and Jose Ceda had a lot of potential as well if he could've kept his weight in check. Hendry likes his raw, high potential pitchers and that looks like what we got here.

[pccubfan]

Epic fail!

 

A 22 year old in Low A ball that isn't dominating and a 23 year old reliever.

 

If that is the expectation of what you would get out of a 1st round pick and a sandwich pick plus $2.5 million, then you need to change your scouting.

 

OR....

 

A recent 3rd round projectable RHP in his 1st year of professional baseball putting up nearly 10Ks per 9.

 

I don't know what I was looking at, I thought I saw 8k/9. The nearly 5 BB/9 makes me understand why the Cubs are interested. I'll retract my doom and gloom, but I still find this trade somewhat underwhelming.