My hope is this move freed up enough money in the Cubs' budget to get a few of the overslot players they drafted or possibly a handful of good international signings. The money saved in this deal shouldn't be overlooked.
Looks like all those annoying Trixies will have to find another scrappy white guy to love irrationally. http://www.pe.com/imagesdaily/2008/04-08/x_dodgers_diamondbacks_baseba_400.jpg Hello, ladies.
The Dodgers are now the grittiest team in baseball. Ryan Theriot Scott Podsednik Jamey Carroll Casey Blake They lead the league in WHUFFs (white hustling utility fan favorites)!
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.
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.
He played pretty well in Atlanta, so I'm not too worried about his performance in Arizona. Plus, Theriot's going to ask for an unwarranted salary boost in arbitration in the offseason in any case, so I'd rather that money go to Johnson than him.