Bradley To LA



Looks like CSTB's fantasy of M.B. and Paul LoDuca spending mucho quality time together has come true. Paul DePodesta has added some offense to the Dodger lineup and it won't cost much. Monetarily, that is.

from the Associated Press :

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired troubled outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cleveland Indians on Sunday for a minor leaguer and a player to be named later.

Bradley, the Indians' cleanup hitter, was barred from Cleveland's training camp Thursday, one day after he was pulled from an exhibition game by manager Eric Wedge for not running out a pop fly. He then was optioned to the minors.

Cleveland received outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, 21, the Dodgers' minor league player of the year last season, when he hit .282 with 20 homers and 68 RBIs for Class-A Vero Beach.

"It's disappointing it didn't work out here," Wedge said before Sunday's exhibition game against Philadelphia. "We feel like we have to handle this thing appropriately and that's what we're trying to do."

Here's what the 2004 edition of the Baseball Prospectus had to say about Gutierrez :

Gutierrez continued to show massive power as a 20-year old, roping 44% of his hits for extra bases at Vero Beach, coupled with speed indictators that make for an intriguing combination. Like so many hitters in the Dodgers' farm system, however, Gutierrez lacks control of the strike zone. His long-term projection is strong, but we'd like to see him round out his game a little. He'll start next year in Jacksonsville, hopefully fighting the organization's emphasis on aggressiveness at the plate. In a few years, he could very well be Juan Gonzalez.

Posted: Sun - April 4, 2004 at 05:45 PM      

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