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Dodgers: Former GM Ned Colletti Talks Trade Deadline For Los Angeles

Is there anyone more accustomed to this time of year than former Dodgers’ general manager Ned Colletti? Without question, no one knows the craftsmanship of a July 31st trade better than the man himself.

Now – in a very interesting segment – Colletti went on AM570 LA Sports to talk about things for the Dodgers to consider at the trade deadline.



First off, Colletti points out that not all players are a good fit for the pressure cooker of a pennant race. While a player might be having a great season for a non-contender, changing cities and places in the standings doesn’t always translate.

“A lot of teams on teams that are out of it and have been out of it for a while, you don’t know how that player is going to perform on the hottest lights and the biggest stage. There’s a vast checklist you have to be sure on.”

This really makes great sense – and it’s worth thinking about. Certainly, it’s easy to add a player on a bad team to the wish-list without considering there is a human element to all of it. Simply because a player is doing well in one city with a fixed set of variables does not mean you can just drop said player into a sold-out stadium and expect the same results. Furthermore, these things must be measured and considered with so many dollars and jobs riding on the line with every personnel decision.

Next, Colletti was asked if the Dodgers’ bullpen should be a concern or not.

“Obviously, it continues to be an area of great focus. I think you have two choices at this stage of your season with 12 days before the deadline. You may think you have a young starting pitcher sitting in the minor leagues and put some of your starters in the bullpen. There may be relievers you have who can go back and pitch the way they have before. You have to make that decision – and then you have to go shopping.”

Finally, Colletti points out the importance of the new deadline rule. This season, only one deadline will take place; different to previous seasons where a waiver deadline took place on August 31st. Furthermore, he says that this may leave many teams believing that they are still in the race and without willingness to sell.

In conclusion, there are few men I would like to listen to talking shop on trades than Colletti. His book The Big Chair is one of my favorite baseball reads ever. Within that book, he talks about the stress of this time of year in baseball; and a general manager’s impactful decisions.

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22 Comments

  1. Bullpen cost our Blue Wave 2 x games in Philly. Enough said about that. Our tradeables, (in my opinion) are JPede and KRuiz, maybe even RStrip. I would like to see Ruiz to Pitt for Vasquez. I would throw in a minor league mid level arm to facilitate the deal. Then JPede and another mid level bat to Cleveland for Hand. Add Vasquez and Hand and the bullpen becomes a strength.

    1. I am glad you are not the Dodgers GM…………and Vazquez is not even available for trade.

      1. Look, I live in the Bronx, drive a bus and my wife sounds like when you back up over a fat person. The Pirates are starting to fall away, they could use a catcher with promise like Ruiz. We dont need Ruiz. Deal from a position of strength. Why is my trade proposal so bad?

        1. Ralph, I agree with you! I think you are absolutely right…If Velasquez can be traded for Ruiz the Dodgers have Smith ahead of him and guys like Cartaya, Wong, Berman, Hernandez it is a position of strength for the Dodgers. Give them Ruiz and someone like Peters who is blocked or Rios. We need to give up a blue-chipper to get a great BP pitcher!
          The Dodgers will probably not trade Lux, Smith, or May but I would put everyone else on the table. But if you do trade a blue-chip talent it cannot be for a rental.
          I agree the Pirates are fading and have no chance to make the Wild Card as the Dbacks, National and Giants are surging along with the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers still fighting for the NL Central.
          Love your name “to the Moon, Alice!”

          1. Send Ruiz and a SP ranked no higher than 20 to the Bucs for Vasquez. As a throw in, make them take Astin Byrnes off of the MLB roster to create a spot for Will Smith. I think it’s a fair swap. Vasquez is a nasty man.

    2. Seriously,??? The gms in Pittsburgh

      Cleveland must be really dumb. Why do you guys always think we can get something for nothing? If yeah. They are really dumb.

      1. They get our 1 and another top 30 and that’s makes Pitt GM dumb for pulling the trigger? Why?

  2. Let us not forget, Friedman has made some huge boneheaded trades, so we are not out of the woods just yet.

  3. I wonder if Ned was specifically thinking about Manny when he said: “you don’t know how that player is going to perform on the hottest lights and the biggest stage”?

  4. It is obvious the Dodgers should make a trade to fortify the bullpen. The Giants have surged and are in competition for the WC so they may be out of it. The Pirates which had a glimmer of hope but no real chance have gone 3-7. They may be sellers. They would be smart to sell Velasquez as the teams above them the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals are better than they for next few years.
    The Indians should be sellers we shall see. Friedman has provided needed help in every run to the WS. They have traded a lot of talent in the last few years at the trade deadline.
    And while I agree he has made some bad deals that’s inevitable in baseball where it is not an exact science. As Colletti says you cannot tell how a player will react in your clubhouse and in the pressure cooker. Look at Josh Reddick he should have been a great addition instead he was terrible. But he has flourished in Houston. I think it is 70-80 looking at stats but the rest is how the player reacts. Look at Pollock he was not very good the first month then gets hurt comes back and so far is better. He was quoted as saying he was tense attempting to “prove” his worth.

  5. Seriously,??? The gms in Pittsburgh

    Cleveland must be really dumb. Why do you guys always think we can get something for nothing? If yeah. They are really dumb.

  6. I don’t think Friedman has made any bonehead trades during the trade deadline. Everyone wanted Machado and Darvish. It’s not Friedman’s fault these two guys couldn’t produce during the playoffs. No one could have predicted Machado would be a lazy ass and Darvish would fold under pressure.

    1. Darvish didn’t fold. He pitched the clincher in the first two series. Machado lazy? No. He is a world-class pro athlete. Those guys don’t achieve what they do by being lazy. You know who’s lazy? Working stiffs who accuse world-class pro athletes of being lazy. Machado is at the top of his chosen field. What do you do for a living?

  7. We need a top three available starter and a get out of my way bad ass bullpen arm.

  8. Stop already. Vasquez is not reality. Trade Pederson, Strip, Ruiz, White, another AA pitcher, n WE MUST KEEP Beatty , W SMITH N LUX. Bring up the latter 2 now. Lux at 2b this year, then move to SS next year, Seag to 3B n Turner to AL as DH or to 1B. Make Urias 5th starter

  9. You people who want the Dodgers to trade a blue chipper like Ruiz for a one-inning pitcher don’t know what you’re talking about. Ruiz has way more value than that.

  10. I laugh when I here people say things like we have to give up top prospects or we will never get a world series ring. Probably the same people who said in the preseason we have to sign Harper or we will never win a world series. You never know what may happen in baseball. Any number of teams can get hot in the post season and win the world series.

    1. You’re right. Even without a trade, a bullpen with Jansen, Urias, Maeda, Stripling and an improving Kelly looks pretty good.

  11. Trade Beatty, you must be joking.
    Trade that useless ball pen, cmon look at stats, since yalls are Stat freaks.
    A.J. Pollock, he’s valuable player we don’t really need.
    But the rest of the players are a team that works.

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