The Dodgers had to know that Nomar Garciaparra wouldn’t be able to keep in one piece at shortstop. He has a sprained MCL and will be out indefinately. Garciaparra has played in 27 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 24 for 86 (.279 avg, .849 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 5 homers and 19 RBIs. Nomar still has game as he has only whiffed 4 times this season. Angel Berroa will take back over as the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. He has played in 37 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 18 for 87 (.207 avg, .519 OPS) with 10 runs scored and 4 RBIs. The Dodgers will look to add a shortstop prior to Thursday’s trading deadline.

The Dodgers have a need in the starting rotation and for a shortstop as Nomar Garciaparra can’t be counted on to stay healthy. With that in mind 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Andre’ Ethier could be on the move. Most teams are asking for Matt Kemp in trades but the Dodgers would be smart to sub Ethier and other parts in trades for help. Ethier has played in 92 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 93 for 339 (.274 avg, .787 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 11 homers, 45 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. With Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones making so much money this season it is hard for the Dodgers to put them on the bench despite the fact that Ethier has outplayed both of them this season. Still, Ethier has some trade value because he’s young and productive.

The Dodgers were tired of watching Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche playing at 3B so they traded for 35-year old Casey Blake to man the hot corner. It did not come cheap as the Dodgers had to give the Indians 24-year old righty pitcher Jonathan Meloan and 22-year old switch hitting catcher Carlos Santana. Blake should be a upgrade offensively for the Dodgers at 3B. Blake has played in 94 games this season for the Indians and he was 94 for 325 (.289 avg, .830 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 11 homers and 58 RBIs. Blake is a very dependable, hard nosed player so he should fit right in on the Dodgers. Blake has now played in 859 games in his major league career and he is 820 for 3,093 (.265 avg, .782 OPS) with 447 runs scored, 118 homers, 424 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Blake should be a big upgrade over rookie Blake DeWitt who started the season fast but he has been fading lately. DeWitt has played in 88 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 72 for 280 (.257 avg, .688 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 5 homers, 35 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Andy LaRoche has been playing lately at the hot corner but his play inspired the Dodgers to make this trade. LaRoche has played in 27 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 12 for 59 (.203 avg, .641 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.

Jonathan Meloan was the #8 prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system heading into this season according to Baseball America. The Dodgers decided to convert Meloan into a starting pitcher and it has not worked out too well in AAA this season. He has pitched in 21 games (20 starts) in AAA this year and he is 5-10 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Meloan did get to pitch in 5 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last season and it didn’t go to well as he was 0-0 with a 11.05 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP. 22-year old switch hitting Carlos Santana just converted to catcher this season and he has been ripping the baseball in the minors. Santana has played in 99 games in A-Ball this season and he is 113 for 350 (.323 avg, .994 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 14 homers, 96 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

This was a good trade for the Dodgers as they are trying to win right now. Getting Casey Blake should add some pop and stability to the Dodgers’ lineup.

The Dodgers got sick of watching Angel Berroa and Luis Maza kicking the baseball around so they moved Nomar Garciaparra to shortstop after he returned from the D.L. and he’s been hitting well. Garciaparra is 15 for 49 (.306 avg, .938 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs in July. The Dodgers should still be looking for help at shortstop as depending on Garciaparra could be risky because of the fact that he is brittle. He also doesn’t appear to have the range to play decent defense at shortstop anymore. Still, he has helped the team by being unselfish and giving it a go at shortstop.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed outfielder Delwyn Young on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain. Young has played in 69 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 28 for 113 (.248 avg, .651 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. This will hurt the Dodgers a little bit as they have not had much production off the bench. In fact, they may be on the hunt for bench help before the trade deadline next week.