The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers swapped experience for youth, and vice versa.
Eleven games under .500, the Cubs sent veteran starter Ted Lilly and 30-year-old second baseman Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers, who are 4 1/2 back in the NL wild-card race, for 25-year-old second baseman Blake DeWitt and two minor leaguers, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports.
Lilly has been steady in his four-year career as a Cub, starting 113 games and holding a 3.70 ERA and 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. His 3-8 season record is deceiving, for his stats this season remain similar to those of years past. The left-hander maintains a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts — 12 of them quality starts.
In the past, Theriot has consistently been a model at getting on base, yet has had his worst season to date in 2010. The infielder’s average is a respectable .284, but his on-base percentage is only .320, the lowest of his career. A wily veteran, Theriot was the Cubs’ starting shortstop for three years before moving to second base this season and will likely fill the vacancy at second base created by DeWitt’s departure.
DeWitt has had a better season than Theriot, hitting a slightly less .270 but getting on base at a .352 clip. What appeals more to Chicago is his younger age and four more years on his contract, giving the Cubs a long-term answer in the infield. DeWitt has knocked in 30 RBIs and scored 29 runs.
Minor leaguers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit also are heading to Chicago. Baseball America rated Wallach as the Dodgers’ 20th-best prospect to start the year and believes he can blossom into a No. 3 pitcher. In low-A ball this season, Wallach is 6-0 with a 3.72 ERA and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings ratio in 17 starts.
Smit is an up-and-coming reliever who has transitioned from high-A ball to Double-A this season. A 2006 fifth-round pick, Smit holds a 2.35 ERA in 37 appearances.
