Big trade a disaster for Dodgers

One of the fun things about language is those little metaphors that spice things up, like hot peppers on a juicy sandwich. One of my favorites is a reference to a Greek king that fought the Romans and, despite winning a war, faced casualties and destruction on such a large scale that he allegedly remarked that another such glorious victory would utterly destroy him.

That king, Pyrrhus, provides the historical background for the commonly used term "Pyrrhic victory," and no metaphor as accurately describes the situation the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in after rolling the dice on one of the biggest blockbuster trades in baseball history.

It's no secret that one of the reasons the Dodgers have such a bleak offense is the complete lack of production at first base. After James Loney's promising .331/.381/.538 season at age 23, he's been a yearly disappointment, hitting only .278/.336/.402, with the most interesting question being when the Dodgers would stop tendering him a contract. Loney's .254/.302/.344 line this year would be a solid line if he were a tremendous defensive shortstop. At first base, a player hitting like that is more giant vortex of mediocrity, consuming runs that the team needs to win games.

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