Teams Exploring Deals for Juan Pierre

Well I just saw a story that will probably get a mixed reaction from Dodgers’ fans, although I would seriously doubt that there are Dodger fans that want to see Juan Pierre leave Los Angeles. However, there are Dodger fans that would rather see Pierre in the outfield instead of Manny Ramirez, but that’s a different debate for a different day.

There are rumors surfacing out there that three or four teams are exploring a deal for Pierre, in exchange for sending a “bad contract” pitcher to LA.

Now, go ahead and let the speculation begin as to who that pitcher might be. Of course, as you saw in the news story, Derek Lowe is not expected to be that guy. I couldn’t see the Dodgers making that deal anyways, so that’s no surprise. But, it does raise some questions as to who this pitcher will be.

There are probably a lot of Dodger fans, including myself, that don’t really know how to feel about this. One the one hand, Pierre has easily been one of the more valuable players on this team in recent years, due to his combination of hitting and speed, and his ability to cover very large parts of the outfield. But on the other hand, the Dodgers do need pitching.

Unless this start is someone that has proven to be consistent over the past year or so, I don’t think the Dodgers should let go of Pierre. I honestly believe that this could be the last good year LA gets out of Manny, so I’d much rather see Pierre sit on the bench for another year, and then let him take over in 2011. But that’s wishful thinking, because I just don’t see it happening.

We’ll keep following this situation, and I would expect that more details will probably continue to come out once we hit the winter meetings this upcoming week.