'Good trade' for both teams as Lilly, Theriot go to Dodgers

Posted July 31, 2010 11:00 pm

By Bruce Miles

DENVER - The way the Cubs see it, they accomplished several things with Saturday's deadline deal.

They sent left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly, second baseman Ryan Theriot and about $2.5 million to the Los Angeles Dodgers for second baseman Blake DeWitt and minor-league pitchers Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach.

Even though they sent cash to the Dodgers, they netted about $2.5 million in savings considering the approximately $4 million Lilly has left on his contract and the just under $1 million Theriot has left.

They picked up a left-handed hitting second baseman who is 24 years old and has a .352 on-base percentage this year. The Cubs also added a couple of prospects to their pitching inventory in the minor leagues. Wallach is the son of former major-league hitter Tim Wallach.

Lilly, 34, is an impending free agent, so his contract was easy to move. Theriot had been supplanted at shortstop by Starlin Castro, and his offensive numbers have been way down from his career year of 2008.

"We felt once we moved Castro up to play short and the way it started to unfold as we drew out of the race, we felt that moving forward, acquiring somebody like DeWitt who we've always liked gives us something to get started on for next year," general manager Jim Hendry said.

"So that we felt was a good trade. Our scouts really liked both (pitchers). Wallach, the kid comes from tremendous stock. His father was a tremendous character and a quality big-league player for a long time.

"Our following of Smit the last few years has shown a tremendous improvement. He put himself on a lot higher category on our prospect list with the Dodgers, even from where he was a year ago. We're pleased with it. It's a good baseball trade for both clubs."

Speaking of next year, Hendry said he expects the Cubs to be in position to compete despite this money-saving move.

"We're not looking at any 'we can't compete and contend a year from now,' " he said. "We're going to go about it the rest of the way trying to find out as much as we can about the people we have.

"You'll see some more people from Iowa in the near future and another wave up in September, and we'll keep trying to grind it out to get to where we need to be heading into the off-season and then expect a very active off-season at that."

Lilly has been a stalwart since he signed a four-year, $40 million deal before the 2007 season. Poor run support put his record this year at 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA.

For his Cubs career, he was 47-34 with a 3.70 ERA. Since rumors were swirling for days, Lilly wasn't shocked.

"In a way, no, and in a way, it did," he said. "I kind of thought that at this point it had gone so far that maybe it would just kind of all pass. I think I'm going to a really good place, to a team that has aspirations of winning the World Series, and that's a fortunate thing for me to be a part of.

"Short of winning a World Series here, I couldn't have asked for a better experience in my career. I couldn't ask for a better place to play, teammates to play with, fans to play for, all the way from the coaching staff to the front office.

"I really enjoyed my experience all the way around, and I'm going to never forget the times that I had here. This is a tough concept to grab right now.

"It's not something that I'm overly excited about because I'm going to miss a lot. I think when I go over there and I put a Dodger uniform on and I meet my new teammates and I start competing with them, I'll really enjoy it."

Of course, Lilly can come back as a free agent in the winter.

"I think everyone knows everyone would always want Ted Lilly on their team when he's healthy and going good," Hendry said. "I wouldn't close the door to that."

However, the two sides never did get close on an extension.

"I think that I voiced my opinion as to what I'd prefer, but there's reasons that go into it," Lilly said. "I imagine money is certainly one of them. But I really don't know for sure. I would only imagine they're going to try to do what's necessary to put the club in position again for 2011. Maybe I'm a part of that. Maybe I'm not."

Theriot, 30, was a career Cub, having been drafted in 2001. He had a .387 on-base percentage in 2008, when the Cubs had the best record in the National League. However, his offense has slipped since then.

"You never want to go," he said. "Obviously, with an organization from draft day to the major leagues is something special.

"But you know in the same breath, it's exciting. I'm going to a place that has a wonderful tradition. It's obviously all about winning and have a really good chance of doing that. These guys contend every year, and I'm going there to be a part of that."

Ryan Theriot Associated Press

Coming to the Cubs

• Blake DeWitt, infielder

Age: 24, native of Sarasota, Fla.

Bats: left Throws: right

Size: 5-11, 175 pounds

Career stats: .262 hitter with 31 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs in 230 games over last three seasons with the Dodgers.

This season: Hitting .270 with 15 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 30 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .352 on-base percentage in 82 games

• Kyle Smit, RHP

Age: 22, native of Sparks, NV

Size: 6-3, 265 pounds

This season: 5-3 with 6 saves and a 2.35 ERA (14 ER/53.2 IP) in 37 minor league appearances (one start) between Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Chattanooga. He is 2-0 with 5 saves and a 0.72 ERA (2 ER/25.0 IP) in his last 18 relief appearances starting May 30.

• Brett Wallach, RHP

Age: 21, a native of Anaheim, CA

Size: 6-2, 185 pounds

This season: 6-0 with a 3.72 ERA (35 ER/84.2 IP) in 17 starts for Single-A Great Lakes this season and struck out 92 batters in only 84.2 innings pitched, an average of 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Wallach is the son of former Dodger player and current Dodger Triple-A Manager Tim Wallach.

Going to Los Angeles

• Ted Lilly, LHP

This season: Lilly went 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA (48 ER/117.0 IP) in 18 starts.

• Ryan Theriot

This season: Theriot batted .284 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR and 21 RBI in 96 games

• Cash: LA gets $2.5 million to cover Lilly's contract, which saves Cubs about $1.75 million.

Source: Chicago Cubs

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