Dodger Fans Wonder Where It Will All End

Just so I get this straight, in the event I may have to explain it to my grandchildren some day: The Dodgers trade arguably the best-hitting catcher ever for one who supposedly is better defensively but couldn’t hit a grapefruit if it was handed to him, and then turn around and trade him for a guy who, granted, once hit 41 homers but averages a homer every 21 at-bats and, by some accounts, might have to roll the ball back to the pitcher. Brilliant.

HANK HAZELWOOD, Huntington Beach

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Re: Bill Plaschke’s article about the trade of Mike Piazza and the acquisition of Todd Hundley:

Yes, I can come to a different conclusion than you. Although losing Mike Piazza was unfortunate, the trade was not. You seem to forget that the Dodgers wouldn’t give Mike the extra year and $91 million that the Mets did.

Mike’s greed, his unwillingness to settle for a little less to stay in L.A., forced the Dodgers to move him. Ultimately, the Dodgers have an excellent catcher, maybe not in Piazza’s league but certainly within striking distance, for a whole lot less money. Sure, Hundley’s elbow is a risk, but I agree with the Dodgers that it’s one worth taking.

MATTHEW KLIPPER, Hollywood

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When Todd Hundley’s signing is a banner sports headline, three things become clear: It’s early December, the NBA is on strike and L.A. has no pro football.

Still, I wish Hundley a comeback year because he has worked hard, and I wish Arnold Gooch a breakout year because I love the name.

VAL BUTLER, Irvine

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Let’s be as diplomatic as possible about this trade, shall we? What a worthless, meaningless, downright moronic exercise in idiocy! And, Malone calls himself a baseball man?

I beg to differ. After seeing what we’ve all seen, I call him an insecure, paranoid hack who makes Tommy look like Branch Rickey. He appears only to know anything about, or have any trust in, those he’s worked with in the past. What a lamebrained philosophy! What a limited, one-dimensional approach. Where, in the name of all that’s humane, is Fred Claire?

This trade is absolutely mind-boggling in its level of awesome stupidity! You know, if I didn’t have so much to say about it, I’d be speechless!

STEVE SMITH, Arcadia

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The freedom with which writers would spend teams’ money has always been a source of amusement to anyone reading the sports section. Still, you’d love to ask all those Times columnists how much of the Dodgers’ $52.4 million they’d have refunded as aging Randy Johnson began to fail in the waning years of his four-year contract.

RICHARD VARENCHIK, Valencia

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Looking for pitching in exchange for a Gold Glove fielder should sound familiar to the Angels’ Bill Bavasi. The last time he was faced with this challenge, he paid the Giants a million dollars and threw in J.T. Snow for Allen Watson.

Maybe this time Bavasi should just give Jim Edmonds away.

BARRY P. RESNICK, Orange

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Sure, Vaughn and Williams are fine ballplayers. But at their ages, it’s ridiculous to give Arky and Ted that kind of money.

ANDREW J. BYRNE, Alhambra