Dodger Trade Is Puzzling to Some Teams

The five-player trade with the Detroit Tigers enabled the Dodgers to dump salary, unload the ineffective Mel Rojas, acquire a couple of young arms to restock a barren farm system and open a roster spot for Antonio Osuna.

However, at a time when there is a high premium on proven starting pitching, the industry reaction seemed to be that the Dodgers simply gave away Dave Mlicki--particularly in light of what they had been seeking for Mlicki from other clubs.

“We talked with the Dodgers about Mlicki last winter and they kept bringing up Jim Edmonds,” an Angel official said. “That was that.”

A Philadelphia scout said: “We had interest in Mlicki, but the Dodgers only wanted to talk about Randy Wolf [the former Pepperdine left-hander and Phillies’ top pitching prospect who has hurled seven shutout innings in each of two triple-A starts]. There was no way we could do that.”

Mlicki wasn’t pitching that often, which may have hurt his value. Of course, the Dodgers may have gotten more by retaining him until the July 31 trade deadline, but he was eating up a roster spot--never ticketed to start and a high-priced luxury as a long man in relief.

On the other hand, club management has said that 1999 is all about winning a championship, and the now-diminished pitching depth was a Dodger strength and necessary ingredient in that goal.

Robinson Checo, who comes from Detroit to join the Dodger bullpen, is something of a mystery. The 27-year-old Dominican right-hander was once an infielder in the Angel organization who was released after one season in the Dominican Summer League and resurfaced as a pitcher six years later in Japan. His stuff has long intrigued scouts, but he has gone from Boston to Detroit to the Dodgers in the last year alone, and he has a 1-3 major league record in seven games.

The arrival of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra, among others, turned the ‘90s into the decade of the shortstop. The ‘00s could be the decade of the third baseman.

Troy Glaus of the Angels and Adrian Beltre of the Dodgers seem to be shredding doubt with each inning--and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has long since removed any. The National League’s rookie of the year in 1997, Rolen is off to a smoking start with four home runs--a measuring stick of his yearly improvement.

He hit his fourth in the Phillies’ 41st game in ’97 and ended up with 21. He hit his fourth in the Phillies’ 19th game last year and ended up with 31. He hit his fourth Monday night, the Phillies’ eighth game. Said teammate Curt Schilling: “He’s an MVP candidate for what he brings to the table, offensively and defensively. . . . There’s nothing he can’t do.”

A biased view? Perhaps, but Florida Manager John Boles said: “If you had to start a team tomorrow, Rolen would be one of the top three. He’s going to be the next superstar.”

The Cincinnati Reds are excited about the early leadoff production from Mike Cameron--.294, three home runs, five runs batted in and two for three in stolen bases through eight games. The center fielder was obtained from the Chicago White Sox in an off-season trade for Paul Konerko, the former Dodger phenom who insists he never got a chance in Cincinnati after joining the Reds in the Jeff Shaw trade. The Reds say he never got a chance because he is one dimensional.

“Konerko is an AL player,” Manager Jack McKeon said. “He can hit, but that’s it. He’s a DH. Cameron is a five-tool player and all we have to do is get it out of him.”