Wells Lands With Rivals

Matt Kemp and James Loney will change into familiar uniforms today and Ned Colletti can extract his heels from the place he dug in and refused to budge.

Thanks to Colletti’s resolve, the coveted prospects will travel from triple-A Las Vegas and join the Dodgers when rosters expand instead of joining the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitcher David Wells.

The 43-year-old left-hander was dealt to the San Diego Padres, who are hopeful the acquisition could make the difference in the tight National League West race.

The Dodgers didn’t stand pat, though, picking up versatile left-handed hitter Marlon Anderson from the Washington Nationals for rookie league pitcher Jhonny Nunez and $400,000 moments before the 9 p.m. deadline for players to be eligible for the postseason with their new teams.

The Dodgers sought Wells, a left-handed starter with impeccable control and a wealth of postseason experience, to round out a rotation that already has improved with the additions of veteran Greg Maddux and rookie Chad Billingsley.

But Colletti, the first-year Dodgers general manager, could not bring himself to give up the power-hitting Kemp, the smooth Loney or other premium prospects such as third baseman Andy LaRoche and left-handed pitcher Scott Elbert.

Even when it meant Wells would be traded to the Dodgers’ primary rivals.

“The price never came down, and at some point it went up,” Colletti said. “We didn’t need somebody so bad we’d give up more than one guy.

“I’m not afraid to make a move. But you have to do what is right. This time of year, I expect to pay a bit of premium, but I’m not going to pay five times the premium.”

The Red Sox received triple-A catcher George Kottaras, who has a high on-base percentage and is considered average defensively. The Red Sox need a catcher to back up Jason Varitek, who is under contract through 2008.

The playing field was tilted toward the Padres for several reasons. Wells is from San Diego and recently built a home in Rancho Santa Fe. Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein worked under Padres General Manager Kevin Towers and has a strong relationship with others in the Padres’ front office, including Sandy Alderson and former Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta.

“I think we got one of the biggest big-game pitchers there is,” Towers said. “We’re getting him at a hot time. His last four starts have been exceptional. This guy thrives this time of year, in September games, in pennant races.

“I’m really hoping David’s going to be a difference-maker in this division.”

Colletti, who was lauded for his moves at last month’s non-waiver trading deadline, said he wasn’t disappointed.

“We did a lot throughout July,” he said. “We’ve seen dividends to date. At the same time you are held accountable to a certain standard. And part of that standard is not paying such a premium for one player that you weaken yourself in other areas for a long time to come.”

Some of the worst trades in baseball history have been made by teams dealing top prospects for a veteran during a pennant race.

In 1991, the Red Sox traded prospect Jeff Bagwell for reliever Larry Andersen, who appeared in only 15 games the rest of the season. Bagwell, of course, was rookie of the year in 1991 and went on to hit 449 home runs.

In 1997, Derek Lowe and Varitek were traded by the Seattle Mariners for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb, who was 0-4 down the stretch. Lowe and Varitek became All-Stars and World Series standouts.

Colletti has held on to most top Dodgers prospects since becoming general manager in November, and they have continued to develop.

Loney, an exceptional first baseman who also can play outfield, leads the Pacific Coast League with a .380 batting average. Kemp had four hits Wednesday to raise his average to .368.

Both players have had productive stints with the Dodgers already. Kemp played 37 games at midseason, batting .279 with seven home runs. Loney was called up the first week of the season when Nomar Garciaparra was injured, then came up again for a short time, batting .264 in 30 games.

LaRoche, who is expected to be promoted after the triple-A season ends Monday, has 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in for Las Vegas and double-A Jacksonville. Elbert has struck out 170 in 146 innings with a 2.82 earned-run average for Jacksonville and Class-A Vero Beach.

With rosters expanding from 25 to 40, more reinforcements are on the way. Backup catcher Einar Diaz will come up from Las Vegas today, left-handed reliever Tim Hamulack will join the Dodgers on Monday and a few more triple-A players could be promoted Tuesday, the day after the Pacific Coast League season ends.

Anderson, who can play infield and outfield, batted .274 for the Nationals. He led the majors in pinch-hits from 2004 to 2005 with 35 and has seven pinch-hit home runs. Anderson is under contract next season for $925,000, and the Nationals will pay nearly half.

The lingering question without Wells is the starting rotation. Mark Hendrickson has not pitched well, and Brad Penny has shown signs of fatigue.

Aaron Sele, a pleasant surprise in the first half and mop-up reliever the last month, could get another shot. Left-handed rookie Hong-Chih Kuo, a reliever early in the season, pitched well as a starter the last six weeks in Las Vegas and could get a start.

“Our options are going to have to come from within,” Colletti said. “It’s like it’s been all year. Players yearn for opportunities, and with as many injuries as we’ve had and how the season has transpired, opportunity has presented itself on a number of occasions. We’ll see who wants it and who can succeed at it.”

steve.henson@latimes.com

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Heating up

The Dodgers went 21-7 in August, one of their best months since moving to L.A.

*--* MONTH, YEAR RECORD PCT April 1977 17-3 850 July 1962 20-6 769 May 1962 21-7 750 July 2004 21-7 750 August 2006 21-7 750 July 1985 20-7 741 July 1997 20-7 741 April 1974 17-6 739 April 1981 14-5 737 Sept.-Oct. 1965 22-8 733 April 1972 11-4 733

*--*

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Anderson’s record

The career statistics of Marlon Anderson, acquired Thursday by the Dodgers from Washington:

*--* Year Team AB R H HR RBI AVG 1998 Philadelphia 43 4 14 1 4 326 1999 Philadelphia 452 48 114 5 54 252 2000 Philadelphia 162 10 37 1 15 228 2001 Philadelphia 522 69 153 11 61 293 2002 Philadelphia 539 64 139 8 48 258 2003 Tampa Bay 482 59 130 6 67 270 2004 St. Louis 253 31 60 8 28 237 2005 New York (NL) 235 31 62 7 19 264 2006 Washington 215 31 59 5 23 274 Totals 2903 347 768 52 319 265

*--*

Source: mlb.com