So Long Dirty Sanchez

Looking upon the Sanchez/Schmoll for Seo/Hamulack deal, my thought is positive indifference (meaning I'm fine with the move, but it doesn't swing me toward excitement or disappointment) . Here's my positive and negative checklist:

Positive:

-Personally, I'd rather have a guy who throws 6-7 innings than a guy who throws 1, sometimes 2. Starters are harder to come by than relievers generally and while I like Sanchez's upside, this move allows LA to be more patient with Billingsley, Miller, Jackson, et al. Houlton moves to the pen as the "swing man", even though I would have been more than fine with him as the 5th starter.

-The move makes them deeper at SP rather than relying on a Scott Erickson type to win the 5th starter's job. Lowe, Perez,Penny, Tomko and Seo give the Dodgers a set rotation with Houlton, Jackson, Billingsley all capable of stepping in. This is all before the spring training invites are sent out. This depth is important, given the fragile nature of pitchers in general. Also, if you are comfortable with the young guys taking a slot in the rotation, you should be comfortable with them taking relief roles as well.

-Picking up Hamuluck makes it less likely that the injury prone Kuo will be rushed. Just don't leave him in Vegas, where pitch counts are more apt to go through the roof.

-Jeff Weaver won't be getting a $9-10 million dollar paycheck from the Dodgers for the next 3 to 4 seasons, allowing for resources to be used elsewhere, if need be. In turn, LA receives compensation picks.

-I think Edwin Jackson, in the pen, can do what Sanchez does and is more capable of throwing 2 innings an outing than Sanchez is. It doesn't close the door on him starting and it gives him a chance to find some success at the major league level. If he has a bad game, he doesn't have to sit around for 4 days thinking about it. And really, why send him back to Jacksonville (where he's more than proven himself) or Las Vegas (which is a hell hole for pitchers)?

-Hee Seop has a buddy. Because all South Koreans automatically get along...right?

Negatives:

-Sanchez and Schmoll have upside. But which Sanchez is real? The one who came on near the end or the seemingly erratic aloof hurler who seemingly found the most inopportune times to melt down at times last year. His rising K rate makes me want to believe he's for real. I think people are afraid that he will turn into a dominant closer type and bite the Dodgers in the behind, but with Billy Wagner in front of him, the chance to do so won't be present.

-I have an affinity for submariners.

-Duaner Sanchez signed my then 5-year old cousin's baseball when we took her to her first Dodger game. Would Franquelis Osoria do that? Well...would he? And would she be able to read/say his name even if he did???

All the money seems to cancel out, except Sanchez will get to arbitration quicker...but that's still a couple seasons off. I'm more than happy with a Gagne/Braz/Jackson/Brox/Osoria/Wunsch/Houlton bullpen and see this as a low-risk/decent reward type of move.

If Seo doesn't work out as a 5th starter, what's really been lost? I see Sanchez doing fine for the Mets and Seo working out for LA. Hopefully, if this happens, fans don't consture this as a bad trade, as the mindset generally seems to be that unless one side rips the other off, it's not a worthwhile move. I see this helping both sides.

God speed, Steve Schmoll.