Once Kevin Brown returns to the rotation, Omar Daal will return to the bullpen according to manager Jim Tracy. He is rather unhappy with this development and has asked his agent to demand a trade from the Dodgers. Daal has pitched extremely well in his two starts and is left-handed. His salary is modest and in my opinion, we could use another good starting pitcher so that Redding can return to Triple-A or be moved to the pen. I am not sure what it would take in order to acquire Daal from LA, but Redding plus one of our top minor leaguers should do the job. But I am sure they would insist on Ward being included in any deal. They would probably have an interest in Jason Lane also. This may all be dreamcasting...but Daal would be a good fit. Here is a link to his game log so far this season: http://bigleaguers.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5/5009/pgst.html
I wouldn't want Daal. He may have had a good start, but over his career he has been an average starter at best. I am beginning to think Redding will be a bust, but I am not yet quite ready to give up on him. Ward, Lane or Redding would all be overpaying for a starting pitcher who would only be sent to the pen as soon as Wade Miller comes off the DL anyway. The starting pitching of this team has not been that bad. It is the bullpen and the hitting (occasionally) that hasn't necessarily been playing up to par. Redding as the 5th starter right now is not that bad assuming the other 4 are giving you quality starts, and I think they will, consistently. As soon as Miller comes back, we will once again have a very solid rotation from top to bottom. It seems a bit early to trade for another starter who is not content to be put into a lesser bullpen role if the team needs it.
Keep in mind that Daal's home park is the best pitcher's park in the league in Dodger Stadium. I like the guy, but I think he kinda resembles Octavio Dotel when aquired by the 'Stros, in that he wants to be a starter but with only 1 high quality pitch (in his case the curveball) he is best suited to a relief role. Considering the fact that he's 29, I'd rather stick with Redding, who's 6 years younger.
