Paul DePodesta removed his telephone earpiece and emerged from his office moments after the non-waiver trade deadline passed Sunday. The Dodger general manager heaved a sigh and walked to the media dining room where he knew he would be peppered with questions.
No news was decidedly not good news. Yet it was all he had to offer.
The Dodgers desperately need a power hitter and a reliable relief pitcher but acquired neither despite what DePodesta characterized as relentless effort.
"We had serious talks with more than a dozen teams in the last few days," he said. "We made a last-ditch effort [Sunday] with our top three to four targets."
He shook his head and said, "Nobody moved."
He wouldn't comment on specific trade proposals, but baseball sources said outfielder-first baseman Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds and first baseman Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals were among players pursued by the Dodgers.
However, the Reds weren't eager to part with Dunn and would have done so only in exchange for top prospects and a proven pitcher.
The Royals wanted a top prospect and a proven hitter and also refused to pay any of the $25 million Sweeney is owed the next two seasons.
DePodesta said Dodger owner Frank McCourt placed no financial constraints on him.
"Actually, it was quite the opposite," he said. "There were guys with large contracts Frank urged us to look into acquiring."
By Sunday, DePodesta said, "We were adding dollars to try to close deals."
Trading one of the highly touted Dodger prospects was considered as well.
"For the right deal we would have traded anybody," DePodesta said.
But he wasn't going to mortgage the future by dealing several prospects to upgrade a team that is 11 games under .500 -- even though it trails first-place San Diego and Arizona by only four games in the weak National League West.
Although he didn't strengthen the team, he didn't weaken it, either. Some Dodger players were worried that a starting pitcher such as Jeff Weaver, Derek Lowe or Odalis Perez could have been traded. That might have been the equivalent of raising a surrender flag.
"We feel they are the strength of the club and we weren't going to trade one unless it made our team better," DePodesta said.
Dodger Manager Jim Tracy was encouraged that none of the other teams in the NL West made significant upgrades.
