The perception around baseball is that the Dodgers' front office is dysfunctional and factional. Three executives -- all from different major league teams -- said last week his club had been frustrated in trying to conduct trade talks with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers tend not to respond to trade proposals as quickly or decisively as other clubs, leaving those executives wondering whether to approach Colletti, McCourt or one of the assistant general managers for a prompt response and whether scouting guru Logan White is whispering into McCourt's ear to hold onto the prospects.
The Dodgers say this is nonsense. Colletti solicited White's opinion on Saturday's trade, even dispatching him for a last-minute evaluation of the better of the two prospects, catcher Carlos Santana. White gave his blessing to trade the prospects.
Even without them, there is youth aplenty in Dodger blue. With McCourt's commitment to young players, not only last winter but through this trading season, it becomes increasingly apparent that Torre was not the best choice as the Dodgers' manager.
This is not to criticize Torre. He is the same manager in Los Angeles that he was in New York, but the needs are not the same.
With the Yankees, Torre calmed a veteran clubhouse, steadfastly buffering the players from ownership and media tempests.
Torre is more a head coach than a manager, delegating the teaching to his coaches. When the Dodgers staged a mini-camp for their top prospects last winter, Torre skipped part of the camp and, on the day he did show up, did not change out of street clothes. The Dodgers had given their approval; they already had dispatched him to China for a photo opportunity.
The Angels' players do not respect Mike Scioscia because he wears a championship ring or because he blocked home plate back in the day; they respect him because he straps on the catcher's gear and teaches how to block the plate on 90-degree days in spring training.
These Dodgers would have been better served with a younger, high-energy manager -- say, Torey Lovullo or Ron Wotus, two of the names on the candidate list that Paul DePodesta compiled three years ago, before McCourt fired him.
Torre said he was not surprised by how much the Dodgers' young players had to learn on the job and said he and his coaching staff work with them daily.
"I think we give them everything they need," Torre said. "I think we've given them attention and let them know what they need to know."
