Dodgers trade Pierre to White Sox
The Chicago White Sox on Tuesday agreed to acquire outfielder Juan Pierre(notes) from the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor league pitchers to be named later.
Pierre
The Dodgers will pay about half of the $18.5 million that remains on Pierre's contract over the next two seasons, and the White Sox's renovation of their outfield – Jermaine Dye(notes), Scott Podsednik(notes), Dewayne Wise(notes), Brian Anderson(notes) out, Alex Rios(notes), Andruw Jones(notes), Pierre in –– appears done. Carlos Quentin(notes) remains.
Operating in a reserve role before and after Manny Ramirez's(notes) 50-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy, Pierre, 32, posted some of the best numbers of his career in what would be his final season in L.A. He had a .308 batting average, .365 on-base percentage and 30 stolen bases.
"Juan always put the Dodgers first, even when it wasn’t in his personal best interest," Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said. "In this day, that is a rare attribute. When he and I spoke at the end of the season, we agreed that if an opportunity presented itself in which his chance to play would be enhanced, we would pursue it and that’s what we’ve done. He deserved the chance to play more."
The Dodgers, meanwhile, continue to operate as though hamstrung by the pending divorce of owner Frank McCourt and wife Jamie. They've not been players in any major free agents or in high-profile trades that might have brought the pitching they need, as the likes of Roy Halladay(notes), John Lackey(notes) and Cliff Lee(notes) have changed hands in recent days.
