It didn’t take long for former Winnipeg Goldeyes reliever George Sherrill to make his mark in Los Angeles.
Last Thursday, Sherrill, who played for the Goldeyes in 2002 and 2003, was traded to the Dodgers by the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two outstanding prospects: 22-year-old switch-hitting slugger Josh Bell and 21-year-old righthanded pitcher Steve Johnson.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers planned to use Sherrill as “an eighth and ninth inning guy,” the set-up man for closer Jonathan Broxton. However, with Broxton injured, Sherrill made his first appearance last Friday night in Atlanta as the set-up man for James McDonald.
With two runners on and nobody out in the seventh inning, Sherrill came in and struck out Nate McLouth and Kelly Johnson, walked Chipper Jones to load the bases and then struck out all-star catcher Brian McCann to end the inning. He got the hold as the Dodgers beat the Braves 5-0.
Then, on national television on Sunday night, Sherrill came in to face one batter in the eighth — Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones — and got Jones to fly to centre with two runners on and two out. The Dodgers went on to win 9-1.
“I just don’t understand why the Orioles would even think about trading George,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney on Friday night. “George can do so many things and at $2.75 million a year, he’s not that big a hit to your payroll. That move just won’t make any sense to me at all. Ever.”
No kidding, as we reported earlier, in Baltimore this season, Sherrill had a 2.40 earned run average with 20 saves in 42 appearances.
The Orioles have made a lot of dumb moves in recent years. Trading away a lefthanded closer who could also be a great set-up man or situational lefty, and who “only” makes $2.75 million a year is one of the dumbest.