Loaiza? why not, we tried Lima and Lawrence

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

Last year in August the Dodgers brought in veteran starter Esteban Loaiza after they claimed him off waivers. Loaiza started the year with a neck and wrist injury while in Oakland, just as he recovered from those injuries he went down with a knee injury. When he finally came back in August he had two very good starts in Oakland, in those two starts; 1-0 record with a 1.84 ERA. In Los Angeles he made five starts going 1-5 with a 8.34 ERA. Here are comments from Dodger GM Ned Colletti at the time of the acquisition...

"At this time of the year, we're looking for any way to improve the team, and Esteban is a talented veteran who we hope can contribute down the stretch and next season," said general manager Ned Colletti. He has a history of winning games and right now that's what's most important to our team." source MLB.com

Now that the Dodgers have signed Kuroda, Loaiza is the odd man out. He is scheduled to earn 7mm this year which is relatively cheap for a starter but awfully expensive for a reliever, especially for the Dodgers. Loaiza is a 36 y/o right handed veteran who is a two time All-star with a record of 125-112 and an ERA of 4.64. He has appeared in the playoffs three times (Yankees-Rangers-A's) as a starter for two teams and reliever for the Yanks (record 0-4- ERA 4.44). He pitched in the NL East for the Nats in 2005 going 12-10 with a 3.77 ERA. In 2003 he had an All-star season with the White Sox under then Mgr. Jerry Manuel (current Mets bench coach) going 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA in 34 starts (229 innings). If were going to sign one of these free agents and they want a multi-year deal Loaiza would be cheaper and is only signed for a year, opening the door for Pelfrey/Humber in "08" or he could fill the long reliever roll until El Duque goes down......

Dodgers signed RHP Hiroki Kuroda to a three-year, $35.3 million contract.Kuroda gets a $7.3 million signing bonus, $5 million in 2008, $10 million in 2009 and $13 million in 2010. He had a chance to get a four-year deal from the Dodgers or another team, but he decided three years was best for him. In Los Angeles, he'll be the third or fourth starter in a rotation that will also include Brad Penny, Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. Jason Schmidt figures to be the fifth starter if healthy. Esteban Loaiza could go to the bullpen if the team is unable to dump his contract. source Rotoworld