SL1 Chattanooga Lookouts

Dodgers Acquire Lilly and Theriot from Cubs for Dewitt, Smit and Wallach

Published on July 31, 2010 under Southern League (SL1)
Chattanooga Lookouts News Release


LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder Blake DeWitt and minor league right-handed pitchers Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.

"We've been looking to improve our rotation and with Ted, we feel like we've got a very good group of starting pitchers for the stretch run," said Colletti. "Ryan is versatile and can help us in the middle of the diamond as a nice complement to our existing infielders.

"Of all the times I've had to tell a player he was traded, this was one of the toughest telling Blake DeWitt," Colletti added. "His professionalism, his passion and who he is made doing this one of the toughest moves I've made."

Lilly, 34, has a 106-92 career record and 4.21 ERA in 12 seasons with the Expos, Yankees, A's, Blue Jays and Cubs. He has reached double figures in victories in each of the past seven seasons, including 12 or more wins in six of the last seven.

The Torrance native joins the Dodgers 12 years to the day that he was traded as a minor league farmhand. On July 31, 1998, Los Angeles acquired Mark Grudzielanek, Carlos Perez and Hiram Bocachica from the Montreal Expos in exchange for Lilly, Peter Bergeron and Jonathon Tucker.

On June 14 of this season, Lilly took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Juan Pierre came off the bench to break up the bid. On May 10, 1997, Lilly threw a no-hitter against Lake Elsinore for Single-A San Bernardino in the Dodgers' farm system.

This season, Lilly is 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts, as he has received the lowest run support in the Major Leagues (2.31).

Theriot, 30, has played 66 games at second base and 29 at shortstop this season, committing just nine errors. In 96 total games, the right-handed hitter is batting .284 with one homer, 21 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 22 attempts. In parts of six big league seasons, Theriot has a .287 lifetime average and .350 on-base percentage.

The Louisiana native finished sixth in the NL with a .308 average and eighth with a .387 on-base percentage in 2008.

He is under the Dodgers' control through 2012.

DeWitt, 24, was batting .270 with one homer and 30 RBI in 82 games for Los Angeles. In three big league seasons, the Missouri native has a .262 average with 12 homers and 86 RBI. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.

Smit, 22, is 5-3 with a 2.35 ERA and six saves in 37 games for Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Chattanooga. He was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

Wallach, 21, was 6-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 17 games for Single-A Great Lakes. He was originally selected in the third round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. His father, Tim, is a former Dodger and the current manager of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes and his brother, Matt, also plays in the Dodgers' farm system. The two-time defending National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture, have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League since moving to Los Angeles. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 185 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport. Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at www.dodgers.com. For media information, visit www.dodgerspressbox.com.

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Southern League Stories from July 31, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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