Padres' deal for Hansen trumped by L.A.

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Friday, July 30, 2004 11:46 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- The Padres got the left-handed hitter that they were seeking to complete their bench. By 1 p.m. today, the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers could have a prize of significantly higher value.

During their 12-3 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night, the Padres announced the acquisition of Seattle infielder Dave Hansen, a utilityman who played in San Diego last season, in exchange for Single-A pitcher Jon Huber.

But as this afternoon's nonwaiver trading deadline approached, the Padres' minor deal was drastically overshadowed by the major movements of National League West-leading Los Angeles, which pulled off a six-player trade with Florida in anticipation of a final run at Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson and/or center fielder Steve Finley.

The Dodgers made the risky move of disrupting the prime personnel of a first-place club, trading catcher Paul Lo Duca, reliever Guillermo Mota and right fielder Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins for pitcher Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi and Double-A pitcher Bill Murphy.

The Dodgers also agreed in principle to a deal that would bring in Colorado catcher Charles Johnson for a minor-league prospect. The Dodgers are waiting to learn if Johnson will waive his no-trade clause.

Both trades are widely believed to be a prelude to a possible follow-up for either Randy Johnson or Finley.

"We don't have any deal with Arizona right now," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said Friday night. "We're continuing to try to do other things. I've talked to three other GMs in the last 20 minutes."

Padres GM Kevin Towers said he planned to keep working the phones until today's deadline, but it wasn't clear whether Finley remained in his sights. The former Padre, who has veto power over any trade, has said his first choice is to return to San Diego.

Besides Finley, Towers' priority was to add a left-handed hitter to the bench, and Hansen fits the bill. The 35-year-old veteran was batting .282 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 57 games for the Mariners this season. He hit .244 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 110 games for the Padres last year before getting traded to Seattle in January as part of the deal that brought Jeff Cirillo to San Diego.

Hansen is expected to be in uniform today.

"We're excited to have him back," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "We know Dave, he's a great guy in the clubhouse. It'll be nice to have him off the bench. I think he'll help this club."

The 23-year-old Huber, a fifth-round pick in the 2000 draft, was 8-6 with a 3.70 ERA for Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Earlier Friday, the Padres were close to a deal for Texas designated hitter Brad Fullmer in exchange for Triple-A infielder Jake Gautreau. But the trade fell apart over the Padres' concerns that Fullmer, who is on the disabled list with a sore right knee, wouldn't be healthy by his Aug. 9 activation date.

DePodesta said the Dodgers don't need to acquire Randy Johnson or Finley today for the trade with the Marlins to be considered a success. He acknowledged that surrendering Lo Duca and Mota, the top setup man for ace closer Eric Gagne, was difficult, but that he made the trade with an eye toward the postseason.

Both Penny and Charles Johnson have playoff experience.

"We want to get to October, but we also want to do something once we're there," DePodesta said. "We felt we needed to do something about the top of the rotation. If we're lucky enough to get there, we feel we're much better set up for a short series."

Lo Duca struggled to hold back tears upon his departure.

"It's hard because this is the only organization I've ever known," said Lo Duca, who was a 25th-round draft pick in 1993. "It's difficult because I've made a lot of friends."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.