Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Fetters shipped from LOS ANGELES >> Popularity only goes so far.
Dodgers to Bucs
The Iolani School product
is sent to Pittsburgh just
before the trading deadlineBy John Nadel
Associated PressThe Los Angeles Dodgers needed to shore up their bullpen but, to do it, they had to trade away Mike Fetters to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In return for the right-handed Fetters and minor league left-hander Adrian Burnside, the Dodgers acquired 38-year-old lefty Terry Mulholland shortly before yesterday's trade deadline.
The Dodgers also picked up Mike Trombley, a 34-year-old right-hander, from the Baltimore Orioles for a pair of minor leaguers -- right-hander Kris Foster and catcher Geronimo Gil.
The 36-year-old Fetters was 2-1 with one save and a 6.07 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the Dodgers this season. The former Iolani School standout made the team as a non-roster player last year, and went 6-2 with five saves and a 3.24 ERA in 51 games. He has appeared in 507 games in 13 big-league seasons.
Manager Jim Tracy said the deals give the Dodgers "two more chips to play with."
"With the two acquisitions we've made today, we've made our team stronger," Tracy said. "We didn't just acquire two guys -- we did a lot of homework about their character and how they would fit in to this clubhouse.
"These guys are going to add to it.
"Mike Fetters very definitely was a big part of the chemistry of this club, but in order to obtain the left-hander that we got, it was a situation where we just weren't going to be able to get the guy for nothing."
Mulholland and 44-year-old Jesse Orosco give the Dodgers two left-handed veterans in the bullpen. It's likely left-hander Jeff Williams will be sent to the minors when Mulholland's ready to pitch.
"We're fine with it," Orosco said of the trades. "It adds versatility to the bullpen."
Referring to Fetters, one of the most popular players in the Los Angeles clubhouse, Orosco said: "I'm bummed I lost my buddy."