The trade of Paul Lo Duca raises some fundamental questions.

Would you rather try to win with a true-blue Dodger, even if your chances of winning might be less than if you acquire outsiders?

Hypothetically, would you rather lose in the playoffs with Paul Lo Duca or win without him?

Will a pennant or World Series title be as sweet without Lo Duca?

What exactly does it mean to lose your team's heart and soul? Will it make Adrian Beltre play worse? Or Eric Gagne? Or Cesar Izturis?

* * *

I miss Paul Lo Duca already. For me, a title without him won't be as sweet as a title with him. I can picture him drowning his Dodger uniform in champagne and it saddens me that that won't happen.

But my feeling is that right now, Paul DePodesta has made the champagne more likely to come. Brad Penny and Hee Seop Choi for Guillermo Mota and Paul Lo Duca is a good trade. But it's up to each person, based on the questions above - and, of course, an evaluation of the numbers, simple and complex - to decide whether it was worth it.

Or, we can just wait and see. There's always that.

* * *

I might just stop here, though. I think I might just rather keep Penny, Jayson Werth and Edwin Jackson then trade them for Randy Johnson and Steve Finley. Johnson is added value but at a huge cost. Finley may not be added value at all.

And as for Charles Johnson - I want to think there's a better solution at catcher than him.

As of this morning:

vs. righties
Roberts, LF
Izturis, SS
Choi, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Bradley, CF
Green, RF
Cora, 2B
Ross, C

vs. lefties
Izturis, SS
Werth, LF
Bradley, CF
Beltre, 3B
Green, RF
Saenz, 1B
Hernandez, 2B
Ross, C

Or something like that.