Dontrelle Willis to Dodgers Rumors Picking Up Steam

The D-Train might be puling into a new station soon and it cold be in Los Angeles as it seems that there may be some life to the current rumors that have Dontrelle Willis heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Willis has been rumored in trades since before he came into the major leagues and this may be the time that he is finally dealt.

The Dodgers are right in the middle of a very competitive playoff race in the National League West and the race will only get more intense as the season progresses. Add to that the fact that Jason Schmidt is now out for the season and the Dodgers would be extremely interested in any ace pitcher that popped up on the trade market.

Willis will definitely garner attention from around the league if he is put on the trading block. Willis has been a great pitcher since he came into the majors and he is 7-7 with a 4.72 ERA this season, in a very down year, but for his career he is 65-46 with a 3.59 ERA. Willis has a commanding fastball, a deceiving windup and he is a lefty. Willis also cannot become a free agent until 2009, adding to his value.

Adding Willis to a rotation that already has Cy Young candidate Brad Penny and Derek Lowe will make the Dodgers the favorites to win their division. Even though they still might not have the best pitching staff in the league, the Padres would probably still hold that honor, they would have a much better offense.

Add to all this the fact the fact that Willis has the kind of personality that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti loves, a hard-nosed player who is very personable and will work well with teammates, and the Dodgers will probably try to do all they can to pull the trigger on a trade for Willis.

Many other teams, headlined by the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, will be in the running to acquire Willis's services if indeed the Marlins do intend to trade him.

The Dodgers are currently 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres and they lead the wildcard race by two game.

Last season the National League West Division was not decided until the final day of the season. It looks this year like it might be the same story and Willis could go a long way to help the Dodgers be the last one standing.

Information from Willis's profile on MLB.com was used in this article.