Ok, I'm going to explain my side of the argument as best as possible. Had the Dodgers kept Mota and LoDuca they would of been taking on more money then just Brad Penny, a lot more in fact.
According to Depodesta the Dodgers payroll is a lot smaller this year. There pitching staff would of been in bigger dissaray had they not made that deal because Penny wouldn't be on the staff and then they wouldn't of had the money to resign Odalis Perez, leaving them Weaver and Ishii.
Basically put, Depodesta has to move payroll before doing anything else. And there were no reports on Penny being injured prior to the trade. However, Penny has long been a guy who has a black flag on him because they think he may be prone for an injury.
Now you can definately question the motives of the deal last year considering it was a penant race, but had Penny been healthy the Dodgers would of had a better shot with him in the rotation then LoDuca and Mota, imo. The Dodgers lacked front line pitching and needed it.
Letting Finley walk came down to financial issues and the Dodgers didn't have the money for both him and Drew so they opted for Drew.
I see reason for arguments, but people are giving the man no time. He's agressive and an upgrade over Dan Evans. Would I take him over Kenny, no, but I'm a rare Ken Williams supporter although there seem to be more of them this offseason, especially if he lands Pyrz and/or Iguchi.