In a word, well, two words: Why not?

Truth is, David Wells may or may not be the answer to the Dodgers' current pitching woes.

At 44 years old, coming off a shaky stretch of outings before his release earlier this month by the San Diego Padres, the veteran left-hander amounts to a last-gasp hope by Los Angeles as it seeks to stay in touch in either the National League West or wild-card races.

The pitcher called Boomer will pitch tonight in the Dodgers' road matchup with the New York Mets. If all goes well, he could start next weekend against the Padres.

The best thing about the move is the cost or risk to the Dodgers.

Namely, nothing. Nil. Nada.

The distinction is important because the Dodgers appear to recognize the need to safeguard their most precious commodity. That would be the future or, more to the point, the young players that seemingly offer a bright future.

It would have been easy, of course, for the Dodgers not to get to this point in the 2007 season.

If the focus was entirely on this season, and a segment of Dodgers fans will argue that it should be on this season, then Los Angeles would have pulled the trigger on a major deal before last month's trading deadline.

It would have been a simple matter to procure a strong starting pitcher to aid in the stretch drive — if only the organization would have been willing to part with one or two of its valued prospects.

Matt Kemp could have been swapped. Or Chad Billingsley. Or any of a number of young players from a farm system currently touted as among the best in major league baseball.

Instead, the Dodgers did absolutely the best thing they could have done. They made no deals at the deadline, resisting the temptation to hock a bit of the future.

The Dodgers, as their fans can tell you, have been a sorry player in postseason ever since the 1980s. It is tempting for the organization to go-for-broke when the opportunity arises. Like, say, this year.

But it is much wiser to trade one season of potential glory for five, six, seven or more. With the young players now on the roster, or close to earning spots on the roster, the Dodgers have a chance to rival their glory years in the very near future.

Signing Wells may or may not pay off this season. But it marks a philosophy that will surely pay dividends for years to come.

— Loren Ledin is a staff writer for The Star. His e-mail address is lledin@VenturaCountyStar.com.