Why are the Dodgers wasting Jim Thome?

Thome will see few at-bats the rest of this season.

I was trying to find a photo of Jim Thome wearing a Dodgers uniform for this post, but I couldn’t find one. You know why? Because no one’s seen him wearing one yet.

Since he was traded to L.A. a week ago, Thome has only batted twice. (He’s 1-for-2.) Which, of course, begs the question: Why did the Dodgers trade for Thome?

At first, it seemed like a pretty great move. Imagine MannyRamirez and Jim Thome in the same lineup  — as was once the case when they were both with Cleveland. But then there was talk that Thome probably wouldn’t even play, aside from the occasional pinch hitting appearance. For a guy who still has some punch to his bat, it seemed like kind of a bad deal — particularly for a 39-year-old slugger hoping to get to 600 homeruns.

First of all, Thome doesn’t even play the field any more, making him a poor choice for a National League team. Secondly, at the position he most recently played — first base — the Dodgers have a decent hitter (and better fielder), James Loney. But Thome — with 23 homers and 74 RBI, not to mention 564 career bangers — is clearly a bigger threat at the plate. (Loney only has nine homers.)

So why waste Thome?

At the current pace, he’s probably going to get fewer than 20 at-bats the rest of this season. And I can’t imagine him getting much more chances during the National League playoffs.

But, should the Dodgers make it to the World Series, they will need a DH. So call it arrogance, but getting Thome seems to be a strategic move for the World Series.

It’s too bad, though. Because Thome — or Mr. Incredible, to some — probably could have finished the season with several more bombs, possibly bumping the #12 career home run leader into the top ten (He’s five dingers from Rafael Palmeiro and nine from Harmon Killebrew.) Now he’ll just ride pine until the World Series.

Of course, Thome approved the deal because, he said, he wanted a shot at winning a ring, which wasn’t going to happen with the White Sox. But my question is: Can you really be proud of a ring if you had little nothing to do with the team’s success?

Of course, his ex team, the Phillies, might just prevent him from getting that ring.