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Delmon Young was traded by Tampa Bay to Minnesota on Wednesday as part of a six-player deal that sent right-hander Matt Garza to the Rays.

Q. Will the Dodgers trade for or sign a big bat? — Will, Los Angeles

A. If they don’t, there are going to be a lot of upset Dodgers fans, Will. Let’s face it, this team is a mess right now, and general manager Ned Colletti has to have a big winter or could be facing the same fate that Grady Little did earlier this off-season.

Little may have let his clubhouse become divided and his team collapse in late-September, but the roster’s poor makeup is on Colletti. The Dodgers fell far short in power production, especially in the middle of their lineup, and can’t run out a 3-4-5 trio as weak as Luis Gonzalez, Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciaparra again and expect to contend in the NL West.

They have the young talent — Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, Andy LaRoche — to make a deal with Florida for Miguel Cabrera. But at this point, the crosstown Angels are pushing harder to get something done. Ditto for Johan Santana.

The Dodgers also made no push for either Alex Rodriguez or Torii Hunter, although they are thought to be seriously considering Aaron Rowand. Signing Rowand would improve clubhouse chemistry and intensity, but if you’re counting on him to carry the middle of your lineup, you’re making a mistake. He’s a complimentary hitter to more-powerful 3-4-5 types.

Signing Rowand also would move Juan Pierre to left field, and that would make either Ethier or Kemp more expendable. But if I were Colletti, I wouldn’t be sending Loney anywhere, as I see him as an emerging star both offensively and defensively — a building block much like Russell Martin.

Q. Who will be the most likely to trade for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera? — Griffin W., RSM, Calif.

A. Great question, Griffin, and the answer will go a long way to determining the immediate future of the Marlins. Cabrera is the bigger target, of course, given that he is only 24 and already is one of the game’s best sluggers. The question about him is his increasing weight and declining defense, which could force him to move to first base or left field. But he is a .313 career hitter in four-plus seasons, and has averaged 32 homers and 115 RBI in his first four seasons.

The Marlins are asking for a boatload of talent — up to four players — for Cabrera, and that has limited the market to prospect-rich teams such as the Angels and Dodgers. And in fact, they are asking so much that neither of those two leading possibilities is willing to meet the Marlins’ price at this point. So we’ll see what happens.

Angels owner Arte Moreno already has expressed frustration over the Marlins’ demands, and his team is anything but desperate. They already have signed Torii Hunter, and easily could use a couple of their prospects to acquire another third baseman or shortstop, such as Miguel Tejada, Scott Rolen or Joe Crede.

Willis hurt his market value with a poor 2007 season in which he went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA. You really have to wonder if his 22-10-2.63 season in 2005 will be his career year, but he is nothing if not durable, as he has averaged over 200 innings pitched for the last four seasons.

Willis’ market hasn’t really heated up yet, in part because the big-money teams are looking into the possibility of dealing for Santana. You could see a couple of those teams going after Willis if they lose out on Santana. And other interested teams could be Detroit and Arizona. But virtually every team needs starting pitching, so there should be several solid options for the Marlins in his case.

Q. There has been news that the Chicago Cubs will be sold. What are the steps and associated time frames to make that happen? — Steve Gilman, Eden Prairie, Minn.

A. Every team sale has unique characteristics, Steve, and this is no exception. The Cubs are part of The Tribune Company package that real estate developer Sam Zell has agreed to purchase. But the deal isn’t finalized yet, so the transfer of ownership hasn’t occurred yet.

That apparently will extend into early — or mid-2008, but in the meantime, Cubs GM Jim Hendry is expected to have a slightly increased budget from the $110 million mark in 2007. There won’t be a mega-spending spree such as last winter, when the Cubs dropped $300 million to add Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Mark DeRosa, but that should give Hendry enough to get what he feels necessary.

Q. What is going to happen to Doug Mientkiewicz? The Yankees are talking about everyone else who ever played first base but him? Any ideas? — Karyn, Roswell, Ga.

A. The Yankees have much bigger fish to fry at this point than their backup first baseman, as among other things, they are trying to trade for Johan Santana. But Mientkiewicz could fit into their picture again in 2008, as he does provide excellent defense, and some solid at-bats (albeit with little power production).

Whether it’s in New York or elsewhere, Mientkiewicz at 34 could stick around a few more years as a solid, role player off the bench. But his days as a regular first baseman ended a couple years ago.

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