The Dodgers have won 22 of their past 29 games, taking a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL West. Yet Paul DePodesta, their first-year GM, appears on the verge of giving the team a major facelift.

With less than 24 hours remaining until the non-waiver trade deadline, DePodesta continues to work on three-way deals that could land the Dodgers either Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson or center fielder Steve Finley — both of whom could quash any deal by invoking their no-trade protection.

The Dodgers, multiple sources confirm, have discussed sending catcher Paul Lo Duca, reliever Guillermo Mota and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins and outfielder Jayson Werth and prospects to the Diamondbacks. Their initial return could include Finley and Marlins righthander Brad Penny. Another option would be to include Penny in a package for Johnson.

Johnson reportedly has rejected any trade to the Dodgers, preferring to be sent to the Yankees. Finley is adamant about remaining in center field — a potential sticking point, because the Dodgers would want to keep Milton Bradley in center and move Finley to a corner-outfield position.

If one of the trades gets done, other questions would arise.

The Dodgers would lose their heart and soul if they traded Lo Duca, a clubhouse leader who is batting .301 this season with 10 homers and 49 RBIs. They also would lose perhaps the game's most valuable setup man if they traded Mota, who represents insurance for closer Eric Gagne and is under the team's control through 2006.

Then again, Finley and Penny would represent major additions, Johnson the biggest addition of all. The Dodgers would need to find a catcher, and they're talking to the Rockies about Charles Johnson, whom they traded to the Orioles in Dec. 1998. The danger is that the end result might not be better than the team that currently has the third-best record in baseball.

Most general managers wouldn't dare tinker with the chemistry of such a club, but DePodesta, a former assistant to A's general manager Billy Beane, is a new-age GM who values statistical analysis over intangibles that only can be measured subjectively.

He's ready to risk it all.

He's ready to blow up a first-place team.