Since late last week, the Dodgers have inked five players to minor league deals and invited them all to Major League camp in Spring Training. The two most notable of the bunch is local boy and former Giants hurler Russ Ortiz and former Mets and Red Sox backup infielder Nick Green.
Now, before anyone gets their panties all tied up in bunches, it should be noted that there is virtually no chance that Ortiz will be a major factor with the Dodgers this coming season. In fact, his chances of even making the team are so remote, the Dodgers are reportedly efforting to find a way to sign Joel Pineiro despite their supposed payroll limitations brought on in light of the McCourts divorce proceedings. They're supposedly still interested in bringing back Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland.
Green actually has a shot at making the team as a backup to Rafael Furcal, but he will be challenged by recently signed Angel Berroa, and Argenis Reyes, one of the other three signed this weekend.
It should also be noted that the Dodgers still have just one second baseman on the current Major League roster in recently signed free agent Jamey Carroll. Carroll was supposedly brought in to be a utility guy, and I would guess the Dodgers still want him for that purpose to maximize his versatility. That said, you can almost bet they are looking at alternatives to fill the vacancy left behind by the still-unsigned Orlando Hudson and Ronnie Belliard. It doesn't appear the Dodgers are all too comfortable with the idea of Blake DeWitt defensively at second base in any capacity. And if the Dodgers are serious about returning to the post-season and playing further than the NLCS, they will almost certainly have to find a viable replacement for Hudson and Belliard offensively.
No comments:
Post a Comment