Reed Between the Lines: Johnson Signs

He gets a one-year deal to serve as the Blue's fourth outfielder and his signing all but assures three things:

1. Doug Meintkiewicz will make the team as the only left-hander off the bench.
2. Ronnie Belliard will be the team's everyday second baseman.
3. Blake DeWitt will not make the team, and will start the season in Triple-A, again.

All this is made possible by the simple fact the Dodgers generally go with a 12-man pitching staff rather than 11. This means the Dodgers will likely go with five bench players rather than six.

Jamey Carroll is the super-utility guy, and recently re-signed Brad Ausmus is Russell Martin's back-up. Johnson is the fourth outfielder, and either Nick Green, Angel Berroa or Chin-Lung Hu will be the back-up middle infielder. All of these players are right-handed hitters, leaving the team with just one bench spot left and just one guy at this point to be the primary lefty off the bench: Meintkiewicz.

With most pitchers being predominantly right-handers, this leaves the Dodgers with a predicament, unless they plan on going with just 11 pitchers instead. Or, they could perhaps still sign yet another outfielder such as Garret Anderson or Brian Giles, unless they go with Xavier Paul, all left hand hitters. Anderson or Giles could conceivably be brought in as a back-up first baseman, as well, though between them they've only played one career game at the position making this scenario highly unlikely.

Don't get me wrong, I love Meintkiewicz as a player, but he simply has no power in his bat, and that's what the team sorely needs.

Any way you slice it though, the Dodgers have an interesting problem on hand, and only time will tell how they decide to shape out the remainder of the roster.