Day roster. That's the kind of change normally associated with teams in turmoil, not ones that enjoyed a clubhouse champagne celebration the previous fall.
DePodesta pleads for patience and understanding. He says he understands the questions from outsiders, but is confident he has an idea of what he's trying to do, and he did earn his baseball stripes working under two general managers who enjoyed impressive success.
"I really empathize with the fans," he says. "I don't like turnover, either. It's not fun for me. It makes my job a lot more challenging.
"This is a team in a state of confusion. They win the division a year ago for two reasons: Adrian Beltre's bat and their infield defense. Then they spend the offseason erasing the strengths. Not only does Beltre leave as a free agent, but they don't even tender Alex Cora. Now they are talking about having Jeff Kent at second instead of Cora and Jose Valentin at third instead of Beltre. A shaky pitching staff to begin with just got worse. And where's the durable lineup threat that Beltre created? Don't tell me J.D. Drew. How many days is he going to be able to play thanks to the comfort of a five-year contract? The only thing standing between them and .500 is Eric Gagne."
... [But] if you look at the moves we've made, they've been to acquire young players who have a chance to be around for a long time. We've experienced short-term heartache in order to do what we can to build a solid foundation and have a core group of players our fans can attach themselves to."
In the process, though, DePodesta has gotten rid of some players Dodger fans already were attached to, including catcher Paul Lo Duca, third baseman Adrian Beltre, first baseman Shawn Green and second baseman Alex Cora.
The 25-year-old Beltre, who followed free agency to Seattle, and 29-year-old Cora (non-tendered) are being replaced by free-agent signees Jose Valentin, 35, and Jeff Kent, 37. Green, 32, who was traded to Arizona for four prospects in mid-January, will have his shoes filled at first by 26-year-old South Korean Hee Seop Choi.
"We're at least even with where we were and I'd like to think we are a little bit ahead," DePodesta explains.
The Dodgers' contention was that the signings of Kent, Valentin and outfielder J.D. Drew offset the offensive loss of Beltre, Cora, Green and aging center fielder Steve Finley, who headed down Interstate 5 to sign with Anaheim as a free agent.
For a franchise that always has considered pitching to be its lifeblood, what the DePodesta Dodgers seem to ignore is the defensive deficiencies of their new alignment.
Kent is, at best, average at second base. Valentin was a washout at short in Chicago and is now being asked to play third. Drew is talented, but it wasn't until he had the looming leverage of free agency last year that he even managed to get 425 at-bats in a season. Even more distressing is that they are hooked up with Drew for $55 million over five years, the first five-year deal the Dodgers have made in the four years since Darren Dreifort was given his five years and $55 million. So far, that investment has seen Dreifort give the Dodgers 396 innings and a 21-24 record over four years in return.
Cesar Izturis has survived shortstop. Considered dead weight by Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi when he was dealt to the Dodgers after the 2001 season, Izturis has emerged as the premier defensive shortstop in the National League, and has made himself into a pretty good hitter.
But not only is he now flanked by Kent at second and Valentin at third, the loss of Green means Choi will get a legitimate shot at first base, a gamble considering his lack of success in brief shots with the Cubs and Dodgers. He batted .270 with 15 homers and 40 RBI in 95 games with the Cubs last season, but hit a paltry .161 with no homers in 31 games after being traded to L.A. |
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DePodesta came up with a winner for left field last spring when he robbed Toronto of young Jayson Werth for reliever Jason Fra-sor, whose late-inning value is tempered by the fact he can't pitch back-to-back days. Werth, 25, took advantage of his opportunity with the Dodgers, batting .262 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI in 290 at-bats.
But DePodesta gave his soul to the devil looking for help in center field and paid the price with the antics of Milton Bradley, whom the Dodgers picked up from Cleveland on the final weekend of spring training. For the most part, Bradley did what he was supposed to do—provide some help offensively and be an asset defensively—but it was only a matter of time before he became a distraction just like he was in Cleveland and Montreal.
Once Bradley can be banished, Drew
has made it known he would like to return to center field, the position he played in college. Since he was first a teammate of Jim Edmonds in St. Louis and then Andruw Jones in Atlanta, he hasn't had much of a chance to experience the position in the big leagues."With those guys, you tip your cap and carry their Gold Gloves home for them," Drew says, "but if the opportunity presents itself, I'd give it a shot."
Veteran free agent Paul Bako, who signed a one-year deal after hitting .203 in 49 games with the Cubs last season, and David Ross are the catchers.
DePodesta did move quickly after the first of the year to steady the rotation. He re-signed lefty Odalis Perez and added free-agent World Series hero Derek Lowe, who had a 5.42 regular-season ERA for
Boston but revived his value thanks to a 3-0, 1.86postseason.
They join holdover left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii plus right-handers Jeff Weaver and Brad Penny in the rotation. A midsummer pickup from the Marlins, Penny arrived with a sore arm that DePodesta failed to check out before making the trade.
The Dodgers do know that if they have a late-inning lead, the game belongs to them thanks to the presence of dominating closer Eric Gagne, who converted 45 of 47 save opportunities last season. He has solid right-handed help from the likes of Yhency Brazoban, Elmer Dessens, Giovanni Carrara and Duaner Sanchez.
