Dodgers lose out on Hall, what's next?

Bill Hall signed with the Houston Astros on Friday for $3.25 million. Hall had been linked to the Dodgers for a couple weeks now.

The Dodgers wanted him to be their primary left fielder. Houston grabbed him to be their full-time second baseman.

I'm not sure what it came down to, but Hall's preference for infield duty probably helped in his decision. Also, that short porch in left field is probably quite attractive to Hall.

So, where do the Dodgers go from here? With left-field options dwindling, the name Scott Podsednik is being brought up.

This would be terrible.

Not only is Podsednik not a right-handed hitter with pop, he can't play defense. While I said earlier in the off-season the Dodgers should have offered him arbitration and that he'd be a nice fourth outfielder, many are fearing he'll be the starter Opening Day.

A few right-handed options remain: Jermaine Dye, Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge and Marcus Thames.

Dye did not play last season, but owns a career .826 OPS. However, his defense in 2009 was the worst of any Major League right fielder. He could be the most intriguing part-time LF option. But how would the year off affect him?

Kearns hit righties a little better than lefties last year, but he hits lefties a little better than righties for his career. Go figure.

Milledge is young but also comes with baggage. The former first-round pick hits lefties much better than righties (.798 vs. .690 OPS).

Thames is a guy who hits lefties better than righties and provides the most power-potential of this quartet.

My preference for the four is as follows:

1. Thames
2. Milledge
3. Dye
4. Kearns

Having said that, Kearns is probably the most likely, as his name is the only one mentioned in connection with the Dodgers at all this off-season.

The best option, a.k.a. the most unrealistic option, is to sign Adrian Beltre to play third base and platoon Casey Blake in left field with Gibbons. But Beltre apparently has a $70 million offer from Anaheim, so there goes that idea.

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Articles from other Dodger blogs

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts said as of right now, he'd start Tony Gwynn, Jr., as the Dodgers' third outfielder. And he'd start him in center field, moving Matt Kemp to right field and Andre Ethier to left field.

That would certainly give the Dodgers the best defensive outfield possible, as both Kemp and Ethier regressed defensively last season.

It's hard to argue the point, especially if the Dodgers are going with the "pitching and defense" angle.

We'll see what happens.

Mike Petriello of Mike Scoscia's Tragic Illness says Dodger fans should not get too excited about Zack Greinke demanding a trade from Kansas City. He also wonders what's next for the Dodgers' left-field vacancy.

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. says the Dodgers need to stay away from Podsednik, while making a nice A Christmas Story reference. He also had a great article on how and why the Dodgers need to lock up Clayton Kershaw right now.

Dodger doings: Hall, Greinke, Castro, Velez

The Dodgers are discussing whether or not to bring in utility player Bill Hall to be their primary left fielder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.

While I have an inexplicable fondness of Hall, to bring him in as the "primary" left fielder would be a mistake. Unless something changes with the Dodgers' money situation in the near future, the Dodgers won't have a "primary" left fielder. It's going to be a season-long platoon comprised of Jay Gibbons, Tony Gwynn, Jr., Casey Blake and maybe (but probably not) Xavier Paul.

An uninspiring bunch for sure. Adding Hall to the mix would be nice, as he has the versatility to play the corner outfield spots, third base, second base and even shortstop and center field in a pinch.

His bat leaves much to be desired, which is why he'd be a much better part-time player than "primary" left fielder. He has pop (18 home runs in 344 at-bats last season) and, surprisingly, doesn't exactly rake against left-handed pitchers.

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Jon Heyman continues to report the Dodgers are still in on Kansas City Royals' RHP Zack Greinke.

"With the Rangers, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Nationals and Brewers believed to be in the mix pretty seriously, and the possibility of one or two more teams that fail to land Lee ready to dive in, Moore is said to be shooting for a 'haul'"

and

"The Phillies are yet another team that's been connected to Greinke -- though the Rangers, Nats, Brewers, Blue Jays and Dodgers are seen as the early favorites."

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com has since said the Phillies are all but out on Greinke.

The Dodgers have six starting pitchers. As I said in my previous post, acquiring Greinke could lead to a trade of Chad Billingsley. While it makes sense to have as much pitching as possible, Ned Colletti might be taking that message too literally.

If the Dodgers traded for Greinke and kept Billingsley, they'd have one hell of a rotation.

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Zack Greinke
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Ted Lilly
5. Hiroki Kuroda

Which would relegate newly-signed Jon Garland to bullpen duty, along with Vicente Padilla.

That rotation could get head-to-head with the best of 'em, but the offense would still be an issue. I don't see the Royals taking a package of prospects from the Dodgers (Dee Gordon, Trayvon Robinson and a pitcher to start) for Greinke, but you never know.

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The Dodgers signed some minor-league depth, including a former Giant (I know, you're as shocked as I am). They signed catcher J.D. Closser, infielder Juan Castro and utility man Eugenio Velez.

Funny aside: I once got Castro to autograph a baseball for me during my second visit to Dodger Stadium in 1996.

Mike Petriello of Mike Scocia's Tragic Illness had a nice post on Castro and the Dodgers' refusal to sever ties with the fourth-worst hitter in Major League Baseball history.

Velez is not a good baseball player. He's a below-average hitter and fielder. His best attribute is his baserunning, which is merely average.

Still, he's just minor league depth. Having said that, I'd be shocked if he doesn't get some playing time in Los Angeles this season. He is a former Giant after all and we all know Colletti's obsession for guys who have "been there" and "knows what it takes to win." I mean, he is a World Series champion.

Excuse me while I go clean up because that last sentence made me sick.