Dodgers need to rid themselves of Juan Uribe as soon as possible

It's no secret I've been against the Juan Uribe deal since he signed with the team two winters ago. I'm not usually in the business of saying "I told you so," but, well, it's quite fitting at this time.

Uribe is mired in a miserable slump (yes, even more miserable than his Dodger career totals). Since rejoining the team from injury on June 11, he's 5-for-49 with three doubles, two runs scored three walks and 15 strikeouts. Even worse, he's on an 0-for-25 streak right now.

When the Dodgers signed him, Uribe was coming off a big postseason with the Giants. Well, that's what Ned Colletti would tell you. In reality, he went 7-for-47 with two home runs and eight RBI. Unfortunately, those two home runs came at "clutch" times, thus leading people to believe Uribe was some kind of postseason hero.

He's actually one of the worst players in baseball and the Dodgers just need to cut their losses short with him.

There are two things keeping him around right now: his defensive ability (which isn't exactly Adrian Beltre-esque no matter what his 21.2 UZR says) and the fact the Dodgers have zero third base depth in the minors. Why do you think guys like Elian Herrera and Luis Cruz have even seen time in the majors this season?

The Dodgers drafted Corey Seager to be the eventual long-term third baseman, but he won't be ready for at least three years -- and that's being extremely optimistic. Other than that, guys like Josh Fields (not a prospect), Jake Lemmerman (more of a utility/middle infielder) and Pedro Baez (can't hit) are the next guys in line and they're not exactly realistic options.

But as for right now, the Dodgers are better off playing Jerry Hairston at third base the majority of the time. But since he's not an every day player, playing career minor-leaguers like Herrera and Cruz (and maybe even Adam Kennedy) are better options than Uribe. He's a black hole at the plate and has no business being on a Major League roster right now.

The Dodgers -- mainly Colletti -- have a really hard time known when to cut bait. If there was ever a time he was going to own up to his mistake, this would be the time. The fact that guys like Mike Petriello, Eric Stephen and Jon Weisman are saying there's a chance Uribe could be designated for assignment means there's some hope.

If the Dodgers sack up and actually DFA Uribe, they won't stick with the trio Herrera, Cruz and Kennedy for long. My expectation is they would step up trade efforts for a third baseman, particularly guys like Chase Headley or Jed Lowrie (who plays short but could slide over to third).

First thing's first, though: time to trim the excess fat (pun intended).

Minor league moves

The Dodgers made a number of minor league moves this week. Here are some of the more notable ones:

• Seager was assigned to Ogden and has already played in a couple games
• Steven Rodriguez was signed and went straight to Great Lakes
• Angelo Songco was promoted from Great Lakes to Rancho Cucamonga
• Darnell Sweeney was promoted to Great Lakes from Ogden to take Songco's spot

Seager beginning in Ogden is no surprise. He'll finish his first professional season there.

Rodriguez, the Dodgers' second-round pick, going to Great Lakes doesn't surprise me, but him signing for slot ($610,800) surprises me. That means the Dodgers will have to pay a luxury tax which comes in a little less than $75,000. The expectation was the Dodgers could get Rodriguez signed cheaper than slot to offer Seager a little more to forgo his commitment to South Carolina and because Rodriguez was overdrafted a bit.

Songco was rehabbing at Great Lakes and actually struggled a bit: .175/.281/.367 with six home runs. The home runs and walks were nice, but the .175 batting average was not -- especially since he played in the league a couple years ago. No clue how long he'll be in Rancho, but I'd like to see him in Chattanooga before the season ends.

Sweeney, the Dodgers' 13th-round draft pick, had a solid triple slash in 16 games: .303/.380/.379 for a glove-first shortstop. Drawing nine walks (against eight strikeouts) and stealing 10 bases were both positives for a 21-year-old fresh out of college.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr

Bobby Abreu deal official, Dodgers option Sellers

The Dodgers officially signed Bobby Abreu to a 1-year contract on Friday. He'll play the role of left-handed bat off the bench and part-time starter in left field (as he's done so in his first couple games).

He came up in two key situations yesterday. Once he struck out and the other time, in the top of the ninth inning, he hit a ball right on the nose, but the Cubs' defense allowed the right fielder to cut the ball of before it could get down.

I'm not particularly a fan of the signing, but hopefully it means less Adam Kennedy. However, with the Dodgers optioning Justin Sellers to Triple-A (and Ivan De Jesus back), the Isotopes' roster is getting pretty packed (Luis Cruz, Elian Herrera, Josh Fields and Alex Castellanos, when he gets off the disabled list). Not that guys like Cruz and Herrera should get top billing over Sellers, De Jesus and Castellanos, but it's going to happen sometimes.

So now, the Dodgers are relying on Jerry Hairston, who's been magnificent at third base and second base, to be Dee Gordon's primary backup at shortstop. That didn't work out too well in Spring Training, but we'll see how it works now.

I know Sellers wasn't hitting much, but he should have remained to be a quality defensive backup to Gordon. Instead, Kennedy and his 3-for-22 line is still employed.

Photo credit: farmerbuzz, Flickr

Dodgers' roster news as Spring Training comes closer to conclusion

The Dodgers have made a few roster moves this week as the season is set to open on Thursday in San Diego.

Cuts

Josh Bard and Cory Sullivan were released by the Dodgers. Bard was never going to make the team ahead of starter A.J. Ellis and million-dollar man Matt Treanor. There was a tweet during the contract he signed was guaranteed, but that was obviously not the case. Bard was 2-for-18 this spring.

Sullivan, notorious Dodger killer, had a decent spring, but he was a longshot to make the team anyway. I thought he'd end up in Albuquerque, but it isn't exactly a huge blow to a team with some of the most outfield depth in the minor leagues. Sullivan posted a .289/.333/.395 triple slash with one home run, seven RBI and three walks. He'll probably land a minor-league deal elsewhere. Here's hoping he never plays against the Dodgers again, though.

Disabled list

Ted Lilly was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a stiff neck. Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. reported if Lilly remains on track, he could make his season debut on April 14 against the Padres.

The move allows the Dodgers to carry one extra bullpen arm because of the team's April 9 off day. It seems it will go with a four-man rotation until Lilly returns. Stephen notes Josh Lindblom and Scott Rice are in the mix. Nathan Eovaldi might get some consideration, but since he doesn't have a rotation spot, he's best suited to begin the season in the minors. If the Dodgers go with Lindblom or Rice, I have a feeling it'll be the latter. Scott Elbert is the team's only left-hander out of the 'pen and they gave John Grabow his release earlier this week.

Adam Kennedy is also a DL candidate after suffering a pulled groin. If the Dodgers do place him on the disabled list, it could be retroactive to March 26, which means, unfortunately, he'd only miss the first series of the season.

Luis Cruz, Josh Fields and Justin Sellers are fighting for reserve roles. The fact Cruz is even being considered reeks of Hector Gimenez last spring. Having said that, he's almost a lock to make it if Kennedy begins on the DL.

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I'm starting a new weekly feature with Jared Massey of L.A. Dugout (formerly of L.A. Dodger Report and L.A. Dodger Talk). We're recording a podcast, "Dugout Blues," that is tentatively scheduled to go up every Monday. We'll talk about everything Dodgers while focusing on the minor league system a bit more than the Major League team.

I'll post links here and we'll get it on iTunes as soon as possible.

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Tango Tiger needs some input on how many games Dodger players will appear in this season in its annual "Community Forecast" feature. It's pretty simple and quick. There are only 18 entries thus far. I submitted mine on Friday.

Mike Petriello made his debut at FanGraphs on Friday, writing about Andre Ethier and how he's primed for a big season. If Ethier's spring is any indication, Petriello is going to look damn good with this article.

Petriello also thinks the Dodgers shouldn't give Ned Colletti his walking papers just yet. I'm inclined to agree. However, keeping him around longer increases his chances of remaining with the team (which are microscopic at this point).

Chad Moriyama links to ESPN LA's Ramona Shelburne and the L.A. Times' Bill Shaikin stating how Frank McCourt won't get any revenue from the parking lots at Dodger Stadium.

"So go back to the stadium and stop whining.

Thanks."

Scott Andes of Lasorda's Lair is counting down the 10 best moments in Dodger Stadium history. The most recent entry, No. 6, is something of which I have fond memories -- and I'm betting most Dodger fans do.

Zach Lee's signature could use some work, writes Greg Zakwin of Plashcke Thy Sweater is Argyle.

And this might be one of my favorite photos of all-time.

Photo credits: brendan-c on Flickr

The Dodgers' bench is going to be an issue this season

The most underrated part of a Major League Baseball team is the bench. Contending teams tend to have strong benches while mediocre teams tend to have, well, mediocre benches.

This applies to the Dodgers, a team with a mediocre bench for years. This season, though, could possibly be the worst in recent years.

This post was inspired by this tweet from Dodger fan Andrew Grant of Minor League Central:

"There's a non zero chance Matt Treanor will be the best hitter on the Dodgers bench."

That really makes one think. If Treanor is the Dodgers' best bat off the bench, this is going to be a long season.

The following players are locks for the Dodgers' five-man bench, assuming they carry seven pitchers:

Tony Gwynn
Jerry Hairston
Adam Kennedy
Matt Treanor

That leaves one spot and a few possibilities.

Josh Fields is hitting well this spring and would provide the only power potential off the bench -- and that's nowhere near a sure thing as he's struggled to stay in the majors since his debut.

Justin Sellers possesses decent on-base skills, but not much power. The fact he can play shortstop at least adequately has to be a plus in his column. Hairston is penciled in right now as Dee Gordon's backup.

Jerry Sands is the best young hitter closest to the majors the Dodgers have, but he'd be better off playing everyday in Triple-A.

Other guys in the mix include Ivan De Jesus, Trent Oeltjen and Cory Sullivan, but they are longshots to make the 25-man out of Spring Training.

Even in the best-case scenario, the Dodgers' bench is going to be bad. A way to remedy that is to not sign mediocre (at best) Major Leaguers to fill these roles. Another way is to sign superstar players, forcing borderline everyday players to the bench (I'm looking at you, James Loney). Alas, that won't happen until next winter.

Don't expect any heroics from this group. It has to rate as one of the worst in the majors. It just puts extra pressure on the starters to play well and not get hurt (like they can avoid that) so the Dodgers don't have to rely on the bench.

Notes from today's game against the Indians

Clayton Kershaw had a nice outing, and I got to see it on MLB Network. His line for the day is as follows: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K. He seems ready to start the season right now.

Kenley Jansen pitched an inning and struck out two. Business as usual for him.

Andre Ethier hit a triple, but it was a generous one. He hit a flyball to left field that should have been caught. Instead, the left fielder slid and kicked the ball away, allowing Ethier to get to third. Regardless, it was Ethier's ninth extra-base hit in 10 Spring Training games. If numbers mean anything in March (which they don't), Ethier could be primed for a big season.

The aforementioned Sellers had three hits, including an RBI double, in his quest to be the Dodgers' fifth man off the bench.

Photo credits: SD Dirk on Flickr

Spring Training battles emerging, plus roster cuts and ownership news

The Dodgers made their second round of Spring Training cuts today, reassigning Jeff Baisley, Gorman Erickson, Matt Wallach and Lance Zawadzki to minor league camp. The Dodgers also gave Alberto Castillo his outright release.

Absolutely no surprises here. The only two of note in the group are Erickson and Wallach. Erickson will likely begin the season in Chattanooga with the Lookouts after getting a taste of Double-A late last season. Wallach, who spent 76 of his 79 games with the Lookouts last season, should back up Tim Federowicz in Albuquerque with the Isotopes.

The roster sits at 49 players. It obviously has to be down to 25 before Opening Day. There are a few interesting battles developing.

Jerry Sands vs. Josh Fields
- This isn't exactly a position battle, but both players are right-handed and aiming for bench spots. Sands, my No. 1 prospect a year ago, hasn't exactly lit up Spring Training while Fields has. However, this could (and should) come down to playing time. The Dodgers aren't going to platoon Andre Ethier and James Loney and Juan Rivera (with his $4.5 million contract) is certainly not going to sit. So, it seems Sands will begin the season in Triple-A.

Fields played part of last season in Japan and is making a str0ng case to be on the Dodgers' bench to start the season. I could see it happening because the bench, as constructed, looks to lack power -- not just right-handed power.

Justin Sellers vs. Ivan De Jesus
- Sellers has the edge in this matchup due to his ability to play shortstop. Without Sellers, there is no viable backup option to Dee Gordon (and no, Jerry Hairston is not viable). Sellers is also hitting well in Spring Training and had a couple moments with the team last year.

De Jesus has long since been in the team's doghouse (at least it seems that way) and just suffered an injury to his left oblique. It's not known how serious it is, but that, coupled with the fact he hasn't hit well and can't play shortstop more than in a pinch, should really about seal it for Sellers.

John Grabow vs. Josh Lindblom
- Grabow was signed earlier in December and I predicted he'd make the club out of Spring Training. So far, Grabow has thrown 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball and has six strikeouts. He's making quite the case to be the Dodgers' second lefty out of the bullpen.

Lindblom has been fine so far, but he has options remaining and the fact that Scott Elbert is the only left-hander could lead the team to sending him to Triple-A. Matt Guerrier has back issues right now and could open a door for Lindblom to make the team if he starts the season on the disabled list.

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Bill Shaikin brings us news of something huge going on in the Dodgers' ownership race.

"Patrick Soon-Shiong, the richest man in Los Angeles, has joined the Dodgers bid group led by hedge-fund billionaire Steven Cohen.

The alliance is the strongest indication yet of Cohen's intention to present outgoing owner Frank McCourt with a final bid that reflects prominent local support rather than just overwhelming East Coast money.

If McCourt were to accept the Cohen bid, he would be rejecting one led by local icon Magic Johnson. Soon-Shiong has held several meetings with McCourt since the Dodgers were put up for sale in November, according to people familiar with the process."

Well, that about settles that. With Soon-Shiong joining Cohen's group, a group that reportedly has the most up-front money included in its bid (roughly $500 million), it's hard to see how the richest man in Los Angeles joining the group is anything but good Cohen.

Speculation was Soon-Shiong was to join the Johnson-Stan Kasten group, but that obviously never materialized.

Cohen also reportedly has interest in bringing in former Cardinals' and Athletics' manager Tony LaRussa, recently retired, to oversee baseball operations for the club. While the prospect isn 't exciting, despite LaRussa winning two World Series titles in St. Louis and one in Oakland, it's about time we start to accept it and get used to it.

Mike Petriello has a good post on it while trying to look on the bright side of today's breaking news.

"Now, I’ve been pretty clear how against Cohen I’ve been since the beginning of this process. Now that it seems he’s the clear frontrunner, I’m trying to look on the bright side here, and there’s one massive bright side: Cohen and Soon-Shiong are estimated to be worth over $15 billion between the two of them. That means we may not have to worry so much about whether a record-setting purchase price would impact the ability to invest in the team and stadium; it also means that we may not have to worry about a large amount of debt being a part of the purchase price."

There should be a lot of news in the last two weeks of the saga. April 1 is the day all Dodger fans are anxious and eager to see.

Photo credit: wisely on Flickr

Wrapping up the first week of Dodgers' Spring Training

The Dodgers finished their first week of Spring Training with a 5-1-2 record, which obviously means they're going to the World Series.

Seriously, though, they had a solid week. Some players had solid weeks as well.

Hitters

Andre Ethier has five hits in eight at-bats, including three extra base hits (double, triple, home run) and only one strikeout. He missed Saturday's game against the Mariners with back tightness, but it doesn't sound too serious.

Matt Kemp hit his first home run of the spring on Friday against the Mariners. He's 4-for-12, but also has six strikeouts. But there's no need to panic.

A surprise performer so far has been Josh Fields, who is 7-for-12 with two doubles, a triple and two RBI. Fields began his career as a member of the White Sox and spent 2010 with the Royals and 2011 with the Rockies' Triple-A team and Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League. He's battling for a bench spot, but I don't think he's a legitimate option unless there is a rash of injuries.

Former Rockie Cory Sullivan also had himself a week, going 6-for-12 with a double, a home run (a grand slam against the White Sox on Saturday) and a team-leading six RBI. Like Fields, I don't expect Sullivan to make the squad, but he's playing well so far.

Alex Castellanos and Juan Rivera are tied with the team lead in home runs with two.

Pitchers

Chris Capuano had the best debut, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.

Todd Coffey also appeared for two innings (in two outings) and like Capuano, struck out three hitters.

The bullpen trio of Scott Elbert, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen has pitched six innings, given up five hits, three walks, struck out seven and, most importantly, have yet to allow a run.

It'll be interesting to see how some guys continue to perform before the first round of cuts is made.

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The Dodgers signed Jarrad Page to a minor-league deal. If that name sounds familiar, you're probably a UCLA, Chief, Patriot, Eagle or Viking fan. He is the free safety who attended UCLA and was drafted in the seventh round by Kansas City in the 2006 NFL Draft.

He participated in the Dodgers' open tryout on March 1, a tryout that also resulted in the signing of former Dodger prospect Blake Johnson and former Blue Jay draft pick Brandon Mims.

Page was signed as an outfielder and was drafted three times before he decided to pursue football. He's 27 and getting a late start, so I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for him to be something. He's more likely to be picked up to play safety again than he is to pick up a bat in a Major League game.

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Prospective Dodger owners are touring Camelback Ranch this week prior to the new owner being selected in less than a month.

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the lowdown:

"(Steve) Cohen is widely considered one of three favorites to buy the team, along with St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and a group led by Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten.

Cohen has an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion and Kroenke an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.

The other candidates include Stanley Gold and the family of the late Roy Disney; a group led by New York media investor Leo Hindery and Southern California billionaire Tom Barrack; a group led by Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley and Los Angeles investor Tony Ressler; and Beverly Hills real estate developer Alan Casden."

So, it seems we're down to seven groups again. My money (and heart) is still on the Magic-Kasten group, but anything can happen right now.

I mean, Magic wouldn't have sold his minority stake in one of the most lucrative professional sports teams in the Lakers if he didn't feel he'd have a great shot of being part owner of the Dodgers, would he?

This whole saga should be determined in the next three weeks. It's been a long time coming for Dodger fans and it'll be nice to finally move on from the Frank McCourt era. Hopefully that means we'll get to move on from the Ned Colletti era, too.

Photo credits: SD Dirk, Flickr (Kemp), Rafael Amado Deras, Flickr (Johnson)

Andre Ethier homered off a lefty and yes, it's news

Dodgers' outfielder Andre Ethier hit a solo home run in the second inning of today's Giant-Dodger Spring Training game. Normally, that isn't lede-worthy. But he hit it off a lefty.

OK, he hit it off Barry Zito, but it's still newsworthy.

Ethier hit just one home run last season against left-handed pitching in 141 at-bats. And it isn't that he doesn't hit for power against lefties, it's the fact he doesn't hit lefties well at all. He hit .220/.258/.305 against lefties last year and has a career line of .242/.302/.359 against left-handed pitching.

Then again, maybe Ethier just got lucky and ran into one. It was Barry Zito after all.

Here's hoping he can improve his splits because there's a push in the blogger community to have Ethier platoon. I'm still of the mindset he needs to play everyday, (with the occasional day off against lefties), but I could change my tune if Ethier doesn't improve.

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Ted Lilly was in midseason form, giving up six hits, five runs and two home runs in two innings.

Josh Fields collected his third hit of the spring -- a double (his second). He's wearing No. 37, a number worn by old friend Darren Dreifort. If he could hit as well as Dreifort, he might have a shot at making the team.

Ronald Belisario made his first appearance for the Dodgers since the Oct. 1, 2010, and Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has the proof. He's wearing Jonathan Broxton's old No. 51. He gave up two hits in a scoreless inning of work.

Josh Lindblom and Josh Wall made their spring debuts, each tossing scoreless frames and each picking up a strikeout.

Photo credits: brendan-c (Flickr)