I was hoping that Brad
Ausmus would return for the 2010 season. Sure, he's 41, but he's the perfect
backup to Russell Martin. Russ will catch 130-140 games, so Ausmus won't need
to play that much.
And when he did play
last year, he did a good job, hitting .295. He'll be a nice influence on a
pitching staff that's still growing.
I really like the
Ronnie Belliard signing. He was solid for the team in a brief stint last year,
and he's a guy who can play all over the infield. He's also a guy that can
provide the team with a big blow with one swing.
Between Belliard,
Carroll and DeWitt (and possibly DeJesus Jr.) I think the Dodgers second base
production will be fine. And they have plenty of infield depth.
What was a disaster of
an off-season has turned out to be okay, so far with smaller signings following
the semi-medium one of Vicente Padilla.
Now, if they could
just find a way to sign one more pitcher. A high-risk, low-cost guy like Erik
Bedard would be great. If he breaks down, then you turn to Scott Elbert, James
McDonald, Eric Stults, etc...
The bench is solid...I was bitching about it last week and I'm glad ned is listening to me...why we didn't get stairs is beyond me, he would complete the bench...what other lefties are out there with pop? The fifth starter is the only question going into spring as it has been for as long as I can remember...vote for pedro!
Bedard isn't even on pace to start the season healthy. I expect he signs sometime near the all-star break for a pro-rated deal worth 5 million'ish.