Kent opting in for 2008
Jeff Kent has postponed retirement and will play out the final year of his contract with the Dodgers, his agent said Tuesday night.
Jeff Klein wrote in an e-mail that the 39-year-old Kent has informed Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti of his decision. Colletti confirmed that he had “a thorough conversation” with Kent over the phone before last week’s winter meetings.
Klein wrote in the e-mail that the second baseman “is looking forward to returning for his fourth season with the Dodgers. He is actively pursuing his customary and rigorous off-season conditioning and weightlifting program, and is very focused on helping his team win the World Series this year.”
Colletti and Manager Joe Torre sounded fairly optimistic in recent months that Kent would be back. Torre, who is also represented by Klein, said he received a phone message from Kent upon being hired by the Dodgers last month.
Kent was slowed by a strained hamstring over the second half of last season, but finished batting .302 with a team-best 20 home runs. He also had 79 runs batted in.
Kent has hit .290 with 365 home runs over 16 seasons.
By making his 550th plate appearance of the season in Colorado on Sept. 20, Kent guaranteed his $9-million option for 2008. But with the Dodgers on a five-game losing streak and seemingly out of contention, Kent voiced his frustrations about the team’s plunge and strongly hinted that he might retire.
In the same postgame interview, Kent made comments that put him in the middle of the club’s generational divide, saying the team’s young players lacked professionalism and didn’t know how to manufacture runs or keep their emotions in the game.
“We’ve got some good kids on the team,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, please don’t misinterpret my impressions. [But] it’s hard to translate experience.”
Kent’s statements drew a sharp rebuttal the next day from first baseman James Loney.
Colletti said last week of the team’s clubhouse problems, “I know why it occurred and it’s been addressed. It’ll be an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive.”
Andruw Jones, who passed a physical examination in Los Angeles on Tuesday, is set to sign his name today on a two-year contract with the Dodgers worth $36.2 million. Jones will be introduced at a news conference at Dodger Stadium this morning.
Free-agent right-hander Rudy Seanez has been offered a one-year contract to return to the Dodgers, according to his agent, David Schwartz, who said the Dodgers are among six to eight teams that have expressed “serious interest” in his client.
The Dodgers are looking at three free agents to be their backup catcher: Mike Lieberthal, Gary Bennett and Damian Miller. The team declined Lieberthal’s $1.4-million option for next season but is interested in bringing him back at a reduced price. Bennett and Miller were backups last season in St. Louis and Milwaukee, respectively.
Marty Greenspun, who resigned as the Dodgers’ chief operating officer last month, will rejoin the New York Yankees’ front office, according to baseball sources. Before joining the Dodgers in 2004, Greenspun spent six seasons as the Yankees’ chief financial officer and vice president.
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The Dodgers’ projected batting order for 2008, with last season’s batting averages:
*--* PLAYER POS. BA Rafael Furcal SS 270 Russell Martin C 293 James Loney 1B 331 Jeff Kent 2B 302 Andruw Jones CF 222 Matt Kemp RF 342 Nomar Garciaparra 3B 283 Juan Pierre LF 293 *--*
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