Now Dodgers lose out on Bill Hall; options in left grow still more bleak
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And now on to Plan B … or is that Plan Z?
The most deserted place on Earth?
Left-field for the Dodgers.
Doesn’t anyone who can actually hit a baseball want to play there? One who bats right-handed?
The Dodgers have been busy stockpiling their pitching staff, but their daily lineup has been improved only at second base with the addition of Juan Uribe.
They currently have no left-field starter and lost out on another prime candidate Friday when Bill Hall signed with the Astros to play second base.
It’s not like Hall was going to be a major acquisition, but at least he was right-handed and offered some pop (18 home runs in 382 at-bats for Boston last season).
But according to Foxsports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, Hall just signed a one-year deal with Houston for approximately $3 million.
Which leaves the Dodgers where, besides with a black hole in their lineup?
The pickings are growing slim. This week Magglio Ordonez signed with the Tigers, Xavier Nady with the Diamondbacks and the A’s traded for Josh Willingham. Previously Matt Diaz signed with the Pirates, Pat Burrell with the Giants, and of course, Jayson Werth to those loony Nationals.
What’s left? No free agents to set the heart a-flutter. Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge, Marcus Thames, Jermaine Dye?
Somebody has to go out there, and the in-house gang -- Jay Gibbons, Xavier Paul, Tony Gwynn Jr. -- all hit left-handed. Trayvon Robinson, who played at class-AA Chattanooga last season, is a switch-hitter with minimal power.
Someone has to share time, presumably with Gibbons. Regulars Andre Either and James Loney are left-handed. The Dodgers might have been better off signing Hall to play second, moving Uribe to third and letting Casey Blake platoon with Gibbons in left. Something, other than where they currently are.
With a hole in left, and options to fill it dwindling. First they lose out on Diaz, and now Hall. Manny Ramirez, of course, remains available.
-- Steve Dilbeck