BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Team Will Play With the Hand It Has Been Dealt

Dodger left fielder Billy Ashley hears the whispers in the clubhouse and senses the anxiety in some of his teammates. He can even understand their concern.

While the rest of the National League West is loading up, with teams spending $35 million on free agents and making 12-player trades, the Dodgers are standing pat.

They continue to shop shortstop Jose Offerman ($1.6 million), as they have all winter; they’d like to invite Frank Viola or another veteran left-handed starter to camp, but still have no commitments, and if they thought it was necessary to acquire a high-priced player down the stretch, they wouldn’t hesitate.

But the Dodgers have not acquired a player from outside their organization since last season. Considering they were only two games above .500 (58-56) at the time of the strike, it’s not as if they couldn’t stand some improvement.

“I hear people talking about how we’re going to finish last, and how everyone’s improved but us,” said Ashley, the Pacific Coast League’s player of the year, “and I sit there holding my tongue.

“I know we’re in rebuilding times and have a lot of youth, but it would be a mistake to write us off. A big mistake.

“We all know that teams have loaded up in our division, and they have more high-priced players and bigger names, but I think we can play with them. Remember, I’ve been with a lot of these guys in (triple-A) Albuquerque. I know what they can do.”

Catcher Mike Piazza said: “Sure, we’d like to have one or two more veterans, but at this time, we’re not provided that luxury. This division is going to be a lot tougher, but you’ve got to play with the cards you’re dealt.

“I think everyone’s taking a wait-and-see approach. We’re a young team, and we don’t know a lot of guys. But hey, no one knew who I was or Eric (Karros) was when we came up, either.

“The one advantage we’ll have going is that we’ll be playing with nothing to lose. There won’t be any pressure on us.”

*

Former Dodger center fielder Brett Butler, spurned in his attempt to sign with Baltimore, now appears headed for the New York Mets.

The Mets are unhappy with rookie center fielder Carl Everett, and Manager Dallas Green has asked that a change be made. Butler, who earned $3.5 million last season, would also fill the Mets’ need for a leadoff hitter.

*

Outfielder Henry Rodriguez was walking to breakfast at Vero Beach, Fla., Saturday morning when he was told he had an emergency phone call. It was his mother calling from New York, and Rodriguez’s wife, Patty, had just given birth to a baby boy.

“I was ready to cry,” Rodriguez said. “She wasn’t due for another 10 days. I was going to go back to New York for the birth and everything.

“I mean, this thing happened so fast, we don’t even have a name yet.”

*

Dodger scout Mel Didier will travel to Homestead, Fla., today in an attempt to acquire left-handed pitching. The Dodgers would like to add a left-handed starter and possibly a veteran reliever. . . . Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, said the team has no interest in veteran free-agent outfielder Andy Van Slyke. . . . Peter Perranoski, the father of former Dodger pitching coach Ron Perranoski, died Friday night and will be buried Tuesday in Boynton Beach, Fla.